PC Refresh build

RIG_ · January 28, 2021

Budget (including currency): £750GBP (could go higher if needs be)

Country: UK

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Mainly programming in Python/C++/CUDA.

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc):

I run Manjaro stable for the primary OS, but I do have a windows parition.

Gaming isn't hugely the priority here or I'd balance the budget very differently.

The main thing I was wondering about was my case doesn't support any standard coolers (212 evo, NH-D15, etc.) since it only has 150mm clearance above the motherboard.

It also only supports 120mm radiators (without modification).
I thought that I'd pick up a cheapish 120mm AIO, but was wondering whether it would be worth picking up a new case (like 275R airflow).

I bought my original parts back in 2013 (and 970 fitted second-hand in 2019), so I was wondering how long I've got left in my PSU.

I was thinking of replacing it at the same time as purchasing a new GPU, with maybe a newer case.

My workloads vary from single-core/multi-core but almost always CPU bound workflow.

I will eventually upgrade to an M.2 NVMe SSD and the 40xx/50xx NVIDIA graphics card series.

My inventory:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD FX-6300 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor	Purchased For £0.00
Motherboard	Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard	Purchased For £0.00
Memory	G.Skill Ares Series 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-2133 CL11 Memory	Purchased For £0.00
Storage	Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	Purchased For £0.00
Storage	Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	Purchased For £0.00
Video Card	MSI GeForce GTX 970 4 GB GAMING Video Card	Purchased For £0.00
Case	Corsair SPEC-01 ATX Mid Tower Case	Purchased For £0.00
Power Supply	Corsair CXM 430 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	Purchased For £0.00
Case Fan	Xilence Performance C 57.9 CFM 120 mm Fan	Purchased For £0.00
Case Fan	Xilence Performance C 57.9 CFM 120 mm Fan	Purchased For £0.00
Case Fan	Corsair AF120 (2018) 52 CFM 120 mm Fan	Purchased For £0.00
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	£0.00
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-28 16:53 GMT+0000

I think this is what I want to upgrade to:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor	£389.94 @ Technextday
CPU Cooler	NZXT Kraken M22 Liquid CPU Cooler	£62.46 @ Amazon UK
Motherboard	MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	£139.99 @ AWD-IT
Memory	Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	£115.19 @ Amazon UK
Storage	Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	Purchased For £0.00
Storage	Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	Purchased For £0.00
Video Card	MSI GeForce GTX 970 4 GB GAMING Video Card	Purchased For £0.00
Case	Corsair SPEC-01 ATX Mid Tower Case	Purchased For £0.00
Power Supply	Corsair CXM 430 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	Purchased For £0.00
Case Fan	Xilence Performance C 57.9 CFM 120 mm Fan	Purchased For £0.00
Case Fan	Xilence Performance C 57.9 CFM 120 mm Fan	Purchased For £0.00
Case Fan	Corsair AF120 (2018) 52 CFM 120 mm Fan	Purchased For £0.00
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	£707.58
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-28 16:51 GMT+0000

Any help with PSU life, CPU cooler suggestions for my case.

Edited January 28, 2021 by RIG_
Fix missing radiator support info

RONOTHAN## · January 28, 2021

I would recommend you go for a 5900x rather than the 5800x. It's a $100 US difference, so about £80 difference for you, and it absolutely crushes that chip in multi threaded instances. The 5800x is overpriced for what it is, and you might as well get a lot more performance for not that much more money. Also, if it isn't that much more expensive, swap that memory kit out for a 3600MHz kit, as that's the sweet spot for ryzen. Other than that, the build is fine. The psu I'd swap, it probably doesn't have that much life left in it, but it should still work until you get a new gpu. As for the case, I personally don't like those cases, and wouldn't blame you for wanting to go with something better like a 275R, but it won't really make that much of a difference. If you do want to swap it out, I'd recommend a phantecs p500a, it's a great case for less than $100 with great airflow and is super easy to build in.

RIG_ · January 28, 2021

At the moment, the 5900X retails for £600 c.f. £400 for the 5800X due to stock shortages etc. (https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/KwLwrH/amd-ryzen-9-5900x-37-ghz-12-core-processor-100-100000061wof).

I'll have a look at copping the 3600MHz, it's an extra £30 but probably worth it.

Thanks for your help.