Intel to AMD Swap in Personal/Undergrad/Gaems Build Update

[Burdla]

After 8 long faithful years I finally swapped out my very first motherboard, an MSI Z87-G45. It was the last remaining part surviving the purge of beginner parts for big boy components from RAM, CPU, PSU, drives, you name it, this mobo outlasted it all. For a solid 5 years it ran in tandem with an overclocked Intel i5 4690k @ 4.3 mHz, Kingston HyperX Fury 2x8 DDR3 2400 mHz, and GTX 770 SLI. (Janky I know, but it worked flawlessly.) I would have waited out the rest of the boards days and populated more DIMM slots, but the Cooler Master 212 Evo w/ dual fans makes a clearance issue forcing you to not use it or use low profile RAM on ATX boards, which the HyperX is not by any means. Nor can you get more DDR3 HyperX at those speeds without scouring the internet with a fine tooth comb. 

 

This machine is my personal daily driver that I use frequently to play video games and use for school work which involves a lot of playing around in GIS software. So I saved up my nickels and dimes over the pandemic and last month bought a new mobo to replace the old one, switched from team blue to red with a 3700x and decided to cool it with a Corsair H150i, obligatory upgrade from 2x8GB to 2x16GB, and revamped my cooling situation by picking up some Noctua case fans. 

First picture is the complete new build working as intended. Below is a complete PCPartPicker list including peripherals, and excluding a 7 port USB 3.0 PCI hub made by the small Chinese firm Orico. 

 

Temperatures are acceptable, 1% lows idle are about 27C, 1% highs under full load are 63C, average idle is about 32C, while average full load is approximately 55C.  Although Corsair iCue in my opinion is worse than any plague in history and I think this software frequently malfunctioning is directly responsible for increasing my average and 1% full-load CPU temps by 25-50%. During testing and breaking in the new components, about a week ago I had to force-restart my system after Civ 6 crashed. iCue was very much not a fan of that, and failed to recognize the pump in the software forcing it in "safe mode" which blinks the LED's red, and fans operate at 100%. A few restarts and forced firmware updates it fixed, but since then my data has been skewed towards running hotter and fluctuating throughout the range a lot more often. I unfortunately somewhat need the software since my RAM, AIO, and keyboard lights are all configured through it. 

 

The second picture is NZXT CAM software, responsible for managing 4 LED strips off an NZXT Hue 2 and changing colour according to CPU temperatures. Temperatures broadcasted from this software are as accurate as resource monitor, and a program called Core Temp, validating it's accuracy. Picture 3 is CPUZ software showing the maximum stable frequency achieved through AMD Ryzen Master auto-overclock. Keeping CPU temps chilly while under full load hours at a time is obviously a must if I am to keep these parts for at least 10 years. Upgrading from a 4690k @ 4.3 gHz, 45C 1% highs after 4 hours of Witcher 3 gainz. Instead liquid cooling  with the Corsair H150i, the CPU cooler I used had 2x120mm fans attached to the heatsink in push/pull. Replacing the triple radiator was a top 2x120mm exhaust and a Blu-ray drive. (RIP In Peace, it won't fit now w/ new cooler) Noctua p14's replaced the stock 6 year old dying 140mm fans that came with the case (Corsair 750D) set up as 2 intake and 1 exhaust. Combined the old setup worked as a low pressure system because of the sheer volume of air circulating through the system, but now operates as an ambient air cooler and provides the radiator with cold air. 

 

Pictures 3 and 4 are of my battlestation which was finished right before the pandemic. The monitor is an Asus VG32VQ 31.5" curved 16:9 VA panel @ 144 hz and 4ms gtg response time. I would go all out on a banging ultrawide or IPS panel but I'm limited by physical space in the hutch of my desk. Keyboard is a Corsair K70 Cherry MX Brown, Mouse is a Logitech g502 Proteus Spectrum, then for audio / comms I typically use a Logitech g935. Personalized goodies are a bunch of Bionicles, a rubber chicken, Lego ISS, and a bunch of different types of rocks then minerals including fools gold and raw asbestos. Oh yes and I drilled small holes in my wooden desk to properly cable manage a 1080p webcam, and an xbox one with zero airflow that runs like a furnace. No clue why.  

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$319.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler	Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX 75 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$189.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard	$219.99 @ Amazon
Memory	Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$326.70 @ Amazon
Storage	HP S600 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage	Seagate FireCuda Compute 2 TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive	$207.00 @ Amazon
Video Card	MSI GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB TRI FROZR Video Card
Case	Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case	$109.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA G2 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit	$139.88 @ Other World Computing
Case Fan	Noctua P14s redux-1500 PWM 78.69 CFM 140 mm Fan	$14.95 @ Amazon
Case Fan	Noctua P14s redux-1500 PWM 78.69 CFM 140 mm Fan	$14.95 @ Amazon
Case Fan	Noctua P14s redux-1500 PWM 78.69 CFM 140 mm Fan	$14.95 @ Amazon
Case Accessory	NZXT HUE 2 RGB Lighting Kit LED Controller
Monitor	Asus TUF GAMING VG32VQ 31.5" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor	$427.99 @ Amazon
Keyboard	Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Wired Standard Keyboard	$159.99 @ Amazon
Mouse	Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum Wired Optical Mouse	$74.98 @ Amazon
Headphones	Logitech G935 7.1 Channel Headset	$119.99 @ Newegg
Speakers	Logitech Z150 0 nW 2.0 Channel Speakers	$19.99 @ Adorama
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$2361.33
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-03-03 20:49 EST-0500

 

[dizmo]

Sexy build.

That desk makes me feel mad claustrophobic, but I see why you use it.

[Burdla]

11 hours ago, dizmo said:

Sexy build.

That desk makes me feel mad claustrophobic, but I see why you use it.

Very understandable, the desk is bigger than the pictures give it credit for. Had my back against the wall to get the whole desk in frame. 7 feet length x 3 feet wide for both sides, and the hutch is 6feet tall.

[dizmo]

Just now, Burdla said:

Very understandable, the desk is bigger than the pictures give it credit for. Had my back against the wall to get the whole desk in frame. 7 feet length x 3 feet wide for both sides, and the hutch is 6feet tall.

It's mostly being crammed in beside the drawers.

[ccRicers]

Must have been a big leap going from Z87, huh.
Something about that brown desk makes me feel nostalgic and cozy. And now I also want a Lego ISS.