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First time builder

detomaso

Budget (including currency): 1800€

Country: Belgium

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Warthunder, Gears5, Tomb Raider, Empires Dawn of the Modern World, AOEIII, The Witcher, Photoshop, Lightroom (PS & LR often together), Premiere Pro

Other details Monitors I already own (2 BenQ PD2700Q), Windows License, Storage components and peripherals are already owned: 

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZdyNHz

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($439.00 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: *ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($97.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI MEG X570 UNIFY ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($390.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory 
Storage: Gigabyte 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive 
Storage: Gigabyte AORUS NVMe Gen4 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($169.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($114.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB GAMING X Video Card 
Case: Corsair 275R Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Gigabyte AORUS P GM 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: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($10.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($10.90 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: BenQ PD2700Q 27.0" 2560x1440 60 Hz Monitor  ($299.00 @ Adorama) 
Monitor: BenQ PD2700Q 27.0" 2560x1440 60 Hz Monitor  ($299.00 @ Adorama) 
Total: $2051.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-10 07:52 EDT-0400

 

Hey all;

I'm looking to build my first PC after having bought pre-made gaming laptops. My last one died after not even 4 years and was a royal pain more or less for the past 2 years - so I'm ditching the 'portable aspect'.  I've come up with the following system which I'd use for:
- Photo editing (Some video editing might come up as well)
- Gaming (Gears5, The witcher III, Tomb raider, Warthunder). I don't care about top notch graphics, just half an hour to an hour to relax.
- Virtualization (Virtualbox systems for development purposes). But this requirement is the least important. I'll probably use the NUC I bought as a stopgap while I wait for component availability
Reason for the upgrade: Previous laptop Died (I7 4900MQ | 16GB DDR3 @1866 | Nvidia GTX970M), this machine struggled with some tasks. I don't need the mobility any longer, so I'm going for a desktop build.

(Regarding the videocard I'm trying to get my hands on a Reference model from AMD as they sell for MSRP; componentwise this is the only one I really fear of having a hard time to get my hands on. RAM is a bit tricky too and generally sold at inflated prices (+15%~20%) but Crucial might just restock their online store.).

I prefer a machine capable of a bit more without me having to push it to it's limits every day and end up being frustrated because of slow loads, noise, thermal throttle and the occasional crashes. Especially for Lightroom/photoshop. I know for instance that the motherboard would be considered overkill if you're not overclocking, but my goal is to have it hum quietly and happily at stock speeds. Overclocking *may* be nice but it's not my goal.
I already own all the storage components and use two in an Intell NUC as temporary solution. The monitors I own as well (1440P)
This selection of parts seems to fit more or less what I want of a system but I'm left with some questions for you. Could anyone shine a light?

MSI Meg X570 Unify:
- I've read some really poor review on MSI X570 boards with the sole exception to it being the MEG X570 Unify. Is it really the holy grail of MSI X570Boards? It has all the features I want of a board (PCIe GEN4; 2 or more M2SSDs; support for a radiator; Wifi6) any other boards to look at - bonus points if there's no RGB on it.

Case Advice: Top mounted radiator - Mobo VRM heatsink - Case:
- The radiator is thicker than the better known Corsair Hydro H100X (Fan 25mm and radiator 27mm for a total of 52mm); The radiator for this one comes in at 38mm; fans come in at 25mm, that's 63mm in total, however here I found 67,6mm (https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/iun7zl/arctic_liquid_freezer_ii_240280360_thickness_for/gge64jq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)? Top mounting this radiator is a no-go (https://pcpartpicker.com/b/MGtp99). What would still be a compact(ish) case where the AIO can be top-mounted; I'm leaning to the Corsair 4000D airflow, any other suggestions?
- The Corsair 4000D airflow seems to be abble to handle it, but I'm afraid the VRMheatsink is going to cause troubles. This build however has the configuration I want, but with another motherboard that has a fairly large VRM: https://pcpartpicker.com/b/nDdmP6
- Is there a big difference in the original version of the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 and the latest revision version 4 regarding cooling capabilities for Ryzen 5000 Series - or is it just marketing(https://support.arctic.de/lf2-240)?

Cpu - BIOS compatibility:
- Update BIOS to the latest version with BAR-support before or after installing a CPU? According to the manual the MSI MEG XF570Unify supports updating without an installed CPU. What's the best practice?

PSU overkill?:
- pcpartpicker rates this system at just shy of 500Watts of power. There's not much of a price difference between a 750W and an 850W Gold 80PSU. My reasoning was that a PSU running far below what it can handle at it's peak is quieter and would produce less heat; furthermore it leaves room to upgrade to a beefier GPU in a few years should I need to. Correct assumption or is there really no use of an 850W PSU in this build; would a 750W leave me with enough overhead? GPU upgrades might happen, but I don't really care about top notch GPU's. A decent one will do just fine.

What's the best spot for the GEN4 SSD?:
- GEN4SSD's get hot where do I best put it on the Motherboard? Closest to the CPU where it's right on top of the GPU, or the furthest away from the GPU which also puts it far from the CPU? Theoretically all 3 M2SSD slots on this motherboard support 32GB/S when using PCIeGen4. Is there a tradeoff and how bad is it?

Fan controll: DC vs PWM:
- I know the difference between the two; but I keep on reading you have to 'configure' the connector for that. What exactly does that boil down to? It's just a three pin connector so where do you configure it and how? 

Edited by detomaso
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15 minutes ago, detomaso said:

any other boards to look at

do you need the chipset IO that X570 offers? because otherwise B550 typically has a better selection of boards

 

new X570S boards are allegedly on the way, which would update the X570 chipset to B550 level of features (on a per board basis). it should otherwise be identical. 

16 minutes ago, detomaso said:

Theoretically all 3 M2SSD slots on this motherboard support 32GB/S when using PCIeGen4. Is there a tradeoff and how bad is it?

only 1 slot has dedicated lanes to the CPU. the other two typically are connected to the chipset, which share a 4x PCIe 4.0 link to the CPU. 

also worth noting is that the 4.0 drive chosen use a Phison E16 controller, id encourage if you can actually take advantage of PCIe 4.0 drives to use later controllers, like the Phison E18, the ones on the SN850 or 980 pro (or similar)
 

19 minutes ago, detomaso said:

PSU overkill?:

id suggest looking at something else than the AP GM. otherwise its an allright unit. its very overkill for the specs. 

 

 

Also worth noting, you could possibly go Small formfactor while loosing almost nothing.
also also worth noting, you can pick up a 5 pack of Arctic P12 fans for fairly cheap
also also also worth noting, you can change PCPP to belgium. 

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  (€449.00 @ Tones.be) 
CPU Cooler: *ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (€89.89 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Motherboard: MSI MEG X570 UNIFY ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€322.00 @ Azerty) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory 
Storage: Gigabyte 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive 
Storage: Gigabyte AORUS NVMe Gen4 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€179.95 @ Azerty) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€114.89 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB GAMING X Video Card 
Case: Corsair 275R Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  (€91.89 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Power Supply: Gigabyte AORUS P GM 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€129.89 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM 120 mm Fan  (€14.98 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM 120 mm Fan  (€14.98 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Monitor: BenQ PD2700Q 27.0" 2560x1440 60 Hz Monitor  (€319.00 @ Tones.be) 
Monitor: BenQ PD2700Q 27.0" 2560x1440 60 Hz Monitor  (€319.00 @ Tones.be) 
Total: €2045.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-10 14:15 CEST+0200

 

i assume you used a site like Tweakers.net or similar for your own component selection

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PCPartPicker Part List: https://be.pcpartpicker.com/list/VCmMYg

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  (€449.00 @ Tones.be) 
CPU Cooler: *ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (€89.89 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Motherboard: MSI B550-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€141.52 @ Tones.be) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  (€242.00 @ Azerty) 
Storage: Gigabyte AORUS NVMe Gen4 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€179.95 @ Azerty) 
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€229.85 @ Azerty) 
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB Founders Edition Video Card  (€500.00) 
Case: Corsair 275R Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  (€91.89 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  (€104.89 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  (€113.95 @ Azerty) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM 120 mm Fan  (€14.98 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM 120 mm Fan  (€14.98 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Monitor: Gigabyte G27QC 27.0" 2560x1440 165 Hz Monitor  (€299.00 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Monitor: Gigabyte G27QC 27.0" 2560x1440 165 Hz Monitor  (€299.00 @ Alternate Belgium) 
Total: €2770.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-10 14:15 CEST+0200

Here is your list (give or take with my reccomendations) in Europe

Your pcpartpicker list did not include the price of the graphics card, one ssd, or power supply and caused the list to get more expensive when I added them back. Make sure to Click the US flag in the top right corner and selected belgium

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Hey Goldenlag and curiousmind34 thanks for the input; 

 

Quote

do you need the chipset IO that X570 offers? because otherwise B550 typically has a better selection of boards

Well, the boards are pretty similar. My reasoning was that some B550 boards like the Aorus Master B550 splits the 16lane to the gpu to 8 and 4x2 for the second and third M.2 slot. With a possible GPU-upgrade in 3 years from now I wanted to avoid a situation where I end up with my motheboard missing the lanes to it (Though it's really anyone's guess if 16 lanes are really needed by then?)

 

19 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

only 1 slot has dedicated lanes to the CPU. the other two typically are connected to the chipset, which share a 4x PCIe 4.0 link to the CPU

Thanks! missed out on that logic when planning the build, but now it makes sens.
 

 

20 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

Small formfactor while loosing almost nothing.

I have the room for it and would prefer a top mounted AIO to keep airbubbles (and thus waternoises) away from the pump. I'm not sure what small formfactor would work; hence the choice for ATX/E-ATX.

 

24 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

suggest looking at something else than the AP GM

definetely downgrading the PSU then. 

 

25 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

5 pack of Arctic P12 fans for fairly cheap

I saw it on their site, but can't find a retailer; shipping the things make it more expensive than just 2 Bequiets to fill all slots on the 4000D. Maybe I'd spend the extra on it if I get the AIO from them as well IF that means I can get a revision 4 of the Liquied Freezer. 
 

 

26 minutes ago, curiousmind34 said:

Here is your list (give or take with my reccomendations) in Europe

Thanks for the recommendations; you're also recommending the B550 chipset. You believe it's future-proof enough that a split lane in the case of something like an Aorus Master B550 board won't matter? 
 

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2 minutes ago, detomaso said:

 

 

Thanks for the recommendations; you're also recommending the B550 chipset. You believe it's future-proof enough that a split lane in the case of something like an Aorus Master B550 board won't matter? 
 

In most normal configurations people are running at max 1 gen 4 ssd and one graphics card, maybe one gen 3 nvme at the bottom, lanes are adequate and you don’t need lane-splitting. Also, b550 is going to be the last am4 chipset since ddr5 chipset will come out likely in early 2022, so future proofing is not going to be a strength with literaly any mobo you buy right now, intel or amd.

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12 minutes ago, curiousmind34 said:

Also, b550 is going to be the last am4 chipset since ddr5 chipset will come out likely in early 2022, so future proofing is not going to be a strength with literaly any mobo you buy right now, intel or amd.

Going for a B550 then, I was really hoping that laptop to last till DDR5 comes out - especially with the shortages going on, but that didn't go as planned. 

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