Is this a balanced build? What should I tweak?

[HeavyThumper]

Budget (including currency): Up to $4,000.

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Modern games, shooters, FPS, role-play, whatever (Cyberpunk, Crysis x, Arma, Division, Sniper, Batman...) Also work - primarily AutoCAD/BricsCAD (2D only).

Monitors: Presently using a Samsung 55" 4k TV. I'm not certain if it supports 60hz @ 4k - it may only do 30hz. Someday I'll look to upgrade this but it looks great now. I presently run my desktop at 1080p as things are too small at 4k resolution (I sit about 8' from the screen). But for gaming I want the highest the system will provide.

Peripherals: Already have my keyboard & trackball. My SoundBlaster G6 drives the headset.

Why are you upgrading? Presently using a MSI GT70 for my primary machine - and even with a 980M video upgrade it's showing limitations for current gaming.

 

I've built my own PC's for years but given the current market it seems buying assembled is cheaper. I've also never done watercooling. I was considering Xidax but they seem a little limited in their offerings at least today. IBuyPower looks like a reasonable option though I'm open to alternatives.

 

Are these components balanced for performance - or am I either limiting the system with a critical item or spending money on a part that will never be used?

 

My thoughts - case seems good quality for price based on what I've heard - no experience.

Processor - 5900X is supposed to be better than 5950X for gaming.

MB - here's where I have the least comfort. Would a B550, like a Tomahawk, be better? Is this particular board good? I don't *think* I need Dark Hero stuff.

Memory - looks like the best IBuyPower has available.

Power Supply - this one *looks* good but should I go with an alternate like the Seasonic?

CPU Cooler - I believe this model is well reviewed online. Any reason to spend more? It's cheap enough that I don't think going smaller is appropriate unless there's a reliability/leak issue.

Primary Storage - I *was* interested in the WD Black SN750 2TB but IBuyPower isn't listing it anymore. Then again - is this a speed that I won't use?

 

Sound - here's a slight side question. Can I have 5.1 audio encoded and played through the HDMI or DisplayPort of the video card? I don't mean game generated 5.1 - I mean previously encoded movies that need Dolby processing (which the Realtek audio supports) decoded/encoded and sent over the HDMI to be played by my receiver as Dolby or DTS instead of just 2-channel? With my laptop that wasn't an option - I didn't know if current products provide for a connection between the soundcard/onboard audio and the video card.

 

Link to the configurator with details below:

https://www.ibuypower.com/Store/AMD-Ryzen-9-Configurator-II/W/1537364

Case	NZXT H710 Tempered Glass Gaming Case - Matte White
Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Processor (12X 3.7GHz/64MB L3 Cache)
Motherboard	GIGABYTE X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI - WiFi , ARGB Header (2), USB 3.2 Ports (6 Type-A), M.2 Slot (2)
Memory	16 GB [8 GB X2] DDR4-4000 Memory Module-Certified Major Brand Gaming Memory
Video Card	AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT - 16GB (VR-Ready)
Power Supply	850 Watt - Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB - 80 PLUS Gold, Fully Modular
Processor Cooling	iBUYPOWER DEEPCOOL GAMERSTORM RGB 360mm CASTLE 360EX Liquid Cooler
Primary Storage	2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 M.2 PCI-E 4.0 NVME Gen 4 SSD - Gen4 Read: 5000 MB/s, Write: 4400 MB/s, Gen3 Read: 3450 MB/S, Write: 2500MB/s
Secondary Storage	6TB WD Black Hard Drive -- 256MB Cache, 7200RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive
Sound Card	3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card	Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro-(64-bit)
Warranty	3 Year Standard Warranty Service
Case Fans	3x [ARGB] InWin 120mm Saturn ASN120 Pack w/ARGB Controller
Advanced Cabling Options	Professional Wiring - for all standard default cables inside the system
Advanced Build Options - Thermal Paste	Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Thermal Grease Paste-Top of the range thermal paste with excellent thermal conductivity
Subtotal	$3,848.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dedayog]

You should tweak that price down by about a grand.  $3800+ for THAT?

 

In all seriousness, go for 32GB RAM.  I can't comment on the rest, it's a prebuilt and you get what they give ya basically.

[dean_5234]

Case is garbage, get a mesh front panel

A lot of other stuff too, but seriously this is awful performance for 4K.

Try Cyberpower configurator?

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

Case	H710 has poor airflow.
Processor	5900X is good
Motherboard	Go with B550
Memory	4000Mhz isn't likely to work. Get 32GB of CL16 3600MHz
Video Card	6800 XT - good
Power Supply	Use the tier list https://linustechtips.com/topic/1116640-psucultists-psu-tier-list/
Processor Cooling	360 AIO is probably overkill.
Primary Storage	You don't need Gen 4 NVME.
Secondary Storage	WD Black is bad value.

[Vishera]

This one is better:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pG2QJf

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pG2QJf

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($589.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Scythe FUMA 2 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI B550-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($159.90 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB XC3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card  ($2668.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($189.99 @ Best Buy) 
Case Fan: Noctua S12A PWM chromax.black.swap 63.27 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua S12A PWM chromax.black.swap 63.27 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua S12A PWM chromax.black.swap 63.27 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Total: $4007.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-07-08 16:27 EDT-0400

 

Ryzen has difficulty running high frequency RAM,so it will probably won't work at that frequency anyway.

There is also the f clock/RAM ratio to consider as well.

[Brooksie359]

59 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

Budget (including currency): Up to $4,000.

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Modern games, shooters, FPS, role-play, whatever (Cyberpunk, Crysis x, Arma, Division, Sniper, Batman...) Also work - primarily AutoCAD/BricsCAD (2D only).

Monitors: Presently using a Samsung 55" 4k TV. I'm not certain if it supports 60hz @ 4k - it may only do 30hz. Someday I'll look to upgrade this but it looks great now. I presently run my desktop at 1080p as things are too small at 4k resolution (I sit about 8' from the screen). But for gaming I want the highest the system will provide.

Peripherals: Already have my keyboard & trackball. My SoundBlaster G6 drives the headset.

Why are you upgrading? Presently using a MSI GT70 for my primary machine - and even with a 980M video upgrade it's showing limitations for current gaming.

 

I've built my own PC's for years but given the current market it seems buying assembled is cheaper. I've also never done watercooling. I was considering Xidax but they seem a little limited in their offerings at least today. IBuyPower looks like a reasonable option though I'm open to alternatives.

 

Are these components balanced for performance - or am I either limiting the system with a critical item or spending money on a part that will never be used?

 

My thoughts - case seems good quality for price based on what I've heard - no experience.

Processor - 5900X is supposed to be better than 5950X for gaming.

MB - here's where I have the least comfort. Would a B550, like a Tomahawk, be better? Is this particular board good? I don't *think* I need Dark Hero stuff.

Memory - looks like the best IBuyPower has available.

Power Supply - this one *looks* good but should I go with an alternate like the Seasonic?

CPU Cooler - I believe this model is well reviewed online. Any reason to spend more? It's cheap enough that I don't think going smaller is appropriate unless there's a reliability/leak issue.

Primary Storage - I *was* interested in the WD Black SN750 2TB but IBuyPower isn't listing it anymore. Then again - is this a speed that I won't use?

 

Sound - here's a slight side question. Can I have 5.1 audio encoded and played through the HDMI or DisplayPort of the video card? I don't mean game generated 5.1 - I mean previously encoded movies that need Dolby processing (which the Realtek audio supports) decoded/encoded and sent over the HDMI to be played by my receiver as Dolby or DTS instead of just 2-channel? With my laptop that wasn't an option - I didn't know if current products provide for a connection between the soundcard/onboard audio and the video card.

 

Link to the configurator with details below:

https://www.ibuypower.com/Store/AMD-Ryzen-9-Configurator-II/W/1537364

Case	NZXT H710 Tempered Glass Gaming Case - Matte White
Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Processor (12X 3.7GHz/64MB L3 Cache)
Motherboard	GIGABYTE X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI - WiFi , ARGB Header (2), USB 3.2 Ports (6 Type-A), M.2 Slot (2)
Memory	16 GB [8 GB X2] DDR4-4000 Memory Module-Certified Major Brand Gaming Memory
Video Card	AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT - 16GB (VR-Ready)
Power Supply	850 Watt - Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB - 80 PLUS Gold, Fully Modular
Processor Cooling	iBUYPOWER DEEPCOOL GAMERSTORM RGB 360mm CASTLE 360EX Liquid Cooler
Primary Storage	2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 M.2 PCI-E 4.0 NVME Gen 4 SSD - Gen4 Read: 5000 MB/s, Write: 4400 MB/s, Gen3 Read: 3450 MB/S, Write: 2500MB/s
Secondary Storage	6TB WD Black Hard Drive -- 256MB Cache, 7200RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive
Sound Card	3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card	Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro-(64-bit)
Warranty	3 Year Standard Warranty Service
Case Fans	3x [ARGB] InWin 120mm Saturn ASN120 Pack w/ARGB Controller
Advanced Cabling Options	Professional Wiring - for all standard default cables inside the system
Advanced Build Options - Thermal Paste	Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Thermal Grease Paste-Top of the range thermal paste with excellent thermal conductivity
Subtotal	$3,848.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can get a pc with a 3080ti for that price from Neweggs prebuilt brand https://www.newegg.com/abs-ala255/p/N82E16883360159 

[HeavyThumper]

1 hour ago, Dedayog said:

You should tweak that price down by about a grand.  $3800+ for THAT?

 

In all seriousness, go for 32GB RAM.  I can't comment on the rest, it's a prebuilt and you get what they give ya basically.

I'm not sure what your point is - plugging in the components into PCPartPicker I wind up about the same.

 

No objection to 32GB - but none of the builders I've looked at offer 2x16GB choices. And my understanding is there is a difference between 2x16GB vs 4x8GB. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I'm looking at custom configs, not pre-builts, so I do get to pick from their options. Again, my understanding is that while many of these builders' pre-builts have quality issues they generally have decent luck with their custom assemblies.

 

1 hour ago, davemc said:

Case is garbage, get a mesh front panel

A lot of other stuff too, but seriously this is awful performance for 4K.

Try Cyberpower configurator?

Happy to check them out - looking now. Exactly what do you mean by "awful performance for 4K"?

 

59 minutes ago, HairlessMonkeyBoy said:

Case	H710 has poor airflow.
Processor	5900X is good
Motherboard	Go with B550
Memory	4000Mhz isn't likely to work. Get 32GB of CL16 3600MHz
Video Card	6800 XT - good
Power Supply	Use the tier list https://linustechtips.com/topic/1116640-psucultists-psu-tier-list/
Processor Cooling	360 AIO is probably overkill.
Primary Storage	You don't need Gen 4 NVME.
Secondary Storage	WD Black is bad value.

Thank you - those points I can work with. I'm getting the hint that I picked a bad case. The Enermax power supply looks top-rated by LTT and is commonly available so I'm looking at that. 360 AIO "probably overkill" - if the price is basically the same for a 240 AIO is there a reason not to use the larger unit?

 

Still looking at storage choices. I do want 2TB SSD for my primary drive and I've historically had good luck with WD. I have been out of the market for a few years though... The 6TB HDD is mainly because through these configurators they seem cheap - I've got a few SATA drives on my desk I can use initially if I'm cutting a few bucks.

 

47 minutes ago, Vishera said:

This one is better:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pG2QJf

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pG2QJf

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($589.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Scythe FUMA 2 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI B550-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($159.90 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB XC3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card  ($2668.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($189.99 @ Best Buy) 
Case Fan: Noctua S12A PWM chromax.black.swap 63.27 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua S12A PWM chromax.black.swap 63.27 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua S12A PWM chromax.black.swap 63.27 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Total: $4007.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-07-08 16:27 EDT-0400

 

Ryzen has difficulty running high frequency RAM,so it will probably won't work at that frequency anyway.

There is also the f clock/RAM ratio to consider as well.

You're recommending air vs water for the CPU? No objection but I've been advised elsewhere to go water if I'm going for best FPS.

 

The video card...that's $2700 just for that. Assuming it's in stock. And...I know that today the AMD drivers are still catching up but...isn't the combination of Ryzen & AMD video supposed to be better? And...if I need either a 6900XT or a 3090 to do 4K...at current prices I think I'll settle for 6800XT/3080 and 1080/1440 as long as I can have max detail settings. Especially as my current display probably can't handle more. Or am I wrong?

 

21 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

You can get a pc with a 3080ti for that price from Neweggs prebuilt brand https://www.newegg.com/abs-ala255/p/N82E16883360159 

Thank you for that - but looking at the specs I see 3200Mhz RAM, 1TB SSD, and a couple other spec items that make me think this is inferior to even my original bad choices. The advantage is it's ready to ship.

 

I totally agree that I could hand build a better rig than I can order - my problem is current availability and pricing particularly on video cards. I'm looking to buy something soon - not sit on a shuffle waitlist.

[Brooksie359]

4 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

I'm not sure what your point is - plugging in the components into PCPartPicker I wind up about the same.

 

No objection to 32GB - but none of the builders I've looked at offer 2x16GB choices. And my understanding is there is a difference between 2x16GB vs 4x8GB. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I'm looking at custom configs, not pre-builts, so I do get to pick from their options. Again, my understanding is that while many of these builders' pre-builts have quality issues they generally have decent luck with their custom assemblies.

 

Happy to check them out - looking now. Exactly what do you mean by "awful performance for 4K"?

 

Thank you - those points I can work with. I'm getting the hint that I picked a bad case. The Enermax power supply looks top-rated by LTT and is commonly available so I'm looking at that. 360 AIO "probably overkill" - if the price is basically the same for a 240 AIO is there a reason not to use the larger unit?

 

Still looking at storage choices. I do want 2TB SSD for my primary drive and I've historically had good luck with WD. I have been out of the market for a few years though... The 6TB HDD is mainly because through these configurators they seem cheap - I've got a few SATA drives on my desk I can use initially if I'm cutting a few bucks.

 

You're recommending air vs water for the CPU? No objection but I've been advised elsewhere to go water if I'm going for best FPS.

 

The video card...that's $2700 just for that. Assuming it's in stock. And...I know that today the AMD drivers are still catching up but...isn't the combination of Ryzen & AMD video supposed to be better? And...if I need either a 6900XT or a 3090 to do 4K...at current prices I think I'll settle for 6800XT/3080 and 1080/1440 as long as I can have max detail settings. Especially as my current display probably can't handle more. Or am I wrong?

 

Thank you for that - but looking at the specs I see 3200Mhz RAM, 1TB SSD, and a couple other spec items that make me think this is inferior to even my original bad choices. The advantage is it's ready to ship.

 

I totally agree that I could hand build a better rig than I can order - my problem is current availability and pricing particularly on video cards. I'm looking to buy something soon - not sit on a shuffle waitlist.

Well the problem is that 3200mhz would actually likely have similar if not better performance than 4000mhz as 4000mhz would basically half your infinity fabric bandwidth. 3600mhz is the actual highest you want to go also 32gb is way better for what you are doing vs 16gb specifically Autocad. As for the 1tb ssd I guess if you really care about 1tb ssd vs 2tb you could sacrifice gpu performance but I would suggest otherwise as I think the build from Newegg is overall better system and makes alot more sense than the one you linked. 

[Vishera]

35 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

You're recommending air vs water for the CPU? No objection but I've been advised elsewhere to go water if I'm going for best FPS.

The FUMA 2 performs slightly worse than the Deepcool Castle 360EX,but it's significantly cheaper and a lot more durable (they just don't break with use).

So FPS wise they should be similar.

35 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

The video card...that's $2700

You said up to $4000,and this is the best you can get at that price.

35 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

And...I know that today the AMD drivers are still catching up but...isn't the combination of Ryzen & AMD video supposed to be better?

Nope,It doesn't matter.

AMD drivers are still messy.

35 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

And...if I need either a 6900XT or a 3090 to do 4K...at current prices I think I'll settle for 6800XT/3080 and 1080/1440 as long as I can have max detail settings. Especially as my current display probably can't handle more. Or am I wrong?

Think about what you need your GPU to do in the next 4 years,and choose a GPU based on that.

Your display can display "4K" with DSR - Dynamic Super Resolution.

 

[HeavyThumper]

34 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

Well the problem is that 3200mhz would actually likely have similar if not better performance than 4000mhz as 4000mhz would basically half your infinity fabric bandwidth. 3600mhz is the actual highest you want to go also 32gb is way better for what you are doing vs 16gb specifically Autocad. As for the 1tb ssd I guess if you really care about 1tb ssd vs 2tb you could sacrifice gpu performance but I would suggest otherwise as I think the build from Newegg is overall better system and makes alot more sense than the one you linked. 

Thank you - you gave me just enough info that I needed to go do some more reading. I was unaware of the Ryzen memory issues. I do see that the MB manufacturers are releasing lots of BIOS updates - I'm presently looking at the Asus TUF B550-Plus and it was last updated three weeks ago. Unfortunately, they don't document specifically what they're fixing/improving...

 

Is there a reason to try to find 2x16GB vs 4x8GB?

 

The 3600Mhz, based on a FCLK of 1800Mhz, I understand. Am I better with CL14 vs CL16?

 

12 minutes ago, Vishera said:

The FUMA 2 performs slightly worse than the Deepcool Castle 360EX,but it's significantly cheaper and a lot more durable (they just don't break with use).

So FPS wise they should be similar.

You said up to $4000,and this is the best you can get at that price.

Nope,It doesn't matter.

AMD drivers are still messy.

Think about what you need your GPU to do in the next 4 years,and choose a GPU based on that.

Your display can display "4K" with DSR - Dynamic Super Resolution.

 

Good points - I'm trying to adjust. One of the reasons I was looking at the 360EX is it's so cheap in the configurators it seemed silly NOT to use it vs air cooled - but if you're advising I may have durability issues I'd just as soon avoid them.

 

I'm...still on the fence regarding nVidia. But looking at the pricing I may bump up the display card I'm looking at. Also looking at my current usage...yes it would be nice to have a full 2TB available on the SSD but I suppose I can save a few $$$ but dropping down. And I've got HDD to use so why buy new. A revised CyberpowerPC build gives me:

    Operating System: Windows 10 Pro (64-bit Edition)
    Gaming Chassis: Phanteks Evolv X ATX Mid-Tower Gaming Case
    Extra Case Fans: 6X 120mm Phanteks SK120 Digital RGB PWM FAN
    CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900X 3.7GHz [4.8GHz Turbo]
    CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: ENERMAX ETS-T50A ARGB Series CPU Cooler w/ Black ENERMAX Twister Bearing PWM fans (Black Color)
    Motherboard: ASUS TUF GAMING B550-PLUS ATX
    RAM / System Memory: 32GB (8GBx4) DDR4/3600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Performance Memory by Major Brands)
    Video Card: AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT 16GB GDDR6 PCIe 4.0 Video Card (Single Card)
    Power Supply: 850 Watts - Enermax Revolution D.F. series 850Watts 80 Plus Gold Full-Modular w/ Twister Bearing Fan Power Supply
    Primary Hard Drive: 1TB WD Blue SN550 Series PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD - Seq R/W: Up to 2400/1950 MB/s, Rnd R/W up to 410/405k (Single Drive)

 

Subtotal: $3516

 

Does this look like a reasonable package? Or would you still encourage me to nVidia...and possibly a pre-built (eww...)?

[Vishera]

33 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

    Gaming Chassis: Phanteks Evolv X ATX Mid-Tower Gaming Case

It's a hot box,barely any airflow and you want a high end GPU with it?

33 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

    CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: ENERMAX ETS-T50A ARGB Series CPU Cooler w/ Black ENERMAX Twister Bearing PWM fans (Black Color)

It's significantly worse than the FUMA,I think it will struggle cooling the 5900X.

33 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

    RAM / System Memory: 32GB (8GBx4) DDR4/3600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Performance Memory by Major Brands)

Of course,they don't mention important info like CAS Latency (AKA CL).

CAS Latency is very important for the performance of RAM.

Higher CAS Latency = slower = cheaper

33 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

    Power Supply: 850 Watts - Enermax Revolution D.F. series 850Watts 80 Plus Gold Full-Modular w/ Twister Bearing Fan Power Supply

850W for a 6900 XT and a 5900X?,It may work but those components are power hungry.

33 minutes ago, HeavyThumper said:

    Primary Hard Drive: 1TB WD Blue SN550 Series PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD - Seq R/W: Up to 2400/1950 MB/s, Rnd R/W up to 410/405k (Single Drive)

A $3516 but a cheapo SSD?

 

With that budget you deserve better.

 

Here is another build you should consider:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($589.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Scythe FUMA 2 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI B550-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($187.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($159.90 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 6900 XT 16 GB NITRO+ SE Video Card  ($1950.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($189.99 @ Best Buy) 
Case Fan: Noctua S12A PWM chromax.black.swap 63.27 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua S12A PWM chromax.black.swap 63.27 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua S12A PWM chromax.black.swap 63.27 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Total: $3401.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-07-08 18:40 EDT-0400

[Brooksie359]

1 hour ago, HeavyThumper said:

Thank you - you gave me just enough info that I needed to go do some more reading. I was unaware of the Ryzen memory issues. I do see that the MB manufacturers are releasing lots of BIOS updates - I'm presently looking at the Asus TUF B550-Plus and it was last updated three weeks ago. Unfortunately, they don't document specifically what they're fixing/improving...

 

Is there a reason to try to find 2x16GB vs 4x8GB?

 

The 3600Mhz, based on a FCLK of 1800Mhz, I understand. Am I better with CL14 vs CL16?

 

Good points - I'm trying to adjust. One of the reasons I was looking at the 360EX is it's so cheap in the configurators it seemed silly NOT to use it vs air cooled - but if you're advising I may have durability issues I'd just as soon avoid them.

 

I'm...still on the fence regarding nVidia. But looking at the pricing I may bump up the display card I'm looking at. Also looking at my current usage...yes it would be nice to have a full 2TB available on the SSD but I suppose I can save a few $$$ but dropping down. And I've got HDD to use so why buy new. A revised CyberpowerPC build gives me:

    Operating System: Windows 10 Pro (64-bit Edition)
    Gaming Chassis: Phanteks Evolv X ATX Mid-Tower Gaming Case
    Extra Case Fans: 6X 120mm Phanteks SK120 Digital RGB PWM FAN
    CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900X 3.7GHz [4.8GHz Turbo]
    CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: ENERMAX ETS-T50A ARGB Series CPU Cooler w/ Black ENERMAX Twister Bearing PWM fans (Black Color)
    Motherboard: ASUS TUF GAMING B550-PLUS ATX
    RAM / System Memory: 32GB (8GBx4) DDR4/3600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Performance Memory by Major Brands)
    Video Card: AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT 16GB GDDR6 PCIe 4.0 Video Card (Single Card)
    Power Supply: 850 Watts - Enermax Revolution D.F. series 850Watts 80 Plus Gold Full-Modular w/ Twister Bearing Fan Power Supply
    Primary Hard Drive: 1TB WD Blue SN550 Series PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD - Seq R/W: Up to 2400/1950 MB/s, Rnd R/W up to 410/405k (Single Drive)

 

Subtotal: $3516

 

Does this look like a reasonable package? Or would you still encourage me to nVidia...and possibly a pre-built (eww...)?

The only difference between 2x16gb vs 4x8gb is that you use all of your dim slots so you can't upgrade to 64gb later without replacing all of your current ram. Also if the 16gb sticks are single rank then you would only have a single rank configuration which can effect performance in cpu bottleneck situations. Granted most 16gb dimms are dual rank so this is typically rare. As for cas latency the lower it is the better but I wouldn't be so obsessed about it that you pay a crazy amount more for lower cas latency as again it will only make a difference in cpu bottleneck situations and often times cas 16 is more than enough. I would say you could even get by with cas 18 at 3600mhz. You should remember that latency is a function of frequency and cas latency. This means a higher frequency ram kit with higher cas latency might have the same latency as a lower frequency ram kit with lower cas latency which would make the higher frequency kit better as you have higher memory bandwidth at the sand latency basically. 

[dean_5234]

4 hours ago, HeavyThumper said:

Happy to check them out - looking now. Exactly what do you mean by "awful performance for 4K"?

 

I definitely should have phrased this better, meaning 4k Dollars not 4k resolution haha. Very confusing. 

Here is what I would do for that pricehttps://www.cyberpowerpc.com/cart/editsystem.aspx?id=14176211

[Somerandomtechyboi]

7 hours ago, HeavyThumper said:

https://www.ibuypower.com/Store/AMD-Ryzen-9-Configurator-II/W/1537364

Case	NZXT H710 Tempered Glass Gaming Case - Matte White
Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Processor (12X 3.7GHz/64MB L3 Cache)
Motherboard	GIGABYTE X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI - WiFi , ARGB Header (2), USB 3.2 Ports (6 Type-A), M.2 Slot (2)
Memory	16 GB [8 GB X2] DDR4-4000 Memory Module-Certified Major Brand Gaming Memory
Video Card	AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT - 16GB (VR-Ready)
Power Supply	850 Watt - Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB - 80 PLUS Gold, Fully Modular
Processor Cooling	iBUYPOWER DEEPCOOL GAMERSTORM RGB 360mm CASTLE 360EX Liquid Cooler
Primary Storage	2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 M.2 PCI-E 4.0 NVME Gen 4 SSD - Gen4 Read: 5000 MB/s, Write: 4400 MB/s, Gen3 Read: 3450 MB/S, Write: 2500MB/s
Secondary Storage	6TB WD Black Hard Drive -- 256MB Cache, 7200RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive
Sound Card	3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card	Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro-(64-bit)
Warranty	3 Year Standard Warranty Service
Case Fans	3x [ARGB] InWin 120mm Saturn ASN120 Pack w/ARGB Controller
Advanced Cabling Options	Professional Wiring - for all standard default cables inside the system
Advanced Build Options - Thermal Paste	Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Thermal Grease Paste-Top of the range thermal paste with excellent thermal conductivity
Subtotal	$3,848

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WrhP4d

This is why i like building my own pcs rather than having some crappy prebuilt with garbage uneccesary rgb that dont do crap except raise the price

 

5950x 16c 32t

 

B550 cause x570 is just not neccesary unless you want to use more than 1 gen4 nvme drive

 

Fuma 2 cause it will be enough, if you are ocing though get a drp4, nhd15, or liquid freezer ii 360

 

32gb 3200mhz cl16, just oc it to 3600mhz

 

P300a cause cheap mesh case

 

 

The gpu is up to you btw