Intel or AMD Build?

[Excalibur.]

Country:  USA

Budget for now is $2800 but less is better. i need a 32 inch 1440p monitor and decent compact 2.1 speaker / soundbar setup, since space is limited. I also am pretty much set on the Fractal Pop Air case. I am carrying over two, 4 TB SATA SSDs and an Optical drive from a previous build. I am not sure if i need to replace the stock front fans in the Pop case or not, i have some included in the builds though. I also shouldn't need a Windows license as it would be something I'd carry over as well, I do plan to dual boot Windows 11 and Linux however, and that's why i included two M.2 drives.

I want a PC that will last me 5-7 years running at 1440p / 4K without having to completely rebuild (GPU or RAM upgrade along the way might be fine) It would be mostly for gaming with light productivity as well.

I do need a motherboard with the full set of audio ports including optical. I prefer not to have a separate sound card.

Here are the two builds i put together, Which should i go with the Intel or the AMD build? and what should i change?

Intel

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

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($409.00 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 ZERO DARK 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($259.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($88.00 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card  ($949.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case  ($88.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($161.57 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 94.2 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($12.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 94.2 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($12.90 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: LG 32GP83B-B 32.0" 2560 x 1440 165 Hz Monitor  ($349.99 @ Best Buy) 
Speakers: Creative Labs Sound BlasterX Katana 2.1-Channel Speakers  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $2753.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-27 15:04 EDT-0400

 

AMD

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6pbq6r

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($441.00 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 ZERO DARK 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI MPG B650 EDGE WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($239.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600 CL30 Memory  ($91.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($88.00 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card  ($949.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case  ($88.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($161.57 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 94.2 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($12.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 94.2 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($12.90 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: LG 32GP83B-B 32.0" 2560 x 1440 165 Hz Monitor  ($349.99 @ Best Buy) 
Speakers: Creative Labs Sound BlasterX Katana 2.1-Channel Speakers  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $2757.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-27 15:06 EDT-0400

[Dedayog]

AMD build.

[Zando_]

Just now, Dedayog said:

AMD build.

^ with the same speed RAM as the Intel one, not sure why the AMD build only has 5600Mhz. 

[Excalibur.]

2 minutes ago, Zando_ said:

^ with the same speed RAM as the Intel one, not sure why the AMD build only has 5600Mhz. 

Wasn't sure if AM5 was still having issues with higher clocked RAM or if it mattered much overall. Also wasn't sure if i should have went with the B650 Tomahawk over the B650 Edge, the Edge was a few dollars more but looked like a nicer board.

[Why_Me]

500GB for an O/S drive is the norm. 48GB of RAM helps in the productivity dept.  A locked cpu is easier to tame on air cooling while giving you similar performance.  

 

That board down below.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z790-A-WIFI/

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($379.00 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler  ($63.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: *MSI PRO Z790-A WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($239.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 48 GB (2 x 24 GB) DDR5-6800 CL34 Memory  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: *Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($32.53 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($88.00 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card  ($949.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case  ($88.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($161.57 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 94.2 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($12.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 94.2 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($12.90 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: LG 32GP83B-B 32.0" 2560 x 1440 165 Hz Monitor  ($349.99 @ Best Buy) 
Speakers: Creative Labs Sound BlasterX Katana 2.1-Channel Speakers  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $2769.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-27 15:36 EDT-0400

[Excalibur.]

10 minutes ago, Why_Me said:

500GB for an O/S drive is the norm. 48GB of RAM helps in the productivity dept.  A locked cpu is easier to tame on air cooling while giving you similar performance.  

 

That board down below.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z790-A-WIFI/

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($379.00 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler  ($63.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: *MSI PRO Z790-A WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($239.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 48 GB (2 x 24 GB) DDR5-6800 CL34 Memory  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: *Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($32.53 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($88.00 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card  ($949.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case  ($88.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($161.57 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 94.2 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($12.90 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 94.2 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($12.90 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: LG 32GP83B-B 32.0" 2560 x 1440 165 Hz Monitor  ($349.99 @ Best Buy) 
Speakers: Creative Labs Sound BlasterX Katana 2.1-Channel Speakers  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $2769.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-27 15:36 EDT-0400

Only issue is, i don't see 48GB helping much with Gaming anytime soon, Gaming is the primary function of this build. To me It makes more sense to go with 32 GB now and add another 32 GB later, if needed. As for the drives, they were setup to be OS drives, the 2 TB for Windows and the 1 TB for Linux, since Windows has a tendency to not play nice with Linux and it's bootloader. If i go with the Intel, that looks like a good idea with the CPU though since i really don't want to use a AIO and probably wouldn't mess with overclocking anyway.

[NF-A12x25]

29 minutes ago, Why_Me said:

500GB for an O/S drive is the norm. 48GB of RAM helps in the productivity dept.  A locked cpu is easier to tame on air cooling while giving you similar performance.  

not anymore, buying less than 1tb is now not advised as it’s like $20 for a 500gb and $25 for a 1tb. (for example, the Spatium low end Gen 4 drive that just went on sale for $25/tb, or the MP34 that’s like $30-35/tb)

 

970EP sucks for the price, don’t buy.

[Why_Me]

3 minutes ago, NF-A12x25 said:

not anymore, buying less than 1tb is now not advised as it’s like $20 for a 500gb and $25 for a 1tb. (for example, the Spatium low end Gen 4 drive that just went on sale for $25/tb, or the MP34 that’s like $30-35/tb)

 

970EP sucks for the price, don’t buy.

The 970 EP has DRAM cache along with a five year warranty.

[NF-A12x25]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LZHwtn

 

here’s a significantly better list. Could go regular B650 rather than B650e.

[NF-A12x25]

1 minute ago, Why_Me said:

The 970 EP has DRAM cache along with a five year warranty.

okay? so does the MUCH faster SN850x from WD. 970EP is trash compared to almost any gen 4 drive excluding crap like Kingston’s NV2, and it costs about the same

[robertino129]

The others have already provided you suggestions regarding the builds. This is my take on the rest.

 

Since you're swimming in storage space and are into samsung, I'd go with a 980 pro gen4. The 20$ is worth it.

While I can't see US prices, I believe the a2+ may be 200$ at best buy which is in your budget, on top of which you can buy a subwoofer later. From your comment I assume you don't have an external DAC, so you can use the USB connection on the mB instead of optical, or wifi. For that budget the katanas seem a little eh.

[Excalibur.]

4 hours ago, robertino129 said:

The others have already provided you suggestions regarding the builds. This is my take on the rest.

 

Since you're swimming in storage space and are into samsung, I'd go with a 980 pro gen4. The 20$ is worth it.

While I can't see US prices, I believe the a2+ may be 200$ at best buy which is in your budget, on top of which you can buy a subwoofer later. From your comment I assume you don't have an external DAC, so you can use the USB connection on the mB instead of optical, or wifi. For that budget the katanas seem a little eh.

Yeah, i considered the 980 pro and might go with that with at least one of the drives, i didn't think it would matter much though.

As for the speakers, the a2+'s are really nice for sure but i'm not sure if they would work for me, i really need something that ideally can fit under a monitor, space is tight, that's more or less why i settled on a soundbar, but the Katana actually wasn't my first choice, that was the Yamaha SR-C30A, but i am still researching if that is the best choice in my budget range (it was on sale recently too) The SR-C30A isn't made specifically for a PC, but it's a compact Soundbar with a wireless Subwoofer that's looks like it would be pretty good for my purposes but I don't have a lot to go on yet. But it doesn't have the ability to connect via USB, so optical would be the best connection with it.

Edit: Looks like the a2+'s are sold out at that price anyway.

[SorryBella]

7 hours ago, NF-A12x25 said:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LZHwtn

 

here’s a significantly better list. Could go regular B650 rather than B650e.

OP needs optical port.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($441.00 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($37.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($217.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 PRO 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($40.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($109.99 @ Best Buy) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Storage: Samsung 870 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card  ($949.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($119.00 @ Amazon) 
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Monitor: LG 32GP850-B 32.0" 2560 x 1440 165 Hz Monitor  ($396.99 @ Abt) 
Speakers: Edifier R1700BT 66 W Speakers  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $2643.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-27 23:26 EDT-0400

[NF-A12x25]

58 minutes ago, SorryBella said:

OP needs optical port.

ah yes, missed that

[robertino129]

4 hours ago, Excalibur. said:

Yeah, i considered the 980 pro and might go with that with at least one of the drives, i didn't think it would matter much though.

As for the speakers, the a2+'s are really nice for sure but i'm not sure if they would work for me, i really need something that ideally can fit under a monitor, space is tight, that's more or less why i settled on a soundbar, but the Katana actually wasn't my first choice, that was the Yamaha SR-C30A, but i am still researching if that is the best choice in my budget range (it was on sale recently too) The SR-C30A isn't made specifically for a PC, but it's a compact Soundbar with a wireless Subwoofer that's looks like it would be pretty good for my purposes but I don't have a lot to go on yet. But it doesn't have the ability to connect via USB, so optical would be the best connection with it.

Edit: Looks like the a2+'s are sold out at that price anyway.

space really isn't an issue, only money. With 100$ more it's child's play to expand your space with various stuff such as https://www.amazon.com/Gator-Frameworks-Desktop-Monitor-Speaker/dp/B084HPVQBK

 

 For me placing my speakers on a pair of stands is pretty important for the sound quality, which is why I avoided going with a sound bar. Anyway you can always buy it and sell it later for something better when you have the money.