First AMD system in a while

[porina]

Budget (including currency): Don't want to put a figure down, but I want stability, features and performance (in that priority order) without going excessive in spending

Country: UK

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Gaming focus - resolution/quality over fps.

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've been kicking my X299 system (see sig) to keep it going and I've had enough. It works but I want to return to higher end gaming performance and can simplify requirements by dropping productivity considerations out of the equation. I'm coming into some money soon so this seems a good time. Did debate waiting for Zen 5 but I can always swap CPU later.

 

Already have: 4070, will update next gen. Currently 1440p 144 Hz G-Sync native display, looking to move to 4k in future.

Already decided on: 7800X3D

 

Need:

ATX mobo - should have 2.5gbe included, wifi nice extra but not essential. PCIe 5.0 support for GPU preferred (requires "Extreme" chipset?). More M.2 slots better.

Cooler - Air, low noise

Ram - 2x 32GB should suffice, should be 2R modules, doesn't need to be insane speed. Stability over performance.

PSU - High efficiency unit preferred. Should have headroom for more powerful CPUs and GPUs in future. Currently using 850W units in various systems and around that should be ok.

SSD - 2TB with DRAM PCIe 4.0 model will suffice initially (what's the 980 Pro of today? 990 Pro? Alternatives?). No DRAM-less or HMB. I can add lower tier for bulk storage later.

Case is personal choice so I'll look myself separately. Still, would welcome suggestions on ATX towers with high airflow. Window not necessary.

 

Provisional build list after feedback from thread.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor  (£346.00 @ Amazon UK) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  (£36.29 @ Amazon UK) 
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  (£229.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  (£219.99 @ Corsair UK) 
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (£149.99 @ AWD-IT) 
Video Card: NVIDIA Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB Video Card  (Purchased For £0.00) 
Case: Fractal Design North ATX Mid Tower Case  (£107.41 @ NeoComputers) 
Power Supply: MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (£109.98 @ Scan.co.uk) 
Total: £1199.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-26 13:25 BST+0100

 

 

[PDifolco]

10 minutes ago, porina said:

Budget (including currency): Don't want to put a figure down, but I want stability, features and performance (in that priority order) without going excessive in spending

Country: UK

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Gaming focus - resolution/quality over fps.

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've been kicking my X299 system (see sig) to keep it going and I've had enough. It works but I want to return to higher end gaming performance and can simplify requirements by dropping productivity considerations out of the equation. I'm coming into some money soon so this seems a good time. Did debate waiting for Zen 5 but I can always swap CPU later.

 

Already have: 4070, will update next gen. Currently 1440p 144 Hz G-Sync native display, looking to move to 4k in future.

Already decided on: 7800X3D

 

Need:

ATX mobo - should have 2.5gbe included, wifi nice extra but not essential. PCIe 5.0 support for GPU preferred (requires "Extreme" chipset?). More M.2 slots better.

Cooler - Air, low noise

Ram - 2x 32GB should suffice, should be 2R modules, doesn't need to be insane speed. Stability over performance.

PSU - High efficiency unit preferred. Should have headroom for more powerful CPUs and GPUs in future. Currently using 850W units in various systems and around that should be ok.

SSD - 2TB with DRAM PCIe 4.0 model will suffice initially (what's the 980 Pro of today? 990 Pro? Alternatives?). No DRAM-less or HMB. I can add lower tier for bulk storage later.

Case is personal choice so I'll look myself separately. Still, would welcome suggestions on ATX towers with high airflow. Window not necessary.

That's what I would get

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  (£36.29 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  (£214.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  (£223.38 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (£149.99 @ AWD-IT)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL III ATX Mid Tower Case  (£139.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (£117.80 @ NeoComputers)
Total: £881.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-26 11:03 BST+0100

 

[porina]

3 minutes ago, PDifolco said:

That's what I would get

Thanks, will look at those choices shortly. I did just edit in a link to some parts as a starting point to aid discussion and we picked the same mobo!

 

BTW how do you copy/paste that PCPP with links to products? Couldn't find an option to do that.

[Blasty Blosty]

22 minutes ago, porina said:

Thanks, will look at those choices shortly. I did just edit in a link to some parts as a starting point to aid discussion and we picked the same mobo!

 

BTW how do you copy/paste that PCPP with links to products? Couldn't find an option to do that.

To the right of the URL, click the T

 

Wait nvm that doesnt give links

[porina]

Looking through that list earlier:

Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 - it's cheap, too cheap? A twin 120mm tower. I know 7800X3D has a reputation for not using much power during gaming, but wonder if I should get something nicer? Could try it regardless as I can always move it to other systems if I later decide to replace it.

 

Was the main reason for picking out the G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo that it is CL30? Which is pretty low and actually gives me concern it has a higher chance of problems than more relaxed timings. Any alternatives?

[silencer12]

1 hour ago, porina said:

Looking through that list earlier:

Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 - it's cheap, too cheap? A twin 120mm tower. I know 7800X3D has a reputation for not using much power during gaming, but wonder if I should get something nicer? Could try it regardless as I can always move it to other systems if I later decide to replace it.

 

Was the main reason for picking out the G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo that it is CL30? Which is pretty low and actually gives me concern it has a higher chance of problems than more relaxed timings. Any alternatives?

I'd stick with the 7800x3d. It is a second generation. It is a powerhouse and will do everything you need.

 

With that cooler i don't know if it is sufficient. I would use an aio with it if it were me.

 

(Edited and updated)

[filpo]

29 minutes ago, porina said:

Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 - it's cheap, too cheap?

thermalright have just cut costs, but it's good quality, it's better than the NHD-15 in terms of cooling and about 1/3 of the price

 

29 minutes ago, porina said:

Which is pretty low and actually gives me concern it has a higher chance of problems than more relaxed timings

6000 CL30 is the best for a balance of performance and stability, I haven't seen many if any posts on problems with 6000 CL30 kits on am5 (unless they're OC'ing it)

 

1 hour ago, porina said:

Budget (including currency): Don't want to put a figure down, but I want stability, features and performance (in that priority order) without going excessive in spending

Country: UK

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Gaming focus - resolution/quality over fps.

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've been kicking my X299 system (see sig) to keep it going and I've had enough. It works but I want to return to higher end gaming performance and can simplify requirements by dropping productivity considerations out of the equation. I'm coming into some money soon so this seems a good time. Did debate waiting for Zen 5 but I can always swap CPU later.

 

Already have: 4070, will update next gen. Currently 1440p 144 Hz G-Sync native display, looking to move to 4k in future.

Already decided on: 7800X3D

 

Need:

ATX mobo - should have 2.5gbe included, wifi nice extra but not essential. PCIe 5.0 support for GPU preferred (requires "Extreme" chipset?). More M.2 slots better.

Cooler - Air, low noise

Ram - 2x 32GB should suffice, should be 2R modules, doesn't need to be insane speed. Stability over performance.

PSU - High efficiency unit preferred. Should have headroom for more powerful CPUs and GPUs in future. Currently using 850W units in various systems and around that should be ok.

SSD - 2TB with DRAM PCIe 4.0 model will suffice initially (what's the 980 Pro of today? 990 Pro? Alternatives?). No DRAM-less or HMB. I can add lower tier for bulk storage later.

Case is personal choice so I'll look myself separately. Still, would welcome suggestions on ATX towers with high airflow. Window not necessary.

 

Following to aid as a starting point:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/HPBgjH

 

I'd go for this 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor  (£346.00 @ Amazon UK) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  (£39.00 @ Computer Orbit) 
Motherboard: MSI X670E GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  (£229.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Memory: *TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  (£107.94 @ Amazon UK) 
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  (£203.78 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (£148.18 @ Amazon UK) 
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case  (£65.47 @ Scan.co.uk) 
Power Supply: MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (£109.98 @ Scan.co.uk) 
Total: £1250.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-26 12:00 BST+0100

 

903 MAX is the best case for airflow for a decent price 

Montech Air 903 Max Review | TechPowerUp

56 minutes ago, porina said:

BTW how do you copy/paste that PCPP with links to products?

it's the BB code option

Edited April 26 by filpo

[porina]

7 minutes ago, silencer12 said:

I'd stick with the 7800x3d.

I'm confused because I think you're confused. The 7800X3D is decided on. I never mentioned different in this thread. In the part you quoted I was debating getting a nicer cooler for it than the one suggested.

 

7 minutes ago, silencer12 said:

You see i bought the 5900x because it was a blend of more cores/threads than the 5800x3d about 2 years ago. (Owned a 7700k intel which had same cores and threads as the 5800x3d but that has 3d cache.)

This just doesn't make sense to me and I wonder if you're confusing me for someone else. I never owned desktop Zen 3. 7700k is quad core not 8 like 5800X3D.

[silencer12]

24 minutes ago, porina said:

I'm confused because I think you're confused. The 7800X3D is decided on. I never mentioned different in this thread. In the part you quoted I was debating getting a nicer cooler for it than the one suggested.

 

This just doesn't make sense to me and I wonder if you're confusing me for someone else. I never owned desktop Zen 3. 7700k is quad core not 8 like 5800X3D.

I was referring to my own opinion on the 7800x3d and my own experience with the processors i use or used. My apologies. Disregard.

 

You stated the 7800x3d has a reputation for not using too much power during gaming but you wondered if you should get something nicer?  Did you mean a different cooler on that processor or a different processor entirely? See i thought you meant a different processor. My apologies if I was wrong

[porina]

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

it's just cut costs, but it's good quality, it's better than the NHD-15 in terms of cooling and about 1/3 of the price

Better than D15? I'll give it a try then.

 

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

6000 CL30 is the best for a balance of performance and stability, I haven't seen many if any posts on problems with 6000 CL30 kits on am5 (unless they're OC'ing it)

Both kits listed as well as previous don't seem to be immediately available in UK. I'll dig further later but I'm really not that fussed about max (or should that be min?) timings.

 

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

Motherboard: MSI X670E GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  (£229.99 @ Amazon UK) 

Any particular reasons why this over the Asus? Longer term bios support is important to me. Asus have historically not been too bad in that area. I've heard but not had recent personal experience that MSI are doing minimal updates in that area. I see this gets me the X chipset over the B with the additional resources it offers.

 

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

903 MAX is the best case for airflow for a decent price 

Montech Air 903 Max Review | TechPowerUp

I hadn't thought to look for testing like this. But it isn't exactly much of a looker. In my own searching I've come across the Fractal Design North in white, mesh side, and that's my shortlist favourite. It just has to not such as bad as a solid front case and I'm happy. I think I did write in OP that performance is not my highest priority.

[PDifolco]

36 minutes ago, porina said:

Looking through that list earlier:

Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 - it's cheap, too cheap? A twin 120mm tower. I know 7800X3D has a reputation for not using much power during gaming, but wonder if I should get something nicer? Could try it regardless as I can always move it to other systems if I later decide to replace it.

 

Was the main reason for picking out the G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo that it is CL30? Which is pretty low and actually gives me concern it has a higher chance of problems than more relaxed timings. Any alternatives?

TR PS120 is just crazy cheap for its performance, beats NH-D15 any day

 

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermalright-phantom-spirit-120-review

 

GSkill Trident Z has the reputation of being the best kit around, and 6000CL30 is own AMD "sweet spot" recommendation

It's not low, very few systems /kits allow CL28 stable and reaching CL26 is a feat, even fastest i9 hardly reach 7800CL36, and even then it's with GSkill RAM !

Didn't test it  yet myself tho

[porina]

1 minute ago, silencer12 said:

I was referring to my own opinion on the 7800x3d and my own experience with the processors i use or used. No confusion

Looking again at your post, that was my mistake. I mixed the order of the words on reading and thought you thought I had those CPUs. Apologies.

 

1 minute ago, silencer12 said:

You stated the 7800x3d has a reputation for not using too much power during gaming but you wondered if you should get something nicer?  Did you mean a different cooler on that processor or a different processor entirely?

I was talking about the cooler in that section, but given comments above I'll give it a try.

[porina]

19 minutes ago, PDifolco said:

TR PS120 is just crazy cheap for its performance, beats NH-D15 any day

Sold! I guess I'm too used to Noctua money I struggle to imagine something this cheap being that good.

 

19 minutes ago, PDifolco said:

GSkill Trident Z has the reputation of being the best kit around, and 6000CL30 is own AMD "sweet spot" recommendation

It's not low, very few systems /kits allow CL28 stable and reaching CL26 is a feat, even fastest i9 hardly reach 7800CL36, and even then it's with GSkill RAM !

Didn't test it  yet myself tho

In a quick look at 6000/6400 kits, most were in the CL30-40 range, hence 30 being on the low end of that. The problem is the CL30 kits mentioned on this thread may not be immediately available in UK. I haven't looked for wider stock yet. If I can find a suitable kit quickly I could order everything for delivery tomorrow.

[porina]

https://www.corsair.com/uk/en/p/memory/cmk64gx5m2b6000z30/vengeance-64gb-2x32gb-ddr5-dram-6000mt-s-cl30-amd-expo-memory-kit-cmk64gx5m2b6000z30

 

Any reason I shouldn't go for this kit as substitute? It is generally available. 6000C30 EXPO.

I see there's a similar kit 6400C32 XMP but I guess that's more targeted for Intel platforms?

 

I could hit the order button...

 

[PDifolco]

55 minutes ago, porina said:

Sold! I guess I'm too used to Noctua money I struggle to imagine something this cheap being that good.

 

In a quick look at 6000/6400 kits, most were in the CL30-40 range, hence 30 being on the low end of that. The problem is the CL30 kits mentioned on this thread may not be immediately available in UK. I haven't looked for wider stock yet. If I can find a suitable kit quickly I could order everything for delivery tomorrow.

On a 7800x3D ram speed isn't really that important, you can try 5600CL28 or 6400CL32 and get similar performance

 

[porina]

7 minutes ago, PDifolco said:

On a 7800x3D ram speed isn't really that important, you can try 5600CL28 or 6400CL32 and get similar performance

Based on that, with as shipped ram, latency provides a bit of a benefit over higher latency in gaming. Ball park single digit % but can be more in some cases. I don't intend to min-max every last bit of performance but this seems to be low hanging fruit, in that higher latency doesn't make a significant difference to cost.

[filpo]

55 minutes ago, porina said:

Better than D15? I'll give it a try then.

(the below is for a 123W CPU, D15 is about 2 degrees worse) also the PA120SE is basically identical to the PA120 but it has exposed heat pipes and is slightly shorter

57 minutes ago, porina said:

I think I did write in OP that performance is not my highest priority.

'high airflow atx cases' 903 MAX is basically the best you'll see for airflow. But I get aesthetics over performance (and north isn't even too bad for performance)

58 minutes ago, porina said:

But it isn't exactly much of a looker. In my own searching I've come across the Fractal Design North in white

that's also a good option. I might get the XL version of the North since it can fit a 360 rad up top and 420 up front

 

59 minutes ago, porina said:

I've heard but not had recent personal experience that MSI are doing minimal updates in that area.

I had a b550 gaming plus from msi, it was a great board. That is a different gen. afaik asus does give a longer bios update period so the b650e will be your best bet for an E board with long bios support

 

1 hour ago, porina said:

Both kits listed as well as previous don't seem to be immediately available in UK

then the vengeance 6000 CL30 kit you linked recently would be perfect for this use

 

3 minutes ago, porina said:

Based on that, with as shipped ram, latency provides a bit of a benefit over higher latency in gaming. Ball park single digit % but can be more in some cases. I don't intend to min-max every last bit of performance but this seems to be low hanging fruit, in that higher latency doesn't make a significant difference to cost.

5600 CL28 isn't going to be much better. It was slightly better at launch but 6000 Cl30 has become so common that I'm willing to bet it's become both more stable and better in performance

 

1 hour ago, porina said:

Better than D15? I'll give it a try then.

do you like the looks of it? I personally do but it's all up to you

Though since you're planning to use the North mesh I'm assuming it won't matter too much

PA120SE is 10mm shorter than the D15 so that's also a reason to choose it

[TVwazhere]

2 hours ago, porina said:

Need:

ATX mobo - should have 2.5gbe included, wifi nice extra but not essential. PCIe 5.0 support for GPU preferred (requires "Extreme" chipset?). More M.2 slots better.

I built a 7800x3D and RTX 4080 build in January and had similar thoughts (a big focus for me being on rear I/O). May I recommend...
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/R226Mp/asrock-b650e-taichi-lite-eatx-am5-motherboard-b650e-taichi-lite

 

Price wise, this board made the most sense to me for all the featrues it has (or rather, that every single other board lacks (its actually cheaper now than when I bought it)

Spoiler

 

For added context, I ended up with the Deepcool AK620 cooler mainly for aesthetic reasons over a cheaper but still performance option like the thermalrite's. I imagine it would work great. 

And before you ask what case I got...

Spoiler

 

[porina]

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

(the below is for a 123W CPU, D15 is about 2 degrees worse) also the PA120SE is basically identical to the PA120 but it has exposed heat pipes and is slightly shorter

To check I was looking at the PS120SE, not PA120 anything. I'll stick to the PS120SE.

 

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

then the vengeance 6000 CL30 kit you linked recently would be perfect for this use

Great  

 

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

5600 CL28 isn't going to be much better. It was slightly better at launch but 6000 Cl30 has become so common that I'm willing to bet it's become both more stable and better in performance

I wasn't looking for lowest numerical timings, but talking about low latency in general.

 

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

do you like the looks of it? I personally do but it's all up to you

Though since you're planning to use the North mesh I'm assuming it won't matter too much

Looks aren't important as it wont be clearly visible.

 

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

PA120SE is 10mm shorter than the D15 so that's also a reason to choose it

I will get the PS120SE unless there is a good reason to look at the PA120? As far as I can see the PS120SE has 7 heatpipes vs 6 of the PS120SE.

[porina]

7 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

I built a 7800x3D and RTX 4080 build in January and had similar thoughts (a big focus for me being on rear I/O). May I recommend...
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/R226Mp/asrock-b650e-taichi-lite-eatx-am5-motherboard-b650e-taichi-lite

 

Price wise, this board made the most sense to me for all the featrues it has (or rather, that every single other board lacks (its actually cheaper now than when I bought it)

I will have a closer look later. It is a price step up, but given the total of everything so far isn't insignificant, I'll have to weigh what it brings for the cost.

 

7 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

And before you ask what case I got...

Do Fractal make a bunch of cases on the same frame with different cosmetics? Looks pretty similar without doing a side by side comparison.

 

 

 

For now my provisional buy list is as follows. Nothing set in stone so feedback still welcome. If I order this afternoon I could potentially get all this tomorrow, although I'm not in any specific rush. It draws upon suggestions from this thread. All items are currently in stock from a combination of Scan + Amazon UK but I could optimise costs further with a little waiting and using more suppliers.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor  (£346.00 @ Amazon UK) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  (£36.29 @ Amazon UK) 
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  (£229.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  (£219.99 @ Corsair UK) 
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (£149.99 @ AWD-IT) 
Video Card: NVIDIA Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB Video Card  (Purchased For £0.00) 
Case: Fractal Design North ATX Mid Tower Case  (£107.41 @ NeoComputers) 
Power Supply: MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (£109.98 @ Scan.co.uk) 
Total: £1199.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-26 13:25 BST+0100

[filpo]

14 minutes ago, porina said:

To check I was looking at the PS120SE, not PA120 anything. I'll stick to the PS120SE.

it's just that the cpu cooler used for the benchmark in the picture below was a PA120 non SE (but they're performance will be identical)

 

15 minutes ago, porina said:

As far as I can see the PS120SE has 7 heatpipes vs 6 of the PS120SE.

PS120SE = PS120SE? 

do you mean PA120SE vs PS120SE? 

For context the phantom spirit 120 SE is slightly better and shorter than the Peerless assassin 120 SE

11 minutes ago, porina said:

Case: Fractal Design North ATX Mid Tower Case  (£107.41 @ NeoComputers) 

Looks good but I would just change this to a North XL for the larger rad compatibility (only if you can fit the larger case in your home)

[TVwazhere]

7 minutes ago, porina said:

I will have a closer look later. It is a price step up, but given the total of everything so far isn't insignificant, I'll have to weigh what it brings for the cost.

For me, the extra rear I/O, s/pdif audio port (which isnt for everyone), EZ-DEBUG code display rather than an led or lack of anything and the bonus of a USB 4.0 port really sold me. 

 

7 minutes ago, porina said:

Do Fractal make a bunch of cases on the same frame with different cosmetics? Looks pretty similar without doing a side by side comparison.

The Fractal Meshify 2 Compact and the Fractal north are similar within the interior, but the torrent compact is distinctly unique. All of them are technically different and dont reshare a lot of tooling/parts. 

Spoiler

 

The same is true for the Meshify 2, North XL and the Torrent (the case i technically have)

Spoiler

 

[porina]

5 minutes ago, filpo said:

PS120SE = PS120SE? 

do you mean PA120SE vs PS120SE? 

For context the phantom spirit 120 SE is slightly better and shorter than the Peerless assassin 120 SE

Looks good but I would just change this to a North XL for the larger rad compatibility (only if you can fit the larger case in your home)

Yes I made a typo. PS 7 heat pipes, PA 6 heat pipes. Same size viewed from the top but I didn't look at height.

 

I have no plans for water cooling. Not even AIO.

[porina]

The order is in! I did go with what I listed previously with one change: SN850X replaced with 990 Pro. I'd have to wait 2 more days for the WD, but the Samsung is available right now and I found it at a lower cost than shown on PCPP so it was very close. I can't mark everyone's post as the solution but main credit goes to @PDifolco and @filpo for the parts I did go with. Now can tomorrow hurry up? I got a build to do!

[PDifolco]

4 minutes ago, porina said:

The order is in! I did go with what I listed previously with one change: SN850X replaced with 990 Pro. I'd have to wait 2 more days for the WD, but the Samsung is available right now and I found it at a lower cost than shown on PCPP so it was very close. I can't mark everyone's post as the solution but main credit goes to @PDifolco and @filpo for the parts I did go with. Now can tomorrow hurry up? I got a build to do!

Great  !

That's more or less the build I wanted to get by end 23, now got some more dough so will go full blast 7950X3D/X670E Strix or Aorus Master, because why not ?

But am on vacation next week so will do it by mid may...