upgrade advice Need some advice about what to do...

[takkischitt]

Hi folks

 

Really need some quality advice and thought here might be a good place to ask.

 

So, I'm considering an upgrade of the following system with the parts I want to upgrade in red:

• Case: Enthoo Evolv ATX Tempered Glass
• Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V Gen 3
• CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K OC'd @ 4.50GHz
• Cooler: Corsair A50 CPU Cooler
• RAM: Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz + Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz
• GPU: Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 AMP Edition 8192MB GDDR5
• PSU: XFX XTR SERIES 650W Modular Power Supply

 

I've been looking online at various bundles, deals and buying parts individually but there a few things confusing me so I'll list them below and maybe some of you kind folks can help me out:

1. First of all, I'm not too worried about costs. I just want to get the best value for my needs. So I don't want to just blow a fortune for the absolute fastest of something which I'll not really get full use out of, but I am happy to pay more if it's going to last me better in the long run.
2. I game a fair bit and generally like to run graphics pretty flat out (usually at 1080 -1440 res, but will probably like to dabble in 4K in future, maybe after a couple of years and after a GPU upgrade). I also do a bit of video editing, nothing major though - home video/GoPro footage, etc.
3. What about Ryzen? I see so much arguing and fighting back and forth between the Intel and AMD fans and I'm struggling to see past it all. Are Ryzen really as good value as they're made out to be? Are Intel chips really much better and justify their higher prices?
4. I want an upgrade that's going to last well, just like the 2500K has. I was considering an 8086K or 8700K, but I'm just not sure if it is overkill when you've got the likes of the Ryzen 1700X going for £150 at the minute which has a good core count and reasonable speeds (even if it's single core/gaming might not be quite as good, it's still only 10-15% off in FPS, right?)
5. What about the security issues Intel are having with their chips, and the apparently 'fixes' which also may be slowing down the chips quite a bit? Would it be best to wait a while until their new chips come out to see if they've fixed the issues and there's no worries about slowdown from patches?
6. Also, with RAM prices still so extremely high, and possibly one of the sorest parts of this upgrade for me, is there any sign they may be coming down any time soon and I should hold off?

 

Here are some builds I've been toying with, opinions on those would also be helpful:

• Budget Ryzen Upgrade [ Ryzen 7 1700X -- Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120L RGB -- Gigabyte GA-AX370-Gaming K5 -- G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 ]
• PC Upgrade Selection (June 2018) [ i5-8600K -- Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB -- Asus TUF Z370 Pro Gaming -- Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 ]
• PC Upgrade Selection (August 2018) [ i7-8086K -- Corsair H105 -- Asus ROG MAXIMUS X HERO -- Corsair Vengeance RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 -- Intel 760p Series 512GB ]
• Another 8086K bundle [ i7-8086K -- Corsair H100i v2 -- Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming (rev. 1.0) -- G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 ]

 

Thanks for the help.

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

Ryzen 5 2600, ARCTIC Freezer 33 eSports ONE, 16GB of 3200MhZ DDR4, AsRock B450 Pro4, 500GB Crucial MX500

[voiha]

1 minute ago, OrbitalBuzzsaw said:

16GB of 3200MhZ DDR4

3000MHz is better value for the money the difference is actually neglectable. Take 2600Mhz if you're going with Intel

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

1 minute ago, voiha said:

3000MHz is better value for the money the difference is actually neglectable. Take 2600Mhz if you're going with Intel

I agree with you but 3200MhZ RAM isn't any more expensive RN

[glenalz81]

3 minutes ago, OrbitalBuzzsaw said:

Ryzen 5 2600, ARCTIC Freezer 33 eSports ONE, 16GB of 3200MhZ DDR4, AsRock B450 Pro4, 500GB Crucial MX500

Can't really argue with this.

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

Just now, glenalz81 said:

Can't really argue with this.

Yep, that will be a solid setup that should last OP for years and he can drop in a Ryzen 3700 or something down the line for more CPU performance later

[takkischitt]

8 minutes ago, OrbitalBuzzsaw said:

Ryzen 5 2600, ARCTIC Freezer 33 eSports ONE, 16GB of 3200MhZ DDR4, AsRock B450 Pro4, 500GB Crucial MX500

 

Thanks for the reply, can you give me a run down on why you suggested these components? Why not a 8700K (I see you're running it with a sweet OC)?

[takkischitt]

8 minutes ago, voiha said:

3000MHz is better value for the money the difference is actually neglectable. Take 2600Mhz if you're going with Intel

Why 2600Mhz for Intel?

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

1 minute ago, takkischitt said:

 

Thanks for the reply, can you give me a run down on why you suggested these components? Why not a 8700K (I see you're running it with a sweet OC)?

The 8700K is a good upgrade but won't offer an upgrade path, with the Ryzen you have a good CPU now and you can swap in the rumored 12 core CPU next year. The Freezer 33 is just amazing in every way, 16GB of RAM is pretty much a minimum nowadays and Ryzen loves that speed, although 3000mhz would be fine as well. The B450 Pro4 is the best value 2nd gen Ryzen board right now although you could go with an R7 2700X and ASUS Prime X470-Pro if you want more performance now. The 500GB MX500 is a good upgrade for any system.

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

2 minutes ago, takkischitt said:

Why 2600Mhz for Intel?

Intel is less reliant on RAM speed than Ryzen is

[voiha]

@OrbitalBuzzsaw He gave you everything you need to know, it's the best bang for the buck even for the future, nice !!

[takkischitt]

Many thanks for your help and advice, it's greatly appreciated.

 

If I was going the air cooling route, would the ARCTIC Freezer 33 eSports ONE be OK with overclocking, or would the double fan version be better?

 

What about 240 AIO's, any recommendations on that front?

 

Any other motherboards you'd recommend for the 2600 with RGB?

[brob]

 

Ryzen 2nd gen does not offer a lot of savings over Intel. Intel cpu are not that much better than Ryzen 2nd gen. When you get right down to it, except for particular workloads there is no "noticeable" difference with similarly priced cpu.

 

On the Intel side, unless you want to overclock consider getting an i7-8700. Going with a locked system allows one to improve other areas of the system on the same budget. For AMD I'd look at the 2700X on a good B450 motherboard.

 

Some of the security issues affect both AMD and Intel cpu. But these problems don't really impact individual users. Attacks have to target particular systems and are non destructive.

 

Don't buy into the trap  of buying a particular system planning to upgrade the cpu at a later date. CPU only upgrades are rarely, if ever practical. I know AMD has made much of its locked in socket, but the fact is that when it introduced the 2nd gen Ryzen cpu it also introduced two new chipsets. So, while one could put a 2nd gen cpu in a 1st gen motherboard (with a BIOS update), in order to take full advantage of the new cpu a new motherboard is required. (This is exactly the same situation as occurred with the introduction of Kaby Lake cpu and x2xx chipsets.)

 

 

[takkischitt]

16 hours ago, brob said:

On the Intel side, unless you want to overclock consider getting an i7-8700. Going with a locked system allows one to improve other areas of the system on the same budget. For AMD I'd look at the 2700X on a good B450 motherboard.

Yeah, I would be overclocking. The 2500K I currently have runs a 4.5GHz overclock and has served me well, so would be aiming for a similar lifespan helped by overclocking with this new build.

Quote

Some of the security issues affect both AMD and Intel cpu. But these problems don't really impact individual users. Attacks have to target particular systems and are non destructive.

That's good to know. So not something to consider, currently. Will new chips in the next year or so possibly avoid these issues, and the accompanying slow down due to patches?

Quote

Don't buy into the trap  of buying a particular system planning to upgrade the cpu at a later date. CPU only upgrades are rarely, if ever practical. I know AMD has made much of its locked in socket, but the fact is that when it introduced the 2nd gen Ryzen cpu it also introduced two new chipsets. So, while one could put a 2nd gen cpu in a 1st gen motherboard (with a BIOS update), in order to take full advantage of the new cpu a new motherboard is required. (This is exactly the same situation as occurred with the introduction of Kaby Lake cpu and x2xx chipsets.)

Yeah, this is why I'd quite happily pay extra now. Not going 'all in' to necessarily get the best performance now (although that is also an aim), but mainly just so I don't have to go through an incremental upgrade a couple of years away. I got my 2500K setup in November 2011 so 6/7 years (more, if possible) is what I'd be aiming to get from this new build, also.

[brob]

Intel has indicated that it expects new cpu will have not have the vulnerabilities. Nothing really official yet.