hardware I was all ready to drop far too much money on a build, but now the usual 'Do i wait' fear grips me...

[deantendo]

Built my current rig in 2017 (7700k, 1080ti, 32GB) and it's been great to me, but now with Starfield and other modern games on the horizon i'm really feeling the need for an upgrade. I'd planned out an AMD build on Scan (because i'm still salty about the 3080ti/crypto situation) for about £3200 (box and contents only) and was eager to purchase, but then i hear new AMD cards are due soon, And then news about windows 12 requirements etc...

I'll be holding off until the later end of this year just in case there's something better than the 7900XTX and 7900X3D (i know there's one above, but you get the idea; same price, more cpu)

Current outline to run my 4k/120hz screen for the next 4+ years with no upgrades:

• 7900XTX 24GB
• 7900X3D
• 64GB 6000hz RAM
• 1200w PSU
• Asus TUF B650
• Noctua NHD15
• 1TB corsair MP600
• 4TB samsung 870 evo (or maybe i'll go for a 4TB m.2...)
• 8TB HDD
• All wrapped in a Fractal North case (charcoal with mesh)
  
  Happy to hear feedback, it's been years since i looked at hardware.. yikes...

[Ci7]

what with multiple ssd + hdd

[Mockingbird]

Let's be real: you don't need more than 8 cores or 16 GB RAM. Even 32 GB is excessive.

1200W PSU is insane

Also, I don't know why you are trying to cheap out on the motherboard when you plan on overspending on almost everything else.

Edited June 17, 2023 by Mockingbird

[Mockingbird]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($438.00 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($89.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock X670E Steel Legend ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($299.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory  ($97.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($50.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card  ($1049.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($114.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $2236.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-17 00:28 EDT-0400

[deantendo]

On 17/06/2023 at 05:01, Ci7 said:

what with multiple ssd + hdd

M2 for OS (i prefer a whole drive for the OS as it makes backup and restore easier if i can just do the whole disk, but i may well be wrong about it)
SSD for game installs and general data (lots of small files changing frequently)
HDD for large file storage / video

[deantendo]

On 17/06/2023 at 05:15, Mockingbird said:

Let's be real: you don't need more than 8 cores or 16 GB RAM. Even 32 GB is excessive.

1200W PSU is insane

Also, I don't know why you are trying to cheap out on the motherboard when you plan on overspending on almost everything else.

True, but i'm trying to build a system which will easily push 4k games for the next 4+ years + mods (lots of mods) and i tend to also do 3D - While i've yet to fill 32GB i have pushed beyond 16GB quite frequently.
I admit i mostly chose 64GB due to the low price...

1200w is a lot. I think i have it wrong in my head about PSU efficiency so i'll  look at that.

Not trying to cheap-out specifically. More that i don't know enough to see a need to spend more on that part.

[deantendo]

On 17/06/2023 at 05:28, Mockingbird said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($438.00 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($89.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock X670E Steel Legend ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($299.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory  ($97.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($50.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card  ($1049.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($114.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $2236.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-17 00:28 EDT-0400

Thanks! I shall look into that.

[hellowalkman Reporter]

7800X3D will be better if it's only for gaming. And 32GB RAM should be enough. Rest of it looks good.

On 17/06/2023 at 09:45, Mockingbird said:

1200W PSU is insane

the 7900 XTX can be pushed to 450+W so I wouldn't call it insane.

[deantendo]

On 17/06/2023 at 08:34, hellowalkman said:

7800X3D will be better if it's only for gaming. And 32GB RAM should be enough. Rest of it looks good.

the 7900 XTX can be pushed to 450+W so I wouldn't call it insane.

I appreciate the feedback
I was going to go with the 7800X3D but i guess my thought was to bake-in a little future-proofing and give myself a little more flexibility with Rendering in Blender.
I've updated the build with 32GB of RAM, and step up on the motherboard:

https://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/shared/683c3b78-87fb-434c-9da0-056c4a8c3260?utm_source=3xsconfigshare&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=copypaste

This is where i'll be buying from - Decided to not build it myself this time, and i've used that site quite a bit over the years and they've always been excellent. The GPU might change AIB manufacturer, but that's the one for now.

I think the only thing i'm unsure about is which storage methods are best for my needs. I guess that's down to worrying that a 4TB M.2 may die inside of 4/5 years if i fill it with a lot of small files which change often.  I would usually have a whole drive just for windows and app installs, with another drive to hold pretty much everything else + game installs, and then a HDD to hold all my video files (not often accessed, rarely changed). I suppose i could go for a 1TB system drive and split in down the middle and have the other half as a recovery partition, but then that's all new to me and i've been so used to using Clonezilla.

[hellowalkman Reporter]

On 17/06/2023 at 21:29, deantendo said:

little more flexibility with Rendering in Blender

I wasn't aware you would run Blender. In that case, yes the 7900X3D will be better. May be even stretch it up to the 7950X3D if you can, blender loves cores.

Also, since you mention Blender, perhaps you will be better off with an Nvidia RTX? AMD GPUs are still quite a bit behind.

[deantendo]

On 17/06/2023 at 18:31, hellowalkman said:

I wasn't aware you would run Blender. In that case, yes the 7900X3D will be better. May be even stretch it up to the 7950X3D if you can, blender loves cores.

Also, since you mention Blender, perhaps you will be better off with an Nvidia RTX? AMD GPUs are still quite a bit behind.

nvidia cards don't feel like a good deal right now. And with vram suddenly being more important 24gb on the xtx seemed better. Plus with nvidia prices where they are, and the crap they've pulled over the last few years, i really don't want to give them my money if i can reasonably afford an alternative.

I am still and always open to having my mind changed, however.

[+Warwagon MVC]

On 16/06/2023 at 23:15, Mockingbird said:

Let's be real: you don't need more than 8 cores or 16 GB RAM. Even 32 GB is excessive.

1200W PSU is insane

Also, I don't know why you are trying to cheap out on the motherboard when you plan on overspending on almost everything else.

I disagree. I would never build anything with anything less than 32GB of ram. Right now i'm using up 32% of my 32GB of ram and during certain tasks i've seen it at 60%

[deantendo]

On 17/06/2023 at 19:00, Warwagon said:

I disagree. I would never build anything with anything less than 32GB of ram. Right now i'm using up 32% of my 32GB of ram and during certain tasks i've seen it at 60%

Similar. I tend to sit around 30-32% average

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 17/06/2023 at 13:00, Warwagon said:

I disagree. I would never build anything with anything less than 32GB of ram. Right now i'm using up 32% of my 32GB of ram and during certain tasks i've seen it at 60%

I'm using 22GB of my 32GB.. Planning to go 64GB soon..

[deantendo]

On 17/06/2023 at 19:05, Mindovermaster said:

I'm using 22GB of my 32GB.. Planning to go 64GB soon..

Well i guess i may as well.... from 32 to 64GB is only another £35...

[hellowalkman Reporter]

something that will help you make up your mind over the GPU  : https://techgage.com/article/blender-3-4-performance-deep-dive-cycles-eevee-viewport/

[deantendo]

On 17/06/2023 at 20:09, hellowalkman said:

something that will help you make up your mind over the GPU  : https://techgage.com/article/blender-3-4-performance-deep-dive-cycles-eevee-viewport/

Thanks for that. Makes a solid case for nvidia if render time is the main factor, but rendering isn't as big for me, and i'm certainly no professional - Just a hobbyist. I'm much more interested in games and mods for those games. Not bothered much about RTX or DLSS, just want high-res and solid, unshakable 120fps. That (i suppose) is the core of what i want out of this build: A machine to last me 4+ years without any upgrades, which can play in 4K Ultra at 120fps. Taking into account the general increase in demands to hit that target over time - I should have replaced my current system a couple years ago, and would have had the crypto thing happened.... still salty about that. So yeah. I guess i just want to slam games to the max without stressing the system much, and to have headroom for the future. I guess it IS also a little 'baller' in a way. It's a lot of money for a PC, certainly for me.

Lots of vague statements there! Hopefully there's some overall sense you can make of it.

[Ixion]

You should be interested in dlss /fsr features as there's no way you'll be running 4k ultra in 4 years time at 120fps without! I know it's a less powerful card but most games require dlss to run 4k/120 on my 3080.

[deantendo]

This whole GPU choice would be so much easier if nvidia were not being dicks with the prices... I can alter the build slightly and get a 4090 or 4080 and be around the same cost, sure. But i really hate that feeling in my gut when i even see the price of the cards. It's disgusting.

I suppose i have a few choices:

1. Wait (some unknown amount of time) and see if the 5000 series has less crazy prices (doubt)
2. Go with all AMD and hope they come out with a feature like DLSS (likely)
3. Take the hit and spend way too much on an nvidia card (really don't want to do that)

Am i missing something here?

Edit: OK. So FSR v3 is about on-par with DLSS 3 and both are improving, so option 2 is vastly in the lead here. I also know AMD has a form of ray tracing comparable with Nvidia though not on-par. It really has been a long time since i've bothered to know much about GPUs.

Now it's down to knowing if i should wait a bit to see what AMDs next better card is. Is that something which is upcoming this year?

Edited June 18, 2023 by deantendo
GPU info

[deantendo]

So, i've been looking a bit more and the 7900XTX is more comparable to the 4080 which i where i would have been anyway, though the XTX is about £460 cheaper. XTX is a total no-brainer. AMD build it is, then!

[Ixion]

If you're not bothered about max raytracing I would agree that 7900XTX is the way to go!

[deantendo]

On 18/06/2023 at 16:09, Ixion said:

If you're not bothered about max raytracing I would agree that 7900XTX is the way to go!

I mean... it'd be nice. But for the price? Nah. Not paying that.

[deantendo]

I do some hobbyist blender stuff. Nothing intensive. Might do the occasional render, but i'm more interested in viewport performance than rendering, but overall not anything crazy like 20 million poly meshes or anything. The most intensive thing i do with my PC is play games. I want to be able to just slam the settings to max, and then mod them beyond that with texture packs, and all the other good stuff mods bless us with (higher population densities, more traffic, improved...eveything) and when doing that i don't want my system stressed enough to sound like a jet taking off, or crashing because it ran out of RAM/VRAM or whatever else.

I do think 64GB will be more than enough for me, and if i could get some hypothetical 4080ti for no more than £1000 i'd buy it. But there's always the (slim) chance the 5080ti would be a sensible price, but i really, REALLY doubt it.

[hellowalkman Reporter]

good 

On 18/06/2023 at 20:12, deantendo said:

AMD build it is, then!

have fun with the build mate!

[deantendo]

On 18/06/2023 at 20:09, hellowalkman said:

good 

have fun with the build mate!

Thanks!

I'll wait until towards the end of the year in case the next new hotness drops from AMD, but as it stands the build will be this:

• Case: Fractal Torrent
• Mobo: Asus TUF X670E
• CPU: AMD 7900X3D
• Cooler: Noctua NHD15 black
• RAM: 64GB Corsair dominator platinum
• GPU: AMD RX7900XTX 24GB
• PSU: Corsair HX1200
• M.2: Samsung 980 pro 1TB PCIE 4
• SSD: Samsung 870 Evo 4TB