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Aranarth
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Spending a windfall

Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:40 pm

So last year was not the best year, I lost my Father in law, Great Uncle, and Grandmother.

Wife said I can spend some of the money I'm getting (I'm NOT suddenly a millionaire or anything!).

The goal is a serious upgrade from my current machine, some future upgradeability, Price $1750 or less and the lower the better.
I need a strong dependable machine in a nice case that is easy to work in with good cooling.
I am not interesting in flashy leds, case windows, or anything else obnoxious even though that's what all the kiddies want these days.
Mainboard needs to have good vrm cooling with good overclocking for memory and cpu, does not need wifi as the machine location has ethernet.
I was thinking of water cooling but after looking at my budget and reliability I'd rather just have a huge heatsink instead.

so on that note, what do you guys think of this?

https://secure.newegg.com/wishlist/sd/C ... A9Yux+jA==

Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C Black Brushed Aluminum/Steel ATX Silent Modular Mid Tower Computer Case
MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS
AMD RYZEN 7 3700X 8-Core 3.6 GHz (4.4 GHz Max Boost)
Noctua NH-D15S 140mm SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 PWM Fans
(Might swap for a Zalman CNPS20x)
XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT THICC II RX-57XT826D6 8GB 256-Bit GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 Video Card
G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) Desktop Memory Model F4-3600C16D-32GVKC (Cas 16)
HP EX950 M.2 2280 2TB PCle Gen3 x4, NVMe1.3 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) 5MS24AA#ABC
Seasonic PRIME GX-750, 750W 80+ Gold, Full Modular, SSR-750GD2.

Total comes to $1655 to $1700

My biggest worry comes to the mainboard. I just want something that overclocks ok, solid, dependable, good power, good cooling, with no added bling.
Main machine: Core I7 -2600K @ 4.0Ghz / 16 gig ram / Radeon RX 580 8gb / 500gb toshiba ssd / 5tb hd
Old machine: Core 2 quad Q6600 @ 3ghz / 8 gig ram / Radeon 7870 / 240 gb PNY ssd / 1tb HD
 
Aranarth
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Posts: 1435
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Location: Big Rapids, Mich. (Est Time Zone)
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Re: Spending a windfall

Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:42 pm

Aranarth wrote:
So last year was not the best year, I lost my Father in law, Great Uncle, and Grandmother.

Wife said I can spend some of the money I'm getting (I'm NOT suddenly a millionaire or anything!).

The goal is a serious upgrade from my current machine, some future upgradeability, Price $1750 or less and the lower the better.
I need a strong dependable machine in a nice case that is easy to work in with good cooling.
I am not interesting in flashy leds, case windows, or anything else obnoxious even though that's what all the kiddies want these days.
Mainboard needs to have good vrm cooling with good overclocking for memory and cpu, does not need wifi as the machine location has ethernet.
I was thinking of water cooling but after looking at my budget and reliability I'd rather just have a huge heatsink instead.

so on that note, what do you guys think of this?

https://secure.newegg.com/wishlist/sd/C ... A9Yux+jA==

Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C Black Brushed Aluminum/Steel ATX Silent Modular Mid Tower Computer Case (I got lots of spare 140mm case fans)
MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS
AMD RYZEN 7 3700X 8-Core 3.6 GHz (4.4 GHz Max Boost)
Noctua NH-D15S 140mm SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 PWM Fans
(Might swap for a Zalman CNPS20x)
XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT THICC II RX-57XT826D6 8GB 256-Bit GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 Video Card
G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) Desktop Memory Model F4-3600C16D-32GVKC (Cas 16)
HP EX950 M.2 2280 2TB PCle Gen3 x4, NVMe1.3 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) 5MS24AA#ABC
Seasonic PRIME GX-750, 750W 80+ Gold, Full Modular, SSR-750GD2.


Total comes to $1655 to $1700

My biggest worry comes to the mainboard. I just want something that overclocks ok, solid, dependable, good power, good cooling, with no added bling.
Main machine: Core I7 -2600K @ 4.0Ghz / 16 gig ram / Radeon RX 580 8gb / 500gb toshiba ssd / 5tb hd
Old machine: Core 2 quad Q6600 @ 3ghz / 8 gig ram / Radeon 7870 / 240 gb PNY ssd / 1tb HD
 
Aranarth
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Re: Spending a windfall

Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:45 pm

oh and the system needs to be decently quiet.

It is not in my bedroom and I game with headphones on, but it will be right next to me.
Main machine: Core I7 -2600K @ 4.0Ghz / 16 gig ram / Radeon RX 580 8gb / 500gb toshiba ssd / 5tb hd
Old machine: Core 2 quad Q6600 @ 3ghz / 8 gig ram / Radeon 7870 / 240 gb PNY ssd / 1tb HD
 
Igor_Kavinski
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Re: Spending a windfall

Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:50 pm

Ryzen 4th gen is almost here and RDNA2 might join it soon. Don't throw away your money by being hasty. You could also skip a PC upgrade and just get both Xbox Series X and the PS5 since they will be delivering graphical fidelity a bit higher than a reasonably expensive gaming PC. You can spend the rest of your budget on some nice AAA exclusives.
 
Aranarth
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Re: Spending a windfall

Thu Mar 19, 2020 4:24 pm

I refuse to game with a game pad. Mouse and keyboard all the way.

True that the next gen for video and cpu is otw.
I'm just getting antsy with waiting for them to show up.
Main machine: Core I7 -2600K @ 4.0Ghz / 16 gig ram / Radeon RX 580 8gb / 500gb toshiba ssd / 5tb hd
Old machine: Core 2 quad Q6600 @ 3ghz / 8 gig ram / Radeon 7870 / 240 gb PNY ssd / 1tb HD
 
Igor_Kavinski
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Re: Spending a windfall

Thu Mar 19, 2020 4:35 pm

Aranarth wrote:
I refuse to game with a game pad. Mouse and keyboard all the way.


https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use- ... d-xbox-one
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5979 ... r-xbox-one
https://www.amazon.com/XIM-APEX-Keyboar ... B079SS1CCR

You don't have to use a gamepad if you don't want to. Consoles would be better value for your dollar. Just need to hang onto your wallet till December. Just a few more months till years of gaming bliss.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Spending a windfall

Thu Mar 19, 2020 7:47 pm

I like your build. I wanted to wait for Ryzen 4000 and Ampere to build my next system, but I caved and built a "placeholder" system that I plan to pass along to my retired mother when the shiny new gaming stuff arrives in the second half of the year.

I selected exactly the memory that you have on your list.

I like SeaSonic's $135 Focus Plus Platinum line of PSUs. They're not as deep as some other enthusiast power supplies.
https://seasonic.com/focus-plus-platinum
· R7-5800X, Liquid Freezer II 280, RoG Strix X570-E, 64GiB PC4-28800, Suprim Liquid RTX4090, 2TB SX8200Pro +4TB S860 +NAS, Define 7 Compact, Super Flower SF-1000F14TP, S3220DGF +32UD99, FC900R OE, DeathAdder2
 
just brew it!
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Re: Spending a windfall

Fri Mar 20, 2020 1:27 am

If you keep waiting for the "next great thing" you'll never build anything.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
Aranarth
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Re: Spending a windfall

Fri Mar 20, 2020 7:42 am

just brew it! wrote:
If you keep waiting for the "next great thing" you'll never build anything.


that right there...

Plus I'll likely be using it for 3-5 years before upgrading again and by then i might be able to get a 16core 4000 series for 1/2 price. :D

The money has not come in yet but I do have $500 saved towards it already that I'll be using for a 1440p 27" monitor.
Last edited by Aranarth on Fri Mar 20, 2020 7:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Main machine: Core I7 -2600K @ 4.0Ghz / 16 gig ram / Radeon RX 580 8gb / 500gb toshiba ssd / 5tb hd
Old machine: Core 2 quad Q6600 @ 3ghz / 8 gig ram / Radeon 7870 / 240 gb PNY ssd / 1tb HD
 
Aranarth
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Posts: 1435
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Re: Spending a windfall

Fri Mar 20, 2020 7:48 am

Igor_Kavinski wrote:
Aranarth wrote:
I refuse to game with a game pad. Mouse and keyboard all the way.


https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use- ... d-xbox-one
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5979 ... r-xbox-one
https://www.amazon.com/XIM-APEX-Keyboar ... B079SS1CCR

You don't have to use a gamepad if you don't want to. Consoles would be better value for your dollar. Just need to hang onto your wallet till December. Just a few more months till years of gaming bliss.


I'm ~45 and i have 25+ years worth of games in my library plus games I want to go back and play again.
A console is just not gonna work.

My primary use for this system is to game, but i also use it for working from home when I need to do remote admin work after hours...
Main machine: Core I7 -2600K @ 4.0Ghz / 16 gig ram / Radeon RX 580 8gb / 500gb toshiba ssd / 5tb hd
Old machine: Core 2 quad Q6600 @ 3ghz / 8 gig ram / Radeon 7870 / 240 gb PNY ssd / 1tb HD
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Spending a windfall

Fri Mar 20, 2020 8:21 am

I agree that there's always something better coming in less than two years and the best time to build a new PC is when you need it. You've gotten a good long run out of your Sandy Bridge system, so you'll certainly notice the upgrade if you build today.

Radeon RX 5700XT provides very good 1440p performance for the price in current games (30% faster than the more expensive GeForce RTX2060 6G and even 10% faster than GeForce RTX2070 in Doom Eternal at 1440p Ultra Nightmare). However, do consider what your upgrade path might be if AMD's RDNA2 and NVidia's Ampere arrive in the 3rd or 4th quarter of the year. Could you live with the Radeon RX 580 providing half of the RX 5700XT's performance for another five to seven months?


For your new gaming monitor, I agree that 27-32" 1440p is the sweet spot. Look for a FreeSync variable refresh rate range that supports Low Framerate Compensation (LFC). 48 Hz to 120 Hz is a good target. I believe that you could still get a fine gaming experience with a monitor with a 40 Hz to 100 Hz variable refresh rate. LFC will be enabled automatically for monitors where the maximum framerate is more than double? the minimum rate (originally the requirement was 2½ times). Monitors and televisions sporting AMD's "FreeSync Premium" or "FreeSync Premium Pro" badges require LFC and at least 120 Hz maximum refresh rate.
PCPartPicker's selection tool is good for comparing prices.
AMD's selection tool may not include models that have recently appeared on the market, but it does make finding the ones with LFC an easy toggle.
Newegg's selection tool may sometimes list some of those less-established models.
It's a good idea to double-check the specifications from multiple sources, since models have similar names and sometimes incorrect information makes it into a database or review. TFT Central has some of the best monitor details. RTINGS doesn't cover as many models, but their reviews are very readable and make comparisons easy.
· R7-5800X, Liquid Freezer II 280, RoG Strix X570-E, 64GiB PC4-28800, Suprim Liquid RTX4090, 2TB SX8200Pro +4TB S860 +NAS, Define 7 Compact, Super Flower SF-1000F14TP, S3220DGF +32UD99, FC900R OE, DeathAdder2
 
Aranarth
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Re: Spending a windfall

Fri Mar 20, 2020 1:49 pm

I might be slightly gpu choked at this point with the sandy bridge system. However I'll only upgrade my current 24" 1920x1080 asus monitor if i have alredy upgraded my video card.
The rx580 works really well to give mostly smooth 60fps.

I don't need amazing color reproduction on a monitor just good color reproduction and really good gamma for playing games.
I don't edit pictures or video's and the secondary use of remote admin means you usually have color depth reduction to 16 bit anyway.

I can certainly wait to upgrade the video card and monitor. The monitor is starting to show its age with a green or red vertical stripe at very edge of the monitor on the right hand side. I'll have to check but I think I got that monitor a 6 months after I built my core2duo 8400 system.

Thanks for the heads up about LFC.

One last thing is I have a pair of 4x3 Dell 19" (1280x1024) monitors that flank the 24". Would you go with a super wide 1440p monitor and replace all three?
Main machine: Core I7 -2600K @ 4.0Ghz / 16 gig ram / Radeon RX 580 8gb / 500gb toshiba ssd / 5tb hd
Old machine: Core 2 quad Q6600 @ 3ghz / 8 gig ram / Radeon 7870 / 240 gb PNY ssd / 1tb HD
 
Redocbew
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Re: Spending a windfall

Fri Mar 20, 2020 2:07 pm

Most of the 1440p ultra-wides are 3440x1440, so you'd lose a little horizontal space if you did that, but that might not be a big deal depending on your workflow. I have two of them so obviously I like the 21:9 form factor, but they're not "gaming monitors". In that size, ultra-wides targeted at gamers are still pretty expensive.
Do not meddle in the affairs of archers, for they are subtle and you won't hear them coming.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Spending a windfall

Fri Mar 20, 2020 3:57 pm

I recently tried an ultra-wide monitor (Benq EX3501R) but I ended up sending it back. That 35" ultra-wide 21½:9 aspect ratio was not for me and wasn’t well-supported by some games. I recommend a 31½” or 27” 16:9 1440p for gaming and putting your existing monitor(s) beside it in portrait mode.
· R7-5800X, Liquid Freezer II 280, RoG Strix X570-E, 64GiB PC4-28800, Suprim Liquid RTX4090, 2TB SX8200Pro +4TB S860 +NAS, Define 7 Compact, Super Flower SF-1000F14TP, S3220DGF +32UD99, FC900R OE, DeathAdder2
 
Aranarth
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Re: Spending a windfall

Fri Mar 20, 2020 7:22 pm

ok I'll keep the 19"'s but I'll spin them to landscape.

Thanks for your help!
Main machine: Core I7 -2600K @ 4.0Ghz / 16 gig ram / Radeon RX 580 8gb / 500gb toshiba ssd / 5tb hd
Old machine: Core 2 quad Q6600 @ 3ghz / 8 gig ram / Radeon 7870 / 240 gb PNY ssd / 1tb HD

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