Build your own computer guide
- Thread starter Bonhomme Richard
- Start date
I admit the choice for me does come down to a choice between the 3700X/3800X (since they are the 8-core models). I am leaning toward the latter somewhat for its slightly higher boost but mostly for its higher TDP ceiling which means less throttling and better tolerance for higher temperatures when on air.
Also I may debate running it with SMT disabled just to further lower the heat output (and for game compatibility), so I am looking at 8c as a minimum.
--Patrick
Also I may debate running it with SMT disabled just to further lower the heat output (and for game compatibility), so I am looking at 8c as a minimum.
--Patrick
He might want to hold out for the 3950X (September, I think?). Just sayin'.
I mean, it's basically 2x3700X/3800X bolted together on one substrate. No additional RAM, though. You just get more cores, not more I/O.
--Patrick
This is a pretty decent rundown of the basic architecture, and how it's different than prior generations. Short answer: chiplets: https://techreport.com/review/34672/amd-ryzen-7-3700x-and-ryzen-9-3900x-cpus-reviewed/
This also corroborates the point from earlier about number of PCIe 4.0 lanes. 16 to graphics, 4 to SSD, 4 to rest of the chipset.
This also corroborates the point from earlier about number of PCIe 4.0 lanes. 16 to graphics, 4 to SSD, 4 to rest of the chipset.
A bunch of different chiplets on one multi-chip module (MCM). That way the various parts don't all have to be the same process node. The CPU cores can be 7nm, but the I/O can be 12nm. The CPU chiplets are even made in Taiwan while the I/O is made in the USA. This is handy for consumer chips, especially because it allows more modularity when it comes to core count.
The top two chiplets are 7nm (up to) 8c modules, and the lower one is the 12nm I/O. The models that are 8c or less only have one or the upper chiplets. This means that when you start talking about server chips, you can put A LOT of cores into a single socket:
If each of these CPU chiplets are also 8c, that means the above MCM could be packing 64 cores (or 128 threads). Note also that the I/O chiplet is also much larger than the consumer one, meaning it probably has many, many more PCIe lanes, memory channels, etc.
--Patrick
The top two chiplets are 7nm (up to) 8c modules, and the lower one is the 12nm I/O. The models that are 8c or less only have one or the upper chiplets. This means that when you start talking about server chips, you can put A LOT of cores into a single socket:
If each of these CPU chiplets are also 8c, that means the above MCM could be packing 64 cores (or 128 threads). Note also that the I/O chiplet is also much larger than the consumer one, meaning it probably has many, many more PCIe lanes, memory channels, etc.
--Patrick
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Hey remember that Intel discrete GPU that's coming out? Yeah, it looks like it's fallen off the RADAR what with all the attention AMD and NVIDIA are getting.
--Patrick
For $200 it’s really hard to beat.
Also if you’re one of those looking for ECC support (like, say, for a roll-your-own NAS), ASRock has a 4xx-series board which explicitly supports ECC (but not PCIe 4.0, sadly).
—Patrick
Also if you’re one of those looking for ECC support (like, say, for a roll-your-own NAS), ASRock has a 4xx-series board which explicitly supports ECC (but not PCIe 4.0, sadly).
—Patrick
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Depends on what feature(s) you're after: Choosing the right X570 Motherboard - Anandtech
Personally, I want something in a µATX size.
...BUT as of right now, there's exactly one. Everything else is either Mini-ITX/DTX or else ATX and larger.
Also make sure that whatever board you pick a) has a capable heatsink/cooling setup on the X570 chipset (it's significantly hotter than X470) and b) has plenty of power delivery phases/reserves (I'm assuming you plan to use one of the 105W or higher CPUs, of course). The GB X570 Aorus Xtreme appears to be the one to beat in this regard, as it is the only board with > 12 "true" (not "doubled") power phases, but of course since it's brand new I don't know if that will translate directly into "overclocks better than anything else." Also it's $700 just for the board (without CPU).
--Patrick
Once you want more than 8 power phases, VRMs start to get expensive. I'm sure the board has additional bell$ and whi$tle$ that justify the price, but any board that wants to provide smooth, buttery power delivery is going to get a correspondingly hefty hike in the price dept.
No reason you gotta run out and buy a board RIGHT NOW, might as well wait 5-6mo until Holiday Season arrives and see what reviews say and what other products come out.
--Patrick
Was actually trying to get it for when my brother comes to visit the weekend after next. I was thinking a build similar to this. What do you think? Just kind of waffling on the Mobo:
Ha! I like how you get $20 off the $1200 GPU cuz it's on promo.
I'll be honest, everything's still so new that I don't know what plays nicely with what else yet, but it looks like you chose the right speed RAM (3600) to keep it at the lower 1:1 ratio (and the Internet agrees with you on the brand). Not sure why you're getting WinX Home instead of Pro, is it just because of the price? The 970 Pros are better than the 970 EVOs, but I don't know what the price difference would be offhand. I also don't know which M.2 slot(s?) are connected directly to the CPU (full speed) v. connected to the X570 (shared speed), but you did say you weren't sure about the board yet. Given the choice, I'd just put a 2TB into whichever is the "fast" slot and leave everything else on SATA. Other than that, I might go up to 850-950 on the PSU just to leave room for a possible 3950X upgrade (or at least more headroom for overclocking).
--Patrick
I'll be honest, everything's still so new that I don't know what plays nicely with what else yet, but it looks like you chose the right speed RAM (3600) to keep it at the lower 1:1 ratio (and the Internet agrees with you on the brand). Not sure why you're getting WinX Home instead of Pro, is it just because of the price? The 970 Pros are better than the 970 EVOs, but I don't know what the price difference would be offhand. I also don't know which M.2 slot(s?) are connected directly to the CPU (full speed) v. connected to the X570 (shared speed), but you did say you weren't sure about the board yet. Given the choice, I'd just put a 2TB into whichever is the "fast" slot and leave everything else on SATA. Other than that, I might go up to 850-950 on the PSU just to leave room for a possible 3950X upgrade (or at least more headroom for overclocking).
--Patrick
Yeah the Pro is $300 vs the EVO for 170$ both at 1 TB.
Samsung - 970 Evo 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive $549.00
So a 2TB is more expensive than buying 2 individual. If I keep with the motherboard I have in there, I have 3 m.2 slots, however it warns me, "The motherboard M.2 slot #3 shares bandwidth with SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports. When the M.2 slot is populated with a PCIe-based M.2 drive, two SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports are disabled"
Samsung - 970 Evo 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive $549.00
So a 2TB is more expensive than buying 2 individual. If I keep with the motherboard I have in there, I have 3 m.2 slots, however it warns me, "The motherboard M.2 slot #3 shares bandwidth with SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports. When the M.2 slot is populated with a PCIe-based M.2 drive, two SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports are disabled"
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Yes at this point when I say M.2 I mean NVMe. In my opinion, there's no real point in wasting an M.2 slot on a SATA drive when you likely have perfectly good SATA ports elsewhere on the board. And any board that comes with an M.2 slot that doesn't support NVMe is going to have to defend their reason for doing so to me.
--Patrick
--Patrick
I've ordered everything except the CPU which isnt in stock yet:
My new system shall be:
CPU: Ryzen 9 3900x
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming ATX Motherboard
Video: ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080TI Overclocked 11G GDDR6
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO 1TB - NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 SSD
Samsung SSD 860 EVO 2TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD
RAM: Ballistix Sport LT 32GB Kit (16GBx2) DDR4 3200 MT/s (PC4-25600) CL16
Cooling: CORSAIR H100i RGB PLATINUM AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
2x CORSAIR LL Series, LL120 RGB, 120mm RGB LED Fan, Triple Pack with Lighting Node PRO- White
PSU: CORSAIR HXi Series, HX850i, 850 Watt, 80+ Platinum Certified
Case: LIAN LI PC-O11 Dynamic
Not really sure if I'm forgetting anything.
So I changed the storage, because the truth is, I have no idea what I'd use 2TB of NVMe for, and certainly not 500 bucks worth. 1TB for the OS, and another 2TB for games on an SSD should be sufficient. Truth is, at least right now, there's no real difference between an NVMe and a SATA SSD for gaming performance. Upgraded to an 850 PSU, because it does seem a like a good idea. As for the RAM, did some research and people were saying its a better idea to get a 3200 CL 16 and OC it to 3600 CL16 if you really need it that fast for some reason and save yourself a couple hundred dollars, rather than paying the super premium up front. Ballistix was recommended because it OCs pretty well, or so they say. The E-gaming mobo has only 2 NVMe slots, but that's good enough. I might stick a 2 TB in a year or two when prices come down. I still have other SATA connections if I really need to buy some extra space in the mean time.
My new system shall be:
CPU: Ryzen 9 3900x
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming ATX Motherboard
Video: ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080TI Overclocked 11G GDDR6
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO 1TB - NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 SSD
Samsung SSD 860 EVO 2TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD
RAM: Ballistix Sport LT 32GB Kit (16GBx2) DDR4 3200 MT/s (PC4-25600) CL16
Cooling: CORSAIR H100i RGB PLATINUM AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
2x CORSAIR LL Series, LL120 RGB, 120mm RGB LED Fan, Triple Pack with Lighting Node PRO- White
PSU: CORSAIR HXi Series, HX850i, 850 Watt, 80+ Platinum Certified
Case: LIAN LI PC-O11 Dynamic
Not really sure if I'm forgetting anything.
So I changed the storage, because the truth is, I have no idea what I'd use 2TB of NVMe for, and certainly not 500 bucks worth. 1TB for the OS, and another 2TB for games on an SSD should be sufficient. Truth is, at least right now, there's no real difference between an NVMe and a SATA SSD for gaming performance. Upgraded to an 850 PSU, because it does seem a like a good idea. As for the RAM, did some research and people were saying its a better idea to get a 3200 CL 16 and OC it to 3600 CL16 if you really need it that fast for some reason and save yourself a couple hundred dollars, rather than paying the super premium up front. Ballistix was recommended because it OCs pretty well, or so they say. The E-gaming mobo has only 2 NVMe slots, but that's good enough. I might stick a 2 TB in a year or two when prices come down. I still have other SATA connections if I really need to buy some extra space in the mean time.
For gaming, random read/IO per second is the metric to look for, and if you're OK with moving things around when you run out of room, even 500GB is enough for gaming.
Also weren't you supposed to be building this system for someone else?
--Patrick
Yeah a saw a few "real world" benchmarks and in almost every single case games loaded just as fast on the SATA SSD as they did on the NVMe. That saved me some money.
Oh and eh, no. My brother is coming to visit, and we were going to put it together when he gets here. He's making his own, similar system himself. This is the comp that's going to get me through the rest of dental school.
I'm not in the market for a new box yet, but when I am, I'm going to look for one thing in particular: a video card that doesn't sound like a leaf blower. It's quiet enough most of the time because it's under my desk, but only if there's music/dialogue playing. In the "quiet moments" all I hear is fan. It's an eVGA 1060, and it's just too damned loud. I don't need "silent" just "not noticeable". It's fine on the desktop and/or web browsing, but playing 3d games? It revs up and unless the music or other stuff is playing, it's noticeable. It may not be that different than typical, but I've got to think there's better solutions out there.
Nothing out there that isn't liquid-cooled, unless maybe you're thinking about keeping your computer room at a constant 15°C (or lower). There are things you can do to reduce the amount of heat generated (at the cost of speed) and things you can do to make the fan quieter (which will run the card hotter than spec), but everything else is probably gonna involve some kind of cooling loop.
--Patrick
Well, there still are very big differences. My current card is (a little bit) overclocked, in a hot room, and all you want, and it's still pretty much whisper quiet even at peak performance. Some brands have much better cooling handling than others, be it fan placement, air flow, better bearings, whatever.
Agreed (for now).
The SINGLE biggest advantage (to most consumers, at least) of going with X570 and PCIe 4.0 right now is the doubled speed of the link between the processor I/O and the chipset. There isn't anything NOW that can really take advantage of a PCIe 4.0 slot (again, for the majority of consumers) because even though Gigabyte's fabulous new PCIe 4.0-enabled NVMe SSD (which they show at the 1:01 mark in the above video) can eke out an extra 1GB/sec in sequential reads, it doesn't make a huge difference in random reads/IOPs. So until Intel comes out with a PCIe 4.0-enabled Optane controller, we're probably not going to see a significant advantage to 4.0 except in synthetic benchmarks.
I know I said "to most consumers," and that is because one of the things you CAN do with PCIe 4.0 is run 4 ports of 10Gig Ethernet off a x4 slot (4x10Gb Enet = 5GB/sec, PCIe 4.0 x4 = ~8GB/sec) rather than having to "waste" an entire PCIe 3.0 x16 slot to install a x8 card OR split your GPU lanes 8x/8x to feed such an Ethernet card.
--Patrick
And what consumer grade internet connection would make such a configuration necessary? We've got 10Gbps ethernet ports standard now? Where can you max out even that?
This is not about upgrading the WAN connection to your ISP, this is about upgrading the LAN connection(s) between the machines in your home/small business. Throwing movies/music back and forth with Plex, network backups to a NAS, recording hi-def security cameras, screen sharing...1Gb/s Ethernet (i.e., 125MB/sec, which is about the sequential read/write speed of a single mechanical SATA hard drive) just doesn't go as far as it used to any more, especially when you pile on all the WiFi-enabled devices in homes today.
I know our home is not typical, but any given evening we will have 3 IPTVs, 6 mobiles, and 7 PCs all in use simultaneously (yes, really!) across the 5 people who live there.
--Patrick
