[SOLVED] AMD Ryzen 7 3700X system

[ultrarunner100]

Hey guys;
I apologize in advance for the long post...

I have been working on my new build for about a week now, but still don't have anything except the CPU set in stone.
I am going with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X.
I thought I had a parts list set (on PC Parts Picker), but after doing some more research, I'm re-configuring just about everything.
For one thing, I have too much information to process (in my head, not on the PC!)
So let me list the components I have chosen in one build proposal:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Mobo: MSI B450 Tomahawk Max
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32GB (2x 16GB) DDR4 3600 (CAS = 18)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO 1TB M.2 2280 NVME SSD (for OS & programs)
Storage: Samsung 860 EVO 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD (for file storage)
Video: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid-Tower (no glass)
PSU: Corsair RM (2019) 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX (I know I don't need 750W, but...)
Fans: 2ea Noctua NF-P14s redux-1200 PWM 140mm (for the front of the case). I will keep the supplied 120mm in the rear.

This list seemed all OK, until I dug deeper into the memory.
I was researching CAS timing, and eventually checked the G.Skill Ripjaws V on Amazon, and read in the description 'Intel'.
That got me thinking. Why is this kit specified for Intel?
I dug deeper, including a thread here, and it does appear that some kits don't work so well with AMD Ryzen series due to the AMD needing tighter timing specs.
I think the G.Skill Trident series was the one recommended for Ryzen. It is more expensive, but not by much.
Continuing with the memory kit, I'm trying to figure whether there is an advantage to buying 3200 vs 3600, and so far it doesn't look like much of a difference. From what I read, it's not just the speed, but the CAS timing as well.
I am not planning to overclock.

Next, there's the question of whether I should go with the MSI B450 Tomahawk Max or one of the MSI X470 boards.
The most prominent difference I can see between the B450 and X470 is that the X470 has two M.2 slots.
Would there be any advantage at all to having 2x M.2 and 1x M.2 and 1x SATA drives, assuming the ones I listed above?
I think the X470 also has more USB 3.0 ports, but most of my peripherals are still USB2. So either board has enough USB 3.0 ports to suit my current (and probably future) needs.

I know there is a lot of great info here on Tom's Hardware; That's where I have been researching most. But there are some things I don't quite grasp when talking about performance.
Funny thing is that, for the kind of games I want to play, I hardly think any of this is going to make a difference. But I am concerned about the memory issue.

Thanks for your help
Ultrarunner

 

[helper800]

Going with DDR4-3600 C16 vs DDR4-3600 C18 isn't worth the extra cost in my opinion. At best you are going to get 2% better performance with the C16 for a near 20% increase in cost. Save that money from the RAM and use $10, or 2.5% increase in cost, to go with the XFX THICC III Ultra. Yes that is the most power hungry of the 5700XTs, it is also one of the quietest, coolest, and highest performing. Its performance is usually 5% above the standard 5700XT so the 2.5% added cost actually makes sense.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($294.14 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO CPU Cooler ($42.33 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: OLOy 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($137.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($91.90 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB THICC III Ultra Video Card ($409.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case ($92.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ B&H)
Case Fan: Fractal Design X2 GP-12 (Black) 52.3 CFM 120 mm Fan ($12.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1567.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-19 13:33 EDT-0400
Also I have included a CPU Cooler in here as well. Yes the included Wraith cooler is quite good for an included HSF, this is better and will allow your system to be even quieter. It would also all for you to use the Precision Boost Overdrive function and keep things nice and quiet as well.

XFX graphics cards are great until their fans literally start grinding to a halt 1 year after you buy it making it non-functional. OLO RAM is also the cheapest possible quality RAM and it could either work great or die in a month or be DOA. G Skill RAM, however, is a company that hasn't given me any problems in the 30+ builds I have used them in except 1. The 1 time I had issues they overnighted me a faster kit and payed to ship back the DOA RAM I got from them. You get what you pay for.

 

[jeremyj_83]

XFX graphics cards are great until their fans literally start grinding to a halt 1 year after you buy it making it non-functional. OLO RAM is also the cheapest possible quality RAM and it could either work great or die in a month or be DOA. G Skill RAM, however, is a company that hasn't given me any problems in the 30+ builds I have used them in except 1. The 1 time I had issues they overnighted me a faster kit and payed to ship back the DOA RAM I got from them. You get what you pay for.

There is nothing wrong with OLO RAM. Even Tomshardware did a review on it and found it to be fine. The ICs are the same as you find in more expensive brands. I've used many different brands of RAM over the years and have never had any issues.

 

[helper800]

There is nothing wrong with OLO RAM. Even Tomshardware did a review on it and found it to be fine. The ICs are the same as you find in more expensive brands. I've used many different brands of RAM over the years and have never had any issues.

Was just voicing my experience with that RAM and XFX. Like I said you could be fine with OLO Ram but I have had issues with it, and I have had some RAM from them that was great.

 

[ultrarunner100]

While I can appreciate the cost savings on some components, my build is going to need to last me at least 5 years. My current one is 8 years. I'm not the type who does these builds as a hobby or anything, but I do prefer them over OEM.
I am more interested in high quality that is going to work 100% of the time for the duration than I am in saving 10% on the build.
That, and I don't want to have to tweak the system for hours just to get it to boot, then only to have Windows crash randomly.
From what I understand, it is usually a RAM incompatibility that causes most issues, but I think someone said that the later Ryzen CPU's like the 7 series don't have so much of that problem.
This will be my very first AMD build, and I'm finding out that it can present more of a challenge than doing an Intel build.
I'm OK with that, but I don't have the patience for serious troubleshooting. I guess that pretty much precludes my ever doing any overclocking - a good reason to go with the B450 over one of the higher priced chipsets?

 

[ultrarunner100]

I think I finally found a good memory match for the MSI Tomahawk Max.
Using Crucial's configurator, I found the Ballistix to be the best choice.
The CPU would be the Ryzen 7 3700X.

I want 32GB and prefer 16x2.
I think my choice is between these:
Ballistix 32GB (2 X 16GB) DDR4 3200 BL2K16G32C16u4B (16-18-18) $159.99 and
Ballistix 32GB (2 X 16GB) DDR4 3600 BL2K16G36C16U4B (16-18-18) $185.99

I would assume that if I go with the 3600MHz, I will need to overclock to get any performance boost.
Is it worth the extra $$?

What I like about Crucial is that they guarantee that the memory will work on the board it was selected for.
I may need to buy it directly from their store, but it's the same price as Newegg anyway.

Thanks for your help
Ultrarunner

 

[helper800]

I think I finally found a good memory match for the MSI Tomahawk Max.
Using Crucial's configurator, I found the Ballistix to be the best choice.
The CPU would be the Ryzen 7 3700X.

I want 32GB and prefer 16x2.
I think my choice is between these:
Ballistix 32GB (2 X 16GB) DDR4 3200 BL2K16G32C16u4B (16-18-18) $159.99 and
Ballistix 32GB (2 X 16GB) DDR4 3600 BL2K16G36C16U4B (16-18-18) $185.99

I would assume that if I go with the 3600MHz, I will need to overclock to get any performance boost.
Is it worth the extra $$?

What I like about Crucial is that they guarantee that the memory will work on the board it was selected for.
I may need to buy it directly from their store, but it's the same price as Newegg anyway.

Thanks for your help
Ultrarunner

The OC of the RAM in the BIOS is literally a 1 click drop down to enable D.O.C.P. its super easy.

 

[mdd1963]

Is there an advantage to RAM config 4x8 compared to 2x16, given same speed?

Historically, running more modules (4 instead of 2)tends to reduce speeds with higher module count, if anything... (in other words, 2 x 16 GB modules is plenty)

 

[ultrarunner100]

OK. After all said and done, I think I am going to go with the Asus Tuf Gaming X570 Plus Wifi.
My reasons are several, but mostly that I am not going to do another build in less than 5 years, and I think the X570 is a better choice for the long term. Not so much for speed (PCIE 4.0) but for VRM and other considerations, including the USB ports.

I selected Crucial Ballistix 32GB (2X16) DDR4 3200 (CL=16). I could spend the extra $25 and get the 3600 (also with CL=16), but it looks like only 1-2% performance boost, and would require OC of course.

For storage, I have selected Crucial P1 1TB M.2-2280 NVME SSD.
Since the board has 2x M.2 slots, I'm thinking of getting 2 of the Crucial P1 1TB; one for OS/programs, and one for files.
I like the idea of having two separate drives than one single, larger one (with partitions), but maybe someone else has a different idea on this. Still, I think the price of a 2TB drive is going to be significantly higher than 2x the 1TB price.

So, if I do go with two of the Crucial 1TB drives using both M.2 slots, is there an advantage or disadvantage to using only one M.2 slot and putting the 2nd drive on SATA (2.5" form).

I haven't ordered anything yet, but want to get this done by the end of the day.

BTW: Is there a difference between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super and one sold by Gigabyte, Asus, or other?
I see some big price differences, but the Gigabyte is the same price as the NVIDIA one.

Link to build at PC Parts Picker
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/c7ypMc

Thanks for your help.

 

[jeremyj_83]

OK. After all said and done, I think I am going to go with the Asus Tuf Gaming X570 Plus Wifi.
My reasons are several, but mostly that I am not going to do another build in less than 5 years, and I think the X570 is a better choice for the long term. Not so much for speed (PCIE 4.0) but for VRM and other considerations, including the USB ports.

I selected Crucial Ballistix 32GB (2X16) DDR4 3200 (CL=16). I could spend the extra $25 and get the 3600 (also with CL=16), but it looks like only 1-2% performance boost, and would require OC of course.

For storage, I have selected Crucial P1 1TB M.2-2280 NVME SSD.
Since the board has 2x M.2 slots, I'm thinking of getting 2 of the Crucial P1 1TB; one for OS/programs, and one for files.
I like the idea of having two separate drives than one single, larger one (with partitions), but maybe someone else has a different idea on this. Still, I think the price of a 2TB drive is going to be significantly higher than 2x the 1TB price.

So, if I do go with two of the Crucial 1TB drives using both M.2 slots, is there an advantage or disadvantage to using only one M.2 slot and putting the 2nd drive on SATA (2.5" form).

I haven't ordered anything yet, but want to get this done by the end of the day.

Thanks for your help.

First spend the extra $10 on the SSD for the Western Digital Blue SN550. It is a superior drive in every way compared to the P1. Secondly having 1 NVMe & 1 SATA SSD won't really affect anything. If you are using the SATA for your games there is very little difference right now in loading times between NVMe and SATA. Reason is games are still being designed for HDD. The will start changing once the PS5 & New Xbox are released that include NVMe SSDs. The idea is that many games are a bit storage limited especially in loading times. Having the NVMe drives can allow for large scenes to be loaded in a second vs 20-30 seconds on HDD. That will allow for removal of loading screens in future games. All said right now there isn't a difference and you can always add another NVMe drive in the future. Make sure though that your NVMe drive is plugged into M2_1 since that will have the direct data path to your CPU.

 

[ultrarunner100]

Thanks; Actually, the price is now the same. I could not find the Crucial P1 @ $109.99 in stock anywhere. It is $119.99 at Newegg, same as the WD Blue.
So, I will just get 2x of these WD Blue SN550 1TB and put one in M.2 slot 1 and the other in M.2 slot 2. Boot will of course be from the faster slot.

Any ideas on the RTX 2070 Super? I can't find the NVIDIA one in stock anywhere, and no in-stock date given.
But I can get the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Super Windforce OC 3X at Newegg for the same $499.
I have a Gigabyte GTX 750 Ti in my current system, and it has performed flawlessly, so I am inclined to go with their edition.
Also, I like that the Gigabyte model has 3x fans, compared to the NVIDIA 2x. Maybe the Gigabyte will run hotter? Or they're just providing more cooling for OC.
Whatever, I think I would be happy with either one, but I don't want to wait an indefinite time for the NVIDIA to arrive.

 

[jeremyj_83]

Thanks; Actually, the price is now the same. I could not find the Crucial P1 @ $109.99 in stock anywhere. It is $119.99 at Newegg, same as the WD Blue.
So, I will just get 2x of these WD Blue SN550 1TB and put one in M.2 slot 1 and the other in M.2 slot 2. Boot will of course be from the faster slot.

Any ideas on the RTX 2070 Super? I can't find the NVIDIA one in stock anywhere, and no in-stock date given.
But I can get the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Super Windforce OC 3X at Newegg for the same $499.
I have a Gigabyte GTX 750 Ti in my current system, and it has performed flawlessly, so I am inclined to go with their edition.
Also, I like that the Gigabyte model has 3x fans, compared to the NVIDIA 2x. Maybe the Gigabyte will run hotter? Or they're just providing more cooling for OC.
Whatever, I think I would be happy with either one, but I don't want to wait an indefinite time for the NVIDIA to arrive.

They will have close to the same performance. I can tell you that the nVidia model will run about 74C under load. https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/2516 Odds are that the Gigabyte will run a bit cooler. Again you can always save some money and go with the 5700XT and only lose about 5-7% on the performance but save over $100 https://pcpartpicker.com/product/HW...xt-8-gb-mech-oc-video-card-rx-5700-xt-mech-oc

 

[helper800]

Thanks; Actually, the price is now the same. I could not find the Crucial P1 @ $109.99 in stock anywhere. It is $119.99 at Newegg, same as the WD Blue.
So, I will just get 2x of these WD Blue SN550 1TB and put one in M.2 slot 1 and the other in M.2 slot 2. Boot will of course be from the faster slot.

Any ideas on the RTX 2070 Super? I can't find the NVIDIA one in stock anywhere, and no in-stock date given.
But I can get the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Super Windforce OC 3X at Newegg for the same $499.
I have a Gigabyte GTX 750 Ti in my current system, and it has performed flawlessly, so I am inclined to go with their edition.
Also, I like that the Gigabyte model has 3x fans, compared to the NVIDIA 2x. Maybe the Gigabyte will run hotter? Or they're just providing more cooling for OC.
Whatever, I think I would be happy with either one, but I don't want to wait an indefinite time for the NVIDIA to arrive.

So this is what you are looking at as of now?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($294.14 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB WINDFORCE OC 3X Video Card ($499.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($117.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1572.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-20 16:16 EDT-0400

 

[ultrarunner100]

helper800; Yes. I had forgotten about the Seasonic Focus. I was searching for the Corsair 750W, and a Cooler Master 750W, but both were either out of stock or much higher price. It looks like the Seasonic is a good choice. No compatibility issues, so I assume it has the extra 4-pin connector for the CPU. I read somewhere that you don't really need that extra connector; it's needed mainly for extra power when OC. But I would rather have it than not. Fully modular vs partial modular makes no difference to me.

 

[ultrarunner100]

Finally done!
I have placed my orders. Newegg and Amazon.
I decided on the G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32GB (2 X 16GB) 3200MHz CL16 memory because they are specifically designed for AMD X570 so I figure that there is less chance of issues. Price was $169.99.
And the PSU is now the Seasonic Focus GM-750.

I have to admit that I spent far too much time on this project. Most of you guys could have selected parts and built the system in the time it took me just to select the parts.
I guess you can say that I tend to overthink everything. Sometimes that's a good thing, but not when it gets crazy like it did for me over the past few days.

I'm confident that the actual build will go much more smoothly than the parts selection phase did.
I would like to thank you all for your help. Without it, I would have been completely lost. As I said, it has been 8 years since my last build, and so much has changed.

Ultrarunner

 

[GarrettL]

It’s a great gaming pc. You won’t be disappointed , I’m running almost the same hardware.

It’s very very fast.

 

[ultrarunner100]

It’s a great gaming pc. You won’t be disappointed , I’m running almost the same hardware.

It’s very very fast.

Thanks. It's overkill for the game(s) I'm playing now, but having a faster system will get me interested in games that I couldn't play on my old system.
I'm planning to use my old system to run Ubuntu server, although I am not sure I really want/need the server version. It's just something to play around with, and use as backup.

 

[jeremyj_83]

Thanks. It's overkill for the game(s) I'm playing now, but having a faster system will get me interested in games that I couldn't play on my old system.
I'm planning to use my old system to run Ubuntu server, although I am not sure I really want/need the server version. It's just something to play around with, and use as backup.

For Ubuntu I wouldn't go lower than 18.04LTS. While 16.04LTS is still supported, there are quite a few changes that stared with 18.04 and will be in 20.04 as well.

 

[ultrarunner100]

I've got Ubuntu 18.04 LTS live on a USB stick.

 

[jeremyj_83]

I've got Ubuntu 18.04 LTS live on a USB stick.

Perfect. I believe 20.04LTS gets released by the end of this week. For myself I am going to be download 20.04LTS and making putting it onto a VM for a sandbox system.

 

[ultrarunner100]

I haven't been keeping up to date on Ubuntu since I went back to Windows (10) after a year of working mainly in Ubuntu. Unfortunately, the games I love to play won't run on Ubuntu (Wine), so I had no choice. I really did like Ubuntu, and plan to dual-boot it on my new build, since the UEFI will make that a much simpler task than the old BIOS.
I am also planning to install Ubuntu on my old build, as I don't have a use for two Windows boxes, and don't want to pay for a second license. A completely dedicated machine for Ubuntu!
I will use it as a backup via SSH from Windows.
But now I'm going way off-topic.

 

[ultrarunner100]

I've been curious about how well a computer which is built inside a case with glass or acrylic panels is shielded from EMI/RFI.
I have also noticed that today's motherboards have far more shielding than ones of 5-10 years ago.
Are the extra shields on motherboards intended to shield EMI/RFI, or are they just for looks?
Does a non-metallic side panel cause a box to be more 'noisy' in the sense of RFI?

 

[Smellybandaid]

Alright guys, I have scaled the intrawebs long and hard and have yet to come to a specific answer for my following question.

I have an ASUS RoG Strix x570-E Gaming motherboard.
G.Skill Tridentz DDR4-3600 CL19 (4x8 - 32gb kit) for RAM.


Now here's where I get confused.

If I buy a Ryzen 7 3700x - will everything be plug and play out of the box?

Ultimately, I'm new to building setups on my own, and I'm terrified of doing a BIOS flash, or anything of that sort.

The board manual does say that the board supports the RAM, but I'm worried about compatibility with the CPU.

Any help is highly appreciated, thanks!

 

[helper800]

Alright guys, I have scaled the intrawebs long and hard and have yet to come to a specific answer for my following question.

I have an ASUS RoG Strix x570-E Gaming motherboard.
G.Skill Tridentz DDR4-3600 CL19 (4x8 - 32gb kit) for RAM.


Now here's where I get confused.

If I buy a Ryzen 7 3700x - will everything be plug and play out of the box?

Ultimately, I'm new to building setups on my own, and I'm terrified of doing a BIOS flash, or anything of that sort.

The board manual does say that the board supports the RAM, but I'm worried about compatibility with the CPU.

Any help is highly appreciated, thanks!

Everything should be plug and play out of the box with a x570 board and a 3000 series cpu with a common RAM kit. Next time create your own thread. Cheers!

 

[Smellybandaid]

Everything should be plug and play out of the box with a x570 board and a 3000 series cpu with a common RAM kit. Next time create your own thread. Cheers!

Are you 100% sure? And, sorry, I am new to these forums. I just found this thread through a Google search.

 

[Saga Lout]

Welcome, Smellybandaid, but please only post in a thread where the last post is less than a week old. Necro posts are usually removed.