Build Advice Building a New Computer for the First Time in 7 Years

[justinj]

Had the 1080Ti GOAT and it's day is coming. Windows 11 is not supported by my rig and need to upgrade anyway (for gaming mostly). I looked at the Toms Hardware Best PC Builds (https://www.tomshardware.com/best-picks/best-pc-builds-gaming) and want to build something with my son, most likely at the higher end. Appreciate any help or advice.

• GPU: I am waiting to see how the RTX 9070XT performs and have a RTX 5070Ti already that I might return (unopened) if the 9070XT is the better choice. Will wait to see benchmarks but if what people are saying is right, it sounds like I'm better off with the 9070XT for $150-$200 cheaper and with slightly less good ray tracing. The 5090 seems to be too expensive right now, so I might want to buy one in 2-3 years and replace what I buy now.
• CPU: I am thinking we definitely get the AMD 9800x3d CPU - read that performance is by far better in games.
• Mobo: I am not sure what motherboard to get. The $4k build in the article has the GIGABYTE X870E AORUS PRO ICE AM5 but that was a bundle deal that's gone now. Should I still get that one or any other suggestions? Hoping it has at least 3 SSD slots, ideally 4 but maybe that's standard now?
• RAM: I think 32GB is still enough but feel free to talk me into 64GB (although it's easy to upgrade later I think). I know I need two sticks but otherwise, is there anything to watch out for here? The guide shows G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 (2 x 16GB) DDR5 6400, 2 kits.
• Storage: I thought it was best to separate the OS on its own drive but the $4k build in the article has it all on one? So maybe a 1TB for the OS and a 4TB for the rest. Is there any high end alternative to the Samsung 990 Pro? Also, don't I need a heatsink? I've never used a heatsink with a SSD before but it seems like they're a good idea these days (for my rig to last at least 3-5 years).
• PSU: article for $4k build has Corsair RM1000e - that ok or look at other alternatives? I do like the idea of having headroom here and want to potentially upgrade to a 5090 later on.
• Cooler: article has AIO Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 FLUX. I've never used an AIO before but that's normal now I suppose. Is that Cooler Master the right choice?
• Case: Fractal Design North XL case seems fine but not too concerned if there's something else better/cheaper. I don't want to have too little room to fit anything.
• Any other fans needed?

 

[Lutfij]

For your ram, you should look at the Neo series if you want to stick to G.Skill kits. They are the kits that have AMD's E.X.P.O baked into them. As for ram speed, you can look at DDR5-6000MHz but if you can source higher frequencied ram kits with tight latencies, then go for it. In 2025, if you want to merely game, then 32GB is the standard. If you want to throw in multitasking and productivity in the mix of tasks for the build then get 64GB out of the box.

I tend to build system's with the OS on it's own standalone SSD, usually of 500GB capacity. The next SSD can be a larger drive that acts as a game library drive. If you are creating content, then an HDD would be a good idea to house all your finalized productions. If you can source an Arctic Liquid Freezer III then get that in place of the Coolermaster AIO. Case is a personal preference thing.

Fans, I think you could look into Noctua's if you'd like high end fans and want the silence.

 

[justinj]

For your ram, you should look at the Neo series if you want to stick to G.Skill kits. They are the kits that have AMD's E.X.P.O baked into them. As for ram speed, you can look at DDR5-6000MHz but if you can source higher frequencied ram kits with tight latencies, then go for it. In 2025, if you want to merely game, then 32GB is the standard. If you want to throw in multitasking and productivity in the mix of tasks for the build then get 64GB out of the box.

I tend to build system's with the OS on it's own standalone SSD, usually of 500GB capacity. The next SSD can be a larger drive that acts as a game library drive. If you are creating content, then an HDD would be a good idea to house all your finalized productions. If you can source an Arctic Liquid Freezer III then get that in place of the Coolermaster AIO. Case is a personal preference thing.

Fans, I think you could look into Noctua's if you'd like high end fans and want the silence.

Thank you. Ok will have one SSD for OS and one for games, will use Neo RAM with E.X.P.O. and will change the AIO. Any thoughts on the motherboard, anyone?

 

[JayT204500]

I like the Asus ROG Strix X870E. You could try this.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119682

 

[justinj]

I like the Asus ROG Strix X870E. You could try this.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119682

Very expensive but worth it ? Will work with future cards I hope (nvidia 5090 some day or 6000 series).

 

[Zerk2012]

Very expensive but worth it ? Will work with future cards I hope (nvidia 5090 some day or 6000 series).

I don't think so, not worth it.
I don't think personally I would go with most of the Tom's best build list.

Edit I would follow this format and you can probably get a better build for the money.

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[justinj]

I think I mostly did t follow that format but can look at it more closely. Why do you say it’s not good to follow Toms build lists?

 

[Misgar]

RAM: I think 32GB is still enough but feel free to talk me into 64GB (although it's easy to upgrade later I think). I know I need two sticks but otherwise, is there anything to watch out for here?

It's easy enough to fit two more DIMMs to an existing mobo, provided it has empty memory slots, but that's where the problems sometimes start.

If you're thinking of upgrading from 32GB (2x16GB DIMMs) to 64GB (4x16GB) DIMMs at a later date, this can lead to stability problems.

For a start, it's better if all the DIMMs are precisely matched, i.e. if you want 4 DIMMs, buy a single kit that contains 4 DIMMs, not two pairs of DIMMs, that despite having the same part number, will not be exactly matched. They'll most likely be from two different batches and different bins.

Then there's the problem that many systems become less stable when running 4 DIMMs. If you manage to run an AMD X3D CPU at XMP 6000MT/s on 2 DIMMs, you may have to drop the speed to something closer to JEDEC 4800MT/s to maintain stability on 4 DIMMs. In some instances, the mobo/cpu manufacturers may specify even lower speeds for stability with 4 DIMMs, e.g. 4200 or 3800MT/s.

It's far better to fit two DIMMs than four, so buy 2x32GB if you think you might need 64GB in the foreseeable future.

Forget what the memory manufacturer states on the label. Just because a DIMM is rated a 6000, 7000 or 8000MT/s, doesn't mean it will work at that speed in all systems. AMD CPUs can be more difficult to run at high XMP speeds than Intel CPUs.

Similarly, just because a mobo manufacturer states their board can be clocked up to DDR5-7200, doesn't mean you'll achieve that speed with all combinations of RAM and CPU.

Will work with future cards I hope (nvidia 5090 some day or 6000 series)

Are you talking about NVidia's professional RTX 6000 Ada Lovelace 48GB workstation GPUs, or a successor to the latest gaming CPUs?

Here's a nice example on NewEgg of an RTX 6000 at $9,879.90. Wish I could afford one for my editing rig.

https://www.newegg.com/p/1FT-000P-00622

Buy now before global prices increase.

Very expensive but worth it ?

If you have money to spare, buy whatever you can afford, but if you're building a gaming system, some of the extra facilities on an expensive mobo might never get used.

Most motherboards will accept an RTX 5090, even mATX form. You need a PCIe x16 length slot, a big PSU and a suitable case. You don't necessarily need an 870E to run a 5090.

Also, don't I need a heatsink? I've never used a heatsink with a SSD before

Many motherboards come with integral heatsinks for M.2 drives. If you buy an NVMe SSD with a glued-on heatsink, you'll have to discard the mobo heatsink panel, which does nothing for the aesthetics.

If you see metalwork covering parts of a motherboard near the PCIe slots, they often act as heatsinks for M.2 drives hidden underneath.

I've never used an AIO before but that's normal now I suppose.

I've never used an AIO, preferring big air coolers, like the Thermaltake Phantom Spirit 120 (cheap) or the Noctua NH-D15 (expensive), but they're massive chunks of metal and won't fit in smaller cases.

You might gain additional CPU boost performance (100-200 MHz?) with a big 420mm AIO (triple 140mm fan radiator) over air cooling, if you want to push your processor way past 200W.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cooling/liquid-vs-air-cooling-do-you-need-an-aio-cooler

 

[helper800]

Here is a tasteful white build that is a great place to start. I went big on aesthetic and large amounts of storage for convenience. I also did not hold back on higher end parts so most things can be scaled back significantly depending on budget. Check it out:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($491.41 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Lian Li HydroShift LCD 360R RGB 79.9 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($199.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X870 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 ICE ATX AM5 Motherboard ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial T705 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 8 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($511.78 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire PURE Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card ($679.99)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.75 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: FSP Group Hydro PTM X PRO,Gen5 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 3 PWM High-Speed 72.2 CFM 140 mm Fan ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 3 PWM High-Speed 72.2 CFM 140 mm Fan ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $2731.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-03-05 14:45 EST-0500

 

[justinj]

It's easy enough to fit two more DIMMs to an existing mobo, provided it has empty memory slots, but that's where the problems sometimes start.

If you're thinking of upgrading from 32GB (2x16GB DIMMs) to 64GB (4x16GB) DIMMs at a later date, this can lead to stability problems.

For a start, it's better if all the DIMMs are precisely matched, i.e. if you want 4 DIMMs, buy a single kit that contains 4 DIMMs, not two pairs of DIMMs, that despite having the same part number, will not be exactly matched. They'll most likely be from two different batches and different bins.

Then there's the problem that many systems become less stable when running 4 DIMMs. If you manage to run an AMD X3D CPU at XMP 6000MT/s on 2 DIMMs, you may have to drop the speed to something closer to JEDEC 4800MT/s to maintain stability on 4 DIMMs. In some instances, the mobo/cpu manufacturers may specify even lower speeds for stability with 4 DIMMs, e.g. 4200 or 3800MT/s.

It's far better to fit two DIMMs than four, so buy 2x32GB if you think you might need 64GB in the foreseeable future.

Forget what the memory manufacturer states on the label. Just because a DIMM is rated a 6000, 7000 or 8000MT/s, doesn't mean it will work at that speed in all systems. AMD CPUs can be more difficult to run at high XMP speeds than Intel CPUs.

Similarly, just because a mobo manufacturer states their board can be clocked up to DDR5-7200, doesn't mean you'll achieve that speed with all combinations of RAM and CPU.



Are you talking about NVidia's professional RTX 6000 Ada Lovelace 48GB workstation GPUs, or a successor to the latest gaming CPUs?

Here's a nice example on NewEgg of an RTX 6000 at $9,879.90. Wish I could afford one for my editing rig.

https://www.newegg.com/p/1FT-000P-00622

Buy now before global prices increase.



If you have money to spare, buy whatever you can afford, but if you're building a gaming system, some of the extra facilities on an expensive mobo might never get used.

Most motherboards will accept an RTX 5090, even mATX form. You need a PCIe x16 length slot, a big PSU and a suitable case. You don't necessarily need an 870E to run a 5090.



Many motherboards come with integral heatsinks for M.2 drives. If you buy an NVMe SSD with a glued-on heatsink, you'll have to discard the mobo heatsink panel, which does nothing for the aesthetics.

If you see metalwork covering parts of a motherboard near the PCIe slots, they often act as heatsinks for M.2 drives hidden underneath.

I've never used an AIO, preferring big air coolers, like the Thermaltake Phantom Spirit 120 (cheap) or the Noctua NH-D15 (expensive), but they're massive chunks of metal and won't fit in smaller cases.

You might gain additional CPU boost performance (100-200 MHz?) with a big 420mm AIO (triple 140mm fan radiator) over air cooling, if you want to push your processor way past 200W.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cooling/liquid-vs-air-cooling-do-you-need-an-aio-cooler

Thanks for your response - did more research as a result. For memory, I'll go with 2x16GB but might upgrade to 2x32GB later. By then the RAM will probably be better anyway. For GPU I just wanted to make sure I could use the same motherboard with the next gen GPUs (e.g.., Nvidia RTX 6080 or whatever it will be called) a few years from now. For the SSD, it seems like I don't need a heatsink I guess. Never used one so wasn't sure if that changed in the past few years. I only used air coolers before but it seems like AIO can be a little better now. I will overclock to some extent but won't go too extreme.

Here is a tasteful white build that is a great place to start. I went big on aesthetic and large amounts of storage for convenience. I also did not hold back on higher end parts so most things can be scaled back significantly depending on budget. Check it out:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($491.41 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Lian Li HydroShift LCD 360R RGB 79.9 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($199.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X870 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 ICE ATX AM5 Motherboard ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial T705 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 8 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($511.78 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire PURE Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card ($679.99)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.75 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: FSP Group Hydro PTM X PRO,Gen5 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 3 PWM High-Speed 72.2 CFM 140 mm Fan ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 3 PWM High-Speed 72.2 CFM 140 mm Fan ($11.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $2731.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-03-05 14:45 EST-0500

Thank you!! This is very helpful and apologies in advance as I still have a lot of questions.

For the cooler, is there a good review I can look at to see what's best? There are way too many out there to choose from. I tried to find something convincing but not sure which way to go. Some people talked about QC issues with Lian Li. Arctic III Freezer is more for value it seems.

For the 2nd SSD, 4 TB is enough for now, as long as I have at least 1 more slot on the motherboard, preferably 2.

For the motherboard, will it overclock well and does it slow down at all if I used 3-4 of the M.2 slots? Any reason to upgrade to the "E" version? I guess I don't need USB 4.0, right?

For the memory, should I not get Neo RAM with E.X.P.O. as someone else suggested? Is that just to make OCing easier?

For the video card, I am still not sure if I'm sticking with the 5070Ti I have (paid too much) vs. returning it and also paying too much for an RTX 9070 XT. Will see pricing in a day or two... lucky to have a Microcenter somewhat near me. If I stick with the 5070Ti, would your recommendations change?

For the power supply, is 1000 W enough if I want to upgrade to a 5090 in 2-3 years?