[SOLVED] Building a PC for my friend, 3080 + Zen 3 if possible

JesseC123

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Dec 18, 2014
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Hey guys, my friend recently tasked me with making him a new PC. He's set aside $4000 AUD for it, it's his first build so I wanna make it pretty sweet for him too. He will predominately be using it for gaming, maybe a bit of photo editing here and there but overall it's a gaming machine.

I figured with the new parts out/coming out in the coming weeks its a great time to build one and we may as well go for the good stuff because its too good to pass up. We just today put in a pre-order for the 3080, but will be waiting for AMD's Big Navi announcement and seeing how they will perform compared to the 3080, and if its reasonable to cut back a few dollars from the 3080 to grab that without losing much performance, we may opt to do that.

We will be looking to grab a Zen 3 if we can get our hands on one, im not too sure which one I should get him, im thinking to get the R9 5900x, but if there is no point in getting one that good just for gaming, do I get the 5800x instead? Although I believe for the little price difference we may as well get the 5900x?

(THE CPU IN PCPARTPICKER IS JUST THERE AS A PRICE, OBVIOUSLY THEY DONT HAVE THE ZEN 3 UP YET SO DISREGARD THE 3900X. Keep in mind the price set for it is just an estimate as AUS don't have confirmed prices)

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor | $760.00
CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler | $139.00 @ PCCaseGear
Motherboard | Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard | $349.00 @ PCCaseGear
Memory | Team T-Force Night Hawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory | $199.00 @ PCCaseGear
Storage | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $89.00 @ PCCaseGear
Storage | Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $185.00
Video Card | Asus GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB TUF GAMING Video Card | $1399.00 @ PCCaseGear
Case | be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Mid Tower Case | $169.00 @ PCCaseGear
Power Supply | Corsair RM (2019) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $239.00 @ Scorptec
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit | $30.00
Case Fan | Cooler Master MasterFan MF120R 59 CFM 120 mm Fan | $25.00 @ PCCaseGear
Case Fan | Cooler Master MasterFan MF120R 59 CFM 120 mm Fan | $25.00 @ PCCaseGear
Case Fan | Cooler Master MasterFan MF120R 59 CFM 120 mm Fan | $25.00 @ PCCaseGear
Monitor | LG 27GL850-B 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor | $789.00 @ Device Deal
Custom| Noctua NA-SYC1 Chromax Black 11cm 4Pin PWM Fan Splitter (3 Pack)| $15.00
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $4437.00
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-10-21 07:13 AEDT+1100 |


If we cant get our hands on a zen 3 within a reasonable time frame, what should we opt down to instead in that case?
Any help, advice or recommendations very appreciated! Thanks all
 
Solution
I've updated the part list, what are your thoughts now? We've been informed we most likely wont be receiving our pre-ordered 3080 until early 2021, so if we can get our hands on a Radeon 6800xt we will be going with that instead. Fingers crossed we get our hands on the 5900x and the 6800xt with stock levels!


PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Slim CPU Cooler | $89.00 @ PCCaseGear
Motherboard | Gigabyte B550 AORUS PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard | $259.00 @ PCCaseGear
Memory | Team T-Force Night Hawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory | $179.00 @ PCCaseGear
Storage | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid...
The 5800X and 5900X will probably perform exactly the same in gaming.

I suggest getting the B550 TUF wifi instead of the X570.
Get a 3200 or 3600 CL 16 instead of that really expensive 4000mhz.
You won't hit that speed probably anyway.

Why is his mass storage also an ssd?
Get a 4tb hdd instead for much more capacity at probably the same cost or less.

Or better yet, get a 512gig boot ssd and a 2tb hdd (since that's all he really needs probably)
If you must have all ssd storage, for the mass storage, get a QLC ssd, like the intel 660p, or sabrent rocket Q for much more capacity at lower price, and very similar performance in what you will using it for.


Use all that money you saved on the cpu, board, storage and ram to maybe get a 4k 120hz monitor, which will let the 3080 stretch it's legs a little more.

Also, that cooler is nice, but you can totally get away with a single tower cooler, instead of the monstrous dual tower one.
 
Oct 20, 2020
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DANG! Crazy build...


Maybe instead of getting a 250 gb ssd and a 1 tb ssd, just get a 2 tb ssd.

Also, consider an i9-10900k instead of ryzen 9 3900x. But they're really quite similar. Doesn't really matter.

Don't worry about zen 3. You're fine.
 

JesseC123

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Dec 18, 2014
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The 5800X and 5900X will probably perform exactly the same in gaming.

I suggest getting the B550 TUF wifi instead of the X570.
Get a 3200 or 3600 CL 16 instead of that really expensive 4000mhz.
You won't hit that speed probably anyway.

Why is his mass storage also an ssd?
Get a 4tb hdd instead for much more capacity at probably the same cost or less.

Or better yet, get a 512gig boot ssd and a 2tb hdd (since that's all he really needs probably)
If you must have all ssd storage, for the mass storage, get a QLC ssd, like the intel 660p, or sabrent rocket Q for much more capacity at lower price, and very similar performance in what you will using it for.


Use all that money you saved on the cpu, board, storage and ram to maybe get a 4k 120hz monitor, which will let the 3080 stretch it's legs a little more.

Also, that cooler is nice, but you can totally get away with a single tower cooler, instead of the monstrous dual tower one.

I remember seeing somewhere that there was an AMD leak that said 4000mhz memory would be the sweet spot for zen 3 CPU's? Which is why I went for the 4000mhz. I mean we'll find out more on the 5th, so I can always decide then if I need to change that up.

As for the HDD, I figured if we just went all SSD then it would be less quiet than putting a HDD in there, when we probably dont need to? Do you agree there?

As for the cooler, it seems I put the Pro 4 in there instead of just the 4 version. Ill be getting this one! https://www.pccasegear.com/products/42364/be-quiet-dark-rock-4-cooler
 
Last edited:

JesseC123

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Dec 18, 2014
101
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DANG! Crazy build...


Maybe instead of getting a 250 gb ssd and a 1 tb ssd, just get a 2 tb ssd.

Also, consider an i9-10900k instead of ryzen 9 3900x. But they're really quite similar. Doesn't really matter.

Don't worry about zen 3. You're fine.

I figured I haven't used a nvme drive yet, and figured they are probably worth it just for a boot drive alone. Which is why I got that and a 1tb just for games and everything else.
Seeings as his build is crazy, we may as well chuck in an nvme to complete it haha.
Also if we can't get our hands on the 5800 or 5900, then we probably will go the r9 3900x. I figured as they're almost the same price we may as well get the newer stuff
 

JesseC123

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Dec 18, 2014
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Switch to a B550. Change that RM PSU for an RMX PSU. Almost the same price with better capacitors. Change the RAM for 3600MHz CL16. No need for the 4000MHz CL18.

This the one you're referring to? https://www.pccasegear.com/products/50514/asus-rog-strix-b550-f-gaming-wi-fi-motherboard#gallery-1
Could be a good choice, saves some money when really we aren't too focused on many other features of the board apart from PCI-E 4.0, NVME slot and enough fan ports.

With the RAM, i know it's only a leak, but it said that 4000mhz ram would be the sweet spot for zen 3 series. I guess we'll wait for the 5th to see what is recommended and can change then if need be!
 
This the one you're referring to? https://www.pccasegear.com/products/50514/asus-rog-strix-b550-f-gaming-wi-fi-motherboard#gallery-1
Could be a good choice, saves some money when really we aren't too focused on many other features of the board apart from PCI-E 4.0, NVME slot and enough fan ports.

With the RAM, i know it's only a leak, but it said that 4000mhz ram would be the sweet spot for zen 3 series. I guess we'll wait for the 5th to see what is recommended and can change then if need be!

Maybe for the Zen 3 but for Zen 2 it's 3600MHz. When you try to go over that on a Zen 2 you break the 1:1 ratio of the infinity fabric.

No I didn't mean the B550-F gaming. G-Unit1111 suggested two good ones. The B550 Tomahawk and the B550 Aorus.

 

g-unit1111

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Maybe for the Zen 3 but for Zen 2 it's 3600MHz. When you try to go over that on a Zen 2 you break the 1:1 ratio of the infinity fabric.

No I didn't mean the B550-F gaming. G-Unit1111 suggested two good ones. The B550 Tomahawk and the B550 Aorus.


Yes, Asus is hot or cold on about 90% of their products. I've had good luck with my B450-F ROG board, but we've had reports of some of the much higher ends of the Asus product line needing to be replaced for various reasons, and Asus technical support can be extremely frustrating to deal with. I generally recommend Gigabyte because that's what I have had the best luck with and they usually make solid products.
 
I remember seeing somewhere that there was an AMD leak that said 4000mhz memory would be the sweet spot for zen 3 CPU's? Which is why I went for the 4000mhz. I mean we'll find out more on the 5th, so I can always decide then if I need to change that up.

As for the HDD, I figured if we just went all SSD then it would be less quiet than putting a HDD in there, when we probably dont need to? Do you agree there?

As for the cooler, it seems I put the Pro 4 in there instead of just the 4 version. Ill be getting this one! https://www.pccasegear.com/products/42364/be-quiet-dark-rock-4-cooler
Even if 4000 is the sweet spot for ryzen 5000 (Which we don't know yet), 4000mhz cl18 is very similar to 3600mhz cl16.

HDDs are not that loud. When they are used as a 2nd drive, they are very quiet and only work hard enough to be heard when copying, downloading or unloading a big file from them. With OS duties they are loud since they work around the clock.
I think for mass storage it's either an HDD or a cheaper QLC flash drive.

Nice pick for the cooler.
Switch to a B550. Change that RM PSU for an RMX PSU. Almost the same price with better capacitors. Change the RAM for 3600MHz CL16. No need for the 4000MHz CL18.
Very true, recommended.

I figured I haven't used a nvme drive yet, and figured they are probably worth it just for a boot drive alone. Which is why I got that and a 1tb just for games and everything else.
Seeings as his build is crazy, we may as well chuck in an nvme to complete it haha.
Also if we can't get our hands on the 5800 or 5900, then we probably will go the r9 3900x. I figured as they're almost the same price we may as well get the newer stuff
Even if money is no issue, getting better value is still good.
NVME is actually almost the exact same as any other sata ssd in the day to day feel.

Had both an MX500 and a 970 PRO as my boot drive, and they feel exactly the same.

There are QLC ssds, which are cheaper and perform worse, but they are still leagues more than hard drives and are right in between in price.
Like what the intel 660p I mentioned earlier, which are very respectable for the price and will do much better in terms of value for the build instead of the 860 pro.
DANG! Crazy build...


Maybe instead of getting a 250 gb ssd and a 1 tb ssd, just get a 2 tb ssd.

Also, consider an i9-10900k instead of ryzen 9 3900x. But they're really quite similar. Doesn't really matter.

Don't worry about zen 3. You're fine.
That's much more expensive.
A 2tb ssd is also an option, but I believe a 512gig boot ssd, and a 1 or 2 tb QLC 2nd ssd/HDD is better.

About AMD vs INTEL
Since the machine is for just gaming, I guess the i9 is better, but consider the i9 goes for much more than the r9.
Zen 3 is rumored to be much better than intel (IN GAMING.) so since the pc is the "ultimate gaming machine" or whatever, AMD might actually be a better choice.
 

JesseC123

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Dec 18, 2014
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Even if 4000 is the sweet spot for ryzen 5000 (Which we don't know yet), 4000mhz cl18 is very similar to 3600mhz cl16.

HDDs are not that loud. When they are used as a 2nd drive, they are very quiet and only work hard enough to be heard when copying, downloading or unloading a big file from them. With OS duties they are loud since they work around the clock.
I think for mass storage it's either an HDD or a cheaper QLC flash drive.

Nice pick for the cooler.

Very true, recommended.


Even if money is no issue, getting better value is still good.
NVME is actually almost the exact same as any other sata ssd in the day to day feel.

Had both an MX500 and a 970 PRO as my boot drive, and they feel exactly the same.

There are QLC ssds, which are cheaper and perform worse, but they are still leagues more than hard drives and are right in between in price.
Like what the intel 660p I mentioned earlier, which are very respectable for the price and will do much better in terms of value for the build instead of the 860 pro.

That's much more expensive.
A 2tb ssd is also an option, but I believe a 512gig boot ssd, and a 1 or 2 tb QLC 2nd ssd/HDD is better.

About AMD vs INTEL
Since the machine is for just gaming, I guess the i9 is better, but consider the i9 goes for much more than the r9.
Zen 3 is rumored to be much better than intel (IN GAMING.) so since the pc is the "ultimate gaming machine" or whatever, AMD might actually be a better choice.

Appreciate the informative response!
Ill take it on board and get back to you once a few adjustments have been made. Also just realised I have to opt for the Be Quiet Dark Rock Slim cooler as the 4 is too big and interferes with the ram slots, I know this as I have one myself, and considering these team force sticks are gonna be decent sized I had to change it.
Ill post up the full build once we're set!
Once again, appreciate the help bud
 

JesseC123

Distinguished
Dec 18, 2014
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Even if 4000 is the sweet spot for ryzen 5000 (Which we don't know yet), 4000mhz cl18 is very similar to 3600mhz cl16.

HDDs are not that loud. When they are used as a 2nd drive, they are very quiet and only work hard enough to be heard when copying, downloading or unloading a big file from them. With OS duties they are loud since they work around the clock.
I think for mass storage it's either an HDD or a cheaper QLC flash drive.

Nice pick for the cooler.

Very true, recommended.


Even if money is no issue, getting better value is still good.
NVME is actually almost the exact same as any other sata ssd in the day to day feel.

Had both an MX500 and a 970 PRO as my boot drive, and they feel exactly the same.

There are QLC ssds, which are cheaper and perform worse, but they are still leagues more than hard drives and are right in between in price.
Like what the intel 660p I mentioned earlier, which are very respectable for the price and will do much better in terms of value for the build instead of the 860 pro.

That's much more expensive.
A 2tb ssd is also an option, but I believe a 512gig boot ssd, and a 1 or 2 tb QLC 2nd ssd/HDD is better.

About AMD vs INTEL
Since the machine is for just gaming, I guess the i9 is better, but consider the i9 goes for much more than the r9.
Zen 3 is rumored to be much better than intel (IN GAMING.) so since the pc is the "ultimate gaming machine" or whatever, AMD might actually be a better choice.

I've updated the part list, what are your thoughts now? We've been informed we most likely wont be receiving our pre-ordered 3080 until early 2021, so if we can get our hands on a Radeon 6800xt we will be going with that instead. Fingers crossed we get our hands on the 5900x and the 6800xt with stock levels!


PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Slim CPU Cooler | $89.00 @ PCCaseGear
Motherboard | Gigabyte B550 AORUS PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard | $259.00 @ PCCaseGear
Memory | Team T-Force Night Hawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory | $179.00 @ PCCaseGear
Storage | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $89.00 @ PCCaseGear
Storage | Intel 660p 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $189.00
Video Card | Asus GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB TUF GAMING Video Card | $1399.00 @ PCCaseGear
Case | be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Mid Tower Case | $169.00 @ PCCaseGear
Power Supply | Corsair RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $279.00
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit | $30.00
Case Fan | Corsair iCUE SP120 RGB Pro 52 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack | $109.00
Monitor | LG 27GL850-B 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor | $799.00 @ Scorptec
Keyboard | Corsair K68 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard | $189.00
Mouse | Corsair GLAIVE RGB PRO Wired Optical Mouse | $109.00
Headphones | Corsair VOID RGB ELITE 7.1 Channel Headset | $199.00
Custom| Noctua NA-SYC1 Chromax Black 11cm 4Pin PWM Fan Splitter (3 Pack)| $15.00
Custom| Corsair Gaming MM200 Mouse Mat Extended Edition| $50.00
Custom| TP-Link Archer T3U Plus Dual Band Wireless AC1300 USB Adapter ARCHER-T3U-PLUS| $64.00
Custom| Ryzen 9 5900x| $860.00
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $5076.00
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-02 07:29 AEDT+1100 |
 
I've updated the part list, what are your thoughts now? We've been informed we most likely wont be receiving our pre-ordered 3080 until early 2021, so if we can get our hands on a Radeon 6800xt we will be going with that instead. Fingers crossed we get our hands on the 5900x and the 6800xt with stock levels!


PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Slim CPU Cooler | $89.00 @ PCCaseGear
Motherboard | Gigabyte B550 AORUS PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard | $259.00 @ PCCaseGear
Memory | Team T-Force Night Hawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory | $179.00 @ PCCaseGear
Storage | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $89.00 @ PCCaseGear
Storage | Intel 660p 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $189.00
Video Card | Asus GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB TUF GAMING Video Card | $1399.00 @ PCCaseGear
Case | be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Mid Tower Case | $169.00 @ PCCaseGear
Power Supply | Corsair RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $279.00
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit | $30.00
Case Fan | Corsair iCUE SP120 RGB Pro 52 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack | $109.00
Monitor | LG 27GL850-B 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor | $799.00 @ Scorptec
Keyboard | Corsair K68 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard | $189.00
Mouse | Corsair GLAIVE RGB PRO Wired Optical Mouse | $109.00
Headphones | Corsair VOID RGB ELITE 7.1 Channel Headset | $199.00
Custom| Noctua NA-SYC1 Chromax Black 11cm 4Pin PWM Fan Splitter (3 Pack)| $15.00
Custom| Corsair Gaming MM200 Mouse Mat Extended Edition| $50.00
Custom| TP-Link Archer T3U Plus Dual Band Wireless AC1300 USB Adapter ARCHER-T3U-PLUS| $64.00
Custom| Ryzen 9 5900x| $860.00
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $5076.00
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-02 07:29 AEDT+1100 |
That memory kit is not good in my opinion.
It's high frequency, yes, but it's very high latency too.
4000mhz cl18 is pretty comparable to 3600 cl16 which would cost heaps less.
Go with that instead.

Solid change on the ssd front in my opinion, but you should also check the 2tb ssd route as I mentioned last time, and see if the pricing is good compared to this 250+1tb

Aside from that, solid build.
If I paid this much for a pc, I would get better headphones (non-gaming ones or whatever) and a dedicated mic, but that probably more expensive, and less cool.
 
Solution

JesseC123

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Dec 18, 2014
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That memory kit is not good in my opinion.
It's high frequency, yes, but it's very high latency too.
4000mhz cl18 is pretty comparable to 3600 cl16 which would cost heaps less.
Go with that instead.

Solid change on the ssd front in my opinion, but you should also check the 2tb ssd route as I mentioned last time, and see if the pricing is good compared to this 250+1tb

Aside from that, solid build.
If I paid this much for a pc, I would get better headphones (non-gaming ones or whatever) and a dedicated mic, but that probably more expensive, and less cool.

Okay thanks!
I'll opt the memory for these instead https://www.pccasegear.com/products/48277/g-skill-trident-z-rgb-16gb-2x8gb-3600mhz-cl16-ddr4

Also for the SSD situation, I could get this? https://www.pccasegear.com/products/43531/intel-660p-series-m-2-nvme-ssd-2tb
But thats an extra $120 compared to the two seperate as I currently have. Also I just realised most stores have the intel 660p 1TB as discontinued, so I will need to look for another option if I go the two seperate ones.
 
Okay thanks!
I'll opt the memory for these instead https://www.pccasegear.com/products/48277/g-skill-trident-z-rgb-16gb-2x8gb-3600mhz-cl16-ddr4

Also for the SSD situation, I could get this? https://www.pccasegear.com/products/43531/intel-660p-series-m-2-nvme-ssd-2tb
But thats an extra $120 compared to the two seperate as I currently have. Also I just realised most stores have the intel 660p 1TB as discontinued, so I will need to look for another option if I go the two seperate ones.
No on both fronts.
I asked if you could check 2tb ssds cause I thought they'd be cheaper, guess that wasn't the case.

Also the ram, I also tried cutting your costs down, not up.
usually cl16 3600mhz is cheaper than 4000mhz cl18, and perform very similarly.
If the 4000mhz cl18 is cheaper, go for that.