[SOLVED] Building new PC - Feedback Needed

[m4mazzotti]

Hey there folks!

I am building a new PC, budget is 2k USD (no need to consider OS + Monitor + Keyboard + Mouse), and I need some feedback! This is my very first time doing it

The computer is going to be mainly used for gaming and I want to be as small (physical size) as possible!

I will be using a 1080p monitor / 144Hz (G-Sync) monitor.

What do you think?

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($469.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D9L 46.44 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($249.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($115.80 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB STRIX GAMING Advanced Video Card ($769.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Core V21 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($127.98 @ Newegg)

 

[jeremyj_83]

Hey there folks!

I am building a new PC, budget is 2k USD, and I need some feedback! This is my very first time doing it

What do you think?

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($469.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D9L 46.44 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($249.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($115.80 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB STRIX GAMING Advanced Video Card ($769.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Core V21 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($127.98 @ Newegg)

Is this going to be used for gaming only? Do you need an OS and Monitor in this budget? What resolution and refresh rate are you wanting to target?

 

[m4mazzotti]

Is this going to be used for gaming only? Do you need an OS and Monitor in this budget? What resolution and refresh rate are you wanting to target?

Hey jeremyj_83,

You are correct, gaming is going to be its main purpose. I already have the OS + monitor + keyboard + mouse and therefor shouldn't be included in the budget! Good catch tho.

 

[jeremyj_83]

Hey jeremyj_83,

You are correct, gaming is going to be its main purpose. I already have the OS + monitor + keyboard + mouse and therefor shouldn't be included in the budget! Good catch tho.

I see that you have an ITX motherboard listed. Do you want to make this have a small physical footprint? What is the resolution and refresh rate of your monitor?

Otherwise I see that there are places where you can save some money to upgrade other areas. With these last questions I can make some suggestions to change.

 

[GarrettL]

Nothing wrong with the 3900x but for gaming it's just plain overkill. Nothing wrong with your build but there is a point of diminishing returns relative to the cost depending on your usage.

What resolution is your monitor?

The 3700x and the slightly higher clocked 3800x have very similar FPS performance. I'd suggest the 3700x and save your money for the next gen of Ryzen's due out later this year.

 

[m4mazzotti]

I see that you have an ITX motherboard listed. Do you want to make this have a small physical footprint? What is the resolution and refresh rate of your monitor?

Otherwise I see that there are places where you can save some money to upgrade other areas. With these last questions I can make some suggestions to change.

Nothing wrong with the 3900x but for gaming it's just plain overkill. Nothing wrong with your build but there is a point of diminishing returns relative to the cost depending on your usage.

What resolution is your monitor?

The 3700x and the slightly higher clocked 3800x have very similar FPS performance. I'd suggest the 3700x and save your money for the next gen of Ryzen's due out later this year.

Ask as many questions as needed! I have updated the main post with more info.

I do have a 1080p / 144hz (G-Sync) monitor.

Yes, I would like it to be as small as possible!

Going down to a 3800x is a 150 USD save... without compromising performance, I like it

 

[jeremyj_83]

Normally I wouldn't recommend 32GB RAM for a gaming system, but since this will be an ITX build you don't have the RAM slots to add later so adding more RAM means losing the old DIMMs. A 2080 Super is a bit overkill for 1080p 144Hz, but that just means it will be usable longer.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($308.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 I AORUS PRO WIFI Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($219.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket Q 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB Turbo EVO Video Card ($719.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define Nano S Mini ITX Desktop Case ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.99 @ B&H)
Case Fan: Fractal Design X2 GP-14 (Black) 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1986.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-24 15:58 EST-0500
This build will have you install the OS and Applications on the 512GB SSD and then all your games on the 2TB SSD. The 2TB HDD can be kept or removed, but it is useful for music and videos. The 3700X comes with a good enough cooler so an aftermarket isn't required unless you want it to be quieter https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vWgzK8/arctic-freezer-34-esports-duo-cpu-cooler-acfre00063a that is a good cooler if you want to add it to the build. The PSU is high quality and higher efficiency so it will keep heat down even more. Alternatively this is a good other choice for a PSU https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Rz...d-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-focus-gx-650 The case is physically small but is very quiet and put the extra fan on the intake and you should have the internals pretty cool.

 

[m4mazzotti]

Normally I wouldn't recommend 32GB RAM for a gaming system, but since this will be an ITX build you don't have the RAM slots to add later so adding more RAM means losing the old DIMMs. A 2080 Super is a bit overkill for 1080p 144Hz, but that just means it will be usable longer.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($308.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 I AORUS PRO WIFI Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($219.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket Q 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB Turbo EVO Video Card ($719.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define Nano S Mini ITX Desktop Case ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.99 @ B&H)
Case Fan: Fractal Design X2 GP-14 (Black) 68.4 CFM 140 mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1986.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-24 15:58 EST-0500
This build will have you install the OS and Applications on the 512GB SSD and then all your games on the 2TB SSD. The 2TB HDD can be kept or removed, but it is useful for music and videos. The 3700X comes with a good enough cooler so an aftermarket isn't required unless you want it to be quieter https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vWgzK8/arctic-freezer-34-esports-duo-cpu-cooler-acfre00063a that is a good cooler if you want to add it to the build. The PSU is high quality and higher efficiency so it will keep heat down even more. Alternatively this is a good other choice for a PSU https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Rz...d-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-focus-gx-650 The case is physically small but is very quiet and put the extra fan on the intake and you should have the internals pretty cool.

Thanks for taking your time to help! Mind sharing what is the rational behind changing the motherboard? Gigabyte > Asus?

 

[jeremyj_83]

Thanks for taking your time to help! Mind sharing what is the rational behind changing the motherboard? Gigabyte > Asus?

Good review on the board from Tomshardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gigabyte-x570-i-aorus_pro-wi-fi-motherboard,6305.html

 

[m4mazzotti]

Good review on the board from Tomshardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gigabyte-x570-i-aorus_pro-wi-fi-motherboard,6305.html

Thanks for sharing! I will have a look into it.

The CPU downgrade makes sense, I will go with the 3700X

 

[Gmoney06ss]

If you want to save even more, you could step down to a 2070s vs the 2080. Especially for 1080. However if you plan on upgrading to 1440, I'd keep the 2080 in mind.

 

[m4mazzotti]

Any thoughts on using a ASUS ROG STRIX B450-I rather than a X570 as I won't be using PCI gen4.

 

[jeremyj_83]

Any thoughts on using a ASUS ROG STRIX B450-I rather than a X570 as I won't be using PCI gen4.

It isn't a bad board, however, it will require a BIOS update before it can support a 3000 series Ryzen. Overall it isn't as good of a board as the Gigabyte X570 and since your budget is $2k there isn't much of a reason to go with the B450. Another thing is if you go with the 2x PCIe M.2 SSDs the B450 will kill the PCIe Bandwidth "The M.2_2 slot shares with PCIE x16. When M.2_2 slot runs in PCIE mode, the PCIE x16 slot will run at x8 mode. "