[SOLVED] Double-check 3900x Build

[Scottes]

It's time for a new system as my 3-year-old system is giving me fits and can be re-purposed. I put together the 3900x system below and hoping for some double-checking to ensure that I'm not doing something stupid.

A few notes on use: I do not game. I run some VMs, and write programs to do a lot of multi-core data processing ranging from 100+ GB data files and 30,000 files of various sizes (1KB - 4 MB). I may do some over-clocking, but I'm a dummy there and stability is far more important. A quiet system is very, very important.

This system below is well within my budget. I will spend more money to get something even marginally better/faster, but there is a limit.

AMD 3900x
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero X570
Thermal Paste
G.Skill Trident Z Neo Series 2x16GB 3600MHz CL16-19-19-39

Fractal Design Define R5
+2 more Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 fans
Seasonic 850W Prime Titanium
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 cooler Noctua DH-15

Corsair MP600 1TB (Boot, applications, programming)
EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti EVGA GeForce GTX 1650 SC
Win 10

I will be also be adding a Samsung 850 EVO 2 TB SSD and a Seagate 4TB HDD from my old system.

Questions:
Is there anything incompatible here?
Is that RAM good or very good or is there better/faster within $200? (It's currently $215 so doubling that would need to be better/faster in a way that's noticeable to me. I'm not chasing performance stats.)
Will that RAM fit under the cooler? (I had problems on an old build and don't know this brand.)
Is there a better/quieter air cooler? I'm gun-shy on water cooling because I have no knowledge but could be convinced after some info.
Can I get buy with a lesser GPU for running a 5K ultrawide plus a 1080p?

Thanks in advance.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Looks good.

That RAM is very good since it has low CAS latency at CL16 + faster speed at DDR4 3600. You could get better, but like you say the prices can sometimes double for only a few percentages better performance.

You've chosen a very good air cooler. I'm not specifically knowledgeable on which one is the most quiet, but other comparable coolers are the Noctua NH-D15 or D15S and the Cryorig R1 Ultimate. I think you picked a good one, the Dark Rock Pro is very good and looks great too.

Yes, you can get a lesser GPU. I would recommend the GTX 1650 Super. It has the latest GDDR6 memory and supports 7680x4320@120Hz

 

[Scottes]

Thanks. My current system has a Noctua NH-D15 and I've grown to dislike it. It's a great cooler but so big that I don't like the way it sits low, blocked the original RAM that I got for that system, and I can't sit the fans perfectly because they hit something on the motherboard. The Dark Rock Pro looks a bit tighter and hopefully will fit better.

The 1650 GPU saves $130 over the 1160 I had picked, so that's nice to save money on something that I won't notice.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Thanks. My current system has a Noctua NH-D15 and I've grown to dislike it. It's a great cooler but so bug that I don't like the way it sits low, blocked the original RAM that I got for that system, and I can't sit the fans perfectly because they hit something on the motherboard. The Dark Rock Pro looks a bit tighter and hopefully will fit better.

The 1650 GPU saves $130 over the 1160 I had picked, so that's nice to save money on something that I won't notice.

Be aware the GTX 1650 has GDDR5, and the GTX 1650 SUPER has GDDR6. But, I don't think it will make a difference in the resolution it supports. The 1650 SUPER is considerably faster for only $10-$20 more.

 

[Scottes]

Be aware the GTX 1650 has GDDR5

All I really care about is displaying to 2 monitors, but I occasionally do some photo editing in Photoshop so colorspace, color depth and color accuracy could be important. It's not like I care about framerate performance. The GPU memory type shouldn't matter for me, right?

 

[my_pc_build]

Thanks. My current system has a Noctua NH-D15 and I've grown to dislike it. It's a great cooler but so bug that I don't like the way it sits low, blocked the original RAM that I got for that system, and I can't sit the fans perfectly because they hit something on the motherboard. The Dark Rock Pro looks a bit tighter and hopefully will fit better.

The 1650 GPU saves $130 over the 1160 I had picked, so that's nice to save money on something that I won't notice.

Hi Scottes,

Well the DRP4 is 180 mm in height (vs NH-D15 155 mm), which is to the mm the maximum CPU height for the Fractal Design Define R5. I would be a little nervous about that.

The NH-D15 will fit with that ram (I initially used it with the same ram on my Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming ATX before changing to liquid cooling ), though you do have to raise one of the fans (and it will block the RBG / view) - I haven't yet worked out whether the DRP4 will fit with the fan. Fan attachment on the DPR4 is also said to be more difficult than the NH-D15.

Be aware also that the NH-D15 has a 6 year warranty (vs DRP4 3 years) and generally regarded as having better performance, though DRP4 is apparently quieter at low load (e.g. one review https://premiumbuilds.com/guides/noctua-nh-d15-vs-dark-rock-pro-4/).

I would search completed builds and see if you can find one that uses the DRP4 in that case - 0 mm clearance really doesn't sound like a good plan to me.

If you are dead against the NH-D15 / committed to the DRP4, perhaps consider a case with a little more room for CPU cooler height. The NH-D15 is not so much bigger as shaped differently:
Noctua NH-D15 Dark Rock Pro 4
Height 155mm 180mm
Width 140mm 135mm
Depth 80mm 90mm

Oh and I think a big air cooler like one of the above is adequate for your build, you don't need to look into liquid cooling (which is a good thing because air is simpler).

All the best

 

[my_pc_build]

All I really care about is displaying to 2 monitors, but I occasionally do some photo editing in Photoshop so colorspace, color depth and color accuracy could be important. It's not like I care about framerate performance. The GPU memory type shouldn't matter for me, right?

Correct (although towards the end of the GPU life the better performing GPU might last a little longer before you need to replace it for performance reasons, couldn't say whether that is likely to happen for this comparison).

 

[Scottes]

0 mm clearance really doesn't sound like a good plan to me.

If you are dead against the NH-D15 / committed to the DRP4, perhaps consider a case with a little more room for CPU cooler height.

Yeah, good catch.
I'm not set against the NH-D15 - it does it's job well, but I had some problems with it in my last build so I am leery. But 0mm means it is likely to cause bigger problems.
Comparing the Fractal cases, I prefer the R5 over the R6, and don't have such preferences of the DRP vs Noctua. So I've switched to the Noctua like my last build.