Build Advice Going to need to build something new ASAP

GregP74

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There's never a good time for a pc to fail but when you're pretty much stuck at working at home and not getting out much for the foreseeable future it's doubly bad. I'm going to need to throw something decent together ASAP. I've got an old laptop I can sort of do work stuff on but it's going to have me pulling what little hair I have out soon.

I'm going to be replacing a system with a 4ghz core i7-6700k and 16gb ram. It had an Asus Maximus IX Hero motherboard.

Right now I'm looking at core i7 9700k or i9 9900k as a replacement. The i7 is more along the lines of what I had, but I'm going to want whatever I get to bump me up a little bit. I'd rather not have to do any upgrades for at least a couple years. I'm guessing the z 390 based boards would be my best bet. I just want something that's fast and dependable. I don't care about RGB lighting and all that stuff. If I end up getting a new case it probably won't have a window, just something to sit there and be quiet.

I have an EVGA 750W P2 power supply and an nvidia 2070 video card. Got an assortment of spinny and m.2 drives I can use as well so I think I'm good on that end I think.

Really just need advice on a good processor, motherboard board, and probably memory.

(I've got an extra Fractal Design Define C case that works fine. I see some of these new boards have usb 3 front headers though. Would be nice to have a case that has those too...)
 
If you need it ASAP. Go to Microcenter. If you have one nearby. The prices are good and they generally have a discount when buying a motherboard and CPU at the same time. A lot of times it is cheaper with the discount than anything online. Fry's is decent in a pinch.

The current Z390 revision of your motherboard is certainly a solid option. There isn't much future proofing CPU upgrade wise. Since this gen is the last gen for that chipset and socket. As it is being replaced by LGA 1200 soon (possibly June).

AMD offers better bang for the buck. Really unless you are going to pair it with a 2080 Ti and game at 1920x1080 for maximum FPS. There isn't really a difference between AMD and Intel when gaming. So, you may just want to take a peek at Ryzen 3900x/3950x with an x570 mobo. Plus it should take Zen 3 later this year.

Crucial or Kingston RAM is good. For a high end Ryzen build I'd get 3600Mhz RAM. Intel doesn't matter so much RAM wise so 3200Mhz is fine.
 

GregP74

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Jul 25, 2016
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If you need it ASAP. Go to Microcenter. If you have one nearby. The prices are good and they generally have a discount when buying a motherboard and CPU at the same time. A lot of times it is cheaper with the discount than anything online. Fry's is decent in a pinch.

The current Z390 revision of your motherboard is certainly a solid option. There isn't much future proofing CPU upgrade wise. Since this gen is the last gen for that chipset and socket. As it is being replaced by LGA 1200 soon (possibly June).

AMD offers better bang for the buck. Really unless you are going to pair it with a 2080 Ti and game at 1920x1080 for maximum FPS. There isn't really a difference between AMD and Intel when gaming. So, you may just want to take a peek at Ryzen 3900x/3950x with an x570 mobo. Plus it should take Zen 3 later this year.

Crucial or Kingston RAM is good. For a high end Ryzen build I'd get 3600Mhz RAM. Intel doesn't matter so much RAM wise so 3200Mhz is fine.

Unfortunately I haven't got a good local place to shop at out here since the CompUSA closed years ago, so I'm pretty much stuck with Amazon/Newegg.

Thanks I'll start taking a look at the Ryzen options.
 
Most 6700K's would hit 4.6 GHz all-core turbos when equipped with decent coolers...

Even it's 8 threads are still at least adequate for most games, unless chasing 144 Hz refresh goals...
(We are but a month or so away from Intel releasing socket 1200 mainboards, and the 10700K should match the 9900K for $100-$150 less....if things are as they seem!)
 
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GregP74

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Most 6700K's would hit 4.6 GHz all-core turbos when equipped with decent coolers...

Even it's 8 threads are still at least adequate for most games, unless chasing 144 Hz refresh goals...
(We are but a month or so away from Intel releasing socket 1200 mainboards, and the 10700K should match the 9900K for $100-$150 less....if things are as they seem!)

With those new ones coming out it leads to a dilemma. Go with something available now that's going to be at the end of its life cycle or wait and get something that'll be at a premium? (Although you mention $100-150 less. Hmmm)

I'm also reading up on the Ryzen 3900x.

Those Gigabyte Aorus Pro Wifi boards look nice for borth the z390 and the x570. Unfortunately neither seem to be available right now. That does lead me to a question. Is it better to get wifi on the motherboard, or just add a card? I didn't have that on my Asus board. I always forgot to download the drivers before I'd reinstall Windows so I'd have to get on another pc to get them again. Talk about annoying! lol
 
With those new ones coming out it leads to a dilemma. Go with something available now that's going to be at the end of its life cycle or wait and get something that'll be at a premium? (Although you mention $100-150 less. Hmmm)

I'm also reading up on the Ryzen 3900x.

Those Gigabyte Aorus Pro Wifi boards look nice for borth the z390 and the x570. Unfortunately neither seem to be available right now. That does lead me to a question. Is it better to get wifi on the motherboard, or just add a card? I didn't have that on my Asus board. I always forgot to download the drivers before I'd reinstall Windows so I'd have to get on another pc to get them again. Talk about annoying! lol

You've got more options with a WiFi card and can potentially buy a faster card. The advantages of the built in card being the price and leaving slots open. Often times the boards cost little or no more than the non-WiFi variant. A good dedicated card is pretty pricey. The disadvantage is it may reduce the number of features a board can support simultaneously. As it eats up some lanes. Which is a moot point if you need WiFi as a dedicated card will eat up a slot and PCIe lanes.