Question I need a complete new system, what CPU should I get first?

andypouch

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Oct 16, 2019
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I have an old system. Essential components are

i5 3570K
P8Z77 Deluxe
Corsair H60 AIO cooler
Corsair HX 850
Corsair Dominator 1333 2 x 4GB
GTX 570

I play Battlefield V, For Honour, Final Fantasy XV and Company of Heroes II. Very slow all of these titles and never manage to get 60+ FPS.

I want to have a completely new system. To start with, what CPU should I get? Hopefully, the new system will be able to handle Cyberpunk 2077 at at least Very High settings along with all the above mentioned titles.

Have used AMD CPUs before and not very great experience so AMD needs not apply.

Thanks!
 
If money is not an issue for pure gaming, the 9700K matched to the z390 motherboard. For great value, the Ryzen 3600 and even the Ryzen 2600 matched to a B450 motherboard as the Ryzen 2600 has dropped so much in price and can be upgraded at a later date, especially if money is tight!...
 
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King_V

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Have used AMD CPUs before and not very great experience so AMD needs not apply.

Presumably you've used AMD cpus that are older than your current CPU? If you're making the "no AMD" decision based on that, then you're shortchanging yourself.

Aside from that, what's your current monitor's specifications? Are you planning on changing that as well?

I think currently, your GPU is the biggest thing holding you back.
 
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InvalidError

Titan
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I want to have a completely new system. To start with, what CPU should I get? Hopefully, the new system will be able to handle Cyberpunk 2077 at at least Very High settings along with all the above mentioned titles.
You will need something much faster than a GTX570 (worse than a GTX1050Ti) for most modern games at very high/ultra graphics settings, so you would likely benefit more from upgrading that first.
 

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
What's your budget? I'd say a r5 2/3600 with a B450 max motherbard, 16Gb 3000MHz RAM and either a RTX 2060 Super or a RX 5700, depending if you want RTX would do well.
AMD will be adding RT support to Navi in the near-future, Nvidia's days of premature RT support monopoly may be numbered. Wonder how well AMD's shader-based RT is going to fare compared to the RTX's handicap.
 

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
Yes, it is ~50% over your current potato.

9000-series Intel chips can work on z370 boards too, the main reason for getting a z390 is to avoid issues with boards requiring a BIOS update first which can ruin your day if you don't have a spare 8000-series chip to update a z370 board with.
 

andypouch

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Oct 16, 2019
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Thanks folks.
I just borrowed a RX 570 from my Cousin. BF V now worked GREAT! ~58 @ Ultra, I can't believe my eyes.

Now it is as clear as the white blue sky: modern games almost don't depend on the CPU! This is an 7 years old CPU and it can play BF V at Ultra!!

Now I finally believe those videos showing a i3 8100 + RX 580 makes 90+ in BF V; to b honest previously I thought that was a make-up/fake.

So, why would I buy a high end Intel CPU now? An i3 8100 just costs about $125
 

andypouch

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Oct 16, 2019
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Hi folks,

The big day has finally came. Today, I have purchased

  1. Intel Core i5- 9600K
  2. Asus ROG Strix Z390-F

I was nearly convinced by the performance of 9350KF when I saw a video showing the gaming benchmark of a 8350K. Then I thought why do I spend $120 more on the 9600K given that overclocking 9350KF to 5,0GHz is possible. Until I watched that video over and over again I noticed that 2 games stutter.

To save the trouble and hassle, I just then decided to go for the 9600K. Hope my decision is right.

As to the reason of choosing Z390 and the ROG Strix version, some might say is that really necessary, that's nearly the top ROG Strix board of Asus. My thinking process is as follows:

Should the 9600K last for 5+ years, then so be it. Should 9700K and even 9900K drop by 10% next year when 10th gen comes out and 9600K fails to work because of some AAA titles handicapping it, then I can still have a board which can cope with the 9700K and 9900K.

Now I want to know though, what sort of overclocked temperature of the 9600K @ 5.0GHz? It's because I need a 120mm AIO or a 240mm AIO for that temperature? Anyone can advise? Thanks!
 

andypouch

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Oct 16, 2019
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I have finally completed my last build. The following is the spec:

CPU = Intel Core i5-9600K (3.7 GHz - 4.6 GHz overclock-able to 5.1 GHz)
MOBO = ASUS ROG Strix Z390-F (Premium motherboard with excellent Plug-and-Play BIOS support)
GPU = ASUS ROG Strix RX 570 4GB OC Edition (Stock core speed @1290MHz overclock-able to 1400MHz stable)
STORAGE = Sabrent Rocket 1TB PCIe 3.0 x 4 M.2 (Designed in the USA, outstanding performance costs less then $105)
RAM = Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000MHz CL15 (Low profile DDR4)
COOLER = Corsair H100i PRO RGB (High performance 240mm AIO LCS)
PSU = Corsair RMx 850W (Premium class Corsair power supply unit with monitoring support via iCUE)
CASE = Cooler Master MasterBox MB511 Tempered glass version(Excellent airflow with 3 stock front RGB fans and 1 stock rear non-RGB fan and solid build and spacious interior)
*USB Device = SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive 128GB (Upper class extrenal USB Drive, world fastest USB drive at the time of this thread).
*KEYBOARD = Cougar Vantar (scissor switch keyboard feels like using Mac's keyboard)

I'm particularly happy with the Sabrent Rocket 1TB M.2 drive, MasterBox MB511 and the Cougar keyboard. These 3 items are price/performance wise choices. The Sabrent is designed in the USA, manufactured in Taiwan (not China). It's very fast. Comes with a very nice package with a box not just a cheap paper box.

HlAecX.jpg


The MasterBox MB511 offers spacious interior and 2 5.25" hard drive bays. It could be a next of kin of their MasterBox NR600 veins. Like the NR600, it has a perforated front panel, and comes with 3x 120mm RGB fans which function as air intake. At the rear of the case, a non-RGB 120mm fan provides air exhaust function. The NR600 which is newer and merely $12 cheaper than the MB511 comes with only 1x 120mm non-RGB front fan and 1x 120mm rear fan. The case provides ample room for fitting a 240mm rad/fan AIO system at the front with the removal of 2 front fans, or at the roof which is an option hardly found in other equally best airflow cases like the Corsair Carbide 275R Airflow, Phantek P400A or the superior Silverstone RL06. Upon comparison, both the MB511 and P400A come with 3 RGB front fans and are controlled by a SEPARATED switch, thus freeing up some motherboard's resources. But P400A, 275R Airflow and RL06 lack support for a 120mm or 240mm rad/fan combo at the roof of the case. So if you want more options of positioning your AIO system, the MB511 and NR600 by far are the best choices. Cooler Master, you've done great! Another beauty of this case is its nice and neat interior. There are sufficient holes for running cables around. There is only 1 drawback though, that is its 24-1 USB connector consists of 4 tied up cables which make the whole thingy rather thick to bend in order to take the shortest route to get connected to the header of the motherboard. Fortunately, as the case is black colour, it is not that obvious once you have the temper glass closed. The shroud at the bottom of the case is also well designed. Reminder to those who want to install a 180mm PSU: when putting in the PSU, let the rear of the PSU go into the PSU comparment first, preferably at angle like 45 degree. Boldly bend the cables with a little bit of pressure as you rotate the unit to fit it into the required position. I did the reverse in my first try and couldn't push the unit in completely. But as the Technical Specification in Cooler Master website promises, the case does support 180mm PSU. The operation of all 4 fans with fixed speed adjust via BIOS setting is fantastic. One would have expected some noise when all the fans are running given the number of fans are more than average. The MB511 performs admirably at "Quiet" mode via BIOS settings. And you can feel the "wind" blowing from the rear fan which is quite brilliant. If you up the notch to Normal, you start hearing the whirling sound but it really is a subjective thing when it comes to noise. I personally find it okay. If you are sensitive to noise then you may find the "Normal" mode a bit loud but even at that speed, the noise just sounds like the fan operating at normal speed in your living room. For your information, the rear fan speed is around high 900s under quiet mode.

Ed6XNd.jpg


I was originally researching the Corsair Carbide 275R Airflow and also the SPEC-06 for full ATX motherboard cases. I deserted these options because
  1. Both don't support AIO at the roof, big mistakes!
  2. Corsair forum never replies to my enquiry about the 275R's AIO compatibility even at the time of this thread. I had to did my information searching myself to find out which was quite frankly, TEDIOUS!
And as luck could have it, I happened to watch a video by Tech Deals, a very good YouTube resources about products basically and Mr. Tech Deals is fabulously knowledgeable in products and more importantly he gives fair and balanced advices. He also speaks absolutely clear and fluent English. So far, he and his secretary have held 2 Live Questions Time. In one of his videos in which he recommends the MB511, then this case caught my attentions. Excellent deal! Only $75 with 3 RGB fans and 1 non-RGB fans and excellent Airflow as well as spacious interior, friendly to work in.

The Cougar Vantar Keyboard is classified as a gaming keyboard yet, greatly suitable to office work as well. It is one of the rarely found scissor switch keyboards in the market. My bedroom is next to my brother, and he is very sensitive to noise at night. I used to work late and therefore I am well aware that I must reduce noise at bedtime. It is extremely difficult to find ultra quiet keyboard and mice is no exaggerations. Nearly all gaming keyboards are expensive and very noisy somehow irritating to me. They might be suitable to hardcore gamer who requires fast signal transfer without errors but if you are looking for a keyboard to use for casual gaming and serious office work, this keyboard is a superb choice. You won't regret. It costs only $27 with RGB built-in. Don't expect fancy control like Corsair's iCUE software. The Cougar Vanta's RGB is toggle between different key combinations, less sophisticated as a matter of fact. If your system RAM is less 8GB, this feature saves a bit of RAM resources like the MasterBox MB511's RGB - easy to operate. The keys are light weight and rather short, as such you can approach your prey with stealth. Like other Courgar gaming keyboards, the Vantar implements the Anti-ghost technology making your crouch and fire actions more accurate than non-gaming keyboards. If you're a night gamer, this keyboard is a must to have. In case, the Vantar is not available in your region, you may consider the Aurora variant which has a futuristic carbonlike surface and similar features of the Vantar.

The Asus ROG Strix Z390-F motherboard is a premium build motherboard with many features. It has excellent quality audio and a very user-friendly BIOS. If you're not a PC expert, this board provides you with some plug-and-play features like the EZ version of the BIOS. I booted up my new build and went into the BIOS, click on the XMP_1 profile then save and exit. Next tome when it was booted up, the RAM is set to 3000MHz 15-17-17-3-1.

It's just that the CPU temperature is holding at 34C at idle without any activities in Windows 10. I don't know if this is a good temperature. Can anyone advise?

Another concern I have had is the fluctuation core frequencies. I use HWiNFO to monitor the temperature and core frequencies, noticed that the 9600K fluctuates between 3.7 and 4.2 GHz while I was just doing desktop tasks like browsing mainly. Why the 9600K aletrnates between its base frequency and its turbo frequency? I thought the CPU warps to its TURBO frequency only when gaming. Any clue?
 
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I can feel you buldozer and aX series was an ugly honeypot that a lot of stores did f**** with people.

Are you positive you dont want to go step by step ?
RTX 2060 will not ride that cpu to death, lock fps at 60 and it will keep it paces. (as you care for gaming, this is reasonable and noticable jump)
Then after Intel will release FIRST 7nm chip. Pull the trigger to squeeze everything out of your $.
 

andypouch

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Oct 16, 2019
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I can feel you buldozer and aX series was an ugly honeypot that a lot of stores did f**** with people.

Are you positive you dont want to go step by step ?
RTX 2060 will not ride that cpu to death, lock fps at 60 and it will keep it paces. (as you care for gaming, this is reasonable and noticable jump)
Then after Intel will release FIRST 7nm chip. Pull the trigger to squeeze everything out of your $.
I know, but the games I am playing (please do not laugh at me) are Rise of Nations, Rocket League, League of Legends, Battlefield V, Fortnite, PUBG, Railway Empires, Civilization 6, Mafia 2 and other point-and-click adventure games. I really don't need a RTX 20 GPU dude. I mean, I can raise the budget a bit more if I need to. But I really don't see the need for such an expensive and powerful GPU, overkill in terms of the game I am playing.

I do, however, consider getting CyberPunk 2077 when it comes out next year. Let's see how it goes, maybe it doesn't require that high-end spec and I am happy with The Outer Worlds right now with this 9600K/RX 570. The RX 570 is a bottle neck right now, but let's see how it goes with the forthcoming games. I don't play Assassin Creed because of motion sickness, call of duty franchise also for the same reason.

Intel 7nm comes out next year?

BTW, does it every cross your mind that how many games I can get for the same price I pay for a RTX 20xx?
 

Simran Jeet

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Oct 2, 2015
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if you are on a a budget then get ryzen 5 3600 if not then get i7 9700, in terms of value intel is not that good but ya if u want best of the best in gaming then go intel on high end on low end for gaming amd is best