Question Is it worth buying a 13th gen CPU now? or waiting for 14th gen?

[Daynhg]

Hi.

Quick 2 questions on the same topic.

1.
Title, is it worth buying a 13th gen now, or are 14th imminent, and worth waiting / paying for , for gaming / blender, 3D printing, and VR?
PC is used for nothing else really, apart from the above, and the usual browsing, streaming etc.

2.
Will 14th gen have AI, and would that affect, to any great degree the usage listed above.

I really appreciate any help, or information, and pointers.
Thank you.

 

[Misgar]

Check the rumour mill, news sites like Toms or Intel's roadmap for info on next gen CPUs.

If you're prepared to wait 6 to 12 months, or however long it takes before Gen 14 is released, don't buy a Gen 13 system.

Intel change the CPU socket every two years or so, making any system you buy obsolete quite soon.

If your current system is more than 5 years old, buy Gen 13 now.

As for AI, I've no idea. Sorry.

 

[Daynhg]

Check the rumour mill, news sites like Toms or Intel's roadmap for info on next gen CPUs.

If you're prepared to wait 6 to 12 months, or however long it takes before Gen 14 is released, don't buy a Gen 13 system.

Intel change the CPU socket every two years or so, making any system you buy obsolete quite soon.

If your current system is more than 5 years old, buy Gen 13 now.

As for AI, I've no idea. Sorry.

Misgar​

Thank you so much.
You answered my question.

I didn't know (realise) they were that far away.
And wondered, if only a couple months, then maybe worth the wait.
But if it is all still in the "rumour mill" then yes 13th gen is the way for forward at this time.

Also, your point about how old my existing rig is... A dinosaur. But surprisingly still very efficient.
But it's about 8 years old, 980ti, etc.
So again a valid reason, and-high time for going 13th now.

And, I suppose it would be wise to wait until AI chips "settle in" before going that rout.

I really appreciate the feedback, and the help. 👍
Thank you.

 

[Nighthawk117]

Hi.

Quick 2 questions on the same topic.

1.
Title, is it worth buying a 13th gen now, or are 14th imminent, and worth waiting / paying for , for gaming / blender, 3D printing, and VR?
PC is used for nothing else really, apart from the above, and the usual browsing, streaming etc.

2.
Will 14th gen have AI, and would that affect, to any great degree the usage listed above.

I really appreciate any help, or information, and pointers.
Thank you.

It's up to you, it's more a case on whether or not you will have buyers remorse. In terms of your queries:

1. Title, is it worth buying a 13th gen now, or are 14th imminent, and worth waiting / paying for , for gaming /
It would seem 14th gen desktop CPU's are a refresh of Raptor Lake so you will be looking at the same basic core architecture. As a result it's unlikely to have an impact on gaming related activities and VR. If they increase the core counts then it could effect blender.

2. Will 14th gen have AI, and would that affect, to any great degree the usage listed above.
Meteor Lake will have some dedicated AI hardware but it's not clear if Raptor Lake Refresh will. Even if it does, it will rely on software to use it. If you use software that runs machine learning workloads, then it's almost certain they will run on Nvidia GPU's.

My two cents would be there are plenty powerful CPU's available from 13th gen Intel and Ryzen 7000 that should be more than sufficient for your use case for several years to come. If your doing a lot of heavy multi-tasking then I would look at the 13700K, 13900K, Ryzen 7900X and Ryzen 7950X. If those are too expensive then the 13600K is a good compromise.

If you want a platform that has an upgrade option at a later date then I would forget Intel and get an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X.

 

[geofelt]

If you wait for the next best thing, you will wait forever.
If you have a need now, buy now.
Raptor lake(13th) gen is supposed to refresh in October.

Intel 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh Confirmed: Everything We Know So Far

Intel has seemingly confirmed its planned 14th Gen Raptor Lake refresh desktop processors in a recent slip in China, referring to them by name for the first time.

www.forbes.com

If history holds true, expect a 10% price/performance boost over 13th gen.

As to AI, that seems to me to be mainly a software thing, at least right now.
If there is to be a hardware assist, I think it more likely to come in the form of a pcie add in card.

No doubt, you will get recommendations for AMD based upgrade, but at any price point, intel and amd are comparable.
If you are now in Intel, an intel upgrade will be more comfortable for you.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Adding to the above

1.
Title, is it worth buying a 13th gen now, or are 14th imminent, and worth waiting / paying for , for gaming / blender, 3D printing, and VR?


PC is used for nothing else really, apart from the above, and the usual browsing, streaming etc.

14th gen is rumored to be released around Q3 this year. But otherwise the broader range release date is the second half. Which is basically any time from now until the end of December. It's likely though that Intel will launch the CPU based around some major convention or other technology/gaming conference to generate the most hype.

A new generation of hardware typically doesn't provide leaps and bounds better performance. The other thing waiting might also do is allow you to buy current gen parts for cheaper.

Either way, if the current gen provides more than enough performance to meet your requirements, then don't discount it.

2.
Will 14th gen have AI, and would that affect, to any great degree the usage listed above.

Considering 14th gen for desktops is a refresh of 13th gen, it's likely not going to contain any AI acceleration hardware. And if AI acceleration is something you really want to dive in, I recommend using a dedicated GPU for this.

 

[TerryLaze]

If history holds true, expect a 10% price/performance boost over 13th gen.

12900k to 13900 was a ~50% uplift at the same price for multithreaded because they went from 8 to 16 e-cores and improved the efficiency of the p-cores.

Core i9-13900K, i7-13700K & i5-13600K: Gaming-Könige im Test: Benchmarks in Apps

Intel Raptor Lake im Test: Benchmarks in Apps / So wurde getestet / Leistung in Single-Core-Lasten (klassisch)

www.computerbase.de

Adding to the above


14th gen is rumored to be released around Q3 this year. But otherwise the broader range release date is the second half. Which is basically any time from now until the end of December. It's likely though that Intel will launch the CPU based around some major convention or other technology/gaming conference to generate the most hype.

Intel always tries to launch the high end at the end of q3 or the start of q4 so that people have time to learn about them and save up money to get them for the holidays.
It's not a law though, it's just often the case.

 

[Nighthawk117]

I find it extremely unlikely you would be unsatisfied with any of the options available today. If you are in no rush and are happy to wait another few months to see what the new stuff is like then by all means. If you need a new computer soon then you can only buy what's in front of you, but fortunately there is not a shortage of good options.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I wouldn't touch an Intel 13th-gen CPU. The i9-13900K makes even the FX-9590 blush when it comes to power consumption and heat generation. Hell, I've seen the i9-13900K draw more power under load than my RX 6800 XT!

What Intel calls "13th-gen" is what I call "12th-gen but overclocked to the moon".

 

[hotaru.hino]

I wouldn't touch an Intel 13th-gen CPU. The i9-13900K makes even the FX-9590 blush when it comes to power consumption and heat generation.

At least the i9-13900K can actually perform. The FX-9590 could barely keep up with an i5-2500K, which was two generations old at that point.

 

[cAllen]

Just draw a line in the sand and pick. There will always be "another" latest/greatest/best.

 

[Daynhg]

Thank you all for your feedback, and the fantastic information, and advise.
Its guys like you all, that are testament to why Toms is such an ultra successful site.

And from all that has been said, I really do not need to wait.
Thank you.


I do have a three follow-up questions, I hope you dont mind..

Question 1.
Nighthawk117.
You said.
Go with AMD (I am currently intel) because AMD is a "platform that has an upgrade option at a later date"
I'm honestly not sure how this works?
How does AMD have the upgrade option over intel please?

I was initially looking at the i7-13700K or the i9-13900K.
But there doesn't seem to be a great rise in power between these two, despite the £175 difference in price.

Please click the green human to continue - UserBenchmark

Both run at 125w (This is important to me, as Im trying to keep the ongoing energy cost as low as possible. Even going form a 4080 to a 4080. yet to buy.

Question 2.
I am looking at the AMD chips you recommended.
The.
1st, AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Retail.
2nd, AMD Ryzen™ 9 7900X3D Desk-top Processor
And 4th AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X3D Desktop Processor chips.
On the below Amazon page. (All links are 100% legit, Amazon UK, and Userbenchmark.)

Weirdly the lowest price CPU says it runs at 170w, while the two higher CPUs are both 120w?

Amazon.co.uk : AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

Question 3.
But what I also found confusing, is when comparing them on "Userbenchmark."

Please click the green human to continue - UserBenchmark

Even the middle AMD chip, retailing at £499.99 compared to the low Intel chip retail £376.90,
the intel is more powerful, in almost every department.

And even the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D compared to again the lower i7-13700K
The AMD is more powerful, but not by that much.
Despite being a whopping £244 more?

Please click the green human to continue - UserBenchmark

Has Userbenchmark got this wrong? As by the specs, cores/thread count etc, shouldn't the AMD be wiping the floor with the intel.

Sorry to go on.
So, to summarise.

1. How does AMD have an upgrade path?
2. Are the AMD chips as/more powerful for the higher price?
3. Power consumption, The intel being 120w, how is the lowest AMD chip 50w, hungrier than its two more powerful brothers?

Again, thank you, and all for any help.
It really is invaluable.

It's been a long while since I built a PC, and a its costing a lot of cash, I just dont want to get it wrong.

EDIT.
I just read Avro Arrow's post. Saying AMD chips are FAR less power hungry, is ths right?
As this is also a big selling point.
Also I never O'C anything.

I also need to find a good mobo with onboard bluetooth / wifi. But that will be another thread.

 

[Nighthawk117]

Question 1.
Nighthawk117.
You said.
Go with AMD (I am currently intel) because AMD is a "platform that has an upgrade option at a later date"
I'm honestly not sure how this works?
How does AMD have the upgrade option over intel please?

I was initially looking at the i7-13700K or the i9-13900K.
But there doesn't seem to be a great rise in power between these two, despite the £175 difference in price.

UserBenchmark: Intel Core i7-13700K vs i9-13900K

AMD's AM5 platform will support at least 3 generations of CPU's, the 7000 series is the first such generation. So it means the CPU's released over the next couple of years will be drop in upgrades to your existing motherboard.

13th gen Intel is the last CPU generation on the LGA 1700 socket, so there will be no future generations to upgrade to. You would have to replace the motherboard.

Both run at 125w (This is important to me, as Im trying to keep the ongoing energy cost as low as possible. Even going form a 4080 to a 4080. yet to buy.

The TDP ratings of CPU's are meaningless and can largely be ignored. Both these CPU's will use dramatically more than 125W when fully loaded. The TDP rating of 125W assumes that the CPU's will run at their base clock, so the P cores at 3.00Ghz and E cores at 2.2Ghz. In the real world that's not how these CPU's will run, a 13900K would normally run at 5.5Ghz on the P cores under a sustained load full load:

Intel Core i9-13900K Review - Power-Hungry Beast

With the Core i9-13900K, Intel delivers impressive performance. Our in-depth review confirms: Raptor Lake is the world's fastest CPU for gaming. Even in applications the processor is able to match AMD's Zen 4 Ryzen 9 7950X flagship. If only power consumption wasn't so high...

www.techpowerup.com

This will give you a better idea of power consumption:

Intel Core i9-13900K Review - Power-Hungry Beast

With the Core i9-13900K, Intel delivers impressive performance. Our in-depth review confirms: Raptor Lake is the world's fastest CPU for gaming. Even in applications the processor is able to match AMD's Zen 4 Ryzen 9 7950X flagship. If only power consumption wasn't so high...

www.techpowerup.com

As you can see the 13900K uses 283W in the multithreaded test, more than double the CPU's official TDP.

Question 2.
I am looking at the AMD chips you recommended.
The.
1st, AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Retail.
2nd, AMD Ryzen™ 9 7900X3D Desk-top Processor
And 4th AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X3D Desktop Processor chips.
On the below Amazon page. (All links are 100% legit, Amazon UK, and Userbenchmark.)

Weirdly the lowest price CPU says it runs at 170w, while the two higher CPUs are both 120w?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=AMD+Ry...fix=amd+ryzen+9+7900x,aps,89&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

As with Intel the TDP figures relate the base clock not boost clock. The reason the high end 3D CPU's have lower TDP's is because their base clocks are lower than the standard CPU's.

Question 3.
But what I also found confusing, is when comparing them on "Userbenchmark."
UserBenchmark: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D vs Intel Core i7-13700K
Even the middle AMD chip, retailing at £499.99 compared to the low Intel chip retail £376.90,
the intel is more powerful, in almost every department.

And even the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D compared to again the lower i7-13700K
The AMD is more powerful, but not by that much.
Despite being a whopping £244 more?

UserBenchmark: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D vs Intel Core i7-13700K
Has Userbenchmark got this wrong? As by the specs, cores/thread count etc, shouldn't the AMD be wiping the floor with the intel.

UserBenchmark has value you in a quick a and dirty comparison between CPU's. It's not something I would base a purchase decision on however.

The 13700K is often slightly faster than the 7900X and 7900X3D but it depends on workload. However in games that can take advantage of the 3D cache the 7900X3D will be faster. For example:

https://tpucdn.com/review/amd-ryzen-7-7800x3d/images/cyberpunk-2077-1280-720.png

The 7900X is really the direct competitor to the 13700K and at least where I live is around the same price. It also performs very similarly across the board.

The 7950X3D is a premium product commanding a premium price. Your paying for the 3D cache, the benefits of which vary highly depending on workload. It is worth noting however, that the7950X3D is much more power efficient:

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D Initial Performance: AM5 Enters the X3D Era - PC Perspective

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D Initial Performance: AM5 Enters the X3D Era Remember when AMD first introduced the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and there was speculation about a

pcper.com

If money was no object it would be the CPU I would choose over anything else due to it's blend of extremely high performance and relatively modest power consumption.

1. How does AMD have an upgrade path?

3 generations of CPU's are supported on the AM5 socked, AMD 7000 is gen 1.

2. Are the AMD chips as/more powerful for the higher price?

Below the i7 level I would say Intel offers more performance for the money. When you get to the i7 level, AMD's competing CPU's the 12 core 7900/X offer relative parity in performance for the price. The AM5 motherboards however are more expensive than Intel.

3. Power consumption, The intel being 120w, how is the lowest AMD chip 50w, hungrier than its two more powerful brothers?

As mentioned above, Intel's TDP figures are very misleading. AMD is unquestionably more power efficient. The most extreme example being the 7950X3D which operates at roughly half the power consumption of the 13900K:

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z6z4jnei4nTM9cNHkDVR4c-1200-80.png

I just read Avro Arrow's post. Saying AMD chips are FAR less power hungry, is ths right?
As this is also a big selling point.
Also I never O'C anything.

It should be noted that all these modern CPU's run quite hot, including AMD. However AMD does use less power, especially at the higher end. If you were concerned about power consumption, AMD also has a mode called 'eco mode' that can be be set in a 105W or 65W configuration. In the 105W configuration, performance loss is quite modest, I think around 10% if I remember correctly, but power consumption and temperatures are significantly reduced.

 

[Daynhg]

Wow what an incredible reply, and the links.
You have my sincere thanks.

Nighthawk117​

Well, that turned my thinking on its head.

So now I am looking at the 7950X3D. With the power, and the energy saving.

But WOW there are some hoops to jump through to get the full power. A clean install of Windows, needed?
Even the writer of that article is sardonic about, "If you enjoy clean installing your OS. Which I think as many as 1% of people might."
I wonder how much you would lose if you didn't reinstall windows.
But as I am planning to get an M.2, I suppose I could do it on there, instead of just swapping my existing sata SSD over..

I will try not to tax you any further, but if I could ask this last advice concerning CPU, Motherboard linked, and CPU cooler.
I hope you don't mind.

I looked at motherboards, and this one popped up as a good one.
It is expensive, more than I was looking at, but not by much.
I understood 99% of your reply, which in itself is a huge kudos to how you wrote it.

But am still a little wobbly on the whole "AM5 platform" I understand exactly what you mean it is. But I am guessing by "platform," you mean AMD specific motherboards?

Would this (below) MB have that platform?
And would it be a good choice, or would you go with a different one please.
It has to be able to run a 4080, and have onboard Wi-Fi/Bluetooth.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-motherboard-support-heatsinks-Cooling/dp/B0BF5D8QXC/?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=pd_wlh&pd_rd_w=LJvXd&content-id=amzn1.sym.9e6c9480-447f-45e9-bfbb-c3a85c1dfbf4&pf_rd_p=9e6c9480-447f-45e9-bfbb-c3a85c1dfbf4&pf_rd_r=E54TQ865AX3E044GR6X4&pd_rd_wg=dNSKt&pd_rd_r=c13d8709-6801-44b7-b3ea-0c94d2430366

Last point, it does say on the 7950X3D CPU that "liquid cooler recommended."
But then below says "often bought together" and shows. ⤵

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noctua-NH-D15-chromax-black-dual-tower-cooler/dp/B07Y87YHRH/?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=pd_wlh&pd_rd_w=LJvXd&content-id=amzn1.sym.9e6c9480-447f-45e9-bfbb-c3a85c1dfbf4&pf_rd_p=9e6c9480-447f-45e9-bfbb-c3a85c1dfbf4&pf_rd_r=E54TQ865AX3E044GR6X4&pd_rd_wg=dNSKt&pd_rd_r=c13d8709-6801-44b7-b3ea-0c94d2430366

I have never used water-cooling, and would preferably buy air, and coincidentally was looking at this exact CPU cooler, before posting one here. Would this Noctua NH-D15 be enough for the 7950X3D CPU?
I am also hoping it has the clearance for 4 ram sticks.

Thank you again for an incredibly detailed, helpful, and easy to understand reply.

 

[Nighthawk117]

So now I am looking at the 7950X3D. With the power, and the energy saving.

It's a great CPU, but if you didn't want to spend so much then I would also consider the 7900X3D. While there aren't many reviews on it, you can expect it's gaming performance to be similar to the 7950X3D.

But WOW there are some hoops to jump through to get the full power. A clean install of Windows, needed?
Even the writer of that article is sardonic about, "If you enjoy clean installing your OS. Which I think as many as 1% of people might."
I wonder how much you would lose if you didn't reinstall windows.

Whether you go Intel or AMD I would reinstall Windows, while Windows is much better at being moved from one system to the other these days. From experience you increase the likelihood of running into issues. I've avoided doing it before only to then do it at a later date to fix issues. I would also take this opportunity to do a fresh install of Windows 11. If you have a retail Windows 10 license key, then that will also work with Windows 11.

But am still a little wobbly on the whole "AM5 platform" I understand exactly what you mean it is. But I am guessing by "platform," you mean AMD specific motherboards?

AM5 is the name of the socket used by AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU's. So when I say AM5 platform, I'm talking about motherboards that use the AM5 socket. Bare in mind AM4 motherboards are still available, these support previous generations of AMD Ryzen CPU's (1000 to 5000), so you don't want to confuse the two.
Intel motherboards use a completely different socket called LGA1700.

Would this (below) MB have that platform?
And would it be a good choice, or would you go with a different one please.
It has to be able to run a 4080, and have onboard Wi-Fi/Bluetooth.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-mothe...&pd_rd_r=c13d8709-6801-44b7-b3ea-0c94d2430366

Yes that's an AM5 motherboard, it's an excellent motherboard but there are cheaper alternatives. On the more affordable side a good starting point for me would be the MSI MAG X670E:

MSI MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX Motherboard | Ebuyer.com

Get a great deal on a MSI MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX Motherboard as well as thousands of products at Ebuyer!

www.ebuyer.com

I can find no mention of Bluetooth though. Otherwise there are cheaper MSI and Asus boards than the one listed that are still feature rich:

MSI MPG X670E CARBON WIFI ATX Motherboard | Ebuyer.com

Get a great deal on a MSI MPG X670E CARBON WIFI ATX Motherboard as well as thousands of products at Ebuyer!

www.ebuyer.com

ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-F GAMING WIFI ATX Motherboard | Ebuyer.com

Get a great deal on a ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-F GAMING WIFI ATX Motherboard as well as thousands of products at Ebuyer!

www.ebuyer.com

The 4080 will run in any motherboard with a PCI-E x16 slot. It simply needs a board with PCI-E gen 4 to reach it's full performance. Every AM5 motherboard supports this.

Last point, it does say on the 7950X3D CPU that "liquid cooler recommended."
But then below says "often bought together" and shows. ⤵
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noctua-NH-D15-chromax-black-dual-tower-cooler/dp/B07Y87YHRH/?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=pd_wlh&pd_rd_w=LJvXd&content-id=amzn1.sym.9e6c9480-447f-45e9-bfbb-c3a85c1dfbf4&pf_rd_p=9e6c9480-447f-45e9-bfbb-c3a85c1dfbf4&pf_rd_r=E54TQ865AX3E044GR6X4&pd_rd_wg=dNSKt&pd_rd_r=c13d8709-6801-44b7-b3ea-0c94d2430366
I have never used water-cooling, and would preferably buy air, and coincidentally was looking at this exact CPU cooler, before posting one here. Would this Noctua NH-D15 be enough for the 7950X3D CPU?
I am also hoping it has the clearance for 4 ram sticks.

The Noctua NH-D15 would be sufficient for the 7950X3D yes. In this review it got to 77C with the NH-D15:

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU Review: Performance, Thermals & Power Analysis - Page 10 of 13 - Hardware Busters

Hardware Busters - AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU Review: Performance, Thermals & Power Analysis - CPU

hwbusters.com

For AIO liquid coolers I would look at ones with at least 280mm radiators but preferably 360mm. Some good options are:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk

Corsair iCUE H150i RGB ELITE 360mm All-in-One Liquid CPU Cooler - CW-9060060-WW

Corsair iCUE H150i RGB ELITE 360mm All-in-One Liquid CPU Cooler, Mfg Code: CW-9060060-WW

www.cclonline.com

Just to make you aware, there have been some issues with AM5 motherboards applying too much voltage to the CPU's and damaging them. The manufacturers have released bios updates to protect against this.
I'm not an expert but the issue seems to be caused by 1) Overclocking the CPU, 2) Memory EXPO profiles running the Integrated Memory Controller at too higher voltage.

To avoid issues, my two cents would be, make sure you have the latest bios update and don't get a super high performance memory kit. I wouldn't get more than 6000Mhz, something like:

Kingston FURY Beast 32GB 6000MHz DDR5 CL36 DIMM Memory - Black | Ebuyer.com

Get a great deal on a Kingston FURY Beast 32GB 6000MHz DDR5 CL36 DIMM Memory - Black as well as thousands of products at Ebuyer!

www.ebuyer.com

Or

Kingston FURY Beast 32GB (16GB x 2) 5600MHz DDR5 CL40 DIMM Memory - Black | Ebuyer.com

Get a great deal on a Kingston FURY Beast 32GB (16GB x 2) 5600MHz DDR5 CL40 DIMM Memory - Black as well as thousands of products at Ebuyer!

www.ebuyer.com

 

[sonofjesse]

If you love upgrading, buy AM5, then upgrade the CPU when the next gen chips come out?

I have to ask what is your current machine and what do you need from it, that it cant' do today?

 

[Daynhg]

@Nighthawk117

Thank you for another fantastic reply, packed with information.
It REALLY helped.
With your, and others help, I am 90% there, and its a massive relief. I really appreciate it.

If this is the wrong forum to ask these final questions I can post on the right one. Forgive if it is.


But with a few missing items, due to caveats, and unsureness.
The last 3 are the most important, although any help on the others is greatly needed, and appreciated.

1.
There are more drives that I will swap over. But will buy a new version of Windows 11, that I will install onto the M.2. The WD_Black SN850X
As you said to.
The WD-Black seemed to get better reviews than the Samsung 980 pro. (I have no idea about M.2's, having never had one before.

2.
I will also be buying a

Amazon.co.uk

Which seems to be the "go to" when connecting a Be Quite PSU to a 4000 series card.

3.
As far as I can tell the Lian Li O11D XL-X ATX Full Tower Case is big enough for all of he kit.

4.
Fans you recommended Noctua as the most silent, so that is the rout I will be going.
From what I have read its a 12mm case, but can accommodate 1400mm in top (which I probably wont do,) and bottom which I will.
But I cant seem to find grey or black versions of the below brown and cream, that get as high ratings as the brow ones.
Which wouldn't bother me if the case wasn't glass.

Also It been a while, I am assuming PMW is standard.

Amazon.co.uk

But these last queries are the big ones.
5.
On parts picker its saying the CPU is not compatible with that motherboard, even though both you, and Amazon say it is? any ideas please.
6.
Ram clearance.
I looked at the ram you recommended. and on E-buyer. I tend to buy form Amazon, just from habit. and returns.
It says the "Kingston FURY Beast" is 6000MHz on E-Buyer.
But on Amazon it says 6000MT/s

Amazon.co.uk

Again no clue. But I read MTs, is not equivalent with MHz?

I need DDR5, and as you say, would like at least 6000mhz.

I looked at.

Amazon.co.uk

and

Amazon.co.uk

I really don't mind what it looks like, it does not have to have LED, just as long as its good reliable ram, is or above 6000mhz,, (but you said that can cause issues.) and is DDR 5.
However, the real problem I am finding, is that it fits under a Noctua NH-D15

Amazon.co.uk

As I looked at water cooling, the ones you linked, and as great as they look, and would solve the clearance issue.
I read everywhere, that it costs considerably more "electricity" to run, and as much as I want to upgrade to the best I can afford now. I want to keep the electric bill as low as possible. As the PC is on pretty much all day.

So it looks like Air is the best option, but keeping both fans on the Noctua NH-D15, which Ram that meets the specs I need, would fit under that CPU cooler?
I also read you can rase the ram facing fan on the cooler?

7.
Last point.
I was looking to upgrade my existing old AOC 2k 32" monitor for a wider one.
The AOC in Partspicker or the ViewSonic VX3418.
If I went for (and forgive the thick question.) A 3440 x 1440 DPI, 34 inch wide screen monitor, would I see a noticeable difference in resolution.
Not to 4K standards, but would there be a difference.

Sorry for these last questions. I really appreciate all of this help and guidance.

I want to get the kit, hopefully today. And again thank you for any help on any of these above 7 questions.

@sonofjesse
Thank you for the feedback.
My rig is REALLY old.
I tried to update it a little a few years ago, and ended up with lower speck than I had before.
I have a 64g low speed ram DDR4. I cant remember the speed, its low.
Intel i5-11004f
Evga Psu 650W Supernova 650
GTX 980-ti GPU.

I want the new kit to play games I have had for years that chug with this system. (Even though I have to give props, that it still plays most games really well.
But also for VR, on my old Oculus.
And blender sculpting, which really chugs.


So hopefully the new right, while I have the cash, if I get it right, with the awesome help on here, will be night and day to this one.

 

[Nighthawk117]

I have attached the PC I "plan" to buy hopefully mostly today, as its Prime day.

There are no components listed, I'm not sure that's right link.

1.
There are more drives that I will swap over. But will buy a new version of Windows 11, that I will install onto the M.2. The WD_Black SN850X
As you said to.
The WD-Black seemed to get better reviews than the Samsung 980 pro. (I have no idea about M.2's, having never had one before.

The Samsung 980 Pro is better but there have been some question marks over reliability. The ones shipping now are probably fine, but I still might be tempted to get the WD Black instead if it was me. The reality is they are both excellent drives.

3.
As far as I can tell the Lian Li O11D XL-X ATX Full Tower Case is big enough for all of he kit.

I would have thought so, it's a good case. You may not even need the XL version tbh but your choice.

Fans you recommended Noctua as the most silent, so that is the rout I will be going.
From what I have read its a 12mm case, but can accommodate 1400mm in top (which I probably wont do,) and bottom which I will.
But I cant seem to find grey or black versions of the below brown and cream, that get as high ratings as the brow ones.
Which wouldn't bother me if the case wasn't glass.

I think that's right, you can take 2 x 140's at the top and bottom. I think this is the black version:

Amazon.co.uk

A lot of money for a fan though.

5.
On parts picker its saying the CPU is not compatible with that motherboard, even though both you, and Amazon say it is? any ideas please.

Which motherboard was this, the Asus Strix one you listed before?

Ram clearance.
I looked at the ram you recommended. and on E-buyer. I tend to buy form Amazon, just from habit. and returns.
It says the "Kingston FURY Beast" is 6000MHz on E-Buyer.
But on Amazon it says 6000MT/s
Amazon.co.uk Again no clue. But I read MTs, is not equivalent with MHz?

I need DDR5, and as you say, would like at least 6000mhz.

I mentioned the Kingston Fury Beast because it was on AMD's QVL list. MT/s is often used interchangeably with Mhz. Those ones you've linked are 6000Mhz, that's used though so I wouldn't get that. This is the compatibility list:

https://www.amd.com/en/processors/ryzen-compatible-memory

In reality others not on the list will work, but it's not a bad idea pick one from the list if possible because it means it's been tested. My goto is normally Corsair Vengeance RAM but it's not on the QVL.

This is on the QVL list and it's directly from Amazon:

Amazon.co.uk

As I looked at water cooling, the ones you linked, and as great as they look, and would solve the clearance issue.
I read everywhere, that it costs considerably more "electricity" to run, and as much as I want to upgrade to the best I can afford now. I want to keep the electric bill as low as possible. As the PC is on pretty much all day.

So it looks like Air is the best option, but keeping both fans on the Noctua NH-D15, which Ram that meets the specs I need, would fit under that CPU cooler?
I also read you can rase the ram facing fan on the cooler?

They will use more power than an air cooler because they have a water pump. Manufacturers don't normally bother to measure the power consumption of the AIO's.

If you were to look at CORSAIR XD7 RGB, that's a custom loop kit, that uses 30W. Consider that to be worst case scenario, the coolers your looking at should be less than that. Buy what you feel most comfortable with.

You normally can move the fan up and down a little on big air coolers like the NHD15. You may find you don't have to if you get RAM without the Christmas lights on top.

 

[Lafong]

"On parts picker its saying the CPU is not compatible with that motherboard, even though both you, and Amazon say it is? any ideas please."



The parts list shown in post 17 above ("System Builder") does NOT include a cooler.

The 13600K does NOT include a cooler.

Therefore........PCPartpicker will throw an incompatible flag until you choose a cooler.

Or do I misunderstand you?

 

[Daynhg]

@Nighthawk117
Thank you again for the super detailed and helpful reply.


TBH having looked again at the CPU, I think you are (again) right. The AMD Ryzen™ 9 7900X3D is around £170 pounds less than the 9 7950X3D, and the 97900x3d as well as being a lot cheaper, is Prime so less issues if its faulty.
As well as I think being way powerful enough for what I need. And has the 3D feature.

Thank you for the thumbs up for both the WD Black, and the case (which is on a great price ATM.)
Ill go for both.

I agree the fans are expensive, but I want it as silent as possible, and Ill be buying about 6 I think 3 front, 1 back, possibly 2 bottom.

The motherboard is the

Amazon.co.uk

Which by all it says should work find with the CPU?

Going on what you said I looked for Corsair Vengeance RAM.
And found this,

Amazon.co.uk

Its 6600mhz, so I'm not sure if it would cause problems going on what you said in an earlier reply.
Just one point I forgot to add. I never ever OC anything, CPU, Ram, GPU, I always just leave it at stock setting.
Mainly to help with longevity. But also find its enough for me, until it isn't, and then see if I can afford to purchase better.
So I am not sure if this would make a higher ram not cause the problems you mentioned.
The Kingston FURY Beast Black EXPO DDR5 64 GB is crazy expensive, considering as you aptly put it not having all the lights on top.

But the CORSAIR-VENGEANCE-6600MHz, may be too high?
I'm not sure.

Someone else suggested. Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6000.
But I cant find it AMD 6000mhz 64g

So it looks like one of the above, Crazy price or lights on top.
I wonder if the CORSAIR-VENGEANCE-6600MHz, with the fan pushed up would work/fit?

And than you for pointing out that one I linked was used, I didn't notice that.

Also I looked at the water cooler, I just know Id be wishing I went air, just due to the amount of time its on, and the cost of energy. (Don't mean to sound like scrooge.)


SO its basically just the ram/clearance.
And the CPU/Motherboard compatibility.

And also would a 34" 3440 x 1440 DPI monitor, look mush better than my existing 32 2k monitor.
I have no idea if it would be an upgrade.

Thank you again Nighthawk117
Utterly superb help.

@Lafong
I a bit confused. Nightwing117 couldn't see the parts picker link, SO I assumed it had just come through blank.
Bu if you could see it, and there wasn't a cooler on there, again that is perplexing.
The cooler I picked and is on there is a Noctua NH-D15.

Ill attach a screenie to this post.

Thank you for the help, and feedback.

 

[Lafong]

@Lafong
I a bit confused. Nightwing117 couldn't see the parts picker link, SO I assumed it had just come through blank.
Bu if you could see it, and there wasn't a cooler on there, again that is perplexing.
The cooler I picked and is on there is a Noctua NH-D15.

I can see the System Builder parts list in post 20.

It still does NOT include a cooler and therefore still shows an "incompatiblity" flag.

The Noctua D15 is compatible with the 13600K................IF it will clear your RAM and if your case is wide enough to accommodate it's height. I did not check that.

 

[Daynhg]

Forgive the crude post.
I dont use Imagur, or have any clue how you uploiad a screenie.
But this is a paste of teh list.

Again it does noy inlude the other drives I will swap.
WIndows OS.
Ram as Im not sure yet.
Fans, as I know Thanks to you what to get.
Or the lead for the PSU to the GPU.
And still unsur about the CPU, but would be this one or the all singing one.

Also I would be buyng as much as possible from Amazon just for ease.
As I have to buy it tonight.

Thank you again for the massive help.

CPU

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D 4.4 GHz 12-Core Processor

£499.98

FREE

£499.98

CPU Cooler			Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler	£109.95				£109.95

Motherboard			Asus ROG STRIX X670E-E GAMING WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard	£477.59		FREE		£477.59

Memory

Storage

Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive

£108.99

£3.49

£112.48

Video Card

Asus ROG STRIX GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB Video Card

£1364.39

FREE

£1364.39

Case

Lian Li O11D XL-X ATX Full Tower Case

£186.72

£186.72

Power Supply			be quiet! Straight Power 11 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	£177.97		FREE		£177.97

Operating System

Monitor

AOC CU34G2X/BK 34.0" 3440 x 1440 144 Hz Curved Monitor

£349.00

£5.00

£354.00

 

[Daynhg]

I can see the System Builder parts list in post 20.

It still does NOT include a cooler and therefore still shows an "incompatiblity" flag.

The Noctua D15 is compatible with the 13600K................IF it will clear your RAM and if your case is wide enough to accommodate it's height. I did not check that.

That is really odd Lafong. I have pasted the list above, its very weird it does not show the cooler?

 

[Nighthawk117]

TBH having looked again at the CPU, I think you are (again) right. The AMD Ryzen™ 9 7900X3D is around £170 pounds less than the 9 7950X3D, and the 97900x3d as well as being a lot cheaper, is Prime so less issues if its faulty.
As well as I think being way powerful enough for what I need. And has the 3D feature.

It all depends on how much your willing to spend. I wouldn't go less than a 13700K or 7900X for your build.

I am surprised by your current build though, an i5 11400F and 64GB DDR4. To me that's actually still pretty good. The 980 Ti is insufficient for modern games and VR uses quite a lot of GPU power, but the 11400F is still pretty competent. You mention Blender sculpting is slow, I'm not sure if that can full utilise all the cores the on the 7900X3D, so it's difficult to say how much faster it will be. It should at least be 40%, but it might not be the 2.5x faster the specs would suggest. You might want to ask blender people on here for advice on that.

Also I looked at the water cooler, I just know Id be wishing I went air, just due to the amount of time its on, and the cost of energy. (Don't mean to sound like scrooge.)

Fair enough if you prefer air, I've used water for nearly a decade so I prefer it.

Its 6600mhz, so I'm not sure if it would cause problems going on what you said in an earlier reply.
Just one point I forgot to add. I never ever OC anything, CPU, Ram, GPU, I always just leave it at stock setting.
Mainly to help with longevity. But also find its enough for me, until it isn't, and then see if I can afford to purchase better.
So I am not sure if this would make a higher ram not cause the problems you mentioned.
The Kingston FURY Beast Black EXPO DDR5 64 GB is crazy expensive, considering as you aptly put it not having all the lights on top.

The RAM is technically overclocked when you use XMP or AMD EXPO, the official supported speed for Ryzen 7000 is 5200Mhz it's just they will work with higher speeds.

If it were me buying I'd look for a 6000Mhz kit as a good balance between performance and stability. It's not on the QVL list but it does have an AMD EXPO profile:

Amazon.co.uk

It's a lot cheaper than the other kits, the latency is worse but it wouldn't concern me.

And also would a 34" 3440 x 1440 DPI monitor, look mush better than my existing 32 2k monitor.
I have no idea if it would be an upgrade.

I would expect it to look a little crisper. I believe a 34" ultrawide is like a 27" monitor in height but wider. I assume your 32" is a 16:9 aspect ratio? If so then this monitor is going to be shorter vertically.

 

[Daynhg]

Thank you so much NightHawk117

Firstly I think Ill go all out on the CPU, and go for the 600 quid one.
Because you just saved me the price of the monitor, I didn't realise they were shorter vertically. Ill keep looking, and I'm not unhappy with my existing one.

The ram you linked looks great, but looking at the reviews, it got a lot f negatives, but as you say its way cheaper.

The thing to do with all of the incredible info you have given me is to buy what's on prime deal tonight, and I don't think any of the ram is, And then over the next few days have a really good look at the links you sent through.

And what you said about my existing PC, is true, even with the old 980ti, it still amazes me how it runs games like Jedi the fallen order, The Arkham games, including Gotham Knights fully maxed, And even the witcher 90% max.

But Iv waited so long to the a new rig, I just want to get the best I can, as I say I'm not going 4090 simply because of the increased running cost.
As iv got the money to get a PC, but ongoing, not. 😕 😄

I cannot thank you enough for all of the help.
It was superb of you.
Thanks, really.
It feels like iv run the gauntlet this time around. helped by the guys on her, and especially you!