Build Advice It's been 8 years, and I'm ready to build a new PC!

[adamtam]

Hi all,

I'm jumping on here to seek advice on a build I'm putting together. It's been almost a decade since my last build, and with the help of Tom's community, I can reflect on how appreciative I am as it's served me well throughout the years.

[ Old PC Build here ] This old-goose of mine is still kicking and running most of its functions well, however it's unfortunately unupgradable & stuck in Windows 10; and I finally have the capacity to bring new life into this world.

As much as Intel has served well, I'm keen to try out an AMD processor this time around. I've read they are better at multi-tasking, and I've found myself regularly having high productivity tools running simultaneously in my workflow (ie. Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, After Effects, DaVinci as examples of the processing hungry ones, alongside a gazillion tabs on Chrome & Opera, and web apps such as Canva, Notion, Miro, etc.). I also stream & tend to screenrecord videos off my PC with all these apps running from time-to-time.

I am also an FPS gamer (with Apex Legends being my current obsession), but I don't see where any of this will bottleneck even the highest-tier games.

My budget this time is about $3000AUD (est. USD $2k)

Here is what I've currently put together (all prices below are in AUD):

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X = $556 / AMD Ryzen 9 7900 = $585​

GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 WINDFORCE SFF 12G Graphics Card = $999​

RAM: PNY Mako 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5 6400MHz CL32 UDIMM RAM = $309​

MB: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI AM5 ATX Motherboard = $319​

STORAGE: HP FX700 4TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD= $359​

PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower GT 850W 80+ Gold ATX 3.1 Fully Modular Power Supply = $139​

CASE: FSP M580 Curved Tempered Glass ATX Mid-Tower Case = $199​

CPU COOLER (if 7900X): Thermalright Aqua Elite 360 V3 AIO Liquid CPU Cooler = $109​

​

SUBTOTAL​

= $2,989 (AMD Ryzen 9 7900X)​

= $2,909 (AMD Ryzen 9 7900)​

​

​

All other peripherals I already have (ie. monitors, speakers, external audio board).

I ran this through https://au.pcpartpicker.com/ and the only compatibility issue feedback was that RAM clearance can't be checked, though visually from online pictures it all looks good to me.

CONSIDERATIONS:

So the CPU choice is where my consideration is currently stuck at:

From what I've read, 7900x in eco mode = 7900, and vice versa with the overclocking. And although the 7900x is slightly cheaper, it doesn't come with a fan which would mean additional cost on the CPU cooler. What do you think is the better option considering my usage?

I also want to get the community's opinion on this - what would you consider picking/changing out in this build?

Even though my budget is $3000, I would consider putting a couple hundred more if it gets me a more reliable unit.

Cheers!

​

 

[Why_Me]

Here's a few cost cutters to consider along with a board that supports PCIe 5.0 seeing how these new Nvidia and AMD cards support PCIe 5.0.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor ($555.96 @ Amazon Australia)
CPU Cooler: *ID-COOLING FX360 PRO 82.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.00 @ PLE Computers)
Motherboard: *MSI PRO B850-P WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($299.00 @ JW Computers)
Memory: *Patriot Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($289.00 @ MSY Technology)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE SFF GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card ($999.00 @ MSY Technology)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Power Supply: *ADATA XPG Core Reactor II VE 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($124.00 @ PLE Computers)
Total: $2464.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-01 14:19 AEST+1000

https://www.centrecom.com.au/hp-fx700-4tb-nvme-pcie-gen-4x4-m2-ssd

Total: $2824 AUD w/SSD

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B850-P-WIFI

https://www.montechpc.com/air-903-base

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/montech-air-903-base/

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/id-cooling-fx360-pro-all-in-one-liquid-cpu-cooler/10.html

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/liquid-cooling/id-cooling-fx360-pro-review

https://www.xpg.com/en/xpg/pc-components-core-reactor-ii-ve

 

[ak47jar3d]

Hi, I have encountered many of your post. I don't know what 9070 costs for you but that might be a superior choice. 7900x is an excellent processor for professionals short of getting a threadripper. No other complaints otherwise. Great work mate!

 

[adamtam]

Here's a few cost cutters to consider along with a board that supports PCIe 5.0 seeing how these new Nvidia and AMD cards support PCIe 5.0.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor ($555.96 @ Amazon Australia)
CPU Cooler: *ID-COOLING FX360 PRO 82.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.00 @ PLE Computers)
Motherboard: *MSI PRO B850-P WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($299.00 @ JW Computers)
Memory: *Patriot Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($289.00 @ MSY Technology)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE SFF GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card ($999.00 @ MSY Technology)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Power Supply: *ADATA XPG Core Reactor II VE 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($124.00 @ PLE Computers)
Total: $2464.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-01 14:19 AEST+1000

https://www.centrecom.com.au/hp-fx700-4tb-nvme-pcie-gen-4x4-m2-ssd

Total: $2824 AUD w/SSD

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B850-P-WIFI

https://www.montechpc.com/air-903-base

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/montech-air-903-base/

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/id-cooling-fx360-pro-all-in-one-liquid-cpu-cooler/10.html

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/liquid-cooling/id-cooling-fx360-pro-review

https://www.xpg.com/en/xpg/pc-components-core-reactor-ii-ve

Thanks for the recommendations!

Here are some of my specific thoughts -

Motherboard: *MSI PRO B850-P WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($299.00 @ JW Computers)​

• Ah nice, didn't realise the PCIe5 differential - appreciate the heads up! Definitely going to consider this, though I'd prefer finding something with more USB3.0 backports.

Memory: *Patriot Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($289.00 @ MSY Technology)​

• This one seems to clock at 6000MHz, whereas the PNY I picked goes up to 6400MHz for only $20 more. Do you think the 400MHz differential has little difference?

Other than that, thanks for also linking the options! Will heavily consider these when finalising my purchase.

 

[adamtam]

Hi, I have encountered many of your post. I don't know what 9070 costs for you but that might be a superior choice. 7900x is an excellent processor for professionals short of getting a threadripper. No other complaints otherwise. Great work mate!

Just looked around and the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 is only about $50 more 😀 I'm definitely not opposed if this pairing is superior.

Are you suggesting this is superior because the 7900x and GPU is within the AMD Radeon framework?

 

[LOGAN54321]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor ($555.96 @ Amazon Australia)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140 77.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($326.16 @ Amazon Australia)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($329.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Crucial T500 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($202.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Seagate FireCuda 530R 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($199.00 @ MSY Technology)
Video Card: Asus PRIME OC GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card ($1059.00 @ Centre Com)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($159.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x (2024) 1000 W Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($260.00 @ Amazon Australia)
Total: $3175.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-01 19:56 AEST+1000

Second SSD is for "scratch files", and has higher TBW.

 

[Misgar]

If you want to continue using your old PC online after October 14, you should be able to install Windows 11 after modifying the ISO with Rufus. See option 2 in this instruction. No need for TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot.
https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/your-unsupported-pc-can-still-run-windows-11-in-2025-heres-how

Just looked around and the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 is only about $50 more 😀 I'm definitely not opposed if this pairing is superior.

For Adobe Premiere Pro and other video rendering apps, I'd recommend an NVidia card.
https://vtechinsider.com/amd-vs-nvidia-premiere-pro/

https://www.pcguide.com/gpu/best-gpus-for-premiere-pro/

https://community.adobe.com/t5/vide...o-editing-in-adobe-premiere-pro/td-p/14750101

https://www.pugetsystems.com/soluti...be-premiere-pro/hardware-recommendations/#gpu

Of course, it all depends what NVidia card you pick to compare with an RX 9070 XT. The RTX 5070 is slightly faster in this benchmark.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/amd-radeon-rx-9070-xt-content-creation-review/

I'm running a new RTX 4070 with a 7950X (built back in Dec. 2022).

 

[Teknoman2]

While the 7900X is a good CPU, if you can fit it in the budget, i would suggest a 9900X for the better thermals. Watching my 7700X being almost always close to 90C was bad for my health.
And unless you absolutely need the cuda cores of Nvidia for work, a 9070XT should cost about the same as a 5070 but offer better performance, If an Nvidia card is necessary, go for the 5070ti that has more VRAM.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for the recommendations!

Here are some of my specific thoughts -

Motherboard: *MSI PRO B850-P WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($299.00 @ JW Computers)​

• Ah nice, didn't realise the PCIe5 differential - appreciate the heads up! Definitely going to consider this, though I'd prefer finding something with more USB3.0 backports.

Memory: *Patriot Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($289.00 @ MSY Technology)​

• This one seems to clock at 6000MHz, whereas the PNY I picked goes up to 6400MHz for only $20 more. Do you think the 400MHz differential has little difference?

Other than that, thanks for also linking the options! Will heavily consider these when finalising my purchase.

AM5 hits a ceiling at 6000Hz hence the DDR5-6000 CL30. Stick with Nvidia for the programs you use.

 

[ak47jar3d]

Just looked around and the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 is only about $50 more 😀 I'm definitely not opposed if this pairing is superior.

Are you suggesting this is superior because the 7900x and GPU is within the AMD Radeon framework?

I would take it for the vram alone. Its doesnt matter to get an all amd setup, the 5070 happens to be a better card in most cases. The Adobe stuff is still slightly better in nvidia and always kind of really has been as the benchmarks above indicate. In gaming, the 9070 is clearly better.

 

[helper800]

AM5 hits a ceiling at 6000Hz hence the DDR5-6000 CL30. Stick with Nvidia for the programs you use.

Thats a bit of a gross simplification, but it is certainly the "sweet spot" speed and is the go to easy recommend. Here is my take with the budget in a white aesthetic while squeezing in a 7950x:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor ($829.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140 77.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.00 @ Centre Com)
Motherboard: ASRock B850 Pro-A WiFi ATX AM5 Motherboard ($299.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($283.99 @ Amazon Australia)
Storage: Crucial T500 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($202.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Inno3D Twin X2 OC GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card ($1049.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Jonsbo D41 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ PLE Computers)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($167.77 @ JW Computers)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fans 5-Pack ($32.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $2990.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-03 06:27 AEST+1000

That motherboard is actually really, really good for the price. Comes with tons of rear USB ports, Wifi/BT, a 2.5gb/s ethernet port, solid VRMs, and an 8 layer PCB. The motherboard is the only part I kept black to stay within budget and fulfil rear USB desires that can also handle a 7950x. The case is small and compact but has good airflow and looks nice in my opinion.

 

[adamtam]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor ($555.96 @ Amazon Australia)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140 77.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($326.16 @ Amazon Australia)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($329.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Crucial T500 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($202.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Seagate FireCuda 530R 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($199.00 @ MSY Technology)
Video Card: Asus PRIME OC GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card ($1059.00 @ Centre Com)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($159.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x (2024) 1000 W Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($260.00 @ Amazon Australia)
Total: $3175.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-01 19:56 AEST+1000

Second SSD is for "scratch files", and has higher TBW.

Ohh do you think 2 x 2TB works better than 1 x 4TB SSD?

 

[adamtam]

If you want to continue using your old PC online after October 14, you should be able to install Windows 11 after modifying the ISO with Rufus. See option 2 in this instruction. No need for TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot.
https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/your-unsupported-pc-can-still-run-windows-11-in-2025-heres-how



For Adobe Premiere Pro and other video rendering apps, I'd recommend an NVidia card.
https://vtechinsider.com/amd-vs-nvidia-premiere-pro/

https://www.pcguide.com/gpu/best-gpus-for-premiere-pro/

https://community.adobe.com/t5/vide...o-editing-in-adobe-premiere-pro/td-p/14750101

https://www.pugetsystems.com/soluti...be-premiere-pro/hardware-recommendations/#gpu

Of course, it all depends what NVidia card you pick to compare with an RX 9070 XT. The RTX 5070 is slightly faster in this benchmark.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/amd-radeon-rx-9070-xt-content-creation-review/

I'm running a new RTX 4070 with a 7950X (built back in Dec. 2022).

Oh good to know! Will look into updating that when its available - thanks for the link.

And yea after reading ur comment, I did a bit of digging and most have said Nvidia will work better for design/editing apps - so I think I'll stick with Nvidia 5070 as it will be my primary usage. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[adamtam]

While the 7900X is a good CPU, if you can fit it in the budget, i would suggest a 9900X for the better thermals. Watching my 7700X being almost always close to 90C was bad for my health.
And unless you absolutely need the cuda cores of Nvidia for work, a 9070XT should cost about the same as a 5070 but offer better performance, If an Nvidia card is necessary, go for the 5070ti that has more VRAM.

Cool, let me play around with the budget between those sets.

5070ti does seem to be about $500 more here in Aus tho.. but I might be able to squeeze for a 9900X.

 

[adamtam]

I would take it for the vram alone. Its doesnt matter to get an all amd setup, the 5070 happens to be a better card in most cases. The Adobe stuff is still slightly better in nvidia and always kind of really has been as the benchmarks above indicate. In gaming, the 9070 is clearly better.

Noted! I think I will be going with Nvidia since Adobe is my primary use.

 

[adamtam]

Thats a bit of a gross simplification, but it is certainly the "sweet spot" speed and is the go to easy recommend. Here is my take with the budget in a white aesthetic while squeezing in a 7950x:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor ($829.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140 77.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.00 @ Centre Com)
Motherboard: ASRock B850 Pro-A WiFi ATX AM5 Motherboard ($299.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($283.99 @ Amazon Australia)
Storage: Crucial T500 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($202.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Inno3D Twin X2 OC GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card ($1049.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Jonsbo D41 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ PLE Computers)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($167.77 @ JW Computers)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fans 5-Pack ($32.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $2990.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-03 06:27 AEST+1000

That motherboard is actually really, really good for the price. Comes with tons of rear USB ports, Wifi/BT, a 2.5gb/s ethernet port, solid VRMs, and an 8 layer PCB. The motherboard is the only part I kept black to stay within budget and fulfil rear USB desires that can also handle a 7950x. The case is small and compact but has good airflow and looks nice in my opinion.

Thanks for the links!

I'm going to play around with everyone's suggestion this weekend and likely come up with a revised build TBD 🤓

 

[dark_globe]

let me throw my 2 cents here :
i know you told us you want to try AMD , but maybe , just maybe i would stay with intel this time
namely core 7 265K:
in productivity this CPU has the best price to performance ratio right now -
it just about beats 9900x , you also get quick sync which is good to have in daVinci for example .
i assume you like RGB based on your initial build :

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9 GHz 20-Core Processor ($510.19 @ Amazon Australia)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX AG620 ARGB CPU Cooler ($59.00 @ MSY Technology)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z890-P WIFI ATX LGA1851 Motherboard ($259.00 @ PLE Computers)
Memory: Patriot Viper Xtreme 5 48 GB (2 x 24 GB) DDR5-7600 CL36 Memory ($296.00 @ MSY Technology)
Storage: Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($199.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Inno3D X3 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB Video Card ($1469.00 @ MSY Technology)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: NZXT C850 (2024) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.00 @ Centre Com)
Total: $3050.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-06 17:47 AEST+1000

you can easily cut down the price below 3K if you buy rtx 5070 or 9070/9070xt

 

[Misgar]

i know you told us you want to try AMD , but maybe , just maybe i would stay with intel this time
namely core 7 265K:

This Puget system ties in with your suggestion to try one of the new Intel CPUs, but it's the more expensive Core Ultra 9 285K.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/video-editing-workstations/adobe-premiere-pro/buy-192/

For editing home videos, I'd be equally happy with Intel or AMD. At the time I built my 7950X rig in 2022, Puget Systems benchmarks showed the i9-13900K was roughly 10% faster in Premiere Pro than the 7950X (if memory serves me right).

I chose the 7950X because I prefer air coolers (not AIO) and the AMD chips consumed less power. The extra 50W (approx) consumed by a 13900K would reduce render times by roughly 10%, but I'm not worried about longer encodes.

During video transcodes and renders, my 7950X draws up to 190W and the RTX 4070 pulls up to 200W for many hours. No CPU or GPU overclocking. The 7950X sits at +87°C to +93°C under an NH-D15 in some transcodes. I know I could get a better (and much cheaper) heatsink, but I'm not inclined to change.

So far I've not encountered any problems with "only" 12GB VRAM in Topaz Video AI. My first card was an RTX 3060 12GB which I swapped to a 4070 12GB last Black Friday. Neither card is a Ti.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/soluti...be-premiere-pro/hardware-recommendations/#gpu

How much VRAM (video memory) does Premiere Pro need?​

In addition to the raw power of your GPU, it is essential that your video card has enough VRAM (video card memory) for your projects. This can change based on the length and complexity of your sequence, but in general we recommend having at least the following amounts of VRAM depending on the resolution of your sequence:-

Sequence Resolution	1080p	4K	6K	8K+
Minimum VRAM capacity	4GB	8GB	12GB	16GB+

 

[adamtam]

let me throw my 2 cents here :
i know you told us you want to try AMD , but maybe , just maybe i would stay with intel this time
namely core 7 265K:
in productivity this CPU has the best price to performance ratio right now -
it just about beats 9900x , you also get quick sync which is good to have in daVinci for example .
i assume you like RGB based on your initial build :

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9 GHz 20-Core Processor ($510.19 @ Amazon Australia)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX AG620 ARGB CPU Cooler ($59.00 @ MSY Technology)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z890-P WIFI ATX LGA1851 Motherboard ($259.00 @ PLE Computers)
Memory: Patriot Viper Xtreme 5 48 GB (2 x 24 GB) DDR5-7600 CL36 Memory ($296.00 @ MSY Technology)
Storage: Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($199.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Inno3D X3 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB Video Card ($1469.00 @ MSY Technology)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: NZXT C850 (2024) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.00 @ Centre Com)
Total: $3050.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-06 17:47 AEST+1000

you can easily cut down the price below 3K if you buy rtx 5070 or 9070/9070xt

You've got me interested in the Intel Ultra 7 CPU - I didn't come across this in my research and it does look impressive on paper. Quite leaning on this now and perhaps match it with a 5070Ti with the savings.

Redditors have really gone hard against it when I was looking it up though... was it because of a price thing when it came out?

 

[dark_globe]

You've got me interested in the Intel Ultra 7 CPU - I didn't come across this in my research and it does look impressive on paper. Quite leaning on this now and perhaps match it with a 5070Ti with the savings.

Redditors have really gone hard against it when I was looking it up though... was it because of a price thing when it came out?

as far as i can tell the hate it received was mainly because it didn´t surpass 13th and 14th gen i7 CPUs
in gaming performance ...
but in my opinion advantages far outweight this one shortcoming -
this chip runs cooler , it is less power hungry ,
does not have architecture problems (degradation) unlike 13th and 14th gen ,
and it is made on new and more modern manufacturing process ,
it also has more pcie 5.0 lanes compared to older intel cpus
so it can finally support both x16 5.0 graphics card and x4 pcie 5.0 primary m.2 drive ...

it is also very versatile cpu with great price/performance ratio and although it is not the
fastest gaming chip it can still game pretty well .
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-ultra-7-265k/20.html

it is on par with ryzen 9900x in terms of gaming and slightly faster in productivity ,
while costing less money .

 

[adamtam]

Alrightey, with everyone's feedback and consideration for price to productivity value, I have put together a new parts list:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF 3.9 GHz 20-Core Processor ($469.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Aqua Elite V3 66.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.17 @ Amazon Australia)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z890-P WIFI ATX LGA1851 Motherboard ($259.00 @ PLE Computers)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($283.99 @ Amazon Australia)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN580 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($149.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Inno3D X3 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB Video Card ($1469.00 @ MSY Technology)
CASE: FSP M580 Curved Tempered Glass ATX Mid-Tower Case = ($199.00 @ Centrecom)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($148.77 @ JW Computers)
Total: $3071.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-07 10:52 AEST+1000


I have spent all morning reading & watching reviews on the Intel Ultra 7 256K and it seems to hit all the required benchmarks for productivity that I need. And for that price, its kind of insane! On top of it, the 265KF is currently even cheaper than the 265K, but is it better???
(my searches has shown me that the KFs actually run with slightly higher benchmarks - what are your thoughts?)

With the savings in CPU & MB, this will allow me to get the 5070Ti instead and again seems like a no brainer compared to the 5070.

Also I know I can save a bit on the case, but I really like the look and port placement of the FSP M580, so might just bite the bullet and pay a little extra for the aesthetic 😗

I am keen to start purchasing this weekend as EOFY sales are running hot and definitely wanna take advantage of it 😍

 

[thestryker]

The 265K and 265KF are the same CPU the F just has the IGP disabled.

If you want to use Quick Sync (this can be a big deal and Puget lists where they use it in their benchmarks) for any of your applications you need to skip the F SKUs as it's disabled with the IGP.

 

[dark_globe]

i second this , don´t buy F model , intel integrated graphics can be beneficial in some applications

if you want to save some money ditch the AIO and get quality air cooler for 50-60 bucks instead .

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX AG620 ARGB CPU Cooler ($59.00 @ MSY Technology)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE 58 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.00 @ PLE Computers)
Total: $118.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-07 17:04 AEST+1000

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9 GHz 20-Core Processor ($499.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: *ID-COOLING FX360 PRO 82.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.00 @ PLE Computers)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z890-P WIFI ATX LGA1851 Motherboard ($259.00 @ PLE Computers)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($283.99 @ Amazon Australia)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN580 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($149.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Inno3D X3 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB Video Card ($1469.00 @ MSY Technology)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($148.77 @ JW Computers)
Total: $3006.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-07 17:31 AEST+1000

 

[thestryker]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9 GHz 20-Core Processor ($499.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright RK120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($45.00 @ Scorptec)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z890-P WIFI ATX LGA1851 Motherboard ($259.00 @ PLE Computers)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($283.99 @ Amazon Australia)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN580 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($149.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Crucial T500 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($205.00 @ JW Computers)
Video Card: Inno3D X3 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB Video Card ($1469.00 @ MSY Technology)
Case: Silverstone FARA R1 PRO V2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ PLE Computers)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($148.77 @ JW Computers)
Total: $3137.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-06-07 18:15 AEST+1000

This is assuming you can justify the cost of the extra VRAM (or the additional performance), but if not a 5070 would drop the cost by quite a bit and allow you to look at other aesthetic type things. Also went with 2 SSDs as it seems like you wanted 4TB storage and this was the cheapest way to get high performance (T500) with additional storage (SN580).