[SOLVED] New Build - Further changes, looking for a review

[Yeldur]

Hi all,

I posted a thread not that long ago about a new rig I was building and since then I've done some research and made some changes based on what I've seen, but I'm looking to verify and make sure that everything still looks OK after the change.

What I changed from the previous build:

Motherboard - I was advised by a friend that had previously used Gigabyte and had bad experiences, and I know that ASUS are a great quality brand, and I've never had any issues from them. I switched from a Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO to this current MOBO.
PSU - I did originally have a Corsair PSU in the system but was advised that Corsair aren't of the best quality, and as such was recommended SeaSonic due to their high quality and seemingly high guarantees (Given that this particular PSU has a 10 year guarantee, I think I'm fairly safe on this end)

Here's the current build: HERE

Primary usage is going to be for gaming, that's what I'm building this rig around and that is the focus.
Secondary usages will be occasional video editing (not anything ridiculous), photoshop usage (again, nothing ridiculous) and some AI Upscaling through the Topaz Gigapixel AI software (again, nothing ridiculous)

• Price is not an issue, within reason. I'm not going to spend £10k on a rig, but besides that so long as the price is reasonable I'm down for improvements.
• The main types of games I play are RTS's with the occasional single-player game like Far Cry, CyberPunk, Red Dead Redemption 2. RTS Wise we're talking: Stellaris, Europa Universalis IV, Crusader Kings 3, Total War games (Any and all)
• No, I am not worried about this rig being more than powerful enough for these games mentioned above, I want a top of the line rig and am OK if I'm not pushing it to the limit 😛
• Given the low range of stock, I will choose a 5900X or a 5800X purely dependant on which becomes available first - I do not mind that the cost difference is less efficient on the 5800X compared to the 5900X

Or alternatively an image, if it pleases you:

 

[Dj0gany]

Not that its bad,but you have RGB ram,rgb case,rgb gpu,and you decide to put a brown/white aircooler in your build..
Dont get me wrong nhd14 is a great performer,but wouldnt it be better if it was either rgb,or if it was black?
The rest of the build is great i have nothing to change

 

[Gam3r01]

Do you need windows 10 pro?
A single storage drive is a bit limiting in a system like this, typically youll see more bulk storage, but that can be added later.

For reference, Corsair makes some fantastic PSUs, but they also have very budget oriented models, so making remarks to the brand as a whole is not a very helpful recommendation. Your PSU choice is great though.
Additionally, a few members of the mod team have had very poor experience with ASUS motherboards lately, both in terms of reliability and customer support. Gigabyte is usually very solid, so to each their own.

 

[Flayed]

Is an RTX 3080 really a grand now?

 

[Gam3r01]

Is an RTX 3080 really a grand now?

Thats in pounds, its close to 1400 USD converted.

 

[Flayed]

Thats in pounds, its close to 1400 USD converted.

Yes I am a Brit too lol 20% sales tax over here :/ although they will probably put it up at some point

 

[Gam3r01]

Yes I am a Brit too lol

Just checking, we get alot of people who dont know the difference

 

[Yeldur]

Not that its bad,but you have RGB ram,rgb case,rgb gpu,and you decide to put a brown/white aircooler in your build..
Dont get me wrong nhd14 is a great performer,but wouldnt it be better if it was either rgb,or if it was black?
The rest of the build is great i have nothing to change

Fair point. The main reason I chose it was because I know Noctua are a great brand, any recommendations of replacements? Do Noctua do purely black coloured models?

Do you need windows 10 pro?
A single storage drive is a bit limiting in a system like this, typically youll see more bulk storage, but that can be added later.

For reference, Corsair makes some fantastic PSUs, but they also have very budget oriented models, so making remarks to the brand as a whole is not a very helpful recommendation. Your PSU choice is great though.
Additionally, a few members of the mod team have had very poor experience with ASUS motherboards lately, both in terms of reliability and customer support. Gigabyte is usually very solid, so to each their own.

I don't need Windows 10 Pro, but as I understand it's better than Windows 10 Home, I can go for either though.

Storage wise, I have another M.2 drive of 1TB size that I'll be installing that I already own, so this isn't the only storage device, apologies, I should have mentioned that in the OP.
Interesting to hear about the recent experiences though, hm.. I feel like I'm flip-flopping but I may end up switching back to the Gigabyte board hahahaha, still not too sure 😱

Is an RTX 3080 really a grand now?

I don't believe the prices on the site at least when speaking of the CPU or GPU are very accurate; the prices are flip-flopping endlessly and most prices are from scalpers or websites that have upped their prices beyond what the standard RRP should be.

From looking at local retailers, the Strix should be around £870, so that's what I'd be searching to pay for it.

 

[Gam3r01]

Fair point. The main reason I chose it was because I know Noctua are a great brand, any recommendations of replacements? Do Noctua do purely black coloured models?



I don't need Windows 10 Pro, but as I understand it's better than Windows 10 Home, I can go for either though.

Storage wise, I have another M.2 drive of 1TB size that I'll be installing that I already own, so this isn't the only storage device, apologies, I should have mentioned that in the OP.
Interesting to hear about the recent experiences though, hm.. I feel like I'm flip-flopping but I may end up switching back to the Gigabyte board hahahaha, still not too sure 😱



I don't believe the prices on the site at least when speaking of the CPU or GPU are very accurate; the prices are flip-flopping endlessly and most prices are from scalpers or websites that have upped their prices beyond what the standard RRP should be.

From looking at local retailers, the Strix should be around £870, so that's what I'd be searching to pay for it.

Better than win10 home how exactly? Unless you can take benefit of the specifics of win10 PRO there is no reason to use it.
It offers no better performance or user experience.

 

[Why_Me]

Fair point. The main reason I chose it was because I know Noctua are a great brand, any recommendations of replacements? Do Noctua do purely black coloured models?



I don't need Windows 10 Pro, but as I understand it's better than Windows 10 Home, I can go for either though.

Storage wise, I have another M.2 drive of 1TB size that I'll be installing that I already own, so this isn't the only storage device, apologies, I should have mentioned that in the OP.
Interesting to hear about the recent experiences though, hm.. I feel like I'm flip-flopping but I may end up switching back to the Gigabyte board hahahaha, still not too sure 😱



I don't believe the prices on the site at least when speaking of the CPU or GPU are very accurate; the prices are flip-flopping endlessly and most prices are from scalpers or websites that have upped their prices beyond what the standard RRP should be.

From looking at local retailers, the Strix should be around £870, so that's what I'd be searching to pay for it.

Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black, Dual-Tower CPU cooler (140mm, Black) : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black, Dual-Tower CPU cooler (140mm, Black) : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.co.uk

be quiet! BK022 Dark Rock Pro 4, 250W TDP, CPU cooler, Black : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Buy

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Yeldur]

Better than win10 home how exactly? Unless you can take benefit of the specifics of win10 PRO there is no reason to use it.
It offers no better performance or user experience.

Mostly off the end of the bitlocker encryption, to protect your system versus potential threats. Though, I suppose you're right, maybe not worth the extra £100.

Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black, Dual-Tower CPU cooler (140mm, Black) : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black, Dual-Tower CPU cooler (140mm, Black) : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.co.uk

be quiet! BK022 Dark Rock Pro 4, 250W TDP, CPU cooler, Black : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Buy

www.amazon.co.uk

Nice, thanks for these, I'll probably go for the Noctua mostly because it's the quality brand I know, though, the be quiet looks more compact and smaller; any idea what they are like as a brand?

I also noticed the DH15-S variant which seems to come without fans? Presumably this is the exact same item without fans but for more money, from the looks of it anyways.

 

[Why_Me]

Mostly off the end of the bitlocker encryption, to protect your system versus potential threats. Though, I suppose you're right, maybe not worth the extra £100.



Nice, thanks for these, I'll probably go for the Noctua mostly because it's the quality brand I know, though, the be quiet looks more compact and smaller; any idea what they are like as a brand?

I also noticed the DH15-S variant which seems to come without fans? Presumably this is the exact same item without fans but for more money, from the looks of it anyways.

If you go with the Dark Rock Pro 4 make sure to grab some MX-4.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ARCTIC-MX-4-2019-Performance-Durability/dp/B07L9BDY3T/
ARCTIC MX-4 (4 Grams) - Thermal Compound Paste £6.37

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5GhNnLVUrw

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORjFNo3QRDc&t=4m02s

 

[Yeldur]

If you go with the Dark Rock Pro 4 make sure to grab some MX-4.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ARCTIC-MX-4-2019-Performance-Durability/dp/B07L9BDY3T/
ARCTIC MX-4 (4 Grams) - Thermal Compound Paste £6.37

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5GhNnLVUrw

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORjFNo3QRDc&t=4m02s

Thanks, I'll check them out!

 

[Yeldur]

From watching a few reviews; it seems that the Darkrock and the Noctua are both virtually the same performance wise, the Noctua is drastically easier to install however, and the Be Quiet appears to be quite annoying (At least from what reviews are saying)

I throw a spanner into the works... Would the U12S from Noctua suffice for a build such as this?

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...xblack-55-cfm-cpu-cooler-nh-u12s-chromaxblack

My primary concern with the two previous ones is the RAM clearance, and after thinking about it, I'm not so sure I could be bothered to deal with the clearance issues in what will be a first time build (at least when it comes to the physical elements of putting the device together)

If the U12S offers close performance whilst removing the clearance issues... I'd be more likely to choose that cooler.

From watching this video from Linus where he performs a comparison, the temperature difference does not seem THAT drastic, at least not to a level that would make a massive difference in gaming..? Am I right?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajJaYGnKpu4

 

[Flayed]

The U12S should be fine for 5800X but I'm not so sure for 5900X

 

[Yeldur]

The U12S should be fine for 5800X but I'm not so sure for 5900X

Understood.. Perhaps it's better that I simply change the RAM so that I don't have to worry about clearances... That way I can get the cooler I want without having to deal with the issues of the height.

Or, alternatively, maybe I just bite the bullet and go for a closed loop water cooling setup..