Build Advice New System Build Help

[WillWallB]

Long time user, lost old profile... But could use some help. I remember the prebuilt system lists that have this the best place for computer information, and I also adored the best GPU in each price range articles.

Please help me with suggestions for anything that you think can help my situation. The number one priority is going to be budget, followed by performance. My favorite game is Star Citizen, and it has been years since I have had my PC up and running to play this game. I would like an aggressively powerful system so that it can play this game easily, but not one at the top end of performance (because you get much less power per dollar at the top end).

Star citizen not being optimized yet means that I would like to position myself with a nice upgrade path for the future. My last attempt at this did not go so well.


In addition to gaming, I do heavy video editing with the full videocopilot suite for element 3d running through after effects. Because of this, I would like components which will reduce render time. My previous build had me running 64 gb of ddr4, and running the entire vfx program in my ram with ramdisk. At that time years ago, this gave lower render times, and I don't know if something such as cpu architecture has changed this.

From my old system, I have my ASRock x99 killer board that was always terrible for me, which I should have RMA'd, but never wanted to tear the computer apart to do that. I still can rma at a cost of 100 dollars, but I feel it's likely better spent on new mobo tech. I also have the 64 gb of ddr that is Ballistix 2400mhz ddr4.

Pretty much everything is needed for a new setup, monitor and all. Open to any suggestion such as water cooling, and any case. My prior thought was a larger case with more fans for better cooling, but building a system with my choices seemed quite gimped.

Bonus points if you help me understand how your build suggestions can be upgraded in the near future. My prior graphics card was ATI, and I have heard that AfterEffects renders much quicker with Nvidia architecture. This was what I heard 6+ years ago, and not sure if it remains the same today. These things are just some of the reasons that I need your help, as there could be much more that I don't know now.

On another gaming side, I play competitive rocket league. This seems to be really affected by putting and input lag. Are there components that would help this with upgraded Internet or USB architecture?

 

[Lafong]

..................."The number one priority is going to be budget"................

500?

1500?

2500?

A complete list of current parts, with model numbers, might help evaluate what you can re-use.

 

[Eximo]

Yep, budget is going to be the first thing needed. Way too much I would want to put into an editing rig, plus a high speed gaming monitor (likely going to end up with two monitors unless you want to splurge on an OLED monster for a cool 1000)

You can certainly get 1ms polling rate peripherals, but there isn't really any significant advances in latency outside of monitors.

2400GT/s memory is pretty outdated. Considering we have access to DDR5 6400 and the like, no competition. I suggest putting that memory up for sale as soon as possible while it still has marginal value. Big fast NVMe drive and you should be good to go, no RAM drive needed.

Nvidia CUDA is more widely adopted than AMD's version or OpenCL, so for the most part I would say yes. But high end editors tend to want lots of VRAM, which is going to be quite costly if you want a late model GPU.

What you want to achieve is possible with a simple mid-tower chassis. Nothing fancy. Could even be Micro ATX.

 

[WillWallB]

Budget is the most important, but I don't have a set budget .... Definitely looking around 1500 or 2500, but there's much ground in between, and I have flexibility beyond. What I attempted to explain is that I would like discuss high powered components, but stopping where the power per dollar drops off significantly. There's a threshold where Uber enthusiasts spend a bunch to be at the bleeding edge.

The only carryover part I trust are the Ballistix 2400 ddr4, which are 8gb units.
BLS8G4D240FSA.M16FADM

It sounds bad when I say that I want power at a budget cost, because that isn't it. My choices are more about efficiency of cost, but retaining the ability to upgrade. An example is that I might get a less powerful cpu, but a mobo that I will be able to upgrade with a more powerful cpu in the near future.

My knowledge base doesn't allow me to know how much I need to spend on a system these days for capable video rendering. That is a main reason that I am open to different budgets. If I can get power for under 1k great, but I expect it to be more expensive.

 

[Lafong]

An example is that I might get a less powerful cpu, but a mobo that I will be able to upgrade with a more powerful cpu in the near future.

That probably points you toward AMD.

The upcoming new Intel processors (14000 series) will use the current 1700 motherboard socket. But the one following that in 2024 will use another socket.

So, any Intel machine built this year will not be CPU-upgradeable beyond the 14000 series....you'd have to buy a new motherboard for 15000 series.

 

[Eximo]

Budget is the most important, but I don't have a set budget .... Definitely looking around 1500 or 2500, but there's much ground in between, and I have flexibility beyond. What I attempted to explain is that I would like discuss high powered components, but stopping where the power per dollar drops off significantly. There's a threshold where Uber enthusiasts spend a bunch to be at the bleeding edge.

The only carryover part I trust are the Ballistix 2400 ddr4, which are 8gb units.
BLS8G4D240FSA.M16FADM

It sounds bad when I say that I want power at a budget cost, because that isn't it. My choices are more about efficiency of cost, but retaining the ability to upgrade. An example is that I might get a less powerful cpu, but a mobo that I will be able to upgrade with a more powerful cpu in the near future.

My knowledge base doesn't allow me to know how much I need to spend on a system these days for capable video rendering. That is a main reason that I am open to different budgets. If I can get power for under 1k great, but I expect it to be more expensive.

Consumer boards have at most 4 slots, so that would drop you back to 32GB of slow memory.

There is no significantly better replacement that uses DDR4 that will fit in that budget. Basically old Threadripper at this point.

AM5 requires DDR5
Intel 12-14th gen can use DDR4, but again, 32GB at 2400 vs say 128GB at 5200, or 64GB at 6000.

Tasks that require significant processing are improved the more you spend. With consumer hardware the most you can spend is about $600 on a CPU. $1600 on a GPU, and maybe $200-300 on memory. To go beyond that you would looking at the 10,000 plus range. AMD Threadripper Pro or Epyc or the not quite sufficiently available Intel Sapphire Rapids Xeons.

 

[Eximo]

So here is a very high end build. You can drop the processor down to 12 cores 7900X, or if you want to maximize gaming 7800X3D. Or you could pay the premium for the 7950X3D which has half the chip like the 7800X3D and the other half like the normal 7800X. It makes it complicated to manage when the 3D vcache is used vs the higher speed cores. (Sacrifice clock speed for cache, which is good for games, but not great for general processing) Could drop down all the way to the six core 7600X and still have a decent workstation with many upgrade options in the future.

128GB of DDR5, no absolute guarantee it will run at that speed, might require tweaking to get all 128GB to work. DDR5 is partially ECC, so makes for a good workstation with going full ECC memory. Easily drop down to 64GB and maybe even increase the memory speed to 6400. Recent AMD AGESA update allows for much higher speeds.

RTX 4090 is the biggest GPU available. Very good for games, but also works wonders in video editing that supports CUDA processing. 8K editing is very feasible.
RTX 4060 Ti has 16GG of memory available, but is a much smaller GPU. At $500 it is a poor gaming GPU. GPUs like the AMD RX6800 or 6800XT are a better choice for gaming, but as you say, support for Nvidia on the workstation side is better.

You could also opt to locate a used RTX3090, which is about 50% slower than the 4090 for about $800-900, but still has that 24GB of VRAM. Or a brand new AMD 7900XTX with 24GB of memory for about the same.

I have put in a range of excellent monitors. A good 1080p gaming monitor with a 240hz refresh, a good 4K monitor with good color reproduction, and a good mix for gaming and editing 1440p OLED monitor which has excellent color, deep blacks, and the smallest possible latency. At extreme cost though. Also some 4K OLED that are basically adapted TVs in the 40" plus size range.

Chassis is pretty straight forward, lots of airflow (Right in the name)

Power supply is sized to the GPU, but the minimum to spend for a decent PSU is about $100.

Could potentially spend more on the motherboard and get more flexible I/O like thunderbolt or USB4 and faster networking if you have that need. Though you can always get faster networking with an expansion card. Thunderbolt is a little special, have to have the compatibility on the motherboard.

Mouse and keyboard, I am a big fan of Logitech G series mice and keyboards. Even the lightspeed wireless offers that 1ms polling rate I mentioned. Mechanical keyboards are an option as well. G305 I am using right now is like $40, I have several for home and office.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor ($535.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($47.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO X670-P WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL30 Memory ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL30 Memory ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY VERTO GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card ($1599.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($160.11 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Samsung Odyssey G40B 25.0" 1920 x 1080 240 Hz Monitor ($259.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Dell S2722QC 27.0" 3840 x 2160 60 Hz Monitor ($380.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Acer Predator X27U bmiipruzx 27.0" 2560 x 1440 240 Hz Monitor ($799.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $4546.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-10 14:46 EDT-0400

 

[Eximo]

Intel alternative:

8 very fast CPU cores, plus 16 efficiency cores that will only see use on large multithreaded tasks.

4060Ti 16GB, not a great price/performance, but lots of VRAM for video editing (just came out)

You could game on a 4K 60hz 5ms display, or maybe opt for a more mid-range 1440p display such as:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TXTzK8/asus-tuf-gaming-vg27aq1a-270-2560x1440-170-hz-monitor-vg27aq1a

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-13900 2 GHz 24-Core Processor ($546.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($47.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Steel Legend WiFi Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL30 Memory ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL30 Memory ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell S2722QC 27.0" 3840 x 2160 60 Hz Monitor ($379.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $2307.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-10 16:18 EDT-0400

 

[WillWallB]

Lafong, great info about current motherboards for Intel not supporting the next generation of chips. That's the exact "sauce" that I enjoy finding here at Tom's, while searching articles might get me in a frustrated confusing mess

----------

Eximo, that gives me a beautiful system to aspire to. USB4 might be something important to get on my mobo. Seems I have some research to do in that aspect.

If I were to build a nicely powered PC as you suggest, would there be any reason to build a second stream PC with my extra parts, or should the main system be able to handle both?

 

[WillWallB]

Do you have a suggestion for a mobo with faster I/O for the first part list (amd)? I was looking at the options, and am a bit lost.

 

[WillWallB]

Here is what I am currently looking at.
Starting at 32 gb at first, and Corsair RM1000x for the quieter mag lev fan. Is there a reason the newer rm1000e would be preferred?

This list gives me room to add ram, to get a better cpu, and a nice upgrade to gpu

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/qtrmGP

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($47.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL30 Memory ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte VISION OC Rev 2.0 GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($309.00)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Samsung Odyssey G40B 25.0" 1920 x 1080 240 Hz Monitor ($259.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1744.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-10 21:59 EDT-0400

 

[Eximo]

There are certainly higher end motherboards with more I/O, just kind of have to go through them and see if they have anything you want.

B650 is the most basic, and for $220 that is a lot to pay, you might look at entry level X670 boards.
B650E has a bit more.
X670 is the premium chipset
X670E has two X670 chipsets in it for maximum I/O

There are some boards with built in 10Gbps ethernet, WiFi 6E, most of the ones I looked at only have 20Gbps USB 3 Type-C as the maximum, which is nothing to ignore. Thunderbolt 3/4 can technically do 40Gbps but that is only on a few very expensive AMD motherboards.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

I would suggest something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black 82.51 CFM CPU Cooler ($109.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650 GAMING X AX ATX AM5 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL34 Memory ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: PowerColor Fighter OC Radeon RX 6800 16 GB Video Card ($439.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool CG560 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 1050 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($142.96 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Acer Nitro XZ6 29.5" 2560 x 1080 200 Hz Curved Monitor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1917.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-11 09:34 EDT-0400

I would recommend this mounting kit: https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NM-AM...759819&sprefix=noctua+nm-amb12,aps,192&sr=8-1

You can see the RX 6800 in the charts here:

AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Review Roundup

With the launch of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, we finally get a look at the top-end GPU from AMD's 6000-series. We have looked at how the Radeon 6900 XT performs in a range of professional applications to help you decide whether they are worth using in a new workstation, or as an upgrade in your...

www.pugetsystems.com

 

[WillWallB]

Choosing a GPU is quite confusing for me. My buddies who play the games that I enjoy say that they are more cpu driven at this point. Star citizen is my top game.

Having previously described my vfx wishes, I think that artificial intelligence will change the need for graphic artists away from things such as element 3d. For this reason, I am going to evaluate GPU choice based solely on gaming.

My cpu choice is going to be 7800x3d, but I am torn between graphics choices due to lack of knowledge.

4090 24gb @ 1500
3090 24gb @ 980
7900xtx 24gb @ 950
4070 12gb @ 650
4060ti 16gb @ 500
6800 16gb @ 480
6600 8gb @ 210

I can figure out most of the other components easily, but this choice is really making it difficult for me. There's nothing that really justifies spending 1500 for a card, but it seems like one of the better choices.

The benefit of the lower prices choices is to wait a year or two until buying a really high powered GPU. The downside is that this increases the money spent. My thought is this would be the only way that I get 8gb vram, if I spend only 200 now and plan on buying something big when they drop a bit.

I've got no clue how realistic it is to wait, which is why I am asking for help considering the more powerful cards.

Thanks in advance!
I know you e already given your opinion, but removing the vfx desire might change things.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

it depends on the monitor resolution mainly.

As you have decided to go for the 7800X3D, you dont really have any CPU bottlenecks. or you have mitigated it as best as possible.

for 1080p or 1080p ultrawide, a 6750 XT or a 4060ti would be more than enough.

2k or 2k ultrawide - 4070ti / 7900XT

4k - 4090

Thats in general for any AAA game.

 

[Why_Me]

This gives you a M.2 SSD for your O/S and one for Storage.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($379.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI PRO Z790-A WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Samsung 980 Pro 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($65.72 @ Amazon)
Storage: *Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *MSI VENTUS 3X OC GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB Video Card ($1112.54 @ Amazon)
Case: *Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2385.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-14 03:20 EDT-0400

A better look at those components.

PRO Z790-A WIFI

PRO series motherboards tuned for better performance by 16 Duet Rail Power System, DDR5 memory, Lightning Gen5 PCIe, Pre-installed IO, Extended Heatsink, M.2 Shield Frozr, Wi-Fi 6E, 2.5G LAN, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2

www.msi.com

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-30m-cache-up-to-5-20-ghz/specifications.html

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...formance-CPU-Cooler-1700-AM5/2021/13067.shtml

F5-6000J3040F16GX2-RS5K F5-6000J3040F16GA2-RS5K - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Ripjaws S5 is a performance DDR5 DRAM memory series made with hand-screened memory ICs that passed G.SKILL rigorous validation tests. Each Ripjaws S5 memory kit strikes an ideal balance between performance, compatibility, and stability and is available in matte black or matte white aluminum...

www.gskill.com

980 PRO PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ SSD 2TB Memory & Storage - MZ-V8P2T0B/AM | Samsung US

Discover the latest features and innovations available in the 980 PRO PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ SSD 2TB. Find the perfect Memory & Storage for you!

www.samsung.com

https://www.msi.com/Graphics-Card/GeForce-RTX-4080-16GB-VENTUS-3X-OC

https://www.msi.com/Power-Supply/MPG-A850G-PCIE5

https://lian-li.com/product/lancool-216/

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykbhuv6yLBc