[SOLVED] PC Build Feedback: I did my homework - what grade would you give me?

Sep 9, 2019
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I know this is basically the equivalent of e-begging for advice, as I'm not a poster on these forums (I don't have the know-how to really contribute), so if you guys ignore my request I completely understand....but I was hoping I could get some input from people way more educated than me in these matters.

I did as much homework as I could beforehand and put together a build based on info I've read from multiple sources. Before I click the "buy" button, is there any chance you could look things over and tell me if I've Removed up somewhere? Many thanks to whoever answers! The build is designed to be a multi-tasker, office work, some games, software development, and light graphic/video editing on occasion.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/MThT4q

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Monitor: LG 27GL850-B 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor

Notes:
  • Went with the new AMD since it seems a great all-around performer for price. Probably overkill for my needs, but isn't much more expensive than the 3600.
  • The MB was a random choice - I filtered by X570 to ensure it was compatible and has PCIe 4.0 if I ever need it.
  • For memory I've been reading that AMD likes 3600MHz, so that's what I filtered for. I also read that having 4 smaller sticks is better than having 2 bigger ones for performance. I might start off with 16GB and add another 2 sticks later though if I need them.
  • The Graphics card is flexible, and I might switch it out for a 2060 depending on availability and local prices, or even go for an older AMD 580. I'd like the rest of the system to be flexible enough for me to work around this uncertainty.
  • The case was a wild guess...this is the part that worries me the most - will all the components fit? I really don't care about the aesthetics, just that it does a good job of keeping stuff together, cooling, keeping dust out.
  • Power Supply I was going to opt for something in the 600W range, but pcpartpicker warned me I might need something with a 12V pin, and the EVGA SuperNOVA seemed to meet that requirement. 750W seems like extreme overkill, but I couldn't find anything better...and the price difference isn't big enough to sweat over.
  • Monitor is the most expensive, but also most important thing for me. I prefer IPS displays for colour accuracy and field of view. But I'm also quite sensitive to motion blur (pixel response time, persistence). Ideally it would have a little higher resolution, but I'm willing to sacrifice that for higher frame rate and less motion-blur. The size is fine...though I'd say 24" is probably ideal for my workspace. This new LG monitor seems like a godsend to me...though I'll wait for reviews before pulling the trigger.
  • Finally the SSD - I've used Samsung SSDs for a while and have been happy with them. The 970 gets great reviews and the price is OK. I originally wanted a PCIe 4.0 drive, but it seems like it's still early days - they're expensive and the real-world benefits aren't clear, so I figured it wasn't worth it for now. 1TB is enough for my needs for now - I can always use external storage in future if I need more space.
 
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Solution
I know this is basically the equivalent of e-begging for advice, as I'm not a poster on these forums (I don't have the know-how to really contribute), so if you guys ignore my request I completely understand....but I was hoping I could get some input from people way more educated than me in these matters.

I did as much homework as I could beforehand and put together a build based on info I've read from multiple sources. Before I click the "buy" button, is there any chance you could look things over and tell me if I've Removed up somewhere? Many thanks to whoever answers! The build is designed to be a multi-tasker, office work, some games, software development, and light graphic/video editing on occasion.

PCPartPicker Part...
I know this is basically the equivalent of e-begging for advice, as I'm not a poster on these forums (I don't have the know-how to really contribute), so if you guys ignore my request I completely understand....but I was hoping I could get some input from people way more educated than me in these matters.

I did as much homework as I could beforehand and put together a build based on info I've read from multiple sources. Before I click the "buy" button, is there any chance you could look things over and tell me if I've Removed up somewhere? Many thanks to whoever answers! The build is designed to be a multi-tasker, office work, some games, software development, and light graphic/video editing on occasion.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/MThT4q

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Monitor: LG 27GL850-B 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor

Notes:
  • Went with the new AMD since it seems a great all-around performer for price. Probably overkill for my needs, but isn't much more expensive than the 3600.
  • The MB was a random choice - I filtered by X570 to ensure it was compatible and has PCIe 4.0 if I ever need it.
  • For memory I've been reading that AMD likes 3600MHz, so that's what I filtered for. I also read that having 4 smaller sticks is better than having 2 bigger ones for performance. I might start off with 16GB and add another 2 sticks later though if I need them.
  • The Graphics card is flexible, and I might switch it out for a 2060 depending on availability and local prices, or even go for an older AMD 580. I'd like the rest of the system to be flexible enough for me to work around this uncertainty.
  • The case was a wild guess...this is the part that worries me the most - will all the components fit? I really don't care about the aesthetics, just that it does a good job of keeping stuff together, cooling, keeping dust out.
  • Power Supply I was going to opt for something in the 600W range, but pcpartpicker warned me I might need something with a 12V pin, and the EVGA SuperNOVA seemed to meet that requirement. 750W seems like extreme overkill, but I couldn't find anything better...and the price difference isn't big enough to sweat over.
  • Monitor is the most expensive, but also most important thing for me. I prefer IPS displays for colour accuracy and field of view. But I'm also quite sensitive to motion blur (pixel response time, persistence). Ideally it would have a little higher resolution, but I'm willing to sacrifice that for higher frame rate and less motion-blur. The size is fine...though I'd say 24" is probably ideal for my workspace. This new LG monitor seems like a godsend to me...though I'll wait for reviews before pulling the trigger.
  • Finally the SSD - I've used Samsung SSDs for a while and have been happy with them. The 970 gets great reviews and the price is OK. I originally wanted a PCIe 4.0 drive, but it seems like it's still early days - they're expensive and the real-world benefits aren't clear, so I figured it wasn't worth it for now. 1TB is enough for my needs for now - I can always use external storage in future if I need more space.
4x8 Ram is worse than 2x16 on dual channel boards.
Is the monitor IPS, VA or TN? Depending on what you’re playing you’re better off with UW over 144hz.

what CPU cooler you getting if you are getting one? Not like you’ll bee overclocking I suppose.
You don’t need NVME and rather than getting external just throw in a 2.5” drive down the lines better experience.
 
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Sep 9, 2019
4
0
10
4x8 Ram is worse than 2x16 on dual channel boards.
Is the monitor IPS, VA or TN? Depending on what you’re playing you’re better off with UW over 144hz.

what CPU cooler you getting if you are getting one? Not like you’ll bee overclocking I suppose.
You don’t need NVME and rather than getting external just throw in a 2.5” drive down the lines better experience.
The cooler is the stock AMD one (getting the AMD box, rather than just the CPU). And you're right - I won't be overclocking...I've checked a few guides and videos and it seems like an awful lot of effort for very few gains with this latest gen of Ryzen (at least as far as I can tell with my amateur knowledge).

When you say I don't need NVME, do you mean a SATA m.2 would be just as good, say a Samsung 860 instead of the 970? The price difference isn't big here, so I'm not too concerned.

Finally regarding the display: it's an IPS display, 27", 1440p, 1ms response time. UW would be nice, but not a requirement.


Thanks for the response!
 
The cooler is the stock AMD one (getting the AMD box, rather than just the CPU). And you're right - I won't be overclocking...I've checked a few guides and videos and it seems like an awful lot of effort for very few gains with this latest gen of Ryzen (at least as far as I can tell with my amateur knowledge).

When you say I don't need NVME, do you mean a SATA m.2 would be just as good, say a Samsung 860 instead of the 970? The price difference isn't big here, so I'm not too concerned.

Finally regarding the display: it's an IPS display, 27", 1440p, 1ms response time. UW would be nice, but not a requirement.


Thanks for the response!

you’re better off allowing it to boost itself however it will boost higher and for longer with a better cooler (plus the box cooler is loud).
Unless you’re moving big files NVME isn’t worth it. A standard 2.5” drive would be just fine.

should look at VA panels. Faster response and better contrast compared to IPS but not quite as accurate.
 
Sep 9, 2019
4
0
10
you’re better off allowing it to boost itself however it will boost higher and for longer with a better cooler (plus the box cooler is loud).
Unless you’re moving big files NVME isn’t worth it. A standard 2.5” drive would be just fine.

should look at VA panels. Faster response and better contrast compared to IPS but not quite as accurate.
Thanks for the feedback again. Noise is definitely a consideration, so I'll look into alternative cooling. I'll look into mSata drive - maybe the Crucial MX500...might be able to shave $50 off the price, but no more than that.

Will all that stuff fit into the case, or will I run into trouble?
 
Sep 9, 2019
4
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I'd get the NVME...; it's not like it's triple the cost.... (I paid $250 for a 500 GB 960 EVO just 2.5 years ago, you guys have it easy today!)

I guess it's like the people wanting PCIe 4.0 drives today...cost a boatload right now, but I'm sure it'll be cheaper in a year or two!
 
4x8 Ram is worse than 2x16 on dual channel boards.
Is the monitor IPS, VA or TN? Depending on what you’re playing you’re better off with UW over 144hz.

That is the opposite to what I have seen 4 dims vs 2
 
That is the opposite to what I have seen 4 dims vs 2
That’s an intel platform. On Ryzen it’s been shown that 4 sticks is worse than 2.
 
With that sort of budget I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard ($194.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: HP EX950 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB DUAL EVO OC Video Card ($529.99 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB520 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($101.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Dell S2716DG 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor ($409.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2145.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-09 11:02 EDT-0400
 
Look at the second video, it shows similar gains on Ryzen to those on Intel.
When considering 2 DIMMs vs 4 DIMMS on the Ryzen platform 2 DIMMS is generally faster because of the ranking disparity between having 2 and 4 DIMM setups. I quote;
"The best practical configuration is four ranks of DDR4-3600 at the lowest stable latencies. Reminder: Four ranks can be achieved from either four single-rank or two dual-rank DIMMs. "
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-ryzen-3000-best-memory-timings,6310-2.html
 
It goes against what I’ve seen elsewhere, not happy with not seeing the GPU clocks, the CPU frequency and GPU usage is different on the runs along with temps and they’re all in games that use DX12/Vulcan, plus it’s only games in the video.
It’s against what I had been previously told but hadn’t seen any figures to support either way. I then came across that comparison and started the linked thread as I wanted other options but didn’t get much. I’d be interested in any links you may have to other reviews. Agree that is just gaming and I wouldn’t build a strong opinion based on one comparison, I just thought it note worthy as I’d seen something to different to what you were stating.
 
It’s against what I had been previously told but hadn’t seen any figures to support either way. I then came across that comparison and started the linked thread as I wanted other options but didn’t get much. I’d be interested in any links you may have to other reviews. Agree that is just gaming and I wouldn’t build a strong opinion based on one comparison, I just thought it note worthy as I’d seen something to different to what you were stating.
Is the source any good though? Wouldn’t be hard to set it to 125% res in a control panel for example. Even from a logical standpoint you’re not gaining bandwidth with 4 sticks because you’re still using the same connection essentially.
 
Is the source any good though? Wouldn’t be hard to set it to 125% res in a control panel for example. Even from a logical standpoint you’re not gaining bandwidth with 4 sticks because you’re still using the same connection essentially.
I can’t say for sure as I only have the information provided. However that channel have done loads of reviews for other comparisons and I’ve never seen an issue aligning those to other reviews. I like the channel as it gives a different perspective, where most have charts for comparisons they put actual gameplay side by side. I’d never use it on its own but I find it interesting.