[SOLVED] Snagged a 3090 and need advice for the rest of the PC

[jipptomilly]

I work as a software developer and play a lot of computer games. Plus I have an Index and will most likely jump on the next few generations of VR, so I'm looking for something powerful.

I don't want to spend more than $3,000 more (not counting the GPU).

I tried adding random things based on their ratings in PCPartPicker, but I really don't know what I'm doing. It has been a long time since I've made a PC.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HTbpK3 (new list per Darkbreeze's comments)

Yes, I have some monitors in there. I don't need monitors in the list, I'll probably just buy 2-3 once I have my new setup.

This is the video card I managed to purchase:
https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-gef...-New-Order-Confirmation-USA-_-N82E16814932365

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I should have noted that I'm planning on upgrading to a Ryzen 9 5900 when available - the CPU I have listed is just to hold me over for a few months.

 

[Darkbreeze]

To start with, while I'm working on your build, you don't EVER want to buy separate memory kits. That's about the best way to ensure you end up having problems because separate kits, even when they are the same part number or model, have no guarantee of working or "playing nice" together. ONLY when all of the memory it purchased together in ONE kit are you guaranteed compatibility, so long as the memory kit is validated for the motherboard in question AND in some cases, also the CPU since some memory kits will only work with a given motherboard IF you have a specific CPU family or generation installed. For example, memory kits that work with Ryzen 3000 series that are 3600mhz are unlikely to work with most Ryzen 2000 series CPUs, even on the exact same motherboard.

So anyhow, one kit. Also, aside from the recent potential for some very minor performance differences when using four DIMMs on Ryzen 5000 series platforms, most other Ryzen systems will severely limit the maximum memory speed when you install four DIMMs as compared to two. I recommend, even in light of the supposed performance gain from four DIMMs with the 5000 series, sticking to a two DIMM configuration, IF you can get the full amount of memory you wish to run with only two DIMMs. You can certainly try a four DIMM kit if you wish, but with your Ryzen 3600 you'll likely be limited to 3200mhz.

Also, if you plan to run a Ryzen 9 CPU you certainly don't want to run a 240mm AIO. At minimum I'd recommend looking at 280mm models and a 360mm unit probably would absolutely not be overkill.

 

[jipptomilly]

Thank you so much! I updated the memory and cooler. Would you think that's an adequate system to make use of a Ryzen 5900 and RTX 3090?

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'd probably recommend looking at something along these lines. I really don't recommend X570. Nothing wrong with it, per se, but B550 is just as capable and you don't have the constant annoyance of a chipset fan running. It's also a newer chipset, so there may also be some benefits to that as well. Certainly this puts you in the right frame of mind as far as what you want to look at. Since this board comes with three M.2 NVME slots, you might also consider a second NVME M.2 SSD exlusively for games to live on rather than keeping them installed on the primary drive, which will slow that down, or on the HDD, which is just plain slow.

This includes a more reliable drive, still about as fast as you're going to see from a HDD with it's 256mb cache and 7200rpm speed. That's about the peak for HDD these days but this is an NAS series drive which has some additional build quality over that WD consumer drive. Also, I'd avoid the OEM versions of Windows, and honestly, unless you REALLY need one of the very few extra features from the Pro version, I'd stick to the Home version as there are few situations where the pro version is even going to offer any benefits.

Obviously, if you need Bitlocker encryption, Hyper-V, remote desktop (Without using a third party app) or Sandbox, or plan to run more than 128GB of memory, then you'll want the pro version but if you don't plan to use any of those features then just save yourself a few bucks. Either way, up to you. I just like to offer options. Obviously, it's your ride, and you can choose to use whatever gear you feel most comfortable in.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Corsair iCUE H115i RGB Pro XT 63 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS MASTER ATX AM4 Motherboard ($249.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate IronWolf NAS 6 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($159.99 @ Adorama)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair HXi 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($108.78 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $1597.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-18 22:47 EST-0500