Build Advice Two PC upgrades - AMD Ryzen 9000 vs Intel Core Ultra 200 ?

[Aeacus]

Hi folks!



1st, the formalities:

Approximate Purchase Date: Q3 2025. (Before Win10 official support ends in Q4 2025.)

Budget Range: ~€1250 before shipping per 1 PC. Two PCs are to be upgraded, so ~€2500 in total for 2 PCs.

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
1st PC: Web browsing (plethora of tabs open), image editing, gaming (casual/moderate, does include simulation games).
2nd PC: Software coding, web browsing (plethora of tabs open), watching movies, gaming (casual, small indie titles).

Are you buying a monitor: No.

Parts to Upgrade: Both PCs: CPU, MoBo, RAM, CPU cooler (maybe M.2 SSD as well).
1st PC re-used PSU: Seasonic PRIME TX-650 [SSR-650TD] (aka Seasonic PRIME 650 80+ Titanium). Bought Q4 2016.
2nd PC re-used PSU: Seasonic PRIME TX-650 [SSR-650TR] (aka Seasonic PRIME Ultra 650 80+ Titanium). Bought Q4 2020.
Current specs of 1st PC: https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/b/bd9J7P
Current specs of 2nd PC: https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/b/RRvnTW
Other than parts to upgrade, everything else will be reused.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes. 2x Win11 Pro (retail) for both PCs. But this is not considered in above hardware budget. Ideally, would go with Win12 when it is released by that time, skipping the poor Win11 altogether.
Currently, both PCs are running Win7 OEM licenses, that i upgraded for free to Win10 OEM. Since i have OEM licenses, these can not be transferred over to the new builds.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: #1 https://www.galador.eu/category/187-components
alternative: https://arvutitark.ee/en/pc-components/1

Location: Estonia (within EU).

Parts Preferences:
CPU: Intel or AMD with iGPU.
MoBo: MSI. (Either X870E or Z890 chipset.)
RAM: Kingston. (Must be the one listed in MoBo memory QVL.)
CPU cooler: Noctua, Be Quiet!, Arctic, Thermalright. (Must be air cooler.)
M.2 SSD: Samsung.

Overclocking: No.

SLI or Crossfire: No.

Your Monitor Resolution:
1st PC: 1920x1080, 144 Hz.
2nd PC: 1920x1080, 60 Hz.

Additional Comments: Both PCs are intended to use ~10 years, or until OS on them becomes obsolete and we can't use the PCs further (like the current situation is).
Gaming wise, beefiest game would be Hogwarts: Legacy that we both would like to play. For my PC (PC #1), i can throw in Cyberpunk 2077 as well. The rest of the games are less impactful.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Win10 support ends. Now, both of our PCs are working fine and other than that, there's 0 reason to upgrade. But since 1st PC is Skylake architecture and 2nd PC is Haswell architecture, neither of our PCs support Win11 (or Win12).

Possible parts (with current pricing);

If Intel build:
CPU: €343.80 - Ultra 5 245K: https://www.galador.eu/1903-cpus/18...k-5-2ghz-fclga18w-lga1851-24m-cache-boxed-cpu
MoBo: €491 - MSI Z890 Carbon Wi-fi: https://www.galador.eu/1904-motherb...-s-pdif-2xrj45-2xaudio-port-mpgz890carbonwifi
RAM: €275.90 - Kingston Fury Beast RGB black 6400 MT/s, 2x 32GB, 2R: https://www.galador.ee/1610-lauaarv...gb-dimm-288-pin-6400-mhz-pc5-51200-unbuffered
Total: €1110.70 per 1 PC.
CPU cooler is undecided, but up to 170mm tall air cooler fits into either of the PCs.

If AMD build:
CPU: €356.20 - R7 9700X: https://www.galador.eu/1903-cpus/18...sam5-65-watts-gpu-radeon-box-100-100001404wof
MoBo: €520.40 - MSI X870E Carbon Wi-fi: https://www.galador.eu/1904-motherboards/18099011-msi-mpg-x870e-carbon-wifi-atx-am5-amd-x870e
RAM: €268.10 - Kingston Fury Beast RGB black 6400 MT/s, 2x 32GB, 2R: https://www.galador.ee/1610-lauaarv...t-rgb-64-gb-2-x-32-gb-kit-ddr5-6400-dimm-cl32
Total: €1144.70 per 1 PC.
CPU cooler is undecided, but up to 170mm tall air cooler fits into either of the PC's cases.

With formalities over, the core of the matter;​

While purchase date is about half a year away, i'd like to make my decision regarding what parts to get, well in advance. Hence the topic now, rather than later.

For accurate price and availability suggestions, the components must be from the Galador store (or Arvutitark). I'm not going to buy stuff from Amazon, since Galador offers free nationwide shipping with courier delivery and is also a local store (far easier RMA, when needed). We do have a wide selection here, so, i'm certain i can get everything locally.

CPU​

To start off, which CPU to go for. 🤔 Since CPU defines what MoBo and RAM to get.

I prefer Intel. Running few right now. Core Ultra 5 would be more than enough. Ultra 7 would be too much/expensive. No "Core i3" in the Ultra lineup as of yet. Even if there would be one, it would fare poorly to stand up for the next ~10 years. So, on Intel side, i'm looking at Core Ultra 5 245K.

Sadly, the Core Ultra is a big flop. A bit better than 14th gen Intel, but overall, nothing special. Since Ultra is such a let down, i'm now seriously considering going with AMD.
On AMD side, i'm looking at Ryzen 7 9700X, which would be U5 245K counterpart by price.
Initially, i did consider R5 9600X as well (€260.99), which is true counterpart of U5 245K, but given that i have budget for U5 245K, R7 9700X would be better counterpart to consider.

Pros of U5 245K;
* latest Intel gen CPU with LGA1851 socket
* CUDIMM
* More L2 cache (26MB vs 8MB)
* no hyperthreading (better for gaming)
* 15C cooler running on gaming loads, compared to R7 9700X, source: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-ultra-5-245k/28.html
* lower power draw on gaming loads, compared to R7 9700X, source: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-ultra-5-245k/25.html

Pros of R7 9700X:
* latest AMD gen GPU with AM5 socket
* CUDIMM (MoBo supports it)
* more L3 cache (32MB vs 24MB)
* lower TDP (65W vs 125W)
* hyperthreading (better for applications)
* far lower power draw on application loads, compared to U5 245K, source: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-ultra-5-245k/25.html

Of course, Ryzen 10000-series (Zen 6) is expected to launch in Q3 2025 and depending how they fare value wise, would be something to consider. But Zen 6 isn't out and i'm currently considering what is available, vs what may become available.

MoBo​

Both of our current PCs are running MSI MoBos, so, new one would be MSI too. I'm happy with MSI and their features + looks.

MSI MoBo lineup: https://www.msi.com/Motherboards/Products

On Intel side, there are total of 15 choices in Z890 chipset. Some considerable options are: Carbon Wi-Fi and Gaming Plus Wi-Fi. While excluding white PCB/heatsink options since those doesn't fit the aesthetic taste, it leaves 7 options.

On AMD side, there are total of 4 choices in X870E chipset. Dismissing white PCB/heatsink ones, i'm left with only option: MPG X870E Carbon Wi-fi. Godlike is way too expensive and Tomahawk is a bit too barebones.

RAM​

I prefer to have 2DPC (2 DIMMs per channel) due to the lower latency. But sadly, due to the poor configuration between CPU and DDR5, having 2DPC means 4800 MT/s max. Anything faster and i'm stuck with 1DPC.

2R RAM (dual sided) is better than 1R RAM (single sided), so, i'm currently considering 6400 MT/s 2R RAM.
Now, CUDIMM looks promising and offers better performance, but that when RAM is 6400 MT/s or more.
E.g CUDIMM testing: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-ultra-5-245k/27.html

If to go with 6400+ MT/s RAM, then i have to get 1R RAM. Still thinking if CUDIMM is worth it or not. 🤔 Not to mention the cost of it.

A nice fact is that MSI X870E MoBos are only X870E MoBos (at least as of now), that support CUDIMM as well.

Capacity wise, current norm is 16GB. 32GB is advised when RAM usage is above average (or when playing AAA titles). When thinking about future use, i'm currently settled with 64GB since i can't easily add RAM, as i was able with DDR3/DDR4. With DDR5, i have to replace the RAM if more capacity is needed. So, it would be smart to get bigger capacity off the bat, rather than replacing RAM at later date.

Oh, Kingston DDR5 RAM height;
34.9mm - Beast
42.23mm - Beast RGB
39.2mm - Renegade
44mm - Renegade RGB

CPU cooler​

This is where i'm the least uncertain of. But that much is known that AIO doesn't happen.

There are several solid air cooler options from Noctua (chromax.black), Be Quiet!, Arctic and even Thermalright, making deciding difficult.
Since our PC cases support up to 170mm tall CPU coolers, selection is wide. I was thinking mid-sized or even big-boy air cooler, but haven't decided on which yet.

Issue with big-boy air coolers (while offering better cooling), is possible conflict with MoBo VRM heatsinks and RAM clearance issue as well. (Did list the RAM height above.)
Noctua has good compatibility chart to check clearances. So, with Noctua, i can check compatibility before purchase.

Ideally, i'd like to get CPU air cooler which fans doesn't have proprietary mount. Like Be Quiet! Dark Rock Elite or Arctic Freezer 50 has it. Since when fan should die, it would be very hard (if not impossible) to replace the fan. Because then, i have to get the same proprietary fan again. And availability for those in 3, 5, 7 etc years, is questionable. I would not risk it, since i may end up replacing entire CPU cooler when replacement fan is EOL and unavailable.

With CPU coolers, i have a wide selection of good ones;
Arctic Freezer 36 Black (ARGB)
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Black (ARGB)
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 Evo Black
Thermaltake Astria 600 ARGB
Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5
Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black
Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black

ARGB is nice to have but not mandatory.

M.2 SSD (optional)​

Having dedicated OS drive off the bat (e.g Samsung 990 Pro 2TB) would make OS installation + personal data transfer easier. Else-ways, i need to clone current OSes to 870 Evo SSDs, format current OS drives (in 1st PC: 970 Evo Plus 2TB, in 2nd PC: 980 1TB), move M.2 drives to new MoBos and install OS there.

But this much is sure, that i won't get DRAM-less SSD. For an OS drive, DRAM-less SSD is a bad idea. So, Samsung 990 Evo Plus is out of question.
That leaves either Samsung 980 Pro or 990 Pro. At least 2TB (both cost ~€180 per drive). 4TB would be better but 990 Pro 4TB is expensive (~€330 per one drive).

Future upgrades, not part of this upgrade (GPU and PSU)​

Now, i know very well that GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1060 3G aren't that beefy of a GPUs and would be the weak part in the latest systems. Still, at current moment, both are enough for our needs at 1080p. Moreover, i do plan to upgrade GPUs at later date and go with RTX 50-series, to balance the builds out.

Our PSUs are also getting a bit old now. One is 9 years old and another is 5 years old. But since both are Seasonic PRIME units with 12 year warranty and haven't been abused in the years + i'm confident in the Seasonic build quality (after all, i bought the best 650W units money could buy back then), i'm not in a hurry to replace them out yet. I'll probably go with new units when i go with new GPUs.


And that's it. Would like TH forums community help regarding the concerns i have with the components i talked about above.



--
Thanks in advance,
Aeacus

 

[Aeacus]

So, i've decided to go with AMD but that only partly makes my decision easier. I still have to decide on CPU, MoBo, RAM and CPU cooler.

CPU wise,​

i'm currently contemplating if to go with R7 9700X or R7 9800X3D. 🤔
Comparison: https://technical.city/en/cpu/Ryzen-7-9700X-vs-Ryzen-7-9800X3D
Review: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d

Pros of R7 9800X3D (compared to R7 9700X);
* up to 50% more FPS in games on 1080p (YT video source)
* higher base clock (4.7 Ghz vs 3.8 Ghz)
* 3 times more L3 cache (96MB vs 32MB)
* lower gaming power draw (with few exceptions) source
* better gaming efficiency (frames per watt) source
* 3 months newer
* due to overall higher performance, would fare better as years pass
* bragging rights (which i actually doesn't care about )

Cons of R7 9800X3D (compared to R7 9700X);
* higher price (€582.70 vs €368.40), diff: €214.30.
* lower boost clock (5.2 Ghz vs 5.5 Ghz)
* almost double the TDP (120W vs 65W)
* higher application power draw
* slightly worse single-thread performance
* most likely needs big-boy air cooler

If i were to fiddle the budget around, i should be able to afford R7 9800X3D, but that means i need to look for cheaper MoBo and most likely also settle with 16GB RAM, which i can then upgrade at later date.

CPU cooler wise,​

i've narrowed it down to:
* Arctic Freezer 36 black (€37.20)
* Arctic Freezer 36 ARGB (€45.30)
* Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE black (€55.60)
* Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB (€58.80)

Arctic Freezer 36 has direct heatpipe cooling, which makes, otherwise mid-tower CPU cooler, such a good performer. Though, i'm uncertain if it would be enough to cool R7 9800X3D. This chip saw 60C gaming load temps and 80C full load temps when cooled with NH-D15 (source).
Two Thermalright options are both twin-tower big-boy air coolers and should suffice even when going with R7 9800X3D.

Other CPU coolers i've disregarded due to higher price than the listed 4. And if i were to go with R7 9800X3D, i need to tone-down budget from other components, just to afford all that.

MoBo wise,​

things get difficult if i were to go with R7 9800X3D. Since that means, i need to re-valuate my MoBo selection.
My options regarding X870/E MoBos are these, link: https://www.galador.eu/search?q=x870&pfct=1&f2=1467&f1=410.1518.2918.3112

Not all MoBos are created equal, so, a MoBo roundup is helpful.
Like this one: https://www.techspot.com/review/2907-amd-x870-motherboards/

Besides MSI, that i personally prefer, EVGA MoBos are also great.
Used to be, where EVGA was a juicy grape to have. But now, EVGA has dried up to a raisin. No more EVGA GPUs, no more EVGA MoBos (except two Z790 chipset ones with very high price). Only PSUs have remained from EVGA and most of them aren't that great either.

Gigabyte is a brand that i, personally, don't like. Gigabyte loves to do MoBo shenanigans (source). Not a good look for Gigabyte.

Asus is notorious in having customer support issues. For me, that wouldn't be an issue, since any RMA i do, would be through the local store i bought my components from, rather than me dealing with brand directly.

And then, there's also AsRock. Who started out by making low-end, budget MoBos. But now (and after EVGA departure), is considered as one of the big 4.
I'm indifferent about AsRock.


Initially, i was eyeing MSI X870E Carbon but that costs a nice €525.91.
Now, AsRock X870E Nova has caught my eye, with much cheaper price of €402 but being equally good feature wise. Also, MoBo aesthetics look nice.

Pros of Nova (compared to MSI Carbon);
* cheaper price (diff: €124)
* more VRM phases (20+2+1 vs 18+2+1)
* lowest VRM temps (best in class)
* more M.2 slots (5 vs 4)
* MoBo backplate

Cons of Nova;
* less M.2 Gen5 slots (1 vs 2)
* less USB 3.2 ports (13 vs 16)

The more i look at it, the more i start to see that AsRock X870E Nova is better than MSI X870E Carbon. Both feature wise and price wise as well. 🤔
My concern now would be AsRock MoBo longevity.

And then, there's RAM.​

If to go with R7 9800X3D, then i need to also tone-down on RAM price. With this, i'm looking towards 6000 MT/s, CL30, 2x 8GB (16GB) kit. While upgrading RAM at later date.

(From Nova memory QVL when running R7 9800X3D)
E.g Kingston ARGB [KF560C30BBEAK2-16] - €75.70: https://www.galador.eu/1610-lauaarv...-16gb-ddr5-6000-k2-kf560c30bbeak2-16-kingston
or Kingston black [KF560C30BBEK2-16] - €67.70: https://www.galador.eu/1610-lauaarv...-dimm-kit-of-2-fury-beast-black-expo-kingston

All that combined,​

(with current pricing) would look like:
* CPU - R7 9800X3D - €582.70
* CPU cooler - Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE black - €55.60
* MoBo - AsRock X870E Nova - €402
* RAM - Kingston black - €67.70
* M.2 - 990 Pro 2TB - €193.70
Total: €1301.70.

Which is within the budget of ~€1250 per one PC.

 

[helper800]

So, i've decided to go with AMD but that only partly makes my decision easier. I still have to decide on CPU, MoBo, RAM and CPU cooler.

CPU wise,​

i'm currently contemplating if to go with R7 9700X or R7 9800X3D. 🤔
Comparison: https://technical.city/en/cpu/Ryzen-7-9700X-vs-Ryzen-7-9800X3D
Review: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d

Pros of R7 9800X3D (compared to R7 9700X);
* up to 50% more FPS in games on 1080p (YT video source)
* higher base clock (4.7 Ghz vs 3.8 Ghz)
* 3 times more L3 cache (96MB vs 32MB)
* lower gaming power draw (with few exceptions) source
* better gaming efficiency (frames per watt) source
* 3 months newer
* due to overall higher performance, would fare better as years pass
* bragging rights (which i actually doesn't care about )

Cons of R7 9800X3D (compared to R7 9700X);
* higher price (€582.70 vs €368.40), diff: €214.30.
* lower boost clock (5.2 Ghz vs 5.5 Ghz)
* almost double the TDP (120W vs 65W)
* higher application power draw
* slightly worse single-thread performance
* most likely needs big-boy air cooler

If i were to fiddle the budget around, i should be able to afford R7 9800X3D, but that means i need to look for cheaper MoBo and most likely also settle with 16GB RAM, which i can then upgrade at later date.

CPU cooler wise,​

i've narrowed it down to:
* Arctic Freezer 36 black (€37.20)
* Arctic Freezer 36 ARGB (€45.30)
* Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE black (€55.60)
* Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB (€58.80)

Arctic Freezer 36 has direct heatpipe cooling, which makes, otherwise mid-tower CPU cooler, such a good performer. Though, i'm uncertain if it would be enough to cool R7 9800X3D. This chip saw 60C gaming load temps and 80C full load temps when cooled with NH-D15 (source).
Two Thermalright options are both twin-tower big-boy air coolers and should suffice even when going with R7 9800X3D.

Other CPU coolers i've disregarded due to higher price than the listed 4. And if i were to go with R7 9800X3D, i need to tone-down budget from other components, just to afford all that.

MoBo wise,​

things get difficult if i were to go with R7 9800X3D. Since that means, i need to re-valuate my MoBo selection.
My options regarding X870/E MoBos are these, link: https://www.galador.eu/search?q=x870&pfct=1&f2=1467&f1=410.1518.2918.3112

Not all MoBos are created equal, so, a MoBo roundup is helpful.
Like this one: https://www.techspot.com/review/2907-amd-x870-motherboards/

Besides MSI, that i personally prefer, EVGA MoBos are also great.
Used to be, where EVGA was a juicy grape to have. But now, EVGA has dried up to a raisin. No more EVGA GPUs, no more EVGA MoBos (except two Z790 chipset ones with very high price). Only PSUs have remained from EVGA and most of them aren't that great either.

Gigabyte is a brand that i, personally, don't like. Gigabyte loves to do MoBo shenanigans (source). Not a good look for Gigabyte.

Asus is notorious in having customer support issues. For me, that wouldn't be an issue, since any RMA i do, would be through the local store i bought my components from, rather than me dealing with brand directly.

And then, there's also AsRock. Who started out by making low-end, budget MoBos. But now (and after EVGA departure), is considered as one of the big 4.
I'm indifferent about AsRock.


Initially, i was eyeing MSI X870E Carbon but that costs a nice €525.91.
Now, AsRock X870E Nova has caught my eye, with much cheaper price of €402 but being equally good feature wise. Also, MoBo aesthetics look nice.

Pros of Nova (compared to MSI Carbon);
* cheaper price (diff: €124)
* more VRM phases (20+2+1 vs 18+2+1)
* lowest VRM temps (best in class)
* more M.2 slots (5 vs 4)
* MoBo backplate

Cons of Nova;
* less M.2 Gen5 slots (1 vs 2)
* less USB 3.2 ports (13 vs 16)

The more i look at it, the more i start to see that AsRock X870E Nova is better than MSI X870E Carbon. Both feature wise and price wise as well. 🤔
My concern now would be AsRock MoBo longevity.

And then, there's RAM.​

If to go with R7 9800X3D, then i need to also tone-down on RAM price. With this, i'm looking towards 6000 MT/s, CL30, 2x 8GB (16GB) kit. While upgrading RAM at later date.

(From Nova memory QVL when running R7 9800X3D)
E.g Kingston ARGB [KF560C30BBEAK2-16] - €75.70: https://www.galador.eu/1610-lauaarv...-16gb-ddr5-6000-k2-kf560c30bbeak2-16-kingston
or Kingston black [KF560C30BBEK2-16] - €67.70: https://www.galador.eu/1610-lauaarv...-dimm-kit-of-2-fury-beast-black-expo-kingston

All that combined,​

(with current pricing) would look like:
* CPU - R7 9800X3D - €582.70
* CPU cooler - Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE black - €55.60
* MoBo - AsRock X870E Nova - €402
* RAM - Kingston black - €67.70
* M.2 - 990 Pro 2TB - €193.70
Total: €1301.70.

Which is within the budget of ~€1250 per one PC.

You really do not need to spend anywhere near that on the motherboard and SSD. The difference between a 200 dollar motherboard and a 400-500 dollar one is only going to be VRMs, an M.2 slot or two, and some USBs. The 9800X3D is only a 120w/170w part at the worst so there is little to no reason for crazy VRMs. If then it comes down to getting the number of USB, and M.2 slots you want.

Either the ASRock X870 Riptide WiFi, or the Asrock Motherboard X870 PRO RS WIFI are completely capable of using a 9950X3D let alone a 9800X3D.

The Samsung 990 pro is also way over priced in that region. For very similar performance and reliability there are several cheaper M.2 drives to choose from.

Here is the 2TB WD SN850X. Here is the same Samsung 990 PRO drive for less. Another alternative option would be this Crucial T500 2TB drive. The fastest drive that can be bought would be this 2TB Crucial T705 drive but at great cost.

As far as the RAM goes, G skill is the best most reliable RAM I have used. I have used many 10s of kits and have only ever had issues with 1 kit and that was most likely the memory controller on the CPU not being the best as this was a performance kit. You can usually get a 2x16gb kit from 80-100 dollars and I believe that should be the priority over spending and extra 50 dollars on the M.2 drive.

Here is a G Skill kit that is fast low latency and cheap at 6000 MT/s cl30 2x16GB. Here is the most performance kit you can get within reason from G Skill at 6000 MT/s CL26 2x16GB.

Here is a list of G Skill RAM kits on the QVL for the Asrock boards with the best performance at 2x16gb.

 

[Aeacus]

or the Asrock Motherboard X870 PRO RS WIFI

That is a completely white MoBo, which will ruin the aesthetics of our builds.

Either the ASRock X870 Riptide WiFi,

That's cheaper option, yes, but it does have lesser features compared to e.g Nova.

One important factor to me, is VRM phases. Riptide has 14+2+1. Nova has 20+2+1.
The more VRM phases there are, the cooler each phase runs at and the longer lifespan phases have. And i'm here for the long haul.
On top of that, more phases means less electricity wasted as excess heat and more stable power for the CPU, which, in turn, increases CPU lifespan.

Then, Riptide has 3x M.2 slots, Nova has 5x M.2 slots. That will hinder future storage plans i have.
E.g my current MoBo in Skylake build has 2x M.2 slots and both are filled. Can't add any more M.2 drives, so, other drives i have, are SATA. Same is in Haswell build as well. MoBo has 1x M.2 slot, which is filled. Other drives are SATA, since there is no other option.

Also, the 2.5 Gbps LAN port on Riptide will hinder my future plans on fiber connection from my ISP. 5 Gbps LAN port on Nova has far better headroom in that regard.
Currently the fastest internet connection in Estonia is 2.5 Gbps. But within 10 years time, it will change. And i'd hate myself if i can't get the speeds i'm able to afford just based on the MoBo limitation.

You really do not need to spend anywhere near that on

I've heard that before. My idea isn't to be a penny-pincer, but instead to buy good/great quality hardware that will last me (us) many years.

I'm one of the few (or very few), who is using expensive PSUs in their builds. Seasonic PRIME TX-650. One can easily argue that i don't need 80+ Titanium PSU to power my PCs, instead, cheaper 80+ Gold PSU would suffice just as well. And while that can be true, you can call me nuts for still buying and using 80+ Titanium PSUs.

But there's a reason for that madness. Namely both of our builds are backed up by an UPS and more efficient PSU = more runtime out of UPS when blackout should appear. That, and also money saved on electricity bill over the many years. (Electricity is expensive in these nick of the woods.) Oh, less expelled excess heat as well, which makes our PSUs dead silent. (I actually don't know if our PSUs have ever gotten that hot, that PSU fan would've started spinning. At least, i haven't heard PSU fan spinning.)

So, yeah, if can afford something nice, why not go for it? 🤔
If i were a penny-pincer, i'd be looking towards R5 5600, B550 chipset MoBo, reuse DDR4 from my Skylake build (while also buying another set of DDR4 for 2nd build) and using the stock CPU cooler that comes with CPU. That would make ~€200 total for one build and ~€240 total for another build, where i need to buy DDR4 RAM. And i'd be re-using OS drives as well, while running inactivated Win11 on both builds (just not to fork out money for licenses).
That cheap setup maybe lasts us 5 years, maybe not. I don't know.

The Samsung 990 pro is also way over priced in that region.

It is. Samsung drives here are expensive. 970 Evo Plus 2TB costed me €212.50. 870 Evo 2TB costed me €230.80. That, years ago of course.

Here is the same Samsung 990 PRO drive for less.

Yeah, in the Galador store, components constantly appear and disappear. Also, their prices change daily. But that's how Galador operates.
Namely, the online shop is linked to more than 80 European partner warehouses of different sizes and the stock status and price information are always displayed in real time. So, what price i see today, most likely, will not be same tomorrow, or in 2 months.

Hence why i'm not that fixated on the price, but instead the component itself. And why i made this topic well in advance of actual purchase date (gives me more time to decide on components, rather than doing impulse buy based on price.)

Here is the 2TB WD SN850X.

I'd consider WD if no Samsung would be available. My alternative, to say so.

Another alternative option would be this Crucial T500 2TB drive.

Yeah, it has reviewed well, beating 990 Pro on performance. But it also has it's downsides. Namely, when drive gets full, it sees inconsistent sustained performance. This is actually what i, personally, have seen from other Crucial drives. I'm running Crucial MX500 1TB as my backup drive and compared to e.g 860 Evo, it performed equally good, while only costing a fracture of Samsung drive. So, when MX500 1st came out, it was value king. Of course, once drive gets full, it's performance drops off the cliff. But that's the flaw one has to live when paying little for a drive.

Now i know how Crucial drives operate and i'd rather stick with Samsung.

The fastest drive that can be bought would be this 2TB Crucial T705 drive but at great cost.

Yes, but with that price, i'd almost get 4TB 990 Pro. 😀

As far as the RAM goes, G skill is the best most reliable RAM I have used.

For me, the same is with Kingston. Hence why i'm looking at Kingston RAM.
Haswell build has DDR3 Kingston.
Skylake build has DDR4 Kingston.
None have died over the years. Also, 0 issues with RAM as well. So, i'll go with DDR5 Kingston as well.

Though, CL26 G.Skill is interesting. 🤔 I'll think about it once i end up upgrading RAM capacity at later date.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I think you know what to get. Don't second guess yourself. You recommend enough to others on the forum, you need to feel confident in your own decisions for your own hardware too. I get wanting opinions, but in the end, you have to get what YOU think is the right product for what you need and want out of it.

 

[helper800]

I agree with @Darkbreeze , you have your own opinions on how you want to build the PCs. You and I obviously prioritize different things within a budget. I did a ton of digging for parts on that website and have given you what I would do with what is available right now, and in a couple months. I completely disagree with your depiction of crucial drives as "slowing down" when they become full, as that is what all SSDs do and at very similar rates, including Samsung drives, however, that is neither here nor there.

Based upon your motherboard preferences I would go with the Asrock Nova board because its just better in every way than the compared MSI motherboard minus a 5.0 M.2 slot which is not super valuable considering you are getting 4.0 drives. And 3 less USB ports when you already have 13 is a non-issue.

 

[Aeacus]

I think you know what to get. Don't second guess yourself.

Well, i have general idea but it doesn't hurt to ask what others think about it as well. Maybe one of you sees something i've missed or has another idea. E.g like the R7 9800X3D, which even didn't cross my mind due to the high price. But which gave me a reason to re-valuate my budget, to see, if it can be done via my preferences.

I did a ton of digging for parts on that website and have given you what I would do with what is available right now, and in a couple months.

That i do know and i do appreciate it. It isn't easy to scroll through the listing to find good products, especially when the selection is so wide.

Based upon your motherboard preferences I would go with the Asrock Nova board because its just better in every way than the compared MSI motherboard minus a 5.0 M.2 slot which is not super valuable considering you are getting 4.0 drives. And 3 less USB ports when you already have 13 is a non-issue.

Yes. Nova does seem much better option compared to the Carbon. Missing out on few USB ports isn't that big of a deal and there's no real world diff between M.2 Gen4 and Gen5 (outside of benchmarks that is).

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I believe i have a good idea now on which parts to get. So, big thanks for everybody who participated in my topic!
Until next time.