3k$ cdn Build plan

[1lluma]

Hello,

I am looking to build a new setup pretty soon.

I am coming from a very old setup with Xeon E3 1230 v3, 16gb ram and a GTX 980.

My usage is mostly work from home with VM access to my work mostly doing excel and gaming at 1440p (warzone,next forza,cycle frontier,cyberpunk 2077). I have a 1440p 44hz monitor but not too worried about getting 120+ fps in more demanding game.

Here is the build list I was currently looking at:

CPU Ryzen 7 7700x
Cooler Deepcool AK620
MB Asus Strix B650e-F
Memory Corsair Vengeance 64gb 5200mhz CL40 expo
SSD Solidigm P44 pro 2tb
HDD cheapest 8tb available
GPU wait for 7700xt/7800xt or buy now a 6800xt
PSU Seasonic Vertex 850
Case Lian Li o11 air mini

pcpartpicker list

I would like to limit it to 3k$ in canadian dollar. For my usage should I wait for X3D part and RDNA 3 ?

not really interested in changing the setup every 2-3 year but keep it for 5+ year.

 

[Why_Me]

You might want to find out when the X3D cpu's are due for release so you can see the reviews on this site and others. With that said your build looks solid.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

Around jan 1 I believe.

If you go X3D it doesn't matter so much, but good RAM might be something to look at - 6000 CL30 is AMD's recommendation.

 

[dgianstefani]

5200/c40 DDR5 is bad.

There's zero advantage of going with Zen 4 over Raptor Lake if you're not at least going to use fast DDR5. Otherwise save your money, get a 13600K and DDR4, you'd get better single and multi threaded perf over that build. You seem to also have specced the motherboard very hard relative to the rest of the build - if you're set on Zen 4, get a cheaper motherboard and better memory.

64 GB is more realistic with DDR5 than DDR4, but what do you need that much RAM for?

 

[nomdeplume]

You seem to also have specced the motherboard very hard relative to the rest of the build

Is that accurate for Asus or for the general area of market mobo he specced is in?

Not outright questioning your statement. Especially on the review side there is little doubt how much new hardware cycles through. This is more requesting what makes you state this in hopes it could reveal something interesting about AMD behaviors that might not apply to the comparable Intel board. At least so far as the stated purpose of this build is concerned.

 

[1lluma]

I wanna keep this next build for a long time and going bigger on ram last time was really helpful to make the build kept feeling snappy over the years. Pretty sure 8gb was the standard in 2014 when i build my last setup.

And it looks like 32gb is the current standard. From what I read there is not really a big difference in gaming and office software between 5200mhz/cl40 and 6000mhz/cl30. So instead of going for a fast 32gb kit I feel like going for slower 64gb kit for the same amount of money is a better choice for future-proofing.

For the motherboard, the Strix B650e-f have pretty much all the feature I like: intel lan 2.5gbs (had bad experience with realtek and other lan chip), most recent audio chip ALC4080, m.2 gen 5 slot, wifi 6e and the price is reasonable compared to the same board in Z790. The only thing I plan on upgrading during the lifetime of this setup is the m.2 ssd when pcie5 ssd with good controller so probably not the gen1 pcie5 ssd that need active cooling.

 

[mechtech]

Hello,

I am looking to build a new setup pretty soon.

I am coming from a very old setup with Xeon E3 1230 v3, 16gb ram and a GTX 980.

My usage is mostly work from home with VM access to my work mostly doing excel and gaming at 1440p (warzone,next forza,cycle frontier,cyberpunk 2077). I have a 1440p 44hz monitor but not too worried about getting 120+ fps in more demanding game.

Here is the build list I was currently looking at:

CPU Ryzen 7 7700x
Cooler Deepcool AK620
MB Asus Strix B650e-F
Memory Corsair Vengeance 64gb 5200mhz CL40 expo
SSD Solidigm P44 pro 2tb
HDD cheapest 8tb available
GPU wait for 7700xt/7800xt or buy now a 6800xt
PSU Seasonic Vertex 850
Case Lian Li o11 air mini

pcpartpicker list

I would like to limit it to 3k$ in canadian dollar. For my usage should I wait for X3D part and RDNA 3 ?

not really interested in changing the setup every 2-3 year but keep it for 5+ year.

The Solidigm and Hynix are rare and expensive in Canada https://www.techpowerup.com/review/kingston-fury-renegade-heatsink-2-tb/16.html
just use the chart for relative performance in a nut shell. I got Kingston KC3000 2TB for $246 on sale, and the samsung 980 pro 2TB was on black friday sale for $250 fyi.
I typically will use a 500GB or 1TB drive for OS and programs and will put games, etc. on another drive. And for game loading a regular sata ssd is fine for loading speeds
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/kingston-fury-renegade-heatsink-2-tb/13.html It might save some $$ for large capacities like 4TB and larger.

I got a 32GB kit 5-6 years ago and never had the need/want/desire to upgrade to 64GB. Suggestion maybe get a 2x16GB kit but at 6400 speed.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

That Seasonic is a bit pricey I think the RMx 2021 850w is around 40-50 cad cheaper and performs around the same. unless that's a placeholder for a different likely more expensive Seasonic psu.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08R5JPTMZ?tag=pcp0f-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

 

[dgianstefani]

I wanna keep this next build for a long time and going bigger on ram last time was really helpful to make the build kept feeling snappy over the years. Pretty sure 8gb was the standard in 2014 when i build my last setup.

And it looks like 32gb is the current standard. From what I read there is not really a big difference in gaming and office software between 5200mhz/cl40 and 6000mhz/cl30. So instead of going for a fast 32gb kit I feel like going for slower 64gb kit for the same amount of money is a better choice for future-proofing.

For the motherboard, the Strix B650e-f have pretty much all the feature I like: intel lan 2.5gbs (had bad experience with realtek and other lan chip), most recent audio chip ALC4080, m.2 gen 5 slot, wifi 6e and the price is reasonable compared to the same board in Z790. The only thing I plan on upgrading during the lifetime of this setup is the m.2 ssd when pcie5 ssd with good controller so probably not the gen1 pcie5 ssd that need active cooling.

You will see zero performance differences unless you actually use more than 32 GB, you will actually, in most cases, see a performance reduction due to the ram being slower and higher latency, capacity≠speed unless you actually use it. From what you're saying, it doesn't seem like you will.

If at some point you actually need more than 32 GB in a few years, you can always add more fast ram, and it will be cheaper than it is now. Starting with lots of slow ram will hamstring you from day zero, and upgrading will cost more since you'll have to replace every stick.

6000/30 and 5200/40 is 60 vs 75 ns in AIDA, and 10 ns vs 15 ns first word latency

Ram Latency Calculator

That's a pretty big difference.

In game performance you're only talking 10 to 20 extra FPS today, but that's because most games aren't CPU limited, as time goes on, games will get more demanding.

Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 (AMD Expo) 2x 16 GB Review

Corsair's Vengeance RGB takes the AMD DDR5 platform to a sweet spot. Using the new EXPO 6000 MT/s profile that's optimized for Zen 4 and tight timings of 30-36-36-76, this kit is designed to fit right into the Corsair ecosystem to provide a great end-to-end user experience.

www.techpowerup.com

Is that accurate for Asus or for the general area of market mobo he specced is in?

Not outright questioning your statement. Especially on the review side there is little doubt how much new hardware cycles through. This is more requesting what makes you state this in hopes it could reveal something interesting about AMD behaviors that might not apply to the comparable Intel board. At least so far as the stated purpose of this build is concerned.

I generally find in budget limited builds below £$2k, spending extra for PSU, RAM and CPU gives you more value than dumping it into motherboard features. Once you go past a £$250 motherboard they're pretty much equally good, aside from enthusiast features like sub-ambient OC or excessive amounts of ports/PCIe etc.

Asus do make the best motherboards in my opinion, but they know it, and charge likewise.

 

[Why_Me]

The Solidigm and Hynix are rare and expensive in Canada https://www.techpowerup.com/review/kingston-fury-renegade-heatsink-2-tb/16.html
just use the chart for relative performance in a nut shell. I got Kingston KC3000 2TB for $246 on sale, and the samsung 980 pro 2TB was on black friday sale for $250 fyi.
I typically will use a 500GB or 1TB drive for OS and programs and will put games, etc. on another drive. And for game loading a regular sata ssd is fine for loading speeds
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/kingston-fury-renegade-heatsink-2-tb/13.html It might save some $$ for large capacities like 4TB and larger.

I got a 32GB kit 5-6 years ago and never had the need/want/desire to upgrade to 64GB. Suggestion maybe get a 2x16GB kit but at 6400 speed.

No idea about the EU but the choices of DDR5 in Canada and the UK suck atm.

 

[SL2]

I'm sorry that people refuse to answer your actual question..

For my usage should I wait for X3D part and RDNA 3 ?

Given your budget and the short timeframe I'd say yes for the CPU, at least for seeing what it brings. Not that I think the prices will go down further for the current CPU's tho.

On the other hand, you can get a 7700X now, and update just the CPU a few years later (not saying that you have to, it's just an option). There's also the Ryzen 7 7700 coming soon.

AMD to Release Non-X Ryzen 7000 Series Desktop Processor SKUs Early-January

AMD is planning to give its Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" Socket AM5 desktop processor lineup a significant expansion in January, as rival Intel plans to do the same with its 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake." AMD's lineup expansion will be in both directions—toward the higher end with its 7000X3D series; and...

www.techpowerup.com

For the GPU I'm not sure. If you think the current cards are good then go for it, as they're considered having great value. The cards you're waiting for might take some time before they show up.

I got a 32GB kit 5-6 years ago and never had the need/want/desire to upgrade to 64GB.

That's possibly because you haven't reached the year 2027 yet, which the OP is planning for, more or less.

Suggestion maybe get a 2x16GB kit but at 6400 speed.

I've never seen that speed being recommended for Zen 4.. also, the board in the OP doesn't support that speed so that's a bit of a gamble.

 

[1lluma]

CPU: I forgot 7700 non X is also planned to be released at CES in Jan. Lower PPT and lower price could be really good for my use case.

MB:I feel like all the other MB choice in canada for AM5 are either overpriced compared to the Strix B650e-F or lose good features that the Strix has for similar price. There are some cheaper choice from Asrock like the B650E PG riptide or the X670E PG lightning but they are only 50-80$ less than the Strix.

Memory: I hear everyone about faster 32gb kit. Checked guru3d memory scaling review with 7700x and only far cry see significant FPS increase from 5200mhz/CL40 to 6000mhz/CL30 at 1440p. I don't really care about the difference at 1080p cause I am not playing at that resolution. So the corsair 64gb kit listed at 1.25v I could try my luck at overclocking it and maybe pushing it to 5600mhz CL36 with 1.4/1.5v for a 60$ difference with a 6000mhz CL30 32gb kit (gkill trident neo at 310$ cdn).As I said in my OP and replies I want to build this setup once for 5+ year and hopefully only change SSD or HDD during the lifetime of this setup

GPU: the 6800xt at 850$ cdn currently seems like a good deal but if 7700xt & 7800xt is launched during CES in JAN with availability later in Jan/Feb I would rather wait for RDNA3 mid-range.Alas I haven't seen any confirmed launch date for those card. There is also the ARC 770 that is intriguing me but there is something weird about mixing AMD and Intel in my mind.

SSD: for sure I could be happy with something cheaper like a NV2/SN770/P5 Plus but pricing in Canada make the upgrade to a P44 Pro not that bad. Here is current Canadian pricing of the usual choice in 2TB: P41 Plus 200$ P44 Pro 300$ SN770 245$ SN850X 310$ 980 Pro 350$. Outlier in Canada is the NV2 at 160$ which could be a nice game drive and go for a 1tb P44 Pro instead at 190$ but I like the simplicity of having one SSD for OS & games.

PSU: I am only buying Seasonic for PSU. Yes there are cheaper option with close to same quality as Seasonic but I don't really care too much. I like Seasonic quality/design/warranty and I am ready to pay the difference

 

[nomdeplume]

You will see zero performance differences unless you actually use more than 32 GB, you will actually, in most cases, see a performance reduction due to the ram being slower and higher latency, capacity≠speed unless you actually use it. From what you're saying, it doesn't seem like you will.

If at some point you actually need more than 32 GB in a few years, you can always add more fast ram, and it will be cheaper than it is now. Starting with lots of slow ram will hamstring you from day zero, and upgrading will cost more since you'll have to replace every stick.

6000/30 and 5200/40 is 60 vs 75 ns in AIDA, and 10 ns vs 15 ns first word latency

Ram Latency Calculator

That's a pretty big difference.

In game performance you're only talking 10 to 20 extra FPS today, but that's because most games aren't CPU limited, as time goes on, games will get more demanding.

Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 (AMD Expo) 2x 16 GB Review

Corsair's Vengeance RGB takes the AMD DDR5 platform to a sweet spot. Using the new EXPO 6000 MT/s profile that's optimized for Zen 4 and tight timings of 30-36-36-76, this kit is designed to fit right into the Corsair ecosystem to provide a great end-to-end user experience.

www.techpowerup.com

I generally find in budget limited builds below £$2k, spending extra for PSU, RAM and CPU gives you more value than dumping it into motherboard features. Once you go past a £$250 motherboard they're pretty much equally good, aside from enthusiast features like sub-ambient OC or excessive amounts of ports/PCIe etc.

Asus do make the best motherboards in my opinion, but they know it, and charge likewise.

Reason for so fully qualifying my reply was a growing reputation (real world implications of Covid on supply and labor) Asus mobo have a flattened scale across their mobo range that makes a sudden jump in desirable qualities at the top. Forcing a move upwards in their line for anyone hoping to realize a years long lifespan before fatigued performance sets in. OP seems to have aptly stated this exact reasoning without endeavoring to explore the industrial realities.

There is no way to avoid factoring in an actually worthwhile upgrade to psu or ram may become available nearer system EOL than date of purchase. Attaining the most suitable cpu and board seems to me the critical element. Both ram and psu are at the highest point of development in their current generation.

 

[1lluma]

With the review of the 7900 cards, I am not sure if it's worth waiting for the lower end Navi III cards like 7700xt or 7800xt

So I updated my part list, there a few placeholder:
Updated part list

CPU: placeholder for when Ryzen 7 7700 non X is released in Jan. Lower TDP and hopefully 100$ less in would be perfect. Could be stupid and go for the R9 7900 non-X if the pricing is close to 500$ CAD

Memory: Best price/perf ratio 32gb kit I have found with EXPO. But will check again in Jan if there are better 32gb kit for >250$.

SSD: One seller has it for 160$ but is on backorder. Will check if that price is still valid when they have it back in stock.

GPU: 6700xt for 500$ cad feel like the best price/perf ratio of everything currently on the market and should good enough for 1440p. 6800xt is at 800$ and 6900xt at 1000$ but I think I would be better to go for the 6700xt and upgrade in 2-3 year when next gen is released.

PSU: as mentionned before, placeholder for when Seasonic Vertex are released later this month.

 

[maxfly]

With the review of the 7900 cards, I am not sure if it's worth waiting for the lower end Navi III cards like 7700xt or 7800xt

So I updated my part list, there a few placeholder:
Updated part list

CPU: placeholder for when Ryzen 7 7700 non X is released in Jan. Lower TDP and hopefully 100$ less in would be perfect. Could be stupid and go for the R9 7900 non-X if the pricing is close to 500$ CAD

Memory: Best price/perf ratio 32gb kit I have found with EXPO. But will check again in Jan if there are better 32gb kit for >250$.

SSD: One seller has it for 160$ but is on backorder. Will check if that price is still valid when they have it back in stock.

GPU: 6700xt for 500$ cad feel like the best price/perf ratio of everything currently on the market and should good enough for 1440p. 6800xt is at 800$ and 6900xt at 1000$ but I think I would be better to go for the 6700xt and upgrade in 2-3 year when next gen is released.

PSU: as mentionned before, placeholder for when Seasonic Vertex are released later this month.

Looks good. The 6700xt is a solid card for the games/res you play. The only suggestion I would make is with memory. You have to keep in mind ddr5 prices are literally the worst they will ever be right now. In another year they will likely be half or less what they are now. So going with 32gb today. Then when you need another 32gb in a year or two would be a wise fiscal choice.
GL and enjoy the new rig!

 

[P4-630]

I have a 1440p 44hz monitor

That's a very rare one....

 

[1lluma]

Derp. Didn't realise that error in my OP. I have a 1440p 144hz monitor and not just 44hz.

 

[1lluma]

Updated part list: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/bnMXzf

CPU: well 7700x are back at 540$ and I am assuming this is to not cannibalize the to be launched non X CPU. Hopefully the 7700 non X is at 400$ cdn and there is decent stock at launch

Memory: ended going for a corsair kit at 5600mhz CL36 32gb kit. Might try my luck and overclock it to 6000mhz

SSD: Bought a NV2 at my local canadacomputers but realised that there is a couple version of it and got the old SM2267XT controller/QLC that is nowhere near as good as the Phison E21/TLC version reviewed. Quite pissed at Kingston for that bullshit bait & switch. So never buying Kingston SSD ever again. Now I am torn between getting a P44 Pro and be done with it or get a SN770 and upgrade in 2-3 year when PCIe 5 SSD get released.

PSU: looks like the Seasonic ATX 3.0 aren't going to be available until Feb and even Q2 2023 for Plat version. So thinking about going with the Corsair RM850x 2021 instead.

I am starting to come to realization that my initial idea of doing future proof build for 5+ year isn't really working with the current HW release timing. Kinda want it done in the next 2 weeks. So would look to save money on CPU/RAM/SSD/GPU/PSU and update the build in 2-3 year with Zen 5 X3D CPU, 64gb 6000mhz/CL30 kit (hopefully in the 300$ range), RTX 5000 or AMD RX 8000 GPU and a seasonic ATX 3.0 80plat PSU.

 

[Lei]

HDD cheapest 8tb available

12tb and up are filled with helium and a lot quieter. If you can afford, worth the silence.

look at the acoustics at idle:

8tb 29db and 12tb is 20db. 9 decibels means twice louder.