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Critique and advice requested

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I'm building a system for my son who does not care to dive into the specs of building a system, so it's up to me. There's no real budget, but I'm trying to build a "bang for the buck", stable system that should last him 5 or more years.
He's currently using an i7-4790k which is just getting long on the tooth.

*He's not a FPS gamer, but he does run several servers at the same time, hence the 64 GB of RAM.
*He also wants to run a dual display setup, eventually, not with another monitor like he has, which I think is problematic.
*I'm mostly curious about the RAM. He's not an overclocker, so I'm not sure what speed to use with the i5-13600K.
*He does not want WiFi, so if anyone has a suggestion for a different motherboard, I'm all ears. No pun intended, but audio quality is important.

PCPartPicker Part List:

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor ($319.87 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B760-F GAMING WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($270.00)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL32 Memory ($339.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (Purchased For $180.00)
Video Card: NVIDIA Founders Edition GeForce RTX 3080 10GB 10 GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Antec P10 FLUX ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Super Flower Leadex Titanium 850 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $165.00)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($109.95 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Alienware AW2721D 27.0" 2560 x 1440 240 Hz Monitor (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1569.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-28 13:27 EST-0500

Thanks
 

3x0

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Do you plan on upgrading the CPU in 3-4 years? AMDs AM5 platform will most likely be supported by CPUs released in a few generations from now, so it's better to go that route if you want an easy CPU upgrade down the line. However, since he could be benefiting from more cores right now, the 13600k is probably a better choice most likely than the AMD R7 7700.

CPU cooler can be replaced with the cheaper and better Deepcool AK620 https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9T92FT/deepcool-ak620-6899-cfm-cpu-cooler-r-ak620-bknnmt-g

And wow, didn't know Blu-ray drives were that expensive o_O Does it have to be that exact model? There are slightly cheaper options....
 
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i5-13600K is fine, it doesn't matter if it's the last gen on socket 1700 since it will last 5 years.

You could even upgrade to i7 or i9 in the near future if you need more horsepower.
 
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Fractal Design Pop Air Mid Tower Computer Case $79.99


https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144585
MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI $219.99


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6FD741J
DeepCool AG620 Dual Tower CPU Cooler $54.99

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ag620-air-cooler

 
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Storage Crucial MX100 256GB/120GB Samsung 830 & Seagate 2TB(died)
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Case P100/Antec P280 It's huge!
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qubit

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That's a lot of graphics card for no cost! May I ask how come? :)

For the audio, I can recommend a Creative Sound Blaster Z SE as it's at a similar level to the old X-Fi cards which sound fantastic - I know, because I've got several of them. They do more expensive ones, but I think they're likely overkill.
 
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No ODD.

I want something with better audio than an Realtek® ALC897 Codec

Well....

Edit: I should add, since I can't update the OP, that I'm also trying to make this a very quiet system.
That case comes with two 5.25" optical drive bays. It's in the link I posted up above.

 

dgianstefani

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U12A or D15 is better.
Otherwise looks good.
 
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If audio quality is really that important, why isn't he using an external DAC?
 
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This is worth a look if you're buying a high end heatsink. PA120/se still wears the price to performance crown of course @$35. Dude gets hung up on it's supposedly being noisy lol. It's slightly noisier compared to my u12a w/2x nf-a12s that cost 3x as much.

 

freeagent

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I didn't find it to be loud at all. 1600RPM fans for the ARGB model. The fans on TRUE Black Rev4 are much louder imo. Its funny how that last 500RPM gets you every time :D
 
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That case comes with two 5.25" optical drive bays. It's in the link I posted up above.

:oops: Learn something new everyday!
If audio quality is really that important, why isn't he using an external DAC?
For the audio, I can recommend a Creative Sound Blaster Z SE
Not that important, I just want a motherboard that it's obvious that they spent some time on the audio. I'm pickier than he is.
That's a lot of graphics card for no cost! May I ask how come? :)
He got the monitor and GPU from a friend for $860, just before the GPU prices dropped!
This is worth a look if you're buying a high end heatsink. PA120/se still wears the price to performance crown of course @$35. Dude gets hung up on it's supposedly being noisy lol. It's slightly noisier compared to my u12a w/2x nf-a12s that cost 3x as much.

I saw that. The sad news is that there are a bunch of new CPU coolers coming out this year. He really doesn't need anything massive as he's not going for any of the OC'ing features. I have one of the PA120/SE's here on a 3700X (100% load) in a FD Meshify Mini and it's obnoxious.

:oops:I also just realized that he has a Fuma (2 I believe) on his current system that we'll move over.
 
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This is worth a look if you're buying a high end heatsink. PA120/se still wears the price to performance crown of course @$35. Dude gets hung up on it's supposedly being noisy lol. It's slightly noisier compared to my u12a w/2x nf-a12s that cost 3x as much.


"What I wanted to do in this video is round up all of the best of the best CPU coolers that are out there"
Does not include two actually highest performing air coolers -- the DeepCool Assassin III and the Thermalright Frost Commander 140. I'm pretty sure they'd outdo any single unit in this roundup.
 
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"What I wanted to do in this video is round up all of the best of the best CPU coolers that are out there"
Does not include two actually highest performing air coolers -- the DeepCool Assassin III and the Thermalright Frost Commander 140. I'm pretty sure they'd outdo any single unit in this roundup.
I agree.
 
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