PC Building Guide and Discussion #13

[Suxnet]

I was thinking of stocking up on some parts even if the 5000 series were out of stock but it looks like that's not gonna happen. No RAM, no mobos, no coolers. At least the case I wanted is on sale...lol. Better luck next year I guess.

 

[Osprey]

I was thinking of stocking up on some parts even if the 5000 series were out of stock but it looks like that's not gonna happen. No RAM, no mobos, no coolers. At least the case I wanted is on sale...lol. Better luck next year I guess.

I've pretty much resigned myself to not upgrading until January, as well. Maybe the 5600X will actually be in stock then... if I'm lucky.

 

[Soedy]

I really want a 3070 but man am I unsure if the 8gb of ram will hold up very long or 4k gaming...

 

[Osprey]

I really want a 3070 but man am I unsure if the 8gb of ram will hold up very long or 4k gaming...

You may care to wait a little bit. There are rumors that Nvidia is going to release versions of the 3080 and 3070 with more VRAM to keep pace with AMD, I think with 20GB and 16GB, respectively. There's also a rumor of that a 3060 Ti may be announced next week, though whether it'll be 8GB or 12GB is unclear. Maybe the new 3080 and 3070 models will be announced at the same time, though I wouldn't count on being able to buy any of them before January.

 

[Soedy]

You may care to wait a little bit. There are rumors that Nvidia is going to release versions of the 3080 and 3070 with more VRAM to keep pace with AMD, I think with 20GB and 16GB, respectively. There's also a rumor of a 3060 Ti with 12GB. I can see all three being announced in January, but that's just a personal guess, not a rumor.

Yep, heard that aswell. Due to the stock situation I won't make a move until february anyway

 

[stopclickbait]

Finally pulled the trigger and bought a prebuilt.

1230187: iBUYPOWER®

I'm from Canada so I hope the duties won't be too bad at the end of it all.

Any thoughts on a monitor to buy I eventually want to have 3 but having 1 nice one to start would be great. Figured this would a great time to buy a monitor.

Also need a gaming chair

I don't mind spending up on a good one way I look at it I will have it for 5+ years. I have no idea difference between different monitors IPS HZ are a total different language to me. I'm willing to pay $500 if the deal is decent. I've heard 27" size in the most you should go though.

 

[Rubi]

I need some advice on which CPU to buy to upgrade my computer. I primarily use it for photo editing. My motherboard is a MSI B350 Tomahawk.
Specification B350 TOMAHAWK

I'm looking at getting a 2nd generation AMD Ryzen 7 2700x or a 3rd generation AMD Ryzen 5 3600. Both are about in the same price range. I know I have to update my motherboard BIOS and by doing that both CPUs will work with my older B350.

The question is... will the Ryzen 7 2700x cpu work better with my B350 or will the Ryzen 5 3600 work just as well and perhaps better? Performance specs/benchmark tests give the newer Ryzen 5 slightly better scores.

The older Ryzen 7 (came out in 2018) has 8 cores and 16 threads and the newer Ryzen 5 (2019) has 6 cores and 12 threads. I'm leaning towards the Ryzen 5 but it is a
PCI Express® Version: PCIe 4.0 x16 whereas the Ryzen 7 is PCI Express® Version: PCIe 3.0 x16 and my B350 motherboard is PCIe 3.0 x16.

Not sure if my motherboard PCIe 3.0 version will affect the operation of the Ryzen 5 PCIe 4.0 version so that it performs worse than the Ryzen 7 which matches that of my motherboard?

https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-5-3600

https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-7-2700x

 

[Osprey]

There's no issue whatsoever with using a PCIe 4.0 CPU in a PCIe 3.0 motherboard. The CPU will simply use PCIe 3.0, instead.

Photo/image editing is mostly single-threaded, so extra cores will not do you any good. The CPU with the faster single-core performance is better for you, and that's probably the 3600.

BTW, if you can find them and if your motherboard supports them, there's also the 3100 and 3300X. They're only 4-core, but, as I just said, the number of cores doesn't matter much to you. At least the 3300X has single-threaded performance about on par with the 3600, and is only $120 US, whereas the 3600 was $200 the last time that I checked. It's possible that your B350 motherboard won't support them, though, so definitely check that first.

 

[Mikeaveli]

3060 Ti reviews are out. $400 USD and performs better than the 2080 Super.

 

[irunthepeg]

Damn, so I am by no means a hardware guy but I decided to make an upgrade. I've had my Dell XPS 8700 since 2013, I believe. The stats are i7-4770, AMD HD 7570, 12GB of RAM, 1TB HD, also rocking a really old VGA Dell 20 inch 60Hz monitor. Did some research and upgraded my monitor to an LG 24 inch 144Hz and a GTX 1660 (non-super) card. What a difference.

I was playing Destiny 2 on lowest possible settings getting 17-20FPS (brutal although before the most recent DLC, I swear it used to not be this bad). Now I'm consistently above 100FPS on highest settings with no lag.

Happy NewEgg Black Friday sales to me.

 

[TJ21]

Trying to find a 3070 or 3080 in canada is equally as difficult as finding a console. Or hunting a unicorn. Jeez

 

[SniperHF]

he stats are i7-4770, AMD HD 7570, 12GB of RAM, 1TB HD, also rocking a really old VGA Dell 20 inch 60Hz monitor. Did some research and upgraded my monitor to an LG 24 inch 144Hz and a GTX 1660 (non-super) card. What a difference.

You did good, the 7570 was slow when it was new . 1660 is a very nice upgrade that still fits with the older but still capapble 4770.

 

[Osprey]

3060 Ti reviews are out. $400 USD and performs better than the 2080 Super.

I was just reading a review of the 3060 Ti and was amused by the fact that the review is out before the card is even announced (which is rumored to happen tomorrow). Obviously, Nvidia doesn't care and lifted their review embargo a day early.

Even though I've been rather set on an AMD card for this generation, the 3060 Ti is pretty tempting at that price point. If it had a bit more VRAM, I'd jump on it. I'll probably still wait and see what AMD announces next, but I'm really happy that Nvidia has come out and released this, since it'll pressure AMD to release something at the same price point (or cheaper).

 

[Rubi]

Right now you can't find an affordably priced (under $350) 3rd generation AMD Ryzen CPU in Canada for love nor money. I'm looking for a Ryzen 5 3600 or 3600x in particular. The only one I can find is on Canada Computers. Unfortunately it's pick up only in Halifax.

So... if anyone here lives in Halifax, this AMD Ryzen 5 3600x at $279 is a decent deal...

Welcome - Canada Computers & Electronics

 

[Osprey]

Right now you can't find an affordably priced (under $350) 3rd generation AMD Ryzen CPU in Canada for love nor money. I'm looking for a Ryzen 5 3600 or 3600x in particular. The only one I can find is on Canada Computers. Unfortunately it's pick up only in Halifax.

So... if anyone here lives in Halifax, this AMD Ryzen 5 3600x at $279 is a decent deal...

Welcome - Canada Computers & Electronics

Have you considered looking for a used CPU at eBay or elsewhere? People who have successfully upgraded to the 5000 series may be selling their 2000 and 3000 series Ryzens.

 

[Rubi]

Have you considered looking for a used CPU at eBay or elsewhere? People who have successfully upgraded to the 5000 series may be selling their 2000 and 3000 series Ryzens.

Buying something like this off of Ebay makes me nervous... it would be used, possibly hard use by a serious gamer.
Plus there are so many fakes out there. I'd rather deal with a known Canadian computer store.
I'll just have to wait for those stores to replenish their stock. And who knows... maybe they will be available at a lower Christmas/Boxing Day price.

I can wait... if necessary.

 

[SniperHF]

CPUs are Really hard to kill/damage by a typical gamer, even by an OCer. It's actually one of the lowest on the ranking of used components I'd worry about.

Used motherboards are a f***ing minefield though.

 

[Osprey]

CPUs are Really hard to kill/damage by a typical gamer, even by an OCer. It's actually one of the lowest on the ranking of used components I'd worry about.

Used motherboards are a f***ing minefield though.

Yeah, I've been building PCs for over 25 years and have never encountered or even heard of a CPU that was simply worn out through overuse. I sometimes read about how overclocking your CPU will shorten its lifespan, but I wonder why people even mention that when hardly anyone is going to use a CPU for so long to find that out. In fact, if someone selling a CPU were to tell me that he's been running it extremely overclocked for years, I'd be more inclined to purchase it, since I would know that the CPU was a good one that I could overclock a lot, myself.

As you said, motherboards are the exact opposite. They have capacitors that definitely do have lifespans, they have fragile components and they can get gunked up with dirt. Their problems also tend to be really pesky ones that are hard to identify and it's a big hassle to replace them. I wouldn't even recommend open box/returned motherboards because you then have to wonder why the person returned them. Maybe the motherboard acted funny or a feature wasn't working and they returned it without noting that it may have a problem. The motherboard that I have right now was an open box return and several of the rear USB ports (likely connected to the same controller) don't work. I imagine that the previous buyer encountered the same thing and that's why he returned it. So, that's a recent lesson learned for me, that not even an open box motherboard is safe. Always buy a brand new motherboard... but don't worry about a used CPU. In fact, I've been using one for the last 3 years and someone else used it for 3 years before that (yes, I desperately need an upgrade, as I've mentioned repeatedly).

 

[irunthepeg]

You did good, the 7570 was slow when it was new . 1660 is a very nice upgrade that still fits with the older but still capapble 4770.

Hahahaha yeah I figure. I remember when I built the PC, and this is embarrassing as I am a software dev but have always detested anything hardware, I had to choose between an NVidia and AMD. Had no idea what to choose so I think I left it to the cheapest option (never again). Also, never buying a Dell again. I remember I had tons of issues at first with it randomly freezing (I think it was a bios update thing which pissed me off that they shipped things without the latest updates?).

Now I have more hardware-enthusiast buddies and they said that AMD makes a lot of good stuff, especially killing it with the CPUs but they would never touch their graphics cards. Now I know! Next time I need to build a PC I'll do my research.

Yeah, for sure, though. Things are so smooth and crispy when I'm gaming now and I'm well pleased. $300 for an upgrade is pretty nice and I didn't have to chuck the whole PC.

 

[irunthepeg]

You did good, the 7570 was slow when it was new . 1660 is a very nice upgrade that still fits with the older but still capapble 4770.

Also, f***, when I was installing it. I was having trouble fitting the card but managed to make it work with wrapping some cords around it. Then I was having trouble seating it properly. Had to watch a YT video to find the cords into the PSU (was freaking out not seeing them - then in the video the guy was like "oh yeah the cords are probably dangling there somewhere"), which luckily there was a video with my exact PC and the exact card

Gave me a scare when I was booting, it wanted to go to repair mode, saying something wasn't working... let it sit in that for like 5-10. Shut it off, started it back up, said skip repair mode, and then it worked fine. Installed the drivers and everything was good. I followed everything I saw online. Downloaded DDU, downloaded the new drivers, used DDU to remove AMD drivers, swapped cards, booted, installed the new downloaded drivers. No issues since. Have restarted my PC a couple times too (power went out yesterday I remember) and haven't seen anything about repair mode. Sometimes you just gotta say YOLO.

 

[Rubi]

So after reading the posts from @SniperHF and @Osprey I went on Ebay to check out what's available for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 cpu. Prices aren't that great.. Certainly nothing that jumped out at me saying DEAL!!!
Also a lot of this stuff comes from China... not that buying from China is a no no but lately the shipping times are BRUTAL. I ordered a camera lens cover for my Nikon on October 7 (shipping from China) and it just arrived today. On Oct. 13 I ordered a new camera bag and it still hasn't arrived from China.

 

[Osprey]

So after reading the posts from @SniperHF and @Osprey I went on Ebay to check out what's available for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 cpu. Prices aren't that great.. Certainly nothing that jumped out at me saying DEAL!!!

Yeah, I didn't expect that you'd find a used 3000 series CPU at a price worth jumping on, since probably lots of people have been turning to the used market because of the lack of new stock. It was worth checking into, though. When I bought my current CPU a few years ago, I got it for about $20 on eBay because everyone was upgrading to Ryzens and there was no demand for the CPUs that people were replacing. Supply and demand feels very, very different now than it did then.

 

[Rubi]

Yeah, I didn't expect that you'd find a used 3000 series CPU at a price worth jumping on, since probably lots of people have been turning to the used market because of the lack of new stock. It was worth checking into, though. When I bought my current CPU a few years ago, I got it for about $20 on eBay because everyone was upgrading to Ryzens and there was no demand for the CPUs that people were replacing. Supply and demand feels very, very different now than it did then.

Well.. if nothing else, maybe it might be worthwhile under the current supply/demand for Ryzen CPU's to try and sell my current Ryzen 5 1600. The only thing is.. I'm thinking of stealing the Wraith Spire cooler (with copper core base and aluminum heat sink) mounted on the 1600 and putting it on the 3600 when I get it. The 3600 comes with the less effective Wraith Stealth cooler (no copper core base and the aluminum heat sink is half the size of the Spire heat sink)... cost savings by AMD I guess.

 

[Osprey]

Well.. if nothing else, maybe it might be worthwhile under the current supply/demand for Ryzen CPU's to try and sell my current Ryzen 5 1600. The only thing is.. I'm thinking of stealing the Wraith Spire cooler (with copper core base and aluminum heat sink) mounted on the 1600 and putting it on the 3600 when I get it. The 3600 comes with the less effective Wraith Stealth cooler (no copper core base and the aluminum heat sink is half the size of the Spire heat sink)... cost savings by AMD I guess.

The factory cooler doesn't add a whole lot of value and most people aren't going to pass on buying a CPU because it doesn't come with one. A really good cooler, much better than AMD bundles, can be had for less than $30 US. In fact, you might consider buying one for yourself to get the benefits (less noise and cooler temperatures) and so that you can bundle the Wraith Spire with the 1600 (not that it adds much value, as I said, but anything would make the new cooler even better value). I bought the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition for $30 several months ago and have been really happy with it, mostly because it's quieter than the stock cooler that I was using. Considering the price, I wish that I'd sprung for one like it years ago instead of putting up with a noisy stock cooler for so long.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Anyone have an idea of what the price ranges will be for the new hdmi 2.1 monitors? I'm looking to upgrade strictly for my next gen consoles.