PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.

[Prothescar]

3900 is a scam. 3700(x) is the cutoff on value.

[Gryffes]

Pulled trigger on a Lian Li O11 XL because I finally found a black version available. I keep tweaking my next build, and I'm leaning Ryzen (3900 or 3950) over 9900K, but can't get it out of my head that the next zen generation will drop like 1 month after I hit "buy" -.-;;

Aint gonna release till q4 at best.
Just get a 3600 to tide you over.

[Gredival]

There is a really good deal on the 2700 on Newegg as well. If you are going to upgrade for sure just go with a 2000 generation to tide over.

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[Elcura]

Attempting to build a new PC since my last one died (RIP, you will be missed) and I'm using a shitty replacement for now.

My budget is around £1400-1700 (so max like $2200?) and I'm looking for something good for gaming, but can also handle programs like Photoshop/Maya/Unity etc etc. Not so much for rendering but something that doesn't chug when 3-4 programs are open. Any advice on parts or websites for this shit will be appreciated. I have no real preferences (like AMD vs Intel or w/e) I just want something good that will last a decent while and maybe have room for an upgrade or 2 down the line.

I don't mind buying parts separately and building myself (or...with someone who actually knows wtf) but I wouldn't be opposed to prebuilt if it isn't too extreme a markup.

[Gredival]

That's a large budget. I don't know where to acquire parts in the UK and the markup, but $2200 builds quite a beefy machine in the US.

Most important questions are what games do you play and what monitors do you use, or would you like to use, with this? Do you want sky high FPS that looks buttery smooth (240Hz 1ms response TN panel)? Do you want to game in 4k detail (60Hz 4k IPS)? You mentioned photoshop, so is accurate coloration on the monitor key (i.e. must be an IPS)?

[Elcura]

I'll just say I don't necessarily have to spend that much, but it's nice to have some extra wiggle room just incase.

In terms of gaming I'm a generalist but on PC I tend to focus on FPS, action games and MMOs.

My monitors are just 32" TV screens (with a cintiq as a 3rd screen occasionally) and I have no intention of going 4k any time soon. Performance is more important to me, so high FPS is definitely my preference.

Accurate colouration is nice, I tend to take my work from place to place so it might not be a priority. Liquid cooling is something I was interested in because the rooms I live in have been historically pretty dusty and having to clean out dust was never something I liked. Would that reduce the dust in my PC or is it something unavoidable?

[Boyiee]

32" 1080p TV's? You don't need to spend more than like 750 if that's the case and can use the budget to upgrade that.

[Gredival]

Liquid cooling still relies on fans to cool the radiators that the liquid transfer their heat to, so there is still airflow which inevitably means dust. You can get a case with more/better intake screens to try reduce it, but dusting is inevitable unless you want to make a chamber of air filters around the computer. Unless you want the extreme liquid set-ups where the loop brings the liquid outside of the case to cool it. Then conceivably you could cover up all the air entry into the case and prevent dust from getting in.

The value of fps is correlated with the Hz rating of your monitor/screens. Any frames above the monitor's Hz rating will look the same (and may cause tearing). Most TVs are 60Hz, which makes FPS over 60 redundant (unless you intend to upgrade your monitors/screens). 1440p/60hz or 1080p/60Hz is not demanding at all and you're probably fine with a GPU from last generation. If you are interested in changing your screen set up, AAA action games and MMOs benefit more from resolution while FPS, at least if you are trying to eke out an advantage, benefit most from fps and response time.

Ryzen is better value in general and will do better with multi-tasking. Also since you aren't pushing past 60Hz you probably don't need bleeding fast single core superiority from Intel. I'd recommend a 2700 right now as a nice compromise of budget and performance. You definitely have the budget to splurge on a 3000-line, but I feel like you could punt until the 4000-line since your immediate needs are modest at best.

[Elcura]

Right, sounds complicated but that's everything right now. Doesn't sound like it'll fix my annoyance so it's w/e I'll just deal with it.

I could change my monitor setup down the line, it definitely wasn't the focus since I move around and just wanted something good and future proof that isn't a junk PC I picked up from work lol. I could probably get an actual PC monitor, but I hadn't looked into how those worked with consoles and I don't really have space for more than 2 20"ish ones or 1 bigger one.

But yeah good gaming, stability and multitasking are my focus, but I can probably wait a while but if I don't have to spend more than £1k I'll be happy as well.

Thanks for the advice so far, good to know I can pull back my budget and probably be better off with something around 750-1k.

[Elcura]

Maybe something like this?

https://buildmypc.net/rigs/M6IQYY

Since I was willing to spend up to 1k are there any parts I could improve, or conversely any parts I should downgrade because it won't matter?

[Boyiee]

I could probably get an actual PC monitor, but I hadn't looked into how those worked with consoles and I don't really have space for more than 2 20"ish ones or 1 bigger one.

I'm not sure there is a computer monitor that exists that doesn't work with consoles.

[Weltall]

3900 is a scam. 3700(x) is the cutoff on value.

Reasons? I've seen nothing but glowing recoms on Gamers Nexus, etc.

[Tokitoki]

Maybe something like this?

https://buildmypc.net/rigs/M6IQYY

Since I was willing to spend up to 1k are there any parts I could improve, or conversely any parts I should downgrade because it won't matter?

It looks like the case includes a rear and front fan. With that plus the radiator you should have enough cooling even in a warm room. You shouldn't need the extra fans and probably don't have room for more in that case. The issue will be that you'll need to remove the front fan and install it on top as the radiator will only fit in the front according to the specs. I also saw a few reviews that said it was cramped, especially at the top. You may be better off looking at another case where you can top mount the radiator.

The motherboard says it's for series 1 and 2 Ryzen so you may need to flash new BIOS on it. I know when I just built my Ryzen PC a month ago the MSI Tomahawk series was being shipped with the new BIOS so you wouldn't need to worry about that, especially if you're not comfortable building your own PC.

I'd also look into an SSD at least for the programs you use most to make them load faster and a bit more responsive. Can use the HDD for mass storage, but an SSD for the OS and your most used programs is so much nicer than waiting for an HDD to spin up.

RX 590 is probably fine for what you're doing if you're not interested in playing at higher graphics settings. Are there any stores like Microcenter in EU? Somewhere you could get reliable open box parts? May be able to find one fairly cheap in that case. Like I offered Omni, I could sell you my EVGA B stock 980 TI for cost but I don't think it's worth it with shipping to you.

These guys know more than I do about parts, but this was generally the advice given to me plus adding in my own experience looking for good prices on parts.

[Jamison]

I'm seeing a lot of chatter about the new Ryzen 5 1600 AF. Apparently it's Zen+ despite the 1000-series name. 6c/12t for $85. I could build a hell of a nice 1080p mid-gaming system with that for a great price. Doesn't seem to overclock quite as well but it's 12nm and performance is said to be outstanding.

[Tokitoki]

Maybe something like this?

https://buildmypc.net/rigs/M6IQYY

Since I was willing to spend up to 1k are there any parts I could improve, or conversely any parts I should downgrade because it won't matter?

You're in the UK?

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/WQL2rV

Similar build, but changed out the 3600 for a 2600 to save a bit and can upgrade down the line.

Used DDR4-3000 RAM rather than 2400. Ryzen scales well around 3000, assuming the 2600 is similar to the 3600.

Case is a little more, but has better airflow and space. Also allows for mounting the radiator to the top rather than front.

Changed out to a GTX 1660 as it's a newer chipset, but now that I look further they're similar performance. Can probably just stick with the 590.

Cheaper PSU, but still semi-modular.

Motherboard I mentioned in my last post.

Added an SSD for OS and frequently used programs.

[Elcura]

It looks like the case includes a rear and front fan. With that plus the radiator you should have enough cooling even in a warm room. You shouldn't need the extra fans and probably don't have room for more in that case. The issue will be that you'll need to remove the front fan and install it on top as the radiator will only fit in the front according to the specs. I also saw a few reviews that said it was cramped, especially at the top. You may be better off looking at another case where you can top mount the radiator.

The motherboard says it's for series 1 and 2 Ryzen so you may need to flash new BIOS on it. I know when I just built my Ryzen PC a month ago the MSI Tomahawk series was being shipped with the new BIOS so you wouldn't need to worry about that, especially if you're not comfortable building your own PC.

I'd also look into an SSD at least for the programs you use most to make them load faster and a bit more responsive. Can use the HDD for mass storage, but an SSD for the OS and your most used programs is so much nicer than waiting for an HDD to spin up.

RX 590 is probably fine for what you're doing if you're not interested in playing at higher graphics settings. Are there any stores like Microcenter in EU? Somewhere you could get reliable open box parts? May be able to find one fairly cheap in that case. Like I offered Omni, I could sell you my EVGA B stock 980 TI for cost but I don't think it's worth it with shipping to you.

These guys know more than I do about parts, but this was generally the advice given to me plus adding in my own experience looking for good prices on parts.

Thanks for this, I'll look into a new case and pay attention to the fans it comes with.

Also I totally forgot about SSD, yeah I'll look for that as well. As for the RX 590 I could probably shop around, not sure about Microcenter but if it's just the graphics card I could look around more.

edit: just saw this

You're in the UK?

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/WQL2rV

Similar build, but changed out the 3600 for a 2600 to save a bit and can upgrade down the line.

Used DDR4-3000 RAM rather than 2400. Ryzen scales well around 3000, assuming the 2600 is similar to the 3600.

Case is a little more, but has better airflow and space. Also allows for mounting the radiator to the top rather than front.

Changed out to a GTX 1660 as it's a newer chipset, but now that I look further they're similar performance. Can probably just stick with the 590.

Cheaper PSU, but still semi-modular.

Motherboard I mentioned in my last post.

Added an SSD for OS and frequently used programs.

This is great (and yes, UK), gives me something solid to start with.

[Athas]

What's the fastest way to transfer large amounts of data to a new PC these days? I tried directly connecting with an ethernet/crossover cable last time I put a new pc together, but the transfer seemed to keep getting interrupted after a few hours. Should I just grab one of those usb transfer cables?

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[Yabby]

You won't do much better than ethernet. Don't need a transfer cable, just connect them to your router/hub/switch. If both of them have cat5+ you should be transferring at least a gigabit a second. Cat 7 will do 10 gb/s but you need a router/hub/switch that can also handle those speeds.

[Cyn]

Hours? If it's a huge storage drive, why not just physically move it over to the new system and transfer what you want via SATA?

[Athas]

I'd like to keep my current pc up until the new one is ready to go, and I got new drives since my current ones are getting on in years and didn't want to just move them.

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