NEW PC Build - Purchasing in May

[b0t]

Looks solid to me!

Not sure why you can't edit that post from yesterday. Weird.

I still dont quite know how I will put everything into the torrent and about fan placing (also reviewers say that cable management inside the torrent case is pain in the ***)

I do still have the 120+140 noctuas to add in the rear (the case has a rear fan socket but the fan isnt included , also a bit weird if u ask me, and 2 180mm preinstalled in the front, and 3x140mm at the bottom which ofcourse can be swapped)

 

[chillz]

Just a few things of note if someone hasn't mentioned it yet:

- Your biggest issue is your choice in motherboards. I strongly suggest you wait. Understand these are all still 1st gen, and tons of issues are already coming to light, and not just BIOS issues either. I say wait a couple of months before making the leap. As for brand, I have never had any issues with Asus or Gigabyte boards that a BIOS update/restore couldn't fix. But between the two, I prefer Asus' apps and UIs. I did have issues with MSI (2 boards) and Asrock (3 boards) that were so bad I will never use their motherboards ever again. Not even sure why I gave Asrock a third chance Then again, not everyone has the same experience with these products. But there's nothing wrong with sticking with a brand you trust.

- The NH-D15 is notorious for being too large for most cases, and for not having enough clearance for a lot of different components (such as RAM sticks and heatsinks) on several motherboards. As for AIOs, the pump and the fans are what make the difference, and the well-known brands are all pretty much the same nowadays. EK, ARCTIC, Deepcool, Thermaltake, Corsair, etc.. they're all pretty on par with each other for AIOs. But the BE QUIET! Dark Rock Pro 4 and the Deepcool Assassin 3 are amazing air coolers.

- One of the things I really don't care for in the Meshify is, well, the mesh. It's too flimsy and easily damaged -- hence Fractal selling just the front panels as well. Honestly, the Fractal products I've come across all feel like they're going to fall apart. Never encountered a Torrent though, so I can't speak to that particular case. I currently have the Phanteks Eclipse P400a with the mesh front. They say "mesh" but it's really a solid piece of sheet metal that's been perforated. Thermals and acoustics are great, and the build quality is solid.

- With the Strix 3070 you're basically paying extra for great RGB. The Asus TUF versions cost less, and the thermals, power consumption, and noise levels are the same. For better noise level, the MSI Gaming X Trio is the quietest by all accounts, with thermals and power consumption being on par with the Asus lineup.

- As for your choice in sound cards, there is no real difference between the Strix SOAR 7.1, Strix RAID PRO, and the Strix RAID DLX 7.1. In fact, there's really not much difference between those 3 and the Asus Xonar AE 7.1, except for the card shroud and (with the DLX) the volume controller. Everything about the Strix sound cards are a gimmick aimed at gamers. If you're dead-set on a sound card and want to stick with Asus, get the Essence STX 2 -- it has an amazing DAC and gives you a truly immersive, near-audiophile listening experience. It's the same price as the Strix DLX with far better audio. As other options, the Sound Blaster Z SE by Creative and the EVGA Nu Audio are also great, and are easier on the wallet.

- I can't speak to DDR5 RAM as I have no experience with them as of yet. But as I mentioned in regards to motherboards, I suggest you also wait a little while on this. Supply is only currently limited but it won't be for long. Once there's more options available and the products are on the shelves, the prices will go down. As is always the case.


Anyhow, that's my 2 cents. Overclockers is a great resource for anyone at any level, and I love popping on here to find answers and solutions. From what I've read in this thread, you've got some items pinned down, and a few you're still considering. But since money is not an issue, and you're ready to make the leap, then go with whatever you want and have fun with your build! Cheers!!

 

[EarthDog]

Understand these are all still 1st gen, and tons of issues are already coming to light, and not just BIOS issues either.

Can you speak to these issues? I dont recall anything serious or 'tons' of issues with the platform. Gigabyte and memory, sure...but otherwise it's a stable ecosystem, IMO.

My experience is limited to automated testing and canned overclocking (specific clocks and voltages + xmp) but I've covered all kinds of z690/b660 and none would cause me to wait (maybe Gigabyte, lol).

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

that looks like a pretty good build. pretty close to what i would have gone with had i waited a few more months to build a DDR5 system, but my Gen 4 intel extreme rig was randomly shutting off during gaming. (I'm suspecting either an old power button on the case, based on the all-in-one fan controller/power switch no longer being able to control the fans, or the PSU was spiking current to the GPU's thereby tripping the shutoff switch. (i know i said that wrong, but if you know what i mean, then i got the point across.) One of these days i'll transplant Nevermore into another case... or i'll get a rtx 40 series card and a HDMI 2.1 4k monitor, since Forgotten Legend is running better (faster, more stable) than any of my previous builds.

i really can't disagree with any advice you've been given, and i especially agree with Earth Dog on buying the best you want / need. I personally spent extra for my motherboard for only 3 features, the extra power phases, the 90 degree connectors across the front of the board (aesthetically matched the case, with its sliding wire cover / SSD mount) , and the 4 slot spacing for the PCIe x16 slots (so i wouldn't have to spend outrageous prices for a hard-to-find 3-slot NVLink). I also spent 900$US on my case, and still think it's worth every penny for the looks and craftsmanship.

I also spread out the cost over at least a 2 year period, too. first was the RTX 2070s and voltage regulators and NVLink (1300$) then some time later the case for 900$, then some time later the M.2s and SSDs and HDDs (over 1000$) then some time later the AIO, fans and halo LUXs (several hundred), then the CPU, Mobo, RAM, and PSU) for about 2200$, and finally some custom PSU cables for the SSDs. i forgot to mention the 30 inch 2k monitor for about 1000$ that i bought 8-10 years ago, and another 200 for the keyboard some 5 years ago methinks. rough math, the total build was about 7000$, but 900 for the case and 1k for the monitor drops it down to 5k (for a DDR4 system), so that 6k price you were given is spot on for a new enthusiast machine (not counting super high end competition benchmarking) with room for bling.

so far, the only OCing i've done is the XMP profile for RAM. the boost clock regularly hits 4.9 GHz from the 360 AIO. the chip is rated at 3.7 / 4.8, so i'm wondering if, when i move Nevermore to a new case, i'll give Nevermore the 360 AIO in favor of upgrading Forgotten Legend to a 420 AIO. part of the reason would be to have uniform 140 mm fans throughout the case with matching Halo LUXs, so that would count as aesthetics i guess.

sorry for the rambling!

PS: don't forget to post pics of your completed build in /Hardware /Cases & Case Modding /Post Pictures of Your Leet System thread... We'd absolutely love to see it when you're done building it!

 

[b0t]

I have a question, Im going to order the parts (locally) in a few days, ram already ordered as Ive said,
CPU+Mobo+PSU+Case+SSD+AIO Cooler+Soundcard

but there's a thing with the GPU : Newegg's great deal on the EVGA FTW3 3070TI has gone up in price, to a point it costs EXACTLY as much as getting the ASUS ROG STRIX 3070TI here locally will cost me. (Which is 1200$ or so)
Im very saddened by the fact I didn't order the evga 3070ti when it was almost 250$ less than it costs right now.

what do u think guys? should I get the ASUS STRIX from a store here and that's it? instead of having to wait 2 weeks at least for the EVGA to arrive from Newegg for the same price ?

 

[chillz]

Can you speak to these issues? I dont recall anything serious or 'tons' of issues with the platform. Gigabyte and memory, sure...but otherwise it's a stable ecosystem, IMO.

My experience is limited to automated testing and canned overclocking (specific clocks and voltages + xmp) but I've covered all kinds of z690/b660 and none would cause me to wait (maybe Gigabyte, lol).

What I meant by "tons" is a combination of instability and incompatibility issues as well as product return trends with motherboards and DDR5 memory. There are also some Windows 11 issues, but for the most part those have been resolved or have workarounds. I wouldn't necessarily call them serious issues, but accummulatively it's quite a lot.

Granted, it is possible the great majority of these are caused by the end-users themselves -- inexperienced DIYers buying products without looking at QVL listings and doing some research beforehand. I know I did that myself with my very first build. But there is definitely something to be said about local and big box retailers offering multiple "open box" items of recently released Z690 and B660 motherboards and DDR5 RAM sticks.

At the end of the day, truthfully I'm just more cautious about these things as I want things to last more than just 1 or 2 generations. I know @EarthDog doesn't like the term "future proof" (lol) but I've done pretty well with my builds. I'm the guy that had an AMD APU system that lasted 9yrs, and I still have a 6700K system I built for a friend 7yrs ago and that's still his daily driver. Anyhow, these are just my observations and opinions. Cheers, fellas!

Post magically merged: Apr 28, 2022

Can you speak to these issues? I dont recall anything serious or 'tons' of issues with the platform. Gigabyte and memory, sure...but otherwise it's a stable ecosystem, IMO.

My experience is limited to automated testing and canned overclocking (specific clocks and voltages + xmp) but I've covered all kinds of z690/b660 and none would cause me to wait (maybe Gigabyte, lol).

What I meant by "tons" is a combination of instability and incompatibility issues as well as product return trends with motherboards and DDR5 memory. There are also some Windows 11 issues, but for the most part those have been resolved or have workarounds. I wouldn't necessarily call them serious issues, but accummulatively it's quite a lot.

Granted, it is possible the great majority of these are caused by the end-users themselves -- inexperienced DIYers buying products without looking at QVL listings and doing some research beforehand. I know I did that myself with my very first build. But there is definitely something to be said about local and big box retailers offering multiple "open box" items of recently released Z690 and B660 motherboards and DDR5 RAM sticks.

At the end of the day, truthfully I'm just more cautious about these things as I want things to last more than just 1 or 2 generations. I know @EarthDog doesn't like the term "future proof" (lol) but I've done pretty well with my builds. I'm the guy that had an AMD APU system that lasted 9yrs, and I still have a 6700K system I built for a friend 7yrs ago and that's still his daily driver. Anyhow, these are just my observations and opinions. Cheers, fellas!

 

[Blaylock]

I have a question, Im going to order the parts (locally) in a few days, ram already ordered as Ive said,
CPU+Mobo+PSU+Case+SSD+AIO Cooler+Soundcard

but there's a thing with the GPU : Newegg's great deal on the EVGA FTW3 3070TI has gone up in price, to a point it costs EXACTLY as much as getting the ASUS ROG STRIX 3070TI here locally will cost me. (Which is 1200$ or so)
Im very saddened by the fact I didn't order the evga 3070ti when it was almost 250$ less than it costs right now.

what do u think guys? should I get the ASUS STRIX from a store here and that's it? instead of having to wait 2 weeks at least for the EVGA to arrive from Newegg for the same price ?

Both EVGA and ASUS make great cards and I would be happy with either. The FTW3 and Strix are both companies' flagship cards so both are roughly equal. If they are the same price, I would get the one that is currently available unless you really like the looks of the other.

 

[b0t]

Both EVGA and ASUS make great cards and I would be happy with either. The FTW3 and Strix are both companies' flagship cards so both are roughly equal. If they are the same price, I would get the one that is currently available unless you really like the looks of the other.

well I suppose I'll be getting the ROG STRIX 3070Ti then

Im still torn between two Motherboards , and I only have a few more days before the end of the month

ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-F - 630$
or
MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk - 485$

(higher end strix models such as Z690-E has a huge leap in price (about 200$ more)

what would you get if you were me guys?

sidenote : I HAVE NEVER OWNED ANYTHING OTHER THAN Gigabyte or ASUS when it comes to motherboards

 

[EarthDog]

Anyhow, these are just my observations and opinions.

Gotcha. We'll agree to disagree on the state of the union for z690. While there are some minor teething issues, there's no need to wait for anything.

what would you get if you were me guys?

If the tomahawk has what you need features/specs-wise, go for it!

 

[Blaylock]

@b0t the reason those two motherboards have a slight difference in price is because the ROG Strix is one ASUS' top boards (ROG STRIX line), while the MAG Tomahawk is MSI's mid-grade line. (MEG is their top, like UNIFY and GODLIKE).

Like E_D said, either board will work fine. The question is what bells and whistles are important to you (I.E. internet connectivity, #of USB, on-board Audio, M.2 slots, etc)

 

[b0t]

@b0t the reason those two motherboards have a slight difference in price is because the ROG Strix is one ASUS' top boards (ROG STRIX line), while the MAG Tomahawk is MSI's mid-grade line. (MEG is their top, like UNIFY and GODLIKE).

Like E_D said, either board will work fine. The question is what bells and whistles are important to you (I.E. internet connectivity, #of USB, on-board Audio, M.2 slots, etc)

well, the max internet connection speed here in israel is 1Gbps / up 100
I do need at least 2 USB2 ports,
I will be using the external DAC/AMP (Schiit Hel) - decided not to go with the internal asus soundcard after consulting on various audiophile forums - using the external device would be best for me + its 250$ I can invest in something else or save (I actually laid my eyes on a new 240hz monitor so..)

I think I'll go with the STRIX Z690-F then, even though it really is the most Ive spent on a motherboard in any build I ever bought and built (which is at least 4-5) , last two PC's had Gigabyte H97-HD3 which I assume is mid-grade
And the one before that (which I built in 2012) had ASUS P8Z77-V LX (which I imagine was also mid-grade)

I do have one big problem with the current build which is microphone coil whine caused by GPU interference (just recently I got into trying to figure out a good solution - people mostly recommend moving the card to a PCI-E slot that is farther away from the GPU+PSU - but I dont have any other PCI-E slots I can use on the H97-HD3 so its a dead-end , some also showed "shielding" methods using tinfoil or other dedicated "safer" methods)

that was my initial concern with getting another INTERNAL soundcard, but seeing how much people who are knowledgeable about audio lean farther and farther away from it just makes me realize that the external device is a better choice for me. (especially if I have it sitting in my closet box unopened already x) )

 

[EarthDog]

Every single board today has 2 usb ports and at least a 1 GbE. So you're set on any board you choose.

Pretty sure both those boards (HD3 and P77) are budget-clasd...no heatsinks on the vrms... very few vrm stages. The z690 asus is midrange though!

 

[b0t]

Every single board today has 2 usb ports and at least a 1 GbE. So you're set on any board you choose.

Pretty sure both those boards (HD3 and P77) are budget-clasd...no heatsinks on the vrms... very few vrm stages. The z690 asus is midrange though!

so the z690-f strix isnt highest tier ? (the price is VERY premium locally)

 

[EarthDog]

so the z690-f strix isnt highest tier ? (the price is VERY premium locally)

Nope. It's middle of the Strix line (I think the "E" is higher)... and then there are the Maximus boards (Hero, Formula, Apex, Extreme) above the Strix line. Motherboards are A LOT more expensive these days.

 

[Blaylock]

Oh, wow. Hmm. I thought the strix was their top. It's been a while since I've bought an Asus board new.

 

[EarthDog]

Maximus line has been above Strix since it's inception a few generations ago. The Strix line has grown over the years (as have most product stacks). I think they have the A/G/F/E/I with the E as the flagship (I is ITX) for Z690.

Maximus>Strix>TUF/Prime (the last two are interchangeable... both are more budget these days.

 

[b0t]

Maximus line has been above Strix since it's inception a few generations ago. The Strix line has grown over the years (as have most product stacks). I think they have the A/G/F/E/I with the E as the flagship (I is ITX) for Z690.

Maximus>Strix>TUF/Prime (the last two are interchangeable... both are more budget these days.

well Ok then, nice to know, anything above STRIX Z690-F is too expensive for me anyways, so I'll probably get it

I just have to decide on sound now, Im still not too sure what I should buy

 

[b0t]

Just a few things of note if someone hasn't mentioned it yet:

- Your biggest issue is your choice in motherboards. I strongly suggest you wait. Understand these are all still 1st gen, and tons of issues are already coming to light, and not just BIOS issues either. I say wait a couple of months before making the leap. As for brand, I have never had any issues with Asus or Gigabyte boards that a BIOS update/restore couldn't fix. But between the two, I prefer Asus' apps and UIs. I did have issues with MSI (2 boards) and Asrock (3 boards) that were so bad I will never use their motherboards ever again. Not even sure why I gave Asrock a third chance Then again, not everyone has the same experience with these products. But there's nothing wrong with sticking with a brand you trust.

- The NH-D15 is notorious for being too large for most cases, and for not having enough clearance for a lot of different components (such as RAM sticks and heatsinks) on several motherboards. As for AIOs, the pump and the fans are what make the difference, and the well-known brands are all pretty much the same nowadays. EK, ARCTIC, Deepcool, Thermaltake, Corsair, etc.. they're all pretty on par with each other for AIOs. But the BE QUIET! Dark Rock Pro 4 and the Deepcool Assassin 3 are amazing air coolers.

- One of the things I really don't care for in the Meshify is, well, the mesh. It's too flimsy and easily damaged -- hence Fractal selling just the front panels as well. Honestly, the Fractal products I've come across all feel like they're going to fall apart. Never encountered a Torrent though, so I can't speak to that particular case. I currently have the Phanteks Eclipse P400a with the mesh front. They say "mesh" but it's really a solid piece of sheet metal that's been perforated. Thermals and acoustics are great, and the build quality is solid.

- With the Strix 3070 you're basically paying extra for great RGB. The Asus TUF versions cost less, and the thermals, power consumption, and noise levels are the same. For better noise level, the MSI Gaming X Trio is the quietest by all accounts, with thermals and power consumption being on par with the Asus lineup.

- As for your choice in sound cards, there is no real difference between the Strix SOAR 7.1, Strix RAID PRO, and the Strix RAID DLX 7.1. In fact, there's really not much difference between those 3 and the Asus Xonar AE 7.1, except for the card shroud and (with the DLX) the volume controller. Everything about the Strix sound cards are a gimmick aimed at gamers. If you're dead-set on a sound card and want to stick with Asus, get the Essence STX 2 -- it has an amazing DAC and gives you a truly immersive, near-audiophile listening experience. It's the same price as the Strix DLX with far better audio. As other options, the Sound Blaster Z SE by Creative and the EVGA Nu Audio are also great, and are easier on the wallet.

- I can't speak to DDR5 RAM as I have no experience with them as of yet. But as I mentioned in regards to motherboards, I suggest you also wait a little while on this. Supply is only currently limited but it won't be for long. Once there's more options available and the products are on the shelves, the prices will go down. As is always the case.


Anyhow, that's my 2 cents. Overclockers is a great resource for anyone at any level, and I love popping on here to find answers and solutions. From what I've read in this thread, you've got some items pinned down, and a few you're still considering. But since money is not an issue, and you're ready to make the leap, then go with whatever you want and have fun with your build! Cheers!!

STX II has terrible issues with its microphone input , a lot are complaining about various problems while recording, Ive decided to ditch the idea of the internal outdated overmarketed asus cards (also because the DLX was last updated in 2017 so no thank you ASUS)
I will be using the Schiit HEL with my GSP 500 I think (or in the future I'd go for a magni+modi stack and get myself the HD599 or HD600 headphones + modmic

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

i wish i could help with Sound Card recommendations, but i honestly gave up on sound cards way back when Creative Soundblaster stopped making 7.1 cards. (i have the old Creative 7.1 speaker system, which was actually made by Cambridge Soundworks way back in the day). i always preferred soundcards to the onboard audio, and still do. trouble is, all the 7.1 cards were designed for older windows systems, (the soundblaster X-Fi 7.1 was a WinXP PCIe x1 card) that don't update their GUIs to operate in the newer OSs. I could get the X-Fi to work in Win7, but not 8, 8.1, 10 nor 11. Besides, it's a lot easier for them to just let the Graphics Cards Companies offer HDMI sound drivers to pass through to the soundbars that Best Buy sells for the TVs.

 

[b0t]

i wish i could help with Sound Card recommendations, but i honestly gave up on sound cards way back when Creative Soundblaster stopped making 7.1 cards. (i have the old Creative 7.1 speaker system, which was actually made by Cambridge Soundworks way back in the day). i always preferred soundcards to the onboard audio, and still do. trouble is, all the 7.1 cards were designed for older windows systems, (the soundblaster X-Fi 7.1 was a WinXP PCIe x1 card) that don't update their GUIs to operate in the newer OSs. I could get the X-Fi to work in Win7, but not 8, 8.1, 10 nor 11. Besides, it's a lot easier for them to just let the Graphics Cards Companies offer HDMI sound drivers to pass through to the soundbars that Best Buy sells for the TVs.

Yeah, and its a real shame because all the decent "high tier" internal soundcards have VERY outdated drivers and support.
maybe its just me but forgive me for not wanting to buy something that its latest drivers were released in 2017.