Not sure what platform I wanna use for my next build.

[MewingApollo]

So, I'm getting ready to upgrade, and I'm at a bit of a crossroads as far as what platform I wanna go with for my next system. Right now, I have a Ryzen 5 1600AF (the 12nm refresh of the 1600, that is somehow different from the 2600), 32GB of DDR4, a GTX 1660 Super, and a Gigabyte Aorus Pro WiFi B450 motherboard. Work, games, it's all been a bit lacking, especially since I bought a second monitor that's 1440p75Hz. I would just go with a 5700X3D and upgrade to 64GB of RAM, but my motherboard has been through some crap, and a few of the USB ports don't work anymore. So, I'd like to start from scratch. So, it boils down to four options.

Option the First, aka The Money Saver: Buy a used X570 board, buy a 5700X3D and upgrade to 64GB of RAM as initially planned. The 64GB of RAM will be a constant through all of the options.

Option the Second: Go with 7000 series Ryzen. Pros being that it'd likely be easier to find a used CPU, save some money.

Option the Third: Go with 9000 series Ryzen. Theoretically, any "quirks" with 7000 series should be ironed out in this generation, but it hasn't been out for as long, so probably slimmer pickings for used CPUs, and not as big of a used discount. Really would only go this route if I've decided for sure I'm going AM5, and the extra performance over 7000 series is worth it.

Option the Fourth: Switch to Intel. If I were to go Intel, I would absolutely be buying new, because of the issues with the CPUs spontaneously going the way of the Dodo, so this option isn't as attractive to me due to cost. But depending on performance in my workloads, I'd be willing to consider it.

My main reason for even considering a 5000 series CPU is I seem to remember 7000 series having a lot of issues with thermals, to the point people were doing direct die cooling again, and at the very least, lapping your CPU's IHS was extremely popular. And 9000 series/Intel is just a bit pricey for my tastes at the moment, but I could compromise on some things to make it work. I'm a video editor, audio technician, and I also stream, so I'd definitely want at least an 8 core CPU, so probably looking at the 7800X3D/9800X3D. Maybe even 7900. Other than that, I'm looking for high refresh rate gaming at 1080p, like 120FPS+, or 75 at 1440p. Would prefer to be able to crank the settings, but am willing to compromise some on quality.

I'm really leaning more towards a 5700X3D or 7800X3D/7900X, and a 4060Ti, I'm just wondering if anyone has anything to say about if the extra money is worth it for 7000 series?

 

[Woomack]

I would get Ryzen 9000 or at least 7000 because:
1. You will need DDR5, but you can keep it for future upgrades as it won't change for some longer. If you pick Ryzen 5000, then the next upgrade will also be new RAM.
2. It's future-proof and mature enough, so it doesn't cause issues. It doesn't matter much if it's Ryzen 7000 or 9000, the performance is not much different and only 9800X3D shows higher gains because of higher frequency and some OC compared to the 7000X3D series. The performance is high enough right now, and we don't expect anything significantly better in the next 2 years. There is a chance than the next-gen CPUs will still use AM5 (not confirmed)

If you can, then get 9800X3D. Prices and availability seem to go back to normal.
I wouldn't get RTX4060Ti. It's 4070/4070 Super, or wait for the new gen. 5070/5070Ti will be here at the end of February. I already see price drops for the 4000 series in the EU stores, so depending on manufacturers and shipping, it will be globally in 1-2 months. If the RTX5000 is out of the price range, then the RTX4000 will be more affordable soon.

I understand that the total cost will be higher than assumed for the initial build, but it will save you some money in the long term as you won't need upgrades so soon.

 

[EarthDog]

+ 1 to woomack

and upgrade to 64GB of RAM

Only do this if you need it. Most won't need more than 32gb. Unused ram is wasted ram (and $). Essentially if you're not close to using 32gb now, get 32gb again.

 

[Woomack]

... or 48GB, which is cheaper and overclocks higher than the 64GB

 

[EarthDog]

I, somehow, keep forgetting about that capacity. A great middle ground.

 

[Iron Bars]

I was in the same boat about a month ago. While I was rocking the 5800X3D and had no reason to upgrade, I was bitten by the bug.

I chose DDR5 and the 9800X3D (lucky to snag one at launch at MSRP). My reasons:

• I was familiar with pushing the performance of the X3D chips and was excited by the ability to overclock.
• Wanted to move on to DDR5, mainly to overclock.
• Intel had too many issues: reliability, heat, performance and price. I just did not feel like stepping into a quagmire.
• Main reason: I was able to snag a free X670E motherboard.

For your use case, it depends on your budget and purpose. Since your system is dated, implying that you hang on to it longer (with good sense, unlike me, if I may add!) , it would make sense to jump to the latest offerings that fit your price range. There is the added benefit of seeing a bigger, more dramatic performance jump as well.

 

[infinitevalence]

Have you looked at any RISC-V hardware? There are some interesting ITX builds, as well as compute modules that can be put into all sorts of systems.

Actual advice though is Ryzen 9000/7000 series.

 

[MewingApollo]

7000 series it is then! I really wanted to get an Intel card when Arc first came out, but I couldn't justify the early adopter tax in the form of all of the driver issues. Now that Battlemage is out though, I'm really wanting to grab a B580. Seems to fall between the 4060 and 4060Ti, for much less money. Well, if it were available at MSRP at least. I also wanna tackle custom water cooling with this build, so if anyone has an ear to the ground on that space and knows where I could get a water block that would fit the B580, please keep me posted. I know sometimes you can get water blocks designed for one card to fit another, because the screw holes/cold plate just so happens to line up. Not sure if that's something I could do here, though.

Part List - AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, Arc B580, Thermaltake CTE C700 Air ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker

Part List - AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, Arc B580, Thermaltake CTE C700 Air ATX Mid Tower

pcpartpicker.com

List so far. If I can't find a water block for the B580, I'll most likely just go with an AIO for the CPU, so this could be about $700 cheaper without the custom loop, if I buy everything new. Factoring in used discounts on the CPU and RAM, I think this is a pretty good build overall.

 

[EarthDog]

Honestly, I'd put my money into a 9000 series CPU and skip watercooling that mid-range, low power GPU.

 

[infinitevalence]

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (PA120 SE-D3) - PCPartPicker

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (PA120 SE-D3)

pcpartpicker.com

Dont bother with water on any of this stuff.

Rest is fine, but tbh I would not spend $300 on an ARC video card. We are right around the corner from AMD releasing the 9070 series, and nvidia releasing the 5070 series. While they wont cost $300 they will offer crazy amounts of performance over ARC.

 

[Woomack]

7000 series it is then! I really wanted to get an Intel card when Arc first came out, but I couldn't justify the early adopter tax in the form of all of the driver issues. Now that Battlemage is out though, I'm really wanting to grab a B580. Seems to fall between the 4060 and 4060Ti, for much less money. Well, if it were available at MSRP at least. I also wanna tackle custom water cooling with this build, so if anyone has an ear to the ground on that space and knows where I could get a water block that would fit the B580, please keep me posted. I know sometimes you can get water blocks designed for one card to fit another, because the screw holes/cold plate just so happens to line up. Not sure if that's something I could do here, though.

Part List - AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, Arc B580, Thermaltake CTE C700 Air ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker

Part List - AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, Arc B580, Thermaltake CTE C700 Air ATX Mid Tower

pcpartpicker.com

List so far. If I can't find a water block for the B580, I'll most likely just go with an AIO for the CPU, so this could be about $700 cheaper without the custom loop, if I buy everything new. Factoring in used discounts on the CPU and RAM, I think this is a pretty good build overall.

Large water cooling brands won't release blocks for Intel cards. It's not worth it when the block costs as much as the card itself. Brands like Bykski said they won't release blocks anytime soon (but maybe they will in a few months).

If you have an additional budget of more than $700, then I don't understand why you don't go with 9800X3D and something from 4070/5070/9070XT (for new Nvidia and AMD we have to wait 1-2 months). Liquid cooling is more for the looks than anything else, especially when the CPU is under 150W. You can't get a water block for any newer graphics card (yet). If you get something with a triple fan from one of the leading brands, then you won't need any other cooling anyway.

 

[MewingApollo]

Large water cooling brands won't release blocks for Intel cards. It's not worth it when the block costs as much as the card itself. Brands like Bykski said they won't release blocks anytime soon (but maybe they will in a few months).

If you have an additional budget of more than $700, then I don't understand why you don't go with 9800X3D and something from 4070/5070/9070XT (for new Nvidia and AMD we have to wait 1-2 months). Liquid cooling is more for the looks than anything else, especially when the CPU is under 150W. You can't get a water block for any newer graphics card (yet). If you get something with a triple fan from one of the leading brands, then you won't need any other cooling anyway.

2 reasons.

First, I actually want Intel to keep making GPUs, and eventually expand beyond the entry level and midrange. Like I said, I would've bought the A series, but I couldn't justify spending that much money on something I wasn't actually going to use because of the driver issues. The B series is actually usable, so I'm actually able to buy it.

Second, I refuse to support what AMD and Nvidia are pulling right now. I was gonna buy a used 3000 series card, but those aren't exactly heavily discounted yet, and their RAM capacities aren't the greatest Getting a used 4000 series also doesn't seem like a very viable option, because those are just naturally more expensive even when used, because they were more expensive when they were new. Why spend the same money on a used 4060Ti as I would a new B580, and NOT be supporting a potential competitor?

It's all about voting with your wallet. Capitalism works if you actually utilize it properly! Also, for high refresh rate 1080p and slightly higher refresh rate 1440p, for the games I'll be playing, I just don't need all of that GPU power.

 

[EarthDog]

Also, for high refresh rate 1080p and slightly higher refresh rate 1440p, for the games I'll be playing, I just don't need all of that GPU power.

I'm looking for high refresh rate gaming at 1080p, like 120FPS+, or 75 at 1440p. Would prefer to be able to crank the settings, but am willing to compromise some on quality.

... a B580 isn't what I'd consider a 120FPS+ card at 1080p/ultra, or 75 FPS at 1440p/ultra without some IQ sacrifices. And that's today, before it even comes out of the shrink wrap.

Just don't cut off your nose (buy a card that doesn't meet your stated goals) to spite the face (support Intel).

 

[Zerileous]

TBH if you didn't have problems with your motherboard, I would be advocating for a new GPU over anything else. I have the 3700x and really no reason to upgrade rn for gaming at 1440p. Of course the faster CPUs are tempting. I had the 2600x before that and upgraded it on a whim for a very specific application (it helped lol but not enough).

Looking at your old system your GPU is underpowered, and it feels like you're making the same mistake with this build.

On a philosophical level, I understand what you're saying by voting with your wallet. But Intel is still Intel, they're not on any kind of high ground regarding their pricing. Do what you gotta do to meet your needs. For me brand comes second to value and utility.