Seeking guidance for building or upgrading projects
Seeking guidance for building or upgrading projects
Here are the details of my current setup:
The processor is a Ryzen 5 3500.
The cooling solution is a Deepcool Gammaxx 400.
The graphics card is an MSI GTX 1660S Ventus XS OC.
RAM consists of Corsair Vengence DDR4 at 3200 MHz, with a total of 32 GB (divided into 8GB four times).
The motherboard is the MSI B450 Tomahawk Max.
Storage includes a 250 GB Kingston Gen3 NVMe SSD for operating system and a 500 GB SATA SSD for general use.
Power supply is a Deepcool 850W Gold (PM850D).
The case is a Fractal Design Meshify C.
I recently upgraded to a new 2K monitor, but I’m finding that my system struggles with higher resolutions. It handled 1080p well, but 2K is proving difficult even for games from a few years ago. This prompted me to think about upgrading the core components, aiming for early next year (budget should be ready then).
I’m considering the following options:
- CPU: Intel i5 13600KF (or 14600K if available)
- Cooler: Either a Deepcool AK620 or a quality 240mm liquid cooler
- GPU: A 4070, preferably a Gigabyte Eagle model
- RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6000
- Motherboard: MSI PRO Z790-P WIFI
- Storage: Xpg Gammix S70 Blade 2TB
The power supply, case, and remaining storage will remain as is. Overall, it feels like a comprehensive overhaul at this stage.
I’m seeking advice on whether the build is suitable for 2K gaming, if adjustments are needed, and recommendations for a suitable cooler for the i5 13600KF. I’m also looking into liquid cooling options within a similar price range, especially since I’m in India and the AK620 is around $65.
Any other feedback would be helpful!
Your build appears fairly balanced. It might be too early to decide now for a January build. Don’t overdo the cooling settings for a 13600K. Whatever you purchase will be pushed to its limits by your motherboard. You should anticipate around 100c, no matter what cooler you choose. That’s not entirely negative. Check this article on cooling a 13900K: Core i9-13900K Cooling Guide: Testing Intel's Flagship With Budget Air and Big AIOs The Core i9-13900K can handle even the most powerful liquid coolers, but you won’t lose much performance if you opt for budget air cooling. In a video format: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFgswzTvyc Overall, a decent dual tower air cooler such as the AK620 should match the cooling power of a 240 AIO cooler. It should suffice. However, I believe you’d get better results with a Noctua NH-D15s featuring 140mm fans for improved cooling and quieter operation. My advice is to start with the 4070 and evaluate your experience. Avoid the overclocked model unless you’re certain. Otherwise, you’ll likely receive good value for your investment. This will give you a clearer picture of what your processor requires. For testing purposes, try running your games at lower resolutions and reducing graphical effects. This helps the graphics card perform slightly better. If your FPS improves, it suggests your CPU can handle a higher graphics setting. If your FPS remains unchanged, you’re likely CPU-bound. Don’t rush to buy a processor with a high 'F' suffix just to save a few dollars. Integrated graphics can be a lifesaver if you ever encounter display problems. Intel doesn’t care much about RAM speeds. If 5000 MHz is sufficient, I’d choose that option.
Hey there,
If you mainly play games, I’d take a different approach. Retain most of your current setup and add this and the GPU.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor
($291.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $291.00
Shipping, taxes, and available discounts are included.
Generated by PCPartPicker
2023-08-21 11:40 EDT-0400
Just include your 4070 choice and you’ll have a great gaming CPU ready to go.
Upgrading the CPU isn’t possible beyond this point, but the GPU and RAM should work just fine.
^ +1 to 5800X3D
CPU - 5800X3D - 36k -
Link: https://www.vedantcomputers.com/amd-ryze...-processor
Cooler - Deepcool AG620 - 4.5k -
Link: https://www.vedantcomputers.com/pc-...le...&order=ASC
SSD - Kingston KC3000 2tb - 12.5k -
Link: https://www.vedantcomputers.com/kingston...rch=kc3000
GPU - Gigabyte Windforce OC 4070ti - 75k -
Link: https://www.vedantcomputers.com/pc-...r6...&order=ASC
PSU - Corsair RMe850 - 9.5k -
Link: https://www.vedantcomputers.com/pc-...r-...&order=ASC
Overall - 137.5k
It makes sense, the AK620 should suffice for the 13600K. Unfortunately, the NH-D15S is about 56% more expensive than the AK, which is typical for most Noctua items here.
Some valuable suggestions there. The main point I considered was the 13600KF, thinking my current chip might slow down GPUs faster. It’s logical to prioritize getting the GPU first, since the system could handle it.
I’m a bit puzzled about the 'maximum overclocked' advice. Are you suggesting I skip OC edition cards, or is there another level of difference? Any specific card model would be helpful?
That comment about the F series card was clear.
I’ve heard 6000 MHz is ideal for RAM speeds, but if a bit more than that adds little value for a higher price, it makes sense to opt for something lower. I’ll look into that further.
Another thought – keeping the motherboard and RAM on board would save a lot of effort, especially if other parts won’t significantly affect performance. The reason I was thinking about Intel was because some benchmarks from... userbenchmark... claimed the 13600KF was ~51% faster than my current chip, which seemed like a solid upgrade. I’m aware Userbenchmark can be quite biased toward Intel.
It's worth considering if the 4070ti is a good investment given its high TDP and overall value. The XPG SSD appears to be a more affordable alternative with comparable specifications, priced around 9k.
There isn't really a concept called "bottlenecking." If you're thinking about upgrading your CPU or graphics card affecting performance or FPS, a more accurate term could be a limiting factor. This happens when adding more CPU or GPU starts to have diminishing returns. If the cost becomes too high, consider the Thermalright Peerless asassin: Incredible, Affordable Air Cooling Performance. It's surprisingly cool and quiet, under $40! Manufacturers often use their own chips in factory overclocked versions to boost performance, which they then sell at a higher price. They may also add cosmetic upgrades or premium coolers that cost more. You might still get good value with a basic factory overclocked card. Cards that push the limits are more likely to have problems. It's better to opt for non-overclocked models or those with only light overclocking. If you need more speed, consider purchasing a higher-tier card initially. Unlike Intel, AMD doesn't rely heavily on fast RAM for performance. This article was published two years ago but remains relevant. AMD Ryzen 5 3500 Benchmark: Userbenchmark is often dismissed as unreliable. A more trustworthy comparison could be passmark. Your R5 3500 features 6 processing threads and a passmark of 12835, which represents full utilization. This is rare in most games, though multiplayer might differ. The single-thread rating stands at 2511. AMD Ryzen 5 3500 offers a solid upgrade with 20 threads and a rating of 38442/4187. Some users highlight the X3D processors, which perform well when used for just one game. However, on other applications, they fall short. R7-5800X3D provides 16 threads and a rating of 35130/3120.
the 4070ti represents a significant improvement over the 4070 non ti. you can be confident that the gpu will remain functional for several years with the 4070ti. however, this isn't the case with the 4070.
unfortunately, the 7900 xt comes at a higher price point than the 4070 ti, but it still offers good value if you're not particularly concerned about ray tracing.
as @Bob.B mentioned, the motherboard supports pcie 3.0, so i suggest checking this out:
https://www.vedantcomputers.com/pc-...m2...&order=ASC
focus on random read/write speeds rather than sequential ones. games won't gain much from speeds above 3000mbps.
Yeah, I looked into the Peerless Assassin and it was really pricey back then, so I didn’t think about it. Now it seems like it’s priced similarly to the AK620, and they’re pretty much comparable in performance, huh?
To be honest, I’m not planning to push the GPU overclocking at all—actually, I like to underclock it whenever possible, as long as it doesn’t hurt performance. So, I’d steer clear of things like the MSI Gaming X Trio and go for something like an Asus TUF Gaming. Basically, avoid anything with a super high base clock speed right out of the box?
In short, stick to something like the 5800X3D rather than something with a top-end clock? My setup is mainly for gaming and light tasks like programming and browsing, so gaming is the biggest part. I think the 5800X3D gives me the chance to delay upgrading the motherboard and RAM for a while longer, unless the CPU itself is limiting performance.
Passmark looks solid, seems like a more dependable source.
My motherboard already has a Gen 3 slot, which is why I was thinking about a Gen 4 one now—just to avoid the trouble of replacing it later when I upgrade. That particular XPG model was roughly the same price as Gen 3, so I figured it was worth a shot.
The 4070ti seems to offer a 16-19% performance boost for about a 31% price increase, plus an extra 42.5% TDP. I’d have been excited if it had more VRAM, but since both have 12GB, the 4070 still fits my needs a bit better.
I’m not even thinking about the 7900XT—it’s way more expensive and would probably blow my power bills, haha. Still, it does deliver solid performance for the price, though the TDP is way too high for me.
The random read/write point makes sense, especially for gaming workloads.