The question of whether upgrading to a 120mm AIO with the Ryzen 5 1600 OC is worthwhile depends on your needs.
The question of whether upgrading to a 120mm AIO with the Ryzen 5 1600 OC is worthwhile depends on your needs.
I've heard some things about water cooling, but it seems like eventually the pump might stop working. With air cooling, it looks like you face less risk since you don't have to worry about leaks or other issues. Personally, I'll try to get the best performance from my CPU within limits, but remember that if you invest heavily now, AMD might release new CPUs in a couple of years, making your current purchase less valuable compared to newer models like Ryzen 2 or Ryzen 3 in a year or two. Just another thought.
As a side note, I managed to run my 1600 at 3.8 with the voltage set at 1.2875 in the BIOS. I haven't tested it yet, but I plan to try a lower voltage of 1.25 to see if it can handle a slight temperature drop. I'm using the cooler master vortex plus myself, but another commenter suggested the Wraith Spire might perform better. My temperatures reached a maximum of 73°C during an Intel burn test last night.
You might want to lower your voltage as much as possible to maintain stability at 3.8 and then gradually increase it to find out how far you can go.
The Corsair h55/h60 120mm aios perform very similarly to a hyper212. They offer comparable idle behavior and TDP, making it not worthwhile to upgrade to a regular 120mm aio. Models like the h80i v2 provide a similar upgrade with thicker construction and dual fans, matching the heat dissipation of a h100i 240mm aio. For a 65w CPU, you’ll likely hit voltage or stability limits before temperature limits, so mid-range air coolers such as the cryorig h5 are sufficient.
Everyone, you've made me decide to stick with the 212 Evo—it feels like a smart choice without any extra perks.
I plan to spend the weekend experimenting with voltage settings, just like @ohiou_grad_2006 and others suggested. If I can bring the voltage down, I bet my idle temperatures will drop too.
I really enjoy this CPU so far; it's a big improvement over my old i7 920 running at stock speeds.
Now it's time to think about saving for a new graphics card... if prices could go back to normal, that would be great, since I don't want to pay more than the manufacturer's suggested price.
What card do you have? I'm not sure when volta comes out, but it might be worth checking what that is. Still, a GTX 1060 with 6gb would work well. I managed to find a decent price on an RX 480 with 8gb and can handle most settings at 1080p 60fps.
I own a PNY GTX 770 4GB OC that performs adequately in the games I’m currently playing. After many years away from gaming, it’s been a blessing as it offers a wide selection of titles at very affordable prices. For example, I bought Mad Max for just $5 USD and am currently on the second Batman game, each costing around $6. My card is running these games smoothly. However, once I run out of older games and want to try newer ones, I’ll need an upgrade.
To stay ahead, I’m thinking about getting a GTX 1070 or the upcoming 1070ti (as long as it’s not significantly more expensive than the 1070). I’ll wait for some reviews on the 1070ti. Another option is to keep an eye out for an open-box 1080. I was really interested in Vega, but it seems they’re very power-hungry and only available through mining, making them hard to find. The same goes for the 580. I think I still have 3 to 6 months before I run out of older games to play, so it won’t be a rush. Plus, it gives me extra savings to save up for.
I'm looking forward to discovering what Volta offers too. Perhaps not as much excitement about the cost, but it could help lower the price of the 1080 and make it more accessible... or Volta might really push me to say "shut up and take my money!" Haha
I'm not going to give up my 3 x Acer 24 inch 1080p monitors with low latency for just one 27 inch. I'd need three of them, and that would be a significant expense...lol. I'd also require a new mount, because the current one can only support items up to 24 inches.
I'm keeping my existing monitors for now. My goal is eventually to have a bigger single monitor for gaming at 1440p or 4K, while keeping the three I have for work. That would mean upgrading my desk into an L-shape so it can accommodate all four screens.
P.S. I just returned from Micro Center. I upgraded from a 1600 to a 1700x. The price difference was small ($70). Even between 1700 and 1700x, it was only $10 ($260 vs $270). Maybe I'll consider a 240mm or 280mm monitor someday. 😉
This PC issue is quite costly!