New gaming rig - intel or AMD?

[H1N1]

The monitor is a 60hz display, which we wouldn't recommend for gaming nowadays. It will work very well as a secondary screen though.
Depending on your budget we can look at matching a monitor to suit.

But at this point we would be looking at speccing a full system out with you.

Looking at the above, I don't really see any requirements that would warrant 16 cores, you're looking at needing to some fairly top end video editing or other productivity work before you'll see benefit going past the 9800X3D. In terms of being 'no faff', and also holding the title of the best gaming CPU currently available, the 9800X3D would definitely be where I would be looking.

In terms of the overall build, we would just need your budget for the build, and a monitor if you're looking to invest in a new one (I would recommend doing so). If this isn't majorly urgent we can wait to see where the RTX 5070 and RX 9070XT land in terms of price and performance next month too. As stated above the new GPU generation has been disappointing so far.

Thank you for your thoughts; they are greatly appreciated.
I suppose I also have tabs open on Edge, along with Discord - and therefore need that extra headroom, especially when playing games like CSII. I was thinking of 14900KS because of its much higher core-count: 8P and 16E.
My machine is used 90% of the time for gaming, but I do like the odd video-editing of videos that I capture via my iPhone that I upload to YouTube.
This led me to think more along the lines of 7950X3D but with the newer 9950X3D, that seems better; depending on price! , but I am conflicted.

Regarding the monitor; I will look into them; do you have any recommendations?

 

[H1N1]

so I have put a few things together as a rough frame --- suggestions welcome!

The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please click here to continue.
Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000T RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16 Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.7GHz/144MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
8GB PCS PRO DDR5 4800MHz CL40 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
32GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 5090 SOLID - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
8TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR ICUE LINK TITAN 360 RX LCD RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND APPLICATION
Extra Case Fans
4 x Corsair ICUE LINK RX120 RGB PWM Fan + Controller Kit
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £4,878.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/JNpmGZZsw9/

 

[H1N1]

I'd question buying a 5090 at the moment given the issues they seemingly are having.

I'd adjust a few bits of the spec if it was me (presumably you are sourcing your own RAM and fitting it?):

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000T RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16 Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.7GHz/144MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
8GB PCS PRO DDR5 4800MHz CL40 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
32GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 5090 SOLID - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
8TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W HXi SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® PLATINUM V2
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR ICUE LINK TITAN 360 RX LCD RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
4 x Corsair ICUE LINK RX120 RGB PWM Fan + Controller Kit
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £4,781.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/KJQ8tq4Gt5/

Hello, no. I forgot about the RAM so would certainly be open to ideas!
Regarding the GPU - I am also open to ideas as to alternatives.

 

[H1N1]

Hello all

What are the thoughts about the new 9950X3D that has come out?

I think the scheduling issue has been resolved?

any ideas welcome

 

[H1N1]

Hi

I have a 8700KS and am looking now at AMD as almost everyone recommends AMD.

I see the 9800X3D has 8 cores and is good for games, but games like Cities Skylines II benefit from more cores, therefore I have figured the new 9950X3D will be the best and sensible option , as I also do the odd video editing for YouTube videos, etc - and also have multiple tabs open on edge, etc ...

I have put down a 5090, however others have advised to perhaps hold off on all graphics cards for now , so that is provisional. I have quite an old card - 1080TI , so hopefully that wont restrict the CPU that much when playing CSII , as that is more CPU demanding.



Case - I want a full case with lights, but the one I selected it says the motherboard don't support it!
be quiet! SHADOW BASE 800 FX GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16 Core CPU (4.3GHz-5.7GHz/128MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
32GB PALIT GEFORCE RTX 5090 GAMEROCK - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
8TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR ICUE LINK TITAN 240 RX LCD RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £5,140.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-overclocked/WysYPMWGsp/

 

[H1N1]

Thank you.

I have looked at the following motherboards;

ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO
ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS
ASUS ROG STRIX B850-E GAMING WiFi
ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E


I have 4 hard drives in my system; which backs up info from the NAS to the PC so there are few copies of the data.
I have 1 X m.2 drive and would look in the future to expanding these.
I only intend on having 1 graphics card; hopefully 5090 or something similar when prices are better!

I would really appreciate some guidance on the ones above and what one does over the other as I just can't figure it out at all !

 

[Ekans2011]

I would really appreciate some guidance on the ones above and what one does over the other as I just can't figure it out at all !

None of the above.

As mentioned by @Nursemorph, I'd go with the X870E AORUS ELITE, which has the same premium chipset as the Crosshair but costs £250 less.
I believe this is the best value MB available right now.

The ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E, and the ASUS ROG STRIX B850-E are not available through PCS.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thank you.

I have looked at the following motherboards;

ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO
ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS
ASUS ROG STRIX B850-E GAMING WiFi
ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E


I have 4 hard drives in my system; which backs up info from the NAS to the PC so there are few copies of the data.
I have 1 X m.2 drive and would look in the future to expanding these.
I only intend on having 1 graphics card; hopefully 5090 or something similar when prices are better!

I would really appreciate some guidance on the ones above and what one does over the other as I just can't figure it out at all !

The only ones worth consideration are x870e, so we’ll ignore the TUF which is essentially a b650 board, and the B850

The Crosshair only had a use in hyper environments where you’re rendering 24/7 constantly hammering the CPU so you need a lot of headroom on the VRMs or for major overclocking

The Strix X870e is an ok board but has the ASUS tax so is far less full featured than the one already recommended at a higher cost

Given the issues ASUS have had over the past few years with failed BIOS updates and CPUs dying due to overvoltage I’d avoid them like the plague and take the advice that’s been given, ASUS support is also dreadful which is a necessary consideration

 

[H1N1]

thanks for the advice.
Are the X670E boards worth looking at? I see on YouTube someone saying the MSI Tomahawk Wifi is a good board and is essentially the X860E

 

[SpyderTracks]

thanks for the advice.
Are the X670E boards worth looking at? I see on YouTube someone saying the MSI Tomahawk Wifi is a good board and is essentially the X860E

PCS don't sell any X670e boards, so it's not an option.

 

[H1N1]

PCS don't sell any X670e boards, so it's not an option.

how come? is that because they're no good or just because PCS hold limited stock?

 

[SpyderTracks]

how come? is that because they're no good or just because PCS hold limited stock?

They're the older model, once production stops and stocks run out, that's it, you don't get more.

 

[H1N1]

Oh I see ....

 

[SpyderTracks]

Oh I see ....

There were a couple of X670E boards that were particularly strong, but the prices were high as well, exceeding some of the more "affordable" X870e Boards like the Gigabyte

One that was a particular favourite was the Asus ProArt X670E, that thing was quite incredible with 4 USB C ports and dual PCIe 5 graphics slots, plus 10Gb Ethernet. BUT it cost £475 which is just insane money.

But for the right heavyweight uses, it definitely had a place.

What's your reticence with the Gigabyte X870E?

 

[H1N1]

There were a couple of X670E boards that were particularly strong, but the prices were high as well, exceeding some of the more "affordable" X870e Boards like the Gigabyte

One that was a particular favourite was the Asus ProArt X670E, that thing was quite incredible with 4 USB C ports and dual PCIe 5 graphics slots, plus 10Gb Ethernet. BUT it cost £475 which is just insane money.

But for the right heavyweight uses, it definitely had a place.

What's your reticence with the Gigabyte X870E?

I am not techy at all - as you can tell
I am already leaving intel which I have always had, and have had ASUS which has done me well; even managed to overclock my 8700KS - Asus BIOS is quite straightforward. And I have an ASUS monitor and 1080TI ....

Trying to establish why one is better than another, whether one has more premium parts and components and that is why its more , etc ... I am not a hardcore gamer; just like cities skylines II and also COD, and will be playing the new GTA ....
I'm looking for a good quality without being silly with money; is why I cannot and will not pay for 5090 at the moment, but is something I'd look at once they come down a bit ...

All these PCIe lanes and having a graphics card can half a lane, and then having a chipset and power sequence, then seeing if it has enough USBs ... just like wtf! lol

 

[Ekans2011]

I am not techy at all - as you can tell
I am already leaving intel which I have always had, and have had ASUS which has done me well; even managed to overclock my 8700KS - Asus BIOS is quite straightforward. And I have an ASUS monitor and 1080TI ....

Trying to establish why one is better than another, whether one has more premium parts and components and that is why its more , etc ... I am not a hardcore gamer; just like cities skylines II and also COD, and will be playing the new GTA ....
I'm looking for a good quality without being silly with money; is why I cannot and will not pay for 5090 at the moment, but is something I'd look at once they come down a bit ...

All these PCIe lanes and having a graphics card can half a lane, and then having a chipset and power sequence, then seeing if it has enough USBs ... just like wtf! lol

If you haven't already, I suggest watching this thread, which contains a lot of information about the X870/X870E Lineup that you might find interesting.

X870/X870E Motherboard Lineup

First look at ASUS new X870 AM5 lineup by der8auer :)

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[H1N1]

If you haven't already, I suggest watching this thread, which contains a lot of information about the X870/X870E Lineup that you might find interesting.

X870/X870E Motherboard Lineup

First look at ASUS new X870 AM5 lineup by der8auer :)

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

thank you


The X870E chipset is basically a renamed X670E board, just the former has USB4 , which I probably would never use/need anyway.

 

[Ekans2011]

The X870E chipset is basically a renamed X670E board, just the former has USB4 , which I probably would never use/need anyway.

Yes, with the exception that the X670E are discontinued boards with pricing comparable to the X870E, are not available from PCS, and frequently include less functionality (e.g., a post code, WiFi 7, USB4, etc.).

Today, I wouldn't buy a motherboard released nearly three years ago unless it was less than half the price of a current generation model. Just my opinion

 

[H1N1]

Yes, with the exception that the X670E are discontinued boards with pricing comparable to the X870E, are not available from PCS, and frequently include less functionality (e.g., a post code, WiFi 7, USB4, etc.).

Today, I wouldn't buy a motherboard released nearly three years ago unless it was less than half the price of a current generation model. Just my opinion

That is a good point, that the X670E are old boards with the X870E not being that much more expensive.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I am not techy at all - as you can tell
I am already leaving intel which I have always had, and have had ASUS which has done me well; even managed to overclock my 8700KS - Asus BIOS is quite straightforward. And I have an ASUS monitor and 1080TI ....

Trying to establish why one is better than another, whether one has more premium parts and components and that is why its more , etc ... I am not a hardcore gamer; just like cities skylines II and also COD, and will be playing the new GTA ....
I'm looking for a good quality without being silly with money; is why I cannot and will not pay for 5090 at the moment, but is something I'd look at once they come down a bit ...

All these PCIe lanes and having a graphics card can half a lane, and then having a chipset and power sequence, then seeing if it has enough USBs ... just like wtf! lol

As with anything in IT, it's very fluid and it moves very fast, companies rise and fall, especially those that were tightly linked with Intel like Asus, Asus have become a bit of a black sheep in the industry, not just down to poor firefighting of issues, but also purposefully downtrodden customers claiming RMA's.

It's been going on for a few years, they had MAJOR issues with their X670 boards due to over voltage burning out chips, but then when AMD had released a micro code update, firstly ASUS released it as a BETA BIOS (that was the only preventative measure for people to prevent their boards burning up) but suddenly changed their terms and stated anyone flashing it would void their warranty (which was completely illegal). It then took them a good 4 or so BIOS revisions to ACTUALLY implement the fix, no idea what on earth went on there, but they just couldn't get it right. Then for a long time after they had major issues operating under the newly specified voltage limits to gain stability on their RAM timings, they were one of the only manufacturers that had that issue, everyone else firstly hadn't applied such high voltages as they didn't find they needed to to get the performance like Asus did.

Then there have been various 3rd party investigations into Asus support, specifically with RMA requests, and it was highlighted that Asus were willingly just gaslighting customers and making them pay for things that weren't broken in the first place claiming it was out of warranty. It got so bad, the US government were investigating them

Don't go with a brand just out of past experience. Remain current. If it's purely about performance, the Strix board is decent, but it's expensive. If it's about loyalty to a company that is going to treat you well from stability and good customer service, perhaps Asus aren't the right option

So the two you’d be considering then would be the familiar ASUS Strix X870e (roughly £470

And the Gigabyte Aorus Elite X870e (Roughly £280)

You can see the Gigabyte is just a far fuller featured board for SIGNIFICANTLY less money, and it's not a bad board just because it's cheaper, it's rated as one of the top boards to go for at reasonable cost

Gigabyte X870E Aorus Elite WiFi7 - surprised us!

PC Enthusiasts love more affordable motherboards that support the latest AMD CPUs, but the obvious snag is that moving down the product stack usually means y...

www.youtube.com

GIGABYTE X870E AORUS ELITE WiFi7 - Best Value for money X870E board?

X870E boards are plentiful on the market, but there's one that stands out in terms of cost efficiency and that's the GIGABYTE X870E AORUS ELITE WiFi7. It cos...

www.youtube.com

They're ONTO Something Special here....WATCH others COPY! Gigabyte X870e Aorus Master

This Gigabyte X870e Motherboard has a VERY interesting HDMI port, and I've never seen that before. Watch how all the other brands start to copy it! Plus all ...

www.youtube.com

The prices I've quoted are general market prices currently, PCS's prices may be higher or lower, but generally PCS have been very competitive with component pricing.