Build Advice - AMD or Intel options

[mrlip]

Hi All

I bought a gaming laptop a couple of years ago from PCS and recently a few circumstances have changed and I am now looking to move to a desktop PC.

The build will primarily be used for MSFS and I am currently torn between an AMD 5800X3D build or an Intel I5 13600K build. From reading reviews, comments on forums etc, and benchmarks I know the 5800X3D performs extremely well in MSFS and is currently regarded as the best CPU on the market for it. However some of the latest intel 13th gen also seem to be benchmarking extremely well. I am aware both are end of line platforms but at the minute I dont think I can justify or require the AM5 & DDR5 platform so I'm happy to stick with AM4 & DDR4.

Below are the 2 builds I have put together. Just a couple of notes - I will be using a 1440P 27inch Samsung curved monitor but I will probably swap this out for 4K next year hence the 3080. Storage - I will be adding in my own Samsung EVO 970 1TB Nvme drive. I already have suitable keyboard and mouse etc.

Budget - close to 2K as possible so I am a bit over on both so any advice there would be appreciated.

AMD Build -
Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.5GHz/100MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series 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
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
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 - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Promotional Item
Get Warhammer 40K: Darktide with select GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs!
Price: £2240 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/QyK65MMqFR/

Intel Build -
Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 14-Core Processor i5-13600K (3.5GHz) 24MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series 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
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00027]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
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 - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Promotional Item
Get Warhammer 40K: Darktide with select GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs!
Price: £2125 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Scott]

Personally, I would opt for the 5800X3D. It's considerably better for FS2020 the last time I looked. I'm looking forward to the 2023 offerings from AMD.

I would prop up some areas though.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.5GHz/100MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series 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
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
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 - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £2,328.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/XSEq3FAE5b/

 

[mrlip]

Thanks Scott! I originally set out with X3D in mind just because of its MSFS performance but just wanted to keep options open with the 13600K given its recent reviews and benchmarks. Will probably settle for the X3D

In regards to the mobo you selected, what’s the advantages of this board vs the one I selected? I’m not too familiar with the motherboard options at the min

Thanks!

 

[Scott]

Thanks Scott! I originally set out with X3D in mind just because of its MSFS performance but just wanted to keep options open with the 13600K given its recent reviews and benchmarks. Will probably settle for the X3D

In regards to the mobo you selected, what’s the advantages of this board vs the one I selected? I’m not too familiar with the motherboard options at the min

Thanks!

It benchmarks really well but on average the 5800X3D is still holding its own, with FS2020 it still comes up on top even up against the 13900k. If I was pressed for a build right now I would be opting for the 5800X3D as it's my primary play.

The motherboard you had selected is a lower end offering. It does OK and if you're really stretched to push for the one I selected then it won't steer you wrong, it might leave a little performance on the table though.

The main differences between the X570 and B550 chipsets are that the X570 has a 'full' speed second M2 slot for fast storage, better PCI options and better VRMs. The basic B550 boards (ie the Prime) have the lowest offering for VRM capacity so we would typically want to have the TUF option selected (Similar with the X570 board).

The delta between the 2 boards that I would recommend (X570 TUF and B550 TUF) is £62 due to the Wifi card being required, the X570 has it on-board.

I would personally pay that difference for the VRM headroom and fast storage option (Direct Storage access is a thing and is coming soon, if it's implemented well in FS2020 it'll make all the difference).

One note, the 970 will be maxed out with the B550 board so to take advantage of the additional speed you would need to upgrade your storage drive down the line.

 

[mrlip]

Thanks for the detailed explanation, makes sense. Out of interest, what system are you using for MSFS?

 

[Scott]

Thanks for the detailed explanation, makes sense. Out of interest, what system are you using for MSFS?

It's in my sig, the only change is the 2080 was swapped out with a 3070Ti

I'll be upgrading next year to an AM5 3D Cache platform though.