Looking for feedback on this build

[Dooj]

Does this spec make sense for productivity (premiere pro, after effects, audition, photoshop and illustrator) and gaming? Is there anything I haven't thought of? Any thoughts appreciated, I don't know all that much about what bits work together well.

Budget-wise. I don't want to go over £3,500 including VAT if I can avoid it. I don't want to be limited in my productivity or gaming, but gaming would be a narrow second place if I had to choose.

My monitor is an ASUS VG248 QE 24, which has always been good for me. I could invest in a new monitor if need be.

Case
CORSAIR 3500X ARGB TEMPERED GLASS MID-TOWER (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16 Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.7GHz/144MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X870-F GAMING WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz CL40 (2 x 32GB) KIT
Graphics Card
12GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 4070 GDDR6 TWIN EDGE - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6500 MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
6TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR ICUE LINK TITAN 360 RX LCD RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND APPLICATION
LED Lighting
2 x 35cm Corsair LS350 Aurora RGB Light Strips
Extra Case Fans
3 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fans
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
4 PORT (4 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/9Ya2ApnuYd/

 

[Nursemorph]

Could you please go back to the post to forum page and include the Unique Configurable URL from the bottom please? Just makes it easier for us to go in and tinker than start a spec from scratch.

To know what to advise, we need:

Maximum budget: So we know what the ceiling is.

Monitor: As it's for gaming, knowing the monitor helps make sure the GPU matches it, though in your case it's not as important due to the productivity

Uses: Is the productivity the more important of the two or the gaming? Just to know whether one or the other needs prioritising or if we should cater to both equally

As it is, there's a few areas that could do with optimising

 

[Dooj]

Could you please go back to the post to forum page and include the Unique Configurable URL from the bottom please? Just makes it easier for us to go in and tinker than start a spec from scratch.

To know what to advise, we need:

Maximum budget: So we know what the ceiling is.

Monitor: As it's for gaming, knowing the monitor helps make sure the GPU matches it, though in your case it's not as important due to the productivity

Uses: Is the productivity the more important of the two or the gaming? Just to know whether one or the other needs prioritising or if we should cater to both equally

As it is, there's a few areas that could do with optimising

Hi Nursemorph,

Thank you for the pointers. I have edited the original post but here is a summary of changes.
Max budget: £3500
Monitor: ASUS VG248 QE 24
Productivity slightly more important than gaming, I don't want to be restricted by my hardware.
I am very interested to hear how I could optimise the set up to be more future proof.

 

[Hix]

The best CPU recommendation would hinge on how much you'll realistically game as well as what types of programs you intend to you use frequently as a workstation. For example if you use many other AVX 512 applications other than Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, Photoshop and Illustrator.

The extra cores are and should be parked for gaming, hence lower core counts, higher clock speeds and 3D cache for gaming versus high core count and slightly lower clock speeds for workstations. JayzTwoCents has quite a good round up of what I am yapping on about.

Intel is arguably better for productivity but is severely behind in gaming.

With that said, here's an idea of something a little different:

Case
CORSAIR 3500X ARGB TEMPERED GLASS MID-TOWER (WHITE)
Processor (CPU) - This CPU is pretty darn good for both scenarios, there is an argument for the 9950X, but depends on your ratio of productivity to gaming
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16 Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.7GHz/144MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard - 'Dropped' down a spec as you're generally overpaying for very minor increase of I/O on the new X870 boards, though that may be very important for you, you'd need to double check. The savings I used elsewhere to complete the build
GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz CL40 (2 x 32GB) KIT
Graphics Card
12GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 4070 GDDR6 TWIN EDGE - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive - Added in a small M.2 for the OS/programs using the money saved from the motherboard
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6500 MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
6TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 256MB CACHE
Power Supply - Upgraded for a ATX 3.1 for a small price increase for the 40xx & 50xx cards 12V connection as well as if you ever plan to upgrade to 70 / 80 / Ti / Super series as mentioned about future proofing. You might wanna consider a 1000W, but depends on how much you intend to game and might plan to upgrade to
CORSAIR 850W 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 - Paste from the Corsair AIO is better than Artic
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2 x 35cm Corsair LS350 Aurora RGB Light Strips
Extra Case Fans
3 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fans
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
4 PORT (4 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days

Price: £2,877.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

 

[Dooj]

Thanks Hix. Some useful points to think about. Could I ask, what is the reasoning behind the small SSD drive for OS? I don't understand why a single big SSD wouldn't be better.

I went for the better motherboard in large part because of the increased I/O, but I will double check how much I actually need. Thanks again man.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks Hix. Some useful points to think about. Could I ask, what is the reasoning behind the small SSD drive for OS? I don't understand why a single big SSD wouldn't be better.

I went for the better motherboard in large part because of the increased I/O, but I will double check how much I actually need. Thanks again man.

If you want better IO you need to go for an X870E rather than an X870.

X870 is exactly the same as X670, exactly the same chipset

 

[TonyCarter]

If you want better IO you need to go for an X870E rather than an X870.

X870 is exactly the same as X670, exactly the same chipset

It's worse than that, it's just a B650 with USB4 & WIFI7.

 

[Hix]

Thanks Hix. Some useful points to think about. Could I ask, what is the reasoning behind the small SSD drive for OS? I don't understand why a single big SSD wouldn't be better.

I went for the better motherboard in large part because of the increased I/O, but I will double check how much I actually need. Thanks again man.

I too typically used to just have everything on one drive. However, discussions on this very forum and the fact my friends OS was literally bricked from an update mere days ago (he had a single drive) has me convinced it's the way to go. It has a few benefits, mainly:

1. Having the OS and programs on the smaller SSD means boot times will be very fast and likely to remain that way as you'll hardly increase the capacity your using compared to storing everything on a single drive
2. Thus frequently used programs/applications will load faster when stored on the dedicated OS drive
3. If Windows is ever bricked, you'll not lose any meaningful data as that's stored elsewhere
4. It's in theory quicker to access certain types of data this way too, since you'd be using the PCIe lanes via the CPU and the PCIe lanes via the AMD chipset on the motherboard. Though realistically since M.2s are so fast, you likely won't notice it

If you want better IO you need to go for an X870E rather than an X870.

X870 is exactly the same as X670, exactly the same chipset

That's exactly correct, Hardware Unboxed have a fantastic video explaining the (little) difference between the AM5 boards.

 

[TonyCarter]

Thanks Hix. Some useful points to think about. Could I ask, what is the reasoning behind the small SSD drive for OS? I don't understand why a single big SSD wouldn't be better.

What are you going to put on the primary drive other than Windows and Apps?

How big are your apps? My primary drive W11, games launchers, and Adobe Creative Suite uses up around 200GB...and that keeps it nice and fast.

No point having more 'free space' on a primary drive than is actually needed - and as long as you stay below 50% you'd not encounter any performance loss. So a 512GB one tends to be the sweet spot...although no harm (other than to wallet) of going for a 1TB drive...but resist the temptation to store 'just a bit more' on there as you increase the risk of losing more stuff you don't want to lose.

 

[Dooj]

I too typically used to just have everything on one drive. However, discussions on this very forum and the fact my friends OS was literally bricked from an update mere days ago (he had a single drive) has me convinced it's the way to go. It has a few benefits, mainly:

1. Having the OS and programs on the smaller SSD means boot times will be very fast and likely to remain that way as you'll hardly increase the capacity your using compared to storing everything on a single drive
2. Thus frequently used programs/applications will load faster when stored on the dedicated OS drive
3. If Windows is ever bricked, you'll not lose any meaningful data as that's stored elsewhere
4. It's in theory quicker to access certain types of data this way too, since you'd be using the PCIe lanes via the CPU and the PCIe lanes via the AMD chipset on the motherboard. Though realistically since M.2s are so fast, you likely won't notice it

That's exactly correct, Hardware Unboxed have a fantastic video explaining the (little) difference between the AM5 boards.

That makes total sense. Do I even need a HDD at all then?

You have been so helpful thank you! I shall make some amendments.

 

[Dooj]

What are you going to put on the primary drive other than Windows and Apps?

How big are your apps? My primary drive W11, games launchers, and Adobe Creative Suite uses up around 200GB...and that keeps it nice and fast.

No point having more 'free space' on a primary drive than is actually needed - and as long as you stay below 50% you'd not encounter any performance loss. So a 512GB one tends to be the sweet spot...although no harm (other than to wallet) of going for a 1TB drive...but resist the temptation to store 'just a bit more' on there as you increase the risk of losing more stuff you don't want to lose.

OS and apps really. My current machine is about 10 years old and I have one 1 TB SSD and a big HDD for files, so I struggle to fit many games on there.
Adobe is a bit chunk, few other chunky apps that take up another 100GB or so, but if I had a bigger ssd for video files etc. and games then I'm laughing. I think I might stretch to the 1 TB just to make sure I keep it in the sweet spot.

Thank you!

 

[TonyCarter]

That's why your SSD is full then. Modern games can be in excess of 100GB each, so a separate SSD for them is best practice. Modern games are also increasingly demanding installation on SSD to improve their asset loading times.

I have a primary SSD, and then 4 separate SSDs (one for each major game store - Steam on a 4TB drive, the others on 2TB rdives) and a 4TB Ironwolf HDD internally, and a WD 8TB in an external enclosure.

A HDD (internal or external) is still good practice, as you don't want backups / longer term storage on SSDs as they give little warning of impending failures (and they're cheap for huge amounts of space).

 

[Hix]

OS and apps really. My current machine is about 10 years old and I have one 1 TB SSD and a big HDD for files, so I struggle to fit many games on there.
Adobe is a bit chunk, few other chunky apps that take up another 100GB or so, but if I had a bigger ssd for video files etc. and games then I'm laughing. I think I might stretch to the 1 TB just to make sure I keep it in the sweet spot.

Thank you!

Essentially what Tony said regarding HDDs. They are super cheap and reliable for massive amounts of storage. Plus, if you're storing things like graphic images or pictures etc.. on there, there is no need to access them as fast as possible i.e. storing them on an SSD.

In addition, storing lots of little files which are likely to be deleted/edited/re-saved is not ideal on an SSD since you'd be using the lifecycle of the SSD. It'll still last years don't get me wrong, but, not really SSDs strength right now. Until they significantly increase the lifecycle of SSDs, HDDs will always have a place.

 

[Dooj]

That's why your SSD is full then. Modern games can be in excess of 100GB each, so a separate SSD for them is best practice. Modern games are also increasingly demanding installation on SSD to improve their asset loading times.

I have a primary SSD, and then 4 separate SSDs (one for each major game store - Steam on a 4TB drive, the others on 2TB rdives) and a 4TB Ironwolf HDD internally, and a WD 8TB in an external enclosure.

A HDD (internal or external) is still good practice, as you don't want backups / longer term storage on SSDs as they give little warning of impending failures (and they're cheap for huge amounts of space).

Absolutely, that's why its beyond time to upgrade hehe. That is very helpful to know about HDDs, I think I'm ready to get myself a machine! Thank you