Looking for suggestions on CPU / motherboard options

[Outerarm]

Hi,

I’ve decided it is time to replace my old PC (see sig) with something a little more current and I’m looking for a bit of advice on CPU and motherboard options.

So my use case… outside of home office work I’ll mainly be gaming (Battlefield, Cyberpunk), but will also be doing a small amount of 3D modelling / CAD work (Blender, etc.) and video editing / encoding. I am looking at a set of three 1440p / 144Hz curved 27” monitors, likely G-Sync and HDR enabled, as this will provide the desktop real estate for my day job, but will also provide 7680x1400 resolution when combined. I’m looking to build around a 3080 Ti as it will be able to support high settings / framerate on the combined screens, and deliver great performance on one screen for future game releases. I will likely run 32GB RAM initially and do not plan on any overclocking of the system.

What I’m not sure about is the best CPU / motherboard options to both support the GFX card and provide a degree of future proof for when I decide to upgrade the card and memory in 3 or 4 years… I would welcome any suggestions!

Cheers.

 

[Steveyg]

Hi mate,

is this going to be a PCS build? PCS sell full customisable builds and we can't really offer advice on things out side of that

Instead of 3 monitors though you should check out something like the Samsung G9 for screen space

 

[Outerarm]

Yeah, this would be a PCS build to replace my old PCS build.

I'll check out the G9 again, but I run 3 monitors at the moment and it provides flexibility for the way I work and game

 

[Martinr36]

Yeah, this would be a PCS build to replace my old PCS build.

I'll check out the G9 again, but I run 3 monitors at the moment and it provides flexibility for the way I work and game

In that case put a full spec together on the configurator, and then we can look it over

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[Outerarm]

Hi,

I’ve decided it is time to replace my old PCS rig (see sig) with something a little more current and I’m looking for a bit of advice on CPU and motherboard options, and any other tips on the spec.

So my use case… outside of home office work I’ll mainly be gaming (Battlefield, Cyberpunk), but will also be doing VR, a small amount of 3D modelling / CAD work (Blender, etc.), and a little video editing / encoding. I am looking at a set of three 1440p / 144Hz curved 27” monitors, likely G-Sync and HDR enabled, as this will provide the desktop real estate for my day job, but will also provide 7680x1400 resolution when combined. I’m planning to build around a 3080 Ti as it will be able to support high settings / framerate on the combined screens, and deliver great performance on one screen for future game releases. I will likely run 32GB RAM initially and am not really planning on overclocking. I have a bit of leeway in my budget but would prefer to keep it to under £3,500 (excluding monitors).

What I’m not sure about is the best CPU / motherboard options to both support the GFX card and provide a degree of future proof for when I decide to upgrade the card and memory in 3 or 4 years…

So any and all feedback and suggestions on the following spec would be really welcome!

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
8TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 3000 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Prof
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/E4zZG9WH9R/

 

[Steveyg]

CPU and motherboard pairing you've selected is the recommended combo in my opinion. I wouldn't worry about that

There are a couple things in the build I'd like personally that you don't have.
I would want 3600Mhz RAM
I would want a 500GB boot drive for the OS and key programs. Something like the Samsung 980 Pro or the Firecuda 530, just to keep the OS running super quick
I'd also drop the 8TB HDD, this drive only has a read speed of 5400RPM which is dreadfully slow these days. I wouldn't settle for less than 7200RPM on a HDD
You can remove the extra thermal paste the CPU cooler you selected will come with it's own very high quality paste already pre applied

 

[Steveyg]

Here is my build with the changes. Although you would have to talk to PCS direct to up the RAM to 64GB, not sure why they still don't offer that option on the configurator

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2700MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 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 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 18 to 21 working days
Price: £3,119.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/G5uyytb7pJ/

 

[Helfar]

Almost the same that is in pre-production for me, cept I went for the 5000X case, put a 2TB Seagate HDD for storage(photography storage mainly so don't need super speed), a 1Tb 970 evo pro as second M.2(am dead excited about the 500G firecuda 530 as the boot/OS/App drive) and the 850W corsair.
Why go for a 1KW power supply? Seems a bit overkill as the system shouldn't be drawing much more than 750W surely, or have my calculations gone astray and should I be upping my power supply?

 

[Steveyg]

Almost the same that is in pre-production for me, cept I went for the 5000X case, put a 2TB Seagate HDD for storage(photography storage mainly so don't need super speed), a 1Tb 970 evo pro as second M.2(am dead excited about the 500G firecuda 530 as the boot/OS/App drive) and the 850W corsair.
Why go for a 1KW power supply? Seems a bit overkill as the system shouldn't be drawing much more than 750W surely, or have my calculations gone astray and should I be upping my power supply?

The 1000W is overkill yes, but the recommend PSU for the 3080 for example is a 850W PSU. You generally want more than that to allow for future upgrades and the next step up is 1000W

Pretty much guarantees you want be hamstrung by power restraints when you upgrade the GPU. It's a precaution

 

[Martinr36]

Almost the same that is in pre-production for me, cept I went for the 5000X case, put a 2TB Seagate HDD for storage(photography storage mainly so don't need super speed), a 1Tb 970 evo pro as second M.2(am dead excited about the 500G firecuda 530 as the boot/OS/App drive) and the 850W corsair.
Why go for a 1KW power supply? Seems a bit overkill as the system shouldn't be drawing much more than 750W surely, or have my calculations gone astray and should I be upping my power supply?

We generally spec a higher power PSU with upgrades in mind

 

[Outerarm]

CPU and motherboard pairing you've selected is the recommended combo in my opinion. I wouldn't worry about that

There are a couple things in the build I'd like personally that you don't have.
I would want 3600Mhz RAM
I would want a 500GB boot drive for the OS and key programs. Something like the Samsung 980 Pro or the Firecuda 530, just to keep the OS running super quick
I'd also drop the 8TB HDD, this drive only has a read speed of 5400RPM which is dreadfully slow these days. I wouldn't settle for less than 7200RPM on a HDD
You can remove the extra thermal paste the CPU cooler you selected will come with it's own very high quality paste already pre applied

Appreciate the feedback! Slightly amended the spec but have a few clarifications / questions

RAM - I've bumped up the speed, but will stick with the 32GB for the time being as I can't see a use case for me where I'll need 64.
Disk - I've altered the layout a bit to have both a fast boot drive and fair sized drive for primary games in M.2 slots, plus 8TB of more conventual storage. I've split this over two 4TB disks rather than a single 8TB drive, but happy to hear any views on this.
Windows - Sticking with Professional edition as require RDP tools and Home edition doesn't have these natively.

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 1880 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/59m6pw3qyM/

And always over spec the PSU!

 

[Steveyg]

Appreciate the feedback! Slightly amended the spec but have a few clarifications / questions

RAM - I've bumped up the speed, but will stick with the 32GB for the time being as I can't see a use case for me where I'll need 64.
Disk - I've altered the layout a bit to have both a fast boot drive and fair sized drive for primary games in M.2 slots, plus 8TB of more conventual storage. I've split this over two 4TB disks rather than a single 8TB drive, but happy to hear any views on this.
Windows - Sticking with Professional edition as require RDP tools and Home edition doesn't have these natively.

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 1880 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/59m6pw3qyM/

And always over spec the PSU!

That's a super build mate, about as close to the tippy top of the mountain as you can get currently

Fair warning the Iron Wolfs are great but they are designed for server racks. They can get quite noisy

 

[Bigfoot]

From earlier research, the Corsair MP400 drives don’t have as good write endurance as the competition, so probably won’t last as long. I would swap this for an Intel 670p, but be careful not to select a 660 or 665 as they also don’t have good write endurance.

 

[Outerarm]

That's a super build mate, about as close to the tippy top of the mountain as you can get currently

Yeah, I could switch to a 3090 or push up a CPU grade, but the cost wouldn't justify the marginal increase in performance

Fair warning the Iron Wolfs are great but they are designed for server racks. They can get quite noisy

Hmm... quick read and they are designed for NAS rigs rather than PCs. I'll do need a chunk of storage so could may go for a pair of 3TB Seagates as they still spin at 7200.

From earlier research, the Corsair MP400 drives don’t have as good write endurance as the competition, so probably won’t last as long. I would swap this for an Intel 670p, but be careful not to select a 660 or 665 as they also don’t have good write endurance.

Thanks, that is good to know. I've swapped that out in the spec.

So now we have:

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Price: £3,162.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/WWY3bTcs5x/

 

[Outerarm]

you should check out something like the Samsung G9 for screen space

I've not been able to find what I want in a normal 1440p monitor (curved, ISP, 144Hz+, G-Sync, HDR, high nit), so I'm seriously considering the G9 now... unfortunately the more I read about it the more I'm convincing myself it is the way to go!

 

[AgentCooper]

I've not been able to find what I want in a normal 1440p monitor (curved, ISP, 144Hz+, G-Sync, HDR, high nit), so I'm seriously considering the G9 now... unfortunately the more I read about it the more I'm convincing myself it is the way to go!

 

[Martinr36]

I've not been able to find what I want in a normal 1440p monitor (curved, ISP, 144Hz+, G-Sync, HDR, high nit), so I'm seriously considering the G9 now... unfortunately the more I read about it the more I'm convincing myself it is the way to go!

 

[Outerarm]

Neither of you are helping 😁😁😁

So... as I edge to a G9 (in more ways than one 😏), I think I've finalised the PC spec. all is the same as the last post, except the disk config. I need a far bit of storage and some of this can be slow to access, so I've jiggled the spec around to have a M.2 500GB as the OS / primary application drive, a M.2 2TB for primary game storage, 2TB 7200rpm HDD for working documents, and a final slow 5400rpm 4TB HDD for static storage (email archive, family photos, mp3 music library, etc.).

Final? spec is now:

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2700MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]
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 18 to 21 working days
Promotional Item
Get Battlefield 2042 with select GeForce RTX™ 30 Series GPUs
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £3,258.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

Just need to get a buyer for my kidney and I can get this ordered!

 

[AgentCooper]

It’s a beast and looks pretty dang good to me… we shall call her ‘The Mothership’.

Only a couple of points of interest raised from my side of things, and they’re very minor. If it was my own purchase I’d add in the AX200 WiFi card, even though I use Ethernet. I just find the Bluetooth connectivity it adds really handy. But it may be irrelevant for your uses. And do you need Windows Pro? It’s a fairly niche thing these days and doesn’t add much to most builds.

 

[Outerarm]

If it was my own purchase I’d add in the AX200 WiFi card, even though I use Ethernet. I just find the Bluetooth connectivity it adds really handy. But it may be irrelevant for your uses. And do you need Windows Pro? It’s a fairly niche thing these days and doesn’t add much to most builds.

Thanks, really appreciate the feedback

I don't think I've ever used Bluetooth on my desktop so it isn't something I've had on my tick list. That may change in the future, but as all of the rooms in my house where I may use the machine have ethernet ports, I don't think the card is something I will need. I know it is only a couple more quid to the spec, but I'm not sure I'd ever need it. As for Windows Pro, I use RDP a lot and the Home edition doesn't support it natively -- I'd rather spend a little more on the OS to get the functionality than risk a 3rd party app.