New PC build - Ryzen 5

[Mandarb]

Hi all

I'm looking to build a new PC that will be VR compatible, and be able to serve as an occasional virtual machine host.

My original thought was maximum R30k, and I've come out well below that.
It's been several years since I've seriously done a hardware build (Core 2 Duo was the last one), so my knowledge is out of date, and I'm not sure if I'm making mistakes.

As such, I would like some advice on my choices, specifically the memory, cooler and M2 drive.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X. Mainly for the big step above Intel in multi-thread performance
Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus AX370 Gaming 5. Enough USB 3 ports, 2 network ports, and all of the features that the chipset provides.
RAM: AData 32GB DDR4 3000 2x16GB kit. Speed gives me a bit of headroom if I want to overclock, and the 2x16 gives me the option of adding another set later.
GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon RX480 NITRO+. Can't stomach paying more for a GPU considering how little I play games anymore, but when more VR headsets come out I'll be ready.
PSU: Corsair CX750M
M2 Drive: Samsung 960NVme 250GB. Might bump this to 500GB, but I have a 2.5" SSD in my current desktop that will go in as well. From what I've read, this version's sequential speed is much faster than some of the other drives
Cooler: Corsair Hydro H60 Fairly cheap, and quiet. I don't know if it is worth it to go to a double radiator cooler, or a 140mm cooler
Case: NZXT H440 Elite Looks cool, plenty of space. No 5.25" bays intrigues me.


I'm just waiting for the CPU to actually arrive, before I place all the orders.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

A few suggestions/recommendations/tips.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X. Mainly for the big step above Intel in multi-thread performance

You can save a few bucks and get the regular 1600, as you're going to be using watercooling you can just OC this to essentially the same level as you could with the 1600X.

Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus AX370 Gaming 5. Enough USB 3 ports, 2 network ports, and all of the features that the chipset provides.

Just one thing to note about this board is that the M.2 slot placement is poor as it's right underneath the main PCIe slot where you'll have your GPU. M.2 drives generally get pretty hot and with a GPU on top of it there is even less airflow which can impact the drives performance.

RAM: AData 32GB DDR4 3000 2x16GB kit. Speed gives me a bit of headroom if I want to overclock, and the 2x16 gives me the option of adding another set later.

I'd suggest going with some G.Skill stuff or Corsair Vengence LPX unless this memory is specifically stated in the Gigabyte QVL. Ryzen is picky about higher clocked memory right now but I'd probably do some research first on which exact 3000Mhz memory works best with this board first (I'm not sure as I have the Asus Crosshair board).

GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon RX480 NITRO+. Can't stomach paying more for a GPU considering how little I play games anymore, but when more VR headsets come out I'll be ready.

Can wait a bit for the 580 to come out locally, should give you slightly more OC room on the newer cards.

M2 Drive: Samsung 960NVme 250GB. Might bump this to 500GB, but I have a 2.5" SSD in my current desktop that will go in as well. From what I've read, this version's sequential speed is much faster than some of the other drives

If you can get the 500GB do it, not only does it have more space but it's a bit faster too.

Cooler: Corsair Hydro H60 Fairly cheap, and quiet. I don't know if it is worth it to go to a double radiator cooler, or a 140mm cooler

IMO these single fan radiators are a waste of time unless you have limited space in your case, even then they'll perform on par with a good air cooler which will probably be a little cheaper and last longer.

Right now finding AIOs that have AM4 brackets is really difficult as it's a new socket, the bigger Corsair H110i does work though with AM4 out the box but it's a 280mm radiator so you have to check if you have enough space for it.

Case: NZXT H440 Elite Looks cool, plenty of space. No 5.25" bays intrigues me.

Where can you get these locally? I saw Esquire had the older H440 but not the Elite.

 

[Mandarb]

Where can you get these locally? I saw Esquire had the older H440 but not the Elite.

Sorry, that's not the Elite. Was looking at the S340 Elite at first, but it seemed to small. Copied the wrong name from my spreadsheet.
Looking at this one specifically.

Can wait a bit for the 580 to come out locally, should give you slightly more OC room on the newer cards.

Didn't realise that the next version is almost here. Might wait then, have a R8 270 in my current desktop that will work till then.

Thank you for your advice, you've already given me plenty to read up on tonight.

 

[Mandarb]

Ok, reviewed to:
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB Kit
M2 Drive: Samsung 960 Evo 500GB
Cooler: Corsair H110i. Finding stock looks like it will be a problem though. Sent some mails.

Still debating whether it's worth the extra R1500 for the Crosshair motherboard. Might keep with the 1600X, the price difference isn't that big.
Adds to the total but still less than I originally thought. And the 580 was announced officially today, so will wait for reviews and prices.

 

[Ares1000101]

That 960 Evo is going to be beastly! If this is primarily a VR build, should you not be putting most of your cash towards a top end gfx card?

 

[Mandarb]

Not primarily a VR build. Also has to be a workstation to run multiple Server 2012 virtual machines. And occasional games.
Not getting a VR headset yet either, waiting for at least second generation hardware. If a 580 or 480 won't cut it, I can upgrade then.

My laptop might have died tonight. Waiting for it to cool down and see if it recovers, and then take it in for repairs. But if it's ****ed, guess where all this money is going to :/

 

[ponder]

A 480 is not going to cut it for VR, it actually sucks from what I've read. You need to look at a gtx 1070 & up.

Wrt memory you need to pick very carefully here as rizen so far has been picky with ram & higher clock speeds.

 

[Swa]

A 480 is not going to cut it for VR, it actually sucks from what I've read. You need to look at a gtx 1070 & up.

Wrt memory you need to pick very carefully here as rizen so far has been picky with ram & higher clock speeds.

Mostly overstated. The issue was with higher frequencies in quad mode and overclocking in dual mode. Even so this was in February when they stated a microcode update was due in 1-2 months so it should have trickled through vendors by now and at worst is only a temporary stumbling block. 2xDDR4-3000 will be just fine.

 

[ponder]

Mostly overstated. The issue was with higher frequencies in quad mode and overclocking in dual mode. Even so this was in February when they stated a microcode update was due in 1-2 months so it should have trickled through vendors by now and at worst is only a temporary stumbling block. 2xDDR4-3000 will be just fine.

You keep saying this but it's not the case. Back on ignore for you.

 

[Swa]

You keep saying this but it's not the case. Back on ignore for you.

Show where it's not the case then. All the known cases were with reviewers filling the slots or overclocking it (the ram).

 

[Mandarb]

Wrt memory you need to pick very carefully here as rizen so far has been picky with ram & higher clock speeds.

That set of Corsair is on Gigabyte's supported list. R1000 more than my previous choice, but do it right.

A 480 is not going to cut it for VR, it actually sucks from what I've read. You need to look at a gtx 1070 & up.

Will wait till the 580 gets here, see what that prices at, and maybe the 480 and 1070's prices will drop by then as well. Although the rand will probably **** me up by then.

 

[ponder]

Will wait till the 580 gets here, see what that prices at, and maybe the 480 and 1070's prices will drop by then as well. Although the rand will probably **** me up by then.

The 580 is a refreshed 480 with slightly higher clocks & 35W higher TDP, so it still doesn't cut the mustard.

Benchmarks posted in this thread https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/883586-AMD-launches-Radeon-RX-500-series-graphics-cards

RX580 is R100 more than the RX480
http://www.wootware.co.za/powercolo...it-gddr5-pci-e-3-0-desktop-graphics-card.html
http://www.wootware.co.za/powercolo...-card-includes-civilization-vi-game-code.html

If you went for a B350 MB the savings would probably be enough to get a gtx1070.

 

[Scary_Turtle]

Just saying the board, the case and the psu you want will look amazing with this https://www.rebeltech.co.za/14883-a...-blade-fan-designadvanced-copper-back-pl.html.

With the money you spending it may as well look good

Personally I would go with 1070 minimum and build around that but doubt the system you building is gonna let you down.

 

[Mandarb]

Thank you everyone for the help. Placed the order this morning.
Went for the following:
CPU AMD Ryzen 1600X
PSU Corsair CX, 750w, 80 PLUS Bronze, Modular
Cooler Corsair H100i V2 CW-9060025. Went bigger on the coolant.
M2 Drive Samsung 960 EVO*NVMe MZ-V6E500BW, 500GB, M.2
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX, 16GB Kit, DDR4-3200, CL16, Red. Had to go for 16GB kits because Asus doesn't have any 32GB kits on their QVL list.
Motherboard ASUS CROSSHAIR VI HERO, went for because of the M2 Drive placement, reviews and USB ports
GPU AORUS Radeon RX580 XTR 8G. Should be fine for now, price is good, and I don't want to go big with Vega and probably next nVidia flagship on the horizon
Case NZXT H440

CPU and case from Evetech, rest from Rebeltech. Rebeltech's service was excellent.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Thank you everyone for the help. Placed the order this morning.
Went for the following:
CPU AMD Ryzen 1600X
PSU Corsair CX, 750w, 80 PLUS Bronze, Modular
Cooler Corsair H100i V2 CW-9060025. Went bigger on the coolant.
M2 Drive Samsung 960 EVO*NVMe MZ-V6E500BW, 500GB, M.2
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX, 16GB Kit, DDR4-3200, CL16, Red. Had to go for 16GB kits because Asus doesn't have any 32GB kits on their QVL list.
Motherboard ASUS CROSSHAIR VI HERO, went for because of the M2 Drive placement, reviews and USB ports
GPU AORUS Radeon RX580 XTR 8G. Should be fine for now, price is good, and I don't want to go big with Vega and probably next nVidia flagship on the horizon
Case NZXT H440

CPU and case from Evetech, rest from Rebeltech. Rebeltech's service was excellent.

The H100i most likely won't come with the correct mounting hardware required for AM4 sockets. Find out from Rebeltech if they have received any AM4 mounting hardware for the Corsair coolers.

The H110i does work because it uses a different mounting mechanism.

 

[Mandarb]

Did find out. They got AM4 brackets today.
The suppliers only get stock the end of the month of the H110i

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Did find out. They got AM4 brackets today.
The suppliers only get stock the end of the month of the H110i

Awesome, that's good news.

 

[Scary_Turtle]

Thank you everyone for the help. Placed the order this morning.
Went for the following:
CPU AMD Ryzen 1600X
PSU Corsair CX, 750w, 80 PLUS Bronze, Modular
Cooler Corsair H100i V2 CW-9060025. Went bigger on the coolant.
M2 Drive Samsung 960 EVO*NVMe MZ-V6E500BW, 500GB, M.2
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX, 16GB Kit, DDR4-3200, CL16, Red. Had to go for 16GB kits because Asus doesn't have any 32GB kits on their QVL list.
Motherboard ASUS CROSSHAIR VI HERO, went for because of the M2 Drive placement, reviews and USB ports
GPU AORUS Radeon RX580 XTR 8G. Should be fine for now, price is good, and I don't want to go big with Vega and probably next nVidia flagship on the horizon
Case NZXT H440

CPU and case from Evetech, rest from Rebeltech. Rebeltech's service was excellent.

Pictures when it's done please

 

[FluxZA]

Thank you everyone for the help. Placed the order this morning.
Went for the following:
CPU AMD Ryzen 1600X
PSU Corsair CX, 750w, 80 PLUS Bronze, Modular
Cooler Corsair H100i V2 CW-9060025. Went bigger on the coolant.
M2 Drive Samsung 960 EVO*NVMe MZ-V6E500BW, 500GB, M.2
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX, 16GB Kit, DDR4-3200, CL16, Red. Had to go for 16GB kits because Asus doesn't have any 32GB kits on their QVL list.
Motherboard ASUS CROSSHAIR VI HERO, went for because of the M2 Drive placement, reviews and USB ports
GPU AORUS Radeon RX580 XTR 8G. Should be fine for now, price is good, and I don't want to go big with Vega and probably next nVidia flagship on the horizon
Case NZXT H440

CPU and case from Evetech, rest from Rebeltech. Rebeltech's service was excellent.

Corsair site/forums is updated regularly as new RAM gets verified for Ryzen and that board,
Running 32GB-2400 LPX kit on that board atm.

Next on the list for me is that Samsung 960 M.2 drive

 

[Mandarb]

Got most of the stuff on Monday, CPU and case yesterday, built it into the case last night. Finished at 11, so went to bed. Work kept me busy today, so only tried to start it up at 15:00, and of course it won't start up. The LEDs on the motherboard light up, the CPU ready LED lights up, but it won't start, not with the START button on the board or from the case switch.
So now I wait for Rebeltech to see if they have any other ideas, or if I'm going to have to switch it out. Joys of hardware builds I guess.