First PC Build since 2010... after doing my homework, how does this look?

[JYeager11]

Getting a bit nostalgic; I remember posting here for advice on a new build over a decade ago, and that advice (Core I7 920 + P6T MB) turned out to be so reliable that I've been running on that rig ever since... right up until last weekend, when the second component in as many months failed on me. This time, it was the Windows C: drive... so I've decided to just accept that it's time for the big rebuild I've been putting off for the past couple of years.

I don't expect to be doing ANY gaming whatsoever on this PC, but there WILL be a lot of hi-res Adobe work and multitasking. So I spent the past few days binge-watching review & comparison videos to play catch-up on the tech; and here's the best rig I felt I could put together for my needs within my budget, based on what's currently available in my area :

• Phanteks Eclipse P600S ATX Mid Tower Case
• MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor
• Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler
• Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory
• Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
• MSI MPG A-GF 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

After what I hear was a rough start with their initial offering of X570 mb's, looks like MSI might've gotten it right with the Tomahawk -- at least, for the price -- but are they being graded on a curve due to low expectations? Because I could easily be talked into the pricier MSI MEG X570 UNIFY if the arguments are there. (It's gorgeous, even if no one will see it.)

With shortages in video cards doubling & tripling their value, I'm opting to hold off on buying right now... and just keep using my old GTX 750 Ti as a GPU until prices come back down to earth. Then, i'll likely pick up a 3060 or 3070, and maybe a 2nd M.2 drive. My immediate goal is getting up and running ASAP with parts I won't regret buying later.

2 questions:

1. If I did my homework correctly, all of these components should pair well together. Do they?
2. I have an original retail copy of Windows 7 dating back to the construction of the previous build; will this product key work to activate a fresh Windows 10 on the new build (like it previously allowed me to upgrade to Windows 10 on the dying rig)? Or do I need to factor in the price for a new OS as well before I'm out of the woods?

(If I posted this in the wrong forum, my bad, it's been a while. Feel free to move it where it belongs!)

Thanks in advance to anyone taking the time!

PS: I'll have a friend helping me assemble the thing, just want to make sure the choice of parts is conflict-free.

 

[hititnquitit]

Solid work man! Just one change. The psu. No idea who the oem is and cant find any reliable info about it which generally means avoid until someone else is the guinea pig or someone reputable tears it apart.
So your best options are Seasonic, Corsair and EVGA. Seasonic is the most trusted of the three currently. All three have great modular units with 10 to 12 year warranties depending on the level you go with. I would recommend a seasonic focus gx 750w
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/season...-10-yr-warranty-black/6414263.p?skuId=6414263

The Tomahawk is top notch. Price to performance its as solid a board as you can get. The Unify is no slouch either but theres no reason to second guess yourself unless your missing a specific feature or as you said, you just like the looks more
Absolutely stick with your 750. Gpu prices are flat out stupid right now and will likely continue to be until next year. Keep a lazy eye on things if nothing more than to know when prices return to msrp.

1. Yes, your gtg.
2. Yes i believe your windows key should be saved in your ms account so when you log back into it with your new rig it should use your win10 key to activate windows. Someone else will be able to answer that more definitively, im not positive.
Keep in mind you can pick up a win10 pro key for next to nothing($20-$25) worry free from several websites so no biggie. Theres also win11 on its way that we will be able to upgrade to from win10 coming this winter.
Hopefully everything goes smooth as silk and the pc gods smile down upon your new rig!
Have Fun!

 

[JSumrall]

For the most part I think you're spot on.

Personally, I wouldn't buy MSI. I think they're extremely shady as a company and out of all the components I've purchased over the years, MSI has by far the highest failure rate in my home.

Too many times I watch videos on youtube from the big tech names and half the time they're praising MSI, the other half they're cursing them.

After my last military grade mainboard from MSI died, I made the switch to ASUS and haven't looked back.

 

[JYeager11]

Solid work man! Just one change. The psu. No idea who the oem is and cant find any reliable info about it which generally means avoid until someone else is the guinea pig or someone reputable tears it apart.
So your best options are Seasonic, Corsair and EVGA. Seasonic is the most trusted of the three currently. All three have great modular units with 10 to 12 year warranties depending on the level you go with. I would recommend a seasonic focus gx 750w
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/season...-10-yr-warranty-black/6414263.p?skuId=6414263

I've never even heard of Seasonic as a company, I will certainly look into. Thank you, sir.

How about the RAM? I don't feel very confident about my choice, here. A friend suggested looking into 2x16gb 4600mhz instead... can I comfortably go 4600mhz? If I can and there's some benefit to it, any brands in particular?

The Tomahawk is top notch. Price to performance its as solid a board as you can get. The Unify is no slouch either but theres no reason to second guess yourself unless your missing a specific feature or as you said, you just like the looks more

Am I seeing this specs comparison page (that I just Googled) correctly? The less-expensive Tomahawk has an HDMI output, and the UNIFY doesn't? Because I would be the only person alive in 2021 that this would benefit, seeing how that old GTX 750 Ti (that I'll be running on for a while) only has VGA+DVI outputs. Can this thing mirror what the video card is outputting, or it's something else entirely?

For the most part I think you're spot on.

Personally, I wouldn't buy MSI. I think they're extremely shady as a company and out of all the components I've purchased over the years, MSI has by far the highest failure rate in my home.

Too many times I watch videos on youtube from the big tech names and half the time they're praising MSI, the other half they're cursing them.

After my last military grade mainboard from MSI died, I made the switch to ASUS and haven't looked back.

You're certainly not alone in thinking this; seems MSI really fumbled their initial X570 line of motherboards as well, based on pretty much everything I've read. But apparently these two boards are uncharacteristically and surprisingly solid. I've been running on an Asus P6T for the past decade, served me well. Which MSI board model died on you, and how did it happen? (If it's not too soon for me to ask.)

 

[hititnquitit]

Glad to help!
Just to put your mind at ease concerning Seasonic. They are the cream of the crop when it comes to high quality psu manufacturers. They are one of the few companies that live up to the hype with excellent products and equally good cs.

The hdmi output is for an apu(cpu+gpu) that comes on the Ryzen 5 3400G processor. So no hdmi love for the 750ti.

Ddr4 4600 is a beautiful number! Buuuut its way overkill and its extremely expensive. Particularly right now that memory manufacturers have started to restrict ddr4 output in anticipation of ddr5. The 3600 you chose is the sweet spot for your cpu and mb unless you enjoy memory tweaking? If thats the case then we can have an entirely new memory conversation! If not then the only recommendation i might make regarding the corsair you chose is maybe check out something from gskill or crucial in the same speed/timings and price range. The reason being is they both seem to work the smoothest with AMD rigs where as corsair lpx has had a bit of a bumpy history.

Regarding MSI, theyve made some truly boneheaded and even vile choices these last couple of years but as far as their overall reliability ive had great luck with them over the years. Currently running an msi 2070 and z390 with another two mbs in back up rigs(rock solid). Including a Z68A-GD65 mb with ironically, military class 2 components. No idea what that means now but at the time im sure it had to have been baaadass abvertising! Now Asus on the otherhand, you couldnt pay me to use one of their components after experiencing their dumpster fire cs.
My point? We've all had good and bad experiences. Even my jaded view of Asus wouldnt stop me from running a crosshair dark hero if someone gave it to me( i know, call me a hypocrite) so judging an entire company based on one mb maybe isnt the best way to base a decision on an entirely different unit.

 

[BlueLineSwinger]

I've never even heard of Seasonic as a company, I will certainly look into. Thank you, sir.

+1 for Seasonic.

How about the RAM? I don't feel very confident about my choice, here. A friend suggested looking into 2x16gb 4600mhz instead... can I comfortably go 4600mhz? If I can and there's some benefit to it, any brands in particular?

DDR4-3600 is pretty much the sweet spot for Zen3. Anything faster and you risk flipping the ratio of memory clock to fabric clock from 1:1 to 2:1 and taking a performance hit. It'd be a waste of money to get anything faster.

Am I seeing this specs comparison page (that I just Googled) correctly? The less-expensive Tomahawk has an HDMI output, and the UNIFY doesn't? Because I would be the only person alive in 2021 that this would benefit, seeing how that old GTX 750 Ti (that I'll be running on for a while) only has VGA+DVI outputs. Can this thing mirror what the video card is outputting, or it's something else entirely?

AFAIK any video out on the board can only be used by an CPU with an integrated GPU (an APU in AMD-speak).

 

[JYeager11]

The hdmi output is for an apu(cpu+gpu) that comes on the Ryzen 5 3400G processor. So no hdmi love for the 750ti.

It would've been a nice-to-have; as long as y'all reassure me that I'm still better off with my 5900X + GTX 750 Ti combo for the next year or two (until video card prices come back down to earth) than I would've been with whatever the closest equivalent G card to the 5900X is (with onboard graphics + HDMI out).

Ddr4 4600 is a beautiful number! Buuuut its way overkill and its extremely expensive. Particularly right now that memory manufacturers have started to restrict ddr4 output in anticipation of ddr5. The 3600 you chose is the sweet spot for your cpu and mb unless you enjoy memory tweaking? If thats the case then we can have an entirely new memory conversation! If not then the only recommendation i might make regarding the corsair you chose is maybe check out something from gskill or crucial in the same speed/timings and price range. The reason being is they both seem to work the smoothest with AMD rigs where as corsair lpx has had a bit of a bumpy history.

Despite building my own rigs (or rather, watching a friend build them) since I was a 90's kid, I've never been attracted to the overclocking side of PC building. I'm more turned on by long-term stability than short-term performance; which is why I loved my previous build so much. I was still doing heavy-duty Adobe work on that thing right up until last week, with only 10GB ram. To be honest, I just liked the look of the Corsair Vengeance sticks which I know is irrelevant to performance.

How about this 32GB G.Skill DDR4 Trident Z 3600Mhz PC4-28800 CL17 White/Black 1.35V Dual Channel Kit (2x16GB) kit?

(Side story : The guy who helped me with my last build told me to go cheap on the ram to save money, and talked me into OCZ (despite my concerns). Turned out to be the worst RAM I ever purchased, one stick flat-out died on me within a month. So glad they're not a thing anymore.)

Regarding MSI, theyve made some truly boneheaded and even vile choices these last couple of years but as far as their overall reliability ive had great luck with them over the years. Currently running an msi 2070 and z390 with another two mbs in back up rigs(rock solid). Including a Z68A-GD65 mb with ironically, military class 2 components. No idea what that means now but at the time im sure it had to have been baaadass abvertising! Now Asus on the otherhand, you couldnt pay me to use one of their components after experiencing their dumpster fire cs.

On the last build (again, this was 2010) Asus was considered very good... but even my local computer store vendor (who is brutally honest about components) told me recently that when it comes to today, MSI + Gigabyte produce better boards than Asus does. Not sure what happened to Asus.

+1 for Seasonic.

That's two votes for Seasonic!

DDR4-3600 is pretty much the sweet spot for Zen3. Anything faster and you risk flipping the ratio of memory clock to fabric clock from 1:1 to 2:1 and taking a performance hit. It'd be a waste of money to get anything faster.

And two votes for DDR4-3600 over DDR4-4600 for the 5900X on a X570 board.

Any specific model of PSU from Seasonic y'all recommend for this build? Would a 750W be plenty?

 

[jerry8169]

Any specific model of PSU from Seasonic y'all recommend for this build? Would a 750W be plenty?

That kind of depends on which video card you end up with. I know you said 3060 or 3070, but, if you go higher, or if the next generation requires even higher wattage, if your forced to wait that long, you may find it isn't enough. I usually take what is recommended for what I plan then add 20% or so to have extra headroom. As far a which version, lately I've stuck to the 80+ platinum psu from seasonic, but, that probably overkill as well.

 

[Bassman99]

You can just buy windows 10 for $12 if you cant upgrade from 7

 

[ElementDave]

Getting a bit nostalgic; I remember posting here for advice on a new build over a decade ago, and that advice (Core I7 920 + P6T MB) turned out to be so reliable that I've been running on that rig ever since... right up until last weekend, when the second component in as many months failed on me. This time, it was the Windows C: drive... so I've decided to just accept that it's time for the big rebuild I've been putting off for the past couple of years.

I don't expect to be doing ANY gaming whatsoever on this PC, but there WILL be a lot of hi-res Adobe work and multitasking. So I spent the past few days binge-watching review & comparison videos to play catch-up on the tech; and here's the best rig I felt I could put together for my needs within my budget, based on what's currently available in my area :

I'd seriously consider upping the memory to at least 64 GB and preferably opting for ECC if your budget allows it. It sounds like you want a solid and reliable workstation instead of a kiddie box of blinking lights that may or may not boot depending on the mood of the garbage quality factory overclocked RAM (I'm not fond of "gaming" RAM, in case that wasn't obvious). DDR4-3200W is the highest official JEDEC speed grade available at this time.

 

[BlueLineSwinger]

I'd seriously consider upping the memory to at least 64 GB and preferably opting for ECC if your budget allows it. It sounds like you want a solid and reliable workstation instead of a kiddie box of blinking lights that may or may not boot depending on the mood of the garbage quality factory overclocked RAM (I'm not fond of "gaming" RAM, in case that wasn't obvious). DDR4-3200W is the highest official JEDEC speed grade available at this time.

Some fair points here. A workstation-class system will probably be of a bit higher quality.

I know the Ryzen CPUs supports ECC, but IIRC a lot of mainboards, even those for Threadripper/HEDT, don't. Going Epyc would be an (expensive) option. OP may want to look into a pre-built workstation from Dell, HP, etc. or maybe a mainboard from SuperMicro.

Though I'd debate the absolute necessity of ECC for a Photoshop box (though it certainly can't hurt).

If 32 GB turns out to be inadequate, it's simple enough to drop in another pair of DIMMs.

 

[hititnquitit]

It would've been a nice-to-have; as long as y'all reassure me that I'm still better off with my 5900X + GTX 750 Ti combo for the next year or two (until video card prices come back down to earth) than I would've been with whatever the closest equivalent G card to the 5900X is (with onboard graphics + HDMI out).


Despite building my own rigs (or rather, watching a friend build them) since I was a 90's kid, I've never been attracted to the overclocking side of PC building. I'm more turned on by long-term stability than short-term performance; which is why I loved my previous build so much. I was still doing heavy-duty Adobe work on that thing right up until last week, with only 10GB ram. To be honest, I just liked the look of the Corsair Vengeance sticks which I know is irrelevant to performance.

How about this 32GB G.Skill DDR4 Trident Z 3600Mhz PC4-28800 CL17 White/Black 1.35V Dual Channel Kit (2x16GB) kit?

(Side story : The guy who helped me with my last build told me to go cheap on the ram to save money, and talked me into OCZ (despite my concerns). Turned out to be the worst RAM I ever purchased, one stick flat-out died on me within a month. So glad they're not a thing anymore.)


On the last build (again, this was 2010) Asus was considered very good... but even my local computer store vendor (who is brutally honest about components) told me recently that when it comes to today, MSI + Gigabyte produce better boards than Asus does. Not sure what happened to Asus.


That's two votes for Seasonic!


And two votes for DDR4-3600 over DDR4-4600 for the 5900X on a X570 board.

Any specific model of PSU from Seasonic y'all recommend for this build? Would a 750W be plenty?

Your golden with your 750ti and 5900x. An apu based cpu is a huge step down.

Those trident z are solid but way over priced. There are far better deals on equally good modules out there. Gskill is the hot name right now so finding a reasonable price may be tough. Can you find any of the trident z neo 2x16gb 3600s for around $200-$250 anywhere? The neo are specifically geared towards ryzen builds so you shouldn't have any issues setting them up where as the trident z are more intel based and may pose an issue or two getting set up.
I would check out these patriot viper steel
https://www.amazon.ca/Viper-Steel-D...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
Ive had really good luck with them and the price is right.
Or check out these crucial ballistix 3600
https://www.amazon.ca/Crucial-Balli...=crucial+ddr4+32gb+3600&qid=1624851158&sr=8-3
They are solid as well and not too bad price wise.
Another thing to consider is that going with 32gb might be overkill for you. If you were comfortable using 10gb with your old rig you could likely do fine with a 2x8gb kit. That would also save you alot, $100-$125.

Id say a 750w is going to be fine for a 5900x/3070 rig but if you maybe bump up the gpu later on to a 3080 or ti(like someone suggested) it may be wise to move up to an 850w. The 3xxx series are power hungry and if you opt for next gen 4xxx they may be more so.
As far as which specific model seasonic to go with it depends on what your looking for. They have everything from gold level to titanium and fully modular to non-modular. If you prefer a few cables in your case, full or semi modular is a good bet(see link in post#2). If extra cables dont bother you a non modular may suit you best. I would head over to either newegg or bestbuy(they have the best search options) to naildown the model you prefer and then google the best deal you can find.

 

[Bassman99]

I run these C18, but they work great for me
https://www.newegg.com/corsair-32gb...5sBeu1QYEgPkwc3SeahoCEdEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
They score really high when I tested my PC at userbenchmark for whatever thats worth

 

[JYeager11]

Those trident z are solid but way over priced. There are far better deals on equally good modules out there. Gskill is the hot name right now so finding a reasonable price may be tough. Can you find any of the trident z neo 2x16gb 3600s for around $200-$250 anywhere? The neo are specifically geared towards ryzen builds so you shouldn't have any issues setting them up where as the trident z are more intel based and may pose an issue or two getting set up.

I don't mind spending a few bucks more for more reliable RAM, so my ears (or eyes?) perked up when I saw the mention that "neo are specifically geared towards ryzen builds". However, they don't seem to be available where I'll be buying most of my gear (Canada Computers, which has brick-&-mortar stores around my city, always a plus). They do have G.Skill Tridents, but no Neos. (They also have RGB versions, but I might be too old-school for this trend; as I don't understand why anyone would want to see their RAM light up like a Xmas tree.)

I would check out these patriot viper steel
https://www.amazon.ca/Viper-Steel-DDR4-32GB-3600MHz/dp/B088KSRW4S/
Ive had really good luck with them and the price is right.
Or check out these crucial ballistix 3600
https://www.amazon.ca/Crucial-Balli...=crucial+ddr4+32gb+3600&qid=1624851158&sr=8-3
They are solid as well and not too bad price wise.

As you mentioned, they both seem good, but Canada Computers only has the Crucial Ballistix as a 2x16 kit in their inventory. For the Viper Steel, they have 2x8 and 1x16 only (I know very little about ram, but I think I read somewhere that dual-channel is better, and that they're usually sold in "kits"). CC has the Ballistix @ $3 more than Amazon does ($250 vs $247) so I'm now leaning towards that one, since I can purchase it locally for easier returns (if needed).

Another thing to consider is that going with 32gb might be overkill for you. If you were comfortable using 10gb with your old rig you could likely do fine with a 2x8gb kit. That would also save you alot, $100-$125.

Strange to have some guys suggesting 32GB won't be enough, and others that it might be overkill. This tells me my original sweet spot of 32GB might not have been such a bad idea after all, especially with room for 32GB more to be added later.

I've only ever experienced 10GB, and have worked with Photoshop files that were sometimes larger than that, with no issues. So a jump to 64GB from here would certainly feel like overkill, but I don't think 32GB would be. Keep in mind, I ran on the last rig for over a decade without touching the ram or the cpu. This is gonna be for a while, provided Ryzen builds don't fail at a quicker rate than Intels do. My last build was a i7 920 on P6T and the only things that failed me over 11 years were the drives + 1 memory stick (OCZ, now out of business, thankfully).

Id say a 750w is going to be fine for a 5900x/3070 rig but if you maybe bump up the gpu later on to a 3080 or ti(like someone suggested) it may be wise to move up to an 850w. The 3xxx series are power hungry and if you opt for next gen 4xxx they may be more so.
As far as which specific model seasonic to go with it depends on what your looking for. They have everything from gold level to titanium and fully modular to non-modular. If you prefer a few cables in your case, full or semi modular is a good bet(see link in post#2). If extra cables dont bother you a non modular may suit you best. I would head over to either newegg or bestbuy(they have the best search options) to naildown the model you prefer and then google the best deal you can find.

With or without a graphics card, I honestly never thought a 750W would be insufficient for my needs. Especially with no games on this PC, and the assumption that M.2 drives require less power than HDDs do.

But then again, I'm like Encino Man right now, waking up after an 11-year slumber, to find that video cards are now heavy, mammoth beasts that require 3 built-in fans and sometimes a plastic toothpick stand just to keep it from angling downward from the PCI slot. Needless to say, my GTX 750 Ti looks like a kitten next to these. So if you tell me there's even a chance it won't be enough once I put a REAL video card in there someday, then I'm happy to go 850W. Here are the models of Seasonic that fit the modular + 850W recommendations, currently available at CC. Do you see one in particular you would recommend above the others?

I run these C18, but they work great for me
https://www.newegg.com/corsair-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820236596?item=N82E16820236596
They score really high when I tested my PC at userbenchmark for whatever thats worth

Wait, isn't this the exact model I referenced in the original posting at the top of the thread? The ones hititnquitit talked me out of buying?

Given they're C16's, would the Crucial Ballistix (BL2K16G36C16U4B) out-perform the (C18) Corsair Vengeance (CMK32GX4M2D3600C18) on a 5900x / x570 Tomahawk set-up? (Also, I'm finding it very hard to find the timings of the Corsairs, for some reason. Neither Newegg or Amazon seems to have them, but they do for other brands and models.)

How much importance do I need to put into the CAS latency value? Because if that's a legitimate concern, then the (C16) Ballistix are the obvious choice, right?

 

[Bassman99]

I don't mind spending a few bucks more for more reliable RAM, so my ears (or eyes?) perked up when I saw the mention that "neo are specifically geared towards ryzen builds". However, they don't seem to be available where I'll be buying most of my gear (Canada Computers, which has brick-&-mortar stores around my city, always a plus). They do have G.Skill Tridents, but no Neos. (They also have RGB versions, but I might be too old-school for this trend; as I don't understand why anyone would want to see their RAM light up like a Xmas tree.)


As you mentioned, they both seem good, but Canada Computers only has the Crucial Ballistix as a 2x16 kit in their inventory. For the Viper Steel, they have 2x8 and 1x16 only (I know very little about ram, but I think I read somewhere that dual-channel is better, and that they're usually sold in "kits"). CC has the Ballistix @ $3 more than Amazon does ($250 vs $247) so I'm now leaning towards that one, since I can purchase it locally for easier returns (if needed).


Strange to have some guys suggesting 32GB won't be enough, and others that it might be overkill. This tells me my original sweet spot of 32GB might not have been such a bad idea after all, especially with room for 32GB more to be added later.

I've only ever experienced 10GB, and have worked with Photoshop files that were sometimes larger than that, with no issues. So a jump to 64GB from here would certainly feel like overkill, but I don't think 32GB would be. Keep in mind, I ran on the last rig for over a decade without touching the ram or the cpu. This is gonna be for a while, provided Ryzen builds don't fail at a quicker rate than Intels do. My last build was a i7 920 on P6T and the only things that failed me over 11 years were the drives + 1 memory stick (OCZ, now out of business, thankfully).


With or without a graphics card, I honestly never thought a 750W would be insufficient for my needs. Especially with no games on this PC, and the assumption that M.2 drives require less power than HDDs do.

But then again, I'm like Encino Man right now, waking up after an 11-year slumber, to find that video cards are now heavy, mammoth beasts that require 3 built-in fans and sometimes a plastic toothpick stand just to keep it from angling downward from the PCI slot. Needless to say, my GTX 750 Ti looks like a kitten next to these. So if you tell me there's even a chance it won't be enough once I put a REAL video card in there someday, then I'm happy to go 850W. Here are the models of Seasonic that fit the modular + 850W recommendations, currently available at CC. Do you see one in particular you would recommend above the others?


Wait, isn't this the exact model I referenced in the original posting at the top of the thread? The ones hititnquitit talked me out of buying?

Would the Crucial Ballistix (BL2K16G36C16U4B) out-perform the Corsair Vengeance (CMK32GX4M2D3600C18) on a 5900x / x570 Tomahawk set-up? I'm finding it very hard to find the timings of the Corsairs, for some reason. If it's too close to call, I'll just go with what's cheaper/avail between the two.

PS: C18 refers to CAS latency, right? So a C16 would be better than a C18 if everything else is equal?

They have a C16 also for more money.
Yes C16 will be a little better at the same frequency

 

[JYeager11]

They have a C16 also for more money.

Took a while to find, but the part number for the C16 equivalent of the Corsair Vengeance (2x16) 3600MHz C18 that I was eyeing, is CMK32GX4M2K3600C16 : Amazon is out of stock, Newegg is out of stock, and it's not even listed at Canada Computers (when narrowing search to Corsair Vengence + DDR4 + 3600mhz + no RGB).

I find them sexy-looking, but looks like I may have to go with another brand to stick to 3600MHz + C16, assuming that's still the sweet spot for a 5900x cpu on a x570 board.

PS: There's ZERO chance I'll be overclocking this machine, so only the regular settings/values matter, here. I want the fastest ram I can afford without factoring OC'ing. Does this help narrow down the contenders?

 

[hititnquitit]

The seasonic focus gx 850 gold is what i would go with. Its the best bang for your buck.
https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_1938&item_id=119420

I don't mind spending a few bucks more for more reliable RAM, so my ears (or eyes?) perked up when I saw the mention that "neo are specifically geared towards ryzen builds". However, they don't seem to be available where I'll be buying most of my gear (Canada Computers, which has brick-&-mortar stores around my city, always a plus). They do have G.Skill Tridents, but no Neos. (They also have RGB versions, but I might be too old-school for this trend; as I don't understand why anyone would want to see their RAM light up like a Xmas tree.)


As you mentioned, they both seem good, but Canada Computers only has the Crucial Ballistix as a 2x16 kit in their inventory. For the Viper Steel, they have 2x8 and 1x16 only (I know very little about ram, but I think I read somewhere that dual-channel is better, and that they're usually sold in "kits"). CC has the Ballistix @ $3 more than Amazon does ($250 vs $247) so I'm now leaning towards that one, since I can purchase it locally for easier returns (if needed).


Strange to have some guys suggesting 32GB won't be enough, and others that it might be overkill. This tells me my original sweet spot of 32GB might not have been such a bad idea after all, especially with room for 32GB more to be added later.

I've only ever experienced 10GB, and have worked with Photoshop files that were sometimes larger than that, with no issues. So a jump to 64GB from here would certainly feel like overkill, but I don't think 32GB would be. Keep in mind, I ran on the last rig for over a decade without touching the ram or the cpu. This is gonna be for a while, provided Ryzen builds don't fail at a quicker rate than Intels do. My last build was a i7 920 on P6T and the only things that failed me over 11 years were the drives + 1 memory stick (OCZ, now out of business, thankfully).


With or without a graphics card, I honestly never thought a 750W would be insufficient for my needs. Especially with no games on this PC, and the assumption that M.2 drives require less power than HDDs do.

But then again, I'm like Encino Man right now, waking up after an 11-year slumber, to find that video cards are now heavy, mammoth beasts that require 3 built-in fans and sometimes a plastic toothpick stand just to keep it from angling downward from the PCI slot. Needless to say, my GTX 750 Ti looks like a kitten next to these. So if you tell me there's even a chance it won't be enough once I put a REAL video card in there someday, then I'm happy to go 850W. Here are the models of Seasonic that fit the modular + 850W recommendations, currently available at CC. Do you see one in particular you would recommend above the others?


Wait, isn't this the exact model I referenced in the original posting at the top of the thread? The ones hititnquitit talked me out of buying?

Given they're C16's, would the Crucial Ballistix (BL2K16G36C16U4B) out-perform the (C18) Corsair Vengeance (CMK32GX4M2D3600C18) on a 5900x / x570 Tomahawk set-up? (Also, I'm finding it very hard to find the timings of the Corsairs, for some reason. Neither Newegg or Amazon seems to have them, but they do for other brands and models.)

How much importance do I need to put into the CAS latency value? Because if that's a legitimate concern, then the (C16) Ballistix are the obvious choice, right?

The reason i suggested going with 16gb rather than 32gb was only because you mentioned that you had been running 10gb for so long. I wanted you to know that there were options if 32gb seemed overly expensive.
As for the dude suggesting 64gbs of ECC( error correcting code)memory? I think he believes your operating a mission critical rig where any kind of error or downtime would be catastrophic. Im not sure why he suggested such a big jump in capacity.

Lol yes indeed those are the very ones!
To find the timings and voltage etc go to newegg and go to the specifications tab. Amazon has a horrible habit of leaving that info off completely.
The corsair vengeance lpx are 18-20-20
The crucial ballistix are 16-18-18
The performance will be about the same. If the ballistix were 16-16-16 then yes, that would make a significant difference in performance.
For an intel rig i wouldnt have an issue suggesting the corsair but for a ryzen rig there are too many more reliable options to take a chance. If you were more familiar with memory tweaking the corsair would be a good cheap option but for someone looking for plug and play, I would go with the ballistix or trident z neos everytime.

 

[hititnquitit]

The difference between what manufacturers market as cas 16 and what really is a quality cas 16 kit are night and day. They are only referring to the first of the main four timings. So its easy for people to get caught up in the their marketing thinking that their buying a superior product to say a cas 18 kit. When in reality they are most likely the exact same ics just binned a little tighter ie c18 down to c16. Which most kits would probably do without spending the premium and a bit of tweaking/ocing.
A quality c16 kit is 16-16-16-XX but thats an entirely new price bracket that will net you zero returns but put a huge dent in your wallet!

 

[ashmelev75]

Took a while to find, but the part number for the C16 equivalent of the Corsair Vengeance (2x16) 3600MHz C18 that I was eyeing, is CMK32GX4M2K3600C16 : Amazon is out of stock, Newegg is out of stock, and it's not even listed at Canada Computers (when narrowing search to Corsair Vengence + DDR4 + 3600mhz + no RGB).
I find them sexy-looking, but looks like I may have to go with another brand to stick to 3600MHz + C16, assuming that's still the sweet spot for a 5900x cpu on a x570 board.
PS: There's ZERO chance I'll be overclocking this machine, so only the regular settings/values matter, here. I want the fastest ram I can afford without factoring OC'ing. Does this help narrow down the contenders?

Corsair memory is made using different chips. You need to specifically check for the version of the module. Some versions are good, some are bad.
So I suggest going with Crucial Ballistix.

 

[JYeager11]

The seasonic focus gx 850 gold is what i would go with. Its the best bang for your buck.
https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_1938&item_id=119420

Seems to have 3 modes : Fanless, Silent and Cooling.
Are these three modes proprietary to Seasonic, or do most models today have various "modes" like this?
Do I risk seeing my rig burst into flames if I pick the wrong mode? I assume there's temp monitoring and self-shutdown failsafes if I fly too close to the sun?

The corsair vengeance lpx are 18-20-20. The crucial ballistix are 16-18-18. The performance will be about the same. For an intel rig i wouldnt have an issue suggesting the corsair but for a ryzen rig there are too many more reliable options to take a chance. If you were more familiar with memory tweaking the corsair would be a good cheap option but for someone looking for plug and play, I would go with the ballistix or trident z neos everytime.

Okay, I think I've hesitated long enough, looks like the Crucial Ballistix are the way to go (ashmelev75 appears to agree as well). To be even more specific, code BL2K16G36C16U4B, which is available at Canada Computers for CND $250. (I assume the mention of RGB lights in the product description lower down the page refers to a separate RGB version of these sticks, not this model specifically.. right? I'm not expecting any RGB action here.)

Here's what our updated build looks like :

• Phanteks Eclipse P600S ATX Mid Tower Case
• MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor
• Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler
• Crucial Ballistix 3600MHz CL16 32GB (2 x 16GB) PC4-28800 DDR4 SDRAM, 1.35 V, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 288-pin
• Samsung 970 Evo Plus M.2 NVMe PCI-E 1TB Solid State Drive
• Seasonic Focus GX-850, 850W 80+ Gold, Full-Modular, 3-Mode Fan Control, SSR-850FX
• ...while keeping my old NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti video card until 3060/3070 prices come back down to earth

Looks like Canada Computers no longer sells the regular Samsung 970 Evo M.2 cited in the OP of the thread, only the "Plus" version; which I believe is like a "Ti" version (in gpu-speak)... right?

 

[pendragon1]

(I assume the mention of RGB lights in the product description lower down the page refers to a separate RGB version of these sticks, not this model specifically.. right? I'm not expecting any RGB action here.)

looks like they are just the black ones, no disco for you.

 

[hititnquitit]

Seems to have 3 modes : Fanless, Silent and Cooling.
Are these three modes proprietary to Seasonic, or do most models today have various "modes" like this?
Do I risk seeing my rig burst into flames if I pick the wrong mode? I assume there's temp monitoring and self-shutdown failsafes if I fly too close to the sun?


Okay, I think I've hesitated long enough, looks like the Crucial Ballistix are the way to go (ashmelev75 appears to agree as well). To be even more specific, code BL2K16G36C16U4B, which is available at Canada Computers for CND $250. (I assume the mention of RGB lights in the product description lower down the page refers to a separate RGB version of these sticks, not this model specifically.. right? I'm not expecting any RGB action here.)

Here's what our updated build looks like :

• Phanteks Eclipse P600S ATX Mid Tower Case
• MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor
• Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler
• Crucial Ballistix 3600MHz CL16 32GB (2 x 16GB) PC4-28800 DDR4 SDRAM, 1.35 V, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 288-pin
• Samsung 970 Evo Plus M.2 NVMe PCI-E 1TB Solid State Drive
• Seasonic Focus GX-850, 850W 80+ Gold, Full-Modular, 3-Mode Fan Control, SSR-850FX
• ...while keeping my old NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti video card until 3060/3070 prices come back down to earth

Looks like Canada Computers no longer sells the regular Samsung 970 Evo M.2 cited in the OP of the thread, only the "Plus" version; which I believe is like a "Ti" version (in gpu-speak)... right?

Yep most high end power supplies have the same type of fan settings. I cant say if there is an auto shut off if you choose fanless and it overheats(i assume there is). I have never used anything but the cooling or normal option on my psus. The fans used by seasonic are already so quiet even underload they are virtually inaudible. Not only that but heat kills and for longevity's sake id rather not cook my psus internals!

Essentially yes the 970evo plus is a step up from the standard evo. The evo plus is a great drive but i wouldnt be doing a very good job of giving you solid advice if i didnt throw another monkey wrench into the works!
Something else to consider... Your mb supports PCIe 4.0 x4 nvme m.2 drives which may give you a very nice jump in performance with what you do. Unfortunately i have no experience with your software and what it requires to zip through your work. So the best i can do is link you up with some of the best drives and reviews to get you started. Im so sorry man i honestly didnt mean to send you homework in the 11th hour.

Samsung 980 pro 1tb
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-1tb-980-pro/p/N82E16820147790

wd sn850 1tb
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/wd-wd_...-for-laptops-desktops/6425635.p?skuId=6425635

sabrent rocket 1tb
https://www.newegg.com/sabrent-rocket-nvme-4-0-1tb/p/1Z4-00H3-00016

tomshardware updated reviews of pretty much all of the top drives worth considering.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-ssds,3891.html

Just avoid Adata drives. They have this lovely habit of changing the NAND and or controller without making any revisions to the drive. So we consumers have no idea what it is exactly that we've purchased.

 

[JYeager11]

Samsung 980 pro 1tb
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-1tb-980-pro/p/N82E16820147790

wd sn850 1tb
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/wd-wd_...-for-laptops-desktops/6425635.p?skuId=6425635

sabrent rocket 1tb
https://www.newegg.com/sabrent-rocket-nvme-4-0-1tb/p/1Z4-00H3-00016

tomshardware updated reviews of pretty much all of the top drives worth considering.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-ssds,3891.html

Gah! Before I start looking into this, would your recommendations change if I told you that I prioritize stability and longevity over performance?

 

[hititnquitit]

Gah! Before I start looking into this, would your recommendations change if I told you that I prioritize stability and longevity over performance?

Sry fell asleep for a bit!
In that case i would only recommend the 980pro and 970 evo plus. The reason being is that ive had excellent experiences with Samsung nvme m.2 and ssd drives. They build virtually bullet proof drives in my experience and they will stand on their heads to help you if you do in fact have any issues (in my case it was my EVGA x99 mb not my 960evo). Crucial is the only other ssd company that i know of that even comes close to their level of dedication and they obviously dont play a part in this segment.
That isnt to say that other manufacturers arent just as good. I generally dont stray to far from what i know best.
Adata being the one exception and that came back to bite me!

 

[Wiz33]

Probably a bit late tot he thread but if you have not ordered your components. You might want to take a look at the July 4th sales at the varies major PC manufacturers. Although you do pay a premium buying from a brand name but they will sell you a current/last gen video card at OEM pricing. for example. HP will sell you a base line Pavilion w/I5 10400, 8GB, 256SSD, 2 TB, RTX3060 for $1200.

Newegg also have a highend ASUS Ryzen with 3070 for $1800.

https://www.newegg.com/asus-ga15dk-ds776/p/N82E16883221675

 

[JYeager11]

Probably a bit late tot he thread but if you have not ordered your components. You might want to take a look at the July 4th sales at the varies major PC manufacturers. Although you do pay a premium buying from a brand name but they will sell you a current/last gen video card at OEM pricing. for example. HP will sell you a base line Pavilion w/I5 10400, 8GB, 256SSD, 2 TB, RTX3060 for $1200.

Newegg also have a highend ASUS Ryzen with 3070 for $1800.

https://www.newegg.com/asus-ga15dk-ds776/p/N82E16883221675

Let me throw the question to my new friend hititnquitit because he seems specifically well-versed in the parts I was interested in : would the money saved on a pre-built PC in 2021 be worth it?

On one hand, it would feel like a step down across the board for every component.. after spending all this time looking for the best bang for buck, individually.. but on the other, there's an extra 3070 gpu in there, for less than I'll be spending for my gpu-less rig.

Prebuilts from Newegg (or elsewhere)... avoid, or seriously consider?

 

[Wiz33]

Let me throw the question to my new friend hititnquitit because he seems specifically well-versed in the parts I was interested in : would the money saved on a pre-built PC in 2021 be worth it?

On one hand, it would feel like a step down across the board for every component.. after spending all this time looking for the best bang for buck, individually.. but on the other, there's an extra 3070 gpu in there, for less than I'll be spending for my gpu-less rig.

Prebuilts from Newegg (or elsewhere)... avoid, or seriously consider?

While I'm neutral on Newegg. I have confident in ASUS as I've been using their Mobos for over 20+ years and never had one go south on me. I also have ASUS 2060 super and 2080 in my office PCs. I usually build my own system too and I was lucky to get a 3080 soon upon release for my home PC build but when it comes time to build a HTPC, price are already crazy so I ended up getting a Aorus 15G XC laptop with a 3070 instead.

P.S. The Microsoft store also have the same ASUS model for the same price if you really didn't want to deal with Newegg.

 

[JYeager11]

P.S. The Microsoft store also have the same ASUS model for the same price if you really didn't want to deal with Newegg.

Just so we're clear, because I just noticed those are US prices; and I was looking to purchase everything (or what I could find) from Canada Computers so the actual price would be CND $2,400
https://www.newegg.ca/asus-ga15dk-ds776/p/N82E16883221675

Just change that .com to .ca in the url

 

[hititnquitit]

Let me throw the question to my new friend hititnquitit because he seems specifically well-versed in the parts I was interested in : would the money saved on a pre-built PC in 2021 be worth it?

On one hand, it would feel like a step down across the board for every component.. after spending all this time looking for the best bang for buck, individually.. but on the other, there's an extra 3070 gpu in there, for less than I'll be spending for my gpu-less rig.

Prebuilts from Newegg (or elsewhere)... avoid, or seriously consider?

Well theres a few things that knock a pre built right off the start. They generally use oem psus that are junk.
The cases are usually gamer kiddy rgb types to appeal to a broader range of young people.
There are usually two attractive things in a pre built. The cpu and the gpu. For a reason, those are what sell the system. The majority of buyers have watched videos or read articles about the best of those two components and thats about all they are familiar with. Or they do a quick google of the two and thats it . The rest of the rig means nothing to them as long as the pretty lights change colors and the pc turns on and the companies that build these know that.
Microcenter builds are the exception. They actually use name brand components and give you the specs.
Alright the Asus newegg pre build for $1800 with free shipping.
Nice 5800x and rtx3070. Thats about it. From there on down its a whole lot of penny pinching oem blah. B550 motherboard with no mention of what it is lol. An asus rig but no mention of what mb they used. That says it all.
Heatsink is 3 heatpipe junk and has no business being on a 5800x.
Memory has no heatsinks and we have no idea what it is, none!
Nvme is 1tb PCIe 3.0, Could be crappy qlc dramless junk or could be tlc goodness, who knows!
You get the point
Most pre builds fall fall right in line with this Asus.

If your going to consider a pre built rig go with a local shop that offers a solid warranty and has been around for at least 10yrs. That way you have piece of mind and you have a lot more freedom to choose your components. Youll pay out the nose for it but its FAR better than anything youll find online

Stick with your plan. Its a solid one and your well informed at this point. In the end your going to have a badass system and you arent going to get raped in the process.

 

[JYeager11]

There are usually two attractive things in a pre built. The cpu and the gpu. The majority of buyers have watched videos or read articles about the best of those two components and thats about all they are familiar with. Or they do a quick google of the two and thats it . The rest of the rig means nothing to them as long as the pretty lights change colors and the pc turns on and the companies that build these know that.

Other than the lights, you pretty much just described a younger me, there. Ah, the bliss of just having to push the 'on' button and immediately getting to configure Windows.

On another note, I had no idea just how large the NH-D15 is. The heatsink on my i7 920 (for the past decade) is just a fan on a grill. I'm now worried about how well that thing will fit in the case, or what access it might block on a Tomahawk vs a Unify (inside a Phanteks Eclipse P600S case). The friend helping me build this thing is wondering if we wouldn't be better off with a NH-D15S (which I believe is a more modest version of the same heatsink).

Given the popularity of the NH-D15/NH-D15S, Tomahawk/Unify and P600S, is there a chance someone reading this has already assembled them together and could help advise?

EDIT: Plot twist! The memory we were eyeing at Canada Computers is now special-order. It wasn't last week.

 

[hititnquitit]

Your gtg, the p600s can accommodate up to a 190mm tall heatsink and the nh-d15 is only 160-165 depending on where you place the fan for ram clearance.

 

[Wiz33]

Well theres a few things that knock a pre built right off the start. They generally use oem psus that are junk.
The cases are usually gamer kiddy rgb types to appeal to a broader range of young people.
There are usually two attractive things in a pre built. The cpu and the gpu. For a reason, those are what sell the system. The majority of buyers have watched videos or read articles about the best of those two components and thats about all they are familiar with. Or they do a quick google of the two and thats it . The rest of the rig means nothing to them as long as the pretty lights change colors and the pc turns on and the companies that build these know that.
Microcenter builds are the exception. They actually use name brand components and give you the specs.
Alright the Asus newegg pre build for $1800 with free shipping.
Nice 5800x and rtx3070. Thats about it. From there on down its a whole lot of penny pinching oem blah. B550 motherboard with no mention of what it is lol. An asus rig but no mention of what mb they used. That says it all.
Heatsink is 3 heatpipe junk and has no business being on a 5800x.
Memory has no heatsinks and we have no idea what it is, none!
Nvme is 1tb PCIe 3.0, Could be crappy qlc dramless junk or could be tlc goodness, who knows!
You get the point
Most pre builds fall fall right in line with this Asus.

If your going to consider a pre built rig go with a local shop that offers a solid warranty and has been around for at least 10yrs. That way you have piece of mind and you have a lot more freedom to choose your components. Youll pay out the nose for it but its FAR better than anything youll find online

Stick with your plan. Its a solid one and your well informed at this point. In the end your going to have a badass system and you arent going to get raped in the process.

True to some extend but unless you're planning on overclocking your rig. They all will work fine for many years. I used to use the intel cpu heatsink that comes with their CPU yet none of them have failed me while I actually have to replace the fan on a brand name CPU heatsink after about 3 years. Although I usually build my own rig, I also buy pre-built PCs for the rest of the office. So does using so called quality components vs OEM affect how long a PC will last? I'm not convinced as I have seen brand name components fail as often as an Brand name OEM box. It's pretty much the luck of the draw and up to Mr. Murphy.

 

[JYeager11]

Your gtg, the p600s can accommodate up to a 190mm tall heatsink and the nh-d15 is only 160-165 depending on where you place the fan for ram clearance.

Having never installed one of these myself, are you saying it's not an even yield on all sides? I can just rotate it 90 degrees to create space where I need it?

Follow-up question... the aforementioned friend helping me build this is really pushing for the NH-D15S over the NH-D15... and from what I understand, the S model is the updated version... although it comes with 1 less fan, and therefore isn't quite as powerful (I assume it was created for lighter loads)... would the S model be simply insufficient to cool a 5900x on x570 Tomahawk inside a P600s? (Would there be even the slightest risk that everything will blow up and take half the neighbourhood with it?) Because that combo of "more recent" and "less bulky" is kind of a turn-on for this ignoramus.

 

[hititnquitit]

Having never installed one of these myself, are you saying it's not an even yield on all sides? I can just rotate it 90 degrees to create space where I need it?

Follow-up question... the aforementioned friend helping me build this is really pushing for the NH-D15S over the NH-D15... and from what I understand, the S model is the updated version... although it comes with 1 less fan, and therefore isn't quite as powerful (I assume it was created for lighter loads)... would the S model be simply insufficient to cool a 5900x on x570 Tomahawk inside a P600s? (Would there be even the slightest risk that everything will blow up and take half the neighbourhood with it?) Because that combo of "more recent" and "less bulky" is kind of a turn-on for this ignoramus.

No, no, you move the front fan up to accommodate taller memory heatsinks. Thats where the 160-165mm variation comes from. When you look at the front of the d15 theres a notch that allows for tall memory.
The S model is the exact same thing as the D15 just with a single fan in between the dual towers so memory clearance is only limited by the heatsink itself.
D15 S single fan
https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15s
vs D15 dual fans
https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail/nh-d15

The d15 S will cool the 5900x just fine. If you find that you would like to lower the idle temps or extend its boost you can always add a 120mm fan or round 140 to drop temps.

 

[JYeager11]

The d15 S will cool the 5900x just fine. If you find that you would like to lower the idle temps or extend its boost you can always add a 120mm fan or round 140 to drop temps.

1. Does adding a 2nd fan to the NH-D15S turn it into a NH-D15 (or removing it from the D15 turn it into a D15S)... or are the differences between the two models a bit more extensive than that?
2. If the D15S will cool the 5900x "just fine" (even while re-sizing 20GB+ PSD files, or rendering complex Adobe effects in 8K) then why is the D15 even an option for me? Isn't that just going more expensive and bulky for no tangible return?

Apologies for being so hesitant to just dive into this heatsink... like I said, I've never had anything this big in any of my rigs before. IT'S INTIMIDATING.

 

[JYeager11]

Something else to consider... Your mb supports PCIe 4.0 x4 nvme m.2 drives which may give you a very nice jump in performance with what you do. Unfortunately i have no experience with your software and what it requires to zip through your work. So the best i can do is link you up with some of the best drives and reviews to get you started. Im so sorry man i honestly didnt mean to send you homework in the 11th hour.

Samsung 980 pro 1tb
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-1tb-980-pro/p/N82E16820147790

So, something interesting happened since you recommended these alternate drive options... first, Canada Computers flat-out removed the regular Samsung 970 Evo product page (that I'd bookmarked) and now appears to only sell the Pro ($350) & Evo Plus ($220) versions of the 970, for $220 each. (I'm not sure if they necessarily wanted to make it look like the 970 line is slowly being discontinued, but it sure feels like it.)

As for the 980 Pro, it's available for :

• $240 at Amazon ($200 for 500GB)
• $309 at Newegg ($200 for 500GB)
• $310 at Canada Computers ($200 for 500GB)

I included the links because I'm having a hard time believing these price differences are for the same product. Are they?

I like that it's PCIe4, but how worried should I be that the first item in the "cons" column of those TomsHardware rankings you shared earlier for this product is "average endurance ratings"? As someone who values long-term stability/reliability over pretty much anything else, are my files more at risk (long-term) with "average endurance ratings"? They don't elaborate on that in any way, unless I missed it.

 

[hititnquitit]

1. As long as its a NF-A15 140mm fan(pricey), then yes.
2. You have to remember the d15s is the same dual tower heatsink, just one fewer fan. Initially i was under the impression that you had already researched it and made the purchase. With your workload and choice of components that seemed reasonable as its one of the most popular for high end rigs that need top notch cooling.
Its big but easy to get used to. Its also one of the easiest to install despite its size and the directions are virtually foolproof. Once its in your case you wont have to touch it again for 5 or 6 years until the thermal paste needs to be replaced(like all heatsinks). Its not so bad but if your having second thoughts there are a million other smaller very good heatsinks and AIOs to choose from. Its your rig afterall!

​

 

[hititnquitit]

I have no idea why there is such a big difference. Absolutely get one from newegg today! The discrepancy is understandable ne to amazon but the cc price is just stupid. Maybe they are pricing it against the 970pro...no idea.
Speaking of which. The 970pro came with a 10yr warranty being samsungs last gen premier m.2 drive but for the 980pro they switched to a 5yr due to several factors the biggest being they reasoned that most consumers essentially didnt need anything more. Heres the full review, its a lot to read. The first and last pages give a decent breakdown.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-980-pro-m-2-nvme-ssd-review

 

[JYeager11]

I have no idea why there is such a big difference. Absolutely get one from newegg today! The discrepancy is understandable ne to amazon but the cc price is just stupid. Maybe they are pricing it against the 970pro...no idea.
Speaking of which. The 970pro came with a 10yr warranty being samsungs last gen premier m.2 drive but for the 980pro they switched to a 5yr due to several factors the biggest being they reasoned that most consumers essentially didnt need anything more. Heres the full review, its a lot to read. The first and last pages give a decent breakdown.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-980-pro-m-2-nvme-ssd-review

Turns out the Newegg price is just as stupid, I misspoke before editing the msg with correct info. It's pretty much CND $310 at both Newegg and CC, I'd have to go through Amazon to get it at $240.

As for reducing the warranty to 5 years, you sure that doesn't have more to do with them using newer, less-proven tech? As per this article, "[The new 980] SSD is absent of any DRAM, while it makes use of the new Samsung in-house Pablo controller, a higher-end 128-layer 3D TLC NAND flash type, and Samsung’s new and improved Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0: a feature that enhances sustained transfer speed performance by using a larger, dynamic, SLC (Single-Level Cell) buffer storage within the SSDs architecture."

Now, clearly I have no idea what any of that means but isn't it possible the previous gen has a better shot of giving me 10 solid years than something untested over time?

PS: Also, there's a 980 (non-pro) base version; would this be a step up from 970 Evo Plus as well?

 

[chameleoneel]

Getting a bit nostalgic; I remember posting here for advice on a new build over a decade ago, and that advice (Core I7 920 + P6T MB) turned out to be so reliable that I've been running on that rig ever since... right up until last weekend, when the second component in as many months failed on me. This time, it was the Windows C: drive... so I've decided to just accept that it's time for the big rebuild I've been putting off for the past couple of years.

I don't expect to be doing ANY gaming whatsoever on this PC, but there WILL be a lot of hi-res Adobe work and multitasking. So I spent the past few days binge-watching review & comparison videos to play catch-up on the tech; and here's the best rig I felt I could put together for my needs within my budget, based on what's currently available in my area :

• Phanteks Eclipse P600S ATX Mid Tower Case
• MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor
• Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler
• Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory
• Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
• MSI MPG A-GF 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

After what I hear was a rough start with their initial offering of X570 mb's, looks like MSI might've gotten it right with the Tomahawk -- at least, for the price -- but are they being graded on a curve due to low expectations? Because I could easily be talked into the pricier MSI MEG X570 UNIFY if the arguments are there. (It's gorgeous, even if no one will see it.)

With shortages in video cards doubling & tripling their value, I'm opting to hold off on buying right now... and just keep using my old GTX 750 Ti as a GPU until prices come back down to earth. Then, i'll likely pick up a 3060 or 3070, and maybe a 2nd M.2 drive. My immediate goal is getting up and running ASAP with parts I won't regret buying later.

2 questions:

1. If I did my homework correctly, all of these components should pair well together. Do they?
2. I have an original retail copy of Windows 7 dating back to the construction of the previous build; will this product key work to activate a fresh Windows 10 on the new build (like it previously allowed me to upgrade to Windows 10 on the dying rig)? Or do I need to factor in the price for a new OS as well before I'm out of the woods?

(If I posted this in the wrong forum, my bad, it's been a while. Feel free to move it where it belongs!)

Thanks in advance to anyone taking the time!

PS: I'll have a friend helping me assemble the thing, just want to make sure the choice of parts is conflict-free.

you can get an DVI-HDMI cable for your 750ti. DVI and HDMI are completely compatible.

Do you need the 12 cores for certain workloads? If no, I would recommend an new 11th gen Intel with integrated graphics. Intel's Quicksync GPU acceleration is quite well supported in the various work/productivity softwares. The new UHD 750/Xe integrated gpu is particularly good for video editors.

The 8 core 11700 non-k is a good value.