New build, need input/advice (Long ish post)

[Ayoralyn]

Hello everyone,

Me and the wife need a couple of new PC's. To that end, I've been researching what components is hot right now. Before we pull any triggers though, I wanted some advice and input on the parts I've chosen, and the system as a whole. I've come up with this list. (PCpartpicker)

Last time I did this on these forums, there was a sticky with questions to answer. I couldn't find it this time. If I overlooked it, I apologize.

I have a lot of questions, and I'm going to try and explain my thoughts about each item as best as I can.

CPU:
This'll be my first AMD build. I chose AMD because I've read several times on this forum that right now, you get a lot more for your money by going AMD. What the research I did myself, it seems to hold true. It seems there's just way more AMD processors right now compared to Intel, where you really get your moneys worth. (Not saying there are NO Intel CPU's of course).
I originally chose the Ryzen 7 3700X. It seemed thought that for what we'll be doing with our PC's (Gaming), the Ryzen 7 was really not necessary. Even though it's a more powerful CPU, it doesn't seem like I could justify the price difference for the seemingly little added power compared to the Ryzen 5 3600. I made the same argument to myself with the Ryzen 5 3600X (And XT).

CPU Cooler:
I've had the popular Cooler Master 212 mega brick in my last 2 builds, and while it does the job, I really hate having that huge monster sitting there. So I wanted something smaller, and I've been wanting to try out a closed loop liquid cooling setup for a while now. It was difficult for me to find anything though that was NOT RGB. I really don't want it to be so flashy. I'd love some recommendations here.

Motherboard:
I honestly just googled something like "Best AM4 motherboard", and this was one of the ones that showed up a couple of times. The only real requirement I have is that it has 2 NVME ports.

RAM:
This was a bit of a jungle for me. I want 32GB of RAM because I amongst other things like to have a lot of tabs open in my browser, and I play a few games that's really RAM dependant (Such as Cities: Skylines with a lot of assets) I chose Ripjaws because I know they're fairly popular, and I had Ripjaws in my previous build as well and I have yet to experience problems with them. I'd love some suggestions here as well.

Storage:
2 Samsung NVME drives. I believe Samsung is a fairly solid choice when it comes to SSD's in general. I tried to look up alternatives, but most of the suggestions from various articles are either more expensive, or not available in Denmark. (Such as Addlink and Adata I believe they're called, both seems popular choices) I'll be buying 970 EVO or EVO Plus/PRO (Whatever they're called) depending on which is cheapest when I buy. It's my understanding that the performance of the PRO really doesn't justify the increased cost compared to the standard EVO version.

GPU:
I had originally chosen an RX580. Again, I went to a website I use, and looked at charts for best value. But when I compared the RX580 to the slightly more expensive GTX 1660 Super, it seemed like a mistake to not fork out the extra cash for a much beefier GPU. I chose MSI because my last card was MSI as well, and I've been extremely happy with the low to no noise.

Tower:
My last case was the Fractal Design Define R5 I believe, and I thought it an absolutely amazing tower. So when the Define 7 came up being praised in several articles, it was an easy choice for me.

PSU:
I just wanted something 80+ Gold at least. Modular. I've had EVGA before in both PSU and GPU with no issues. Not having much to go on other then the estimated wattage on PCpartpicker, I also assumed that 550W would be more then enough. I might need to change this though (See question 2 below)



So that's the build so far, minus a monitor for the wife. I had a couple of questions in regards to the compatibility problems the website reports.

1. It states that the tower has a USB-C Gen 2 port, that can be connected to the USB-C Gen 1 header on the motherboard. It says an adapter will be required. My question is if it really is required? Meaning if it's a question of different size connectors, or a question of maybe operating at Gen 1 speeds instead of Gen 2. If it's the latter I doubt I'll do anything about it.

2. PCpartpicker writes this: "The MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard has an additional 4-pin ATX power connector but the EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply does not. This connector is used to supply additional 12V current to the motherboard. While the system will likely still run without it, higher current demands such as extreme overclocking or large video card current draws may require it." I'm not going to be overclocking, but I want my games to look good. I want them to run at as max settings as possible. Will this be an issue? If so, any suggestions to another PSU I can buy instead? I'd at least like to know what to be on the lookout for in a new PSU.

3. The last note reads: " Some physical dimension restrictions cannot (yet) be automatically checked, such as cpu cooler / RAM clearance with modules using tall heat spreaders." This sounds like a common note to get, but if anything jumps out, please let me know. (GPU too long for instance)

4. We'd like some case fans as well. Any recommendations as to how many and which? Low noise/wattage is important here)

5. We need a new monitor for my wife. Gaming monitor, at least 27", IPS prefered since we're not doing any competitive gaming and don't care too much about the FPS as we do about colours and crisp graphics. I found it difficult to find one monitor that rules them all. I found the LG 27GL850 to be an option. Any thoughts on this one?



While we don't really have a spending limit, I'm still very cautious with my cash. I'm a best bang for the buck kind of guy. So while I would like to have these PC's last as long as possible, I'm not ready to pay a premium just to squeeze out a few more FPS for instance.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I'd love some feedback and/or suggestions to things I can change.

 

[owcraftsman]

Your reasoning and choices are solid and mirror my own
In regards to longevity and best bang for the buck I'd make a few changes. I'll spare you more arguments.
CPU: 3900X
MOBO: Asus’ ROG Strix B550-F Gaming
GPU: Wait for RDNA 2/Big Navi
MON: ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QM
Not OCing, by that I mean LN2 forget the additional 4pin EPS not needed even when OCing on AIR, Closed Loop, or Custom Loop
I can't fault any of your other choices

 

[CraptacularOne]

If you're looking for a AMD system

Ryzen 7 3700X
RTX 2060 Super or Radeon 5700XT
ASUS TUF X570
32GB 3200Mhz 2x16GB
750w PSU from a reputable brand like Corsair, Seasonic, EVGA, SIlverstone...etc

 

[Ayoralyn]

Your reasoning and choices are solid and mirror my own
In regards to longevity and best bang for the buck I'd make a few changes. I'll spare you more arguments.
CPU: 3900X
MOBO: Asus’ ROG Strix B550-F Gaming
GPU: Wait for RDNA 2/Big Navi
MON: ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QM
Not OCing, by that I mean LN2 forget the additional 4pin EPS not needed even when OCing on AIR, Closed Loop, or Custom Loop
I can't fault any of your other choices

Thanks for the suggestions.
The CPU you suggested is quite a bit more expensive then the one I chose. Almost 3 times I think where I'm from. Why do you suggest this one? The PC will be used for gaming primarily.

For the GPU, not knowing what those things are, how long would the wait be you think? I don't think my wife can handle her old rust bucket for many more months.

What would the benefits of the motherboard you suggested be over the one I chose? Reading a bit about the chipsets, I understand that the B550 was supposed to be a cheaper alternative to the X570, and it turned out to be sort of priced the same in the end.

If you're looking for a AMD system

Ryzen 7 3700X
RTX 2060 Super or Radeon 5700XT
ASUS TUF X570
32GB 3200Mhz 2x16GB
750w PSU from a reputable brand like Corsair, Seasonic, EVGA, SIlverstone...etc

I'm not looking for an AMD system per se. It just seems like the obvious choice right now if I want best bang for the buck. Am I wrong in that regard?

Thanks for the RTX 2060 suggestion. It's more expensive then the GTX 1660S, but it also packs quite a bit more punch.

Is 750W really needed for such a system? Is it not overkill?

 

[owcraftsman]

Not sure how often you upgrade, but the 3900x price is coming down and will last you a longer time before an upgrade will be necessary. In terms of raw performance which includes the additional cores and threads it is the best bang for the buck right now.
I expect the Big Navi will be released before the end of the year (Oct/Nov). Again it's about bang for the buck and longevity.
Here is a comparison of the B550 vs X570
Not mentioned in my OP but I recommend 32GB DDR4 3600/28800
Keep in mind as time goes by more and more software/gaming solution take more and more advantage of new tech your best way to stay relevant for the longest time is to pick well now hence the need for this thread.
Crap sells good stuff and has a fantastic reputation. I've bought from him myself. If used is an option that would be a great system don't wait though his stuff sells fast.
GL

 

[sinisterDei]

So, you have some options here, and some questions I would answer before proceeding.

Firstly, unless I missed it you didn't talk about whether you plan to overclock or not, what your overall budget is like, whether you're bringing any existing parts with you, or what the intended use is, or how often you upgrade. I'll make some guesses, but feel free to adjust my responses if I got things wrong.

My assumptions based on the questions above:
1- You're not going to OC meaningfully
2- You have a decent budget, but with two systems to buy you're obviously looking for savings where you can get it
3- Buying everything new
4- Gaming as a primary use, not a professional streamer
5- You rarely upgrade

For your CPU, you've landed on the most popular DIY PC builder CPU in the world right now for a reason. The 3600 is a great value and a good all arounder at everything. The next gen consoles are standardizing on a lower-clocked 8-core Zen 2 CPU that runs something like an underclocked 3700, so 6 higher clocked cores from the 3600 will likely keep pace for the near future for any games optimized for the PS5/XSX generation. Worst case scenario though is you can buy a second hand 8 (or more) cores CPU down the line if it becomes necessary.

For the CPU cooler, you're essentially throwing away $224. The 3600 is relatively cool running, and even the included stock cooler is 100% fine assuming you don't plan to OC. The $224 for the AIO is a *huge* investment, and offers relatively little over a competent air cooler that can be had at a way less cost. If you still want better than stock cooling, look into something like the Noctua U12S which will save you many pennies versus your AIO.

Your motherboard is where the "how often do you upgrade" question comes in. Right now, X570 and B550 are the chipsets to get. However, if you're going to buy Zen 2 based CPUs now and are unlikely to upgrade them any time in the future, then buying the 500 series chipsets isn't strictly necessary. The ASRock B450M Pro4 is $83 and is a solid board, and may even receive Zen 3 support in the future though I wouldn't bank on that. In any case, for *today's* computer it'll be functionally identical to your existing X570 choice except for the M.2 slots, which I'll address shortly. If you 100% for sure want to move to Zen3 in the near term when it comes out, then aim for the 500 series. Otherwise, B450 is still a valid option.

RAM:
You just want 2x 16GB at 3600 CL16. Your choice seems fine.

Storage:
Now for the great SSD rant. Firstly, for almost normal computer user use case right now - gaming included - there is no functional difference between NVMe and SATA performance. Seriously, look it up. Here and here will get you started, but there are lots of examples. This *might* change in the future with games targeting the SSDs on the PS5 and XSX, but so far it doesn't matter.
So, if there is no difference between NVMe and SATA SSD performance, there certainly is not a perceivable difference between NVMe SSD performance of one brand versus another, in all but edge cases. The point of that is that there is no reason to pay the Samsung tax. General rules would be to avoid QLC if possible, since they have performance degradation when they are full, but otherwise just get the biggest SSD you can afford, SATA or otherwise. I'm mentioning all this because while the mobo I chose has two M.2 slots, one of them is SATA and not NVMe, but to me it doesn't matter. For the cost of your two 970 SSDs on your list (250GB + 1TB) you could easily pick up a single 2TB unit and call it a day. This ADATA unit is $220 so you get more capacity for less money, and leave a slot free.

GPU:
This is where the "not a streamer" part comes in. Right now, there are two good reasons to go with the RTX series: 1- you care about the raytracing part 2- you care about the NVENC encoder. If both of those don't apply to you, and you're spending less than $400 on the GPU, the card to get is the 5700 or 5700XT. Take the money you saved not buying an AIO and use it on the GPU.

PSU:
Your biggest problem with PSUs will be availability. COVID has nuked the PSU market. 80+ Gold and I would aim for 600 or 650 and you will be fine.

 

[Ready4Dis]

Not sure if you'll need an adapter, the msi mpg b550 has a USB 3.1 gen 2 header on board. It's one of the reasons I chose it (I got the wifi version to save myself a slot).

Everything else looks pretty good, as mentioned the aio doesn't really do much for you over a decent air cooler, especially if you won't be doing much overclocking. Better off putting the money towards a better GPU of CPU depending on what you feel is more important. PSU prices right now are a bit inflated and hard to find in some cases.

 

[Ayoralyn]

Not sure how often you upgrade, but the 3900x price is coming down and will last you a longer time before an upgrade will be necessary. In terms of raw performance which includes the additional cores and threads it is the best bang for the buck right now.
I expect the Big Navi will be released before the end of the year (Oct/Nov). Again it's about bang for the buck and longevity.
Here is a comparison of the B550 vs X570
Not mentioned in my OP but I recommend 32GB DDR4 3600/28800
Keep in mind as time goes by more and more software/gaming solution take more and more advantage of new tech your best way to stay relevant for the longest time is to pick well now hence the need for this thread.
Crap sells good stuff and has a fantastic reputation. I've bought from him myself. If used is an option that would be a great system don't wait though his stuff sells fast.
GL

Thanks for your reply. I actually did watch the video in the link before you posted it, as I did want to find out which would be better for me.

I'm unfortunately not super into all the tech stuff on this level, so it's still difficult for me to understand the actual differences. I think for me and my wife, it's not going to matter too much which chipset we get. I think one of the main differences will be that X570 have PCIe gen 4, where as B550 has gen 3.

In regards to CPU, even if the price on the 3900X is coming down, there's still quite the difference between them. At least here in Denmark where I live. The 3600 will cost me around $200 US, where as the 3900X is about $550. I've no problem spending that kind of dosh, but I just want it to be the right choice. And comparing the two of them, in my head at least I still can't justify the difference. Would you still say the 3900X is the superior choice in a pure gaming rig, knowing that I won't be overclocking and very rarely upgrade?

So, you have some options here, and some questions I would answer before proceeding.

Firstly, unless I missed it you didn't talk about whether you plan to overclock or not, what your overall budget is like, whether you're bringing any existing parts with you, or what the intended use is, or how often you upgrade. I'll make some guesses, but feel free to adjust my responses if I got things wrong.

My assumptions based on the questions above:
1- You're not going to OC meaningfully
2- You have a decent budget, but with two systems to buy you're obviously looking for savings where you can get it
3- Buying everything new
4- Gaming as a primary use, not a professional streamer
5- You rarely upgrade

For your CPU, you've landed on the most popular DIY PC builder CPU in the world right now for a reason. The 3600 is a great value and a good all arounder at everything. The next gen consoles are standardizing on a lower-clocked 8-core Zen 2 CPU that runs something like an underclocked 3700, so 6 higher clocked cores from the 3600 will likely keep pace for the near future for any games optimized for the PS5/XSX generation. Worst case scenario though is you can buy a second hand 8 (or more) cores CPU down the line if it becomes necessary.

For the CPU cooler, you're essentially throwing away $224. The 3600 is relatively cool running, and even the included stock cooler is 100% fine assuming you don't plan to OC. The $224 for the AIO is a *huge* investment, and offers relatively little over a competent air cooler that can be had at a way less cost. If you still want better than stock cooling, look into something like the Noctua U12S which will save you many pennies versus your AIO.

Your motherboard is where the "how often do you upgrade" question comes in. Right now, X570 and B550 are the chipsets to get. However, if you're going to buy Zen 2 based CPUs now and are unlikely to upgrade them any time in the future, then buying the 500 series chipsets isn't strictly necessary. The ASRock B450M Pro4 is $83 and is a solid board, and may even receive Zen 3 support in the future though I wouldn't bank on that. In any case, for *today's* computer it'll be functionally identical to your existing X570 choice except for the M.2 slots, which I'll address shortly. If you 100% for sure want to move to Zen3 in the near term when it comes out, then aim for the 500 series. Otherwise, B450 is still a valid option.

RAM:
You just want 2x 16GB at 3600 CL16. Your choice seems fine.

Storage:
Now for the great SSD rant. Firstly, for almost normal computer user use case right now - gaming included - there is no functional difference between NVMe and SATA performance. Seriously, look it up. Here and here will get you started, but there are lots of examples. This *might* change in the future with games targeting the SSDs on the PS5 and XSX, but so far it doesn't matter.
So, if there is no difference between NVMe and SATA SSD performance, there certainly is not a perceivable difference between NVMe SSD performance of one brand versus another, in all but edge cases. The point of that is that there is no reason to pay the Samsung tax. General rules would be to avoid QLC if possible, since they have performance degradation when they are full, but otherwise just get the biggest SSD you can afford, SATA or otherwise. I'm mentioning all this because while the mobo I chose has two M.2 slots, one of them is SATA and not NVMe, but to me it doesn't matter. For the cost of your two 970 SSDs on your list (250GB + 1TB) you could easily pick up a single 2TB unit and call it a day. This ADATA unit is $220 so you get more capacity for less money, and leave a slot free.

GPU:
This is where the "not a streamer" part comes in. Right now, there are two good reasons to go with the RTX series: 1- you care about the raytracing part 2- you care about the NVENC encoder. If both of those don't apply to you, and you're spending less than $400 on the GPU, the card to get is the 5700 or 5700XT. Take the money you saved not buying an AIO and use it on the GPU.

PSU:
Your biggest problem with PSUs will be availability. COVID has nuked the PSU market. 80+ Gold and I would aim for 600 or 650 and you will be fine.

Thanks for your very detailed reply. All your assumptions are correct.

In regards to CPU, I believe several people have recommended me the 3900X. What do you think about that? You can see some of my thoughts in the reply I wrote to the guy just before you. (This post)

As for the CPU cooler, air cooler it is. I don't care either way, and I'll be honest that I thought the whole AIO thing was quite expensive for what I could be spending that money on. So thanks for the suggestion, I'll drop the idea and save some money.

When it comes to the motherboard, as I told the guy above, I don't upgrade often. I usually let systems run its course and then buy new one. Sometimes I strip it for some parts, but it's hardly an upgrade. I'd consider it a new PC with some older parts, rather then upgrading the old PC if you get my meaning.
While I don't upgrade often, I have no issues with upgrading. So while I'm not dead set on upgrading to a Zen 3 processor or anything in the near future, I don't know if it's a door I should be closing and lose the option down the line. On the other hand, since I want to build a PC lasting quite a while, would I run into the scenario where it wouldn't even be zen 3 CPU's anymore? Meaning that I'd be paying for an upgrade option now, that I'd never use because the technology is even newer then. Do I make sense? Even though technology moves fast, I doubt it'll move this fast though.

Okay, storage. I personally do not care about the brand to be honest. As long as it's good quality, I don't mind who makes it. I wrote in my original post that Addlink and Adata wasn't widely available here in Denmark. I've just learned I was actually wrong. Adata at least is available. I would love a larger drive, just because I find that I really need the space. But the reason I didn't was pricing. A 2TB Adata drive here is around $320 USD, compared to Samsungs $400. I have not yet watched the videos you sent (Late night here), but I will tomorrow.
I've always had a separate drive for my OS, but I don't know if there's any real reason for that.

For the GPU, I have heard about Raytracing, and seen some videos about it. And while it does look amazing, I'm not creaming my pants about it. I've never heard of or know what NVENC encoding is. Do you personally think either of these things are something I should care about?
The RX 5700XT is qutie a bit more expensive here then the GTX 1660S. But it also looks like it packs quite the better punch. I'll definitely take your suggestion into consideration. Say I should care about raytracing (I'm a sucker for eyecandy), what would be your suggestion?

Not sure if you'll need an adapter, the msi mpg b550 has a USB 3.1 gen 2 header on board. It's one of the reasons I chose it (I got the wifi version to save myself a slot).

Everything else looks pretty good, as mentioned the aio doesn't really do much for you over a decent air cooler, especially if you won't be doing much overclocking. Better off putting the money towards a better GPU of CPU depending on what you feel is more important. PSU prices right now are a bit inflated and hard to find in some cases.

Thanks for the reply. I won't care about the adapter right away then. I don't really need WiFi, but I guess if the price difference is almost nothing, then why not. I suppose better to have it and not need it then the other way around.


Thanks again everyone for your replies. I'll try and make an updated build at some point when I have gathered more information

 

[Ready4Dis]

Unless you have some super good reason (apps that need many cores), the 3600 will work for you very well. Sorry if there was some confusion, both b550 and x570 support pcie 4.0 on the GPU and first NVME drive. Past that is where it is different, but this won't affect most users.

I use my hard-line network 99% of the time, but once in a while if I bring my PC somewhere or need to hotspot tether to my phone or w/e. It was like $10 difference, I figured why not. Of course, your usage and needs may vary. New GPUs will be coming out in like 2 months, so depending on your timeline it may be worth seeing what's coming. Of course with PC hardware, something new is always around the corner.
Anyways, as you can see there are many options and none are necessarily bad choices. I personally just bought my son and I a 3700x, felt like it was a great middle ground. But for most work loads I wouldn't notice a difference. I do some development and some blender, those are the only times it'd be noticeable.

 

[sinisterDei]

here in Denmark

Upfront, I'll say I missed this part!

In regards to CPU, I believe several people have recommended me the 3900X. What do you think about that? You can see some of my thoughts in the reply I wrote to the guy just before you. (This post)

For gaming, the 3900X offers few advantages over either the 3600 or 3700X, while costing quite a bit more. The 3700X is a more reasonable midpoint rather than jumping all the way to 3900X. The 3600 offers a good experience on its own though.

since I want to build a PC lasting quite a while, would I run into the scenario where it wouldn't even be zen 3 CPU's anymore?

Zen3 is coming out late this year supposedly, and if AMD keeps its cadence then Zen4 will be late 2021. If it was me, I would expect any system I build to last at least 2 years, and so yes it is entirely possible Zen4 (or Intel's next gen stuff) would be available. Even if you did decide to upgrade within your current build, you would have the option of bigger Zen2 chips (picking up a second hand 3900X to replace your 3600) or a Zen3 chip, since the B450 boards are supposed to get Zen3 support, though likely not at Zen3's launch.

I've always had a separate drive for my OS, but I don't know if there's any real reason for that.

There were two reasons. One is that Windows used to have a problem booting off drives >2TB, so when HDDs started getting bigger than that folks started separating a boot volume. Two is that SSDs used to be much more expensive, so you had a small SSD to boot and run a few apps from, and a big HDD to store the rest. Now that prices are cheaper and Windows can boot off volumes any size, the separation makes less sense.

The RX 5700XT is qutie a bit more expensive here then the GTX 1660S. But it also looks like it packs quite the better punch. I'll definitely take your suggestion into consideration. Say I should care about raytracing (I'm a sucker for eyecandy), what would be your suggestion?

Firstly, the 1660S doesn't have raytracing, it's only the 2000 series cards (the RTX ones) that have raytracing. The 1660S does have NVENC though, which is hardware video encoding for things like streaming and video capture. My point was that, at least in the USA, the framerate per dollar is generally better on the 5700 series versus Nvidia's offering. Not sure it's the same in Denmark.

 

[Ayoralyn]

Upfront, I'll say I missed this part!

For gaming, the 3900X offers few advantages over either the 3600 or 3700X, while costing quite a bit more. The 3700X is a more reasonable midpoint rather than jumping all the way to 3900X. The 3600 offers a good experience on its own though.

Zen3 is coming out late this year supposedly, and if AMD keeps its cadence then Zen4 will be late 2021. If it was me, I would expect any system I build to last at least 2 years, and so yes it is entirely possible Zen4 (or Intel's next gen stuff) would be available. Even if you did decide to upgrade within your current build, you would have the option of bigger Zen2 chips (picking up a second hand 3900X to replace your 3600) or a Zen3 chip, since the B450 boards are supposed to get Zen3 support, though likely not at Zen3's launch.

There were two reasons. One is that Windows used to have a problem booting off drives >2TB, so when HDDs started getting bigger than that folks started separating a boot volume. Two is that SSDs used to be much more expensive, so you had a small SSD to boot and run a few apps from, and a big HDD to store the rest. Now that prices are cheaper and Windows can boot off volumes any size, the separation makes less sense.

Firstly, the 1660S doesn't have raytracing, it's only the 2000 series cards (the RTX ones) that have raytracing. The 1660S does have NVENC though, which is hardware video encoding for things like streaming and video capture. My point was that, at least in the USA, the framerate per dollar is generally better on the 5700 series versus Nvidia's offering. Not sure it's the same in Denmark.

So I'm still not sold entirely on the Ryzen 7 3700X. Again, I have limited knowledg, so I might just not be seeing it. But comparing the two, it seems like a limited upgrade considering it's just shy of double the price. My systems usually last at least 5 years, and I'll be expecting the same of this one. So if the Ryzen 5 3600 isn't going to get me there, I'd have no problem going for the Ryzen 7 3700X. Will the difference between these 2 CPU's be vastly noticeable?

So talking about Zen2 and the future. I just mentioned that I expect this system to last at least 5 years, so obviously I have no real intention of upgrading it in a year or two with a never gen CPU. So the 450M board you suggested, will most likely work just fine for me. And the price is about half of what the x570 and B550 boards I've been looking at. However, those boards also included 2 M.2 ports, which I no longer need. 1 will suffice. PCPartpicker does warn me about a potential BIOS update before I might be able to run the 3600. Is there any truth to this? I don't want to run into problem that I have 2 systems I can't start because they need a BIOS update first. (Not sure if I can update the BIOS with the 3600 in it though)
Right now I'm a bit split on what kind of motherboard I should get.

Thanks for the info on the 1660S. It sounds like I definitely don't care about NVENC. It is also my understanding that ray tracing is NVIDIA tech. Which means it's out the door, if I go with an AMD card, which I'm actually leaning towards right now. I like how the power/money ratio looks on the R5700XT. However, I did read an article about some older cards (1660 for instance, although it didn't mention 1660S) would get ray tracing support. I feel like I need to research more about ray tracing, to find out if it's something I really want. It feels like a relatively new tech still, so I'm not sure it's really worth going for already.

 

[sinisterDei]

Will the difference between these 2 CPU's be vastly noticeable?

As someone who owns a 3700X, the answer to that is a solid "nope". At least not right now. The PS5 or XSX might change that since they essentially include a Ryzen 3700 onboard, so if games start being seriously programmed for 8 strong Zen2 cores then eventually the 3600 might fall behind. But that'll be a while, I think. RIGHT NOW, there is hardly a difference from the 3600 to 3700X, except in cost.

PCPartpicker does warn me about a potential BIOS update before I might be able to run the 3600. Is there any truth to this?

Nope. All those warnings are old news from when the 3000 series was new.

I did read an article about some older cards (1660 for instance, although it didn't mention 1660S) would get ray tracing support

They have received software RT support. Which isn't worth the paper it is printed on, since without the hardware acceleration provided by the RT cores your framerate drops precipitously. AMD's next-gen cards (RDNA2 based) will include hardware RT, but nobody knows how well it'll perform or really anything about it except that it will exist.

 

[E4g1e]

They have received software RT support. Which isn't worth the paper it is printed on, since without the hardware acceleration provided by the RT cores your framerate drops precipitously.

Correct-a-mundo. In fact, even the previous-gen GeForce 10 Series (Pascal), down to the GTX 1060, also received software Ray-Tracing support. But software Ray-Tracing is currently meaningless since it is far inferior in performance to hardware Ray-Tracing. And currently, only the RTX GPUs have it.

 

[Ayoralyn]

Revised build.

Both the SSD and the PSU really just represents whatever I can get when I'm buying the PC, and are not really final choices.

The motherboard was a difficult choice for me. There seem to be tons of choices that all does quite fine and everything I need. I decided just to go for one of those I'd been deciding between in the beginning. I did seriously consider the B450M Pro4 though, suggested earlier in the thread. I think what bothered me was that it was suggested as a good board for *today's* computers, and I would like one that's good for quite a few years to come. As mentioned before I'd like it to last at least 5 years, 7-8 if possible. Possibly I'm just reading too much into it.

The reason I chose an AIO from the beginning was that I also wanted a smaller cooler on the CPU. But since the 3600 is a cool running CPU, I can't justify spending that much extra on it either.

Anyways, let me know what you think. It's starting to look like a final build though.

 

[sinisterDei]

I think you're doing fine. I think right now PCs are in a bit of a transitional state, because PC game requirements are largely dictated by the consoles those games are ported from / designed around. Since nobody knows what console ports of PS5 or XSX games will require, everyone trying to build a PC that is future-proof for 5 years can only guess as to what that will look like.

And things are sitll dependent on port quality, as the recent releases of Death Stranding and Horizon Zero Dawn show. They share an engine and have similar levels of visual fidelity, but Death Stranding was ported extremely well and basically runs great on anything semi-modern. Meanwhile Horizon was handled far worse and manages to tank the performance of even extremely high end PCs.