PC upgrade incoming - sanity check before opening anything up...!

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vorpel

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
434
Hello. I have pulled the trigger on several components to upgrade my main system. I'm not at the level that most on this forum are so I wanted to post what I've bought and see if I made any big misstep. Thanks for looking:

AMD 5950x
Asus AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)
G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR 3600 CAS16
be-Quiet BK-024 Dark Rock Slim (the height on the memory is 42mm so that rules out the Dark Rock 4 Pro - which I'm glad as that thing is massive)


Existing components:
AMD 6900XT
Lian Li LANCOOL II performance black case
Primary drive (ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB 3D NAND NVMe Gen3x4 PCIe M.2 2280 Solid State Drive R/W 3500/3000MB/s SSD (ASX8200PNP-1TT-C) )
Gaming drive (Mushkin Pilot-E - 2TB PCIe NVMe - Opal Data Encryption - M.2 (2280) Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Gen3 x4 - 3D TLC - (MKNSSDPE2TB-D8))
Intel 10G 2P X520 adapter (I've got a 10G switch)


Usage:
I am not really interested in overclocking.
This is my primary system for work, gaming, photo editing, and running some VMs for different uses.


My biggest areas of unknown/questions:
If I'm not overclocking, is the RAM speed I've chosen the best fit for the CPU and workload?
For the primary drive - is there much benefit to upgrading over the 1TB ADATA M.2 that I currently have?
I wanted to to go with 2x32G memory modules to leave room in case I want to go beyond 64G. Are there any pain points/performance issues going with 2 sticks of RAM vs. 4?


Additional notes:
I do upgrade often enough as I have 8 systems between my own, my wife's and my son's. I mention this as I'm good with point-in-time upgrades as there will always be more coming up so absolute best performance/etc isn't a major consideration.

I hope I chose right but I'm open to making changes if necessary. The components were just ordered an hour ago and won't get here until Friday.

Thanks!

-Vorpel
 
I used a 5950x and that same motherboard. It worked great. I had no issues with it at all. I ran it with a 6900xt, 3090, 3080Ti, and 3080 with no issues. I also have the same case.

My only concern would be the smallish size of the HSF. I had mine under a 360mm AIO and I never had issues.

I think DDR4 3600 is a good match for that CPU/MB. You might be able to finesse it up to 3800-4000Mhz 1:1 depending on the quality of the IMC on your CPU, but you should have no stability issues at 3600.

As for the m.2 drive, it should be fine. Maybe that could be an area to upgrade next.
 
Thanks for the reply! Since I will be running stock speeds I hope that the cooler will be sufficient, but if not I can monitor the temps and switch it out if necessary.

What might be a good upgrade for the m.2 drive? Since I will be reloading my system for this and I can always use the m.2 drive in another system an upgrade might be in order.

Thanks again.

Edit: Did some looking around once work was done. Ended up buying a WD Black SN850 1TB.
 
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Looking good. I'd have asked why you didn't consider Intel but you did mention you weren't gunning for absolute best performance.
 
That cooler is going to struggle a lot if you're not going to touch undervolting. I have the same X570 board and with a 5800X at default settings my NH-U12 with two fans can't keep up with it, it works ok at -150mv but its still above 70C in games. I ended up moving to a 240 AIO.
 
mda said:
Looking good. I'd have asked why you didn't consider Intel but you did mention you weren't gunning for absolute best performance.
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No need for snarky nonsense...

Plus, that's not even a true statement, especially in certain multi-core workloads. As someone who has used both platforms, if I were using it for work purposes, I would buy AMD as it was a much more stable platform for me. I think the whole "E" core optimization needs work. Plus, the memory controller (long a strong suit for Intel) blows on current ADL systems. I should have kept my perfectly running 5950x system instead of "upgrading" to the latest and greatest 12900k.
 
I think you're going to want more cooler than a Dark Rock Slim. How about an NH-D15? if the front fan doesn't fit, replace it with a 120mm NF-A12x25; that's how I have a D15 set up on a 5800X and it works quite well. I'd be inclined to return the Slim and turn to either a larger air cooler or (ugh) an AIO.

I wouldn't rush to replace the primary drive. Gains from going to a PCIe 4.0 drive are usually disappointing in my experience. You might see some benefit if you regularly push around very large files, 10's of gigabytes at least.
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback - exactly what I was hoping for.

I am good with upgrading to the PCIe 4 m.2 drive. What I currently have won't go to waste - I'll put it into my son's system where he's struggling with a 500G m.2 SSD and move that to the new system for my mom.

I hear you all loud and clear on the cooling and I'll dig more into that today and get a bigger one on the way. It wasn't about saving money - it was about how freaking huge they are and the RAM height considerations. I am afraid of going with an AIO cooler as I'm reluctant to add complexity if I don't have to.

I didn't go with Intel as I prefer AMD and I'm not ready to jump on the DDR5 bandwagon. With so many systems to keep updated, I'll be moving to whatever is next (non-bleeding edge) in due time.

Again - thank you all for your help. This forum has never disappointed and is still my go to when I need to learn something!
 
I think it looks good. I'd beef up the cooler though. I went around the fan issue on my D15 by not placing the fans over the memory, just moved one of the fans to the other side of the cooler. No probs so far.

580237_1642715411083.png
 
Yeah - I'd upgrade the cooler and enable PBO - it doesn't overclock per se, just removes the power limits and sets them to what the board can handle. You'll gain 5-10% just turning it on. If you also experiment with curve optimizer, you can get over 20%, but that requires some effort and can result in instability. If you want plug and play, set the ram to xmp profile, turn on PBO and go.
 
bobzdar said:
Yeah - I'd upgrade the cooler and enable PBO - it doesn't overclock per se, just removes the power limits and sets them to what the board can handle. You'll gain 5-10% just turning it on. If you also experiment with curve optimizer, you can get over 20%, but that requires some effort and can result in instability. If you want plug and play, set the ram to xmp profile, turn on PBO and go.
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PBO is overclocking. And AMD technically doesn't cover it in their warranty ;)
 
chameleoneel said:
PBO is overclocking. And AMD technically doesn't cover it in their warranty ;)
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Overclocking indicates changing the clocks from stock. PBO uses the stock clock boost curve but removes power limits, so it's technically overdriving the power, that's why they didn't call it auto oc or similar. But yeah, effectively the same but no user adjustment of the clocks, so oc is a misnomer as the chip still manages it's own clocks. That and I've never seen a warranty denied due to it. If you adjust the silicon fit scalar parameter in PBO, then it will override the silicion reliability limits and potentially damage the chip, but PBO board limits is safe and provided you have the cooling will provide a large performance boost, at least on zen 3 (zen 2 not so much).
 
bobzdar said:
Overclocking indicates changing the clocks from stock. PBO uses the stock clock boost curve but removes power limits, so it's technically overdriving the power, that's why they didn't call it auto oc or similar. But yeah, effectively the same but no user adjustment of the clocks, so oc is a misnomer as the chip still manages it's own clocks. That and I've never seen a warranty denied due to it. If you adjust the silicon fit scalar parameter in PBO, then it will override the silicion reliability limits and potentially damage the chip, but PBO board limits is safe and provided you have the cooling will provide a large performance boost, at least on zen 3 (zen 2 not so much).
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It results in higher than stock/advertised clockspeeds. Its automatic/dynamic/real time overclocking. They do call it that (overclocking), on various pages at AMD.com

and their fine print on it is:

  1. Because Precision Boost Overdrive enables operation of the processor outside of specifications and in excess of factory settings, use of the feature invalidates the AMD product warranty and may also void warranties offered by the system manufacturer or retailer. GD-135.
  2. AMD’s product warranty does not cover damages caused by overclocking, even when overclocking is enabled via AMD hardware and/or software. GD-26.
 
chameleoneel said:
It results in higher than stock/advertised clockspeeds. Its automatic/dynamic/real time overclocking. They do call it that (overclocking), on various pages at AMD.com

and their fine print on it is:

  1. Because Precision Boost Overdrive enables operation of the processor outside of specifications and in excess of factory settings, use of the feature invalidates the AMD product warranty and may also void warranties offered by the system manufacturer or retailer. GD-135.
  2. AMD’s product warranty does not cover damages caused by overclocking, even when overclocking is enabled via AMD hardware and/or software. GD-26.
Click to expand...

You notice they are very careful not to call PBO overclocking and in bullet 2, indicates overclocking voids warranty evenwhen enabled via AMD software (which also allows manual overclocking on top of PBO). Nowhere do they actually call it overclocking, but it's kind of admittedly a pedantic distinction, calling it that is fine.
 
bobzdar said:
Yeah - I'd upgrade the cooler and enable PBO - it doesn't overclock per se, just removes the power limits and sets them to what the board can handle. You'll gain 5-10% just turning it on.
Click to expand...

Just a note of caution, PBO isn't always useful. In my particular workload (software development), PBO made a 5800X run hotter while adding almost no value; a 5-minute compile ran a couple seconds faster and several degrees hotter. By all means try PBO if you have the cooler for it! just don't panic if you don't see a useful gain.
 
bobzdar said:
You notice they are very careful not to call PBO overclocking and in bullet 2, indicates overclocking voids warranty evenwhen enabled via AMD software (which also allows manual overclocking on top of PBO). Nowhere do they actually call it overclocking, but it's kind of admittedly a pedantic distinction, calling it that is fine.
Click to expand...
https://www.amd.com/en/partner/3rd-gen-amd-ryzen-threadripper
https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/zen-core-technologies
https://community.amd.com/t5/gaming...ost-overdrive-in-three-easy-steps/ba-p/416136

I'm sure there's video out there of Lisa Su calling PBO overclocking. I'm just too lazy to look through youtube videos.

I don't really get why you are pressing on this. Its overclocking and its not technically covered by warranty.
 
vorpel said:
I am afraid of going with an AIO cooler as I'm reluctant to add complexity if I don't have to.
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If you have enough space, I would recommend getting a Noctua NH-D15s or NH-D15. Its as effective as most 240mm AIO. And yeah, you don't have to worry about pump issues or pump noise.

IMO, the reason to use an AIO is if you don't have the space for a large tower cooler. or if you need the cooling potential of a 280mm or 360mm AIO.

If you get one with a quiet pump, they can be pretty great. But it can be a lottery.
 
I'd have gone for something like the MSI X570 Unify or the X570 Tomahawk.
 
i have the same mobo and used a noctua d15s because it was designed not to interfere with the memory. looks good with chromax mod. (not sure if you can buy it off the shelf like that now or not) may have been a better cooler being you went with the 16 core proc? you will prob be ok but would prob get better clocks with a beefier cooling solution.
 
Dan_D said:
I'd have gone for something like the MSI X570 Unify or the X570 Tomahawk.
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Hi Dan. What would be the best reason to switch? I certainly can as I'm already doing 1 return so a 2nd is no big deal. Just curious.

Thanks
 
I did a crash course on researching AIOs at lunch and decided to give the Cooler Master ML360R a try. Watching some install guides made it not quite as intimidating as I thought of it this morning. It also looks like it will work just fine in my case and trying something completely new will be good for me...! I was looking at the Noctua d15s as mentioned above and that will be the fall back if this is too noisy, but I'm not really that sensitive.

Thanks again for all the help and advice.
 
Whach said:
I think it looks good. I'd beef up the cooler though. I went around the fan issue on my D15 by not placing the fans over the memory, just moved one of the fans to the other side of the cooler. No probs so far.

View attachment 452080
Click to expand...

I also did the same with my D15, been problem free for over 2 years.
 
vorpel said:
Hi Dan. What would be the best reason to switch? I certainly can as I'm already doing 1 return so a 2nd is no big deal. Just curious.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Better built and better VRM's than the ASUS TUF X570 if I recall correctly.
 
Dan_D said:
Better built and better VRM's than the ASUS TUF X570 if I recall correctly.
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I appreciate the info - better quality is worth going for. Added bonus - looks like the Unify has 3 m.2 slots and that might come in handy as I will already have 2 of them filled and Glad I asked now vs. after opening anything.
 
If you are replacing your board anyway, the slightly updated X570S models do not have a chipset fan, if the chipset fan is a bummer for you.

On the ASUS Side, there's the X570S E Gaming II. On the MSI side, the X570S Unify / Ace Max
 
Why the preference for mboards without a chipset fan? My ASUS RoG Strix-E has been rock solid for almost two years now. Chipset fan is a non-issue.
 
philb2 said:
Why the preference for mboards without a chipset fan? My ASUS RoG Strix-E has been rock solid for almost two years now. Chipset fan is a non-issue.
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Heatsinks last longer than tiny fans.

Your computer has been solid for two years? Lol that's nothing. My motherboard has been solid for 11 years.
 
philb2 said:
Why the preference for mboards without a chipset fan? My ASUS RoG Strix-E has been rock solid for almost two years now. Chipset fan is a non-issue.
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If the fans were standard and easily user replaceable, I'd have no problem with chipset fans either, just like any other standard part. I have replaced some GPU wobbly fans since the parts were relatively standard.

I'll admit that this is likely a pet peeve more than anything, but I'd rather not have to think about junking a motherboard or a GPU because the fan died and I have no alternative. Chipset fans don't really inspire the same longevity / confidence as power supply fans or more premium case fans that feel like they will last more than the lifetime of your build.
 
mda said:
I'd rather not have to think about junking a motherboard or a GPU because the fan died and I have no alternative.
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You could always shoehorn something in there; worst case scenario you have to swap out a connector.
 
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philb2 said:
Why the preference for mboards without a chipset fan? My ASUS RoG Strix-E has been rock solid for almost two years now. Chipset fan is a non-issue.
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For the same reason I don't want to buy a house with a box of dynamite in the garage. Sure, it hasn't gone off for years, but wouldn't it be better to not have it at all?

A properly designed heat-sink is never going to make noise, and it doesn't wear out. Why would I want a board with a fan when I can get one without?
 
The 5900x is the lowest TDP CPU I've dailied in a long time, and I consider a D15 in a very well-ventilated case to be the minimum for good performance with PBO2.
 
d3athf1sh said:
i have the same mobo and used a noctua d15s because it was designed not to interfere with the memory. looks good with chromax mod. (not sure if you can buy it off the shelf like that now or not) may have been a better cooler being you went with the 16 core proc? you will prob be ok but would prob get better clocks with a beefier cooling solution.
Click to expand...
You can buy full black Chromax D15's, and for at least since 3rd July 2021. I run the single fan version of it in my old x99 workstation that runs as a debian file server and plex box today. It works great too but it runs stock with all the power saving stuff on.
PXL_20220315_220358776.jpg
 
Although you ordered the components already, you may want to reconsider the whole thing. You see, there is absolutely no good combination of a CPU air cooler and RAM for that CPU because all of the big air coolers leave barely enough room for RAM without any heat spreaders at all whatsoever. If you were to have gone for the NH-D15, you would have had to downgrade to the standard Crucial DDR4-3200 RAM with CL22 timings (22-22-22-52) in order to accommodate that huge cooler.
 
E4g1e said:
Although you ordered the components already, you may want to reconsider the whole thing. You see, there is absolutely no good combination of a CPU air cooler and RAM for that CPU because all of the big air coolers leave barely enough room for RAM without any heat spreaders at all whatsoever. If you were to have gone for the NH-D15, you would have had to downgrade to the standard Crucial DDR4-3200 RAM with CL22 timings (22-22-22-52) in order to accommodate that huge cooler.
Click to expand...

That's not strictly true; if you replace the D15's front fan with an A12x25 120mm fan, you get decent RAM clearance and only lose a very small bit of cooling capacity (if any). The NH-U12A is another option that's only marginally behind the full D15. I would agree that if the CPU is going to be run flat-out on all cores for any significant length of time, you're probably better off going with liquid cooling.
 
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