Need a new PC - AMD Ryzen - Help Appreciated

ZingK

I can't build PC's but I need a new PC to run scientific calculations and everyday general use. I'm told by the guys who developed the software I will be using that AMD Ryzen Ryzen 7 1800x is the best value for money for a home PC for my requirements. (For my budget I am willing to use a 1700 or 1700x if I have to) It must have at least 16GB-32GB of DDR4 RAM with option to go up to 64GB. Processor and RAM are the 2 most important things for me.

I have been looking at past posts here to get an idea of what type of things would suit me best. Unfortunately the prices I am getting from the likes of PC Specialist, Scan and PC Customizer (All recommended on this site) are a bit more than I want to spend. So I am thinking there may be things I don't need and you guys could advise me how I could get the PC I want for my budget please.

What are MeshComputers like? Are they valuable and reliable? Also what are VIBOX and CyberPower like? Is there anyone in particular you would recommend for me to get my PC Built? Ideally I would have some sort of warranty as I would be in no mans land if I didn't and something went wrong.

I just want a PC that will last, do what I require and be good value for money, not much to ask I know, haha.

1. What is your budget? €1000-€1300

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Main purpose would be scientific calculations and normal daily office use. I wont be playing games on this PC.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes/No] Yes, Windows 10

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility) No - completely new build

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes/No] No

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.] - I need a wifi option, preferably an option for wireless keyboard and mouse (not essential), Bluetooth (not essential), want options for latest USB ports if possible and a DVD writer to install software.

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No] No

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser] Visa Debit or Neteller.

9. When are you purchasing? In the next few weeks, as soon as I find a machine that does what I want for a decent price.

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? Dublin 8

I have been looking on Amazon and I see a few pre built Ryzen PC's that are there but prob have a few parts that you guys would not consider ideal. Maybe they would be fine for me? I am not sure.

This is approx 1200 euro with Windows 10 and 2TB hd. Ideally I would have 3TB but 2TB is sufficient. Not sure I need SSD, I see everyone saying its essential to have SSD on new computers now but for my budget other things are more important to me but could be convinced otherwise: https://www.amazon.co.uk/VIBOX-Gaming-Killstreak-Processor-Motherboard/dp/B06XCXRM1C/ref=sr_1_22?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1490509036&sr=1-22&keywords=amd+ryzen+1700x&th=1

There are a few PCs like above on Amazon from various suppliers, not sure which one to go with though tbh.

I seen this deal from Mesh Computer and was considering customising it to suit my needs https://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTCONFIGPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=1413833
When messing around with the customisation I got it to approx 1300 euro which was considerably cheaper than SCAN, PC Customizer and PC Specialists. Its not clear if they deliver to Ireland and how much extra that would cost me yet.

Its prob obvious I am a clueless noob at this stuff, apologies if I put something in the post I am not allowed.

Id also just like to say I have learned a good bit by browsing past posts on this forum and this is a fantastic place with lots of people who obviously know their stuff.

Thanks a mil for your time.

K.O.Kiki

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=103035706&postcount=3

Serephucus

If you really don't need anything from the graphics card other than connecting monitors to it, you could swap the one there for a €20-30 one.

Also, budget permitting, I'd up the RAM to the fastest speed you can afford. Ryzen seems to love faster memory.

Other than those, rock solid build. Oh, you'll need to add about €100 for Windows there too.

K.O.Kiki

A Ryzen R7-1700 can easily run at 4.0GHz, and will run exactly the same as 1700X/1800X @ 4.0GHz

Forgot your budget is lower than the other thread; drop down to 16Gb RAM:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD RYZEN 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor (€345.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming ATX AM4 Motherboard (€111.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€137.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€139.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 7K3000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€58.50 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card (€146.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Thermaltake Suppressor F31 ATX Mid Tower Case (€83.89 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (€67.84 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer (€19.61 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro Full - USB 32/64-bit (€114.47 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Mouse: Logitech M705 Wireless Laser Mouse (€43.98 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Other: Card Reader (€10.00)
Total: €1280.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-27 13:57 CEST+0200

Added a Logitech M705 mouse (amazing for office work - InfiniteScroll and sideways scroll are the best!)
Logitech MX Master (€69) would be the next step up from that.

ZingK

Thanks a mil for your advice, much appreciated.

finlaycm

What type of scientific analysis are you running? Curious, I'm a scientist also.

You may not need any GPU. The 1700/X probably runs as good on games as the 1800X but the 1800/x may be better for what you need it for, if you lose the GPU you could easily upgrade.

Don't lose the SSD, for sanity's sake instal OS, office and the most commonly used programs on it.

K.O.Kiki

finlaycm wrote: »

What type of scientific analysis are you running? Curious, I'm a scientist also.

You may not need any GPU. The 1700/X probably runs as good on games as the 1800X but the 1800/x may be better for what you need it for, if you lose the GPU you could easily upgrade.

Don't lose the SSD, for sanity's sake instal OS, office and the most commonly used programs on it.

Ryzen 7 requires a discreet GPU as there are no onboard graphics.

finlaycm

Pick up an old GPU on adverts or something

Blazer

finlaycm wrote: »

Pick up an old GPU on adverts or something

Buy your windows license on Reddit or g2a.
I bought my last 3 license for around €30 apiece with no issues. Even better a windows 7/8 license is cheaper and gets you a free upgrade to windows 10 as the same windows 7 code is a valid windows 10 code.

K.O.Kiki

Blazer wrote: »

Buy your windows license on Reddit or g2a.
I bought my last 3 license for around €30 apiece with no issues. Even better a windows 7/8 license is cheaper and gets you a free upgrade to windows 10 as the same windows 7 code is a valid windows 10 code.

Pretty sure the window for the Win10 upgrade is closed.

However Windows 10 can be gotten for free.
Also OP I'm sure you have an IT guy to talk to

Blazer

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Pretty sure the window for the Win10 upgrade is closed.

However Windows 10 can be gotten for free.
Also OP I'm sure you have an IT guy to talk to

The free upgrade is closed as in Microsoft stopped offering it. However they never closed off the keys and a windows 7/8 key is still valid for windows 10. I've done my own pc recently and 2 others
Simply download the windows 10 ISO from Microsoft and use that key when asked

platinums

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Pretty sure the window for the Win10 upgrade is closed.


...

Well not exactly...


https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/accessibility/windows10upgrade

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/103038949#Comment_103038949

Hi All,

I would really appreciate some help to upgrade upgrade this PC I have had since 2017. I would like to have at least 64GB RAM, my current PC has 48GB and ideally I need at least 64GB for the work I do. I am ideally looking for as powerful a workstation I can get for less than €2000. If you could aslo please give me some advice on where to get it built as the people who built my PC are not in business anymore. Otherwise I would have 100% went back to them as this PC I have had has been fantastic.

Thanks for your time.

Spear

Ryzen 1 supports up to 64GB of RAM. You'd need Ryzen 3xxx to get 128GB or more. What motherboard do you have currently?

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120514825#Comment_120514825

Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming ATX AM4 Motherboard

This can go to 64GB and I considered getting more RAM but the PC is 6 years old so I thought maybe I should upgrade to a new PC. My PC is still working but my CPU, Memory and Disk are usually extremley high (75-100%) everytime I try and run some jobs. I get by, but I would like a world where I can run jobs faster and continue working on my PC. What would be your advice for me please?

Spear

That board will support a 5xxx series Ryzen. That means up to 16 cores/32 threads.

Going up to a 7xxx series would mean new CPU, board and RAM.

Do you know if the workload you're running is CPU or RAM bound?

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120514894#Comment_120514894

I would say it has to be both. For example I am currently running a job and my CPU is at 99% and my Memory is at 72%. I currently have 48g RAM. My disk often goes to 100% when I open up multiple files which I need to do to work. If I am just browsing the internet or playing a game (do not play much), it is fine. It is just when I run my jobs or have lots of applications open at the same time that I start to have issues. As I said, I get by but I want a better PC to work with to help improve my day to day tasks. I believe a powerful workstation is what I am looking for.

Spear

For the disk part, moving to an m.2 nvme drive would massively help, assuming you're still using that 2.5 inch SATA SSD.

Moving up to full workstation grade parts, such as Threadripper or Xeon W9 would be prohibitively expensive.

Lumen

For example I am currently running a job and my CPU is at 99% and my Memory is at 72%. I currently have 48g RAM. My disk often goes to 100% when I open up multiple files which I need to do to work. If I am just browsing the internet or playing a game (do not play much), it is fine. It is just when I run my jobs or have lots of applications open at the same time that I start to have issues. As I said, I get by but I want a better PC to work with to help improve my day to day tasks. I believe a powerful workstation is what I am looking for.

The symptoms you describe may have an alternative cause than inadequate hardware.

For instance, malware, anti-virus software, inadequate or badly managed disk space, cluttered operating system.

You may solve this problem with a new machine (as long as you install programs from scratch and don't copy across any malware) but that wouldn't be down to the new hardware.

A couple of years ago I helped a friend who had a high-end iMac that was the slowest machine I have ever seen. It was absolutely infested with malware but after a clean up it flew along.

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120514947#Comment_120514947

My hard drive is not SSD, It was one thing I decided at the time I could do without to make my purchase cheaper. I obviously regret that now. Please see the disk drive I am currently using.

Spear

And old fashioned spinning rust drive? That has a sequential read speed of 193 MBps. An older PCIe 3.0 NVME drive will hit 3500 MBps in comparison.

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120515216#Comment_120515216

I am unsure and not qualified to know if what you are saying is correct. I have windows defender and had avira free antivirus before I uninstalled it as felt maybe it slows my PC. I thought about what you said many times and tried to do some housekeeping on my PC like run chkdsk /f /r /x and use some windows diagnostics tools. It is just that the PC is 6 years old, used every single day and almost always on. I am unsure how much longer I should expect to get out of it. So I thought maybe it was time for an upgrade?

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120515347#Comment_120515347

Lol, I feel a bit stupid. My disk has been recently an ongoing issue for me. So do you think If I should move to an m.2 nvme drive (no idea, please advise of the best one I can get), added an extra 16gb of RAM and got my PC serviced it would serve me a lot better than getting a new PC?

Would you reccomend anywhere to get this done? I live in Dublin city centre.

Or can I do this myself by looking at YouTube? I would like my PC serviced at least, maybe get some newer parts for it, a better fan etc. Anywhere people reccomend to go for a good service that is reasonably priced?

Thanks for your advice, much appreciated.

Spear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120515383#Comment_120515383

An nvme drive would be a massive jump in speed for anything disk related. Once it's installed, you can mirror the current drive contents onto it. You'd also get to keep the old hard drive as bulk storage.

Installing it physically, is just a matter of pushing one end into the slot, and putting in in the one screw it needs at the other end.

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120515474#Comment_120515474

Ok, thanks for your feedback, I am strongly considering getting a good one of these, had a look at youtube and seems easy to install. What about my PC being 6 years old? Do some parts not just stop working? Would I not be better off upgrading some parts of it? Anything you can think of that might need to be upgraded at this stage so I can look into it?

Thanks.

Spear

The drive is a fairly cheap upgrade, get that out of the way first, and then see where you stand before committing to anything else.

Any further upgrade, even if it's new motherboard will still be able to use the nvme drive, unlike potentially other components.

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120515527#Comment_120515527

Brilliant, thanks a mil for your advice mate. I love this place.

Spear

A couple of caveats.

There's both SATA and PCIe mode nvme drives available. Just to be explicit, both are compatible with your board, but you want the faster PCIe ones, which should be just about all there is.

In terms of mirroring your current installation across to the nvme drive, there's loads of free tools about to do this. You may want to read up on these in advance to make sure, and find one you're happy to use, since that's the point where there's a risk of data loss if you get it backwards.

ZingK

I am not overly concerned about mirroring as I regularly back up my important files to 2 external hard drives. I did not trust my current hard drive to last. I will take your advice though and look into it.

Thanks for info regarding faster PCIe, I will do my homework and get a good one.

Thanks a mil.

ZingK

WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 NVMe Gaming SSD with Heatsink up to 7300 MB/s read speed https://amzn.eu/d/fNGXPWP

How does this look to you? How do I know this is compatible with my motherboard? Would anyone recommend a better one than this?

Spear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120515799#Comment_120515799

That's a PCIe 4.0 drive, and your current board only supports 3.0 It'll still work, but you won't get the full speed out of it, probably a little under 4 GBps. Hence why the PCIe gen 3.0 drives tend to have speeds in the high 3.x GBps range. You could save money and go for an old, cheaper 3.0 drive, unless you're thinking longer term and re-using a 4.0 drive in a later machine.

ZingK

Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 (2280) Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (MZ-V7S2T0) , Black

https://amzn.eu/d/cJIFYKX

Which one do you reccomend I go for. I do not really care too much about the price, the difference is not so much. I just want the one with the best performance. If the PCIe 4.0 drive performs better on my motherboard and I can use it for a future machine then I prefer that one. But if the 3.0 performs better on my machine, that makes my decision tougher. Any advice? Thank in advance.

Spear

The Samsung 9x0 series of drives are extremely popular ones, I run them myself.

In terms of speed, a PCIe 4.0 drive will just run at PCIe 3.0 in a 3.0 board. It won't be slower than a 3.0 only drive.

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120517693#Comment_120517693

Ok thanks, I bought the Samsung one for now. They are all way more reasonably priced than I ever expected. I can keep this PC even if I get a new one. The plan at the moment is to improve the one I have. Thanks again, have a good day.

ZingK

https://www.gigabyte.com/ie/Motherboard/GA-AB350-Gaming-rev-1x/sp#sp

1. 4 x DDR4 DIMM sockets supporting up to 64 GB of system memory
2. Dual channel memory architecture
3. Support for DDR4 3200(O.C.)/2933(O.C.)/2667*/2400/2133 MHz memory modules
4. * Support for higher than DDR4 2667 MHz may vary by CPU.
5. Support for ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode)
6. Support for non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 memory modules
7. Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules

One more question please. I currently have 2 x 16gb and 2 x 8gb RAM = 48GB in my PC. I want to buy 2 x 16GB RAM to give me 64GB. I can not buy higher than DDR4 3200, that is correct right?

This is the best I can currently find. Can you reccomend anything better for the motherboard I have?

Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO SL 32 GB (2x16 GB) DDR4 3200 MHz C16, Illuminated Desktop Memory Kit (10 Individually Addressable RGB LEDs, Optimised for AMD Ryzen), Black https://amzn.eu/d/5ONUElW

Spear

The simplest approach is just to match the pre-existing x2 16GB DIMMs. Mixing different speeds/latencies is too open to trouble.

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120518496#Comment_120518496

Crucial CT16G4DFD8213 16 GB (DDR4, 2133 MT/s, PC4-17000, Dual Rank x8, DIMM 288-Pin) Memory https://amzn.eu/d/dfhoWmW

This above is what I bought in 2017.

I am thinking, would I not be better off getting 4 of the below and replacing all my RAM?

Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO SL 32 GB (2x16 GB) DDR4 3200 MHz C16, Illuminated Desktop Memory Kit (10 Individually Addressable RGB LEDs, Optimised for AMD Ryzen), Black https://amzn.eu/d/5ONUElW

They seem to be easier to get too. And how long does RAM last before it goes bad, slows down etc? 6 years I have been using it.

Thanks for your help.

Spear

RAM doesn't slow down over time. And there's no lifetime on them. Sometimes a stick will die, but that's the same as any other hardware.

The old RAM was a bit slow at 2133MHz, so going up to 3200MHz won't hurt. So long as you're happy to spend the money, then a full set of 3200MHz should be the simpler option.

ZingK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120518666#Comment_120518666

Great, thanks a million for your time and feedback.

ZingK

installing the SSD not as straightforward as I thought. Can you see this image I added, it includes motherboard booklet which shows me where I need to add the SSD drive. Number 9 = M2F_32G

Do I need to remove something before I can install this?

I have no idea. First time doing this.

Thanks for your help.

wotzgoingon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120543897#Comment_120543897

Is it a M2 drive? If so you have to remove the GPU as it is installed underneath where the GPU is.

ZingK

Yes a Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus NVMeM.2 SSD.

Considering I have never done this before, would you recommend me doing this? Will I not mess it up? Should I get someone else?

Im a bit clueless. Obv would prefer to do this myself and get it working ASAP.

Thanks.

wotzgoingon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120543926#Comment_120543926

It's easy all you need is a screw driver to remove the screw for the GPU press the clip and out it comes and then another screw for the M2 cover then slot in the M2 drive and screw it down. Very easy to do.

ZingK

A bit embarrassed to ask this one but is my GPU the ZOTAC in the image I added and I need to unscrew that left screw?

And then I can fit my SSD in and this GPU back?

Im a bit scared but if it is straight forward I deffo want to do it.

Thanks

ZingK

Is there not room below it? I thought it would be as easy as adding my RAM, sigh.

wotzgoingon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120543997#Comment_120543997

The screw on the bottom right of that image is what you take out. Then press the clip on PCIe socket and take out the GPU. Then undo the screw on the M2 cover and slot in the M2 drive and tighten up the screw.

ZingK

undo the screw on the m2 cover? Which screw am I looking for exactly?

Thanks a mil for your time

ZingK

I think I see it actually, unscrew that screw at 80. Then try and slot this in. Some craic. Haha. Let’s see if I can do it.

wotzgoingon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120544173#Comment_120544173

That's it. Sorry some MB have a cover your's doesn't but unscrew that screw and use it to hold down the new SSD.

ZingK

Now I need to put GPU back and the put the cover back. I need to buy air spray for dust too.

Anything I missed please let me know.

Genuinely appreciate your time and help, tyty.

ZingK

Adding this to confirm I put GPU back. And that should be it I think. Easy enough, next time I know what I’m doing.