New AM4 Build Suggestions

alanzo27

I'm going to upgrade my build soon. Sticking to mATX. I like compact machines.

Considering the following.

Ryzen 5 3600x OR Ryzen 7 3700x CPU
ASRock B450m Steel Legend OR ASRock X570m Pro 4 (Only choice for X570 mATX at the moment.)
2x 8GB 3600Mhz CL14 RAM
Sapphire Pulse RX 5700XT GPU
Corsair 280x Case (Any alternatives to this? Not fussed on a case right now but considering one in the future)

Already have a decent case, storage, PSU, peripherals and a copy of Windows 10 Pro.

TIA.

K.O.Kiki

3600MHz CL14 doesn't exist - you'd have to manually OC & tune to get those latencies at that clockspeed.

Corsair 280X isn't small - 39L
I'd look at mini-ITX if you want to be compact - mATX isn't appreciably smaller than ATX, IMHO.

alanzo27

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

3600MHz CL14 doesn't exist - you'd have to manually OC & tune to get those latencies at that clockspeed.

Corsair 280X isn't small - 39L
I'd look at mini-ITX if you want to be compact - mATX isn't appreciably smaller than ATX, IMHO.

I definitely need to do more research. I understood that 3200MHz was base clock on AM4 Ryzen 3000's. Just assumed that 3600MHz existed. Also getting mixed up in cases. Was looking at so many that everything just became a blur. 🙈

It was the Cooler Master Q500L I was interested in.

It is probably more practical for me to go for an ATX case/mobo. I'm not too fussed on keeping it compact. I'm not planning on OC, would 3200 be sufficient?

K.O.Kiki

3600MHz exists, but not at CL14 latencies without tweaking.

3200MHz CL16 is super cheap right now - €77-87 for 2x8Gb compared to €135+ for CL14/CL15.
However 3600 & 3733 MHz CL17 is nearly the same price - they're a better buy IMHO.

Q500L isn't a good case.
Look at Riotoro CR1080/1088 for compact ATX, or consider mini-ITX.

wotzgoingon

3600MHz CL16 is what you should aim for and then run IF 1800MHz. I have them running on my 3700X. They cost more but are worth it.

3200MHz CL14 was the best for first gen Ryzen.

I have this kit. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team-group-8pack-edition-16gb-2x8gb-ddr4-pc4-28800c16-3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-black-my-08q-tg.html

They run 3600MHz CL14.

alanzo27

Thanks guys. Will I be OK with a B450 or should I go for an X570 for a 3600x/3700x? Am I missing anything useful other than PCIe 4.0?

Can't decide between the two. Would like to have the extra 2 cores, but not sure if I'd utilise them. What's the stock cooler like on the 3700x?

K.O.Kiki

alanzo27 wrote: »

Thanks guys. Will I be OK with a B450 or should I go for an X570 for a 3600x/3700x? Am I missing anything useful other than PCIe 4.0?

Can't decide between the two. Would like to have the extra 2 cores, but not sure if I'd utilise them. What's the stock cooler like on the 3700x?

B450 will work as long as BIOS has been updated - get X570 if you don't want any hassle.

3700X stock cooler is decent - Wraith Prism RGB - better than the 3600 one.

If you want a decent budget watercooling AIO, check out the Arctic Liquid Freezer II series; or their Freezer 34/33 eSports One for a tower cooler.

alanzo27

Thanks guys. I bought the GPU today from amazon.fr. €432 including delivery.

alanzo27

Any suggestions regarding the motherboard? Was looking at the MSI B450m Mortar but from reading there are major issues with stability on 3rd Gen Ryzen CPU's. I don't think the X570m board is worth ~200, especially since it's the only mATX board as of now. I can't see myself needing PCIe 4.0 anytime soon.

alanzo27

This is my final build. After a lot of research, suggestions from you guys and price comparisons, this is what has resulted. I'll include hardware that I currently own to complete the build.

CPU: Ryzen 7 3800x with Wraith Prism RGB Cooler (€429 Komplett.ie)
GPU: Sapphire Pulse RX 5700XT (€419 Amazon.fr)
RAM: 2x 8GB Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB 3600Mhz CL18 (€110 Amazon.de)
Motherboard: MSI B450M Mortar Max (€100 Amazon.de)
PSU: EVGA 750w GQ Semi Modular 80+ Gold
SSD: 500GB Samsung 860 Evo
HDD: 1TB Western Digital Blue 7200RPM
External HDD: Seagate 2TB 7200RPM
ODD: 16x DVD+R DL
Case: Rosewill Line M mATX

Will definitely upgrade current case as there is no room for optimal cable management, and no point having RGB components without being able to see them.

Any thoughts on the NZXT H500i/H510i?

wotzgoingon

I'd actually go for the RAM I posted further up the thread than the stuff you posted just now. I know it costs a bit more but it's worth it due to the tighter timings.

alanzo27

wotzgoingon wrote: »

I'd actually go for the RAM I posted further up the thread than the stuff you posted just now. I know it costs a bit more but it's worth it due to the tighter timings.

I'll amend my RAM selection to the one you suggested.
Will CL16 with Samsung's B-Die make a huge difference? Also any thoughts on the case I suggested?

wotzgoingon

alanzo27 wrote: »

I'll amend my RAM selection to the one you suggested.
Will CL16 with Samsung's B-Die make a huge difference? Also any thoughts on the case I suggested?

You won't notice a difference day top day but benchmarks and gaining a few extra frames while gaming so it is worth it. It's not even that much more expensive so worth it.

alanzo27

Makes sense.

I've ordered the remaining components. Just need to decide on a case and I'm all set. Can't wait to build it.

Will post some pics when the build is complete.

alanzo27

I was hoping to build this week but my Motherboard and RAM are delayed as they were sent to the wrong sorting hub in France and were returned. I don't know now when they will arrive.

celticsfan

alanzo27 wrote: »

I was hoping to build this week but my Motherboard and RAM are delayed as they were sent to the wrong sorting hub in France and were returned. I don't know now when they will arrive.

Who did you order them off?? Getting a few parts myself and sticking to the UK stores!

alanzo27

celticsfan wrote: »

Who did you order them off?? Getting a few parts myself and sticking to the UK stores!

I ordered from Amazon.de, Amazon.fr and Komplett. I got the best price for each component. The Motherboard and RAM were ordered from Amazon.de, and unfortunately I made a mistake and attempted payment with a savings account. Items were shipped and I then had to manually transfer the amount owed + €3 fee for bounced payment. Now the items have been returned due to a technical issue and I have to wait 10 days for a refund.

I'm just going to order from MemoryC.ie, they are based in Celbridge and I can collect from them. I will be paying slightly more but at least I'll have peace of mind.

Redfox25

alanzo27 wrote: »

I ordered from Amazon.de, Amazon.fr and Komplett. I got the best price for each component. The Motherboard and RAM were ordered from Amazon.de, and unfortunately I made a mistake and attempted payment with a savings account. Items were shipped and I then had to manually transfer the amount owed + €3 fee for bounced payment. Now the items have been returned due to a technical issue and I have to wait 10 days for a refund.

I'm just going to order from MemoryC.ie, they are based in Celbridge and I can collect from them. I will be paying slightly more but at least I'll have peace of mind.

MemoryC are good for that sort of stuff so fingers crossed you get sorted

alanzo27

After a few hours of carefully assembling everything, my build is complete. I have changed the mobo and RAM as the MSI Mortar was out of stock, and the new mobo doesn't support 3600MHz RAM according to MSI.

I went with the MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC and GSkill 3200MHz Trident Z RGB. Solid board apart from the BIOS issues. My 3800X was not being detected and the system refused to boot. I eventually got it to work but I had to flash the latest BIOS which took several attempts and clear the CMOS. Booting is hit and miss which is a common issue with a Ryzen 3000 CPU installed. Hopefully that can be resolved in the future.

I'm having a lot of fun with the RGB lighting. :P

celticsfan

alanzo27 wrote: »

After a few hours of carefully assembling everything, my build is complete. I have changed the mobo and RAM as the MSI Mortar was out of stock, and the new mobo doesn't support 3600MHz RAM according to MSI.

I went with the MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC and GSkill 3200MHz Trident Z RGB. Solid board apart from the BIOS issues. My 3800X was not being detected and the system refused to boot. I eventually got it to work but I had to flash the latest BIOS which took several attempts and clear the CMOS. Booting is hit and miss which is a common issue with a Ryzen 3000 CPU installed. Hopefully that can be resolved in the future.

I'm having a lot of fun with the RGB lighting. :P

Nice one!! I am going with that mobo myself after some indecision...If that's an NZXT H500 we will have similar builds,I am gonna go with the Noctua D15 Chromax version for a CPU cooler...


I will be limited in terms of ram height but am just gonna go with a single fan between the two heatsinks...


Have a link to the ram you went with by any chance??

alanzo27

celticsfan wrote: »

Nice one!! I am going with that mobo myself after some indecision...If that's an NZXT H500 we will have similar builds,I am gonna go with the Noctua D15 Chromax version for a CPU cooler...


I will be limited in terms of ram height but am just gonna go with a single fan between the two heatsinks...


Have a link to the ram you went with by any chance??

Link for the RAM I bought.

https://www.memoryc.ie/25413-16gb-g-skill-ddr4-tridentz-rgb-3200mhz-pc4-25600-cl16-1-35v-dual-channel-kit-2x8gb.html

I went for the H510 Elite. I know it's expensive and the only differences compared to the other versions are the newer version of the RGB controller, front tempered glass and included RGB fans but I wanted those extras.

As there is no USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C header on the mobo the port is not functional on the case. It's only a minor downside and I doubt I'll miss it tbh.

alanzo27

Just a quick update. I have the H510 Elite case, and from reading various tech forums and watching videos on YouTube airflow is apparantly poor due to the front tempered glass panel, and is placed low on recommendation lists for noise and thermals. I myself haven't noticed any issues. I'm not overclocking apart from using the XMP profiles for the RAM, and temperatures are well within optimal range.

Only issue I have is running RDR2 with acceptable performance/running the game at all like many others. Waiting for fixes and a full guide on optimising all settings including the advanced graphical settings for my hardware before playing the game.

Everything else is great, I'm very happy with my setup. I am considering buying an NVMe drive though as I'm convinced that my 1TB HDD used for backups and games is dying.

K.O.Kiki

alanzo27 wrote: »

Just a quick update. I have the H510 Elite case, and from reading various tech forums and watching videos on YouTube airflow is apparantly poor due to the front tempered glass panel, and is placed low on recommendation lists for noise and thermals. I myself haven't noticed any issues. I'm not overclocking apart from using the XMP profiles for the RAM, and temperatures are well within optimal range.

Only issue I have is running RDR2 with acceptable performance/running the game at all like many others. Waiting for fixes and a full guide on optimising all settings including the advanced graphical settings for my hardware before playing the game.

Everything else is great, I'm very happy with my setup. I am considering buying an NVMe drive though as I'm convinced that my 1TB HDD used for backups and games is dying.

alanzo27

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

That was quick, I watched Part 1 and wasn't expecting Part 2 yet.