Build a new system instead of upgrading an old one

[b4u]

Hi,

I'm in the process of choosing a replacement for my computer, as I currently have an i5 2500K with 8Gb ripjaws memory on an Asus P8P67 EVO motherboard.

My graphic card just died a couple of months ago, so I replaced with a very cheap and basic geforce 210, just for the sake of being able to work, but of course no gaming since then.

So I now have a new Logitech G29, I want to go back to some gaming, which will include driving games (F1 2019, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Project Cars 2) and also some FPS in the likes of Call Of Duty. And I'm not a resolution perfectionist, so I'm not targeting a 4K with 100fps, as I have a 22" monitor with a 1680x1050@60Hz and have no plans to replace it (if it doesn't break, that is).

So I went to a shop, looking to buy a graphics card, an ssd and additional 8gb RAM to bump up the machine to a gaming status, but my motherboard (PCIe 2.0 x16) will just limit the power I could extract from a modern graphics card, and so they advised me to think about an upgrade.

I normally prefer to just use the hardware until I cannot extract enough power from it and so, against my non-consumerist behavior, I just made a list of components for a nice-to-have machine:

• Intel Core i5-9600K Hexa-Core 3.7GHz w/ Turbo 4.6GHz 9MB Skt1151

Intel® Core™ i5-9600K Processor (9M Cache, up to 4.60 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Core™ i5-9600K Processor (9M Cache, up to 4.60 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

• Motherboard ATX Asus Prime Z390-P (P/N: 90MB0XX0-M0EAY0)

PRIME Z390-P | Motherboards | ASUS Global

Intel Z390 motherboard with ASUS OptiMem II for best memory overclocking, and 5X Protection III hardware safeguards

www.asus.com

• Memory RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3000MHz CL15 (P/N: F4-3000C15D-16GVRB)

F4-3000C15D-16GVRB-(EOL) - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Ripjaws V series DDR4 DRAM memory is designed for sleek aesthetics and performance, making it an ideal choice for building a new PC system or for upgrading your system memory.

www.gskill.com

• Cooler CPU Noctua NH-D15

NH-D15

Built on the basis of the legendary NH-D14 and carrying on its quest for ultimate quiet cooling performance, Noctua’s flagship model NH-D15 is an elite-class dual tower cooler for the highest demands. Its expanded heatpipe layout and two premium grade NF-A15 140mm fans with PWM support for...

noctua.at

• SSD M.2 2280 Samsung 970 Pro 512GB MLC V-NAND NVMe (P/N: MZ-V7P512BW)

SSD 970 PRO NVMe M.2 512GB Memory & Storage - MZ-V7P512BW | Samsung US

Discover the latest features and innovations available in the SSD 970 PRO NVMe M.2 512GB. Find the perfect Memory & Storage for you!

www.samsung.com

• Graphic Card Asus GeForce GTX 1660 TUF Gaming 6GB

TUF-GTX1660-6G-GAMING | Graphics Cards | ASUS Global

The ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce® GTX 1660 6GB GDDR5 rocks high refresh rates in high definition. With IP5X Dust Resistance, dual ball fan bearings, and Auto-Extreme Technology, you´ll have the edge in every firefight without breaking a sweat.

www.asus.com

So then I need your opinions regarding all this story, should or must I really go into a new build to regain a gaming machine for what I'm targeting for?

About the Graphics Card, it's very confusing at the moment ... we have TUF, 6G, with or without overclock (OC), TI or not TI ... they all look the same if not for some 3-4 fps difference? Or is there anything else I should account for and opt for a OC+TI version (that costs around 90€ more)? Spec numbers are higher with the OC+TI, but I will not be running benchmarks, I'll be running real games.

The processor is a 6-core with non-hyper-thread, should I opt for another one for a bit more money?

I really need your opinions as to get the most best spot on price performance.


Thank in advance.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

In my opinion now is not the time to buy a graphics card unless you absolutely have to (like me)
New nvidia cards coming within 6 months.
Currently the value appears to be with AMD 5700 variant cards, if gaming is going to be your thing 5700xt.
I have had several AMD cards so for me it was time for a change. I went with a 1660ti so far I’m pretty happy with it but keep in mind I wanted a change from AMD for no reason other than having something different. My choices were limited because many new cards do not have dvi connections.

 

[b4u]

In my opinion now is not the time to buy a graphics card unless you absolutely have to (like me)
New nvidia cards coming within 6 months.
Currently the value appears to be with AMD 5700 variant cards, if gaming is going to be your thing 5700xt.
I have had several AMD cards so for me it was time for a change. I went with a 1660ti so far I’m pretty happy with it but keep in mind I wanted a change from AMD for no reason other than having something different. My choices were limited because many new cards do not have dvi connections.

Thank you for your response.

Well at the moment I have no way to play a game with my graphics card, so if I plan to do some gaming, I need to get one. Personally I prefer to go for a nvidia, first because I'm used to the brand, and second because I need cuda cores for some software that uses them (and does not work without them).

Black friday is almost here, so maybe I can get a decent deal for a TI nvidia card that compensates for not waiting 6 months for the next nvidia launches.

What is the brand/model of your 1660ti card?

Thanks

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Thank you for your response.

Well at the moment I have no way to play a game with my graphics card, so if I plan to do some gaming, I need to get one. Personally I prefer to go for a nvidia, first because I'm used to the brand, and second because I need cuda cores for some software that uses them (and does not work without them).

Black friday is almost here, so maybe I can get a decent deal for a TI nvidia card that compensates for not waiting 6 months for the next nvidia launches.

What is the brand/model of your 1660ti card?

Thanks

EVGA something. Overall I’m happy with it.
Good stuff
Runs fairly quiet
The control panel for the fans or over clocking looks dated but it’s simple to use
Zero heat concerns
Fairly short card, not tiny but far from the monster my 280x was

Bad stuff
Sort of like most AMD cards the value is it performs good enough for everything but not excellent at anything. Hard to be excited about “good enough”.
I don’t believe it has any VR potential but double check this if VR is something you might want. ATM I have zero interest in VR.
Only free game offered is some stupid racing game I have no interest in.

Partially off topic, you should consider an AMD Ryzen build. More of less the same at gaming but better at other things and is much more future oriented/more secure. Intels offerings at the moment are pretty much a dead platform, future security patches may slow intel down more than AMD.
If you simply prefer intel that is fine the difference isn’t that great either way.

 

[b4u]

Anyone have any idea if there is any gain on moving from:
RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3000MHz CL15 (F4-3000C15D-16GVRB)

To:
RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3600MHz CL18 (F4-3600C18D-16GVK)

The price would be the same, the latter has higher clock speed, but also higher latency.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I’m not a memory expert but I’d guess it would be minimal like 2%
Higher latency on the faster ram will negate most of its benefits
Price wise the value appears to be at 3200 cas 16 ram.
Also to my knowledge Intel machines don’t benefit from faster ram as much as Ryzen machines so maybe the lower cost 3000 memory is the right place.

Edit: go for 32GB if possible
Even if it is a choice between 16GB fast memory vs 32GB slower memory. Historically more memory beats faster memory.

 

[b4u]

I’m not a memory expert but I’d guess it would be minimal like 2%
Higher latency on the faster ram will negate most of its benefits
Price wise the value appears to be at 3200 cas 16 ram.
Also to my knowledge Intel machines don’t benefit from faster ram as much as Ryzen machines so maybe the lower cost 3000 memory is the right place.

Edit: go for 32GB if possible
Even if it is a choice between 16GB fast memory vs 32GB slower memory. Historically more memory beats faster memory.

Uhm ... for the same price, I have the following:
RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200MHz CL16 (F4-3200C16D-16GVGB) 85€

If I go for CL5 the price raises from 85€ to 130€ :/:
RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200MHz CL15 (F4-3200C15D-16GVR) 130€

Now for 32Gb, I have the following that I will consider:
RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3200MHz CL16 (F4-3200C16D-32GVK) 160€
RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3000MHz CL15 (F4-3000C15D-32GVR) 160€
RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3000MHz CL14 (F4-3000C14D-32GVR) 240€ (wow!!!)



Regarding the SSD:

Corsair SSD M.2 2280 Corsair Force Series MP510 960GB 3D TLC NVMe is selling for around 155€
Samsung SSD M.2 2280 Samsung 970 Pro 512GB MLC V-NAND NVMe is selling for around 170€


Samsung is well known for it's performance, but corsair seems to be very good, if not better.

Also I found that samsung has 600 TBW, which is very good from the values I've seen, but corsair presents their SDD with 1700 TBW, wow!!!

This also means that for a similar price, I get almost double the storage!

Does it mean samsung is loosing it's crown on NVMe?

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Memory I’d go for this:
RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3200MHz CL16 (F4-3200C16D-32GVK) 160€

But check to make sure it is qualified to work with your motherboard. Unlikely but it would suck if it only worked at 2400 speed in your motherboard

Regarding ssd’s I know @Markfw likes Corsair.
There aren’t many places that make ssd drives. Vendor name changes but multiple vendors buy the same chips/controllers the differences are mainly about warranty.

 

[b4u]

Hi,

I've been busy on black friday, looking for some hardware for my build.

At the moment I've managed to select the following hardware, basically everything except the CPU and cooler have some discount (or at least it seems to).

So my current list at the moment is as follows:

• Intel Core i5-9600K Hexa-Core 3.7GHz c/ Turbo 4.6GHz 9MB Skt1151

P/N: BX80684I59600K
Price: 226€

Intel® Core™ i5-9600K Processor (9M Cache, up to 4.60 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Core™ i5-9600K Processor (9M Cache, up to 4.60 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

• Cooler CPU Noctua NH-D15

P/N: NH-D15
Price: 91€

NH-D15

Built on the basis of the legendary NH-D14 and carrying on its quest for ultimate quiet cooling performance, Noctua’s flagship model NH-D15 is an elite-class dual tower cooler for the highest demands. Its expanded heatpipe layout and two premium grade NF-A15 140mm fans with PWM support for...

noctua.at

• RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200MHz CL16 Gunmetal

P/N: F4-3200C16D-16GVGB
Price: 62€

F4-3200C16D-16GVGB - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Ripjaws V series DDR4 DRAM memory is designed for sleek aesthetics and performance, making it an ideal choice for building a new PC system or for upgrading your system memory.

www.gskill.com

Note: Memory kit is listed on motherboard's qualified vendors list.

• Motherboard ATX Asus Prime Z390-P

P/N: 90MB0XX0-M0EAY0
Price: 115€

PRIME Z390-P | Motherboards | ASUS Global

Intel Z390 motherboard with ASUS OptiMem II for best memory overclocking, and 5X Protection III hardware safeguards

www.asus.com

• Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 2060 6GB

P/N: 90YV0CJ2-M0NA00
Price: 340€

Graphics Cards - All series｜ASUS USA

Spanning ten distinct series, ASUS graphics cards raise the bar with innovative designs honed to perform whether you’re looking to push high frame rates in the latest games, create content, or deploy deep learning and AI.

www.asus.com

• SSD M.2 2280 Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB MLC V-NAND NVMe

P/N: MZ-V7S500BW
Price: 110€

Samsung SSD 970 Evo Plus 1TB | MZ-V7S1T0BW | Samsung Business UK

See the benefits and features of this product for your business at Samsung Business UK. Click here to contact us. (NVMe SSD / MZ-V7S1T0BW)

www.samsung.com

This will put me at a total of 944€.


I just missed a Gigabyte RTX 2060 6GB SUPER for 370€, it sold out too fast for my wait :/

The CPU has 6 cores, no hyper-thread (which I would prefer if it had hyper-thread), but then again, my current i5 2500K has 4 cores also with no hyper-thread. Maybe it's important for gaming, maybe not ...

I opted for 970 Evo Pro instead of 970 Pro, basically for the price ... and 500GB will have to be enough, as price for 1Tb it's too much at the moment (250€).

I guess I'll stay with 16Gb RAM for the moment, I've selected the the above kit for it's price and for the fact that it's listed on Asus QVL. Raised my choice from 3000MHz CL15 to 3200MHz CL16 ... even though CL is lower, hope it will still be a fastest kit from the MHz improvement.

What is your opinion on this build?

Should I opt for a Gigabyte GTX 1660 TI 6GB OC (for 315€) instead? Or go further and check the Gigabyte RTX 2060 6GB SUPER with no promotion (for 450€)?

This weekend I found myself thinking if my Intel i5 2500K with a new GTX 1050 TI and a sata 2.5" SDD would be enough for driving games (F1 2019, Asseto Corsa, Project Cars), some casual FPS, War For The Overworld, as I don't target more than Full HD, really (don't even have a monitor for more than that). I feels very odd, leaving a working i5 2500K system behind, if a graphic card upgrade will allow me to save a lot of cash and be able to play the games I want.


What is your opinion?

Thanks

 

[b4u]

Any tips/suggestions for the above build?
Thanks

 

[Campy]

At 60Hz I think you'll be able to get by a little longer with your current CPU, but an upgrade is definitely due very soon. I don't think you'll be limited by your PCIe 2.0x16 either, especially not with a low/mid range card.

The build you put together looks good, but you're in the budget range where I would definitely recommend a Ryzen 3600 instead, and if you don't plan on gaming at more than 60Hz monitor it's a no-brainer really. Better multithreading and possibility of upgrading to a Ryzen 4000 series on the same motherboard later on.

Samsung 970 Evo is a really good disk, but I like to recommend Adata SX8200 Pro, it's roughly the same performance as the Samsung 970 but at a much lower price. Also comes with 5 year manufacturer warranty, same as the Samsung. There's also the Intel 660p which although lacking performance compared to the other two I mentioned will also get the job done and is very competitively priced for an NVMe.

If you decide to go for a Ryzen 3600, perhaps get some 3600MHz Cl16 memory if it's not horrendously more expensive. There's a G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600 CL16 kit that tends to be reasonably priced.

Also, as much as I love Noctua coolers, you don't need to spend almost 100 euros on a CPU cooler for this build!

 

[b4u]

At 60Hz I think you'll be able to get by a little longer with your current CPU, but an upgrade is definitely due very soon. I don't think you'll be limited by your PCIe 2.0x16 either, especially not with a low/mid range card.

The build you put together looks good, but you're in the budget range where I would definitely recommend a Ryzen 3600 instead, and if you don't plan on gaming at more than 60Hz monitor it's a no-brainer really. Better multithreading and possibility of upgrading to a Ryzen 4000 series on the same motherboard later on.

Samsung 970 Evo is a really good disk, but I like to recommend Adata SX8200 Pro, it's roughly the same performance as the Samsung 970 but at a much lower price. Also comes with 5 year manufacturer warranty, same as the Samsung. There's also the Intel 660p which although lacking performance compared to the other two I mentioned will also get the job done and is very competitively priced for an NVMe.

If you decide to go for a Ryzen 3600, perhaps get some 3600MHz Cl16 memory if it's not horrendously more expensive. There's a G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600 CL16 kit that tends to be reasonably priced.

Also, as much as I love Noctua coolers, you don't need to spend almost 100 euros on a CPU cooler for this build!

Thanks, I'll take a look on the components you listed. Going for AMD for me is a big change, just because I'm used to intel ... long time I have no AMD, back from the time where 386 and 486 were around ... :/

I would gladly prefer to spent 120€ on a GTX 1050 and continue with my current PC, but then if it cannot play the games I want to, then the new build will be 120€ too much expensive ...

As for the noctua, I was pointed in that direction. Maybe it's too much, I'll have to check for alternatives and see if they are good enough. I was thinking that maybe noctua is, by design, quieter than an alternative, that's why I really haven't though that much about it, and I always heard it is a very nice cooler.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Thanks, I'll take a look on the components you listed. Going for AMD for me is a big change, just because I'm used to intel ... long time I have no AMD, back from the time where 386 and 486 were around ... :/

I would gladly prefer to spent 120€ on a GTX 1050 and continue with my current PC, but then if it cannot play the games I want to, then the new build will be 120€ too much expensive ...

As for the noctua, I was pointed in that direction. Maybe it's too much, I'll have to check for alternatives and see if they are good enough. I was thinking that maybe noctua is, by design, quieter than an alternative, that's why I really haven't though that much about it, and I always heard it is a very nice cooler.

The previously mentioned dark rock slim from be quiet appears to be a very competent cooler. I almost went that way for my build but I really wanted to try an aio water cooler.

 

[b4u]

The previously mentioned dark rock slim from be quiet appears to be a very competent cooler. I almost went that way for my build but I really wanted to try an aio water cooler.

Uhm, from what I can see, that dark rock slim will put me in around 56-70€.

In my current i5 2500k build I have a previous model of Cooler CPU Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED (minus the led, thankfully), and I also thought about going with a similar one now. But I don't really know if it could deal with the i5 9600k, although both processors have the same TDP 95W.

I guess noctua can be too much for the build, I'll check if I can get a cheaper but still good cooler around, and with some luck ... a black one, as this build is basically black ...

I also found Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED Turbo Red Top Cover for around 45€, I'll check some reviews around, it's black with some LEDs. Man, what is wrong with these people nowadays? LEDs everywhere!

Hyper 212 LED Turbo

Hyper 212 LED Turbo provides the best balance between airflow and static pressure to take the heat away. Four Direct Contact heat pipes with funnel shaped aluminum fins optimize cooling for optimal CPU performance. Moreover, the improved universal bracket design ensures easy and worry free...

www.coolermaster.com

 

[b4u]

I've found that noctua already have some black editions for their coolers, they are very nice looking (I really never liked much the brown colors of their products).

How would you say an NH-U12S would deal with an i5 9600k CPU? Would it be more than enough for the job?

NH-U12S chromax.black

The NH-U12S chromax.black is an all-black version of Noctua’s award-winning NH-U12S premium-quality quiet CPU cooler. Thanks to the same proven slim-tower heatsink design and NF-F12 PWM fan, it stays true to the NH-U12S’s successful formula of fusing excellent cooling performance with superb...

noctua.at

The NH-U12S chromax.black sells for around 70€, the NH-D15 chromax black would put me on 100€, and it is a huge beast of a cooler! Man, that doesn't even feel natural .


Edit:

And also, speaking of SSD, I found a AData SX8200 Pro 1Tb for around 152€. I mean now I'm questioning if going with Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500Gb at 110€, or getting that AData 1Tb for 42€ more ...

ADATA

ADATA Product

www.adata.com