Question Need Advice (CPU and RAM) Asus Maximus XI HERO (Wifi)

[rcoops72]

So I was lucky enough to win the above mentioned motherboard in a raffle. My current build is 5+ years old SO IT is TIME to build a new one. I have been out of the game for some time and was looking to come to my favorite resource forum for advice.

PC will be mainly Gaming...and I would love to try Ray Tracing like on Cyberpunk 2077.. 4K monitor etc...

No worries on $ what would you guys throw into this beast of a MB?

1) CPU - Intel i9-9900K? If so....which one I see a few different models and do not understand the reason for it.

2) Memory - would love your advice as well. 16 enough or do I need 32GB? I have these in hand which I never used...are they good for this MB or should I upgrade? (G.SKILL Aegis 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Intel XMP 2.0 Memory Kit Model F4-3200C16D-32GIS)

I am going to keep the below two items:
* Case - Fractal Design Define R5 Black Silent ATX Midtower
* PSU - EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G2 220-G2-0650-Y1 80+ GOLD 650W Fully Modular EVGA ECO (unless I should start fresh)

I will then have to see which GPU I can afford...some are so much $$

ANY Advice is welcome and thank you in advance!

Rob

 

[solidsnake1298]

1) 9900 = Not overclockable, lower base and boost clocks.
9900K = Fully unlocked and overclockable
9900KF = Fully unlocked and overclockable, no iGPU
9900KS = top bin, higher base and boost clocks, fully unlocked and overclockable

2) 16GB is enough. For games, I never go above 10ish GB usage. Video editing does push my memory usage closer to 16GB. 32GB is preferable if you plan on sticking with this setup for a while. The kit that you have is more than sufficient.

I would definitely go with a 9900K. The advantages of the KS don't justify the price premium. And having an iGPU can be useful so don't get the KF SKU.

If you buy a current gen Nvidia RTX 3000 or AMD RX 6000 graphics cards, be mindful of their power requirements. The RTX 3070 and RX 6700XT both require 650W power supplies. If you get a higher end GPU than those you will need more power.

 

[deustroop]

One thing not mentioned is a cooler . That cpu runs hot at all core activity and perhaps more than others in its class can use a high quality cooler. I use a Noctua which keeps the same cpu here at 36 deg on idle and just 65 degrees when running all core at 100% while respecting intel's power limits 95 Watts. If you plan to live on the cpu at say 200w there are liquid coolers to look at.

NH-D15S

NH-D15S

Tailored to provide superior RAM and PCIe compatibility, the NH-D15S is an asymmetrical single fan version of Noctua’s award-winning flagship model, the NH-D15. Thanks to its asymmetrical design, the NH-D15S clears the top PCIe slot on most µATX and ATX motherboards. At the same time, the single...

noctua.at

 

[rcoops72]

1) 9900 = Not overclockable, lower base and boost clocks.
9900K = Fully unlocked and overclockable
9900KF = Fully unlocked and overclockable, no iGPU
9900KS = top bin, higher base and boost clocks, fully unlocked and overclockable

2) 16GB is enough. For games, I never go above 10ish GB usage. Video editing does push my memory usage closer to 16GB. 32GB is preferable if you plan on sticking with this setup for a while. The kit that you have is more than sufficient.

I would definitely go with a 9900K. The advantages of the KS don't justify the price premium. And having an iGPU can be useful so don't get the KF SKU.

If you buy a current gen Nvidia RTX 3000 or AMD RX 6000 graphics cards, be mindful of their power requirements. The RTX 3070 and RX 6700XT both require 650W power supplies. If you get a higher end GPU than those you will need more power.

Thank you very much this is exactly what I needed! Also thank you for breaking down the 4 versions of the CPU in an easy to read format.

Very good point about the PSU/GPU. Which one is the gold standard now a days if I do shell out the 1200-1400 for one of the better GPUs and need the Watts.?

 

[rcoops72]

One thing not mentioned is a cooler . That cpu runs hot at all core activity and perhaps more than others in its class can use a high quality cooler. I use a Noctua which keeps the same cpu here at 36 deg on idle and just 65 degrees when running all core at 100% while respecting intel's power limits 95 Watts. If you plan to live on the cpu at say 200w there are liquid coolers to look at.

NH-D15S

NH-D15S

Tailored to provide superior RAM and PCIe compatibility, the NH-D15S is an asymmetrical single fan version of Noctua’s award-winning flagship model, the NH-D15. Thanks to its asymmetrical design, the NH-D15S clears the top PCIe slot on most µATX and ATX motherboards. At the same time, the single...

noctua.at

Thank you! Funny I just added the Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler to my PC Part Picker screen after reading a review! ha Thank you!

I just have to make sure the RAM has room to put in after the cooler is installed.

Any advice on best thermal paste now a days?

 

[solidsnake1298]

Thank you! Funny I just added the Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler to my PC Part Picker screen after reading a review! ha Thank you!

I just have to make sure the RAM has room to put in after the cooler is installed.

Any advice on best thermal paste now a days?

G.Skill Aegis is on the shorter side compared to other heat spreaders. It shouldn't be a problem for the Noctua heat sink clearance. I have a kit of G.Skill Flare X, which has a taller heat spreader than the Aegis, and it cleared.

It doesn't REALLY matter what thermal paste you use, as long as it isn't no-name garbage. If you don't already have a tube of some paste, the paste that comes with the Noctua cooler (NT-H2?) is just fine. If you do decide to get an extra tube, just in case you need it for future builds, etc., I like Thermal Grizzly's Kryonaut. It spreads easily, is not electrically conductive, is not electrically capacitive, lasts a long time, and has no curing period. In addition to being an excellent performer.

 

[solidsnake1298]

Thank you very much this is exactly what I needed! Also thank you for breaking down the 4 versions of the CPU in an easy to read format.

Very good point about the PSU/GPU. Which one is the gold standard now a days if I do shell out the 1200-1400 for one of the better GPUs and need the Watts.?

Here is the recommended wattage from what I've seen and read.

RTX 3070/RX 6700XT = 750W
RTX 3070Ti/RTX 3080/RX 6800/RX 6800XT = 850W
RTX 3080Ti/RTX 3090/RX 6900XT = 1000W

As for recommendations on models, anything from Seasonic's Prime and Focus lines. Corsair's RM, HX, and AX lines are solid as well. I, personally, have a Seasonic Prime Titanium (called Prime TX now).

 

[deustroop]

Thank you! Funny I just added the Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler to my PC Part Picker screen after reading a review! ha Thank you!

I just have to make sure the RAM has room to put in after the cooler is installed.

Besides the further recommendation of this cooler series, note that the "S" version is specifically designed for a system with clearance issues, to wit, provides an asymmetrical single fan version , creating more than the usual clearance. A second fan may be added but I don't know that two fans add much more cooling .

 

[rcoops72]

Here is the recommended wattage from what I've seen and read.

RTX 3070/RX 6700XT = 750W
RTX 3070Ti/RTX 3080/RX 6800/RX 6800XT = 850W
RTX 3080Ti/RTX 3090/RX 6900XT = 1000W

As for recommendations on models, anything from Seasonic's Prime and Focus lines. Corsair's RM, HX, and AX lines are solid as well. I, personally, have a Seasonic Prime Titanium (called Prime TX now).

Thank you so much!! All of this really helps this old dog! (GPU/PSU Plus Thermal Paste!)

Last question. So based on the MB, 9900K and Ram...if you wanted to play Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing....Which card would you go for?
I might be replacing my 144HZ freesync 1080p monitor (AOC G2770PF) with a medium range 28 inch 4K monitor to take advantage of newer games ....Some say it really isn't even worth it, just to stick with my 27 inch 1080P freesync 144HZ monitor and get a decent GPU and not worry about ray tracing at this time...What is your expert opinion?

I currently have a MSI Radeon RX 480 8GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 GPU

 

[rcoops72]

Besides the further recommendation of this cooler series, note that the "S" version is specifically designed for a system with clearance issues, to wit, provides an asymmetrical single fan version , creating more than the usual clearance. A second fan may be added but I don't know that two fans add much more cooling .

Thank you!

 

[Arkaign]

Thank you so much!! All of this really helps this old dog! (GPU/PSU Plus Thermal Paste!)

Last question. So based on the MB, 9900K and Ram...if you wanted to play Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing....Which card would you go for?
I might be replacing my 144HZ freesync 1080p monitor (AOC G2770PF) with a medium range 28 inch 4K monitor to take advantage of newer games ....Some say it really isn't even worth it, just to stick with my 27 inch 1080P freesync 144HZ monitor and get a decent GPU and not worry about ray tracing at this time...What is your expert opinion?

I currently have a MSI Radeon RX 480 8GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 GPU

Speaking from experience, going from a high refresh display to something 60hz is VERY rough, and will really limit the smoothness and potential of your new rig.

There are 4k 144hz displays, but a couple of problems with them. First, it takes an absolute maniac of a GPU to even approach 4K/144fps in many titles, and second, they are crazy expensive.

A happy medium are 27" 2560x1440 144/165hz, and 34" 3440x1440 120/144hz monitors, both of which are fairly affordable if you shop around.

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G34w-10-34-Inch-Curved-Monitor/dp/B084R2XYM9

 

[rcoops72]

Speaking from experience, going from a high refresh display to something 60hz is VERY rough, and will really limit the smoothness and potential of your new rig.

There are 4k 144hz displays, but a couple of problems with them. First, it takes an absolute maniac of a GPU to even approach 4K/144fps in many titles, and second, they are crazy expensive.

A happy medium are 27" 2560x1440 144/165hz, and 34" 3440x1440 120/144hz monitors, both of which are fairly affordable if you shop around.

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G34w-10-34-Inch-Curved-Monitor/dp/B084R2XYM9

Great information! I really appreciate it. Getting back into this game is fun!

 

[rcoops72]

1) 9900 = Not overclockable, lower base and boost clocks.
9900K = Fully unlocked and overclockable
9900KF = Fully unlocked and overclockable, no iGPU
9900KS = top bin, higher base and boost clocks, fully unlocked and overclockable

2) 16GB is enough. For games, I never go above 10ish GB usage. Video editing does push my memory usage closer to 16GB. 32GB is preferable if you plan on sticking with this setup for a while. The kit that you have is more than sufficient.

I would definitely go with a 9900K. The advantages of the KS don't justify the price premium. And having an iGPU can be useful so don't get the KF SKU.

If you buy a current gen Nvidia RTX 3000 or AMD RX 6000 graphics cards, be mindful of their power requirements. The RTX 3070 and RX 6700XT both require 650W power supplies. If you get a higher end GPU than those you will need more power.

For the memory and thinking about the new MB and CPU Which would you go with? I know have both and I do not really care about the color RGB stuff. I would in turn sell the other on eBay

G.SKILL Aegis 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Intel XMP 2.0 Memory Kit Model F4-3200C16D-32GIS

OR

CORSAIR Vengeance RGB Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 DRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model CMW16GX4M2C3200C16

 

[solidsnake1298]

I would go with the Gskill kit. Mainly because they are dual rank sticks, which has performance advantages.

 

[rcoops72]

I would go with the Gskill kit. Mainly because they are dual rank sticks, which has performance advantages.

Awesome. Thank you!

 

[rcoops72]

My buddy won a Intel Core i9-10900K and asked if I wanted it. I did not buy the i9-9900K yet... I am pretty sure the Asus Maximus XI hero (wifi) is not compatible (PC part picker website). If I bought it from him for 1/2 price retail, what gaming Motherboard, keeping in mind the memory above (G.SKILL Aegis 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Intel XMP 2.0 Memory Kit Model F4-3200C16D-32GIS ), would be a good fit? I assume I need a "LGA1200" style?

Thanks!

 

[solidsnake1298]

You would need a 400 or 500 series chipset motherboard to use that 10900K. Preferably a Z490 or Z590. Keep in mind that the 10900K is still a Skylake architecture CPU. There are no IPC gains and marginal clock speed gains over the 9900K. You do get an extra two cores. But, unless you stream or have some other production oriented use case, those two extra cores would go, largely, unused.

So you are paying for CPU AND motherboard for very little real world gain instead of using the nice motherboard you got for free (minus the cost of entering the raffle, I'm assuming). Sure, you would save a couple hundred on the 10900K itself, but Z series motherboards are not cheap. We're talking $300-500. You almost certainly save way more money by sticking with the motherboard you won and getting a 9900K at full price and would get identical, or near identical, gaming performance assuming all other factors are equal (memory, GPU, etc).

 

[rcoops72]

You would need a 400 or 500 series chipset motherboard to use that 10900K. Preferably a Z490 or Z590. Keep in mind that the 10900K is still a Skylake architecture CPU. There are no IPC gains and marginal clock speed gains over the 9900K. You do get an extra two cores. But, unless you stream or have some other production oriented use case, those two extra cores would go, largely, unused.

So you are paying for CPU AND motherboard for very little real world gain instead of using the nice motherboard you got for free (minus the cost of entering the raffle, I'm assuming). Sure, you would save a couple hundred on the 10900K itself, but Z series motherboards are not cheap. We're talking $300-500. You almost certainly save way more money by sticking with the motherboard you won and getting a 9900K at full price and would get identical, or near identical, gaming performance assuming all other factors are equal (memory, GPU, etc).

Thank you once again for your knowledge and insight!

Sounds like I will be passing on the i9-10900K CPU and buying the i9-9900K as planned.

Thank you again! It really helps!

Robert

 

[rcoops72]

You would need a 400 or 500 series chipset motherboard to use that 10900K. Preferably a Z490 or Z590. Keep in mind that the 10900K is still a Skylake architecture CPU. There are no IPC gains and marginal clock speed gains over the 9900K. You do get an extra two cores. But, unless you stream or have some other production oriented use case, those two extra cores would go, largely, unused.

So you are paying for CPU AND motherboard for very little real world gain instead of using the nice motherboard you got for free (minus the cost of entering the raffle, I'm assuming). Sure, you would save a couple hundred on the 10900K itself, but Z series motherboards are not cheap. We're talking $300-500. You almost certainly save way more money by sticking with the motherboard you won and getting a 9900K at full price and would get identical, or near identical, gaming performance assuming all other factors are equal (memory, GPU, etc).

I would love to use your knowledge again.

Let's say I sell my Asus maximus XI HERO (Wifi) motherboard and us this one? > MSI B450 Gaming PLUS.

Which AMD Ryzen CPU do you recommends based on our previous discussions above?
And I assume I can still use the G Skill RAM kit above, case, CPU cooler, etc...

I doubt I will be doing much tuning or CRAZY things which the Maximus would be best for...

Thoughts?

Robert

 

[Arkaign]

Posted one hour ago on techbargains is Ryzen 5600X for $289 @ Amazon.

That said, for almost any common use a Ryzen 3600 through 3700X make for a great price/performance deal and will work fine on the B450.

 

[solidsnake1298]

Why B450 instead of B550? That way you get PCIe 4 and official resizable BAR support (when paired with RX 6000 and GTX 3000).

I would get a 5800X, personally. MAYBE a 5900X since I do some video editing and occasionally stream. In CPU limited tasks the 5800X handily beats the 9900K at just about every workload while using a lot less power.

And you could use the RAM, cooler, case, etc., already discussed.

IMO, this is the route I would go. If I was in your situation, I would be willing to go through the hoops of selling the motherboard to fund an AMD system.

 

[Arkaign]

5800X are awesome but a lot of extra expense, and for gaming will not offer much benefit over a 5600X (or even 3700X) unless he can afford a really high end GPU.

In almost any budget limited scenario, a cheaper CPU + best GPU that can fit in the budget will provide superior gaming.

Eg; 5600X w/RTX 3070 Ti will beat 5800X w/3060 Ti in all gaming scenarios unless you run 1080p low settings.

5600X $289
5800X $399

So, it's $110 that could go to a better GPU 🤔

 

[rcoops72]

Posted one hour ago on techbargains is Ryzen 5600X for $289 @ Amazon.

That said, for almost any common use a Ryzen 3600 through 3700X make for a great price/performance deal and will work fine on the B450.

Thank you!

 

[rcoops72]

Why B450 instead of B550? That way you get PCIe 4 and official resizable BAR support (when paired with RX 6000 and GTX 3000).

I would get a 5800X, personally. MAYBE a 5900X since I do some video editing and occasionally stream. In CPU limited tasks the 5800X handily beats the 9900K at just about every workload while using a lot less power.

And you could use the RAM, cooler, case, etc., already discussed.

IMO, this is the route I would go. If I was in your situation, I would be willing to go through the hoops of selling the motherboard to fund an AMD system.

Thank you. If I went with a 5800X....Which version of the B550 motherboard would you recommend, there are so many different ones on PC part picker. I have had my best luck with ASUS over MSI and Gigabyte...This PC will be more about gaming then streaming/video editing etc...

Thanks!

Asus ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI);
Asus ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING;
MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS;
AND so on...I see over 40 listed...

 

[solidsnake1298]

I also prefer Asus. I would get the Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (WI-FI). The only difference I can discern between the B550-A and B550-F is color (A has white heatsinks and F has black heatsinks). I prefer more expensive boards, like the ROG Strix line, because they tend to get more BIOS updates for longer.

If you are only gaming, the best bang for the buck is the 5800X.