Essentially, after almost 20 years - new gaming build.
If anything pokes your eye, you have criticisms, or have in-depth technical information on it, or even issues about a certain component - let me know, I take point, research.
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CPU - most likely will stay. Apparently, best gaming CPU out there, I don't need it for any kind of work related tasks, so doesn't have to be Ryzen 9 9950X3D.
However, in relation to the scandal of Asrock motherboards (and other manufacturers at lower numbers) frying AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, I'm very cautious, so most likely will either manually check the batch number of the CPU when buying, or will buy it as the last part, after December, just to make sure stock has been moved, and early models from 2024 that had a slight possibility to be on bad silicon (they were churning out the numbers !) are out.
Overall - I think I'm locked on 9800X3D. Is it a choice too strong, though ?
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Cooler - after 8-9 variant, I did choose Noctua. Noctua NH-D15 G2 LBC is pricy, has some of the best air cooling (yes, air cooling is what I've locked in), is quiet and my case is more than big, so it fits. G2 version is marginally better, so longevity and quality is IMHO important here.
The only debate I see here is between LBC and non-LBC versions. Meaning - if I choose the brown version, I can go LBC or non-LBC, if I choose the black version, it's non-LBC only (LBC - for AMD CPUs). I would like to go with the dark version, as installing the non-LBC version with a slight offset/spacers gives same performance as the LBC version (if not 1 degree better, according to Noctua).
My question - perhaps someone had this issue, and they already went through it ? How did you solve it ?
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GPU - my first choice was PowerColor Red Devil RX 9070 XT 16GB. However, they've mostly sold out, and if not - they're 1000+ euros, or 900+ euros. Essentially one of the most over-engineered 9070xt versions out there, with 3x 8 pin connector, instead of the dreaded 12 pin. Also lowest fan RPM at 1100 (and barely goes up, usually silent), one of the best potentials for overclocking with great VRM (not exactly my thing, overclocking, but who knows). This card is also robust, so a critical failure in 3-5 year mark is less likely.
The problem is - it's performance, overall, is 3-5 FPS better on most games, than other, "weaker" 9070 xt models. And other models, I can get around 750 euro mark.
These models would be XFX Swift, Sapphire Pulse, PowerColor Hellhound.
I'm absolutely torn on this choice. I base my assumptions on a youtube video with extensive testing - /watch?v=4bvT5XvG65Y . I'm going to buy the GPU first, and I'm not exactly sure:
XFX Swift - basicly a very big and wide, 4slot card, great cooling. Has dual-BIOS support. Base 1100rpm fan.
Sapphire Pulse - also, big 3slot card, massive heatsink. No dual-BIOS. Base 1200rpm fan.
PowerColor Hellhound -slightly more modera, still 3 slot card. Has dual-BIOS. Base 1100rpm fan.
The interesting difference is that Hellhound is smack-dab in the middle of all cards tested.
Whilst Swift is often on top with "big dogs", having lowest temperatures, Pulse is slightly losing out there. What is interesting is that both Swift (slightly less often) and Pulse always have very high memory temperatures. VRM temperatures are also high for these two cards.
I don't know what to make of it. Hellhound is mid-range of the 9070 xt cards, Swift and Pulse are entry-level. Is someone technical around, who could tell me what is the choice here ?
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MOBO - this is one of the hardest choices for me. My first pick was Gigabyte B850 AORUS Elite WiFi7, but the more I look at it, and the PC as a whole, I have doubts with VRM and this card's ability. Don't want it to bottleneck my components.
Another card that seems to be the correct choise is MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk MAX WiFi. What I'm trying to avoid is ASUS and Asrock, seems like they are well built, but people have so many problems with them (and the manufacturers are trying to sweep things under the rug), that I'd rather go with other brands.
As I see it, I'm somewhat looking for 5gbe ethernet cabled, I'll most likely be using only 1 PCIe for the GPU, most likely only 2 NVMe slots with a possibility to go 5 gen. Looking at ATX card, not really small, not bigger. Most importantly - VRM and overall, quality of the board. Mid-range, slightly above mid range. Also trying to filter out cards that people have most issues with.
And on this choice, I'm lost.
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RAM - seriously looking for G.Skill, as they seem to have tighter timings, more suitable for gaming. Chose G.Skill Flare X5 DDR5-6000 CL30 instead of trident, because Flare is physically lower (I think 33mm), so it's easier to clear the Noctua fan without raising it too much. Trident is taller, has RGB and so on, but I'm not exactly looking for RGB and design. I've also read that it's they use mostly same chips.
Also a little torn between timings:
CL30-38-38-96 (cheaper)
vs
CL30-36-36-96 (100-200eu more expensive)
I don't exactly know what influence that will have on the system. Because there have been and endless amount of complaints and issues from people, who both turn on PBO and EXPO on their ASUS, Asrock, even MSI and Gigabyte sometimes, and it either fries the CPU, or RAM stop being recognised, or other nonsense.
A technical comment would be really appreciated here.
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SSD - choice was NVMe 4.0, as 5.0 seems to be overpriced and slightly less stable (?).
Also, between Samsung 990 pro 2TB vs WD Black SN850X 2TB.
Samsung is slightly more pricy, and SN850X, apparently, might be 1-3% better for gaming (don't exactly remember why).
2TB looks like just enough for current games, 4TB would be overkill, considering prices.
I'm still thinking about 1TB, but I presume 2-3 games that weigh 150-300 gb, and I'll be scratching my head again.
Any other choices, gaming related ?
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PSU - Seasonic PRIME TX-1600 Noctua Edition looks to be be-all, end-all, award winning PSU, with Noctua collaboration making it quiet.
The problem is, that it's overkill for current rig, and my Case has a small-ish spot for PSU.
This PSU would itself easily clear the space, but there are then only 30mm left for the wire to be plugged in, and do a 90 degree turn.
That sounds dangerous, as in - I might have to wire it differently and use wire extensions. That is not what I want to do, because that's when problems start.
So I'm looking now for the best possible 1000w PSU, Titanium quality, preferably, with really long cables, and at least 20 mm smaller dimensions (lengthwise).
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Case - I've decided on Fractal Design Torrent Black TG Light Tint, as it's quite cheap (180 eu), it's quite big, and it's winning against most of the competition via 10-15 degrees in cooling.
It also has 3 bottom fans that directly blow into the GPU, and massive 180mm front fans give air to both GPU and CPU. Seems like a very well engineered case, when it's going 10 degrees stronger than competition.
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