Any PC Builders Out There?

Yeah, I run a 32:9 monitor which is how I justified the 3080 Ti and if I go bigger it's how I'll justify a 4090. Need those sweet benchmarks to run solitaire while I listen to an audiobook. I wish I was joking, but I'm not.

 

I only run a 1080p 240hz monitor since I play fps games, so the more frames the better rx 580 finally showing it’s age though.

 

My PC needs so much work. In order of priority:

1TB SSD: I'm currently running a SSD a friend gave me that's so small I have to decide which game to uninstall when installing a new one. Why didn't I just put an SSD in when I built this computer 10 years ago?!

Motherboard: why the hell did I go with a mini MoBo that only has PCI Express slots in a full size case?! (Also see next point)

Sound card: currently running off a cheap ($20?) USB sound card after I fried my real card and then realized all my old cards are PCI. Primary (only) reason for a new motherboard.

Video card: I upgraded maybe 8 years ago to run GTA V and even then I didn't get something good to run max graphics on that game at that time.

What else should I upgrade while I'm at it?

 

When I was actually gaming, I learned that a 2TB SSD was the sweet spot for me. I went from a 1TB WD SN750 to a 2TD SN850 and have been very happy with it overall.

I've been exclusively using matx and itx boards for years now. I don't run custom loops anymore so I don't like full tower cases and shifted from mid to smaller sizes cases. I now extensively use the smaller cases and like them a lot more.

Every motherboard I've used for the past decade or so has had good enough sound to not need a sound card. You could easily use onboard sound and get yourself some nice speakers and will probably be very pleased.

I'm horrible when it comes to GPUs, but before this latest craze of buying GPUs I usually bought the generation behind the current one when I was looking to upgrade.

From the sounds of it, should just do a new build altogether.

 

Oh I could see MBs accepting it in 2-3 years. I just don't think most will do it. Who knows though.

 

SSD's are flying off of the shelves right now. I just picked up a 2TB MX500 (which is considered a high-end drive) for $112 yesterday. 1TB TLC SSD's are going for sub $60 on the regular. Just don't fall for a QLC SSD. They're not worth the drawbacks.

Mobo is obviously CPU dependent. Not sure what you're running right now.

Haven't ran a sound card in years. They're not really needed these days unless you're trying to push raw Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. Most MOBOs come with a decent enough chip to do 5.1 over Toslink no problem.

Video cards have somewhat leveled out to a reasonable level. AMD is killing it in the low/midrange space with Nvidia taking the lead once you get north of the $400+ price point. Need to know your monitor resolution and refresh rate to make any recommendations there.

Don't forget a PSU upgrade may be a decent investment. GPU's and CPU's are getting more and more power hungry these days. I'd consider a 750w as a minimum if you're planning to build around future upgrades with 850w being more ideal for "future proofing".

 

If I were to change ONE thing about my build, I would have gone with a 2TB SSD instead of 1TB; although the 1tb is sufficient for my needs, I'd probably have to start doing some shuffling around to an external drive if I wanted to download too many more games. Games are getting huge in size these days!

 

So who grabbed a 4090 today

 

I want to see RDNA3 and then the 4060 from Nvidia.

 

I don't see any reality where the 4060 drops before next summer. Too much 3060/3070 backstock everywhere and supposedly warehouses full of them. I also wonder if they'll hold the 4070 until spring because they did choose to make what was probably the original "4070" into the 4080 12 GB.

I agree RDNA 3 could be extremely compelling if AMD can answer. Leaks are claiming they'll launch the 7700XT, 7800XT, 7900XT and 7950XT all at the same time. AMD is in a better position with their stock of high end cards and supposedly more willing to help the chain dump the 6800XT and 6700XT once they announce the 7000 cards.

 

I feel you on that one. Could have gotten a 4090 but I wanted the lift, trd skid plate, wheels and tires lol. RIP wallet. I'm going to wait to upgrade my 2080 super, it's one of the oldest parts in my rig.
12700KF, Team Force 16gb x 2 CAS16 Ram, NH-D15, Asus strix 2080 super, EVGA 850G2, Phanteks Pro M TG.

 

Remember back when all AMD did with revisions was rebrand their old cards with new generation SKU's? I feel like if they just do that, they can take the cheap and mid-range market by storm. 7600XT = 6800XT, 7700XT = 6900XT, etc. That takes the pressure off of them to push huge groundbreaking competition with the 4090 and instead focus on the most widespread market share. With the way Nvidia has skewed the market, all AMD needs to do is just be competent and offer good price to performance in that $250 - $600 range and this generation is theirs for the near future.

Nvidia screwed the low/midrange market with the 30 series. The 3060 wasn't even an upgrade from the 2070 and was overpriced from day 1. Same with the 3050 not even matching a 2060.

You hate to see it, but this is AMD's game to lose at this point. Nvidia has left a big door open.

 

I just keep watching the generations come and go . . . still running my i5-8400 and RX550 . . . runs Chrome, Excel and TurboTax just fine. That said, this thing is getting old. Something is bound to fail sooner rather than later. For my use, I should probably go with a budget mini-ITX build with a 5700G (I am a console gamer), but I do like having discrete graphics. I just don't really NEED discrete graphics as long as I can connect 2 monitors.

My fun builds are for my daughters, so I do have to keep up with what is going on and what the best "value" parts are. They know I'm a cheap bastard but will spring for a good value. The 6800XT seems to be in a great value spot right now, but they are nVidia fangirls. My oldest is still on a 1080, may be able to get her to switch sides.

 

Yup. They did it for the 6000 series. nVidia also did it with the 8800 Ultra becoming the lower end 9800 skus and a few of the midrange 200 series skus.

Also the leaks on the 4080 12 GB show a card that's very poor, only about 5-10% faster than the 3080. AMD definitely has room to attack.

 

Put it all on a cash back credit card so you earn money by spending it.

This is what I do.

I love rocking the smaller cases, tons of matx and itx options that will allow you to have larger GPUs.

I was an AMD fangirl for years back in the day where the 9800 Pros were elite. After that I went nvidia/intel and haven't looked back since. And honestly, a 1080 is still pretty solid for how long ago it released.

 

Yeah, I've been using the Cooler Master Elite 130 case for several years and mainly doing mini builds, and the big cards do fit fine in them. The main issue is with the CPU heat sink -- can't be too tall or it interferes with the PSU. I could do an AIO water cooled setup, but I have general bad luck with anything that has to do with plumbing.

Well, full disclosure, I used to work for AMD when the original Athlon released and became an AMD fanboy for a while. While they didn't have a lot of high-end performance cards way back when, ATI had solid desktop performance and I would use their cards for workstation builds (I used 3dfx Voodoo cards for gaming). When nVidia started gaining ground, I tried a few of their cards for a bit but always seemed to run into driver stability issues and early hardware deaths. Just inconsistent quality. I was freelance for a while back then and had to have a working computer, and my system died right when a new set of VIA chipset boards were rolling out. I tried a couple of different brands, but neither were stable and I couldn't wait. So, I bit the bullet and switched back to an expensive Intel-brand board with Intel chipset and Pentium 4 CPU. That system was super solid (but ran super hot), and I stuck with Intel for a while. But, I used Radeon graphics cards from early on and had much better luck with quality and stability. Intel got a bit boring recently, so with the rise of Ryzen, I switched back. Glad to see they are making a good run in the GPU area as well now.

 

Along with an Intel 12400F, ordered a Gigabyte B660M Gaming AX board

I'm seeing the 3070 often available at a pretty good price, so that could be next on the list.

Will be happy to retire my old ass PC

 

I figured out my build solution. Bios flash my b450 (a little nervous about doing it) so I can upgrade to a 5600 and then pair that with a 6700xt. All set for several years at 1080p gaming.

 

There you go, gig 'em. What am I saying? Woo pig. Nevermind, y'all beat us.

I've never had a BIOS flash fail, been doing them for years. You should be just fine.