Please Review My PC Build List

OldSchoolHarry on 17/01/2022 - 13:28
Last edited 17/01/2022 - 14:22

Hi everyone, I have wanted to build a gaming PC for a few years now and I am finally ready to do it in the next couple of months. The main purpose of this build will be AAA gaming and streaming.

Ryzen 7 5800X
Ryzen 9 5900X
Intel i7 12700K

I am seeking your feedback on:
a) AMD or Intel?
b) whether or not I have chosen complementary parts.

If there are some components that I can swap for better value components with minimal performance tradeoff (<5%), I'd really appreciate your suggestions. Similarly, if there are better performing components with minimal price difference (<5%), I'd be keen to learn about that as well.

Important notes:

  • Graphics card is excluded from the build list for now but I will likely go with RTX 3060 Ti or RTX 3070 Ti depending on my budget at the time.
  • Pretty set on the NZXT 510 Flow Case but happy to hear if there are any issues with it.
  • RGB fans are not essential.

Edit1: Added Ryzen 9 option.
Edit2: Increased storage to 1TB and PSU to 850W

Gaming Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • Xistn on 17/01/2022 - 13:34
    -1

    Welcome to OzPCBuilder…. wait.

  • garetz on 17/01/2022 - 13:43

    you are comparing a 12 core vs a 8 core

    of course go for the 12 core at a similar price point, which is the 12700k

    Everything else seems fine, except i would get a 1tb nvme instead of 500gb

    • OldSchoolHarry on 17/01/2022 - 13:49

      Cheers. I have also added a Ryzen 9 12-core option which is a better comparison with i7 (pricewise).

      • garetz on 17/01/2022 - 13:53

        the 5900x is $150 more, so not really comparable price wise.

        • OldSchoolHarry on 17/01/2022 - 14:05

          My build total comes to $1491 (i7) vs $1526 (r9).

  • Zorololo on 17/01/2022 - 14:02
    +1

    I would go the intel, cheaper than the 12 core AMD and turbos up to 5ghz. Wouldn't waste my money on 500gb ssd, I'd just get a 1tb nvme for $120. If you do go intel and get a 3070ti I would go for a 750w PSU, that 650W PSU wont' have much headroom.

    • OldSchoolHarry on 17/01/2022 - 14:23

      Thanks, I have updated my list as per your suggestions.

  • Jimmycfc on 17/01/2022 - 14:07

    Seems like a good list - as others suggested maybe bump up the PSU to a 750w at least and dont even bother with a 500gb ssd its a waste

    • OldSchoolHarry on 17/01/2022 - 14:23

      Thanks, I have updated my list as per your suggestions.

  • Transient on 17/01/2022 - 14:38

    What's the size of your current hard drive space? 1TB may be too small for both OS and games. I use 250 or 500GB SSD for OS and 1-2TB SSD or HDD for games, video captures, etc. Otherwise you can always add an extra SSD/HDD later on.

    • OldSchoolHarry on 17/01/2022 - 14:52

      Yeah, I will add storage as needed.

  • JimmyLmao on 17/01/2022 - 15:03

    To give some context to others suggestions…

    Only getting a 500GB SSD will fill up relatively quickly, especially with AAA games. And then it'll be a big pain in the ass to upgrade to a new SSD, especially if it involves changing your boot drive. Considering you don't already own a 500GB SSD, you may as well get a 1TB drive from the get go. If you don't mind managing multiple drives and your motherboard has an extra m.2 slot, then I suppose it's not much of a problem if your budget is strict. I think m.2 drives are a lot nicer because they're only a little more expensive but so much neater and cleaner build-wise.

    And getting a good PSU can mean it will last through to your next generation of CPU/GPU upgrades too, so you won't need to repurchase. Having a PSU with 750W instead of 650W means you will be able to support higher-end graphics cards if/when you upgrade, for example, the Nvidia 4000 series at the end of this year. The other reason is that PSUs are generally most efficient when operating at 50% of their maximum rated load. When you are running at 90% for example, there is a lot more heat being generated and dissipated into the case (as well as noise). So, similarly, considering you don't already own a PSU you may as well spend the extra ~$50 and get something high quality and longer lasting from the get go. You can use a system power calculator like this to help estimate.

    Lastly, if gaming is your main priority, then you're probably better off getting a cheaper 6 core CPU and spending the savings on a better GPU as that will have a much bigger impact on your gaming performance (especially if you will be pairing with a 1440p or 4K monitor). The only caveat to this is what you mean by streaming, as in you will be running software in the background of games to stream your live gameplay? Or simply watching streams? If doing the streaming, then yeah, an 8 core CPU would be the better choice. If just watching, then 6 core would be fine.

    • OldSchoolHarry on 17/01/2022 - 15:49

      Cheers. The SSD and PSU upgrades are no-brainer, especially after reading your in-depth notes.

      So I plan to play AAA games and stream the games at the same time. I will be using the NVENC encoder in which case, do extra 2 cores make much of a difference? I was originally set on R5 5600X but then thought if I can get an 8-core+ for about $130-200 extra, I might as well (albeit by going over budget a little bit).

      • JimmyLmao on 17/01/2022 - 16:31

        I have never done streaming myself before so I am not best positioned to answer this accurately. All I know is that it will take some level of CPU power, so if 6 cores is the minimum that won't bottleneck when doing gaming only, then it makes sense to move up to 8 cores if trying to add other tasks on top of gaming simultaneously. Of course it depends on the specific games (i.e., how CPU intensive they are) and whether the impact even bothers you (e.g. a drop from 200fps to 190fps isn't a big deal). If you'll get use out of it, then it makes sense. Makes it a little more future-proof too, so you can wait longer before upgrading your CPU. Upgrading CPU in future can also mean upgrading the motherboard too, so that can be a hassle.

        I'd perhaps suggest looking up YouTube reviews of CPU's in specific games/applications that are important to you. Or just averages if there's nothing specific. For example, this Hardware Unboxed video speaks pretty highly of the i5-12400F which is only $299. It might not be exactly what you're looking for but could be useful as an anchor to keep yourself grounded too - is it worth paying 100% more dollars for 15% more performance?

        Note: Keep in mind they show data at 1080p to make the differences more extreme to help illustrate things, whereas in reality when playing at 1440p or 4k the differences will be less drastic.

  • axlfan on 17/01/2022 - 15:13

    I would go with the Ryzen 7 option itself. Unless you are into CPU-heavy operations, better to put the extra dough in other areas. It will handle gaming and streaming very well.
    I would not go Intel just based on how AMD is innovating heavily in this space. Thats my personal opinion though.

    Also, get faster memory if you can (3600Mhz) . Good choice on the case. I did one mistake of buying a cheaper case. Its not bad but I underestimated its importance.
    Are you bound to micro ATX and did you consider a X570 mobo?

    The rest of the components look good.

    • OldSchoolHarry on 17/01/2022 - 15:55

      Cheers. Yeah before Alder lake, AMD was clear choice but now I was torn a bit. Ryzen 7 is cheaper and I do not plan on spending more than I have to. So I might give it better consideration.
      I am not married to the mobo, it was just something that had good reviews. I am still not sure what series mobo is actually best suited here, so I guess I need to do more research on mobo choice.

      • axlfan on 18/01/2022 - 17:21

        Cheers mate. Yeah do check out the X570 and see if it is suitable for you and if not, your mobo will be adequate.

        Good luck! Its an exciting thing to build a PC!

  • p1 ama on 17/01/2022 - 15:56
    +1

    I'd go with an i7 12700KF, no point getting the iGPU if you're already getting a GPU. Also, I'd pair it with a Z690 board rather than B660, especially if you're going to pay $279 for the B660 board. You can get a Z690 board for around $310 or so, definitely worth the difference.

    I'd also suggest 32GB RAM, but that one might be lower down the priority list - 16GB is definitely enough, but it's also a bit 2015. The additional RAM will be useful for streaming.

  • Frizzlerz on 17/01/2022 - 16:03

    I've been researching at the moment for myself.
    Some notes:
    If you have future plans to overclock the Intel 12700k CPU you will need to upgrade from the B660M MOBO to the Z series from Intel (not sure on the overclockable series from the AMD MOBO).
    You might be able to find some $ savings by looking at CPU+ MOBO bundle deals from different suppliers, one example would be on shoppingexpress where buying a 12700k+Z690 saves $69 vs buying separate and is $19 cheaper than the listed CPU+MOBO while still being mATX

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