AMD3800X+GTX1660S for light gaming and Adobe on 1080p

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rchrdp

Member
I need a new machine for work (MS Teams), Adobe Illustrator, Python/JS development and some light gaming (eg Minecraft). Primarily I want it to be fast and relatively quiet, at least when it's not under load. My current i5-8 with 8GB RAM is just too slow. Budget £1,200-£1,500 tops. I'm using it with two Dell U2415 1080p monitors; my next upgrade will likely be to 1440p monitors in a year or two.

Suggestions welcome, thanks!

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 18 to 20 working days
Price: £1,296.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-workstation/4wB8hUZ5x2/
 
R

rchrdp

Member
Another question on this spec; I want this machine to be quiet. Would extra fans help to achieve this? (Would they even fit the case if I use the Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler that Nursemorph suggested?). Thanks!
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
rchrdp said:
Another question on this spec; I want this machine to be quiet. Would extra fans help to achieve this? (Would they even fit the case if I use the Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler that Nursemorph suggested?). Thanks!
Click to expand...

You won't need anything at all with the Define. It comes with a nice set of fans and the fans on the cooler will be a welcome addition for airflow through the case.
 
R

rchrdp

Member
I'm about to push "go" on this build, which includes most of @Nursemorph suggestions. It's for use with twin 1080p displays.

Power supply question: I see there's an RMx version of the power supply. My build has the RM. Is it worth waiting for the RMx to be in stock, or is it a small upgrade in reality?

Thanks!

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 18 to 20 working days
Price: £1,453.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-workstation/9Xgp5cJYZJ/
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
It looks like you are building in the wrong configurator. That's the work-station build. You want to be in the Ryzen Extreme build.

From there you can select either the H100i or the H115i RGB platinum, which would be recommended with this build for silence.

Other than that, looks pretty good.

I wouldn't worry about the RM vs the RMx, they are very similar and both offer the same warranty etc. There is a slight difference but nothing worth holding out for.
 
R

rchrdp

Member
Thanks @Scott I had no idea there were different configurators! I've changed the H100x Ultra Quiet to an H100i RGB.

Do I really need the RGB version? The machine will be out of sight. If the RGB version is quieter, then I understand, but H100x Ultra Quiet already sounds like it should be pretty quiet...?

Also: I see in this configurator there are higher-spec versions of RAM (3600MHz vs 3200) and SSD (Firecuda vs Evo Plus). I think I'm probably good with what I've got, but I'd hate to miss out for a few ££ more if there's a big advantage?

Thanks for the feedback - really useful!

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 18 to 20 working days
Price: £1,480.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/c6TADyVG9a/
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
The RGB one is the new one. It's not about the lighting. The cooling plate is more efficient than the older model. The case allows for the H115i and there's not a lot more difference in price so it's probably worth it.

RAM, 3600 is worth it for the cash.

Firecuda is better than the EVO after 1TB. At 500GB the evo is actually better overall (faster writes).

@Nursemorph has the changes covered :D
 
R

rchrdp

Member
Does anyone know where I can find the latency (CL) figures for the RAM (Corsair Vengeance 16GB = 2 x 8GB)? at 3,200 and 3,600 MHz? I can't find the precise spec in the configurator and I'm confused by the Corsair site.
 
N

nick_123

Silver Level Poster
Just on the RAM, my build was very similar to yours, and partly the same use case (adobe). I enquired about 32gb ram @ 3600 as it wasn’t available on the builder at the time. I was told by PCS (rightly or wrongly) that it is likely that the higher frequency RAM didn’t pair well with the CPU’s at 32gb and that’s why the option wasn’t available. It was a bit of a woolly explanation but it seemed plausible. As such they advised that 32gb @ 3200mhz was more than sufficient. I haven’t the foggiest if what I was told is right or wrong but thought it best to mention it so one of the experienced builders on here can confirm or deny.

By the way, that case is a sexy beast. I love it.
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
It's likely that they haven't tested it so cannot confirm the compatibility. They always run tests on all the config permutations.

3200Mhz is fine though, faster the better obviously but it won't make THAT much of a difference.
 
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