gaming build Z390 question

[polycrac]

Hi All,

I'm hoping to get a new system from PCS soon (when the 9th gen info is released), but I'm struggling to understand the functionality differences between the two generations of motherboards. I'm keen to spend a little more now and have plenty of options further down the line but it is clear that one of PCS' Z390 boards is an entry level offering and some of the higher end Z370 boards might be better. This leaves me a bit confused and reading motherboard reviews hasn't helped much (I'm too ignorant to distinguish between generally useful future-proofing and gimmicks). On top of this, it seems you can pay as much as you like for a motherboard and some of the top options add a huge chunk to my build cost. I have the budget for the the most expensive if it makes sense *edit*(£2k if needed, £1.5 if possible!)*edit* but I don't want to spend more than is warranted.

I don't know if this info helps or even makes much sense:

It is for gaming primarily (PUBG and TWW2 currently), though I also use a Vive pro and occasionally bring work projects home (Blender based 3D modelling, some statistical software to run ANNs)
I have a 1440p 144Hz Gsync monitor for gaming and a second HD monitor.
I'm keen on having a mid/full tower case (plenty of room for future tinkering) with a front-facing USB 3.1.
In-built wifi or Bluetooth are a bonus but neither is required. I added a wifi card below because we may be moving soon and I want options, but I currently use a cable.
I'm currently using a single 1080ti GPU, but if I get the budget for 4K gaming I'd consider newer/multiple (if NVlink turns out to be useful) GPUs in the future.
I'd like to start with one M.2 NVMe SSD but may potentially want to add extra in the future.

This is my current starting point for a build (subject to today's reviews and PCS's speed in offering pre-overclocked 9th gen options) using the cheapest Z390:

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D FULL TOWER CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-9700K (3.6GHz) 12MB Cache ()
FREE Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 & More w/ select Intel CPUs!

Motherboard
Gigabyte Z390 UD: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready

Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD

1st Hard Disk
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE

1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3400MB/R, 2300MB/W)
FREE Assassin's Creed: Odyssey with select SAMSUNG NVMe SSDs!

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED

Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx 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 Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans

Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING

LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip

Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1300 867Mbps/5GHz, 400Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD

USB Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS

Operating System
Genuine 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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)

Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode

Browser
Google Chrome™

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 7 to 9 working days

Quantity
1

Price £1,470.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/G6BsTjH9w2/

I'm also aware that 2700X or I9-9900k might well be the smarter choice, we should see later today. I'd appreciate any opinions or advice you lot could offer.

 

[polycrac]

Sod it - I decided to spend a bit more and just get the new shiny thing. I've been waiting since Spring for this order:

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D SE CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight Core Processor i9-9900K (3.6GHz) 16MB Cache
FREE Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 & More w/ select Intel CPUs!

Motherboard
Gigabyte Z390 AORUS PRO: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready

Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD

1st Hard Disk
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE

1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3400MB/R, 2500MB/W)
FREE Assassin's Creed: Odyssey with select SAMSUNG NVMe SSDs!

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED

Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx 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 Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans

Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)

USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Operating System
Genuine 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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)

Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode

Browser
Google Chrome™

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 7 to 9 working days

Quantity
1

Price £1,782.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/AezQQWe3qB/

 

[SpyderTracks]

It’s a nice build if you’re happy to splash out the cash.

I would have suggested the h100x as a minimum with that chip.

Should do you well.

 

[polycrac]

One upside of having waited so long (and work providing the GPU!) is a better budget. Do you think it is worth changing to the H115? If PCS get it on an overclock menu while I can still edit the order, I'll go for that - if not I might try it myself, though I know it voids the warranty.

 

[SpyderTracks]

One upside of having waited so long (and work providing the GPU!) is a better budget. Do you think it is worth changing to the H115? If PCS get it on an overclock menu while I can still edit the order, I'll go for that - if not I might try it myself, though I know it voids the warranty.

If you’re going to be over clocking at all I’d say, yes, I think it’s worth it. On that chip I’d go totally overboard on cooling.

 

[Oussebon]

At 1440p especially I'd have probably just gone with the R7 2700x tbh.

I'd like to start with one M.2 NVMe SSD but may potentially want to add extra in the future.

The Z390 UD only has 1 M.2 slot. So the change to the Pro is sound there.

The frost USB C header on the mobo however is USB 3.1 Gen 1, not Gen 2. The case's front USB C supports 3.1 Gen 2.
https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/corsair-obsidian-500d-pc-case-review,1.html


The least expensive mobo with USB 3.1 Gen 2 for the front type C port is the Z370E and if going for that you may as well look at the AORUS Master. It's like £90 more though.

The 9900k might be alright at stock speeds versus the 8700k and predecessors temps wise, some reviews I saw suggested it's only once you start tapping into the relatively small OC headroom (disregarding exotic cooling and extreme OCs) that it turns into a furnace. So the H100x ought to be fine at stock. For OCing even the H115 may struggle.

You may find yourself wanting to raise tyhe TDP in the BIOS rather than overclock in the usual way though, essentially letting the chip boost itself higher. I think Techpowerup's review had something on this but I can't get the page to load right now...

I believe the least expensive AM4 motherboard that supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C at the front of the case is the X470 ultra gaming. Paired with an R7 2700x this is £400 less than the 9900k + Aorus Master. Though the AM4 mobos only support 1 NVMe SSD via the M.2 slots at full speed (though PCIe add-in card may be an option).

The Crosshair mobo does apparently support 2 NVMe SSDs via the M.2 slots at PCIe 3.0 x4 though is over £100 more than the X470. Still a lot cheaper than the Intel system though. One of the M.2 slots shares bandwidth with the x8 slot but unless you're doing multiGPU setups thta won't be an issue.

If you are looking at potential multi GPU setups, get a larger PSU to be on the safe side I think. The 9900k OCed upto 5.1 on all cores seems to make it eat another 100W or so...

If PCS get it on an overclock menu while I can still edit the order, I'll go for that

PCS seem to want people to cancel the order and submit a fresh order for overclocked systems as they're under different configurators.

Overclocking yourself voids the warranty only if something is damaged as a result of the OC. If you OC the CPU and your HDD starts clicking or your GPU kicks it, you're likely to be fine.

 

[polycrac]

Thanks, that is great advice, I appreciate you taking the time to go through the motherboard options like that.
I agonised over the 2700x but I'm not sure I understood the full price differential. The cooling and power requirements of the I9 9900k only add to this. I think I need to look again at this order, the money I could save would take me a lot closer to a 4K set up in the near future.

 

[Oussebon]

And ofc at 4k, which CPU you have matters even less, the R7 2700x giving you 98.4% of the performance of a 9900k (96% at 1440p, and 92-93% at 1080p).
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i9_9900K/19.html

Not a perfect metric I'm sure but it illustrates the point.

That said, what's your current PC? Is it even really worth getting a 2700x versus what you currently have?

 

[polycrac]

Currently I have an I5 4590. It's looked after me well, for three years now, I'm sure it could last a little longer if needed. Earlier in the year I had a small windfall from a consulting job and I promised myself an update. I'm not a natural saver and avoiding frittering it away has been hard work! I waited for the rtx cards, and then for the 9th gen CPUs, not sure if I can bring myself to wait for the 7nm next year!

 

[Oussebon]

I wasn't suggesting specifically waiting for Ryzen 2 / Canonlake, more than your current i5 might give you near enough the same performance at 4k as a 2700x anyway.

 

[polycrac]

I'm starting to feel a bit frustrated, it seems what I wanted (shiny new toy) is not really what I needed. Work bought me a 1080ti recently so I'm loath to buy a new gpu (I couldn't sell the one I have, either I use it or it sits on a shelf). When I got my hands on it I bought a new screen (1440p), so I'm not overjoyed with upgrading that so soon either, though I'd like to go to 4k eventually.

I hoped that a new cpu, faster ram & an NVMe drive would give me a similar boost in general performance and that seemed to mean a new PC, which was exciting!

Now I'm thinking about getting an old I7 4790K (best my mobo could handle) and a few other bits to fit in my current PC. It probably is a smarter move (and I really am grateful for all the advice, I know it takes time and effort to give) but it isn't as fun as watching the PCS order progress and having a new box of fun arrive.

 

[Oussebon]

Tbh I don't think I'd buy an old i7 for ~£100+ (they're on ebay for less, but they won't be at those prices by the time the auctions finish...) unless my favourite game really wanted the extra threads and I was prepared to sink that much cash into it. Also I somehow distrust 2nd hand CPUs.. though I say that from the position of having never bought one, due to an in-built distrust of 2nd hand CPUs.

If doing that you could just buy a new CPU, mobo, and RAM and do your own install. What with replacing a CPU you're half way there anyway.

You could also think about getting a 4k monitor for your existing system, or wait for black friday and see if there are any deals for such things.

 

[Scott]

I wouldn't upgrade at all in your position. I'm sticking with my 3770k until prices significantly drop or performance significantly improves.

I am at a toss up between the 1080ti and the 2080. I think the 2080 has to win because of the new tech but there really isn't a lot in it. With you having a 1080ti anyway, I would hold off till next gen when hopefully the RT element hits the next level. Put the money into a savings account and add to it. By the time you get a system that ticks every box and trounces what you have you will be able to buy it outright no sweat

 

[polycrac]

Oussebon, thank you for all your help - I bet I might get away with that cpu at 4K, but I'll see some benefit for the gaming (and more for my other uses) if I upgrade. I've talked this over with my better half and we've found a good home for my current PC, I've had it for two years and it wasn't top of the range when I got it. Giving it away to a young gamer who'll love it (which, most importantly, justifies me getting a brand new toy)!

This is my old build:
Case InWIN 503 MID TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE)

Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4590 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard ASUS® Z97-P: ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs

Memory (RAM) 8GB Kingston DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)

Graphics Card 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 2 x DVI, HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VRReady! (now a 1080ti)

1st Hard Disk 120GB KINGSTON V300 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY

Processor Cooling INTEL STANDARD 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 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD

USB Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONTPORTS

Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Operating System Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & LicenceDVD Recovery Media Windows 10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve

Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365




And this is what I'm planning to order to replace it:

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D SE CASE

Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Eight Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.35GHz/20MB CACHE/AM4)

Motherboard
Gigabyte X470 AORUS Ultra Gaming: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready

Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2933MHz ~ (2 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD

1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE

1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3400MB/R, 2300MB/W)
FREE Assassin's Creed: Odyssey with select SAMSUNG NVMe SSDs!

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED

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
Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans

Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1300 867Mbps/5GHz, 400Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD

USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Operating System
Genuine 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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)

Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode

Browser
Google Chrome™

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 5 to 7 working days

Quantity
1

Price £1,339.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-pc/udYR0tdrhh/

I looked at overclocked versions, but I hear the XFR is actually pretty good, given a decent motherboard and cooler. Since I want to get the front facing USB 3.1 gen 2 type c I took your advice on the ultra gaming. I've seen a regular on the forums saying that the corsair coolers come with good paste anyway - would you agree, or is it worth getting the coolermaster version? The other change is the PSU - I figured 2 gpus is unlikely and 650 should cover me if I ever upgrade to a new card. Finally, I wondered if anyone knows whether the spare Wraith cooler comes with it when you buy an extra one?


*edit* - in the end I ditched the wifi and went with the better psu. I'll take my chances on the Corsair cooler paste, I can always re-paste if needed. Now I can enjoy waiting for the PC (about time, it was 7 months ago I came to the forum looking for a build!)

 

[chrisrowe15]

Hi polycrac, I'm in the process of trying to put together my first gaming pc and just reading the specs from threads other people are creating after reading yours it occured to me for like £50 more you could get an upgraded PSU, lighting strips, RGB memory and a 9700K I7 processor if you still wanted to go down the Z390 route rather than Ryzen. Now I'm a novice and don't know how a 9700k system would compare to to a Ryzen 2700X, but as it's a spec I was currently working on myself, (though with slight adaptations to make it closer to yours), I thought I should post it.

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-9700K (3.6GHz) 12MB Cache

FREE Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 & More w/ select Intel CPUs!
Motherboard

Gigabyte Z390 UD: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)

16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)

1st Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive

500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3400MB/R, 2300MB/W)

FREE Assassin's Creed: Odyssey with select SAMSUNG NVMe SSDs!

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED

Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-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 Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans

Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND

LED Lighting
2x 50cm UV LED Strip

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD

USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Operating System
Genuine 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 - Supplied on USB Drive

Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)

Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Browser
Firefox™

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 4 to 6 working days

Total

QTY
1

£1,160.83
ex VAT

£1,393.00
inc VAT and Delivery

 

[chrisrowe15]

Hi polycrac, I'm in the process of trying to put together my first gaming pc and just reading the specs from threads other people are creating after reading yours it occured to me for like £50 more you could get an upgraded PSU, lighting strips, RGB memory and a 9700K I7 processor if you still wanted to go down the Z390 route rather than Ryzen. Now I'm a novice and don't know how a 9700k system would compare to to a Ryzen 2700X, but as it's a spec I was currently working on myself, (though with slight adaptations to make it closer to yours), I thought I should post it.

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/T26!DHmmU6/

 

[polycrac]

Hi Chris!

Thanks for that, I'm keen to get a lot of views and believe me, I've been back and forth a few times on this myself. My best computer budy is a big intel fan and knows the money was burning a hole in my pocket.

Your build is great, but it is a little more than the one I ended up with - and while the LEDs make up for the missing lighting in that version of the case, they don't make up for the three missing fans too. I looked at a few other versions (like the crystal 570x) but then I compromise on the front USB 3.1 type c that I wanted (and on your build I'd need to change the z390 ud board too, I think). I even squeezed in a rmx 850w psu in the end, for just over £1300.

The only compromise I found easy to justify was the cpu and that is because I'm gaming at 1440, 144hz with a 1080ti. All the reviews comparing the 2700x and I7-9700k seem to use a 2080 or 2080ti and STILL struggle to find much difference at that res. I am also keen to try a hyperthreaded cpu (currently got just 4c, 4t) and the I7 missing that left me a bit cold.

With the AM4 socket I could possibly upgrade to zen2, next spring, if it is awesome, or ignore it and wait for something better (even if I'm only able to reuse the case, psu, ssd & cooler.) It is a limitted upgrade plan (and if I could have standed waiting more for zen2, I would have!), but I don't see any clear plan for intel in this fashion.

If I'm honest, I know I could have saved even more by keeping the stock AMD cooler, but I wanted some bling.

I still have time to amend or cancel and reorder, if you think you can convince me?

 

[chrisrowe15]

Hey polycrac,

I like that you have adopted to go for a higher rated PSU, (called me paranoid I feel happier with the notion of some margin for error), equally it then makes it easier if you need to add something new.

But I don't know about convincing you, it appears much more likely the other way around!

I'm enjoying learning from others, like yourself, quite how to choose the right components and indeed the rationale for choosing one over another. I find it all very interesting, everyone, it seems, is coming to the conclusion that Ryzen is the way to go instead of Intel, even though the Intel chips are benchmarking at higher frame rates.

What you've explained about being able to upgrade the CPU on the Ryzen platform does though help to demystify this apparent contradiction.

When I tried to match the specification closer to yours I didn't choose a higher grade motherboard in order to keep the cost closer to your Ryzen build, but I'd also probably upgrade this one.

With the case, my bad on this one I made a mistake, the Corsair Obsidian I was considering appeared to me the same as the one I had read from your specification and I didn't pick up on the difference, I thought we had chosen the same one, it was perhaps my actual motivation for posting a 9700K specification. No I'm afraid I didn't notice that there were two different cases, so my apologies for that one, although I must say both of them do look rather smart, so I think we've both chosen well, (although I did get some advice on this from Oussebon suggesting the Corsair to me).

I like your thinking with the 'bling' though, surely if we're buying a new computer I think we can all reasonably expect to want it to look special and those liquid coolers, apart from their functionality advantages certainly do aid in this department.

Finally, please don't go changing any orders because of anything I've said. As I pointed out I am only a novice with no experience, still looking to buy my own first gaming PC. I'm just enjoying learning from your comments, thoughts & decisions which are of help to me creating my own specification.

 

[Oussebon]

@chrisrowe15 - in terms of configuring your own build, the pre-overclocked systems https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-z370-overclocked/ are about £50 cheaper .. for unknown reasons.

 

[chrisrowe15]

Cheers Oussebon.