New PC Cooling, Power and Possible Upgrade Advice

[Halva]

Hi All!

I want to use PCSpecialist to build a gaming PC, one I wish to also use for video and sound editing.
I would like to leave some space for potential future upgrades due to additional costs). If there is a relatively small cost of adjusting this build now, I'd like to use this opportunity to gain some insight as to what that might be specifically and address in for the order. I'd like to know if this outline is coherent and stable or not, if I can ask for your help.

I found more or less what I needed in this part : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-z370-pc/ :

CASE: CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R COMPACT GAMING CASE (Please let me know if you think this has sensible ventilation options)

PROCESSOR: Intel Core Eight Core i7-9700 (3.0 GHz) 12 Mb Cache (Is there any reason to switch to i7-9700K or i9-9900 for a quality difference right now?)

MOTHERBOARD: ASUS ROG Strix Z390-F Gaming ATX LGA 1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6 GBs - RGB Ready (I think I like this motherboard from what I've read. Should I be wary of anything?)

RAM: 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (4x8GB) (Motherboard allows an upgrade up to 64GB)

GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB, HDMI, VR Ready

HARD DRIVE: 2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5'' HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB Cache

M.2 SSD DRIVE: 256GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (1900 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)

POWER SUPPLY: CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, Ultra Quiet (Please let me know first of all, if this is the right wattage for this setup - a gaming PC for video and sound editing? Second question - how does MODULAR and SEMI-MODULAR factor in and influence the power source for a custom built PC one gets, I assume, pre-built?)

PROCESSOR COOLING: Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
(Please let me know if liquid cooling tends be effective for this kind of setup and do you guys think there is a big difference between this choice and the more expensive options Corsair proposes for this build on the PCSpecialist website?)

EXTRA CASE FANS: Shall I add any at all and shall I splurge on these additional ones or just go for cheaper Black Case Fans?

SOUND CARD: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX OEM (Does this choice even matter or should I just go with the default pre-built sound card?)

Other stuff I've got pretty much worked out. My budget for this setup comes to £1631 and I have some wiggle space, depending on what I should fine-tune for the setup above.

I know that upgrading RAM is no biggie, but do you guys think that somewhere down the line upgrading the Processor from an i7 to an i9 requires more work than RAM? And does PC Specialist handle these sort of upgrades for units they assembled?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Dan79]

If you are video editing you may wish to consider an AMD build. AMD Config

There are better m.2 drives (faster and a larger capacity)

Cooler would depend on if you changed to an AMD chip as the lower end ones can use the stock cooler.

Normal power supplys have all cables permenatly fitted, modular you plug only required cables and semi-mod in between. Also probably ok with 550w.

Generally the onboard sound is good - but not sure if that relates to sound editing.

 

[Halva]

Thanks DAN79, honestly I feel more confident with Intel and I'm probably going to stick by it.

The main questions I would like addressed though is whether modularity in a power source affects anything if PCSpecialist are building the PC (I'm assuming I won't be the one plugging anything in once it arrives).
The second one concerns the current state of cooling and whether liquid cooling is actually more efficient and as safe as fan cooling. I've been looking at different yt vids and PCSpecialist do offer a Noctua CPU Fan, which I believe is a company considered pretty solid on the market.

I'm really wary of liquid cooling at this point, a lot of people testing both really comment on the aesthetics more than the performance as it tends to be similar in both noise levels and temperature.

 

[Dan79]

Basically less wires equals better airflow (and tidier cable management)

With the intel chips you pretty much want a high end liquid cooler - they run very hot and thermal throttle terribly.

@SpyderTracks and @Scott can probably get more into that as my knowledge is fairly limited.

 

[Scott]

I wouldn't recommend Intel at all just now. They're going to be out of it for the foreseeable future IMO. When it comes to video editing at this level the 3900X is going to be the go-to. You really don't want to go down the Intel route, of course it's your decision and money, as there are numerous security issues and their platform is dead (no upgrade path for the CPU).

There is a fantastic offer on a review spec system at the moment that has FAR more power than you would normally get for this sort of budget (£1900 ish). Unfortunately it cannot be changed so you would need to purchase and fit RAM separately if you wanted 32GB (I would recommend 2x16GB 3200mhz RAM for this build). Other than that slight inconvenience, this is a no brainer.

PCSPECIALIST - Custom Computers and Laptops Built to Order

PCSpecialist is a manufacturer of high quality custom computers and laptops. Configure your ideal computer in just a few simple steps with a broad range available.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

If you wanted a custom recommendation for around £1600 it would be this....

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
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 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® 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
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,683.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/4D8j2TzSyQ/


It's just under £1700 but houses the 3900X. You can see it's actually less powerful than the £1500 review spec but it does have 32GB of RAM. IMO this isn't a wise choice but it's the best power you can get in a custom build. If you dropped down to the 3800X it's a fantastic multi-tasking chip and will be similar to the 9900k for working performance. The 3900X just makes them all look silly though.

 

[Halva]

Thanks so much for the really detailed reply!

Hm, by video editing I mean for youtube channel purposes, like say a channel that does video essays or commentary on tv shows. I honestly want it to be half-work half-reasonable game-worthy.

Does having an AMD Processor not limit the choice when it comes to game compatibility though? Again, this may be some pre-conceived notion on my part so apologies if it's bull.

Thank you for adding a full spec list with a power source for 650W, I went on one of the calculators available online to check these specs against an estimated power source and it came out with 750W.

I am also really, really anxious about liquid cooling and cooling in general. I think the most strain my PC will be under is during gaming, but I'm no pro as well, so I'd say I would like to get a ultra setting ideally, but I'm not expecting to squeeze the absolute max in this budget - I'd like to play the Witcher III and feel the niceness of nature is what I'm saying.

I'm anxious about liquid cooling breaking down or springing a leak and compromising everything without me knowing. So I started researching a bit and discovered Noctua-produced fans for both the CPU and case fans. There is a few degree difference and people mainly criticize the aesthetics of these fans, but otherwise it seems like an idea for a safer option for myself.

The site for Intel I was using before to customize my build had a https://noctua.at/en/nh-u14s CPU fan proposed on its list. Do you think it's also possible for PCSpecialist to replace or add case fans from Noctua that are not on the list of extra fans?

 

[Scott]

With that in mind then the 3800X would be ideal for you. However, the review spec is still far and away the best value.

There is no limitation from an AMD processor, it's all plus points at the moment. I believe you may be getting the CPU and the GPU mixed up. There have been a few glitches with the AMD GPUs in recent years, most of which I believe have been addressed, but I tend not to recommend AMD GPUs, almost every time I would choose NVidia.

Don't trust calcuators or comparison sites or anything like that. They are mostly garbage. They air on the side of caution because they don't want you to fit a piece of junk 550W PSU and have your system go up in smoke because it can't handle it. Corsair PSUs are second to none. If it says 650W on the side..... it can safely produce that power with room to spare. The 650w PSU is suggested in this build purely in case you want to UPGRADE the GPU to something more powerful. The system built above would happily run on 550w, maybe even 450w.

Don't worry about liquid cooling. The whole notion of it being an issue is complete Chinese Whispers. Believe me, if there was an issue with Liquid Cooling it would be ALL over this forum as almost entirely every build is either recommended to have the stock cooler or a beefy AIO water cooler. I've ran watercooling for over 10 years and not had an issue (I always buy good coolers). The water is de-ionised so it won't cause any damage if it spilled/leaked (which is sooooooooo unlikely to ever happen). A failure on the pump is about as likely as a failure of a fan and the outcome is the same....... system getting hot and throttling showing an issue. There is no danger of loss or anything like that nowadays (15 years ago there was, different times though).

I wouldn't go down the Noctua route personally. It's big, heavy, hangs off the motherboard and blows warm air around the case. 1°C of difference is poppycock IMO, they're doing those tests with the side of the case off and over shorter times than would actually show the difference. There's just no way an air-cooler would keep a modern day high performance chip running at reasonable temps while on full boost.

If you are going for the 3800X and you don't feel you are going to push the system then the stock cooler is fine. If you want something pretty that's quiet as a mouse and will cool the chip at any usage level then go for the H100i RGB Platinum.

 

[Halva]

With that in mind then the 3800X would be ideal for you. However, the review spec is still far and away the best value.

There is no limitation from an AMD processor, it's all plus points at the moment. I believe you may be getting the CPU and the GPU mixed up. There have been a few glitches with the AMD GPUs in recent years, most of which I believe have been addressed, but I tend not to recommend AMD GPUs, almost every time I would choose NVidia.

Don't trust calcuators or comparison sites or anything like that. They are mostly garbage. They air on the side of caution because they don't want you to fit a piece of junk 550W PSU and have your system go up in smoke because it can't handle it. Corsair PSUs are second to none. If it says 650W on the side..... it can safely produce that power with room to spare. The 650w PSU is suggested in this build purely in case you want to UPGRADE the GPU to something more powerful. The system built above would happily run on 550w, maybe even 450w.

Don't worry about liquid cooling. The whole notion of it being an issue is complete Chinese Whispers. Believe me, if there was an issue with Liquid Cooling it would be ALL over this forum as almost entirely every build is either recommended to have the stock cooler or a beefy AIO water cooler. I've ran watercooling for over 10 years and not had an issue (I always buy good coolers). The water is de-ionised so it won't cause any damage if it spilled/leaked (which is sooooooooo unlikely to ever happen). A failure on the pump is about as likely as a failure of a fan and the outcome is the same....... system getting hot and throttling showing an issue. There is no danger of loss or anything like that nowadays (15 years ago there was, different times though).

I wouldn't go down the Noctua route personally. It's big, heavy, hangs off the motherboard and blows warm air around the case. 1°C of difference is poppycock IMO, they're doing those tests with the side of the case off and over shorter times than would actually show the difference. There's just no way an air-cooler would keep a modern day high performance chip running at reasonable temps while on full boost.

If you are going for the 3800X and you don't feel you are going to push the system then the stock cooler is fine. If you want something pretty that's quiet as a mouse and will cool the chip at any usage level then go for the H100i RGB Platinum.

Those sound like really valid points, when it comes to water cooling though, even when I have it assembled for me - doesn't it require say... a more attentive maintenance attitude than with fans?

What I'm trying to say is that haven't fans been around for a while and they're also undergoing updates and changes, at most for the forseable future what'll I'll be doing is probably adding to RAM, if anything. I'm not really a person that fiddles around with their PC and I don't know if with an Intel i7 9700K processor I'll need to do a whole lot to enjoy games on high or ultra settings.

Liquid cooling, from the limited perspective on the topic I may have, requires you to know you stuff and it's not as easy or covenient to maintain if you're a person who just wants to dust off some excess residue on a fan blade.

With Intel Processors as well, if I won't be upgrading that much in the future but this would be pretty much my setup (approx. the one from the 1st post), wouldn't that make it more or less suitable?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Liquid cooling, from the limited perspective on the topic I may have, requires you to know you stuff and it's not as easy or covenient to maintain if you're a person who just wants to dust off some excess residue on a fan blade.

I think you’re getting confused with a custom watercooling setup. This is a closed AIO, there’s no maintenance at all other than cleaning the fans of dust as you would normally. You don’t have to top up liquid or anything, it’s all a completely closed unit.

Processor wise, weather it’s AMD or Intel, it’s not going to make any difference to how you use the computer or game.

With Intel Processors as well, if I won't be upgrading that much in the future but this would be pretty much my setup (approx. the one from the 1st post), wouldn't that make it more or less suitable?

Again, think you’re getting confused between GPU and CPU, weather the CPU is intel or AMD, you don’t need to change the platform (cpu, motherboard, RAM) for about 7 to 10 years. It’s just that AMD will give substantially better performance over that time.

The GPU, you’ll have to upgrade after 3 or 4 years whatever happens to remain current in games, but that’s the case on any gaming build.

 

[Halva]

I definitely may be getting confused, but what I'm trying to determine the pros and cons of both AMD and Intel for this setup.

Could you be a bit more descriptive in what the performance difference is between AMD and Intel processors? I would like to learn more and perhaps choose one that is a middle ground.

With AIO Liquid Cooling - should I understand then that there is no risk and no maintenance involved other than that connected to fan performance? There is nothing at all for me to concern myself with when it comes to, say, tubing and related connectivity?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Could you be a bit more descriptive in what the performance difference is between AMD and Intel processors? I would like to learn more and perhaps choose one that is a middle ground.

The only area intel are still relevant is 1080p gaming over 240hz, basically competitive gaming. Most people are on 1440p as a minimum, it’s only budget users and competitive player who still game at 1080p.

As soon as you move up to 1440p, the workload is shifted more into the GPU so most processors give very much the same performance.

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X review

AMD's Ryzen 9 3900X easily wins the multithreaded crown, and comes close in games.

www.pcgamer.com

Since you’re not just gaming but also doing multithreaded, the Intel is going to be a very poor choice because they’re exceptionally poor at multithreaded workloads. The 3900x is just another league at performance at any milultithreaded workloads.

So overall, you’re going to experience exactly the same gaming performance whilst seeing around double the multithreaded performance for around the same cost. There’s just no competition here, AMD is far better across the board.

With AIO Liquid Cooling - should I understand then that there is no risk and no maintenance involved other than that connected to fan performance? There is nothing at all for me to concern myself with when it comes to, say, tubing and related connectivity?

It’s a completely sealed unit, there’s nothing to be taken apart or refilled in any way.