Before I buy

[Clover11]

I am making the jump from consul to PC and will buy a PC soon. I wanted to post the specs before I buy to get input on if I am making an appropriate decision. The price is at $1,300 which is a little more then I would like to spend but seems like the low end for a 2070 super which is sounds like is around the minimum of what I would want. What do you guys think? Anything else you would recommend? Seems like I am better of going Ryzen in my budget but I am learning that single core speed is important for SIMs so maybe I would be better off with an Intel chip? Let me know. Thanks.

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6GHz Processor
• NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6
• 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM
• 1TB SSD
• 10/100/1000 LAN + WiFi 5 WLAN
• Windows 10 Pro

 

[robt100]

Is it being purely used for gaming? As you could save a little by going with a Ryzen 3600. Same single core performance, but 2 less cores overall, which wont really matter in sims at the moment. With that you could use the money saved to either meet your budget or try for 3600 memory.

 

[Clover11]

The PC will be connected to my sim rig so it will probably see almost exclusive game use. I guess there is the chance I may want to start capturing video and doing some video editing in the future. Thanks for the recommendation, it does seem like the 3600 would be a better fit for me.

 

[Durge Driven]

Even if you get cheap Windows key I can't for the life of me see any point to Pro version , especially for sim tower

Retail USB here Home costs $100AU less which means you could keep your 3700X

Pro is identical performance to Home you will miss nothing but downgrading CPU you will

 

[2stains]

I'd stay on the 8c but get 3700 non X. Grab a win 10 key for $15 off the net and look for faeter RAM.
Also depending on timing of the build there should be new GPU's coming soonish that may bring prices down amd performance up.

 

[Ruttman98]

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6GHz Processor
• NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6
• 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM
• 1TB SSD
• 10/100/1000 LAN + WiFi 5 WLAN
• Windows 10 Pro

With the exception of a used GTX 1080 ti ($410 Ebay auction--you might find cheaper), I just built a similar system for a shade under $1450 USD including all taxes and shipping. For storage I opted for a 250MB Samsung 970 Evo+ M2 SSD and a 4TB Seagate Barracuda HDD. My Windows 10 key was free from my stepson, so add $100.

Here in the U.S., Micro Center PowerSpec PCs close to your specs are coming in right around your budget:

PowerSpec G706 Gaming PC; AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6GHz Processor; NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6; 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM; 1TB SSD; - Micro Center

Get it now! The PowerSpec G706 desktop computer is a powerful gaming machine featuring the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X unlocked processor, an ASRock X570 Pro 4 system board powered by a 750W PSU, 16GB DDR4 3200 RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a RTX 2070 Super 8GB discrete video card to provide an incredible...

www.microcenter.com

Looking at photos on the Micro Center website, these appear to be some of the best prebuilts utilizing good Lian Li cases and quality internals, but these PCs are offered in-store only. Still, it could be worth a 2-3 hour drive to one of the cities lucky enough to have one of their locations. You even even save another 5% on everything (even sale and open box items) if you take out a credit card at Micro Center and pay off the balance within 90 days.) And, no, I don't work for them. But they should be paying me!!

If you choose to build your own PC, navigate the bundle "deals" carefully. Do you really want the hassle of water cooling? Is the CPU-Ram combo really the best deal out there? I bought nearly everything fot my build from Micro Center EXCEPT my SilverStone RL-06 GW-Pro case and additional fans (Amazon) and EVGA 80+ Gold PSU (Newegg.com).

Good luck & Godspeed!

 

[Ruttman98]

@Clover11 -- didn't I counsel you on your console transition on another sim racing website?

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

The PC will be connected to my sim rig so it will probably see almost exclusive game use. I guess there is the chance I may want to start capturing video and doing some video editing in the future. Thanks for the recommendation, it does seem like the 3600 would be a better fit for me.

Both 3600 and 3700(X) are good choices, 3600 is currently the mainstream gaming GPU of choice. With Intel you'll no doubt get 0-10% more performance depending on the game. One problem with Intel is if you buy a 9th gen that is currently on sales, you are left on a dead socket as Intel is just about to release their 10th gen CPU's using a new socket. With AMD, it was just confirmed that the upcoming 4th gen Ryzen will be compatible with existing motherboards, meaning you can get a nice performance boost if you want to upgrade the CPU anytime in the next three years or so.

 

[GEO147]

I just built a:

3700x
16gb Vengeance 3600hz
RTX 2080

The CPU performs excellently. Things to note:
3600hz ram may be marginally better than 3200. Ive just ordered another 16gb of it but not essential.
The 3700x runs hot. I would consider an AIO cooler. I went with an NZXT Kraken 280.
Get your windows off the internet. CD Keys or where ever. All legit.
MAke sure to download the latest Chjipset drivers directly from the AMD website if you go Ryzen.

My build is able to run AC on max settings triple screen 1080p with the frames capped at 72 (I have 75hz Freesync monitors).
It also runs iRacing maxxed out capped at 72

Just to give you an idea of performance. Triples at 1080 is similar to 4k single (someone else please confirm).

 

[Fi22le]

I am making the jump from consul to PC and will buy a PC soon. I wanted to post the specs before I buy to get input on if I am making an appropriate decision. The price is at $1,300 which is a little more then I would like to spend but seems like the low end for a 2070 super which is sounds like is around the minimum of what I would want. What do you guys think? Anything else you would recommend? Seems like I am better of going Ryzen in my budget but I am learning that single core speed is important for SIMs so maybe I would be better off with an Intel chip? Let me know. Thanks.

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6GHz Processor
• NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6
• 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM
• 1TB SSD
• 10/100/1000 LAN + WiFi 5 WLAN
• Windows 10 Pro

Depends what you are hoping for in terms of resolution / refresh rate.

I recently switched to Ryzen (3600) and I’m super pleased with it.

I also have a 2070s and it’s decent for running 3x 1080 screens at 60hz. Your needs may be different though.

 

[Fi22le]

The 3700x runs hot. I would consider an AIO cooler.

Respectfully, I totally disagree with this advice. Most AIO's don't really outperform good air collers, and are certainly less reliable. I don't think they are needed for Ryzen. They do look nice though, if that's your thing.

Get your windows off the internet. CD Keys or where ever. All legit.
MAke sure to download the latest Chjipset drivers directly from the AMD website if you go Ryzen.

Totally agree with this advice

Regarding Windows keys. £5 off ebay or similar. Be warned though, I bought one recently and the seller was trying to convince me to download Windows from a Google drive acount! So £5 wasted, but just bought from another seller.

To be clear Windows comes from Microsoft, keys come from wherever is cheap. There's plenty of info around the internet about creating your own Windows ISO thumb drive.

 

[GEO147]

The AIO is not essential. Just depends how quiet you want your pc to be.

 

[Clover11]

For $100 more I could get an 9700KF and double the ram at a faster speed. Do you think the different processor would help with sim racing?

• Intel Core i7-9700KF Processor 3.6GHz
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6
• 32GB DDR4-3600 RAM
• 1TB NVMe SSD
• Microsoft Windows 10 Pro

 

[ltcars]

For $100 more I could get an 9700KF and double the ram at a faster speed. Do you think the different processor would help with sim racing?

• Intel Core i7-9700KF Processor 3.6GHz
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6
• 32GB DDR4-3600 RAM
• 1TB NVMe SSD
• Microsoft Windows 10 Pro

I never needed this much ram, 16 is quite enough in my opinion

 

[Ruttman98]

Another thing to keep in mind:

Going with Intel, which is at the end of its current CPU socket architecture, would limit future CPU ugradability. AMD has announced that its upcoming CPUs will use the current Ryzen socket. I took this into account when I chose AMD.

Most gaming experts have been saying that watercooling is not necessary or desirable for the majority of users. Overclockers and 24/7 users could benefit, but watercooling comes with its own costs, benefits and issues.

Knowing the Ryzens run hot, I chose a high airflow PC case and opted for PWM fans, the speed of which is controllable via the motherboard. I chose quality fans and realized that a mesh style case makes any fan noise more noticeable. I Do not believe fan noise will significantly interfere with gaming enjoyment via speaker audio or--better yet--headphones.

 

[Fi22le]

Ryzens don’t run hot btw.

 

[2stains]

1080p x3 is 6 million ish pixels
4k is 8 million ish
Triples is heavy but on the CPU side more than I thought it would be. I ran a 4k monitor for years and recently went to triples (1080p). I did all the math and thought I was going to get a bit more GPU headroom and found my 7700k was more the limiting factor now.

 

[Plastic Manc]

Ryzen doesn't seem to run hot in my case. Just upgraded from a 4790k to a 3900x and the Intel chip ran quite a bit hotter under the same cooler (Corsair H150i).

Always worth getting decent case fans and then with Argus Monitor you can link them to your GPU temp.

 

[GEO147]

I had a 3770k that was running 4.4ghz and idled at 32c
My 3700 Ryzen chip fluctuates from 40 to 50c at idle.