Advice on a New Mid Tier Ryzen 3000 Build from an Old i5 CPU Machine

Ldinglejerry on 23/06/2019 - 12:54
Last edited 23/06/2019 - 12:58

Hi folks,

About 4 or 5 years back, I got some forum help to build a mid-high end PC from scratch, as I'd never done it before and don't keep tabs on the various pieces of hardware out there (i.e., I'm not that tech saavy on hardware). Here's what I built:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 –
Mobo: Gigabyte B85-D3H –
RAM: Patriot S 8GB Kit DDR3 1600 –
GPU: Sapphire 7870 2GB OC –
SSD: Samsung 840 Series 120GB –
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB –
ODD: Pioneer DVR-220 –
PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520C –
Case: Fractal Design Core 3000 USB3.0

I think it came to ~$1200 give or take. The reality is, I don't game very often, the most demanding things I use it for are the odd game, but more often processing my photos in photoshop and very recently I have gotten into video editing of drone footage. Now, it's just a hobby, not my job – but the PC did really find it hard to deal with the video editing work (used Davinci Resolve as the software). I think this was in part because of the RAM and the use of H265 codec with only limited SSD storage.

Given the machine has largely been fine otherwise, I thought my folks could still benefit from it for a while yet, maybe I could add in 8gb of extra RAM, but I'd like to get something that has a bit more beef to deal with the more demanding tasks I throw at it occasionally, and given the specs above – am I better off starting from scratch and rebuilding with totally new components?

I was thinking if I could get a Ryzen 3000 series (maybe the 3600 with 6 cores) and 16gb RAM, with a basic video card such as the GTX 1060 or 1660 and get 1 TB SSD to go with a 2TB magnetic HDD that might be a good start (would only occasionally game, but would like it to still perform reasonably - as I'm unlikely to upgrade again for a few years). I was wondering whether you might be able to help me come up with components for a build (preferably wouldn't like to go over $1000, but could go up to $1200 if it's really worth it) - particularly around motherboard, gfx card, PSU and case assuming Ryzen 3600 is probably going to be a good choice.

Some suggestions that were put to me were:

G.Skill F4-3200C16D-32GVK for RAM
MSI B450M PRO-VDH for Motherboard (but not sure if this is compatible with Ryzen 3000)

As I say, I'm not an expert here so any advice most welcome. Thank you.

Computing

Comments

  • dinglejerry on 23/06/2019 - 13:05
    +3

    Hi mate, I was told better to wait for the Ryzen 3000 series - is it really worth upgrading the CPU to another 4000 series I5 intel? I agree re the GPU which was why I was tossing up the new build idea.

  • Gamer Dad Reviews on 23/06/2019 - 13:23
    +1

    The very cheapest Ryzen 5 from the 3000 series will be miles better than a i7 4790, and i7 4790K's are going for extortionate prices on ebay. CPU for CPU the price is probably the same, for miles better performance from the brand new AMD chip.
    Yeah you have to get on a new platform, but good. Modern motherboards have many improvements. Why buy another 8GB of outdated DDR3? That's throwing good money after bad. Just buy 16GB of nice new modern DDR4. And get a GTX 1660Ti. Then you're done. You could buy a Samsung 970 evo M.2 if you want to. 500GB seems to be the popular sweet spot at the moment for around $140 (with $20ish cashback as well if you buy soon).

    • dinglejerry on 23/06/2019 - 13:47
      +2

      Hi dickmojo, it may not have been clear but I was planning to give my current build to my folks, which would mean I would have to start a new build from scratch - hence any suggestions as to components etc most welcome

      Thanks for your feedback re the new Ryzen 3000 series, that is what I have heard and why I thought upgrading now may be a good option

    • Diji1 on 23/06/2019 - 21:00

      That's throwing good money after bad.

      Makes barely any difference, people really need to look up some RAM benchmarks.

  • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 23/06/2019 - 16:08
    +1

    Ryzen 5 3600 - $320~

    MSI b450 Tomahawk - $160~

    Some corsair vengeance 3200mhz ram - $150~

    Gtx 1660 - $400~

    Everything else is up to you.

    *Running off CA + 20%~ coupon. Will be the best time to buy.

    Up to you on the CPU cooler, whether you buy a new one or run with the stock cooler.

    The 1660 should OC to approx 1660ti/1070 performance levels with a decent model (looking at the gaming x from msi specifically thanks to CA)

    Although the GPU may change. Hoping AMD pull their heads out and price their new cards reasonably, or Nvidia does something interesting in the mid range. But I'm doubting that, not in July anyway.

    Anyways, on to the parts.

    Ryzen 5 3600 apparently performans at about the 8700k levels so it's a hell of a buy at $320~ (assuming this comes out true)
    The tomahawk is a pretty widely suggested board. Also has the ability to update the bios via just usb (tmk, check this) so you'll be fine for that 3600.
    The RAM, up to you. This kit's pretty reasonably priced (post 20%, otherwise check amazon). You just need 3200mhz CL16 or less.
    1660 was mostly justified earlier. Okay for the price, nothing spectacular. OC of the memory apparently allows it to hit 1070/1660ti levels of performance. Only good buy at that $400~ price point. You can go with a cheaper model but the gaming x looks like a good model to pick up IMO.

    Although if you're willing to spend $480~ the 2060 is hitting that now. If you want an AMD GPU the Vega 56 can hit that 1080~ performance level with some tinkering as well. $480 on amazon.
    That said I wouldn't totally encourage it. The GPU market is sub par right now. Just go with the 1660 and pocket the $80. You'll probably be wanting to upgrade it in a few years regardless of if it's 1070 or 1080 levels of performance…least I hope that's the case.

    • dinglejerry on 23/06/2019 - 17:28

      Mate I have no idea what CA is ;-) but thanks heaps for the reply - much appreciated… I'll check into those options. With a decent case and PSU that looks like a good build for around the $1100 mark.

      • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 23/06/2019 - 18:14

        Sorry - Computer Alliance on Ebay.

      • Zazer on 23/06/2019 - 19:47
        +1

        Mate, please check out Techfast. They have great deals, their very own Luke is active on Ozb and posts often as well as follows up any issues. They will have Ryzen 3 builds when they come out, Luke has been great from all accounts and Techfast is insane value. They custom build PC's for often the same price as it would cost to get the parts individually. They recently had the Ryzen 5 2600 + RTX 2080 for just $1240, and a Ryzen 5 2600 + 1660 for just $780. Please hold off until Ryzen 3000 comes out and check out Techfast, I'm sure they'll have some great value deals going on.

        • dinglejerry on 23/06/2019 - 22:35

          Yeah thanks Zazer, I had heard mixed reports about Techfast in terms of service / quality but if the good folk here recommend I will consider them :)

          • Zazer on 24/06/2019 - 09:50

            @dinglejerry: Please do, message Luke like I said if you have any issues, he's been a great help to a lot of us and his deals are insane value. They did have some issues with shipping turnaround time around Christmas due to a large influx of orders, but those issues have been fixed and you shouldn't have any issues. Just hold out until the Ryzen 3000 series comes out then take a look at the pricing that Techfast is doing.

    • desync on 24/06/2019 - 09:27

      gtx 1160?

      no way, spend an extra 50-100 and get a rtx 2060, might be able to get them even cheaper when the navi hits the shells as nvidia will most like cut the price some

      • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 24/06/2019 - 09:35

        A 2060 is about $200 more expensive. You're thinking of the 1660ti.

        • desync on 24/06/2019 - 09:46

          actually i paid $440 for my rtx 2060 a couple of months ago, how much does the gtx 1660 go for? $350?

          i'd spring for the extra ~100, especially if intend to either
          - use VR in the future
          - game on an ultra widescreen monitor

          mwave had two "daily" deals for the rtx 2060 in a row, a gigabyte twin and inno3d in mid 400s, this price will probably be standard or lower once the navi's hit the shelves in a month? or so

          either way.. i don't think now is the time to buy anything, i want to pickup a ryzen 3rd gen as well, almost pulled the trigger on a b450 mortar but i think im going to wait at least until the x570s hit the shelves for hopefully a better discount

          • dinglejerry on 24/06/2019 - 09:53

            @desync: YEAH - happy to wait a month or so, I'm not in a rush…

          • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 24/06/2019 - 12:56

            @desync: 1660 should go for $320~ on CA.

            Although I didn't think 2060s got that cheap. Thought they were still sitting at around $500~

        • desync on 24/06/2019 - 10:02

          i lied, actually paid $469 :P
          https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:kk7MVD…

  • Deal Or-No Deal on 23/06/2019 - 19:03

    I doubt very much the price of the new Ryzen series will be anywhere near what a lot of people are saying on the forums. Like everything else it is usually hundreds of dollar more expensive, then they see that the hypothetical budget they have come up with don't even come close, especially mated to the new 5 series board.

    • dinglejerry on 23/06/2019 - 22:36

      Interesting. Hopefully that is not the case but I can see your logic - if it does start at an inflated price hopefully it comes down fairly quickly

  • Cave Fire on 23/06/2019 - 20:11

    Yeah, Ryzen 3000 is going to be a little bit expensive at launch. Looking at $1100 - $1200 + your graphics card (roughly). Those techfast deals are insane… I would upgrade the power supply personally, but yeah, still good value after those upgrades. I think they said they can even ship un built.

  • conza on 24/06/2019 - 08:30

    Using today's parts, a 1660 (which can be easily OC'd to ti performance and still has the Turing encoder advantages) a solid B450 MB, a R5 2600 CPU, etc, comes to just over $1200.

    https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/Dv8DGG

    • dinglejerry on 24/06/2019 - 09:21
      +1

      That sounds fine…think I might be best advised to wait for a 3000 series if I can though

      • desync on 24/06/2019 - 09:51

        it's not like the older stuff is giong to become more expensive, you'll only be rewarded for you patience, wait until the navi, rx570s roll out as well as nvidias refreshed 2060s, should be plenty of really good deals, especially for the older stock

        • dinglejerry on 24/06/2019 - 09:57

          How long are you suggesting I wait? 1 month? 6 months? I think your advice is valid FWIW, just curious. Incidentally, I assume Conza was suggesting I overclock the 1660 he linked to so I can get TI performance. I don't have much experience with this but assume it's not hard… of course it's irrelevant if I end up going for the video card you referred me to :)

          • desync on 24/06/2019 - 10:09

            @dinglejerry: depends on the card really, some will overclock others wont, if you can find a budget version that has a reputation for good overclocking then that might be an option

            i think the rtx 2060s will overclock themselves automatically, not sure about the 1660 though, if they benefit from manual overclocking you'll want to properly research the specific model before purchase

            but if you are gaming on ultra widescreen (2k) or VR then you should seriously consider going for the better card, even if it means you spend less on the processor

            they'll be out in a couple of weeks i think, so within maybe a month or so? i guess keep your eyes peeled, we'll be there soon

            • dinglejerry on 24/06/2019 - 10:11

              @desync: To be honest with you I don't game super often - maybe occasionally, video editing is my main thing -but if I can build a system that is going to stand the test of time for at least a few years, and isn't going to break the bank, I'm happy to look at the option you suggest

              • desync on 24/06/2019 - 10:17

                @dinglejerry: well in that case teh 1660 is definitely a viable option, as far as encoding is concerned i believe both cards have the same envec hardware support

                • dinglejerry on 24/06/2019 - 10:21

                  @desync: Yep - sounds like the main thing I need to do is wait and see re the Ryzen 3000 and what the price point is for the 3600 which seems like a good option. Plenty of other good suggestions here.

  • dinglejerry on 24/06/2019 - 09:51

    Thanks for everyone's advice here - most appreciated

  • vid_ghost on 24/06/2019 - 16:04

    I'm looking to buy a 3700X with a basic X570 motherboard. Dont need anything else to upgrade my i3 6100T.

    No way will i be paying for the early adopter tax over the RRP.

    If i wait for an Ebay 20% of sale sometime next month i maybe able to get a good deal for the board and chip.

  • dinglejerry on 17/08/2019 - 15:41

    Hi guys,

    Just raising this up as the Ryzen 3000's have been out for awhile now.

    Have gotten the 3600 for 276 odd, in terms of a combination of a decent motherboard and video card combo for my needs as described earlier, what do you think of a B450 Tomahawk Max from MSI and video card Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti?

    Ram - thinking something like Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 2X8GB DDR4 3200MHz

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