...yeah, it's time. I've finally found games I actually want to play that require a half-decent machine, I make all my money on the computer, and I regularly do video editing as well. I always keep my machines for a long time, so they need to be as future-proof as possible and I can't justify saving up for a PC unless it's going to be good enough for the foreseeable future. So here's where my head is at, I'd be grateful for any advice.
tl;dr https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xjP3yF for the general idea, but I'm open to other ideas. It's going to be a linux machine, and all AMD since I hear the drivers work better/are less fiddly. Aesthetically, I like an all-white motif but looks are secondary to pure power and long life. I would like to be able to emulate PS4, Xbox 360, run S&box so my kid can make games, and render my clip shows at high speed. The budget I'm targeting is about £2k. Will mean saving up for a couple months. Parts I'm considering:
CPU
- Ryzen 9 9950X3D (I'm most excited about having a strong CPU, this one appeals to me even though it's a bit of a splurge)
- Ryzen 9 7950X3D
- Ryzen 9 7900X3D
GPU
Anything AMD, 16gb preferred but at least 12gb. AMD RX 6800XT or higher perhaps. RX 7800 XT or similar would be great.
Memory
16gb preferred, DDR5, not too fussy about brand. Maybe someday another 16gb if it becomes worthwhile.
Storage
1 or 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD, any really who cares. I don't need a lot of storage, most of my games are lightweight indies or backed up on my server.
Power Supply
Anything 850-1000w, preferably modular? I dunno.
Cooling
Possibly an AIO liquid cooler. I'm iffy on that, would be happy with a fan if it's more recommended.
Case
Fractal does a nice white wood effect one (North XL), as does Antec (Flux Pro). Happy with anything that matches, but don't really love showy RGB, prefer understated and clean looks.
I'm the one confused probably, I don't know PC parts that well and I've just dumped my random notes on you hoping for clarity. Thanks for the note about DDR4.
I also mostly play indie games that aren't memory hogs, but I've decided I want to get into S&box so my kid and I can create games, and I had to return it due to none of my computers being up to the task. Part of my goal with this build is for that not to happen for another ten years or more, if possible.
I almost want to avoid watercooling because the whole prospect makes me nervous, but I've heard the all-in-one units with bendy tubes are pretty self-contained but... I'm sure there are horror stories. The main thing I crave from any heat sink is to be blissfully unconcerned for the life of the device, ideally. Is there something like that on the market?
Yeah, aio coolers are… pretty easy, but do add a small amount of extra complexity and concern for failure. I haven’t been following PC parts for a while, but there are loads of air coolers that will do plenty for any of those processors. Just make sure what you pick fits the case you want too! Some of them can get quite large. I suppose follow your heart on this, either will be totally fine.
For 10 years plus, maybe going with 32 gb would be better, I’m not sure. I’ve considered more, but then again with the current prices and I’ve been happy with 16 for a long time. Hard to say, maybe you’ll find a great deal and swing the 32? That said, if you are planning windows I would lean for more, the OS eats a decent amount.
32gb RAM instead of 16 has been the biggest surprise takeaway from this thread, and I appreciate it despite it being a hard pill to swallow at a time like this. The thing I should have considered is that my laptop has 16gb of DDR4 and it frequently pisses me off (while running windows mind you). 32 might be just the thing.