...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.
Thanks for the tip about the case, I'm a sucker for the wood effect! I think I'm leaning towards air cooling only too, because the idea of ever having to fiddle with a faulty pump next to prized components is giving me mild anxiety.
I think someone else was also singing the praises of Noctua, I think I'll take that onboard!
The mesh case looks good, but if I do manage to pick all white parts I might go for the clear side panel. We'll see!
Another great fan are the Phanteks T30s (120mm), if you have room. They are thicker than normal fans, but are about as quiet as Be Quiet fans, while moving tons of air.
You just need to make sure that your case has clearance for them. They are absolutely cracked on thick radiators and exhaust fans. I use them on custom water-cooling builds, and the loudest sound is coil whine, not fans.
https://phanteks.com/product/t30-120/
I like the look of that, and I am reading that the fans that come with the Fractal North can be a bit loud. Taking Noctua onboard. It's a roomy case, how many fans (in+out) would you use?