I am going to be putting together a new build and I need advice....

Willing2Learn

The problem is that I don't  have a budget.  I am using the money that was going to be spent on holiday.  But the trip is cancelled due to COVID-19 and I find myself isolated with little to do except do jigsaws and build a pc.  At least I know that all transactions for hardware and software are budgeted for in my monthly SOA.

I will get the RAM first and then see what is available on the mobo front.  If I get the Z490, it would open options for the latest CPU architecture and GPUs.  Those purchases will be made within the next two or three months, so there is no hurry to make a final decision.  I will recycle my twin GTX 970s until I have the cash available for something newer.  Definitely a single GPU this time though...something in the £5-600 pound mark so that I can play the latest games at the highest possible settings....A new monitor will be the final transaction, but that is an age away...

jonnygee2

I will get the RAM first and then see what is available on the mobo front.  If I get the Z490, it would open options for the latest CPU architecture and GPUs.  Those purchases will be made within the next two or three months, so there is no hurry to make a final decision.  I will recycle my twin GTX 970s until I have the cash available for something newer.  Definitely a single GPU this time though...something in the £5-600 pound mark so that I can play the latest games at the highest possible settings....A new monitor will be the final transaction, but that is an age away...

This is the problem though, you risk wasting a load of money on stuff you find out you don't need later.

You can't make a meaningful choice about the motherboard without knowing what CPU is going in it, you can't choose a CPU until you know graphics card you are getting or something will bottleneck, and you can't choose the graphics card until you know what resolution you will be gaming at. 

Well - you can choose but in the end you'll just get a load of ugly mismatches and bottlenecks and a big waste of money. It is a system, not just a load of components in isolation.

I really think you should have the full system build in mind here, even if you can't afford it all yet. I also would buy at least the main parts, minus the graphics card, at the same time, otherwise you are just wasting money by having something sit there unused - and what if the mobo doesn't work? It'll be much harder to return stuff several months after you've bought it.

Willing2Learn

If any component does not function correctly, then I will simply start an RMA...I will be burning in the components so any problems will get identified nice and early.  It is very rare that I RMA anything though, as usually everything operates correctly...

[Deleted User]

I would not buy RAM without first knowing it was on the QVL list of the motherboard I was going to buy.

I have recently upgraded to Ryzen and that leaves much more in my budget for a graphics card.  Sadly £500 does not buy you a top end card anymore.  I doubt that will change with the Nvidia 3000 series either.

JustAnotherSaver

Willing2Learn said:

umm... okay...I don't smoke or drink...

I was actually defending where you were coming from with it all.

But never mind. Seems to have gone over your head.

jonnygee2

Sadly £500 does not buy you a top end card anymore.

It doesn't, but it does buy you enough power to run just about any game at 60fps on 1440p. Good enough for the majority of us. The high end cards are ridiculous - marginal gains for silly prices. Pretty sure they only exist because some people will spend anything. 

[Deleted User]

jonnygee2 said:

Sadly £500 does not buy you a top end card anymore.

It doesn't, but it does buy you enough power to run just about any game at 60fps on 1440p. Good enough for the majority of us. The high end cards are ridiculous - marginal gains for silly prices. Pretty sure they only exist because some people will spend anything. 

Comes down to what you want and what you’re willing to pay for. For me, the quantum leap was going from 60hz to 144hz rather than a bump in resolution.  But that’s what PC gaming is good for you take your pick. I do think the new generation consoles will take a lot of beating, I would not pay £1200 for a graphics card alone.

Willing2Learn

TheTroubadour said:

... I would not pay £1200 for a graphics card alone....

...and meanwhile...back in the real world...

...and I have settled on the z490 chipset.

...and I paid £580 for a pair of GTX 970s for my current rig.  So therefore that amount will be my single GPU budget (£550-£650) for my new build.  But I could never justify £1,200 lol

Willing2Learn

The CPU water-block that I am currently using on my LGA1150 will fit onto a Z490 LGA1200 cooler mounting holes, which will save me money. 

Willing2Learn

I am yet to decide on exactly which Asus or Gigabyte Z490 board.  As for the DDR4, I am looking at a Patriot Viper Steel 2 x 8GB kit.  Ebuyer has those sticks on sale for a real good price...  I don't think that being on a QVL list is that important.  It just means that the RAM has not actually been tested with that specific board.  It does not mean it won't work...

I am a little peeved.  CCL have used DHL to send the Cosmos to me.  They tried to deliver to the wrong address, as evidenced by the DHL gps location for the attempted delivery.  Once I get the case, then I can buy the other stuff.