First build in 12 years - need validation

Budget: ~3.000€ (EUR)

Country: Portugal

Prefered retailer: https://www.pcdiga.com/

Usage: Gaming

Background:

First build was a AMD FX 6300 with a Radeon HD 7770, now being a media server.

Currently using, and wanting to upgrade from a MSI GE62 6QD laptop, with a i7-6700HQ and 960m.

This will be a build from scratch. Thought of going for ‘ultimate’ AM4 build, as it seemed a more budget friendly choice, but decided to go bleeding edge.

Want a stealthy build, but chose RGB RAM for just a little spark.

Here are my plans for the build (Part List - AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Radeon RX 7900 XTX, Fractal Design North ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker) :
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D [519,90 €] - Since this is a PC for games, it seems like the best option right now. otherwise would’ve probably gone with 7900.
Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black [119,90 €] - Undecided between the NH-D15 and the NH-U12A, but in the store I’m buying the parts, there’s only the NH-D15 available. Sad if it covers the RAM tho.
Motherboard: ATX Asus ROG Strix B650E-E Gaming WiFi [349,90 €] - Seems like the cheaper of the MBs with more features. 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 and 2x PCIe 5.0 M.2; Debug LED; ALC4080 audio; etc. And it’s the same price as the cheapest x670.
RAM: G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo RGB (AMD Expo) 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-5600MHz CL28 [169,90 €] - According to LTT, DDR5-5600MHz CL28 is pretty much on par with 6000MHz and 6400MHz. And the 5600MHz is in stock. ^^
GPU: Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XTX Pulse Gaming OC 24GB GDDR6 [1239,90 €] - Wanted a AMD GPU for possible future linux migration. From the available 7900XTXs, this one is the cheapest and smallest. But should I consider a red devil or nitro+? (also worryed for case clearance and unmatching LEDs, and don’t plan to OC in the first 5 years of the PC)
Storage: SSD Western Digital Black SN850X 2TB 3D NAND NVMe [214,90 €] - Seemed like a good performer. The 990 Pro seems like extra dough for not that much gain. Also “scared” due to their latest issues.
Case: Fractal Design North Charcoal Black TG [149,90 €] - Subjective choice.
PSU: Seasonic PRIME TX 850W 80+ Titanium Full Modular [289,90 €] - Chose Seasonic for just works solution with good warranty. The Titanium version was only 30€ extra compared to the Platinum version.
Fan: NF-A12 [34,90 €]- Extra fan for the back of the case.
Total cost: 3089,10 €

Am I missing anything or should I change anything?

Does the PSU have the 3 8-Pin connectors for the GPU, and is 850W enough?

NH-U12A vs NH-D15? Or should I go for a top mounted AIO? But then there’s too much RGB AAHHH…

Looking for opinions before buying.

Inspiration for the build: You Will Fall in Love | Fractal Design North Gaming PC Build | Noctua NH-U12A Chromax, ProArt Z790 - YouTube

Seasonic is generally generous to 8pin support. 850W tier, should be no haggle to 3 cables
750W, IIRC, is the floor to support RX7900_ series, so 850W is some bit of cushion
The 7800 3D would be a very efficient chip, giving some power budget

The Nitro+/Red Devil type sub-series, will give some extra power support and cooler
Thermals are the bigger ultimate gain, comparing to its wattage/GHz shifts

Noctua has a nice diagram for RAM clearance here. It’s also possible to run it with only the middle fan without losing much performance. In that case it is equivalent to the D15S by the way. It is also possible to move the fan up a bit using the clips (it will partially blow over the heatsink then)

The 7800X3D does not put out that much heat so all options (D15, D15S or U12A) should work fine, especially since overclocking is locked any way

Kinda, it’s true that the D15S ships with only one fan, but the only difference with the cooler itself is that it is offset higher up for better PCIe slot compatibility. Other than that, the coolers would perform exactly the same with a similar fan configuration.

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Nice to know the PSU’ll handle it.

Worried about the aesthetics with the Nitro+/Red Devil. Is the LED controllable? or does it have standard color cicle?

Sweet diagram.

So it seems ‘any’ cooler will do then, just gotta take my pick.

According to the diagrams, they seem to be exactly the same, minus a fan: D15 and D15S.
The D15S looks nice for a stand by and I can choose to get a second fan if needed.

If NOT mistaken, the reference scheme, for any Red Devil series, is the capt. obvious Red
… With that said, it should be pliable, through their software suite

Haven’t looked at Sapphire Nitro+, but imagine same predicament [fixed colour / custom support]

Should emphasize… I do NOT bother with decor RGB [willingly]

The question in regards to the psu remains if it is really worth it,
to pay €30,- extra for the Titanium over Platinum or roughly €100 more over a gold unit?
In general it´s not really worth it.
So i would personally save at least the €30,- really.

In regards to air coolers you could also take a look at Bequiet and Scythe.
Those also offer some pretty good coolers for a slightly friendlier price than Noctua.
But Noctua is of course a good choice either way.
Still the NH-D15 Chromax is kinda over priced as far as i´m concerned.
The 7800X3D is a locked chip and it does not really need a massive cooler.

Other than that your component choice looks very solid to me.

The build is not bad per se, but you are overpaying for quite a few components. Here is my pick for an equivalent that shaves off some premium parts while still keeping a great core:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type Item Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D €519.90
CPU Cooler ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO €49.90
Motherboard MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI €270.39
Memory Kingston FURY Beast RGB 2x32 GB DDR5-6000 CL36 €312.90
Storage Kingston KC3000 2 TB M.2-2280 SSD €188.26
Video Card Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7900 XTX €1239.90
Case Fractal Design North ATX Mid Tower Case €149.90
Power Supply SeaSonic FOCUS PLUS 850 Gold €139.90
Case Fan Noctua Ax25 chromax 120mm €34.90
Total €2905.95

What changed?

  • Motherboard: The Tomahawk is slightly worse for wear but the only real downside over the B650E Strix is the three m.2 slots, instead of 4. Apart from that the Tomahawk has one less PCIe expansion port. Now… Are you ever going to require an expansion card apart from a GPU? Most probably not. Perhaps if you want to dabble in Linux and VFIO and dual GPUs, then the Strix card is better. For pure gaming? Waste of €100, if you ask me.
  • Cooling: The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO is no slouch here. You might achieve 3-4 FPS higher with the Noctua cooler - but is that really worth the extra €75?
  • Power Supply: You’re overspending like a Boss here. €150 less already give you 90%+ efficiency and all the power connectors you will ever need for that system.
  • Memory: All those savings give you… Twice the memory. Not as good a CAS latency, sure, but close enough and with the increased clock cycle speed, it evens out. And trust me, you will thank me for that extra RAM in a year or two.

Of course, up to you where to spend and for what reason, but those are what I’d change and why. :slight_smile:

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I think I’ll overspend for the Titanium, just gonna go a bit wild on the budget.

As for the cooler, I think I’ve changed my mind and go water cooler, thinking Fractal Design Lumen S24 V2 for ~110€.

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