Thoughts On New Gaming Build

Howdy MGs, I am planning a new gaming PC build and wish to move away from any Intel CPU hence I am considering an AMD Ryzen Threadripper build.

My current gaming PC is an i7 6800K @ 3.4GHz overclocked to stable 4.2GHz and with 32GB of Corsair Venegeance Ultra 3200 RAM. The graphics card is a Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1080 8GB.
The problem I have is the Intel i7 CPU is locked to Win 10 OS only and I want to downgrade back to Win 7 Pro as I am sick of the rubbish Win 10 upgrades that can’t be stopped and often cause problems with my setup as they keep resetting things to default settings I never wish to use as well as they turn stuff back on that I have already disabled and so I have to keep changing things back to how I want it and it is a PITA.
I also have an older fairly high performance i5 PC which is currently a workstation and is the system I will replace with the new Threadripper system. My old i7 gaming system will then become the replacement workstation.

My aim is a good reliable system build and not the fastest at any cost but a good compromise between great outright performance and reasonable cost that will still play games at 4k resolution with a good frame rate. The budget is AU$2500 to AU$3500 but I could stretch another couple of hundred if need be.

Any thoughts would be appreciated on this new build I am contemplating :-
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X @AU$1415 https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/CPU/AMD-Socket-TR4/73692-YD295XA8AFWOF
ASUS Prime X399-A Motherboard @AU$419 https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Motherboards/AMD-Socket-TR4/69803-PRIME-X399-A
G.Skill Ripjaws V F4-3200C16D-32GVK 32GB (2x16GB) 3200MHz DDR4 @ AU$479 https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Memory/DDR4/61665-F4-3200C16D-32GVK
Corsair Hydro H115i RGB Platinum CPU Cooler @ AU$229 https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Cooling/CPU-Coolers-WATER/74868-CW-9060038-WW
Samsung 960 EVO 500GB M.2 (PCIE) SSD @ AU$149 https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Hard-Drives-&-SSDs/SSD-mSATA-&-m.2/66025-MZ-V6E500BW

I am also considering a Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Windforce, 8GB @ AU$1199 https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Graphics-Cards/NVIDIA/74814-GV-N2080WF3-8GC
although if I get this new graphics card I will need to upgrade my PSU to a at least a 1000W PSU as this GPU is rated at 650W by itself and the CPU is another 180W and then all the peripherals……..ouch…….this combined will put me over budget.

I will be reusing my Thermaltake Urban case with plugin HDD dock on the top as it also has a top position inside the case for a water cooling radiator https://duckduckgo.com/?q=thermalta...ts/vuugo-thermaltake-VP600M1N2N-3-600x600.jpg
and my Gold Series EVGA SuperNOVA G2 850W Modular Power Supply https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Power-Supplies/ATX/57049-220-G2-0850-X4
as well as the 4 X 4Tb HDDs and the 1 X 1Tb Samsung EVO SSD
and an ASUS Bluray DVD burner as well as an LG DVD burner

Currently there is a bundle deal ….. Asus Threadripper 2950X Enthusiast Bundle AU$1584 saving AU$250 https://www.scorptec.com.au/bundle/CPU/AMD-Socket-TR4/361-YD295XA8AFWOFplusPRIME-X399-A

I intend to run Win 7 Pro 64bit for now as I am sick of the drama with Win 10 updates and my goal is to be able to play games at 4k resolution with a high frame rate.

Money could be saved doing an AMD Ryzen 7 1800X build but it is 8 cores /16 threads V Threadripper 2950X with 16 cores/32 threads. I think having 16 cores will make the build a bit more future proof and the extra horsepower will be handy for running CAD programs and 3D rendering............but is a Threadripper build worth the extra $$$$.
Has anyone here got a Threadripper build and if yes, are you happy with the performance? Is it stable and did you overclock? At this point I don't intend to overclock the new system as I think it will have adequate performance but you never know..........I might be tempted in the future.

As you can see PC prices are quite expensive here in Australia. Hmmmm......I guess it is still better to buy here than buy overseas because if you have a warranty issue then you can have real problems dealing with an overseas vendor and then of course, there is the delay caused by shipping.......

Any thoughts welcome………BTW this is my Christmas present to myself

 

Thanks for the reply and I must say well spotted
For some unknown reason I completely missed the 1920X and only saw the 1950X and the 2950X
Indeed this looks like a happy compromise and if you factor in that it is < half the price it is great value. So bang for buck it is a good deal....I also saw this https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/CPU/AMD-Socket-TR4/69336-YD195XA8AEWOF
which would still save me about AU$500 and I would still have 16 cores.
More food for thought

 

I think it a mistake to go back to W7. While I understand your frustration with W10 updates, at least you know they will keep coming. W7 mainstream support ended almost 3 years ago for the nearly 10-year old operating system! Many software developers and hardware makers have already started to phase out (or threaten to phase out) support for Windows 7, including AMD. While support may be there (at least unofficially) today, it may not be there tomorrow.

The latest hardware is designed to run optimally with W10, and hardware makers will continue to provide essential driver updates for that OS. You cannot be sure of that for W7.

*****

Having said all that, as a hardware guy looking at your choices, I'm drooling over my keyboard.

But looking at the case, from what I am seeing it looks like most models don't have a side panel window, or if they do, they are pretty small. So I wonder why you would go for a very pricey RGB cooler if trimming or redistributing the budget is a concern? There are many very effective alternative coolers out there for less. After all, fancy lights do absolutely nothing for performance. And after the novelty wears off, some find them not-so-fancy any longer. In fact, some find they distract from what's important - what's happening on their monitor(s).

 

The 2080 Ti uses 2x 8-pin connectors (300w combined) and the PCIe slot can supply up to 75w peak (official specs allow 65w), so there's no way it can use 650w - that's the usage for the whole PC. 850 w of high quality PSU will be ample, though 900w+ would be needed if you're considering SLI.

Like Phillip, I'd also opt for the 12 core and see how things progress with your workflow/gaming over the first year or two, AMD tend to run their CPU lines/sockets for much longer than Intel so you'll likely have a better CPU choice/price in 2-3 years if you decide it needs upgrading.

 

I agree with you re: things being optimised for Win 10 but until you can opt out of updates with Win 10 then I will use Win 7 because if it becomes troublesome then I can always change up to Win 10 as I have several spare copies of Win 10 Pro 64bit.
FYI I thought I had permanently disabled updates in Win 10 only to find it automatically turns itself back on if it hasn't been updated in 90 days and said update corrupted two drives (my OS SSD drive and my data drive). Lucky for me I had my data drive fully backed up but the OS SSD drive I had been very lax and the backup was about 6 months old so I lost several programs that had been setup and tweaked.....yes I should have made an image but Samsung EVO SSDs are so reliable that I didn't think it was so important ......live and learn lol

I am a hardware guy too

The reasons I went for the Corsair cooler even though I have a spare Noctua twin fan air cooler spare are twofold.
1. A friend has the same Corsair cooler and it is really quiet and this appeals as well as I have quite a lot of experience with Corsair products and have always found them to be above average.
I did look at an EVGA CLC 280 Liquid CPU Cooler https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Cooling/CPU-Coolers-WATER/67775-400-HY-CL28-V1 but I am not really sure of the performance and how leak proof they are longterm and also they don't quote a noise level for the pump.
2. The Corsair cooler has 140mm fans that are PWM controlled and most cooling solutions that are cheaper have 120mm fans. The 140mm fans run slower and if well designed run quieter than smaller higher reving fans.
Sadly the crazy blinking lights on the Corsair cooler will be wasted.
If you have any favourable experience with either EVGA or even NZXT Kraken water coolers I would be happy to take your recommendation. My case will easily take a 2 X fan unit but it would be a shoehorn job to fit a 3 X fan unit and besides the 2 X fan unit already has plenty in reserve (even for our warm summer weather).

None of my cases ever have a window and all are fully lined with industrial soundproofing foam as I really like quietness. so groovy flashing LEDs are all wasted on me.
I do like well laid out cases that have good airflow and can have extra cooling fans added plus they need to have good filters for keeping out the dust that silently accumulates robbing you of cooling capacity.

Thanks for you input

 

Just remember, the reality is, by far, the vast majority of users never ever have problems with any Windows Updates - ever! Even this recent update issue where users document folders disappeared (which was very serious and never should have happened) only affected 1/10 of 1% of the users.

Except for thwarting terrorists attacks, that would be considered an outstandingly exceptional success rate in any industry. But (with a conservative estimate of 600 million W10 users), 1/10th of 1% is still
600,000 upset users. And 600,000 upset users can make a lot of noise, especially when amplified by all the Microsoft haters and attention seeking bloggers and repeaters (errr... reporters) in the IT press.

The sad part is, the problem was identified before Microsoft released that update to the public, but those reports never made it to the right people. Microsoft has promised to remedy that and I believe they are sincere. But time will tell.

I'm just saying, the WU problem is not anywhere near as bad as many want us to believe. A perfect success rate would be great but not realistic. And of course, no matter how small the numbers, when it happens to you, it does not matter.

I don't know what settings you keep having to set back, but that has not been a problem for me. And the fact is, keeping Windows current is one of the best ways of keeping our computers secure. And it is for this reason I recommend everyone move on to W10.

****

That's just a general fact for all fans. Larger fans tend to move more air with a slower RPM, thus more quietly. It is not about being designed to run quieter. Even those of equal design and quality will be quieter when turning at a lower RPM.

As someone who really hates fan noise, I am always for using larger fans.

Corsair makes the same H115i cooler with the same SP14L PWM fans, but without the LEDs as seen here. But don't know about the availability "down under".

I always look for side panel windows - not so I can gaze in wonder at the innards. But so I can do a quick visual inspection for dust build up and to see if fans are spinning without having to open the case.

Did I mention I hate fan noise? I have found a quality case like Fractal Design Define R4, R5 and R6 are excellent at suppressing fan noise, even with the windowed versions.

 

Thanks for your comments and yes I am inclined to save the money on the 12 core CPU (as you wisely suggested) and use the new found surplus on a current model graphics card as my existing GTX 1080 is one of the very first ones issued (I got it cheap as an ex-demo) and I can move the 1080 to my workstation.
I am glad to hear your AMD setup is reliable as this is my first foray back into AMD territory since overclocking an AMD Thunderbird (circa 2000) and causing a conflagration that destroyed motherboard, CPU, heatsink, fan, PSU and RAM.....a good effort indeed and shows what can happen if you don't check your maths when calculating the multiplier
I am thinking this AMD build should have adequate performance to not need overclocking and in the short to mid term I will just let it run at standard clock rates.
Hmmm....... Samsung RAM......I am only using G.Skill Ripjaws as it is the recommendation of my supplier for AMD Ryzen builds. I will now make some enquiries about Samsung RAM.

Yep I will be getting another couple of sticks of RAM in the new year to make it up to 64Gb .

Hehehe yep Pete's dodgy fingers with ^c and ^v as I thought I cut and pasted the Samsung 970 EVO as this was my intention....thanks for picking this up

Thanks again for your input Philipp and also for taking time to reply again

Thanks for your comments and yep I am most likely going to grab a Threadripper 1920X and use the money to pickup a current graphics card.
You are also correct and I misread the spec as they are recommending a 650W PSU and I mistook that as the wattage of the card. That being said the PC will have 6 X 4Tb HDDs, 2 X SSD drives and also a Bluray writer and a DVD writer plus when I do backups it may have several USB 3.0 external drives active so I think it prudent to have a bit of headroom for peace of mind.
I may go SLI in the future but it will depend on whether I can get a good deal on a second graphics card.....the manager at my supplier owes me a favour and I hope to cash it in the new year when he gets advance warning that my card is going to be superseded so he then can give me a big discount without getting in trouble.
Thanks for your insight about the longevity of AMD sockets as I mentioned earlier that I have had little experience with AMD since 2000 so this is handy info to know.
I have always used someone else's money to buy Intel systems (usually Dell or HP) and if I buy enough systems for the company (from my supplier), then I leverage a good deal on an up spec Intel system for myself
Thanks again for your reply satrow

 

I am behind a very good hardware firewall and also have good AV and anti malware software that is updated daily so I think I am pretty safe. On my main machines I always login as admin and I have much of the Windows security settings relaxed as I like to be able to access other logins without having to change permissions and I am too lazy to set up a profile as it is just me using the PCs in my office. I also turn off updates, and telemetry but these are always automatically turned back on. I also make several UAC settings changes and these always get set back to default. Then there is the phone home data they want you to send to improve your computing experience.....yeah right sounds like the customers are doing Microsoft R & D.
My problem is I buy Win 10 and I pay good money and as such I should be able to set it up how I want it to run and it should run that way until "I " change it and not Microsoft. If I don't want updates then I should be able to stop them and if I want to use my PC differently to how Microsoft envisages a PC should be used then so be it because after all it is my equipment. Don't think for a minute that Microsoft is looking after my best interests with this policy. Imagine the outcry if you bought a car and it crippled itself if you didn't keep checking in with the dealer or better still the dealer upgrades something on your car and then the car dies and so the dealer says sorry and there is nothing more we can do so you will have to fix it yourself. That was my situation when the upgrade corrupted two drives and calls to Microsoft tech support had a recorded message saying to get help you must submit your tech support request by email........lucky I had another Win 10 computer that was still able to send email, lucky it was still working as the update had been rescheduled to the following day. When tech support finally got back to me it was all care but with no responsibility and I had to do a fresh install.
My recommendation is to use Linux if you can.....I only use Microsoft products to be compatible with companies with which I do business.

Pity that Corsair cooler is not compatible with AMD socket TR4 here is a cut and paste from my supplier's website
Corsair Hydro H115i PRO RGB Liquid CPU Cooler
Corsair Hydro H115i PRO RGB Liquid CPU Cooler, 280mm Radiator, compatible with Intel Socket LGA: 2066, 2011-3, 2011, 1366, 1156, 1155, 1151, 1150 & AMD Socket: AM4, AM3, AM2, FM2, FM1

Hehehe my other case is a Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C Blackout ATX case
https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Cases/ATX/74589-FD-CA-DEF-R6C-BKO
and I have been very happy with it

Thanks for your comments
.

 

I feel your pain with problems with updates. I have seen some myself, but again, problems really are very rare. That said, I will note there is some irony here with your examples helping to illustrate them. And that is, it seems the folks with the most problems are those very same folks who do extensive customization, disabling, and "dinking" with the default settings.

Consider virtually every single one of the 600 million plus W10 systems out there (1.5 billion of all Windows versions), and the fact each one becomes a unique system within the first few minutes of first boot up as users configure their own user accounts, networking, security, desktop personalizations, installed applications, installed and attached hardware, etc. And consider most of that hardware and installed applications are made by 1000s!!! of different 3rd party developers and manufacturers - folks other than Microsoft who are responsible for compatibility and driver updates. Frankly, I think it a miracle more computers are not broken with each WU.

I personally think one of Windows greatest assets is that it is very flexible and can be highly customized.

At the same time, I think one of Windows greatest liabilities is that it is very flexible and can be highly customized.

 

Here I will play the devil's advocate and suggest that I should be able to customise my system as much as I want and provided it is still running to my expectation then that is okay because after all I paid for the hardware and I also paid for the software and I set up the PC how I need it to work. What I object to in Win 10 is that you have no choice whether to update or not and furthermore when Microsoft updates systems customised like mine it reverts many system settings to what it thunks you need.
I usually find the update problems when something urgent crops up like the company VPN to our supplier in London goes down and the Managing Director is on the phone asking for it to be fixed urgently before our orders miss the weekly shipping deadline and then I find out I can no longer access our networks because Microsoft took it upon themselves to change my system settings without either telling me or allowing me to opt out. Yes I know I can roll back updates but why should I have to waste time doing this when I already had a system optimised and functioning to my needs. It really galls me having to make these changes to restore my system when often I am already under pressure to fix something on part of our network that is either interstate or overseas.
Microsoft have this system in place to cater to people that are so dumb that they shouldn't have a computer but there should be some way to permanently opt out because IT professionals get caught in this policy when they customise something for specific reasons (in our case some of these changes to Windows are required to allow for multilevel access to a Cisco Meraki VPN based in London that is peering to 3 different databases stored on servers in two locations and with correct permissions, access is anything from full and direct serverside access to all files and system settings for IT management staff down to senior staff being able to place or modify orders or change costings or low level access for the sales staff with read only access to allow them to check on the status of orders or available product stock levels or shipping delivery details so they can answer customer queries).

After having a whinge I understand that using their software I must be bound by their EULA but that doesn't make it fair or reasonable........... and if I didn't have to use Microsoft then I would avoid them like I avoid Apple/IOS.
Sadly most businesses use Windows.........

 

I just did another check with some other Aussie suppliers and although the Corsair cooler you specify has an optional purchase TR4 adapter bracket, sadly this bracket is not available in Australia at this point in time. Several suppliers said this may change in 2019 if there is enough demand but there are no guarantees as it depends on the importer.
Hmmm........... I wonder if the Aussie version of Amazon has the cooler you linked to in stock........I know that currently Aussies are geo blocked from the US Amazon site to drive traffic to the Aussie Amazon site but the Aussie Amazon site only has about one tenth the range of the US Amazon site.
I better follow up this lead thanks again for the tip

 

Just checked the Aussie Amazon site and once again the only Corsair cooler rated for AMD socket TR4 is the RGB flashing lights model as the Socket TR4 adapter bracket is not available DOH!!
Hmmm....last chance......I'll try ebay .....ya never know unless you have a look

 

First, I am not defending Microsoft. Just explaining how things work or how MS perceives things, based on what I know from decades in the business and as a 11-year MS MVP.

Seconds, no. You didn't pay for the software. You paid for a license to use the software. And, as you noted, you agreed to abide by the terms of that license when you decided to continue using it. Big difference than actually owning the software.

But setting that aside a bit, why do you single Windows out on this? Do you feel you should have total customization control over your smart phone? Mac Pro? Smart TV (which is just a computer with a tuner and big screen)? How about the computers in your car? How is Microsoft, which allows for much greater flexibility than any of those, being so unfair and unreasonable?

What was unfair and unreasonable was Microsoft getting bashed relentlessly for over a decade for XP being insecure when it was the bad guys perpetrating the crimes. When XP was insecure because major corporations (their largest user base) insisted XP support legacy (and less secure) hardware and software so those companies would not have to retool - again - for the new OS. When users failed use decent security software and were "click-happy" on every link they saw. And when Norton, McAfee, CA, TrendMicro and the others failed to protect our systems after they whined to Congress and the EU when MS wanted to put AV code in XP. Look how good that worked out. But who got blamed? Microsoft.

Microsoft knows they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. But they would much rather get blamed for taking away flexibility than for being weak on security. And I don't blame them for that. In fact, I applaud them for it.

I don't understand your issues with your company systems. Enterprise (and Pro) editions of Windows are much more flexible and updates can be delayed for extended periods of time so they can be checked out by your IT people first. If that is not happening, not sure you can really blame MS.

If your problems were widespread, major corporations, universities, and governments, and of course, the IT Press would be all over this. But that is not happening. So again, while the problem may be very real and unfortunate for you, the vast majority of users out there are not being affected that way.

Microsoft just cannot be expected to please all the people all the time - though they (and I) sure wish they could.

Now that seems unfair and unreasonable. I bet it is your Australian Tax Office doing that. Can you contact your Amazon and ask them to transfer products from the US Amazon?

 

We have no problems with Win 7 Pro but all of the new HP desktop PCs now only come with Win 10 Pro and this is what is causing the problems. If we were a bigger company it would be worth going enterprise but economically it is not viable.
Someday I will get fired up enough and write a script that changes everything important back and this can be run whenever there is a windows update so I don't have to remember all of the settings we have changed......I do have a list of changes but it never seems to be close at hand when I need it most......but then if I don't need it then it is always easily found
Although the majority of Win 10 users may be unaffected, that doesn't mean they are on the right path because there should be some means where we can obtain a get out of jail free card from Microsoft tech support but so far this hasn't happened and they stick to the company line on update policy.

BTW I am not just picking on Microsoft as I am happy to pick on IOS/Apple too
My only problem with Microsoft is their intransient update policy and the fact they are taking over control of customer's computers and changing previously set system settings without giving due notice or warnings.

Re: Amazon
It is Amazon policy to geo block their US site from Aussie customers. The Aussie Amazon setup has happened at a great establishment cost and they didn't want the Aussie site losing revenue to the US parent site. One of the problems with the Aussie site is that they only carry a fraction of the range that is carried by the US site due to the available Aussie warehouse space and another problem is that the Aussie site still doesn't have overnight deliveries although supposedly it is still coming sometime soon. Also the total Aussie market is probably the same as just one US state because our total population is only 25 million people so Amazon have invested a lot in getting a site located in the Pacific Rim area of the globe.
There are rumours in the local press that the Amazon geo block may be dropped in time for Christmas orders as they reckon it is still better to have a US sale than lose the sale completely to New Egg or similar. I wonder how true the rumours are

 

This is handy info and I have now checked with three of the major PC parts suppliers in Australia and none of them stock Samsung RAM although two of them said they used to sell it several years ago but now the importers no longer bring it in to the country because now there are too many other brands at a cheaper price point so they were uncompetitive and in the volatile memory market kept on getting stuck with expensive superseded stock that then had to be sold at a loss.
Pity as I like Samsung products......... hmmmm...........maybe I could get some Samsung RAM as OEM equipment so I will wait until Monday to make further enquiries as it is 10:19am Saturday morning here right now.

 

Samsung probably has an agreement with the RAM module manufacturers.
After all, the company is the world's largest manufacturer of DRAM and NAND chips.

 

Indeed a valid point and on a tangent .......I have about a dozen Samsung EVO SSD drives of varying ages and sizes from 128Gb to 1Tb and touch wood still have not had a failure or even a problem.
Although my very first SSD was an AData 64Gb which I purchased in 2002 at the exorbitant cost of AU$800 and it is still going on an old Win XP Pentium system which I still use from time to time when I work on an old customer's Win 98 accounting system (I sometimes have to edit templates or add fields). The customer is never going to update because he paid someone to write the accounting software to his specification way back in 1995 and it still works exactly how he wants it and because his accounting computer is never online or connected to a network, there is no risk of getting a virus so why change.
The old AData SSD just shows how reliable memory chips are long term.

 

Update
I have made one significant change to the setup and have decided to go air cooling. The water cooling could fit in the front of the case but I want it to be mounted in the top underneath a large mesh vent. The Thermaltake Urban case that I have has a built in 3.5"/2.5" HDD dock permanently mounted in the top of the case towards the front. What I am worried about is where the dock hangs down inside the case, the hoses might have to bend a bit too sharply around some metalwork and if the hoses kink then you lose cooling. As I am aiming for a long term reliable build then this possibility should be eliminated so I am willing to trade a slight increase in fan noise for better reliability. To this end I will be getting a Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3 CPU Cooler https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Cooling/CPU-Coolers-AIR/70036-NH-U14S-TR4-SP3. I will probably get the cooler from another supplier who has stock.
To allow for future SLI (early next year) I am also buying a SilverStone 1100W Strider Titanium Power Supply https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Power-Supplies/ATX/68985-SST-ST1100-TI I looked at EVGA and Seasonic products and they were a significantly higher price. The Silverstone PSU is usually the same sort of price as the EVGA and Seasonic offerings @AU$309 but is currently on special @AU$239 and the AU$70 saving is better in my pocket.

Later today I will be ordering
1 X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X
1 X ASUS Prime X399-A Motherboard
1 X G.Skill Trident Z F4-3200C16Q-32GTZB 32GB (4x8GB) 3200MHz DDR4
1 X Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3 CPU Cooler
1 X Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe M.2 (PCIe) SSD, 64L MLC V-NAND, Type 2280
1 X Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Windforce, 8GB
1 X SilverStone 1100W Strider Titanium Power Supply
The list price including specials is AU$3054.00 and with my 10% discount should come back to about AU$2748.60

Hopefully I will be able to build the system this weekend so thanks for your input