Hi all. My current rig runs on a i3-4160, Gigabyte G1. Sniper Z5S board (it was black and green, perfect for my build at the time -- don't judge me) , 8gigs of RAM and a Sapphire R9 280 Tri-X GPU. PSU is a Seasonic X850. Lately I've gotten the urge to upgrade and make the jump to AMD's Ryzen. Aside from everyday use, I use my rig for gaming (The Sims series, FPS, emulation) and content creation in GIMP. I want this upgrade to last me several years. Taking this into account, I'm currently leaning towards the Ryzen 5 1600 paired with the Asus ROG Strix B350 motherboard and 8 GBs of 32000 speed RAM, but would be willing to go down to something slower if I have to. Given that I'm switching platforms, I'm going to also move to Windows 10 from 7, even though I'm a bit nervous about all the problems people are apparently having with Ryzen performance on Windows 10.... I'm going to be keeping my current GPU, but I'm wondering if it'll cause any problems paired with a newer CPU? I don't know a lot about this stuff so that's why I'm here so I'd appreciate some advice on my choices.
The R5 1600 is the best bang for buck cpu. The 280x still performs great at 1080P (I have a Dual-x 280x with my FX 8350 @ 4.5 ghz and it plays all my games at max).
For a future proof build I'd spend the extra $40-50 and get 16 gb of 3200+ DDR4
I built my son's friend a R5 1600 with a RX 580 with 16 gb DDR4 and put Windows 10 on it about 4 months ago. He loves the system and the CPU and GPU are at stock.
Ryzen 5 1600 hexcore should be paired with a stronger motherboard. The exception is if you are running a stock Ryzen 5 1600X , since turbo / XFR only kicks in on 2 cores. Given that Ryzen typically only clocks to 3.7GHz-3.8GHz on 1.2V , depending on the chip you will be severely limited by a B350 STRIX or B350 Prime Plus.
The above chart shows that at 4GHz a core consumes roughly 20W or so while running at base clock / all core XFR it only consumes about 10W-13W per core , on top of the memory controller and other power.
Ideally you want to go with something like an ASUS Prime X370 Pro or X370-F STRIX (has baseclock gen). If you're willing to go with a non ASUS board, the Asrock X370 Taichi is a good option.
There's no reason why the Sapphire R9 280 would be incompatible with a Ryzen CPU. In fact I believe AMD GPUs have less CPU overhead.
I'd like to thank you guys for all the suggestions thus far. Really helping me out. Apologies, but I probably should have mentioned I don't have a lot of money to play with, $500 at the most. Price includes the cost of Windows 10. I'm mainly interested in the B350 boards because I have no intention (now or in the future) of using more than one GPU, but I understand the X370 boards offer a bit more overclocking headroom and overclocking is something I wish to try. With all this in mind though, would it be better to go with an X370 board + Ryzen 5 1600, but use 8 GB of slower RAM? With only $500 to spend, I figure a compromise has to be made somewhere...and at this point, I'm guessing it's going to have to be the amount of RAM I can get because after all, I can always get more if I need it, right?
I'd like to thank you guys for all the suggestions thus far. Really helping me out. Apologies, but I probably should have mentioned I don't have a lot of money to play with, $500 at the most. Price includes the cost of Windows 10. I'm mainly interested in the B350 boards because I have no intention (now or in the future) of using more than one GPU, but I understand the X370 boards offer a bit more overclocking headroom and overclocking is something I wish to try. With all this in mind though, would it be better to go with an X370 board + Ryzen 5 1600, but use 8 GB of slower RAM? With only $500 to spend, I figure a compromise has to be made somewhere...and at this point, I'm guessing it's going to have to be the amount of RAM I can get because after all, I can always get more if I need it, right?
I'd also agree with stepping up to a x370 board if you on keeping it a couple of years.
You would be totally fine for now with 8gb, but buy a stick of the fastest speed you can afford so you have that upgrade path.
I also just got my upgrade parts today, 1600 with a asus crosshair vi and 16gb gskill tridentz 3200 rgb. Went with the best motherboard / ram I could afford cause I also plan on keeping this system for as long as my sandy bridge lasted.
Yeah, I'd also go with the X370 option myself too. Go check out Buildzoid's channel for breakdowns of the VRMs. And look at the heatsinks.
My B350 board can push the volts and current it needs to to really wind up this 1600, but the small VRM heatsinks get super-toasty while they do. Most x370 boards have bigger, more effective heatsinks. And since any x370 board worth buying will have similar or better VRMs than my b350 board, you won't be in the position of worrying if the board can push the volts.
One stick of 8GB is fine for now, it allows the addition of a second stick of the same specs later on. Get good fast stuff. Infinity fabric really gains with fast memory. 3200 is perfect. It's still worth looking for sticks on the motherboard compatibility list where possible, but it's not required any more for the speeds.
You can cut the purchase of any additional cooling for the short term too, which will help save a few bucks. The stock heatsink with the 1600 will let you get to the boost clock on all cores just fine without any heat issues. 1600x doesn't ship with a stock cooler however, and will need a heatsink. I used a hyper 212 evo with the adapter kit from CM, and it was pretty good.
The only B350 board I would buy is a MSI B350 Pro Carbon and it's not much less expensive than an X370 Pro Carbon currently.
ASRock X370 GAMING X = $112 --- there's 2 variants , one is Sinopower parts (not the best but at least they have specsheets) while one is no-name parts
MSI B350 GAMING PRO CARBON = $120 --- same VRM as X370 Pro Carbon without the 2nd M.2 slot or the X370 chipset
MSI X370 GAMING PRO CARBON = $126
Asus PRIME X370-PRO = $149
ASRock X370 Taichi= $172
Asus STRIX X370-F GAMING = was $155 just a few days ago but now went to $173
Given Alpha's recommended list, I'd pick the X370 Strix or the Asrock Taichi. The CH6 hero would be top pick always, but it costs too much for a budget build.
I can't tell you guys how helpful you're being. I'm learning A LOT. I've been doing some thinking and I'd just like to get you guys' opinion. Please hear me out. Given that it's easier to upgrade a CPU than it is to upgrade a motherboard -- say going from B350 to X370 -- what if I went with something like a Ryzen 3 1300X, an X370 mobo, and one stick of 8GB high speed RAM? This way I'd have the X370 board, and it would be easy to move up to something like a Ryzen 5 or 7 later on?
At this point, my top choices for an X370 board are the Gigabyte AX370 Gaming K5, the ASUS ROG STRIX X370 and the MSI Gaming Pro Carbon. I've had experience with Gigabyte and Asus boards in the past, but never with MSI.
MSI use low end MOSFETS in their VRM, but they do use a LOT of them. The total capacity isn't too bad, even on their B350 boards, it's plenty to clock up a Ryzen 3 or 5 to a goodly speed.
Check out this YT channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrwObTfqv8u1KO7Fgk-FXHQ for more information.
I'm so confused on the whole memory issue. Been wracking my brain for the past couple days looking at QVLs and videos and other information regarding this whole Ryzen memory thing. It really is a mess, isn't it? Can anyone help me find preferrably 8 GBs of RAM -- single stick or two -- certified compatible with Ryzen? Also, what's this whole thing about Samsung B-die memory and Hynix?
I'm so confused on the whole memory issue. Been wracking my brain for the past couple days looking at QVLs and videos and other information regarding this whole Ryzen memory thing. It really is a mess, isn't it? Can anyone help me find preferrably 8 GBs of RAM -- single stick or two -- certified compatible with Ryzen? Also, what's this whole thing about Samsung B-die memory and Hynix?
Hynix is one of the biggest memory makers.
Samsung B and D marked chips have been shown to be the most compatible with Ryzen at their rated speeds. But they're also the more expensive sticks out there. I believe Hynix is second best in the compatibility stakes, with others coming some way behind. But having that information public has made demand for sticks with those chips go up a lot, and the price went with it.
Seriously, for a low end build, don't bother. Just pick up a stick or kit of memory and see what you can get out of it. The latest BIOS and CPU microcode updates (included in the BIOS update) improve the situation a lot.
At the very worst you'll get 2133 or 2400 out of it, which will be a mild performance hit sure, but only a mild one. You're going to get more of a slowdown from having too little memory than you are from having stuff that is a pain in the ass to run at full speed or even won't do it on Ryzen. You can always change it later when you have more money and sell off your old kit. Or just throw voltage at the issue and see what you can do with them.
I can't tell you guys how helpful you're being. I'm learning A LOT. I've been doing some thinking and I'd just like to get you guys' opinion. Please hear me out. Given that it's easier to upgrade a CPU than it is to upgrade a motherboard -- say going from B350 to X370 -- what if I went with something like a Ryzen 3 1300X, an X370 mobo, and one stick of 8GB high speed RAM? This way I'd have the X370 board, and it would be easy to move up to something like a Ryzen 5 or 7 later on?
At this point, my top choices for an X370 board are the Gigabyte AX370 Gaming K5, the ASUS ROG STRIX X370 and the MSI Gaming Pro Carbon. I've had experience with Gigabyte and Asus boards in the past, but never with MSI.
have you considered selling your old rig to pick up enough extra cash to get the 1600 and x370 board?
I know when i upgraded to my 1700 i sold my fx 8350, 16gb ram, sabertooth 990fx and the wraith cooler for $300 on craigs list. that allowed me to step up from a ryzen 1600 to the 1700 for even more future proofing.
Thank you for the recommendation. I'll keep this one in mind.
Quote:
Originally Posted by allikat
Hynix is one of the biggest memory makers.
Samsung B and D marked chips have been shown to be the most compatible with Ryzen at their rated speeds. But they're also the more expensive sticks out there. I believe Hynix is second best in the compatibility stakes, with others coming some way behind. But having that information public has made demand for sticks with those chips go up a lot, and the price went with it.
Seriously, for a low end build, don't bother. Just pick up a stick or kit of memory and see what you can get out of it. The latest BIOS and CPU microcode updates (included in the BIOS update) improve the situation a lot.
At the very worst you'll get 2133 or 2400 out of it, which will be a mild performance hit sure, but only a mild one. You're going to get more of a slowdown from having too little memory than you are from having stuff that is a pain in the ass to run at full speed or even won't do it on Ryzen. You can always change it later when you have more money and sell off your old kit. Or just throw voltage at the issue and see what you can do with them.
Thank you for the informative reply. Suddenly I don't feel so frazzled over this whole Ryzen memory issue. I'll just try finding the fastest kit I can afford...but I have to be honest, I'm really smitten with the Trident Z RGB ram at the moment, though, apparently a lot of people are having problems with them and, bigger bummer, the lowest they come is 16GBs. I like the Corsair Vengeance RGB ram as well but they start at 16GBs as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wooshna
have you considered selling your old rig to pick up enough extra cash to get the 1600 and x370 board?
I know when i upgraded to my 1700 i sold my fx 8350, 16gb ram, sabertooth 990fx and the wraith cooler for $300 on craigs list. that allowed me to step up from a ryzen 1600 to the 1700 for even more future proofing.
I have thought about it, yes. But I figured nobody would bother with it because it's "old" lol. But do you really think I could get anything for an i3-4160 paired with a Z87 board and a case?
EDIT: Ok, after fiddling around pcpartpicker, I was able to come with with this:
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1500X 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.68 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AX370-Gaming K5 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($159.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $514.45
Also if you have a windows 7 key. You can still upgrade to windows 10 using that key. You just insert the win7 key during the win 10 install. And you can download the window 10 iso using the "mediacreationtool" from their website.
This will save you $70+ that you can put towards the CPU, RAM or MOBO. These key do indeed work as I have purchased several myself. Easy, all you need is the ISO of Win 10.
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $514.45
Also if you have a windows 7 key. You can still upgrade to windows 10 using that key. You just insert the win7 key during the win 10 install. And you can download the window 10 iso using the "mediacreationtool" from their website.
I do have Windows 7 but it's the OEM version...will that still work?
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