Contemplating my next build

[jpenguin]

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/jpenguin/saved/cKTD3C

The CPU cooler I chose is 155mm, the case allows up to 161- should be fine, right?

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[SpecialEd]

Question? I see you have picked an SSD, a regular spinner and a hybrid. I understand an SSD coupled with a regular HD or a hybrid but why both?

Thanks,

Ed

Edit: Oops, I see now on closer inspection they are both hybrid drives.

[jpenguin]

Ya, I already own a few drives. I'm planning to get a 512MB M2 for my primry boot drive, & whatever SSHDs I can fit to store VMs and such. I'll probably get a different cooler if I can get the AM4 bracket for it

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[dequire]

I built my PC in November, and wish I could have waited for Ryzen! Instead I have a FX-8370 paired with an MSI 970 gaming mobo. Not that I'm complaining - it's plenty fast. I also went with the RX-480, but in my case it was the XFX brand 8 GB, I love how the fans are removable and interchangeable without tools. If that means anything to you, you might check it out. Right now AMD is the way to go IMHO. As far as the 480 goes, no need to install proprietary drivers. Just stick with a recent kernel (>=4.9) and add the stable MESA repository and you'll fly plenty fast in games. I run everything from Rocket League to Transport Fever to 7 Days to Die all at max (granted my monitor is only 1080p, so no 4k gaming yet) without issue, and can run any kernel I want, including the latest stable. I'm currently running 4.10.4, out as if a few days ago. With RadeonSI open source drivers, pretty much no muss no fuss these days.

And the work that Valve and game companies like Feral Interactive are putting into the open source AMD drivers, it's a great time (FINALLY!!!) to be using AMD for graphics.

[oshunluvr]

Curious as to why you guys are picking the Ryzen over i7-6700 which performs better for less money in the tests I've seen.

[jlittle]

Why a CD/DVD? They're not much used these days. And, if you have to, a USB 2 or 3 attached external CD/DVD can be moved between many computers.

[oshunluvr]

Why a CD/DVD? They're not much used these days. And, if you have to, a USB 2 or 3 attached external CD/DVD can be moved between many computers.

Good point.

[dequire]

Curious as to why you guys are picking the Ryzen over i7-6700 which performs better for less money in the tests I've seen.

In a nutshell, the hardware is there to compete; from what I've read we're basically waiting for the MB manufacturers to update their bios' and for the kernel / driver improvements to mature. Also, I'm an idealist I suppose you could say. And as such, I believe we need a competitive AMD. As a result of Ryzen, we've already seem price drops and new SKU's from Intel - Everybody wins! Plus they are far better at supporting open source and Linux (of late) than NVidia seems to be. Nvidia nouveau driver has a long way to go and isn't very practical for anything outside of day-to-day office use or basic usage. And these very forums are literally littered with posts regarding problems with the proprietary drivers when someone goes through a kernel or distribution upgrade. The RadeonSI kernel drivers are going through major development activity at the moment from many different vested parties, as Phoronix can attest to. And, once installed, they are pretty much no-muss-no-fuss regarding kernel upgrades.

Here is a video that explains what's up for those trying to sort through the cruft regarding Ryzen (the author is a little crass so skip ahead a min or two as warranted. Doesn't bother me, but he does cuss, so be warned):

The Truth About AMD's Ryzen CPUs Beyond The Bullsh*t!

From what I've read regarding Ryzen, there's a difference with the new AMD architecture that changes the way process threads are used, and the way most games made today expect them to be used. This is all tied to the ram clock speed as well. Finally, from real-world usage reports, gaming on Ryzen usually has provided perhaps a lower max FPS than the comparable Intel, but the overall framerate is noticeably more stable and less unwieldy throughout the given time interval. Most gamers would take the stable over the max, as anything above 60 FPS isn't really noticeable by the human eye anyway, but a noticeable loss of framerate can be deadly in gaming.

My 2 cents. Take it for what it's worth.

[oshunluvr]

I just did a quick search and CPU boss (I think) showed the i7 as a better performer than the Ryzen plus it's more money, so I was curious as to why pick it. I understand benchmarks do not always equate to real world, but you have to start somewhere. The other factors are the features available with the various chipsets and for a while Intel won that battle too. Admittedly, it's been so long since I considered an AMD CPU that I no longer know if that's still true.

As far as nVidia I use the nvidia blob so I don't think CPU matters much. I'm not a "purist" in the sense of open vs. closed source. I use what works best. My past troubles with ATI GPUs prevents my from attempting that road ever again. Besides, I think an argument can be made for the fact that Intel has been supporting Linux quite a lot lately and their drivers are much better than they were just a few years ago.

I had AMD CPUs once or twice back in the days when they were like 50-60% cheaper than comparable Intel, but that was a long time ago. Once the cost became similar, I went back to Intel because they performed better in about every case and had more features.

P.S. The cussing doesn't bother me, but Youtube videos in general do. I friggin' hate when I want a simple bit of info and I have to watch some bloated egotistical ass pontificate for 8 minutes to get 30 seconds of data. I'd rather read a blog...but that's just me.

EDIT2: Oh, I'm not gamer much either, so that wouldn't be a factor for me. I like to play, but I have a life too so I never get good enough at most games to compete at a level where a few dropped frames would matter. I'm usually the first guy to die.

[dibl]

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/jpenguin/saved/cKTD3C

The CPU cooler I chose is 155mm, the case allows up to 161- should be fine, right?

The cooler that you linked is actually a 140mm, and I cannot find one available specifically for that AM4 socket CPU when I looked at Newegg. I'm not familiar with the AMD CPUs, but it looks like you might want to firm up your theory on the cooler.

[dequire]

P.S. The cussing doesn't bother me, but Youtube videos in general do. I friggin' hate when I want a simple bit of info and I have to watch some bloated egotistical ass pontificate for 8 minutes to get 30 seconds of data. I'd rather read a blog...but that's just me.

EDIT2: Oh, I'm not gamer much either, so that wouldn't be a factor for me. I like to play, but I have a life too so I never get good enough at most games to compete at a level where a few dropped frames would matter. I'm usually the first guy to die.

Understood on both counts

[GreyGeek]

Why a CD/DVD? They're not much used these days. And, if you have to, a USB 2 or 3 attached external CD/DVD can be moved between many computers.

I'll say! About five years ago I saw that I had only about 25 CD-R's left in my 100pak so I purchased another 100. I know have about 20 left in that pak and the "new" pak is untouched. Not much will fit on 700Mb or a 4.7Gb DVD. Most Kubuntu & Neon kernels are 1.2+GB. Did I mention that they were too slow. Too bad. K3b was one of the best burners on the market, if not the best.

Now, with USB sticks, I use Etcher (from an AppImage), the use of which is simplicity defined.

[GreyGeek]

.....

P.S. The cussing doesn't bother me, but Youtube videos in general do. I friggin' hate when I want a simple bit of info and I have to watch some bloated egotistical ass pontificate for 8 minutes to get 30 seconds of data. I'd rather read a blog...but that's just me.

EDIT2: Oh, I'm not gamer much either, so that wouldn't be a factor for me. I like to play, but I have a life too so I never get good enough at most games to compete at a level where a few dropped frames would matter. I'm usually the first guy to die.

The "instructional" YouTube videos I prefer are the ones made by authors who write out a complete script and follow it, edit and merge multiple clips to be sure to include everything, removing the blunders, mis-speakings, mistakes, etc..., making a fine video. One example of how to do it is by a member of this forum, Hallergard.

I finally have a decent gaming machine but the only game I play is Minecraft, and that with my grandsons. Most of my "gaming" is running physical simulations using Orbiter, Stellarium, Sandbox Universe^2, and similar titles.

[dequire]

Update: Here's another recent video, this time from a more known agent, PC World, that attempts to put things in a better light, and in more layman's terms.

Ryzen rumors: Perception vs. reality with AMD's new CPU

The long an short of it is that Ryzen is a fine choice for a CPU; both very adequate for gaming (and in some cases better), and in many cases better at making use of multiple cores for those situations that demand it, such as gaming with many other windows / apps running, or multimedia production.

[jpenguin]

The cooler that you linked is actually a 140mm, and I cannot find one available specifically for that AM4 socket CPU when I looked at Newegg. I'm not familiar with the AMD CPUs, but it looks like you might want to firm up your theory on the cooler.

I was originally considering https://pcpartpicker.com/product/q9Q...oler-scmg-5000. but switched to the cm, an am4 bracket is available from their site. I ordered everything- that plates all that hasn't shipped

CD/DVD isn't used much I admit, but on occasion I burn an audio CD. There are a couple of distributions that I couldn't get to boot off USB too

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