My current gear
So I've been working on my Asus N76VZ for the last 5 years, mainly for coding, media consumption and some low level gaming, it certainly delivered great performance, but overall, I always felt it was kinda overrated in terms of value. It cost me about $1500 at the time (yeah.. pricing in the EU), I was expecting more from it, but I guess laptops aren't the best fighters with planned obsolescence. I was expecting better build quality (and not crappy plastic), good sound (and long lasting), better battery life (in your dreams) and generally a better experience.
The reason why I opted for a laptop was mainly because of travelling EU-China a lot, but now I think it's time to settle down and get serious about compute gear. So here I am, right now, researching, planning and stalking GPU stocks. There could never be a better time for an upgrade, as the AMD hype got real, I mean excellent bang for buck, such an insane value!
What I actually need
- a platform built to last, at least 5 years as my current gear
- a decent & efficient workstation, a true multitasking powerhouse
- editing/encoding videos for tutorials
- coding (with multiple code editors and large file libraries), testing (all major browsers at once) and deploying
- music production (did I mention I also do sound design and harmonics?)
- modern tech (USB 3.1, NVME drives, DDR4)
- decent PC gaming (Borderlands, UnrealTournament, Dota2, Warcraft 3/3remastered, Diablo, Starcraft)
The GEAR I am going for
Right, so I will list the gear I'm currently hovering at, explaining why I've chosen each, so without further a due, let's dig into the matter:
CPU
As this decides the platform to go, I choose the AMD R7 1700, because:
- excellent multitasking
- great productivity scores (see below)
- it's the best value in the prosumer market (8C/16T for ~$300), according to most reviewers
- unlocked for overclocking (with the motherboard I chose, it should go 4Ghz like a breeze)
- excellent operating temps at full load in OC mode
- excellent gaming
MOTHERBOARD
I'll go with the ASUS ROG Strix B350-F Gaming, for the following reasons:
- the VRM is of excellent quality as described by buildzoid, very efficient and provides better vCore and vRam overclocking and higher stability
- I especially like the position of the M.2 slot above the GPU slot (nvme drives should run cooler)
- supports 2x crossfire GPU x16 (a rare gem in the B350 realm)
- excellent audio (a must for an audiophile like myself)
- very fast networking
- cool design
- excellent price
GPU
I'm going (in my dreams) for the ASUS ROG STRIX AMD RX580 O 8G GAMING for:
- great 1080/1440p gaming performance
- sync with the motherboard RGB lighting effects
- relatively low price
I am also considering an AMD RX Vega entry level GPU, perhaps at the end of July?
MEMORY
It's going to be Vengeance® LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 WHITE because:
- decent timings
- excellent frequency, it's good enough for Ryzen for sure
- relatively affordable price
CASE
I'm going for the wonderful Fractal Design Define S Window
- excellent air ventilation
- 2-4 included case coolers
- intake dust filters
- sound dampening materials
- side window
- affordable
POWER SUPPLY UNIT
This is gonna definitely be the EVGA 550 B3, 80 Plus BRONZE 550W
- highly regarded
- reliable (80+ bronze certified)
- 120mm exhaust fan
- modular
PERIPHERALS
- Microsoft Surface Keyboard, for comfortable typing and low noise
- Microsoft Surface Mouse
MONITOR
I still haven't decided on it yet, they are so damn expensive. I need a 1440p 34" ultrawide IPS monitor, I don't think dual monitors is a healthy practice.
TOPICS OF INTEREST
- What would you change in the specs and why?
- Do you think RGB lighting is here to stay?
- Do you think it's an overkill for my work requirements?
- IMPORTANT: Do you the motherboard is an overkill? (Tomahawk could probably be a better value?)
- Should I get an after market CPU cooler? (Considering OC and the chosen case) If yes, which one is best for the buck?
- What is your gear and what is it for?