2024 PC build!

I made it down to the new MC in Charlotte today. OMG that place is amazing. Bought my son a new HP ENVY Laptop pretty well loaded for a grand. My wife and I got complementary MC coffee mugs for their grand opening today.

I'm currently putting together a plan for my own desktop build. In addition to the insane AMD chips I posted above I saw the Lian Li stuff for the first time today. Very impressive. I fell in love with the HYTE Y70 case.

Will head back in a few weeks and buy the components to build with. Thinking about doing something like this ...

 
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It's amazing, isn't it? I think the Charlotte location is their biggest store in the country right now, which is no surprise considering it's their newest.

Their sales staff knowledge and customer service are unparalleled in this retail segment as well, although what competition is even left for them anymore? Best Buy? We're fortunate Micro Center is still around, thriving, and not mismanaged to hell like Fry's and CompUSA were.

They also sell 3D printers too, though none anywhere near large enough to print a '97 cluster surround.
 
Irv said:
It's amazing, isn't it? I think the Charlotte location is their biggest store in the country right now, which is no surprise considering it's their newest.

Their sales staff knowledge and customer service are unparalleled in this retail segment as well, although what competition is even left for them anymore? Best Buy? We're fortunate Micro Center is still around, thriving, and not mismanaged to hell like Fry's and CompUSA were.

They also sell 3D printers too, though none anywhere near large enough to print a '97 cluster surround.
Click to expand...

Yes! Incredible store. I've been to their Kansas City location and I don't think the CLT store is any larger but it may be just a bit bigger. Their staff were very friendly and helpful. They tried to up-sell me on extended service plans and NORD VPN. I politely said, no thanks.

The store is nice but the location is shit. I think they moved in there because the rent was cheap. The place was packed. I'll definitely be back.

Speaking of 3D Printing, that's not my thing but they had several printers on display and an unlimited supply of 3D printing material, toner, or whatever it's called in every color imaginable. There are fab shops in the Charlotte area that do printing. I've considered getting in touch with one of them about printing cluster surrounds but that's really low on my priorities list.
 
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Trunk Monkey said:
Yes! Incredible store. I've been to their Kansas City location and I don't think the CLT store is any larger but it may be just a bit bigger. Their staff were very friendly and helpful. They tried to up-sell me on extended service plans and NORD VPN. I politely said, no thanks.

The store is nice but the location is shit. I think they moved in there because the rent was cheap. The place was packed. I'll definitely be back.

Speaking of 3D Printing, that's not my thing but they had several printers on display and an unlimited supply of 3D printing material, toner, or whatever it's called in every color imaginable. There are fab shops in the Charlotte area that do printing. I've considered getting in touch with one of them about printing cluster surrounds but that's really low on my priorities list.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I remember reading similar comments about the location. Looks like it was a way for them to get a foot in the door in the CLT market. I hope they do well. There aren't many times when I actively root for a corporation, but the PC building hobby needs them to do well.

It's funny how NordVPN has been shilling their services everywhere. I hope they're paying MC well for the promo. I have a VPN subscription from before they got popular, but it sure isn't NordVPN or any of the other brands that spend more on marketing than service quality.
 
What? Only 7,680 x 2,160. I’m holding out for a planetarium level viewing experience.

All joking aside, it is an impressive monitor. Thanks for sharing the article.
 
The price for that 57" is going to be astronomical. Getting dual 4K monitors would be more cost-effective and practical under most circumstances.

For gaming purposes, that monitor is 8K. You practically have to get an RTX 4090 to go with it.

I don't like the idea of a 32:9 aspect ratio ultrawide though. In most use cases, it takes away the ability for you to set up a secondary monitor due to its massive physical footprint. As someone with both an ultrawide and a secondary monitor, I consider the secondary monitor to be more practical.
 
Ron, this is what I bought for my friend mark:


Product DescriptionSavingsTotal Price
2
Intel 660p Series M.2 2280 2TB PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 3D2, QLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SSDPEKNW020T8X1
Form Factor: M.2 2280 Capacity: 2TB Memory Components: 3D NAND
Item #:N82E16820167461
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$449.98
1
AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX 3.9 GHz Socket sWRX8 100-100000167WOF Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819113673
Return Policy: Replacement Only Return Policy
$1,149.99
$1,148.99
1
ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI sWRX8 Extended ATX AMD Motherboard
CPU Socket Type: sWRX8
Item #:N82E16813119391
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$999.99
8
HyperX Fury RGB HX436C17FB3A/8 8GB DDR4 3600Mhz Non ECC Memory RAM DIMM
Capacity: 8GB Type: 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM Speed: DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) CAS Latency: 17 Color: Black LED Color: RGB Fan Included: No Option: N/A
Item #:2KY-0009-000Z8
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$583.92
1
Cooler Master V1300 Platinum 1300W Full-Modular, 80 PLUS Platinum, Japanese Capacitors, Single/Multi Rail Switch, 10 Year Warranty Power Supply
Maximum Power: 1300W Fans: 1 Modular: Full Modular Model: MasterWatt
Item #:9SIABXXEA57717
Sold by CCTV_IPC_NVR
$558.38
4
Kingston 32GB 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model HX432C16FB3/32
Capacity: 32GB Type: 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM Speed: DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) CAS Latency: 16 Color: Black
Item #:9SIAH41E2G5031
Sold by Easternstar


the processor is 24 core, with hyperthreading.

2x 2TB nvme ssd's.
32gb of ddr4 dram
I'd sdd a big hd, 12tb or so, for main storage.
This setup will edit video from hell.
Any Nvidia 3070 or better will do fine.
$869.44
Grand Total:$4,610.70
 
I’m on vacation the next two weeks. I’ll dig back into this when I get home. Thanks for all of your input.
 
Does the guy that travels all the time travel far for his Vacation? I do miss 6 weeks of paid vacation. I bet you have miles out the wazoo. :)
 
Grog6 said:
Ron, this is what I bought for my friend mark:


Product DescriptionSavingsTotal Price
2
Intel 660p Series M.2 2280 2TB PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 3D2, QLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SSDPEKNW020T8X1
Form Factor: M.2 2280 Capacity: 2TB Memory Components: 3D NAND
Item #:N82E16820167461
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$449.98
1
AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX 3.9 GHz Socket sWRX8 100-100000167WOF Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819113673
Return Policy: Replacement Only Return Policy
$1,149.99
$1,148.99
1
ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI sWRX8 Extended ATX AMD Motherboard
CPU Socket Type: sWRX8
Item #:N82E16813119391
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$999.99
8
HyperX Fury RGB HX436C17FB3A/8 8GB DDR4 3600Mhz Non ECC Memory RAM DIMM
Capacity: 8GB Type: 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM Speed: DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) CAS Latency: 17 Color: Black LED Color: RGB Fan Included: No Option: N/A
Item #:2KY-0009-000Z8
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$583.92
1
Cooler Master V1300 Platinum 1300W Full-Modular, 80 PLUS Platinum, Japanese Capacitors, Single/Multi Rail Switch, 10 Year Warranty Power Supply
Maximum Power: 1300W Fans: 1 Modular: Full Modular Model: MasterWatt
Item #:9SIABXXEA57717
Sold by CCTV_IPC_NVR
$558.38
4
Kingston 32GB 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model HX432C16FB3/32
Capacity: 32GB Type: 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM Speed: DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) CAS Latency: 16 Color: Black
Item #:9SIAH41E2G5031
Sold by Easternstar


the processor is 24 core, with hyperthreading.

2x 2TB nvme ssd's.
32gb of ddr4 dram
I'd sdd a big hd, 12tb or so, for main storage.
This setup will edit video from hell.
Any Nvidia 3070 or better will do fine.
$869.44
Grand Total:$4,610.70
Click to expand...
Looks like that is a 16c/32t CPU; the 24core/48t CPU is the Threadripper Pro 5965WX
- No CPU fan is specified.
- Why spec in 2x PCIE3 drives when PCIE4 drives exist now & both that CPU+MBD support 128 lanes of PCIE4.0?
- That motherboard also supports 8x DIMM slots but up to 2TB (in theory -- modules don't exist yet). If you only rock 64GB of RAM (which is plenty for most consumer applications), why not spec in 16GB or 32GB modules?
 
One reason I go with more smaller capacity DIMMs to achieve a given total capacity is the lower latency on DIMMs of a smaller size. Though I'm also mindful of the potential need to upgrade in the future so I usually try to leave half the slots free so I can double up later.
 
There are two modules in that list; I let my buddy decide. The 32 gb one has the rainbow lights on it, lol. We used a huge $200 Noctua cooler. It was massive overkill, without overclocking. I'm partial to heat pipe coolers. They don't heat saturate like water eventually does. I've boiled a water cooler, with a 300mm radiator, lol. That was a socket 2011 oc at 5GHZ; It drew 250W for about 10 minutes, until I realized my error. FSB @100, multiplier to 51, lol. That processor would boot to windows at 120fsb, with a 51 multiplier. :) @300W. He ended up with a 4090 video card. I think it was $5k.
I do that too, Brandon. I'm just happy memory isn't $50 a MB like it was in the 80's, lol. The first 16MB set I bought was $500. The 64 GB in my main rig would be expensive!
I usually buy a system, then refresh it after a couple of years, but If I notice a big drop in prices on something like memory or processors, I upgrade. I've got a huge processor collection. :) Mostly from upgrades. There are some really great xeon upgrades for older systems, from socket 774 up.The 8 core processor in my main system was $4000+ new. :) I paid $100 for it. 16 cores, with hyperthreading. It's unlocked multiplier, and runs great at 4.6GHz
 
Is there a reason for the workstation CPUs?

Unless there were needs for additional I/O, PCI-E lanes, or 8-channel memory, most users won't benefit from a 16-core Threadripper or Threadripper Pro when the top-end Ryzen 9 not only matches the core and thread count but also clocks higher. The 3955WX was worse than the Ryzen 9 3950X in every way. I had been casually planning a new build for years, and the only time I considered a Threadripper was back in the Zen+ days (Ryzen 2000 series) when Ryzen 9 didn't exist yet. After it did, I couldn't justify getting a Threadripper anymore.

Workstation builds are cool, but not a wise investment for the vast majority of PC users who don't know what to do with all that I/O. In terms of pure CPU performance, a 24C/48T Threadripper Pro 5965WX is nearly matched by the 16C/32T Ryzen 9 7950X in multi-core and gets trounced in single-core from the generational uplift of Zen 4.
 
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That was what we built two years ago. stuff has changed. But I always build workstations. I always wanted my computer being better than whatever corporate crap was on my desk. It worked until ~2016; my new desktop at work was a dual 16 core HP workstation. I never built a better one.
My main program at work was Mentor Graphics expedition pcb design software. It sucked, and had the same bugs as some 1980's win 3.11 programs. The calculations it did for impedance were wrong, and fixing it was tough.
 
Seems like a waste of money these days. Back when Intel ruled the desktop market and artificially kept core counts maxed at 4, workstation builds made sense. AMD shook up the desktop market with the Zen architecture in 2017 and made high core counts a thing for desktop builds. Ryzen 9 in 2019 made low-end Threadrippers useless for home users.

As far as I'm concerned, for pure computational power, Threadrippers only begin to make sense at 32C/64T, because even the 24C/48T parts will be matched in multicore and trounced in single-core by the next generation 16C/32T Ryzen 9 CPU a year later for half the cost, and also a third to a half of the cost on the motherboard as well if the extra I/O won't be utilized.

Your PC is only as fast as the slowest part of the I/O subsystem, which is always going to be your system storage. Given that, a Threadripper paired with Intel 660p SSDs did that build no favors. The 660p was an affordable high-capacity NVMe SSD, but it used QLC NAND and maxed out at half of the available PCI-E 3.0 x4 throughput when you had PCI-E 4.0 at your disposal.
 
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It also had 2x 2tb nvme ssds. And a huge std sata drive.12tb, iirc.
I designed with flash memory. When it dies from being written too many times, it's possible to get it to work again, as new, by baking it to 160C in a halt/hass chamber. :)
 
Grog6 said:
Does the guy that travels all the time travel far for his Vacation? I do miss 6 weeks of paid vacation. I bet you have miles out the wazoo. :)
Click to expand...

Yes, I have air miles, hotel points and rental car credits out the wazoo. I never pay for travel when we take vacation; only food, gas and entertainment.

I took my son to Ohio for a week at Cedar Point. We had a blast and had a chance to catch up with Brandon who took us on a private flight over Cleveland and then back over Cedar Point before returning to the airport. It was an AWESOME trip. I had held out telling my son that Brandon was going to take us for a flight and after a great day at Cedar Point he said "Today just can't get any better!" Grinning ear to ear I said to him "Just you wait!" he slyly looked back at me and said "What did you do?" I sat him down and told him that Brandon was going to take us on a flight OVER the park that night. His jaw hit the ground. It was a priceless moment.

THANK YOU so much Brandon for taking us up that night. It was an evening we'll never forget.

After a week at Cedar Point my wife, who is amusement park averse, joined us for a more low key vacation in NOLA. We just got home last night.

Anyway, back on topic. Today I ordered the components to do the build in the video below. I was looking at getting the parts from MicroCenter but after comparing prices went ahead and just ordered everything from Amazon. I ordered everything but the GPU. I'll hold off on that for a few months and just reuse my old GPU for now.

 
To vertically mount my GPU, which is PCIe 3.0 to the motherboard which is PCIe 5.0 Which riser cable do I need?

From what I read PCIe 5 is backwards compatible so that shouldn't be an issue. Thanks.
 
hyte.com

Y70 - Our New PC Case with LCD Screen - Pitch Black : HYTE

Visit our latest product the Y70, a mid-tower ATX pc case now with LCD side panel screen display. Shop today on our website HYTE.com
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The specs on the Y70 say the riser cable comes with the case, as it should. It's backwards compatible with older gen GPUs.

Riser Cable Included
Yes, PCIE 4.0 x 16
 
I revisited this thread because I thought you completed the new build and I was curious about its specs, and then I remembered you followed the build in the YouTube video.

Anyway, I made my luxury upgrades ahead of the feared incoming tariffs.

20250104_191648 (Large).jpg

These will do absolutely nothing for gaming performance, which remains a moot point because I still haven't set up Steam on this PC yet or copied over my save game data from my old PC's SSD nearly two years later.

Actually, that's not entirely true. The 7950X will marginally help with games that use 8 CPU cores because there won't necessarily be an inter-CCD latency penalty anymore if Windows assigns all the cores on one CCD to the game. However, the extra cores will make more of a difference with video encoding, and the extra RAM will allow me to double the size of my RAM disk from what it is today.
 
2x48GB RAM is an odd size. 96GB is a lot of RAM! I'm not familiar with RAM drive or RAM disk. I had to look that one up.

What do you use your RAM disk for?
 
My biggest problem is the unusibility of the current versions of windows 10 and 11. edge exists only to serve ads within windows. I run adblockers in win7 and firefox. Win 10 is usable if edge is removed and telemitry turned off in the scheduler, but it all restores itself like malware.
I can no longer use steam,as xp and 7 are no longer supported. Linux won't run most of the stuff I use,so that's out. I've just set up an ibm server from 1991, and have loaded it up with old games, and my programming suite, all of which runs under os2 2.1,and win xp. It won't run crysis,but neither will win 10, lol.
 
Trunk Monkey said:
2x48GB RAM is an odd size. 96GB is a lot of RAM! I'm not familiar with RAM drive or RAM disk. I had to look that one up.

What do you use your RAM disk for?
Click to expand...
24 and 48 GB modules were introduced about a year and a half ago. 2x24 created a nice middle ground for people who needed more than 32 GB but didn't need 64. I already had 64 but decided to get 96 because I could, although I can put it to use as well. Apparently, Windows Explorer likes to eat up RAM when indexing large multi-gig files (or whatever it's doing) after they've been created.

The RAM disk is for faster I/O for apps that want to use temp disk storage like Photoshop, as well as junk file storage which sometimes includes large video files that I used or clipped for editing, app install files, or anything else I want to have only temporarily and don't want to keep after a reboot. I increased the size of the RAM disk from 8 GB to 16, so now I have 80 GB RAM left to use as regular system memory.

Grog6 said:
My biggest problem is the unusibility of the current versions of windows 10 and 11. edge exists only to serve ads within windows. I run adblockers in win7 and firefox. Win 10 is usable if edge is removed and telemitry turned off in the scheduler, but it all restores itself like malware.
I can no longer use steam,as xp and 7 are no longer supported. Linux won't run most of the stuff I use,so that's out. I've just set up an ibm server from 1991, and have loaded it up with old games, and my programming suite, all of which runs under os2 2.1,and win xp. It won't run crysis,but neither will win 10, lol.
Click to expand...
The answer is Windows 10 and 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC.

I've had zero issues with ads, telemetry, or bloat in 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 on this PC for nearly two years now. Likewise with 10 Enterprise 1909 on my laptop, with a couple of additional free apps that block some of regular Enterprise's undesirable behaviors.
 
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