Intel i9 9900K or AMD Ryzen Threadripper Alternative

[niksha]

Hi,

I have prepared the spec below for a desktop which I will be using for Unreal Engine to do some animations / VR, as well as Photoshop Sketch Up and possible 3ds Max.

The cost for below is £2760.

I don't really have much of an understanding of all the components so any advice would be appreciated. Would anyone recommend going for AMD Ryzen Threadripper instead if it offers better performance and possibly at lower cost?

Thanks

Nik

DESKTOP SPEC

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight Core Processor i9-9900K (3.6GHz) 16MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z390-F GAMING: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

Get Control & Wolfenstein: Young Blood w/ select GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

Choose from 6 Incredible Ubisoft Titles FREE with select SAMSUNG SSDs!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Intel Optane Memory
16GB INTEL® OPTANE MEMORY - USE WITH MECHANICAL HDD
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
AOC 23.6" E2470SWH LED - 1920 x 1080,1MS, D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI
Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE HDMI (M) to DVI (M)

 

[Scott]

I wouldn't go with a Threadripper but I would look at the 3900X. Seems like what the chip was designed for.

 

[Scott]

Additionally, some notes:

Choose a better case (Define S or R6 is still my favourite, Corsair 460x/570x are also good)
Overkill on the motherboard, I would always recommend the Gigabyte Aorus Alternative
32GB of RAM for this use is warranted but I would go with 3200 over the pretty 3000 RGB.
2x 970 Evo Plus drives would be my choice over 1 and 1 std SSD
Optane Memory is pointless
850 RMx PSU would be my suggestion, not for the power but for the quality
H100x cooler is the starting point for AIO coolers nowadays, H80 is pointless.
No need for case fans with any of the above case choices.


Eg:

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
Gigabyte X570 GAMING X: ATX (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

Get Control & Wolfenstein: Young Blood w/ select GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP600 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 4950MB/R, 4250MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £2,621.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/PvMW4RPZa9/

Note the Corsair M2 drive, blisteringly fast for £20 more. Can save the money and go with the 970 but I liked the look of 4GB/s

 

[stegor]

As above, the 3900X is better than the 9900K for productivity work.

 

[niksha]

Hi The_Scotster / Stegor,

Many thanks for your advice. Having read more on it, it seems definitely 3900x is better for what I am looking for and I am glad I posted on this forum.

One more query - I am looking for a motherboard that allows addition of 2nd graphics card in the future should I need it. Which one would you recommend?

 

[stegor]

For nvidia dual cards you need support for SLI. Therefore you need at least the Asus ROG STRIX X570-F Gaming.

 

[niksha]

Is it worth spending £200 to get the RTX 2080 Super instead of RTX 2070 Super?

 

[niksha]

I’m looking for some advice on type of case to get. Based on reading previous posts, Fractal S or R6, Corsair 460x/570x seem to be recommended. The Fractal ones appear to be fairly closed up. Do they have good fans?

This may be a stupid question, but how robust are the tampered glass panels? I they likely to crack by just moving the case from
one room to another?

 

[niksha]

Following some advice on previous posts, this is my final spec. I will be using the desktop for Unreal Engine architectural animations, photoshop and sketch up.

The whole thing is coming in at £2760 inc VAT including monitor and Gold warranty.

if there is anything in the spec that looks odd or that could be downgraded without losing performance, your advice would be much appreciated as I am already over my intended budget. The motherboard is picked as I believe it allows addition of future 2nd graph card if I need it.

Thanks

Nik



Case
FRACTAL DEFINE S BLACK GAMING CASE (Window) - is this good enough?
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

Get Control & Wolfenstein: Young Blood w/ select GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

Choose from 6 Incredible Ubisoft Titles FREE with select SAMSUNG SSDs!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP600 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 4950MB/R, 4250MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100x Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
AOC 23.6" E2470SWH LED - 1920 x 1080,1MS, D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI
Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE HDMI (M) to DVI (M)
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Promotional Item
Choose from 6 Incredible Ubisoft Titles FREE with select SAMSUNG SSDs!
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo

 

[Scott]

It's a great spec. The Define is a great case, really good airflow, 2 case fans as standard and incredibly quiet.

I don't think I would select the ROG Strix motherboard, unless it has some particular features that you want? They often come out quite expensive for what you get.

I would likely choose a second M2 drive over an SSD, the Corsair is a monster. Paired with a 970 Evo for fast storage/scratch drive would be my choice.

The Corsair cooler has excellent paste pre-applied on it so I would drop the gel stuff.

If you're sticking with the strix motherboard I think it has Wifi on board, don't need the wifi card.

Other than that, it's a monster no doubt

 

[niksha]

It's a great spec. The Define is a great case, really good airflow, 2 case fans as standard and incredibly quiet.

I don't think I would select the ROG Strix motherboard, unless it has some particular features that you want? They often come out quite expensive for what you get.

I would likely choose a second M2 drive over an SSD, the Corsair is a monster. Paired with a 970 Evo for fast storage/scratch drive would be my choice.

The Corsair cooler has excellent paste pre-applied on it so I would drop the gel stuff.

If you're sticking with the strix motherboard I think it has Wifi on board, don't need the wifi card.

Other than that, it's a monster no doubt

Thanks again for your input. I’d thinking of Rog Stix as it supports SLI in case i need a 2nd graph card.

You mention it has Wifi - i checked and its Intel Wifi 6 AX200. Is this slower or faster than the optional one I added?

 

[Scott]

Ahh I see, fair enough then I guess. I don't think SLI is remotely worth it nowadays though.

It depends what you are after really. Throughput wise it will be less but it depends what you are using it for.

 

[niksha]

Ahh I see, fair enough then I guess. I don't think SLI is remotely worth it nowadays though.

It depends what you are after really. Throughput wise it will be less but it depends what you are using it for.

Many thanks for all your advice over the last few days. It really helped and I swapped a number of components from my initial spec following your advice and reading more and looking into it.

I finally ordered the spec below. Way over what I wanted to spend initially but hoping to future proof it for few years and went with your advice to get 2080Ti.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE R6 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

Get Control & Wolfenstein: Young Blood w/ select GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

Choose from 6 Incredible Ubisoft Titles FREE with select SAMSUNG SSDs!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP600 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 4950MB/R, 4250MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
IIYAMA G2530HSU-B1 24.5" Gaming Monitor
Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE GOLD PLATED V1.4 HDMI CABLE
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

 

[Scott]

That's a monster, I would ditch the "1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)" in favour of a second M2 drive. The motherboard will happily accept a blisteringly fast 1TB 970 Evo along with the bonkers Corsair unit.

If you're struggling to find it just click the "Show additional storage options" hyperlink above the 1st M2 drive.

Seriously jealous of that rig

 

[niksha]

That's a monster, I would ditch the "1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)" in favour of a second M2 drive. The motherboard will happily accept a blisteringly fast 1TB 970 Evo along with the bonkers Corsair unit.

If you're struggling to find it just click the "Show additional storage options" hyperlink above the 1st M2 drive.

Seriously jealous of that rig

I think the second M2 drive was adding another 100 quid or so and I won’t be needing too much space straightaway. so i was hoping if i need it i can add a second M2 in future. or is 2nd M2 likely to improve overall peformance if I make use of it? (even though OS is installed on first M2)

 

[Scott]

I think the second M2 drive was adding another 100 quid or so and I won’t be needing too much space straightaway. so i was hoping if i need it i can add a second M2 in future. or is 2nd M2 likely to improve overall peformance if I make use of it? (even though OS is installed on first M2)

It depends what you will be using the drive for really. With the OS and programs and work on the main drive, I would have thought games would be on the 2nd M2 drive.

Surprised it's £100 more though, probably not worth that but 2.5" SSDs have pretty much ran their race nowadays. Even ditching the 970 for one of the lesser specced SX models would offer a significant speed increase (Just look at the MB/s read/write figures).

 

[stegor]

Won't make a ton of difference in games though.

 

[niksha]

It depends what you will be using the drive for really. With the OS and programs and work on the main drive, I would have thought games would be on the 2nd M2 drive.

Surprised it's £100 more though, probably not worth that but 2.5" SSDs have pretty much ran their race nowadays. Even ditching the 970 for one of the lesser specced SX models would offer a significant speed increase (Just look at the MB/s read/write figures).

Thanks again. Changed to an Intel 1TB M.2 which was only about £50 more but as you said way way faster