Now there’s a thought…I was thinking of going 64GB with 3600 MHz CL 16…but I wonder if 32GB 3600 MHz CL 14 is better. Similar price - 32GB of CL14 is 10% cheaper or so.
1 Like
Since the next CPU generation will likely get DDR5 RAM, the prices of DDR4 might drop soon. So I would just go with 32GB CL16 for now and save your money.
But of course, nobody can predict the future and once bought, the (resale) value of the RAM will be gone anyways. So spend whatever you want.
I think the big advantage for 64GB RAM in flight sims is not near yet, so if spending on RAM, perhaps better to go for timings?
Not sure how big the benefit of those timings is though, perhaps a benchmark like HWBench could give some insight?
2 Likes
It is an interesting question. My old rig had 32GB of slow DDR3 memory, so I sort of assumed that if I do an upgrade I should go for 64GB to be sorted for a long time…but the truth might be more nuanced than that.
I have found a couple of comments online of DCS Syria map going above 32GB of peak RAM usage. Tom’s hardware did a bit of testing with MSFS2020 and found that RAM speed was more important than the sheer amount of RAM above 32GB.
What we need is Steve Burke at GN to include DCS World, XP11 and MSFS2020 into his testing regime and life will be good 
2 Likes
Good Idea. I put that request in a while back (pretty sure it was that channel) but, I’m only one voice in a noisy internet. “Mud” bomb-em with requests for this? 
1 Like
After all that, I decided to do the above. It is the first common sense decision I’ve made so far - hopefully I won’t do too many more of those! 
The RAM I bought two sticks of is quite commonly sold here so if and when DDR5 drops the DDR4 prices, I should be able to either get another two sticks of the same or upgrade to something faster at a better price…and in the meantime it seems 32GB really is ample for today’s needs.
2 Likes
The cardboard on this one has a slightly bitter aftertaste, I think it’s because it is a compromise. Overall it hits your palate upfront and tapers off.
6 Likes
I see you’re a man of culture! 
1 Like
I think it’s due to that hideous label…
1 Like
I’m not sure if I’m too late, but considering overall specs and price, I’d go for the 5900x without question. Oh wait, that’s exactly what I did on mine! 
3 Likes
Ouch! Sorry to hear that.
Do they claim an inert coolant?
I’ve always used Corsair AIO’s and they do claim an electrically non-conductive coolant, and I have been fortunate to never have to test that theory. The only failure has been my brother’s which was a pump failure, so no leakage.
@Wes don’t think they specifically say so for the CoolerMaster one. A little bit of googling suggests the coolant is distilled water with some anti-corrosion and anti-algae agents added in. Didn’t help in my case…things definitely corroded.
It does sound like I got extremely unlucky and that AIO cooler leakage failure is rare, rarer than pump failure.
It’s okay, though - I was starting to get less happy with my PC’s performance anyway but was dragging my feet about the expense. This pushed me over the edge to get it sorted - I’ll get to fly on higher settings and in due course upgrade to VR…so there’s definitely a silver lining to this.
1 Like
A couple of questions/thoughts to the board, if I may.
The next pieces for the puzzle are:
• CPU – pretty much set my eyes on a 5900X, now. It seems everyone who has one is very happy with it, so probably not a lot to chat about that one. I appreciate it’s probably overkill and diminishing returns compared to a 5800X, but at the end of the day I’m looking to have a good rig for simming for a while, so I don’t want to start chipping away at the specs too much.
• Mobo - Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master. As covered earlier, this has the PCIe 4.0 the SSD and GPU utilise and a PCIe temp sensor for the GPU so I can tweak the case fan program. I hope the issues with the B550 / X570 motherboards with USB ports and the Reverb G2 thing are things of the past…but I’m kind of committed to the AMD side of things now so I’ll just roll with it and hope for the best.
• PSU – I started out with the Corsair AX1000, which seems to be regarded as the best in class…but I’m wondering whether that’s overkill. Looking at PC Part Picker’s list, the estimated wattage is 609W…obviously you want some headroom, but 850ish W might be plenty. Also, I’m not sure if I need titanium efficiency, so even if I did go 1000W, the HX1000 might do the job for a bit less cash. Thoughts?
Interestingly, PC Part Picker highlighted a few notes on the proposed build:
• Warning! Some AMD B550 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vermeer CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions.
• Note:Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact TG Light Tint ATX Mid Tower Case has a front panel USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port, but the Gigabyte B550 AORUS MASTER ATX AM4 Motherboard does not have sufficient USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Gen 1 headers. The case USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port will not be usable.
• Note:The Noctua NH-D15S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler may require a separately available mounting adapter to fit the Gigabyte B550 AORUS MASTER ATX AM4 Motherboard.
• Note:Some physical dimension restrictions cannot (yet) be automatically checked, such as cpu cooler / RAM clearance with modules using tall heat spreaders.
I’ll need to see if I can confirm those warnings / notes as concerns – the physical dimension one I’ve covered already, so that one is fine.
2 Likes
Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have been solved, completely… Check my thread, if you haven’t already.
1 Like
This only held for older stock and seems?to be resolved now with boards shipping with new enough BIOS to be able to use Ryzen 5000. If not, you could ask the retailer to make sure the BIOS is up to date when buying, or flash it yourself with a USB stick before you install RAM, CPU, GPU.
Pretty sure this board supports that, since my Aorus Pro does and yours is a better model.
Ah yes, this is one of those drawbacks of the Gigabyte boards that was not a problem for me with the older Fractal case. No internal USB-C header. That sucks, not being able to use the USB-C on the front. How much other USB connectors are there on the front of the case? This could be a dealbreaker for the motherboard, IMO.
No issue. Perhaps years ago, the AM4 adapter may not have been included, but even then, Noctua support has a very good reputation for sending adapters for newer sockets years after purchase.
4 Likes
Yes I saw - I’m keen to hear whether your solution works.
Yeah, it is a drawback. I like your suggestion to get a mobo with that PCIe-1 temperature probe (like the Gigabyte Board does), though. I’ll see if I can find a board that has both. Basically I’ve now pretty much itemised the ideal motherboard requirements for me:
- PCIe 4.0 for GPU and 1 x M.2 SSD
- Front USB-C header, ideally 3.2 Gen 2 Type C, to go with the case
- PCIe-1 (GPU) temperature probe to control the front fan speeds
I found a spreadsheet that itemises boards with the front USB-C header, looks like MSI, Asrock and ASUS offer some. Just need to cross check with the other requirements and see if there’s a board that fits the bill.
Thanks for your notes regarding the other points. That PCPartPicker site is quite clever though, huh.
3 Likes
Any motherboard that has a header for a temperature sensor could also be used. I have seen that on some boards. Then you could maybe tape something like this to the GPU shroud?
Of course, check for compatibility but it looks like this is a fairly standard temperature sensor for motherboards.
1 Like
Funnily enough I’m now gone full loop back to looking at the X570 Aorus Master because of that USB-C omission, haha.
It seems hard to find the trifecta of 2 PCIe 4.0 slots, the temp probe and internal USB-C header in the B550 range, it seems each brand has omitted one feature or other.
There’s a big midwinter sale starting at PBTech on Friday morning so I’ll be keeping a close eye on what deals they have there.
The shipping costs keep hitting new records - I honestly don’t think the prices are going to do anything except hike further in the near future, unfortunately.
1 Like
I have an AORUS PRO (V2) with my 5900x and it does have front usb-c. At the cost of some 3.2Gen USB headers on the back…
Don’t own a VR headset yet though.
1 Like
