Upgrade Options From Ryzen 1700/GTX 1080 Build

[Darren]

Hey all. Haven't been around much lately but have been tossing around the idea of a new PC build as mine grows long in the tooth and doesn't support Windows 11. Figured I'd do a thread in my old stomping ground.

I'm looking to do a rebuild from the ground up, likely reusing my Fractal Design Meshify C case and Enermax ETS T50 CPU Cooler, but going new on everything else I'm pretty out of the loop on the current PC market and don't really game like I used to. I almost exclusively play on my Steam Deck these days as well as a PS5 I unexpectedly got as a gift, being my first modern console in a decade. My desktop has become primarily a 24/7 Plex server connected to a Synology NAS, and with only a 525GB SSD internally, not much install space. I've started having some issues with it and it has ran 24/7 on a locked overclock for about 5 years now so it's probably due.

I would like to have the option to play some modern games on my 3440x1440p ultrawide as well as stream from my PC to the Deck. I don't think I need to go super high end but don't know what the market is like now and where the kind of sweet spot is. I'll want AMD for CPU but am open to either camp for GPU. I don't tinker anything like I used to but wouldn't mind some overclocking options if that's still a thing.

I threw together this list with Newegg's build tool.

Are the extra cores/threads on the Ryzen 7 worth the 100 over the Ryzen 5? Not sure they really were when I bought my 1700 5 years ago but also intend to keep this a while.

What's the X3D thing on some of the AMD chips and is that worth it?

How's AMD vs Nvidia these days? I generally preferred AMD but my 1080 was the best card I've owned so not sure I have much preference anymore.

Do I have any options to transfer my current Windows 10 Pro license attached to my personal MS account to 11 with a new machine?

My budget is flexible but was hoping to be in the $1500 range, maybe less. Current specs are in my sig.

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[beers]

Broooo what happened to your PC enthusiasm

You can stick a 5800X3D in your current system and be good for a while. Zen 5 is supposed to drop a little later this year, also supposedly has a chipset/board refresh. Might be worth jumping on that on release?

What's the X3D thing on some of the AMD chips and is that worth it?

It's mainly a bigger pool of L3 cache (40 MB vs 96 MB). The clock speeds of the X3D are a little bit reduced for power/heat and having the cache stacked vertically, if your workload is cache sensitive then it's a huge boost.

Otherwise not a bad list, this 7800XT has been super solid at 1440, plenty of headroom left for a smooth/enjoyable ultrawide res. Unsure if you want to spend a little more on a bigger NVME brand or faster module.

Also, those microcenter combos are hard to beat.

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[Intel_man]

The jump to 5800X3D is pretty big. Going to a 7800X3D from a 5800X3D doesn't net as much of a jump as you'd want if you want to save monies.

Is your Win 10 Pro key an OEM key or retail? OEM keys don't transfer to new boards unless you try to convince the Microsoft rep that your board broke and you got a replacement.

Nvidia's still king if you get the uber top tier stuff, but... the 4090 won't fit a meshify C and I still strongly voice against having to deal with that new 12v power pin until the new revision's released and widely available on GPU's and PSU's.

 

[Darren]

@beers Corporate IT sucked the joy a bit . I've been gaming more this year, but sitting behind a screen after work isn't appealing at all anymore.

I don't really trust this motherboard on a much newer chip. Probably would work but I like the idea of a clean slate. Might be worth waiting for Zen 5 as you said.

@Intel_man Does going AMD on GPU lock you out of certain tech like it used to? I know RT is a thing and they both can do it but not sure on their implementation.

My 10 Pro License is actually a Dell OEM Windows 7 Pro key I lifted off a machine in the recycle and tried on a whim to jump up to Pro and it worked. Probably can just buy it but they've let you play sloppy with that for years so wondered if there was a way.

 

[beers]

Does going AMD on GPU lock you out of certain tech like it used to? I know RT is a thing and they both can do it but not sure on their implementation.

If your monitor only supports Gsync and not Freesync then you won't get VRR. RT is the same just a bit slower, FSR is similar to DLSS which is also proprietary. Otherwise it's relatively synonymous.

 

[Intel_man]

As Beers said, G-Sync and freesync is something you need to check, but if your sig is correct then the Lenovo G34w-10 is only freesync... which will work on AMD GPU's. It's only a problem if your monitor was G-Sync Ultimate with the specific nvidia module.

FSR is I would say... less polished than DLSS, but at the same time FSR works on all GPU's.

You can probably just pick up a cheap OEM key on those reseller website.

 

[Darren]

Starting to lean towards a 5800X3D, storage, and a RAM bump for now so I can just upgrade to 11 and limp along on my 1080 until it quits on me. My motherboard supports it and sounds like the 5800X3D is nearly as strong as the 7800X3D without requiring a whole new platform. I just bought a house and have tons of things I could be spending money on instead of a computer I won't use much, at least until GTA VI comes out.

Any issues with mixing a 32GB and a 16GB kit for a total of 48GB? Price between 16 and 32 is small, although I really have no need for more than 32GB total. I know it shouldn't matter but feels kind of wrong still.

My current monitor is FreeSync but I think works with GSync as well unofficially if you just enable it. Haven't messed with it too much though. Was wondering more about DLSS and FSR type stuff, as well as RT which I still don't really understand beyond a marketing buzzword.

Are they anticipating the 5800X3D to still be in stock for a while? It's coming up on 2 years old I see and AM5 coming soon.

 

[Intel_man]

Any issues with mixing a 32GB and a 16GB kit for a total of 48GB?

Maybe...? You'll probably be okay in most cases.

My current monitor is FreeSync but I think works with GSync as well unofficially if you just enable it.

I haven't checked, but you can see if your monitor's on Nvidia's officially supported/tested list for g-sync compatible. If it isn't, you can still force it through the Nvidia Control Panel.

Was wondering more about DLSS and FSR type stuff, as well as RT which I still don't really understand beyond a marketing buzzword.

RT really depends on the game. Some do it well, some just eats FPS and you really don't notice it. DLSS/FSR isn't just a marketing buzzword. It can really increase performance when playing on higher resolution than 1080p. They all come with a quality hit, and depending on how nitpicky you are on it, it'll more likely than not be worth enabling.

EDIT: You're in luck... Gamersnexus just posted a GTX 1080 revisit video today.

 

[Couriant]

Any issues with mixing a 32GB and a 16GB kit for a total of 48GB? Price between 16 and 32 is small, although I really have no need for more than 32GB total. I know it shouldn't matter but feels kind of wrong still.

Maybe...? You'll probably be okay in most cases.

Agreed, in theory as long as the specs are the same, you should be fine. Rule of thumb is to keep the modules the same make/model/settings.