Potential PC Spec

Trying to spec a new pc and wondering if the below would be any good?

Case: Max CPU Cooler Clearance - up to 165mm
Dark Rock cooler height is 163mm

Gonna be tight…

May I suggest the Noctua NH-D12L instead? It’s 145mm high, and is an excellent AM5-compatible CPU cooler, with good clearance to avoid any RAM interference.

The 12GB RAM on the GPU might be a little less than optimal, but if you’re not running multiple 4K monitors, or especially VR, you should be fine.

You might want to add two 140mm fans to the front of the case. That one only comes with one 120mm in the back, and one 120mm on the bottom. You’ll be pumping a fair amount of heat into the case with air-cooled CPU and GPU.

Other than that, it looks good to me for a budget build.

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For the CPU if you’re planning to do a lot of gaming, especially on MSFS, it might be worth spending the extra for a 7800X3D (to get the V-cache). It depends what your plans and budget are :slight_smile:

I’d also recommend getting Windows 11 Retail instead of OEM

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Pro if you want Bitlocker and some other handy features.

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Choose the 5800x3d processor! The 90MB L3 cash is worth a lot more than the higher operating frequency, and it hardly makes a difference to FS.

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The 5800X3D is an AM4 chip. He’d need a different MOBO and RAM.
It’s a great choice (I have one) but he spec’d an AM5 setup.
Like Speed1994 said, the 7800X3D would be a nice step up from the 7600X he originally selected. It is pricier, though.

Nothing wrong with an AM4 rig, although it is a bit dated. Seems so strange to say that… :woozy_face:

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I had bad coil whine with Corsair series RMe, its common with rifle bearing fans, replaced with a series RMx and its silent, magnetic levitation fan.

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You are right. I don’t think it matters if it’s “obsolete”, FS would be better off with an older and of course cheaper motherboard. Maybe a better video card would come out of it and of course it would rather not be AMD. I just switched to this from Intel was a minimal investment even with motherboard replacement. 3D 7 is worth it if he was using VR (he doesn’t mention that), or if he was using the PC for very serious tasks other than FS.

What are your goals?
FHD on flatscreen or 8k+ in VR?

Thanks for the answers so far.

I have no intention of using VR, not my thing. Will be doing 4-5 hrs a week flying, probably more on Vatsim as ATC (but that doesn’t require big specs) and probably have a dabble with Train Sim, BeamNG, Elite.

I’m with the others in recommending an x3d processor if you can swing it. It really makes a difference when gaming. It’ll also help offset the relatively slower memory since 6 GHz is considered the sweet spot on AM5.

I have the Dark Rock Pro 4 on a 5800x3d, and it is a good cooler if you can get a case that can fit it (I’m using the Be Quiet! 500fx). If you can wait a bit, they are about to launch the next versions, which you can read about here.

The only other point I have is about those storage drives. I’ve never heard of Solidigm and would consider something from one of the major name brands. Maybe even consider a 2.5" SATA SSD instead of a second M.2 drive, as you’re not likely to notice a difference in loading times if it’s your game drive and saves a bit on cost. Amazon is about to have another deal days in the U.S, and I got some killer deals on Crucial 4TB M.2 and 2.5" drives on their last one, so something to keep in mind if you’re looking to pull the trigger soon.

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