My First PC Build – Intel vs AMD for Work and Gaming

[lexluthermiester]

I don't know of any agency specializing in graphics that uses Radeon GPUs for their work.

There are some.

 

[hmn888]

There are some.

Yes, maybe, but they are just exceptions.

Alright guys, the time has come All the parts have arrived, and I’m about to assemble the PC.
I’m still a bit unsure, though, even after watching a few tutorials on how to build a PC
What confuses me a bit are the connections on the motherboard. I notice some visual differences
from one motherboard to another, and it makes me a bit unsure about where everything needs to be connected.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Yes, maybe, but they are just exceptions.

Alright guys, the time has come All the parts have arrived, and I’m about to assemble the PC.
I’m still a bit unsure, though, even after watching a few tutorials on how to build a PC
What confuses me a bit are the connections on the motherboard. I notice some visual differences
from one motherboard to another, and it makes me a bit unsure about where everything needs to be connected.

Photos good citizen(TPU denizen)!!

 

[Bobaganoosh]

I agree with lex, post some pictures, especially if you're unsure of things. People are happy to help.

 

[DaemonForce]

My number one priority is work, not gaming. I don't know of any agency specializing in graphics that uses Radeon GPUs for their work. There are only objective facts as to why Nvidia is specifically better for graphics and content creation in every respect.

Guess you've never seen Red Bull and their completely insane marketing campaigns that resemble a modern day space program.
You ever heard of Epic Games? The same one that launched the Unreal Tournament 99 stuff? Fortnite had to get made on something.
Oh sure they're all in on Threadripper just like Red Digital, which is a bit strange since their stuff depends on in house Red Rocket accelerators that have been EOL since Vista.
Everyone has their own approach.

CGG/Viridien takes the high road and goes full Instinct series to drive their seismic imaging systems.
TSMC (yes that TSMC) leans extremely heavy on the 4th gen EPYC+Instinct MI300X combo.
You ever heard of Twitch? Okay we know there's no chance in the world any combination of CPU/GPU would help them hit that 60FPS broadcast quality target...Except two years ago they used AMD (Xilinx) FPGA acceleration to clock a steady 120FPS under VP9, first of its kind. It isn't mentioned but I'm sure these things scale vertically or we would be struggling with events already.
All this makes me wonder which company/department is already sitting at the finish line with AV1.
By the time SteamTV takes over, I'm sure so many notes are going to be taken on what NOT to do and exactly where to invest that AMD is going to have a major piece of that too.

A lot of dumb tourists tend to be all in on gaming which is how they first discover AMD and nVidia since those are the typical options when looking for a way to drive graphics and many people are soured by the historically awful experience with Intel integrated graphics. That part may be changing soon, given their recent interest in competing in the dGPU market, which is also exciting. There is a great disparity in company size and philosophies but a long winding receipt when it comes to all their histories. ALL of these companies have many thumbs in many different pies. None of them stagnate or else they would die off very quickly. AMD has excellent technologies that are put to use every single day just like nVidia, Infineon, Qualcomm, Intel, Broadcom, QuickLogic, Microsemi, Altera, Lattice, Efinix and many dozens of others because there is specialty in their designs and the ways they tackle problems with those designs. It all drives the world in one form or another.

Creators aren't in some ticket tag race with an SOC company sponsor. They have an idea for doing some type of work and adopt components as a means to perform that work. You have high expectation of nVidia to be that dominant role in every industry and to be that market leader but writing off everyone and everything else as literal who status when there are people just entering the industry and those that have been masters in it their entire lives is a bit stupid. Do you think the mindshare doesn't mean anything to either one? Choosing AMD and others is a sign of something that didn't fit. I'm sure nVidia could easily handle whatever task thrown their way with their delicious high performing silicon but at what price? Historically the issue with them has been the minimum acceptable performance at the wrong price.

 

[Waldorf]

@DaemonForce
say it, you had something in your coffee today

i think he meant it more in a way of the content he works with, as an end user.
besides, if cuda is slower on amd gpus (doesnt really matter why), and impacts your work, why wouldnt you go with the brand, offering the better solution?

 

[DaemonForce]

Sometimes we opt for a basic solution: I'm fast af boiii. I like that route a lot. Maybe too much.

OP has the components for the build and those components were chosen for good reason. I'm not here to change his mind.
If you lock in on the 4070Ti Super, there's enough in there: high vram, RT, CUDA, FP32, FP64 and dual encode.
It's a feature complete device with headroom. Every SKU below it is a hard drop-off in performance, ability and everything, which sucks.
In creator spaces it's above average because of: 3rd gen RT, 4th gen Tensor, 8th gen NVENC, etc.

So yes, even as an end user, whatever that means here, the 4070Ti is the default.
The history of hardware (dis)agreement also filters ideas of going higher. Everything bigger is too $$$$ or dies too frequently.
There are issues we still don't understand where a modern board (doesn't) see the xx80 Ti plugged in and goes nah. Black screen, beep codes, no POST.
It really caught hell from the RTX generation. This hasn't happened with any xx70/Ti cards and that makes it the "safe" choice.

if cuda is slower on amd gpus (doesnt really matter why), and impacts your work, why wouldnt you go with the brand, offering the better solution?

Priced out. AMD stuff generally works better on my stuff, which is why I stick with it but there are still issues.

If I wanted to match features on the AMD side I can't do it. I'm torn between the 7900GRE/7900XT, which I consider for ridiculous reasons.
Raster is excellent, FP64 great, encoder kicks ass and this hardware works great in my ecosystem. So great choice, right?
Except in desktop/VR games where RTX technologies become main feature (or forced) will run poorly if at all.
The encoder quality still suffers the worst at the low bitrate ceilings determined by the only two platforms where I have a streaming home.
CUDA is suddenly demanded in jobs where AMD doesn't share certain proprietary accelerator technologies. Maybe ROCm will help but not soon enough.

That's a stacked deck. Anyone with even half a brain knows it. So, yeah. Good job.

 

[mama]

@mama
quote:
2TB is limiting imo.

1. no workload listed that indicates that 2TB is an issue.
2. where is the extra money for the additional drive coming from?

i will happily change my view on this, if you provide a list with an identical specced sys, thats cheaper, e.g to have funds for 2nd ssd.


@DaemonForce
only one thing it did manage, best 3DMark.
never gotten such high cpu results again for my 5800X

I don't care if you change your view or not. I gave my opinion to the OP for what it's worth. You can do what you like. You obviously don't need anyone's advice.

 

[Waldorf]

@mama
parts are not free and the budget is spend.
so giving advice, for parts OP has no funds for?
priceless

 

[Aken Bosch]

Well, taking into account that I missed some replies (I was on holiday!) (that CUDA is an important factor for that matter for example) I'll put the XTX to pasture and vote for 4070Ti or 4080S. My apologies , even as late as it is.

 

[hmn888]

Hey guys, I’ve been assembling my PC since yesterday, but it’s taking quite a while
Now I’ve run into another problem, somehow I can’t connect the USB 3.2 cable from
my Shadowbase 800 case to my MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 motherboard.
According to the manuals for both the case and the motherboard, everything should fit, but for some reason,
the cable just won’t go in. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this and maybe what I can do about it?
Check out the pictures for reference.

 

[Aken Bosch]

Get a bigger hammer. Jokes aside, there's an indent on the connector, line it up and push a bit (yeah, it's inserting a bit harder).

 

[hmn888]

I don’t see any bent pins, unfortunately... It feels like something else is preventing the connection. On the side of the connector, there’s also a scratch forming. Check out the picture for reference.

 

[Waldorf]

is the nudge on the same side as the port when u tried. just checking

 

[hmn888]

Get a bigger hammer. Jokes aside, there's an indent on the connector, line it up and push a bit (yeah, it's inserting a bit harder).

You were absolutely right! That was it! I had to disassemble the motherboard again to discover it . One pin was really badly bent... I’m now trying to carefully straighten it with tweezers. What a pain

is the nudge on the same side as the port when u tried. just checking

Yeah, that was the right move, and I was very careful when connecting it. But unfortunately, one pin still got bent or maybe it was already bent from the start, who knows

 

[Waldorf]

it was the "you wont get it done today" fairy

 

[Bobaganoosh]

Glad you found the bent pin. That was going to be my guess from the scratch on the connector and there's only one corner missing a pin (intentionally) on the header and two were missing in the picture.

Hope it straightened out for you ok. I've done that before myself too, it happens.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Hey guys, I’ve been assembling my PC since yesterday, but it’s taking quite a while
Now I’ve run into another problem, somehow I can’t connect the USB 3.2 cable from
my Shadowbase 800 case to my MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 motherboard.
According to the manuals for both the case and the motherboard, everything should fit, but for some reason,
the cable just won’t go in. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this and maybe what I can do about it?
Check out the pictures for reference.


View attachment 374844View attachment 374845View attachment 374846

Can you take a better photo with the camera straight on to the USB3 header socket?

You were absolutely right! That was it! I had to disassemble the motherboard again to discover it . One pin was really badly bent... I’m now trying to carefully straighten it with tweezers. What a pain

Yeah, that was the right move, and I was very careful when connecting it. But unfortunately, one pin still got bent or maybe it was already bent from the start, who knows

Nevermind.. That's what it looked like to me..

 

[hmn888]

Hey guys, my PC build is taking as long as building the Great Wall of China I’ve run into another issu..
well, actually two issues with the same component. I was trying to install my ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360
on my MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 motherboard in my be quiet! Shadow Base 800 ATX Mid Tower Case, and these problems came up:

Problem 1:​

Mounting the water cooler block has been a complete pain in the ass. I couldn’t align it properly or securely screw it down. After some research,
I saw a lot of people online mentioning similar issues with the installation, and a few even damaged their motherboard due to excessive pressure.
Unfortunately, I didn’t find many clear solutions.

Does anyone have ideas or experience with this? How did you manage to get it installed without breaking anything?

Problem 2:​

The hoses are under tension and don’t hang loosely below, unlike in the installation videos I’ve seen on YouTube,
where they appear to be much more relaxed. Mine look like they’re stretched tight (see the image).

@Waldorf suggested an interesting idea: separating the fans from the radiator and mounting them on top so that it’s case → fans → radiator.
This might help ease the tension. I’d love to hear other suggestions, especially from people who faced the same issue and managed to resolve it.
I’m looking for the simplest solution possible because I feel like the more I tinker with it, the greater the chance I’ll mess something up

Thanks so much for your support!

 

[Waldorf]

you can rotate it 180* horizontally, so that the side with the hoses is right enxt to the rear fan.
either way, you will have to remove the rad/fan for that.

 

[hmn888]

Wouldn't that harm the case's airflow or could the hoses interfere with other components, such as the graphics card, which is supposed to be mounted directly below?

 

[Waldorf]

naah, as long as its not touching the rear fan, worst case get a fan grill/cover.
with the additional "slack" on the hose, try moving the rad/fan as much towards the front of the case as you can.

 

[hmn888]

naah, as long as its not touching the rear fan, worst case get a fan grill/cover.
with the additional "slack" on the hose, try moving the rad/fan as much towards the front of the case as you can.

View attachment 374965

Yeah, good point, thanks

 

[A Computer Guy]

Hey guys, my PC build is taking as long as building the Great Wall of China I’ve run into another issu..
well, actually two issues with the same component. I was trying to install my ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360
on my MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 motherboard in my be quiet! Shadow Base 800 ATX Mid Tower Case, and these problems came up:

Problem 1:​

Mounting the water cooler block has been a complete pain in the ass. I couldn’t align it properly or securely screw it down. After some research,
I saw a lot of people online mentioning similar issues with the installation, and a few even damaged their motherboard due to excessive pressure.
Unfortunately, I didn’t find many clear solutions.

Does anyone have ideas or experience with this? How did you manage to get it installed without breaking anything?

View attachment 374961

Problem 2:​

The hoses are under tension and don’t hang loosely below, unlike in the installation videos I’ve seen on YouTube,
where they appear to be much more relaxed. Mine look like they’re stretched tight (see the image).

View attachment 374963

@Waldorf suggested an interesting idea: separating the fans from the radiator and mounting them on top so that it’s case → fans → radiator.
This might help ease the tension. I’d love to hear other suggestions, especially from people who faced the same issue and managed to resolve it.
I’m looking for the simplest solution possible because I feel like the more I tinker with it, the greater the chance I’ll mess something up

Thanks so much for your support!

One thing to check is many top mounts for cases allow variable adjustment and you may be able to slide the AIO toward the back to alleviate hose tension even if you have to butt the AIO right up to the rear fan. If you can't do that then I would agree in rotating 180* horizontally is the way to go.

Most motherboards these days have a metal reinforced backplate but I prefer not to allow any sideways tension on on the socket if I can help it.

If rotated (rad tubes in the rear or the case) the other issue of course is now with excess tube. In this case I try to coil the tube by rotating the cooler head counter clockwise into mounting position however depending on the AIO tube mounts, length, and flexibility this doesn't always work or you might be limited in movement and have to mount the pump head upside down which doesn't look nice if you have a printed logo but functionally should be ok.

Here is an example of that on my home server but my rad is rear mounted to a large antique case that only had dual 120 fan exhaust. The concept would be similar for top mounting but with an additional 90 degrees rotation of the rad to the top making a tighter coil. My bending limitation was primarily because of how my 1st Gen Corsair cooler hoses attached to the cooler head with the 90 deg angled fittings so I had no choice in this case but to mount the head upside down.

 

[Bobaganoosh]

The only video i saw on the install for that AIO was from GN. I'm not sure why it ended up off-axis like your picture, I'd be concerned too. My only suggestion would be to take it apart and take pictures of everything to see if anything looks off before installing. Theoretically, it wouldn't hurt performance much anyway, as long as the pressure is good and the contact over the chiplets and controller are good (which are all towards the bottom of the CPU in the image, so the slight rotation wouldn't really be an issue, it just doesn't look as good as you'd want it to). The one thing that always helps when installing a CPU cooler is to lay the case down on its side so that the CPU is flat when you're installing the CPU and the cooler. It's easy for things to slip and be off-center when trying to install it all vertical.

Edit: Also, the way the cooler's VRM-fan snaps on top of the pump there (on the CPU), it will likely mask any slight rotation in the mount. Edit2(sheesh sorry): I apparently missed the part of your note that said "or securely mount it down". This sounds like what GN showed in their video. I would echo my previous statement about laying the case down while installing it so that you can push down with your screwdriver and make sure the screws thread into the bracket properly. It looks like it's really easy to only get 1-2 threads in, then switch to the other side, then have the first side pop back out. You'll want to make sure you have enough threads engaged before swapping sides that you don't pop out of the threads. I could see this being an issue the way they make you thread it with the screws under tension, and even damage the threads possibly. Hopefully that has not happened for you.

I agree on rotating the radiator so the tubes come down on the left side of the radiator (from the picture's view). I had to do similar on a build at one point. I even moved my rear fan to outside the case, which was not ideal lol, I don't think you'll need to do that.