Chris’ new PC build

Our desktop was getting a little old and since I was retiring I didn't want to deal with any of the changes that my employer had made to it anymore. So  I put a new PC together last week. I mainly use it for photo editing but now that I'm retired I'll probably have time to play a game occasionally too. I specifically chose components that should make Lightroom and Topaz AI run faster. 
 

• Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF
• ASUS PRIME Z890-P WIFI
• Patriot Memory Viper Venom 64GB (2 x 32GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 6400 (PC5 51200) 
• Corsair MP700 PRO SE M.2 2280 4TB PCI-Express 5.0 SSD
• WD Blue 8TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive (exclusively for backups)
• GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4060 Ti EAGLE OC 8G
• be quiet! DARK ROCK 5 CPU Cooler
• CORSAIR CX-M Series CX650M 650W PSU from my previous build
• Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent Edition case from my previous build

I spent about an hour removing the old components and cleaning all of the dust ( soooo much dust!!!!) out of the case. It took another hour or so to install the new ones. It fired right up and I got Windows 11 installed fairly quickly. Then I spent about 3 hours installing programs and moving our files off the old drives. I had about 1TB of pictures on a platter drive. It was excruciatingly slow to move all of that over.

Once that was done the real fun began. Intel says that these new processors support up to DDR5 6400 MT/s. When I checked the BIOS the memory was only running at 4000MT/s. The new(ish) thing with memory is included overclocking profiles (XMP) that have to be enabled in the BIOS. I turned the XMP profile on and the machine wouldn't boot. WTF??? Oh yeah, the other new thing since I last built a PC is a QVL (Qualified Vendor List) from the motherboard manufacturers. Of course the Patriot memory wasn't on ASUS QVL. Berkeley! Apparently I bought the wrong hammer. I looked at the QVL and picked the fastest memory on the list:

• G.SKILL Trident Z5 Series (Intel XMP 3.0) DDR5 RAM 48GB (2x24GB) 8400MT/s.

That'll do! It's pretty freakin' expensive but it should be twice as fast as the Patriot once I get XMP enabled. Amazon had it in stock and it should be here today. Luckily Newegg will let you return used components.

I ran some tests on the machine and basically everything other than the ram is 3x faster than my old setup. I'll have to buy a new game to really test it to its limits though, right?

You have to.

For science.

...but can it run Crysis?

looks sweet! I spent 4 hours today making an iMac from 2015 all modern and new with OCLP. Nothing like a fresh OS install, it's like a new coat of paint (electronically speaking).

My only comment is I think I would have maybe gone with a 4070ti or a 4080 to future proof the build a bit .....  or are you using the 4060 you have and seeing what the 50 series has to offer in a year or two and then make the jump to a better powerhouse of a GPU?   

dean1484 said:

My only comment is I think I would have maybe gone with a 4070ti or a 4080 to future proof the build a bit .....  or are you using the 4060 you have and seeing what the 50 series has to offer in a year or two and then make the jump to a better powerhouse of a GPU?   

My main use for this PC is photo editing. Neither of the programs I use (LightRoom and Topaz AI) utilize the GPU very well. I'm only running a 1920x1200 monitor too. I haven't played any games in a few years but now that I'm retired I'll try playing some again and see if I can get back into it again before I go down the GPU upgrade rabbit hole. I also worked at NV for 15 years and I know that the best bang for the buck is always the XX60 cards. 

I understand the value metric on GPUs but telling my self I got a great deal on my GPU as I studder along at 30 fps on my 4060 can be annoying.  I am currently running a 4060 due to space and TDP limits of my build.  

I tried the G.SKILL memory and no matter what I tried I couldn't get it to POST successfully in XMP mode. Thankfully Amazon allowed me to return it.

I reinstalled the Patriot memory in slot B (farthest from the CPU) and I was able to get it to POST in XMP mode. I've been using the machine for the last couple weeks and it has been stable so I think I'm done screwing around with it for now.

Only a single stick?  Of ram?  Or am I not reading this correctly. 

In reply to dean1484 :

Sorry, I should have clarified.  I originally had the two sticks of ram in the first slot and the third closest slot. Now they are in the second and fourth slots from the cpu. 
 

I have been building PCs since the early 90's and I've always used the closer pair without issue in the past.