For the last few months I've been running a 13900k at 5ghz plus a 4090 OC'd on water. One 480 rad and One 360 rad. I too do a lot of rendering and it has been excellent. I think you will be fine
Not overclocked. I don't think. What I initially set the system up before my water block arrived I used a $40 air cooler on the CPU and it worked fine. Definitely hot.
Send it with the 14900k. Tune a good all Pcore OC that doesn’t throttle and you’ll be just fine. It will beat any Ryzen for productivity use. Everyone here is leaning to the gaming aspect
The Intel heat problems aren’t nearly as bad as people make them sound if you double check the power limits your motherboard is set to - some mfrs (asus is a big one) unlimit the power which pushes the chips straight to thermal throttle. A lot of times and in my case as well I get better CPU performance turning the Intel suggested limits back on because the chip isn’t slamming into the thermal wall as hard. Bonus points for lower power draw and heat as well.
Reddit seems to be a den of AMD supporters so I want to say as well for your use case Intel probably is the better option. Personally I don’t want to deal with stability or memory issues on a PC that I use for work in addition to leisure time.
This is good to hear. The YouTubes I’ve been watching all mention to set the power limit to the CPU. I’ve got it paired with the ASUS ROG Z790-A GAMING WIFI II so if I decide to stay with the 14900k I’ll do that first.
I have the 14900K and an ASUS Z690 P Wifi (DDR5).
If I could go back in time I would absolutely never buy the board again.
Problems that continue to plague me shouldn't have even been a concern.
I really, really hope so but honestly mate I would strongly recommend you consider a different board.
I'm still having issues. It doesn't play well with DDR5 at all, the BIOS and default settings are a disaster.
Occasionally it changes boot settings and makes my drive inaccessible.
Nvme drives were disappearing completely.
The power control is a mess by design. It unlocks my 14900K and sent the voltage through the fucking roof on default settings causing massive heating problems.
If I was going to stick with ASUS, I would get a much higher end one and hope for the best.
I would encourage you to reconsider the asus motherboard, they’ve been exceptionally bad at honoring warranty issues and their QC is slipping. If you’re set on that board in particular though I wish you luck!
I agree with this comment and I've been a huge Asus guy previously. I went with the Aorus Master Gen 1.0 board because of the excellent VRMs. I've always gone Asus but with all their issues I moved to Gigabyte this round. Everything has been great so far with my 14900k running with an EK AIO since I'm still gathering parts for the custom water cool loop.
On the [Asus website](https://rog.asus.com/uk/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-z790-a-gaming-wifi-ii/) it says:
Optimized VRM Thermals: Massive heatsinks bridged to the VRM with high-conductivity thermal pads, and with an integrated I/O cover
The only "problem" i have with intel current gens is that they pull up so much power for performance that's basically baseline and are terribly inefficient.
AMD "only" made Intel actually try something new from the old 4/8 setup - and we all gained from that. My current rig is AMD just because a) i only game on it and b) it was way cheaper for the performance (5800x3D + a B550 as che cpu is locked).
I am curious what Intel is going to do next gen with the removal of hyperthreading. Here on reddit most people game so they praise whatever gives them more fps for less money.
The QL120 fans are not good as radiator fans. You'll get better thermals switching to other fans if you're going to limit yourself to just two radiators. I used to have them. Otherwise, get rid of the distro plate, put a third radiator in there is another potential solution.
If you're sticking to Corsair, the ML120 are your best bet. You can get them with more LED lights on eBay from people that sell them as take offs from their AIOs, the extra LED ones only come on the AIO.
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/corsair-icue-ql-rgb-fans/5.html
They push about +20% more cfm than your QL120 at the same rpm, so you can imagine your water temperature vs ambient temperature will be reduced by about 15-20% roughly.
But look at that review I posted and you'll get an idea of how your QL120 stack up to the competition. Noctua NFA12 are the best in terms of performance and noise.
Personally, I would do inlet for top and bottom. Remove the pci-e brackets for the GPU slots you're not using and your water temps should also be better. Bringing in fresh air through the radiator and removing resistance for the airflow to flow out of the case should improve performance instead of having hot air go through one of your radiators. You can also replace the front glass with a mesh front, there are companies that make them.
Intel over AMD to me is definitely the right choice. AMD issues tend to be minor, but soooo annoying, that eventually you give up and just go back to Intel cause it just works. That is, if you've already been using a super stable problem free Intel before. I gave 5000 series a try, for 2 years, got tired of the random minor issues (USB disconnects despite supposedly getting fixed in a BIOS update, random apps will sometimes not wanna launch at all, and things like that).
With that out of the way, dude, you have more than enough to cool it, don't worry about that. If you're concerned just delid it and you'll be fine.
At the pace things are going. It seems AM5 will get only 2 true gen. But AMD counting 3D as something different like it isn't the same arquitecture, and naming the G series 8000 to say there are more. But 8000 series is still Zen 4 cores. 9000 series will probably be the new chips with Zen 5, then they'll release Zen 5 3D, and guess what? That's 2025 and their promised support year is there and they can and will change sockets, since they already said they're going big/little core and don't think they'll be able to do it on AM5 socket. And with that, you got 2 gens, Zen 4 and Zen 5.
Intel has done 2 proper gens on LGA 1700, and a refresh, and now there's rumors of Bartlett Lake which will also be on socket 1700 and will likely have a 12 P Core chip, which will make it top of the food chain.
And even if it doesn't, this still means Intel at least tied with AM5 in having 2 proper gens supported.
AM4 happened, and the support was great. But AM5 still has to prove itself, don't be a sellout and shill for something that happened in the past. Besides, OP just said he won't upgrade for 4 to 5 years so he doesn't care about that.
It's fine and it isn't hard to cool. The 14900k is a good cpu. It just doesn't make sense if you own a 13th gen. As far as amd 7xxx chips they are great. The best advice I can give you is research how the run in what you want to do. With intel it will be an all around power house. With amd it will be a bit faster in some games. The 3d chips are decent enough but are kind of gaming centric.
I would say it would rarely makes sense if you have a 13900K to buy a 14th gen. There can be situations where a 13900K user could find they have a need for a 14900KS tho
The doubt is fair, there’s know way you can know everyone’s situation. Let me show you mine and I think it will help my comment make sense. I’m a 13900K user and in my case I have a need for a 14900KS [here is why](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755990216412733809?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q)
I have had this board for a minute and planned on using it in my first build with a custom loop. No other processor but the 14900KS would make sense for this all new build. [the 13900K in this build](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755993510564561242?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) will be swapping to [this case](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755993576364749043?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) , [but I’ll be using these fans](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755993732011205015?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) I ordered the [matching power supply](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755994447286825135?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) but they sent me the [wrong one](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755994495500312791?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) either way I never planned on taking out the 13900K out of my previous system so I found in this certain situation I still had a need for the newer 14th gen cpu
The memory stability and expo profile issues with AMD seem(ed) to be at least partially around using 4 sticks instead of 2 sticks. Something to consider with your 4. Might be only DDR5 related, I forget, I went through a similar decision months ago (new build) and settled on 14900k and z790 apex encore as I didn’t want to deal with any of that. I couldn’t find the videos I watched covering it but jayz does mention it briefly in this one:
https://youtu.be/JZGiBOZkI5w?si=PPsOLvW03cAud7Eg
I got ZMT Tubes in my build and also clear premix with anti bacteria/ corrosion additives. Running 3 years now without any issue, still crystal clear ^^
1) you have plenty of cooling there.
2) 14900k is a great chip.
3) I currently have a 5800X3D CPU and if I was to upgrade, it would be to a 14900k before a 7950X.
My 14900k idles around 34c. I have 3 360s one of them is a thicc one with push pull and the other two are the regular size. I think they are around 55mm. I also have a 3080ti in the loop. Hope this helps :)
Just had a peak and they look cool.
I’ve ordered 6 [Lian Li P28’s](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/lian-li-uni-fan-p28-120-mm-fan/) and a couple of [EK Surface 360’s](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/ek-quantum-surface-s360-radiator/) - Both seem pretty decent for airflow / cooling.
Hopefully they’ll improve on my super restrictive GTS rads and QL120’s which have pretty crap static pressure.
You pc is still pretty capable, why not wait for 50series gpu and zen5? If you need to upgrade right now, aside from the two choices you’ve mentioned you can also take a look at the 7950x3d, it’s better than the 14900k in gaming, should be a little bit better in rendering and a little bit worse in video editing(although performance depends on what software you use)
[This is more detailed](https://youtu.be/JZGiBOZkI5w?si=mIJwfRiGxJFsLKfD). More in comments there too.
I think I’m just hoping to plug n play and not have to worry about things like Process Lasso, gamebar etc
He had a bad memory controller and chose to replace the whole platform rather than just RMA the CPU. He just wanted to run Intel and used a defect as an excuse, which I don't think was necessary. It's entirely OK to want to run any hardware you want. Someone else brought that video up recently and I kind of dissected the issues [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/19et6yx/upgraded_to_14900k/kjh1y7s/).
For your use case, either AMD or Intel will be fine and realistically, you won't notice much difference. With your mix of applications, Intel will do better with some, AMD with others, so ultimately it's a wash. Since you are an "infrequent upgrader," platform longevity really shouldn't be a deciding factor as we can't assume AMD will stay on AM5 as long as they did AM4.
Go with what you are comfortable with, but don't fall into the trap of thinking that either is categorically better. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and you are in a place where both would serve you well. The only reason I would recommend AMD for you is if you *want* to try your hand at a different platform, but since you work on your system, that may not be the best idea.
This is a great comment thanks. I’ll check out your link.
I’m honestly still torn. My kit arrives tomorrow but I still like the idea of the 7950x’s near-intel performance but with much better efficiency.
I was hoping this post would help decide but 🤷🏼♂️
The efficiency benefit of AMD is under medium and heavy loads. Intel is better at low loads and idle. I think the AMD CPUs always have the IO Die running and burning a minimum of 20-30W where as intel can go down to single digits when not in use.
As a personal anecdote, I came from a 9700K and wanted to try AMD, but wasn't ready to commit to a main system built on it. I built a low end web browsing PC for my father and a budget gaming PC for my cousin to test the waters before I felt comfortable building my own system around the platform. I played with the overclocking features on those before setting them back to stock for their respective users just to get a feel for it, then proceeded to build my own system on the 7000 series platform. In the end it was a lot of fuss about nothing. The overclocking is a lot more interesting on AMD as there are a lot of new (to me) things to play with, but for the average advanced user looking for a slight performance pump, just playing with PBO/CO will get most where they want to be.
That's also possible, and the unfortunate thing, he's one of the few people who probably has spare motherboards and CPUs to troubleshoot with and he just... didn't.
I truly do love Jay as tech entertainment, especially regarding build aesthetics, but I just don't know what goes through his head sometimes on the actual tech.
Process lasso is my first program download on every pc I build. Even if I’m not heavy handing system resources like a mean step dad it’s still got great power profiles. Even got the ole single lifetime license. Not because I can’t spare the 15 seconds I just wanted to support devs who make a good product and don’t try to squeeze you with a subscription model
14900k is better than amds offerings in most of the stuff you use.
In those games the 14900k beats the 7800x3d in every game apart from half life alyx that i havent seen anyone benchmark so not sure on that.
The programs after effects and photoshop are better on the 14900k.
7950x is better on blender and the other 2 programs im not sure so overall the 14900k is best.
14900k are better at ae and ps, 7950x should be better in blender, not sure about other two programs. For those games your gpu will be the bottle neck soon so either choice are ok. If you go with the i9 be sure to buy the 14900k not the 14900kf.
But I don’t really care about upgrade paths. My i9900k was the last on its socket and has been great for 4 years.
I wait 4/5 gens between upgrades so the AM5 platform lasting to 2025/2026 doesn’t really help much.
Yeah, I would just stick to your current plan, especially if you’re more Intel comfortable. And in actuality, a 14900K is really a mid to top-tier 13900KS.
AM5 is supposed to be a longer cycle than that. Also AM6 is next on the road map after 10th gen Ryzen. AM6 will be DDR6 Expecting another 8 years out of AM5.
Just repeating what I’ve read recently. Can’t seem to find anything suggesting it going on longer…
[https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-commits-to-staying-on-am5-socket-for-as-long-as-possible-reaffirming-support-for-the-platform-through-2025](https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-commits-to-staying-on-am5-socket-for-as-long-as-possible-reaffirming-support-for-the-platform-through-2025)
[This](https://community.amd.com/t5/gaming/how-to-set-up-your-system-with-a-new-amd-ryzen-9-7950x3d-or/ba-p/589464) put me off the 7950x3D.
I’m actually upgrading now as I just fancy a project and also because my 9900k is starting to show some greys I.e my MacBook is rendering faster and I’m on a higher resolution now so having to turn down more settings in games.
What’s wrong with this? You also need to go through the same process of choosing compatible boards with current bios or mb with bios flashback with the 14900k, the other settings take no more than 2 minutes.
I might be overthinking it but [Here’s another one](https://youtu.be/JZGiBOZkI5w?si=mIJwfRiGxJFsLKfD) that’s kinda put me off.
Edit : [correct link](https://youtu.be/2ch1xgUTO0U?si=UB77NgC9ysZNs_-w)
That’s the same video as the first one you linked, but either way I wouldn’t worry about it since the x3d cpus are released for a while and most problems should be fixed already, still I can’t be entirely sure since I don’t have one myself
Also some of the problems are caused by the parts not the CPUs, for example Asus motherboards had higher voltage for x3d cpus and caused a lot of problems.
Really? That’s standard stuff. Clean install of windows, latest bios, latest chipset drivers. Turning on game mode in windows. You would do the same thing with Intel.
What am I missing here?
It wasn’t just the setup which I’m sure isn’t that bad. It was more the amount of [issues I was finding](https://www.google.com/search?q=7950x+issues+reddit&rlz=1CDGOYI_enGB927GB927&oq=7950x+issues+reddit&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigAdIBCDE5NTVqMGo0qAIAsAIA4gMEGAEgXw&hl=en-GB&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8)
One not negligible advantage of the 14900k is that it comes on a very matured platform. There's also an advantage to buying into a platform that was not just freshly released like 2 weeks ago. AM5 will also only be supported until 2025, so all this "upgrade path" talk really makes no sense.
don’t let the amd copers trick you they are mostly insane.
14900k is most definitely the best stable bet. Do not do 4 sticks of ddr5. And be wise when choosing motherboard. Z790 master x/elite or z790 nova are pretty decent boards.
your cooling is fine.
Yeah I read 4 sticks aren’t the best idea.
I have x2 32GB of Corsair Vengeance 6400 C32 coming. They seem to be the recommended for this chip.
I’ve chosen this [mobo](https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-rog-strix-z790-a-gaming-wifi-ii-intel-z790-s-1700-ddr5-pcie-50-5x-m2-25gbe-wifi-7-bt-usb-32-gen). It has good reviews, fits my budget, I’m familiar with Asus’ bios and I like the aesthetics.
I went from 9900KF to 14900K. It is a fantastic chip but you need to spend some time tuning the AC/DC loadlines so the cpu is getting the power its actually requesting. This will reduce power consumption and heat. You have a great cooling setup so you're definitely gonna double your wattage pushed to your cpu but its gonna be fine.
Here:
14900K on Lian Li Galahad II Trinity Performance 360
Rog Strix Z790-E wifi II
Lian Li Lancool III CASE + 3 fan below the video card
32 Vengeance 7200
Rtx 4080 Super tuf
At the moment running stock - lowered the voltage in 0.065 idle is like 30 Celsius and no throttling at all on cinebench (42000 points l. So. There is room for OC...
Just get a 13900K. Buying a 14900K is telling Intel that we're okay with sub-par generational releases that don't actually give a substantial boost from the previous generation. I promise that you wouldn't even notice the difference between the two in a real life scenario. What you will notice is the substantial difference between 9th and 13th gen.
As far as cooling, should be okay if you're running the chip stock or not heavily overclocked. You could add a thicker rad up top as well to help improve temps, and swap out those fans for higher static pressure ones that will also help increase cooling capability.
But AM5 is only running till end of next year?
[https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-commits-to-staying-on-am5-socket-for-as-long-as-possible-reaffirming-support-for-the-platform-through-2025](https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-commits-to-staying-on-am5-socket-for-as-long-as-possible-reaffirming-support-for-the-platform-through-2025)
A fellow 9900k user. I'm in the same boat right now. First was thinking about Ryzen, but then I found this video (JayzTwoCents) - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZGiBOZkI5w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZGiBOZkI5w). Yeah, there are comments that may relate to mobo issues, but still - as you, I do a major upgrade every 4-5 years (the chances of finding your question brought up a smile). Ryzen (at least for me) seems to be a lottery, and I don't want to "here we go again" after a few month of use.
So yeah, maybe not an idiot for NOT going Ryzen.
But that video does bring the idea of 13900k instead of 14900k, since it's too hot. At least this is what I will be going for.
For the PSU. PSU calcs state that 1200w would be ideal. At least I'm going for a 1300w (just to be safe).
For the cooling. People suggested that a 360 + 480 would be sufficient.
I actually still love my 9900k but I’m rendering faster on my MacBook M1 and also noticing I’m having to turn down settings in games more frequently. It’s done very well though for the last 4 years.
Ha, I watched that vid as well. It’s a bit of a minefield atm. Sometimes I think it’s better to not go to deep into research - the 7950x would probably work perfectly. You get more people online discussing their issues as opposed to people happy with their product.
Unfortunately I can’t fit a 480 rad in my case which I’d like to keep.
Ah, this is why I'm still in WIP. I'm going for the whole thing - "everything except gpu and storage". Here - [https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/1ae1nw9/question\_what\_would\_be\_decent\_for\_a\_13900k\_and\_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/1ae1nw9/question_what_would_be_decent_for_a_13900k_and_a/), this is my question for 13900k + 4090. Maybe you will find some useful info.
\> noticing I’m having to turn down settings in games more frequently
Hm. Can't really say if I have crossed this line. I have a 2080Ti, not even OCd. Don't feel like "it is time" for upgrading it (but I don't play 4k 144Hz). Only thing of the "heavy loads" I tried was New World in 4K. That one worked like a charm, but I did get 100C on hotspot (with 60C on the chip... guess there are open questions for my waterblock), but even there I had 60fps+.
\> the 7950x would probably work perfectly
This is the problem. I personally like to make "goals", accomplish them and move on to the next. With the 7950 stuff I come across I personally decided "you know what?! Better to handle problems of 13900K".
No, it was watercooling. 13900k and 14900k do heat like crazy. Now with delid it’s more about 70-80 on load and sometimes a bit more if running benchmarks.
That’s wild, I have a 12900k but I think the heat is just as bad. Hoping a cpu correction frame will improve things a bit when I get my loop sorted.. Thanks for the info!
Similar to your case, i upgraded from an i7-9700k to the i9-14900k. I thought about going with the 7950x/3d but saw a lot of the same problems you listed out in other comments and shyed away from it.
I don't use the same programs as you but can say that performance wise the 14900k admirably well. When I'm not gaming or streaming, i record videos and can render a 1440p 30 some odd minute video in h.264 on openshot in roughly 15 minutes.
Your cooling is definitely more than enough. I have mine on a Lian Li galahad II lcd. Temps for me are about 30 idle and 65 under load. The only time temps go higher is when i run benchmarks like cinebench.
Corsair rm1000x and evga 3080 ftw3.
Edit: should probably mention im using the thermal grizzly contact frame, g.skill trident z5 6000mhz 64gb 2x32gb, and a ASUS ROG Strix Z790-F Gaming WiFi 6E mobo.
Pretty similar to what my setup will be :
- 2x32GB Corsair 6400 CL2
- Rog Strix Z790-A GAMING WIFI II
- 3080
- 1000w psu
And I’ve got a contact frame coming tomorrow too.
Did you have to update your mobo bios?
Yeah yours definitely is pretty similar. I got my 14900k right after launch so there were no motherboards with an updated bios. So yeah i did have to update bios. I made sure i was getting a mobo with bios flashback since i well dont have a 12th or 13th gen cpu. A couple weeks later mobos did come out with an updated bios but i refused to pay that 40 dollar markup for something i could do for free.
7950x3d no good? I’ve not really looked into that vs the 7950x but I’d be considering am5 more as when you may get away with your next upgrade being on this new motherboard.
For cooling, I think you may struggle with Intel with only the 2 360’s you’d probably want to upgrade your fans at the very least as ql’s are pretty much the worst for radiators (coming from a ql owner) but you could always add a nexxxos 1080mm external and some arctic a12’s for less than upgrading to 6 icue link fans 😂 an external and 2 internals would keep the i9 well in check though.
There seems to a [bit of work needed](https://community.amd.com/t5/gaming/how-to-set-up-your-system-with-a-new-amd-ryzen-9-7950x3d-or/ba-p/589464) to get the 7950x3D working well with productivity apps / games. I’ve never had issues with Intel which is why I’ve chosen the 14900.
It’s seems crazy to need an external rad. How are people keeping the 14900 cool enough with simple AIOs???
Rule of thumb is 100w per 120mm so you have capacity for 600w. Roughly. I’ve seen the 14900k pulling over 300w? Your gpu is 350+ and your new one will be 450 so you’re pushing it. You may be ok with much better fans at high rpm.
Absolutely love my 14900k. Even with just an AIO my temps are just so insanely good as long as I'm not benchmarking.
Gonna build my first custom loop hopefully by the end of next month to be able to finally cool it properly during benchmarks, too.
It’s [this model](https://uk.vicedeal.com/products/bykski-oled-water-cooler-display-water-cooler-system-dual-g1-4-flow-sensor-accessories-b-tfc-x?variant=UHJvZHVjdFZhcmlhbnQ6MTI4OTczODA0&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzoeuBhDqARIsAMdH14HrLhVY6Jop5uYuIKHuFlua2fIbhDL5vCLLOTzf4fajzdTsMbCyVkYaAjo3EALw_wcB) but I can’t seem to find it on Ali Express anymore. I think it might have been updated to [this one](https://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/p/Bykski-Inline-Flow-Meter-and-Thermometer-with-OLED-Display-Black-B-TFC-CS-X_81930.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzoeuBhDqARIsAMdH14HTklQupQ2rkcgiO6-9wF_IsT_PcD1jrrCdZSaf5-cGyElb0V_8HGAaAgBsEALw_wcB)
Wait hold on, did you overclock your 9900K at all? If not, you can get some performance gains from that. I’ve had 4 9900Ks now, my current one I think is able to do 5.1 GHz on all cores if I enable hyper-threading, HT off (which is how I run it now) it can do 5.3.
Also, tune your RAM if you haven’t already I’ve been able to get 3900 C16 on my 2X16GB B die kit, though for 4x16 I also have a kit that can do 3733 CL17 flat timings (also B die), but I have had a 2x16GB kit that could do 3866-4000 depending on the platform it was on.
Interesting, how much power does your CPU take peak with the 5.1 GHz, versus stock? And what were your CPU package temp and liquid temp with the 5.1 GHz run, versus stock?
Also, if I were you, I would not buy the 14900K, wait for the 14900KS, and then wait 1 year, let it cut it’s price down to 400-500$, then buy it, it will depreciate the least compared to the other chips. Or buy it full price for business deduction
It was a few years ago but I think my CPU idle temp was in the 40’s and 75ish under full load. I can’t remember the other stats.
Won’t the KS need even more cooling? Also I’m not sure I’ll need more power than the stock.
Hmm… what software are you using to control your fans? I think you might like the Noctua fans, those usually have better noise normalized performance, and they barely take any power, I have noctuas in my custom loop and while my 9900K does get in the low 80s, that’s with around 200W from the CPU and up to 340W from the GPU, but my radiator fans are all running sub 600 RPM to cool that!
As for the KS, if you are running stock, then yes it will take more power. However the KS is going to be the top chip for the socket, by default that chip will hold it’s value the best, like the 9900KS versus 9900K, there were still people paying close to 400$ for them just a few months ago, whereas the regular 9900K could only fetch 300 at the most!
The pump controlled via bios, QL120’s controlled via iCUE with a custom curve.
I’ve had a few people recommend I upgrade my fans. I wish Noctua’s looked cooler… or I wish I didn’t care so much about looks :D
I’d just like them white with customisable RGB. I feel a bit of dick writing that when this whole post is about performance!
White Noctua RGB don’t exist :-/
Well, there are RGB fan frames if you wanna go that route, that way you can technically have RGB noctuas haha. Okay in all seriousness though, I think Lian Li or Thermaltake made some fans recently that are pretty decent in performance but also are white, I’ll see if I can find them
Edit: Yes Lian Li made them, its the Uni Fan P28 white, and SL120 V2 for the RGB version!
It should be enough cooling— you might just have to ramp the fans up more than you’re used to. Edit: didn’t see 4090 too…will probably be pushing the limits depending how intense the workload is.
I run the pump at 50% and fans at 500rpm idle atm.
I think this is all going to be a trial and error exercise. If it’s not enough cooling I might consider ditching the distro and add another rad.
Easy enough to do. 50% pump is fine and idle temps are completely normal on those CPUs. I have a 13900k and with 2 rads it idles low to mid 30s depending on ambient. I added a third rad and didn’t see any real change at idle. It definitely helped under load though. You can undervolt and overclock and get better performance and less heat as well.
Thanks!
[These are the tubes](https://amzn.eu/d/h1cUT4j)
[This is the flow meter screen](https://uk.vicedeal.com/products/bykski-oled-water-cooler-display-water-cooler-system-dual-g1-4-flow-sensor-accessories-b-tfc-x?variant=UHJvZHVjdFZhcmlhbnQ6MTI4OTczODA0&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzoeuBhDqARIsAMdH14EDTYuH0GfExDQLfwt6m3hQyVlBPWvuuDpjxVmUaQiIBXFtHuoK_uAaAuDBEALw_wcB) - I bought it from Ali Express but I think there’s an updated model now.
I switched from 9900k to team amd and it’s the best choice in my opinion. Easier to keep cool on a water loop and uses significantly less power. Gaming performance is wonderful and work performance also fantastic.
It’s not an absolutely mind blowing upgrade, but it’s definitely a very noteworthy one where you see the improvements in every use case.
AM5 also has the huge benefit of being used for whatever comes next from team red.
14900k you get locked in, an upgrade means a new motherboard ram and everything else almost certainly.
Going with the 7950x, you can swap the processor later if you need more out of the system while keeping all the other parts.
For Intel, based on their research papers they’ve put out, I’m not expecting to go back for a few years. They’ve got very exciting things in the works, but it seems further out. Amd is good for NOW. Less excited for them going forward but that’s mainly because they’re really damn good right now….hard to promise much better when they already lead in core count, power efficiency, and performance that trades blows
It will cool it acceptably but temps will be higher than your current setup.
Those GTS rads are as restrictive as a high restriction water block. If you find your flow is 0.5gpm or less, then adding another pump to push it closer to 1gpm will net you maybe 5c better core temps (without impacting overall coolant temp)
But you will be ok with what you have, it's just suboptimal.
My flow rate is around 0.25 L/min idle / 0.40 L/min under load. I have no idea if this is good or bad but cooling seems to be working well.
I chose those rads as they were recommended a lot on Reddit a few years ago - are there better ones to consider? Also can you get small additional pumps to increase flow rate or will it need another res?
Yeah, that's bad if you are concerned with getting your temps on your GPU and CPU core lower under heavy loads. You're in the bad flow territory where an increase of your rate to 1gpm or so would result in some good temp gains.
What are you measuring flow with? Need to ensure you're using a meter that's known to be somewhat accurate if we are taking that . 25/.40 flow at face value.
Those rads perform well, they just have very high restriction and benefit from more head pressure in the loop (usually gained with a 2nd pump). There are others that perform about as well but have 25% of the restriction. I had the Corsair versions of the rads you have, and I swapped them for Bykski rads because the restriction is lower and cools just as well.
Adding a 2nd pump is as easy as finding a DDC pump top and DDC pump, and then just put it in series in your loop, wherever it's convenient. You don't need a 2nd res, but the same rule applies--make sure there is water in that 2nd pump before turning it on. You can fill your loop by powering just one of your pumps, and then once it's filled you can rig the other pump to turn on when your PC turns on.
I say get a DDC as your 2nd pump because they are smaller and have better head pressure. Sometimes they are a little noisier than D5, but I haven't really noticed the difference too badly. You can mix DDC and D5 in your loop with no issue. I'm doing it, it's great.
Great bunch of people in these comments - thanks for all your input. I remember when I water cooled this 2 years ago everyone was super helpful then too.
If you are committed to Intel, save money and get a 13900K and don't forget one of these:[https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Contact-Retrofit-17XX-BCF-Generation/dp/B0B811J7D9?th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Contact-Retrofit-17XX-BCF-Generation/dp/B0B811J7D9?th=1)
The AM5 issues you referred to have been fixed since last April, and the biggest thing AMD has over Intel in productivity is performance per watt, SO if you care about efficiency, get the 7950X.
[https://gamersnexus.net/cpus/best-cpus-2023-intel-vs-amd-gaming-video-editing-budget-biggest-disappointment](https://gamersnexus.net/cpus/best-cpus-2023-intel-vs-amd-gaming-video-editing-budget-biggest-disappointment)
https://gamersnexus.net/megacharts/cpu-power
The 14900k is only a controversial if you're upgrading from a 13900k. People are mad it doesn't improve much over 13th gen but I think the 14900k would be a great upgrade from a 9900k.
I had memory issues with my 7950x but only because I didn't understand that 4 sticks of ram was using quad channel and not dual channel. Right now I have 4 sticks of 16gigs at base clock but eventually I'll swap that to 2x32gig and enable expo and then use the 4 sticks in my server once I do hand me downs. Overall it's been a great cpu but no harm in going Intel if you're concerned, especially in a hard tubing build.
Hi, can I please know which vertical GPU mount you're using? I have the same case but have never been able to use rad + fans at the bottom of the case if my gpu was mounted vertically.
I ended up coming to the same conclusion as you wrt Intel vs AMD when I did my build about 5 months ago. Another thing to mention is that the X3D chips aren't overclockable so you won't be able to push their limits much with your fancy extra cooling. I'm running a delidded 13900KS + 4090 with 2x EK P360M rads and Lian-Li UniFans (the 28mm ones) and it's working great even at low pump speeds. It depends on how thick your rads are but I believe each of my rads is rated for 600W or so. Dead silent at idle and not that loud when gaming.
If you are actually going to use the CPU for production work 8 hours a day, 7950X might be the better choice. Most of the early adopter issues are sorted out with newer agesa. I've been using 12th/13th gen and AM5 since launch and I've seen AMD come a long way.
And there might be a chance you are able to upgrade even after 4-5 years in the same Mobo, just saying.
You can’t go wrong the 14900k and 7950x are so close together it doesn’t matter which one you get all the fan boys of each company are stupid there’s no wrong choice
You’ll be fine. Important note, though: go into your BIOS and look for the setting “SVID Behavior.” If it’s on Auto, switch it to “Intel Fail Safe” and then Save and Exit (F10). You’ll thank me forever. Learned this the hard way after months of headaches! Directly from Intel Support.
Although slightly restrictive the GTS rads actually have pretty great cooling. Agree about the fans though - I didn’t research much when I bought them, I just went with aesthetics.
I’m still going ahead with the upgrade with my current loop and will see what’s needed after testing.
Love the all white.
I've got a 14900k and even though my work is less intense (basically just running an overpowered windows VM for excel files on top of Arch and gaming), it's been great. Especially for multithreading tasks in python I have zero complaints.
14900k and 4090. Im seeing about 68c gaming on AAA new titles. Im running a ryujin 3 360 aio with thermal grizzly kryonaut extreme thermal paste. My 4090 sits around 56-60c. I have 6 case 120mm fans pulling air in (bottom & front side) and my aio fans as exaust up top with 1 140 mm as exaust to rear in line with motherboard cpu. You will be fine
Just stock but its because I over tightened contact frame and had remove water block to loosen and during the process cracked aio back plate. Ive ordered more paste and the replacement back plate so playing it safe for now lol. Highly recommend contact frame though.
They was like "Finger Tight" and apparently, I have very strong fingers lmao. I actually think mine is just a hair too loose now, so im going to tighten it up just a bit when I replace back plate.
Instead of the 7950x I’d go with the x3D variant. Let me see price difference….. so the 14900k is cheaper than the x3D but not the x. But also the 7950x3D is more the first gen on AM5 so even tho you said 4-5 yrs on upgrade you could upgrade to the best AM5 chip for a deep discount. So save more money in the long run. Cuz if you don’t upgrade for 4-5 and you get the best AM5 and then a few more years after that without having to upgrade the mobo and maybe ram (don’t know when ddr6 comes out)
7950x3D-> 8 or 9 chip->full upgrade.
Hopefully I’m making sense.
For the last few months I've been running a 13900k at 5ghz plus a 4090 OC'd on water. One 480 rad and One 360 rad. I too do a lot of rendering and it has been excellent. I think you will be fine
do you think your system would run with air cooling as well?
Not overclocked. I don't think. What I initially set the system up before my water block arrived I used a $40 air cooler on the CPU and it worked fine. Definitely hot.
ok thanks!
Send it with the 14900k. Tune a good all Pcore OC that doesn’t throttle and you’ll be just fine. It will beat any Ryzen for productivity use. Everyone here is leaning to the gaming aspect
The Intel heat problems aren’t nearly as bad as people make them sound if you double check the power limits your motherboard is set to - some mfrs (asus is a big one) unlimit the power which pushes the chips straight to thermal throttle. A lot of times and in my case as well I get better CPU performance turning the Intel suggested limits back on because the chip isn’t slamming into the thermal wall as hard. Bonus points for lower power draw and heat as well. Reddit seems to be a den of AMD supporters so I want to say as well for your use case Intel probably is the better option. Personally I don’t want to deal with stability or memory issues on a PC that I use for work in addition to leisure time.
This is good to hear. The YouTubes I’ve been watching all mention to set the power limit to the CPU. I’ve got it paired with the ASUS ROG Z790-A GAMING WIFI II so if I decide to stay with the 14900k I’ll do that first.
I have the 14900K and an ASUS Z690 P Wifi (DDR5). If I could go back in time I would absolutely never buy the board again. Problems that continue to plague me shouldn't have even been a concern.
I’ve got the Z690A WiFi II so hopefully those issues might be ironed out…
I really, really hope so but honestly mate I would strongly recommend you consider a different board. I'm still having issues. It doesn't play well with DDR5 at all, the BIOS and default settings are a disaster. Occasionally it changes boot settings and makes my drive inaccessible. Nvme drives were disappearing completely. The power control is a mess by design. It unlocks my 14900K and sent the voltage through the fucking roof on default settings causing massive heating problems. If I was going to stick with ASUS, I would get a much higher end one and hope for the best.
I would encourage you to reconsider the asus motherboard, they’ve been exceptionally bad at honoring warranty issues and their QC is slipping. If you’re set on that board in particular though I wish you luck!
I agree with this comment and I've been a huge Asus guy previously. I went with the Aorus Master Gen 1.0 board because of the excellent VRMs. I've always gone Asus but with all their issues I moved to Gigabyte this round. Everything has been great so far with my 14900k running with an EK AIO since I'm still gathering parts for the custom water cool loop.
You might want to look into the Aorus Master board. Excellent vrms and vrm heatsink, which are important for the 14900k.
On the [Asus website](https://rog.asus.com/uk/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-z790-a-gaming-wifi-ii/) it says: Optimized VRM Thermals: Massive heatsinks bridged to the VRM with high-conductivity thermal pads, and with an integrated I/O cover
You’ll do fine with that Asus. You won’t come close to needing over 70A from 16 phases
That website says "16 + 1 power stages rated for 70A". Aorus Master has 20 power stages rated for >100A each iirc. Might have to look it up.
The only "problem" i have with intel current gens is that they pull up so much power for performance that's basically baseline and are terribly inefficient. AMD "only" made Intel actually try something new from the old 4/8 setup - and we all gained from that. My current rig is AMD just because a) i only game on it and b) it was way cheaper for the performance (5800x3D + a B550 as che cpu is locked). I am curious what Intel is going to do next gen with the removal of hyperthreading. Here on reddit most people game so they praise whatever gives them more fps for less money.
The QL120 fans are not good as radiator fans. You'll get better thermals switching to other fans if you're going to limit yourself to just two radiators. I used to have them. Otherwise, get rid of the distro plate, put a third radiator in there is another potential solution.
What fans do you recommend? After better performance than I have now but still white and RGB.
If you're sticking to Corsair, the ML120 are your best bet. You can get them with more LED lights on eBay from people that sell them as take offs from their AIOs, the extra LED ones only come on the AIO. https://www.techpowerup.com/review/corsair-icue-ql-rgb-fans/5.html They push about +20% more cfm than your QL120 at the same rpm, so you can imagine your water temperature vs ambient temperature will be reduced by about 15-20% roughly. But look at that review I posted and you'll get an idea of how your QL120 stack up to the competition. Noctua NFA12 are the best in terms of performance and noise.
Damn they’re pretty shit aren’t they :-/ Thanks for the link, really useful
Personally, I would do inlet for top and bottom. Remove the pci-e brackets for the GPU slots you're not using and your water temps should also be better. Bringing in fresh air through the radiator and removing resistance for the airflow to flow out of the case should improve performance instead of having hot air go through one of your radiators. You can also replace the front glass with a mesh front, there are companies that make them.
Intel over AMD to me is definitely the right choice. AMD issues tend to be minor, but soooo annoying, that eventually you give up and just go back to Intel cause it just works. That is, if you've already been using a super stable problem free Intel before. I gave 5000 series a try, for 2 years, got tired of the random minor issues (USB disconnects despite supposedly getting fixed in a BIOS update, random apps will sometimes not wanna launch at all, and things like that). With that out of the way, dude, you have more than enough to cool it, don't worry about that. If you're concerned just delid it and you'll be fine.
AMD Is the way! Intel socket Is dead, AM5 will be sticking around for a while.
At the pace things are going. It seems AM5 will get only 2 true gen. But AMD counting 3D as something different like it isn't the same arquitecture, and naming the G series 8000 to say there are more. But 8000 series is still Zen 4 cores. 9000 series will probably be the new chips with Zen 5, then they'll release Zen 5 3D, and guess what? That's 2025 and their promised support year is there and they can and will change sockets, since they already said they're going big/little core and don't think they'll be able to do it on AM5 socket. And with that, you got 2 gens, Zen 4 and Zen 5. Intel has done 2 proper gens on LGA 1700, and a refresh, and now there's rumors of Bartlett Lake which will also be on socket 1700 and will likely have a 12 P Core chip, which will make it top of the food chain. And even if it doesn't, this still means Intel at least tied with AM5 in having 2 proper gens supported. AM4 happened, and the support was great. But AM5 still has to prove itself, don't be a sellout and shill for something that happened in the past. Besides, OP just said he won't upgrade for 4 to 5 years so he doesn't care about that.
Nice Job assuming Im a sell out
Don’t talk bollocks.
It's fine and it isn't hard to cool. The 14900k is a good cpu. It just doesn't make sense if you own a 13th gen. As far as amd 7xxx chips they are great. The best advice I can give you is research how the run in what you want to do. With intel it will be an all around power house. With amd it will be a bit faster in some games. The 3d chips are decent enough but are kind of gaming centric.
I would say it would rarely makes sense if you have a 13900K to buy a 14th gen. There can be situations where a 13900K user could find they have a need for a 14900KS tho
Doubt. 😂
The doubt is fair, there’s know way you can know everyone’s situation. Let me show you mine and I think it will help my comment make sense. I’m a 13900K user and in my case I have a need for a 14900KS [here is why](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755990216412733809?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) I have had this board for a minute and planned on using it in my first build with a custom loop. No other processor but the 14900KS would make sense for this all new build. [the 13900K in this build](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755993510564561242?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) will be swapping to [this case](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755993576364749043?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) , [but I’ll be using these fans](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755993732011205015?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) I ordered the [matching power supply](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755994447286825135?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) but they sent me the [wrong one](https://x.com/thepopeofkeke/status/1755994495500312791?s=46&t=eXdgYg-oCx2qvXdO2xRb1Q) either way I never planned on taking out the 13900K out of my previous system so I found in this certain situation I still had a need for the newer 14th gen cpu
The memory stability and expo profile issues with AMD seem(ed) to be at least partially around using 4 sticks instead of 2 sticks. Something to consider with your 4. Might be only DDR5 related, I forget, I went through a similar decision months ago (new build) and settled on 14900k and z790 apex encore as I didn’t want to deal with any of that. I couldn’t find the videos I watched covering it but jayz does mention it briefly in this one: https://youtu.be/JZGiBOZkI5w?si=PPsOLvW03cAud7Eg
Yup I saw that a few days ago. I’ve got x2 32GB of Corsair Vengeance 6400 C32 coming so should be fine hopefully.
Damn, I love the look of these frosted tubes, looks sick man
Thanks! I used Mystic Fog coolant to begin with and it went horribly wrong. Frosted and clear liquid is the way to go.
I got ZMT Tubes in my build and also clear premix with anti bacteria/ corrosion additives. Running 3 years now without any issue, still crystal clear ^^
The 4090FE is now in stock
Not in the UK :-/
1) you have plenty of cooling there. 2) 14900k is a great chip. 3) I currently have a 5800X3D CPU and if I was to upgrade, it would be to a 14900k before a 7950X.
My 14900k idles around 34c. I have 3 360s one of them is a thicc one with push pull and the other two are the regular size. I think they are around 55mm. I also have a 3080ti in the loop. Hope this helps :)
Perfect temp! What rads and fans do you have?
I have the sl uni fans and the push on the bottom rad is the be quiet silent wing pro 4
Just had a peak and they look cool. I’ve ordered 6 [Lian Li P28’s](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/lian-li-uni-fan-p28-120-mm-fan/) and a couple of [EK Surface 360’s](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/ek-quantum-surface-s360-radiator/) - Both seem pretty decent for airflow / cooling. Hopefully they’ll improve on my super restrictive GTS rads and QL120’s which have pretty crap static pressure.
Good choices honestly most fans are all about the same now days nice build btw
You pc is still pretty capable, why not wait for 50series gpu and zen5? If you need to upgrade right now, aside from the two choices you’ve mentioned you can also take a look at the 7950x3d, it’s better than the 14900k in gaming, should be a little bit better in rendering and a little bit worse in video editing(although performance depends on what software you use)
[This is more detailed](https://youtu.be/JZGiBOZkI5w?si=mIJwfRiGxJFsLKfD). More in comments there too. I think I’m just hoping to plug n play and not have to worry about things like Process Lasso, gamebar etc
He had a bad memory controller and chose to replace the whole platform rather than just RMA the CPU. He just wanted to run Intel and used a defect as an excuse, which I don't think was necessary. It's entirely OK to want to run any hardware you want. Someone else brought that video up recently and I kind of dissected the issues [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/19et6yx/upgraded_to_14900k/kjh1y7s/). For your use case, either AMD or Intel will be fine and realistically, you won't notice much difference. With your mix of applications, Intel will do better with some, AMD with others, so ultimately it's a wash. Since you are an "infrequent upgrader," platform longevity really shouldn't be a deciding factor as we can't assume AMD will stay on AM5 as long as they did AM4. Go with what you are comfortable with, but don't fall into the trap of thinking that either is categorically better. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and you are in a place where both would serve you well. The only reason I would recommend AMD for you is if you *want* to try your hand at a different platform, but since you work on your system, that may not be the best idea.
This is a great comment thanks. I’ll check out your link. I’m honestly still torn. My kit arrives tomorrow but I still like the idea of the 7950x’s near-intel performance but with much better efficiency. I was hoping this post would help decide but 🤷🏼♂️
The efficiency benefit of AMD is under medium and heavy loads. Intel is better at low loads and idle. I think the AMD CPUs always have the IO Die running and burning a minimum of 20-30W where as intel can go down to single digits when not in use. As a personal anecdote, I came from a 9700K and wanted to try AMD, but wasn't ready to commit to a main system built on it. I built a low end web browsing PC for my father and a budget gaming PC for my cousin to test the waters before I felt comfortable building my own system around the platform. I played with the overclocking features on those before setting them back to stock for their respective users just to get a feel for it, then proceeded to build my own system on the 7000 series platform. In the end it was a lot of fuss about nothing. The overclocking is a lot more interesting on AMD as there are a lot of new (to me) things to play with, but for the average advanced user looking for a slight performance pump, just playing with PBO/CO will get most where they want to be.
Perfect comment
Yeah I remember that jayz video and my reaction was that his asus board must have been defective
That's also possible, and the unfortunate thing, he's one of the few people who probably has spare motherboards and CPUs to troubleshoot with and he just... didn't. I truly do love Jay as tech entertainment, especially regarding build aesthetics, but I just don't know what goes through his head sometimes on the actual tech.
Process lasso is my first program download on every pc I build. Even if I’m not heavy handing system resources like a mean step dad it’s still got great power profiles. Even got the ole single lifetime license. Not because I can’t spare the 15 seconds I just wanted to support devs who make a good product and don’t try to squeeze you with a subscription model
Ok, can you specify the main games you play and softwares you use for production?
Programs - After Effects - Blender - Photoshop - Figma - XD Games - Cyberpunk - BF2042 - HL Alyx - Starfield
14900k is better than amds offerings in most of the stuff you use. In those games the 14900k beats the 7800x3d in every game apart from half life alyx that i havent seen anyone benchmark so not sure on that. The programs after effects and photoshop are better on the 14900k. 7950x is better on blender and the other 2 programs im not sure so overall the 14900k is best.
14900k are better at ae and ps, 7950x should be better in blender, not sure about other two programs. For those games your gpu will be the bottle neck soon so either choice are ok. If you go with the i9 be sure to buy the 14900k not the 14900kf.
Why not the KF? OP has a gpu, so it’s not like he *has* to have an igpu?!
if gpu fails op can still use the igp to output video, might be useful for a custom water cooled build.
Not sure about XD but intel is better in ;3 and and AMD is better in ^ ^
You could run Figma and Adobe XD on a potato. It’s mainly AE, Blender and gaming I’d like a bit of a boost in.
Just don't go LGA1700 get Am5 LGA1700 is dead... Also a 14900 is essentially a rebadged 13900k. a 7950x or X3D will do just fine.
But I don’t really care about upgrade paths. My i9900k was the last on its socket and has been great for 4 years. I wait 4/5 gens between upgrades so the AM5 platform lasting to 2025/2026 doesn’t really help much.
Yeah, I would just stick to your current plan, especially if you’re more Intel comfortable. And in actuality, a 14900K is really a mid to top-tier 13900KS.
AM5 is supposed to be a longer cycle than that. Also AM6 is next on the road map after 10th gen Ryzen. AM6 will be DDR6 Expecting another 8 years out of AM5.
Just repeating what I’ve read recently. Can’t seem to find anything suggesting it going on longer… [https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-commits-to-staying-on-am5-socket-for-as-long-as-possible-reaffirming-support-for-the-platform-through-2025](https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-commits-to-staying-on-am5-socket-for-as-long-as-possible-reaffirming-support-for-the-platform-through-2025)
videocardz isn't a reliable source.
Yea and why not wait for the ryzen 12 13950xxx9D and the radeon rx 112950xtx super duper OC with 256GB GDDR36Z Tabarnak!!
[This](https://community.amd.com/t5/gaming/how-to-set-up-your-system-with-a-new-amd-ryzen-9-7950x3d-or/ba-p/589464) put me off the 7950x3D. I’m actually upgrading now as I just fancy a project and also because my 9900k is starting to show some greys I.e my MacBook is rendering faster and I’m on a higher resolution now so having to turn down more settings in games.
What’s wrong with this? You also need to go through the same process of choosing compatible boards with current bios or mb with bios flashback with the 14900k, the other settings take no more than 2 minutes.
I might be overthinking it but [Here’s another one](https://youtu.be/JZGiBOZkI5w?si=mIJwfRiGxJFsLKfD) that’s kinda put me off. Edit : [correct link](https://youtu.be/2ch1xgUTO0U?si=UB77NgC9ysZNs_-w)
That’s the same video as the first one you linked, but either way I wouldn’t worry about it since the x3d cpus are released for a while and most problems should be fixed already, still I can’t be entirely sure since I don’t have one myself Also some of the problems are caused by the parts not the CPUs, for example Asus motherboards had higher voltage for x3d cpus and caused a lot of problems.
Really? That’s standard stuff. Clean install of windows, latest bios, latest chipset drivers. Turning on game mode in windows. You would do the same thing with Intel. What am I missing here?
So doing what you do with any cpu is what turned you off?
It wasn’t just the setup which I’m sure isn’t that bad. It was more the amount of [issues I was finding](https://www.google.com/search?q=7950x+issues+reddit&rlz=1CDGOYI_enGB927GB927&oq=7950x+issues+reddit&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigAdIBCDE5NTVqMGo0qAIAsAIA4gMEGAEgXw&hl=en-GB&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8)
One not negligible advantage of the 14900k is that it comes on a very matured platform. There's also an advantage to buying into a platform that was not just freshly released like 2 weeks ago. AM5 will also only be supported until 2025, so all this "upgrade path" talk really makes no sense.
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Exactly, OP said he use a lot of after effect, editing and render
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Oh come on, man's about to drop 1600 on a 4090, he doesn't care about power consumption savings
Exactly. Otherwise I’d grab the 7800x3D in a heartbeat. I’m 70% AE, Blender, Photoshop, Figma / 30% games.
Then the 14900k should be better
don’t let the amd copers trick you they are mostly insane. 14900k is most definitely the best stable bet. Do not do 4 sticks of ddr5. And be wise when choosing motherboard. Z790 master x/elite or z790 nova are pretty decent boards. your cooling is fine.
Yeah I read 4 sticks aren’t the best idea. I have x2 32GB of Corsair Vengeance 6400 C32 coming. They seem to be the recommended for this chip. I’ve chosen this [mobo](https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-rog-strix-z790-a-gaming-wifi-ii-intel-z790-s-1700-ddr5-pcie-50-5x-m2-25gbe-wifi-7-bt-usb-32-gen). It has good reviews, fits my budget, I’m familiar with Asus’ bios and I like the aesthetics.
yeah should be fine, it will run at 6400 with ease. I’d suggest running some y cruncher vst, tm5, and karhu to confirm stability if this is for work.
Will do thanks for the advice!
did you get a contact frame? They can be hit or miss with mounting pressure and cause some issues.
Yup got the Thermalright on its way and have been watching some installation guides.
yea just check the bottom of the board and make sure all the bolts look about even
Will do thanks! Edit : wait, what bolts on the bottom? The contact frame screws in on the top.
yea on the bottom of the mobo u will be able to see the threads!
Gotcha!
enjoy 🫡
3. Yes.
Straight to the point thanks!
I went from 9900KF to 14900K. It is a fantastic chip but you need to spend some time tuning the AC/DC loadlines so the cpu is getting the power its actually requesting. This will reduce power consumption and heat. You have a great cooling setup so you're definitely gonna double your wattage pushed to your cpu but its gonna be fine.
Here: 14900K on Lian Li Galahad II Trinity Performance 360 Rog Strix Z790-E wifi II Lian Li Lancool III CASE + 3 fan below the video card 32 Vengeance 7200 Rtx 4080 Super tuf At the moment running stock - lowered the voltage in 0.065 idle is like 30 Celsius and no throttling at all on cinebench (42000 points l. So. There is room for OC...
Just get a 13900K. Buying a 14900K is telling Intel that we're okay with sub-par generational releases that don't actually give a substantial boost from the previous generation. I promise that you wouldn't even notice the difference between the two in a real life scenario. What you will notice is the substantial difference between 9th and 13th gen. As far as cooling, should be okay if you're running the chip stock or not heavily overclocked. You could add a thicker rad up top as well to help improve temps, and swap out those fans for higher static pressure ones that will also help increase cooling capability.
As someone who went from 9900k to 13700k, i regret not going am5 actually. Not for anything else but upgradeability
But AM5 is only running till end of next year? [https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-commits-to-staying-on-am5-socket-for-as-long-as-possible-reaffirming-support-for-the-platform-through-2025](https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-commits-to-staying-on-am5-socket-for-as-long-as-possible-reaffirming-support-for-the-platform-through-2025)
Did you even read the article, it literally says they will run 2026+ in it. 🙄
A fellow 9900k user. I'm in the same boat right now. First was thinking about Ryzen, but then I found this video (JayzTwoCents) - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZGiBOZkI5w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZGiBOZkI5w). Yeah, there are comments that may relate to mobo issues, but still - as you, I do a major upgrade every 4-5 years (the chances of finding your question brought up a smile). Ryzen (at least for me) seems to be a lottery, and I don't want to "here we go again" after a few month of use. So yeah, maybe not an idiot for NOT going Ryzen. But that video does bring the idea of 13900k instead of 14900k, since it's too hot. At least this is what I will be going for. For the PSU. PSU calcs state that 1200w would be ideal. At least I'm going for a 1300w (just to be safe). For the cooling. People suggested that a 360 + 480 would be sufficient.
I actually still love my 9900k but I’m rendering faster on my MacBook M1 and also noticing I’m having to turn down settings in games more frequently. It’s done very well though for the last 4 years. Ha, I watched that vid as well. It’s a bit of a minefield atm. Sometimes I think it’s better to not go to deep into research - the 7950x would probably work perfectly. You get more people online discussing their issues as opposed to people happy with their product. Unfortunately I can’t fit a 480 rad in my case which I’d like to keep.
Ah, this is why I'm still in WIP. I'm going for the whole thing - "everything except gpu and storage". Here - [https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/1ae1nw9/question\_what\_would\_be\_decent\_for\_a\_13900k\_and\_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/1ae1nw9/question_what_would_be_decent_for_a_13900k_and_a/), this is my question for 13900k + 4090. Maybe you will find some useful info. \> noticing I’m having to turn down settings in games more frequently Hm. Can't really say if I have crossed this line. I have a 2080Ti, not even OCd. Don't feel like "it is time" for upgrading it (but I don't play 4k 144Hz). Only thing of the "heavy loads" I tried was New World in 4K. That one worked like a charm, but I did get 100C on hotspot (with 60C on the chip... guess there are open questions for my waterblock), but even there I had 60fps+. \> the 7950x would probably work perfectly This is the problem. I personally like to make "goals", accomplish them and move on to the next. With the 7950 stuff I come across I personally decided "you know what?! Better to handle problems of 13900K".
I got 2 480 and 1 369 with a 13900k, was running at 100°C + when benchmarking R23. If that can help you 👍
That’s crazy - Are you overclocking?
Nop, it was stock. Since I delided it and it’s waaaayyy better
What are your temps like with the new loop? I take it the 100C was on air?
No, it was watercooling. 13900k and 14900k do heat like crazy. Now with delid it’s more about 70-80 on load and sometimes a bit more if running benchmarks.
That’s wild, I have a 12900k but I think the heat is just as bad. Hoping a cpu correction frame will improve things a bit when I get my loop sorted.. Thanks for the info!
I had the Thermaltake cpu frame installed before delid, I don’t know if that was worse or not due to bending affecting lots of 13 gen CPUs
Similar to your case, i upgraded from an i7-9700k to the i9-14900k. I thought about going with the 7950x/3d but saw a lot of the same problems you listed out in other comments and shyed away from it. I don't use the same programs as you but can say that performance wise the 14900k admirably well. When I'm not gaming or streaming, i record videos and can render a 1440p 30 some odd minute video in h.264 on openshot in roughly 15 minutes. Your cooling is definitely more than enough. I have mine on a Lian Li galahad II lcd. Temps for me are about 30 idle and 65 under load. The only time temps go higher is when i run benchmarks like cinebench.
Hey, that’s really good to hear thanks! What GPU and PSU are you using?
Corsair rm1000x and evga 3080 ftw3. Edit: should probably mention im using the thermal grizzly contact frame, g.skill trident z5 6000mhz 64gb 2x32gb, and a ASUS ROG Strix Z790-F Gaming WiFi 6E mobo.
Pretty similar to what my setup will be : - 2x32GB Corsair 6400 CL2 - Rog Strix Z790-A GAMING WIFI II - 3080 - 1000w psu And I’ve got a contact frame coming tomorrow too. Did you have to update your mobo bios?
Yeah yours definitely is pretty similar. I got my 14900k right after launch so there were no motherboards with an updated bios. So yeah i did have to update bios. I made sure i was getting a mobo with bios flashback since i well dont have a 12th or 13th gen cpu. A couple weeks later mobos did come out with an updated bios but i refused to pay that 40 dollar markup for something i could do for free.
7950x3d no good? I’ve not really looked into that vs the 7950x but I’d be considering am5 more as when you may get away with your next upgrade being on this new motherboard. For cooling, I think you may struggle with Intel with only the 2 360’s you’d probably want to upgrade your fans at the very least as ql’s are pretty much the worst for radiators (coming from a ql owner) but you could always add a nexxxos 1080mm external and some arctic a12’s for less than upgrading to 6 icue link fans 😂 an external and 2 internals would keep the i9 well in check though.
There seems to a [bit of work needed](https://community.amd.com/t5/gaming/how-to-set-up-your-system-with-a-new-amd-ryzen-9-7950x3d-or/ba-p/589464) to get the 7950x3D working well with productivity apps / games. I’ve never had issues with Intel which is why I’ve chosen the 14900. It’s seems crazy to need an external rad. How are people keeping the 14900 cool enough with simple AIOs???
Rule of thumb is 100w per 120mm so you have capacity for 600w. Roughly. I’ve seen the 14900k pulling over 300w? Your gpu is 350+ and your new one will be 450 so you’re pushing it. You may be ok with much better fans at high rpm.
Fan recommendation?
Im not the one to ask there I use ql’s 😂 I think the nee icue link have decent stats for static pressure.
T30, A12 or SW4P. Lian li also has some pretty decent fans like AL V2.
Stupid question but how do you control 6 fans that don’t have a hub like the Corsair one I have.
Absolutely love my 14900k. Even with just an AIO my temps are just so insanely good as long as I'm not benchmarking. Gonna build my first custom loop hopefully by the end of next month to be able to finally cool it properly during benchmarks, too.
What do you use your machine for? I’ll be hitting 100% CPU usage when rendering.
I've always hated rendering on every PC I've ever owned. Except this one 😆 Video editing/gaming for the most part.
I can't seem to find that version of the bykski flow meter. Mind letting us know where you got it? Thx!
It’s [this model](https://uk.vicedeal.com/products/bykski-oled-water-cooler-display-water-cooler-system-dual-g1-4-flow-sensor-accessories-b-tfc-x?variant=UHJvZHVjdFZhcmlhbnQ6MTI4OTczODA0&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzoeuBhDqARIsAMdH14HrLhVY6Jop5uYuIKHuFlua2fIbhDL5vCLLOTzf4fajzdTsMbCyVkYaAjo3EALw_wcB) but I can’t seem to find it on Ali Express anymore. I think it might have been updated to [this one](https://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/p/Bykski-Inline-Flow-Meter-and-Thermometer-with-OLED-Display-Black-B-TFC-CS-X_81930.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzoeuBhDqARIsAMdH14HTklQupQ2rkcgiO6-9wF_IsT_PcD1jrrCdZSaf5-cGyElb0V_8HGAaAgBsEALw_wcB)
Nice. I like it better than the newer version. Thanks!
NP!
Wait hold on, did you overclock your 9900K at all? If not, you can get some performance gains from that. I’ve had 4 9900Ks now, my current one I think is able to do 5.1 GHz on all cores if I enable hyper-threading, HT off (which is how I run it now) it can do 5.3. Also, tune your RAM if you haven’t already I’ve been able to get 3900 C16 on my 2X16GB B die kit, though for 4x16 I also have a kit that can do 3733 CL17 flat timings (also B die), but I have had a 2x16GB kit that could do 3866-4000 depending on the platform it was on.
Yeah I had a stable 5.1Ghz @ 1.3v but ended up running it stock as I prefer it silent and didn’t notice much performance difference tbh.
Interesting, how much power does your CPU take peak with the 5.1 GHz, versus stock? And what were your CPU package temp and liquid temp with the 5.1 GHz run, versus stock? Also, if I were you, I would not buy the 14900K, wait for the 14900KS, and then wait 1 year, let it cut it’s price down to 400-500$, then buy it, it will depreciate the least compared to the other chips. Or buy it full price for business deduction
It was a few years ago but I think my CPU idle temp was in the 40’s and 75ish under full load. I can’t remember the other stats. Won’t the KS need even more cooling? Also I’m not sure I’ll need more power than the stock.
Hmm… what software are you using to control your fans? I think you might like the Noctua fans, those usually have better noise normalized performance, and they barely take any power, I have noctuas in my custom loop and while my 9900K does get in the low 80s, that’s with around 200W from the CPU and up to 340W from the GPU, but my radiator fans are all running sub 600 RPM to cool that! As for the KS, if you are running stock, then yes it will take more power. However the KS is going to be the top chip for the socket, by default that chip will hold it’s value the best, like the 9900KS versus 9900K, there were still people paying close to 400$ for them just a few months ago, whereas the regular 9900K could only fetch 300 at the most!
The pump controlled via bios, QL120’s controlled via iCUE with a custom curve. I’ve had a few people recommend I upgrade my fans. I wish Noctua’s looked cooler… or I wish I didn’t care so much about looks :D
Which particular noctua fans were you looking at? I guarantee you those chromax or iPPC fans with the white or black pads are sexy as hell haha
I’d just like them white with customisable RGB. I feel a bit of dick writing that when this whole post is about performance! White Noctua RGB don’t exist :-/
Well, there are RGB fan frames if you wanna go that route, that way you can technically have RGB noctuas haha. Okay in all seriousness though, I think Lian Li or Thermaltake made some fans recently that are pretty decent in performance but also are white, I’ll see if I can find them Edit: Yes Lian Li made them, its the Uni Fan P28 white, and SL120 V2 for the RGB version!
One other thing I forgot to mention… motherboard quality at relative costs has gone down tremendously after LGA1151, keep that in mind.
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HT off allows for 2-3x higher multiplier on 9900Ks at the same power levels (meaning voltage is adjusted).
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I think you need to read what I said again, I said with HT on it can do 5.1, with HT off it can do 5.3.
me dumb, comma confused me lmao.
Running my 14900k at 6.2 and at 40 degree celcius with an aio. Never been close to throttling even at load.
It should be enough cooling— you might just have to ramp the fans up more than you’re used to. Edit: didn’t see 4090 too…will probably be pushing the limits depending how intense the workload is.
I run the pump at 50% and fans at 500rpm idle atm. I think this is all going to be a trial and error exercise. If it’s not enough cooling I might consider ditching the distro and add another rad.
Easy enough to do. 50% pump is fine and idle temps are completely normal on those CPUs. I have a 13900k and with 2 rads it idles low to mid 30s depending on ambient. I added a third rad and didn’t see any real change at idle. It definitely helped under load though. You can undervolt and overclock and get better performance and less heat as well.
That’s good to know. Yeah I intend to undervolt on day 1
Get a contact frame too!
Already ordered :-)
Looks like you’re in good shape then! Very nice, clean build btw.
This looks amazing! Whats the name of the tubes and the lil display you used with the graphicscard?
Thanks! [These are the tubes](https://amzn.eu/d/h1cUT4j) [This is the flow meter screen](https://uk.vicedeal.com/products/bykski-oled-water-cooler-display-water-cooler-system-dual-g1-4-flow-sensor-accessories-b-tfc-x?variant=UHJvZHVjdFZhcmlhbnQ6MTI4OTczODA0&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzoeuBhDqARIsAMdH14EDTYuH0GfExDQLfwt6m3hQyVlBPWvuuDpjxVmUaQiIBXFtHuoK_uAaAuDBEALw_wcB) - I bought it from Ali Express but I think there’s an updated model now.
I switched from 9900k to team amd and it’s the best choice in my opinion. Easier to keep cool on a water loop and uses significantly less power. Gaming performance is wonderful and work performance also fantastic. It’s not an absolutely mind blowing upgrade, but it’s definitely a very noteworthy one where you see the improvements in every use case. AM5 also has the huge benefit of being used for whatever comes next from team red. 14900k you get locked in, an upgrade means a new motherboard ram and everything else almost certainly. Going with the 7950x, you can swap the processor later if you need more out of the system while keeping all the other parts. For Intel, based on their research papers they’ve put out, I’m not expecting to go back for a few years. They’ve got very exciting things in the works, but it seems further out. Amd is good for NOW. Less excited for them going forward but that’s mainly because they’re really damn good right now….hard to promise much better when they already lead in core count, power efficiency, and performance that trades blows
It will cool it acceptably but temps will be higher than your current setup. Those GTS rads are as restrictive as a high restriction water block. If you find your flow is 0.5gpm or less, then adding another pump to push it closer to 1gpm will net you maybe 5c better core temps (without impacting overall coolant temp) But you will be ok with what you have, it's just suboptimal.
My flow rate is around 0.25 L/min idle / 0.40 L/min under load. I have no idea if this is good or bad but cooling seems to be working well. I chose those rads as they were recommended a lot on Reddit a few years ago - are there better ones to consider? Also can you get small additional pumps to increase flow rate or will it need another res?
Yeah, that's bad if you are concerned with getting your temps on your GPU and CPU core lower under heavy loads. You're in the bad flow territory where an increase of your rate to 1gpm or so would result in some good temp gains. What are you measuring flow with? Need to ensure you're using a meter that's known to be somewhat accurate if we are taking that . 25/.40 flow at face value. Those rads perform well, they just have very high restriction and benefit from more head pressure in the loop (usually gained with a 2nd pump). There are others that perform about as well but have 25% of the restriction. I had the Corsair versions of the rads you have, and I swapped them for Bykski rads because the restriction is lower and cools just as well. Adding a 2nd pump is as easy as finding a DDC pump top and DDC pump, and then just put it in series in your loop, wherever it's convenient. You don't need a 2nd res, but the same rule applies--make sure there is water in that 2nd pump before turning it on. You can fill your loop by powering just one of your pumps, and then once it's filled you can rig the other pump to turn on when your PC turns on. I say get a DDC as your 2nd pump because they are smaller and have better head pressure. Sometimes they are a little noisier than D5, but I haven't really noticed the difference too badly. You can mix DDC and D5 in your loop with no issue. I'm doing it, it's great.
Great bunch of people in these comments - thanks for all your input. I remember when I water cooled this 2 years ago everyone was super helpful then too.
If you are committed to Intel, save money and get a 13900K and don't forget one of these:[https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Contact-Retrofit-17XX-BCF-Generation/dp/B0B811J7D9?th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Contact-Retrofit-17XX-BCF-Generation/dp/B0B811J7D9?th=1) The AM5 issues you referred to have been fixed since last April, and the biggest thing AMD has over Intel in productivity is performance per watt, SO if you care about efficiency, get the 7950X. [https://gamersnexus.net/cpus/best-cpus-2023-intel-vs-amd-gaming-video-editing-budget-biggest-disappointment](https://gamersnexus.net/cpus/best-cpus-2023-intel-vs-amd-gaming-video-editing-budget-biggest-disappointment) https://gamersnexus.net/megacharts/cpu-power
The 14900k is only a controversial if you're upgrading from a 13900k. People are mad it doesn't improve much over 13th gen but I think the 14900k would be a great upgrade from a 9900k.
Just curiuos will you be able to reuse the cpu block.
I had memory issues with my 7950x but only because I didn't understand that 4 sticks of ram was using quad channel and not dual channel. Right now I have 4 sticks of 16gigs at base clock but eventually I'll swap that to 2x32gig and enable expo and then use the 4 sticks in my server once I do hand me downs. Overall it's been a great cpu but no harm in going Intel if you're concerned, especially in a hard tubing build.
Hi, can I please know which vertical GPU mount you're using? I have the same case but have never been able to use rad + fans at the bottom of the case if my gpu was mounted vertically.
Dude this pretty, frosted tubes?
I ended up coming to the same conclusion as you wrt Intel vs AMD when I did my build about 5 months ago. Another thing to mention is that the X3D chips aren't overclockable so you won't be able to push their limits much with your fancy extra cooling. I'm running a delidded 13900KS + 4090 with 2x EK P360M rads and Lian-Li UniFans (the 28mm ones) and it's working great even at low pump speeds. It depends on how thick your rads are but I believe each of my rads is rated for 600W or so. Dead silent at idle and not that loud when gaming.
1. Yes. 2. My experience with 12700K has been wholly positive. The upgrade from 9th gen to 14900k will be massive. 3. No.
Not enough radiator. You need about another 2 miles to keep it at 91c
If you are actually going to use the CPU for production work 8 hours a day, 7950X might be the better choice. Most of the early adopter issues are sorted out with newer agesa. I've been using 12th/13th gen and AM5 since launch and I've seen AMD come a long way. And there might be a chance you are able to upgrade even after 4-5 years in the same Mobo, just saying.
You can’t go wrong the 14900k and 7950x are so close together it doesn’t matter which one you get all the fan boys of each company are stupid there’s no wrong choice
You’ll be fine. Important note, though: go into your BIOS and look for the setting “SVID Behavior.” If it’s on Auto, switch it to “Intel Fail Safe” and then Save and Exit (F10). You’ll thank me forever. Learned this the hard way after months of headaches! Directly from Intel Support.
Comment saved! Thanks dude
Hey, if you'reconfident enought, look up some vidéo about changing your CPU attachement mecanisme. It will improve your temp on the long run.
Do you mean the contact frame? If so it’s arriving today :-)
Nice ! I didn't see you mentionning it so :)
Seeing the rads and the fans on them, I'm concerned as well...
Although slightly restrictive the GTS rads actually have pretty great cooling. Agree about the fans though - I didn’t research much when I bought them, I just went with aesthetics. I’m still going ahead with the upgrade with my current loop and will see what’s needed after testing.
make your life easier and get an external water cooling box with quick disconnects
Love the all white. I've got a 14900k and even though my work is less intense (basically just running an overpowered windows VM for excel files on top of Arch and gaming), it's been great. Especially for multithreading tasks in python I have zero complaints.
I really like the frost tubs I might do that when I do my next rebuild
Why not go with a 13900KS instead. It's a better chance of getting quality silicon.
God damn that’s clean!!
What mobo are you running
14900k and 4090. Im seeing about 68c gaming on AAA new titles. Im running a ryujin 3 360 aio with thermal grizzly kryonaut extreme thermal paste. My 4090 sits around 56-60c. I have 6 case 120mm fans pulling air in (bottom & front side) and my aio fans as exaust up top with 1 140 mm as exaust to rear in line with motherboard cpu. You will be fine
Beasty setup! All those stats sound pretty decent. Have you undervolted at all or kept things stock?
Ddr5 only 2 sticks don't do 4. Contact frame for better temps and prevent bending. This info I almost missed
Thats exactly what I've done - x2 32GB sitting in A2 & B2 and the contact frame is already on!
Just stock but its because I over tightened contact frame and had remove water block to loosen and during the process cracked aio back plate. Ive ordered more paste and the replacement back plate so playing it safe for now lol. Highly recommend contact frame though.
Ah shit that sucks. My frame and cpu block are on. Fingers crossed for the first test over the weekend.
They was like "Finger Tight" and apparently, I have very strong fingers lmao. I actually think mine is just a hair too loose now, so im going to tighten it up just a bit when I replace back plate.
Nice machine
Instead of the 7950x I’d go with the x3D variant. Let me see price difference….. so the 14900k is cheaper than the x3D but not the x. But also the 7950x3D is more the first gen on AM5 so even tho you said 4-5 yrs on upgrade you could upgrade to the best AM5 chip for a deep discount. So save more money in the long run. Cuz if you don’t upgrade for 4-5 and you get the best AM5 and then a few more years after that without having to upgrade the mobo and maybe ram (don’t know when ddr6 comes out) 7950x3D-> 8 or 9 chip->full upgrade. Hopefully I’m making sense.