The Ryzen 7 1800X is AMD’s flagship CPU in the new Ryzen lineup. We have put together an example PC build that should get the most out of this monster 8-core CPU!
With blistering multi-core benchmarks, including reports of crazy 8-core overclocking records, this PC should give you an impressive editing workstation or a gaming beast. Below are parts recommendations, along with budget options or more powerful alternatives. The standard build totals $2,185.
[Note: As we were preparing to publish this article, we saw that many of these parts are now temporarily out of stock. Ryzen fever has hit, and we hope that parts are available again soon.]
CPU: Ryzen 7 1800X ($499)
With this build guide we are aiming to create a powerful, balanced build around the new Ryzen 7 1800X. As such, we really need to look first at the specifications of the 1800X and what it brings to the build.
- Clock: 3.6GHz (4.0GHz boost // 4.1GHz boost XFR controlled – system dependant)
- Cores: 8-cores, 16 threads
- Cache: 4 MB/16 MB (L2/L3)
- Socket Type: AM4
- TDP: 95W
It is no surprise that AMD is proud of this processor. It has the highest clock in the Ryzen 7 range and has already been reported as having unparalleled performance to even top-end 8-core offerings from Intel. Not only that, but with the reports of impressive overclock potential, this is one processor which can give us a real monster of a build.
Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 ($90)
This Noctua model is one of the best air cooling solutions available and comes highly rated. You’ll see it turn up all the time on our main parts page because of this.
I have linked to the new listing, which comes with the AM4 adaptor plate and screws included. Noctua will also ship you these upgrade kits free of charge if you already own one of their models. They also state that you will be able to purchase these kits standalone from retailers for $7.90.
An all-around excellent choice if you want to do some overclocking with air cooling.
Water Cooling Recommendation: Corsair Hydro Series H110i ($135)
The H110i is a really solid water cooling setup, for those of you wanting to push the limits of overclocking. The large 280mm radiator provides excellent heat dissipation. Compared to the NH-D15 air cooler, the H110i will keep the CPU about 10% cooler, and be just as quiet. To make life easy, Corsair provide Corsair Life monitoring software, so you can see what is going on in the case right from your desktop.
Motherboard: MSI X370 GAMING PRO CARBON ($180)
The MSI gaming pro carbon is such a good price for the performance of the board. With dual PCIe 3 slots, even the newest graphics cards are good to go in SLI/CrossFire.
Heavy Overclocking Recommendation: MSI X370 XPOWER GAMING TITANIUM ($299)
Possibly one of the most badass looking motherboards on the market, this is the big brother of our recommended motherboard. This comes with every feature under the sun and is a must for those of you wanting to do some heavy overclocking of your cpu and ram.
RAM: 32GB Corsair Vengeance 3200Mhz ($278)
32GB is useful for video editing, photo processing, or any other major workstation task.
Many RAM kits right now won’t run at maximum speed with Ryzen. This is normal for new CPU launches. Improved DDR4 compatibility and performance should come in the months following launch.
What that means for us builders is this:
- If you are filling all four slots on your motherboard, set your speed to 2400MHz. You may be able to get it to run faster, or may not.
- If using two RAM sticks, put them in the A2/B2 slots (check your motherboard manual) and a max of 3200MHz should be possible.
It’s worth checking compatibility lists provided by the motherboard manufacturer.
GPU: GTX 1080 ($590)
For a single card, the GTX 1080 is simply impressive. Capable of performing at high resolution and frame rates, it is a must for a great top-end build.
Upgrade Option: GTX 1080 Ti ($700)
The GTX 1080 Ti should be launching very soon, with performance even better than the $1,000 Titan X. In other words, this will be the best graphics card you can buy.
Solid State Drive: Samsung 960 EVO 250GB PCIe M.2 SSD ($141)
With a max. Read of 3200 MB/s and max. Write 1500 MB/s this has scary fast data speeds. Do remember that this does not connect with a SATA port. Your motherboard needs to have the specific M.2 connection to use this (our recommend motherboards here have M.2)
Upgrade Option: Samsung 960 EVO 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD ($480)
For when you need a whole pile of storage along with the speed, the 1TB version of our recommended SSD has you covered. Premium performance for the price.
Hard Drive: Hitachi 2TB HGST ($56)
This is relatively cheap, reliable storage. Get as many of these as you need, or get something bigger.
Power Supply: Corsair AX860 860W ($170)
With needing stable power for our build, we have gone with the highly rated AX860W from Corsair. This platinum rated PSU will give us all the power we need, even if we are overclocking various parts.
Upgrade option: Seasonic 1050W Snow ($210)
If you’re planning on using multiple gpu’s, as well as overclocking, then you cannot go wrong with the 1050W Snow from Seasonic.
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ($180)
My preferred case for high end, full size builds. Mainly as it is a little more understated and comes with superb internal design and airflow.
Upgrade Option: Phanteks Enthoo Primo Aluminium ($250)
For those wanting style and function, this is a luxury aluminium case from Phanteks.
Extras
There are a few extras that you might need to finish off these builds:
- A copy of Windows. If you are a student or work for a big business, you might be able to get a copy for free or at a significantly lower cost. If not, we recommend Windows 10 on DVD ($90) or USB ($120).
- An optical drive – critical if you are wanting to install Windows 10 via DVD. Good thing here is DVD-RW drives are cheap these days (here’s one for $21). If you are hooking this into a 4K monitor for gaming or movies, you might want to consider buying a Blu-ray drive like this LG model ($59).
We also have recommendations for:
If you want to see other builds with even higher performance, check out the main page at Logical Increments.
There you have it, some recommended parts based around the performance of the Ryzen 7 1800X. If you have any questions or suggestions about these parts, then let us know in the comments.
About Chris
Chris is a contributing writer for Logical Increments and has worked in the gaming and technology industries as a community manager and customer service representative. He has been building PC’s for a little over 10 years.
When Chris is not here creating builds and guides, he can be found running his viewer interactive streams weekdays on mixer.com/ScouseLite
Thanks to low latency (FTL) streaming, Chris can respond to viewers plus they can interact with him and the stream in nearly real time. Simply come down to his channel Monday – Friday, 3-6pm and 8-11pm (UK time) to see for yourself!