My current gear

So I've been working on my Asus N76VZ for the last 5 years, mainly for coding, media consumption and some low level gaming, it certainly delivered great performance, but overall, I always felt it was kinda overrated in terms of value. It cost me about $1500 at the time (yeah.. pricing in the EU), I was expecting more from it, but I guess laptops aren't the best fighters with planned obsolescence. I was expecting better build quality (and not crappy plastic), good sound (and long lasting), better battery life (in your dreams) and generally a better experience.

The reason why I opted for a laptop was mainly because of travelling EU-China a lot, but now I think it's time to settle down and get serious about compute gear. So here I am, right now, researching, planning and stalking GPU stocks. There could never be a better time for an upgrade, as the AMD hype got real, I mean excellent bang for buck, such an insane value!

What I actually need

• a platform built to last, at least 5 years as my current gear
• a decent & efficient workstation, a true multitasking powerhouse
• editing/encoding videos for tutorials
• coding (with multiple code editors and large file libraries), testing (all major browsers at once) and deploying
• music production (did I mention I also do sound design and harmonics?)
• modern tech (USB 3.1, NVME drives, DDR4)
• decent PC gaming (Borderlands, UnrealTournament, Dota2, Warcraft 3/3remastered, Diablo, Starcraft)

The GEAR I am going for

Right, so I will list the gear I'm currently hovering at, explaining why I've chosen each, so without further a due, let's dig into the matter:

CPU

As this decides the platform to go, I choose the AMD R7 1700, because:

• excellent multitasking
• great productivity scores (see below)
• it's the best value in the prosumer market (8C/16T for ~$300), according to most reviewers
• unlocked for overclocking (with the motherboard I chose, it should go 4Ghz like a breeze)
• excellent operating temps at full load in OC mode
• excellent gaming

MOTHERBOARD

I'll go with the ASUS ROG Strix B350-F Gaming, for the following reasons:

• the VRM is of excellent quality as described by buildzoid, very efficient and provides better vCore and vRam overclocking and higher stability
• I especially like the position of the M.2 slot above the GPU slot (nvme drives should run cooler)
• supports 2x crossfire GPU x16 (a rare gem in the B350 realm)
• excellent audio (a must for an audiophile like myself)
• very fast networking
• cool design
• excellent price

GPU

I'm going (in my dreams) for the ASUS ROG STRIX AMD RX580 O 8G GAMING for:

• great 1080/1440p gaming performance
• sync with the motherboard RGB lighting effects
• relatively low price

I am also considering an AMD RX Vega entry level GPU, perhaps at the end of July?

MEMORY

It's going to be Vengeance® LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 WHITE because:

• decent timings
• excellent frequency, it's good enough for Ryzen for sure
• relatively affordable price

CASE

I'm going for the wonderful Fractal Design Define S Window

• excellent air ventilation
• 2-4 included case coolers
• intake dust filters
• sound dampening materials
• side window
• affordable

POWER SUPPLY UNIT

This is gonna definitely be the EVGA 550 B3, 80 Plus BRONZE 550W

• highly regarded
• reliable (80+ bronze certified)
• 120mm exhaust fan
• modular

PERIPHERALS

• Microsoft Surface Keyboard, for comfortable typing and low noise
• Microsoft Surface Mouse

MONITOR

I still haven't decided on it yet, they are so damn expensive. I need a 1440p 34" ultrawide IPS monitor, I don't think dual monitors is a healthy practice.

TOPICS OF INTEREST

• What would you change in the specs and why?
• Do you think RGB lighting is here to stay?
• Do you think it's an overkill for my work requirements?
• IMPORTANT: Do you the motherboard is an overkill? (Tomahawk could probably be a better value?)
• Should I get an after market CPU cooler? (Considering OC and the chosen case) If yes, which one is best for the buck?
• What is your gear and what is it for?