Hello, dear forum,

Since my old PC no longer wants to run (it turns on briefly and then turns off again) and has been running for over 10 years, I wanted to upgrade it.
I will keep the case, the SSDs and graphics card (as these were replaced 2 years ago) and I only want to buy the mainboard, CPU with cooler and memory. Possibly a more powerful power supply.

My budget is around €1000 and I have decided on AMD. I would like to buy the individual parts and then assemble them myself.

I was thinking of an AMD Ryzen™ 9 7900 boxed version including the AMD Wraith Premium cooler.
Mainboard: Gigabyte X670 AORUS ELITE AX AMD X670 So.AM5 Dual Channel DDR ATX Retail.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5-5200 CL40 Memory. Power supply: 700 Watt be quiet! Pure Power 11 Non-Modular 80+ Gold

What do you think?
Thank you very much!

 

The 7900X is quite a bit cheaper than the 7900 in most markets. If power consumption is a concern, the 7900X offers an eco-mode. Might want to look at that. I'd go for more RAM - 32, 48 or even 64. 16 GB + 7900 feels mismatched.

 

good thinking,
start by writing down your current PC specs, and needs (DAW, plugins etc..),
I'd be careful about utilizing your older power supply, it could be next sudden death component, potentially damaging rest of new parts,

of the specs you wrote, I'd definitely consider 32GB ram (2x16GB kit) since you want dual-channel operation (2 sticks) but also DDR5 memory controllers don't like 4 sticks which would be problematic with potential future upgrades,
for the cpu choice, do your research if you need 12-core 24-thread 7900X or if something cheaper like 8-core 16-thread 7700X or 7800X3D would be more useful,
motherboard pick is nice, ASUS PRIME X670E-PRO WIFI or ASUS TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI could be worthy alternatives at similar price point

 

you can get great bundles like this one (just an example) :
https://www.punchtechnology.co.uk/p...ite-ax-with-32gb-ddr5-ram-motherboard-bundle/

X Ryzen series are way better than "regular" previous ones.

32GB RAM DDR5 mandatory to exploit Ryzen X

Check motherboard connectivity AND slots : it is really important to know WHAT you need to plug in
Need wifi/bluetooth on mobo ?

Questions like this

Ps : i'm with @tzzsmk : NEVER reuse an old power supply on sensitive computer.
If it is 2 years old, no problem. If it is 5 years old ... forget it when building a new computer.
It is the MAIN failure point, before mobo (and i talk as computer tech for 30 years, maintaining a thousand computers).

 

Last edited: Dec 2, 2023

check your cpu cooler and fan. with a little dusting you might get a few more years from your current setup.
switching off after a short time is a typical indication of overheating.
while you are at it vaccuum the psu too

 

Image-Line has a very good article about pc requirements for Audio applications. (Irrespective of which DAW you use.)

Have a look: https://support.image-line.com/action/knowledgebase/?ans=214

 

Hi, since I am also making a pc change, I can suggest you take it into consideration if you want to use it more for large sample libraries (orchestral samples and so on) or if you need more cpu computing power for plugins.
In the latter case, then you must also evaluate how efficient the daw you use and the plugins are to distribute the load on the various cores. Honestly I have to tell you that it's not so easy to build a pc for "music" without evaluating the use. You need also external audio card? and what type of connection it needs? USB 2.0, USB 3.0, TB, firewire,etc.

Unfortunately if you want to do a job well done you have to take your needs into consideration.

You need to manage large libraries? better many cores and a lot of ram (as much as you can...consider that I have assembled two 16-core systems each with 128GB of ram...), also in this case evaluate well the space you need on the SSDs. Except for "miracles" you will never be able to have exceptional core or ram speeds having to install a lot of ram and therefore you will be forced to compromise between ram and cpu speeds but you have a system balanced for these large sample libraries (maybe remote using VEP).
If, on the other hand, you don't need large sample libraries, then focus more on the pure speed of the CPU (single and multi core both are important) but with lower number of cores and so the 7900 (or better a 7900X) is a good choice. You can also install less ram (but 16GB are still too few to feel comfortable, at least 32GB). And also pay more attention if you need "live" use (ex: if need for a "live" guitar and maybe you use helix,toneX and so on probably you don't need even a 7900 (a 7800X3D is sufficient) or a lot of ram but you have to carefully chose the motherbord because you need lower possible RT latency for the audio interface...

 

Last edited: Dec 2, 2023

Ok, I now have the parts I want to buy in my shopping cart. Now the only question is the RAM. The manufacturer's website says the following:

That means I could install a DDR5 RAM with 7200MHZ?

What I have currently selected to buy:
Mainboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI AM5 ATX (Retail)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900 12x 3.70GHz So.AM5 BOX
Powersupply : 700 Watt be quiet! Pure Power 11 Non-Modular 80+ Gold

 

Last edited: Dec 2, 2023

AMD Ryzen 9 7900 supports DDR5-5200

 

Ahhh ok. So the higher values would only work with a larger CPU?
So the CPU sets the maximum value and not the mainboard (because that could be as much as in the screenshot above ( 7200MHZ )?

 

its mostly likely the heatsink compound on your cpu has turned to crap. Modernish cpus have a thermal overload protection, if they get too hot they shut down. This is typical behaviour. You could try a 1$ worth of cpu heatsink compound, or blow the the thousand quid...

 

I don't think so. Because even if it was broken, the computer would at least boot up and then only shut down after a certain time if the temperature was too high.

 

so when the cpu is not properly coupled to the heatsink it gets hot as it gets hot it pulls more current from the power supply.
the power supply has thermal protection, if it is asked for too much power it shutsdown. This prevents the power supply from burning out. I have had capacitors explode in power supply from old school AMD cpu's pulling too much current. Thats why they instituted the thermal overload protection. Its a real thing, google it.

The other possibility is bad ram, but typically it just prevents the computer from ever sucessfully booting because the bootloader can't be loaded into ram to execute.

 

Try reseating your ram, and clean out your computer case after ten years theres enough dust bunnies in there to knit a sweater.
most folks never do preventative maintenance on their computers so they fail. Clean the case fans, reseat the ram. clean off the old cpu compound with alcohol (90% is faster) put a bit of fresh compound on there and reseat the heatsink.

It could also be a dodgy powersupply, the caps do wear out over time, thats a bit more work but not more than 15 minutes effort unless you have a truley unique case design. ( you could blow out the power supply with canned air, it may just be full of dust and hair)

good luck....

 

By the way, uplug yourcomputer from the mains before doing any of the above..

 

The 7900 is just the 7900X in ECO mode with a good $40 cooler added to the cost. RAM should be a minimum of 2GB per core and preferably, 4GB per core. add another 8GB to total for APU/IGP graphics operation & buffering.

• 32GB (2 x 16GB kit) - minimum
• 48GB (2 x 24GB kit) - meets minimum of 4GB per core
• 64GB (2 x 32GB kit) - ideal for large track counts with VST, automation, VSTi

Make sure the motherboard BIOS can be easily flashed via USB (with or without a CPU). The most recent AMD BIOS allows for higher bandwidth RAM kits (6000 MTS, 6400 MTS - stable).

AMD Ryzen™ Processor Overclocked Memory Compatibility List

 

Last edited: Dec 4, 2023

@
Garamondo Furbish
I don't know whether you don't understand me or I don't understand you . I only connected the mainboard and CPU for testing. I removed everything else. And it starts up for about 0.5 seconds and then goes off immediately. So it must be one of the two components or not? I tested the power supply with a new one and the same thing happens.

 

CPU only ... with heat sink / fan i suppose ?

Because if you don't put any heat protection, your CPU will overheat instantaneously.
And can even burn out.

 

are you getting any beep codes when you try to start up the motherboard?
do you get any video at all, a logo, a memory count anything?

if you aren't getting beep codes or video, I would check the ram.
I would pull the sticks and swap them around, if the problem is at the lowest memory address(where things get started)
by swapping them you have 50% chance of having good memory at the lower address now (both sticks rarely go bad at the same time)

if the ram is bad the computer won't boot cause it needs memory to do anything at all.

if the ram works in another computer or doesn't fix the problem, look at the motherboard especially around the cpu area, thats where the voltage control circuits for the cpu are located, frequently the capacitors go bad, they will swell up or have fluid stains on them from the capicitors leaking. The caps will look like very small tin cans, if the heads are swollen to a dome shape, thats a bad sign, they should be flat. if the caps have gone bad. I'd replace the motherboard unless you know how to solder.

do any of the leds on the motherboard blink or light? check your manual some boards use codes to indicate problems using those
lights.

my best guesses, best of luck,
computers can be fickle sometimes...

g

 

Last edited: Dec 3, 2023

Another thing to understand : you NEED RAM to test mobo.
Because everything is loaded in RAM.

So of course mobo will shut down fast without RAM, they all do.
You will not even get a single bip sometimes.

Minimum test is :
power supply
mobo
CPU with rad
RAM

Without that minimum, you will get NOTHING.

Another proof :
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/jrg87l/motherboard_test_with_no_ram_and_cpu/