X

Build yourself a high-performance AMD Ryzen 7 PC

Looking to build a high-end PC around AMD's eight-core Ryzen 7 1800X processor? Here's what you need for the perfect build.
By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
1 of 9 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X

AMD's top-end, 4.0 GHz, 8-core is a behemoth that can beat Intel's $1,000 Core i7-6900K.

  • AMD SenseMI Technology
  • AMD XFR (eXtended Frequency Range) Technology
  • Socket AM4
  • Max Turbo Frequency 4.00 GHz
  • 16MB L3 Cache
  • 4MB L2 Cache
  • DDR4 Support
  • Unlocked Processor
  • Thermal Design Power 95W
  • AMD Wraith Spire Cooler included (so you save money on having to buy a third-party cooler)

Price: $500 (but shop around because I've seen them as low as 350)

2018-02-0312-24-31.jpg
2 of 9 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VI Hero AM4 AMD X370

The ASUS ROG Crosshair VI Hero AM4 AMD features the X370 chipset, and comes with support for 64GB of RAM, and the following expansion:

  • 2 x PCI Express 3.0/2.0 x16 slots
  • 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots
  • 3 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots
  • 8 x SATA 6.0Gb/s ports
  • M.2 Socket 3
  • 1 x USB 3.1 ports Gen 2 (Type-C)
  • 1 x USB 3.1 ports Gen 2 (Type-A)
  • 8 x USB 3.1 ports Gen 1
  • Gigabit Ethernet

Price: $250

20-233-852-03.jpg
3 of 9 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB)

Why 32-gigabyte? Why not!

Rock solid RAM in my experience. Not the fastest, but I prefer to err on the side of stability, especially where RAM is concerned.

Price: $260

14-487-335-s99.jpg
4 of 9 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 8GB GDDR5X

Nvidia's flagship GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is the most advanced gaming GPU ever created, powered by the new NVIDIA Pascal architecture, which means it's just the graphics cards to put into this build (yes, two! You could save significantly on this build and fit just the one).

  • CUDA cores: 2560
  • Base Clock: 1607 MHz
  • Boost Clock: 1733 MHz
  • Bus: PCI-E 3.0 2-way SLI Ready
  • Memory: 8GB GDDR5X
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0b 3 x DisplayPort 1.4

Price: $1,259

Primary storage: Samsung 960 EVO M.2 500GB NVMe PCI-Express 3.0 x4 SSD
5 of 9 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Primary storage: Samsung 960 EVO M.2 500GB NVMe PCI-Express 3.0 x4 SSD

A super-fast SSD to put your operating system and other applications you want to load fast onto.

  • M.2 2280
  • 500GB
  • PCI-Express 3.0 x4
  • Max sequential reads: Up to 3200 MBps
  • Max sequential writes: Up to 1800 MBps

Price: $230

Secondary storage: WD Black 2TB WD2003FZEX
6 of 9 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Secondary storage: WD Black 2TB WD2003FZEX

A secondary drive for your data, applications and other general storage needs.

  • Interface: SATA 6.0Gb/s
  • Capacity: 2TB
  • RPM: 7200 RPM
  • Cache: 64MB
  • Improved Architectural Designs: Dual Core Processor, High Resolution Controller (HRC), StableTrac Technology
  • Improved Data Protection: Vibration Control Technology (VCT), Corruption Protection Technology (CPT), NoTouch Ramp Load Technology
  • Superior responsiveness with the next-generation speed that you need

Price: $125

2018-02-0312-42-14.jpg
7 of 9 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

PSU: Corsair HX1000 Series CP-9020139-NA 1000W

This 1000W PSU offer plenty of overhead for overclocking and adding more components such as an additional GPU or more drives.

  • ATX12V v2.4 / EPS12V 2.92
  • Full Modular
  • 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified
  • 100 - 240 V 47 - 63 Hz
  • Single +12V Rail Mode: +3.3V@25A, +5V@25A, +12V@83.3A, -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@3A

Price: $360

Optical drive: ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT
8 of 9 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Optical drive: ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT

Does everything you could ever want from an optical drive.

  • Extreme 16X Blu-Ray writing speed
  • M-disc Support
  • BDXL Support

Price: $85

Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400S Silent Edition
9 of 9 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400S Silent Edition

What case you get is a very personal choice (and if this is something you're going to be looking at and working with for the next few years, it's sometimes worth investing in).

Personally, I like a case that is robust (flimsy cases are a pain), aren't filled with sharp metal shards that will rip at my flesh, and offer plenty of space for hardware.

  • Steel/Plastic/Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower
  • 2 x USB 3.0/Mic/Headphone front ports
  • 6 x 3.5-inch/2.5-inch internal 3.5-inch drive bays

Price: $90

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes
Holiday lights in Central Park background

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes

21 Photos
Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting
Wooden lodge in pine forest with heavy snow reflection on Lake O'hara at Yoho national park

Related Galleries

Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting

21 Photos
Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes
3D Rendering Christmas interior

Related Galleries

Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes

21 Photos
Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza
img-8825

Related Galleries

Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza

26 Photos
A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex
img-9792-2

Related Galleries

A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex

22 Photos
Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup
shutterstock-1024665187.jpg

Related Galleries

Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup

8 Photos
Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'
Full of promises!

Related Galleries

Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'

8 Photos