/pcbg/ - PC Building General

>Create a parts list
pcpartpicker.com/
>Learn how to build a PC
Search youtube for a guide for your socket

Want help?
>State your budget & CURRENCY
>List your uses; eg Gaming, Video Editing, VM Work
>For monitors, include purpose and graphics pairing
>NO Speccy. Use HWinfo

CPU
>Athlon 200GE - Minimal desktop
>R3 2200G - Bare minimum gaming(dGPU optional)
>R5 2400G/i5-8400 - Consider IF on sale
>R5 2600/X - Good gaming & multithreaded work use CPUs
>i7-9700k - If pairing w/ a 2080Ti and the extra $200+ is worth ~135 FPS instead of ~120 FPS to you, despite better CPUs coming next year and requiring new boards
>R7 2700/X - Best value high-end CPU on a non-HEDT platform
>Wait for R7 3700X - Surely the best overall and not a massive disappointment like the 9900k
>Threadripper/Used Xeon - HEDT

RAM
>8GB - Enough for most gaming use
>16GB - Standard for heavy use
>32GB - If you have to ask, you don't need this
>CPUs benefit from fast RAM; 2933MHz+ is ideal

Graphics cards
>RTX 2000 cards are worse performance per $ than previous gen
>Avoid cheap MODELS ie MSI Armor (Mk2 is ok), Gigabyte G1/Wf, ASUS dual, and others w/ small heatsinks and low quality fans
1080p
>RX 570/580 w/ Freesync or 1060 6GB - standard 1080p 60fps+ options
>1050 3Gb or RX560 4Gb - lower settings and/or older games
>GTX 1070Ti/Vega 56 - for higher FPS w/ a high hz monitor
1440p
>Vega 56; 1070Ti/1080 if you already have Gsync
>GTX 1080Ti - for higher FPS w/ a high hz monitor
4K
>Upscale from 1620-1800p. Maybe 2080Ti, but awful value.
OpenCL use
>Vega 64

Storage
>Backup before using StoreMi
>Consider getting a larger SSD (better GB/$) instead of small SSD & large HDD
>2TB HDDs are barely more $ than 1TB
>M.2 is a form factor, NOT a performance standard
>NVMe are not for gaming; See "More"

Display
>Consider 75hz minimum; 60hz are mostly old models.
>Always consider FreeSync w/ AMD cards
>PLAN YOUR BUILD AROUND YOUR MONITOR IF GAMING

Previous
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Other urls found in this thread:

pcpartpicker.com/list/TjpDMZ
pcpartpicker.com/list/JmsPYT
pcpartpicker.com/user/slyxtendencies/saved/48W4qs
msi.com/Landing/InstallationComic
twitter.com/AnonBabble

You could always buy that component now, then the others as they're on sale and you have money.
Wouldn't be surprised to see a board like the A-Pro or Bazooka drop on sale to $60 or so.

Well, part of it is that here in the next few weeks I know I'll have some money coming in but I don't have it right now. My grandfather and I have some calves that we'll have to get loaded up and take them to a nearby stockyard to sell but cattle prices have been way down from what they were about 4 years ago ($3 per pound then vs $1.25 to 1.50 per pound now). Granted, that was something of a bubble brought on by a drought in Texas, a major cattle producing state. I have, I think, 2 or 3 calves that are about big enough to sell (500 to 600 pounds) and with current prices as they are, a somewhat conservative estimate of $1.25 a pound, I'd be looking at $625 per calf if they weight at least 500 pounds before any expenses such as commission or fees. That would give me at least $1200 to work with as far as a budget for a new computer.

pcpartpicker.com/list/TjpDMZ
"vr ready" budget build". Money's not a problem but I want to have it in the next month or so so I made it cheap. that and I have to get two 144hz monitors/

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I've bought 1080ti recently into my otherwise budget build and noticed some problems with CPU clocks and GPU memory clocks.
System is:
AsRock AB350m-HDV
Ryzen 5 1600
3x8Gb 2600Ghz RAM
Palit Super Jetstream 1080ti

My R5 1600 always shows 2.8Ghz speed even though I've oc'd it through bios to 3.8Ghz and in the system it shows "Max speed 3.8Ghz" everywhere, but the actual working clock is 2.8 as I can see through HWmonitor and task manager.
Also my 1080ti shows only 5.6-6Ghz memory clock, which is half of the supposed 11Ghz. What the fuck happened here?

The first thing that comes to mind is that my mobo is absolute garbage and it somehow hinders performance of the hardware and doesn't even allow stock clocks, let alone oc-ing. I've bought the cheapest b350 I could find because I had to build a pc asap and didn't have much cash to spare. Could it be something else?
I can buy a new decent mobo tomorrow easily, but if I have bad chip and gpu, then I'd be fucking mad

>i5-8400 when 2600 is literally 25% less costly for $150
>plus the $30 giftcard from newegg
effectively a 40% cheaper CPU that performance just as well in gaming with OC and better in multithreaded applications

>artic silver
do you eat it or something?
>$49 for a slow 240Gb SSD
You can get a faster 480Gb one for only $20 more.
Or just get a 1Tb SSD for as much as you're spending on SSD+HDD combined which will probably be enough space for you.

I'm not a fan of the case, either. Plus what was mentioned about the CPU, and that you can get equivalent B450 boards for the 2600 for cheaper.

HWinfo, not HWMonitor.

How does this build look?

>CPU: I want a good one but I am not overclocking.
Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor
>Motherboard: Good reviews and goes with CPU; Don't care about RGB.
Asus - Prime Z370-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard.
>RAM: Pretty fast, nothing crazy.
G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory.
>Storage: Fast SSD for OS; a larger, cheaper SSD for games/some programs; and a bigger HDD for other stuff.
Samsung - 970 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
Crucial - MX500 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
>GPU: I mostly play e-sports titles and some older AAA games, but I still want something that can give me good FPS on most games with my 144Hz monitor.
EVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card
>PSU: Just needs to be very reliable with enough power, preferably modular and 80+ Gold.
EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
>Case: I want something functional and well built; mid size should be enough and I'm not going to look at it much so I don't care about appearance.
Phanteks - Enthoo Pro M

pcpartpicker.com/list/JmsPYT
This is my current build, had it since late14, only change is more storage, doubled the ram, and new gpu bc my 290 died.
My question is, do i next replace the cpu and ram, to put on the partially done build i have (have a mobo and psu for a future build), or do i replace psu and add a second 580. Its just for gaymin

Is the stock 2700x cooler good enough If I'm going to be gaming, streaming and video editing?

>i7-8700
I already see regret.

>Z370
Why the fuck would you buy an overclocking board if your CPU is locked

>multiple SSD
Wasted. Just get 1 SSD for OS/programs/games and 1 large HDD for data.

>1070
Its alright, but might want to look for 1070ti bargains that pop up every few days for ~$300.

>meh case

You got a dead socket. The paradigm shift happened with Ryzen. So the standard now is 6c12t or just the 6c variant for Intel.

If you're going for either Intel/Ryzen new cpu, you'd need a new motherboard and new DDR4 ram.

1150 socket has no 6core variants.

I have a newer mobo for a partial build from about a year ago. I dont remember what board it was, but i know it had ddr4 and could fit a 7700k

dead socket.

>optane using storemi is limited to 256gb
fucking aye, man. is 50 dollars an ok deal for a 256gb 850 EVO?

>HWinfo, not HWMonitor
Ok, it still shows 2794Hz clock on all cores and 5500HZ on gpu memory clock.

Also I've just tried to crank up max graphics quality in overwatch (with 200% res scale and max aa) to run a test, and the system shut down with gpu fans spinning like crazy. Now I think this might be my PSU not having enough power. It's 550w bronze certified, so it should be ok, but shutdown like this is probably lack of power. Lowering the graphic settings runs everything fine

Ok I'm an idiot. GPU memory clock is correct, but I still wonder why the cpu won't get its clock any higher than 2.8Ghz even under load.

What is an alternative to the Asus ROG Strix Z370 Mobo that doesn't support SLI / CF?
I don't wanna pay more for a feature I'll probably never use but the rest is cool

>gift card
h-how do I get that? I'm buying tomorrow desu

You look at the newegg front page. Its right there taking up 40% of the screen space.

Oh you mean the 15% back? Even better since I'm spending $600 total

1080 or wait for 2080ti pricedrop? 1080 superclocked is $620 aus rn. Im on a 1060 6gb.

I was considering an i5, but I don't want to settle and then have to replace it along with the motherboard and RAM in a couple of years. I think the hyperthreading of the i7 will be good for the future.

>Why the fuck would you buy an overclocking board if your CPU is locked
It's a pretty basic board with all the things I might need. No crazy gaming shit on it.

>Wasted. Just get 1 SSD for OS/programs/games and 1 large HDD for data.
HDDs are getting outdated with SSDs becoming cheap. I will still have one for the capacity, but I like the speed of SSDs for things I use a lot.

why are you upgrading?

>NVMeme for gaming and a non-existent increase to boot times
Someone didn't read.
>giant ass case
Why?
>Spending an extra $80 on CPU that will be bottlenecked by that GPU anyway
Lots doesn't make sense here.
>Why the fuck would you buy an overclocking board if your CPU is locked
Surely for the fast RAM. A 8700 with slow RAM is even worse than an 8700 with fast RAM. Presumably that board could support a 9700 in the future when it's cheaper.

>pcpartpicker.com/list/JmsPYT
The best you could upgrade to is a 4770.
And you 4460 was likely already bottlenecking the 290 you had as games started to become a lot more CPU intensive.

Up to 1Tb if you buy the $60 license.
And no, $50 for a 256Gb 850 Evo is an atrocious deal.

Still can't fit a 6 core. A 7700k is barely any faster than a 4790k with fast RAM. You'd end up spending more money on the CPU alone than you can get a new CPU AND board for and I'm guessing you also fucked up and got slow RAM thinking it doesn't matter.

Maybe your OC is bad and it's reverting to that?

Vega56 Strix is only $550 AUD. I could swear I saw 1070Ti at only around $530 AUD last week or so, too.

Or get Ryzen with its much longer living platform and you can upgrade to an even better CPU in a year or two.

lol

Vega strix is shit

>Up to 1Tb if you buy the $60 license.
paying an extra 60 doesn't sound bad compared to buying a 1tb ssd. tq for info.

>NVMeme for gaming and a non-existent increase to boot times
The NVMe would not be for games. It would be mainly for the OS and maybe some programs.The other SSD would be for games and programs I commonly use to speed up load times.

>Spending an extra $80 on CPU that will be bottlenecked by that GPU anyway
I want a good GPU that will last for a long time because it's the last thing I want to change as changing it would mean changing several other things as well. I don't need a better GPU for my purposes. I think the 1070 is good value and offers the functionality I need, which is the general consensus I see elsewhere, too.

As for why I'm not looking at AMD processors: I don't trust them. I've known too many people who have had bad experiences in the past with them and and I don't think saving money here is worth it. Call me a cuck but I am sticking with Intel which has always been good in my experience. I'd rather save money on the GPU now since I don't need a better one. If I do, that is an easier upgrade.

Does anyone have another motherboard suggestion to go with the i7 chip?

*Meant "I want a good CPU that will last for a long time."

That's the reason I am looking at the i7-8700 as supposed to something like an i5-8600 which is good now, but I think the difference between it and the i7 will become greater as the next generation of games are released. The i7 also offers options for more media simultaneously and overall I think it's good to future-proof the CPU.

I already said I don't trust AMD so the Ryzen models aren't something I will go for, despite their attractive price. I am willing to pay the premium for Intel.

It has an issue with the thermal pad contact to VRMs, sometimes. Fixable for ~$8. But yeah, that is a shitty QA problem to have to fix yourself (or RMA and have ASUS fix it)
Besides that, it's a good card and good cooler.

$150 for 1Tb SSD + $60 for license and you can basically turn a 4Tb+ HDD into a fast SSD, yes.
Good considering the slow and low endurance Micron 1100 2Tb is ~$230.

>still not reading and researching into the difference, if any at all, an NVMeme would make
Still not reading the OP
>I want a good GPU that will last for a long time because it's the last thing I want to change as changing it would mean changing several other things as well
You misunderstood what I said there, too.
You could get an $80-$180 cheaper CPU and spend that on a more powerful graphics card instead.
>good CPU
>chooses intel's fundamentally broken architecture
nice joke

I have the following items sitting around from and old build:

8gb ddr3
Kb+m
Ssd
Hdd
Wifi card

Whats the cheapest stuff I can throw on to make an acceptable 1080p build? Are older i5 builds good value?

>$150 for 1Tb SSD
what? where? all i see are 200+ for 1tb ssds.
>Good considering the slow and low endurance Micron 1100 2Tb is ~$230.
i don't get this lol

>3x8Gb 2600Ghz RAM
are they running in dual channel mode?

>still not reading and researching into the difference, if any at all, an NVMeme would make
I know the difference in speed is not huge in practice, but the price difference isn't a significant factor and I like that it will take up less room. That said, I'm not opposed to getting a cheaper SATA SSD for the same purpose.

>You misunderstood what I said there, too.
You could get an $80-$180 cheaper CPU and spend that on a more powerful graphics card instead.
The thing is, I don't need a more powerful graphics card. It won't make a difference for me 99% of the time. I'd rather spend a bit more money on a better processor (the i7 8700 is slightly faster for games with better single core performance than the R7 2700) than save money there for a graphics card that I don't need. I'll get more use out of a better processor in the long run than the graphics card.

.. pcpartpicker? froogle? The usual places you'd search prices.

>2ex the price over a fast SSD isn't significant for a 0% performance increase
hilarious. Got that Intel buyer mindset for sure.

> I don't need a more powerful graphics card. It won't make a difference for me 99% of the time.
And your faster and more expensive CPU will make a difference 0% of the time since you are always going to be GPU bottlenecked with a 1070, other than being less smooth because of the shitty knockoff patent-dodging HT. Your rationals make no sense. You're just executing mental gymnastics to justify your poor purchases and that you have no clue what you're doing.

Anything wrong with this build?
pcpartpicker.com/user/slyxtendencies/saved/48W4qs

Is it worth paying the premium for a 8GB 580 vs just getting a 4GB? It seems like 8GB is mostly useful for VR, which is a rabbit hole I don't really intend to go down at this point.

If I lost my windows disk and plan to upgrade my motherboard soon, do I have to buy a new copy of windows or will I be fine?

Okay, I agree I am being suckered into the NVMe and I am trying to justify wanting it over a regular SATA SSD. I initially had 2 Crucial Mx500 SSDs in mind and I might just do that.

I know the R7 2700 has better performance per dollar compared to the i7 8700, but I've read more negative things about updates affecting AMD cards (like a recent one which was tied to some Gigabyte motherboards affecting multi-thread performance as well as temperature problems). Of course, some of their past models have been hit and miss which is also worrying. I'm afraid if I take the risk with the AMD card, I may end up having to not only replace that component, but also other components tied to it to fix the mess. Should I be this skeptical of AMD?

>buying windows

Activation will show up as failed, and you can follow the instructions and talk to a Microsoft rep. Tell the pajeet you upgraded your motherboard and they'll fix it for you

I-I unironically feel disappointed in myself when I pirate content...

Alright, thanks. I assume I don't really need any proof of purchase or anything either right?

They make most of their profit from prebuilt licenses and business owners buying in bulk. Almost no consumers buy Windows so it doesn't really effect them.

I'm aware but I feel really bad about using something constantly if I don't obtain it legally.

No. They can see you computer specs after the upgrade and they can query your previous specs with the key you're trying to activate (thanks, Windows) and compare the two

What you should be doing is a single 1Tb MX500 and replacing your HD with a slower/cheaper and less endurance SSD like the Micron 1100. It's still faster than an HDD and won't make noise.

>I know the R7 2700 has better performance per dollar compared to the i7 8700
That's not even what I'm saying.

What i'm saying is that an 8700 will generally not bottleneck a 1080 Ti at 1080p, which is about 60%, so it's well above what you need with a GTX 1070.
Since you're just gaming, you're wasting money getting way more CPU than you need. You should just be getting a 2600/X. It won't bottleneck a 1070 and thus is going to perform EXACTLY the same for less money.
The only reason you should be getting the 8700 is because you're getting a 1080Ti/2080 even though you probably don't need it for the games you play at 1080p.

Really what you should be doing is taking the $150 you save getting a 2600X instead, and upgrading to Vega56 which is about 10-25% above the 1070, depending on game and whether you're leaving it stock or overclocking it. But I'm assuming your 144hz monitor is Gsync already which is why you're fucking yourself over with bad choices so much here.

That's fine for most cases, but Windows 10 is a buggy and unfinished product that isn't worth $100.

Also it's basically legal to buy one of those $10-$20 keys. They aren't meant for PC builders in the western world. They're like bulk keys meant for other countries. But Microsoft could block them if they wanted to, and they don't. It's a way for them to make money they wouldn't otherwise make off people who won't pay full price but also don't want to pirate.

I'm the intelfag and I appreciate the advice. It's not just the monitor and future-proofing, but some of the prices in my country that are affecting my decisions. These decisions would be easier in the land of the free.

>Maybe your OC is bad and it's reverting to that?
I've tweaked it for the past hour and it turns out you're right. My chip can't go over 3.6Ghz on any voltage I set. Not even 3650Hz, it just crashes on load. I guess it makes sense that it was only apparent when I installed 1080ti, because with my old 1050 I was gpu limited at all times and cpu could run low loads even if it was set at 3.8Ghz in bios.

Oh well, guess I got an unlucky chip eh

1 TB ssds have been going on sale for

>100 posts before bump limit

A-anyone...

Last op was a shill

is this a good gaming pc?

forgot pic

Attached: xdsv.png (1163x761, 144K)

Yes

Really? It seems like Intel CPUs are massively more expensive everywhere.

What happens when you disable the OC and run it stock? Performance tab of ctrl+shift+esc should show the clock speed changing.

Shows 319 on the previous thread. Makes you think. Someone must have made a 2nd thread.

No

>pcpartpicker.com/user/slyxtendencies/saved/48W4qs
Get a motherboard with heatsink like the Bazooka.
And I'm not a fan of the case and don't see why you need 5.25" drive bays. Looks good otherwise.

Get the evga 500B1 instead, much better then the one you have, also I suggest you get the msi b450 tomahawk

Looks fine to me. Although 512Gb as a single drive can be quite bothersome in 2018 especially if you're gaming. With vidya weighting over 50Gb being the norm, you will have to constantly manage the space and shuffle the stuff around.
I'd recommend getting a 1TB hdd just to store multimedia and not important apps that don't benefit much from load speeds of an ssd. But that's just an extra qol improvement that you don't necessarily need.

no shit but this OP is still belling people to wait for a shitty slow housefire

>What happens when you disable the OC and run it stock? Performance tab of ctrl+shift+esc should show the clock speed changing.
It fluctuates between 1.4 and 2.7Ghz. But still doesn't seem to go over 2.7 for some reason. Even under load it never gets to the advertised 3.2Ghz base speed

Change the RAM to see if you can get 3000+ Mhz for similar price. Meanwhile, keeping the latency at 15/16 cas.

>Really? It seems like Intel CPUs are massively more expensive everywhere.
It tends to be the case, but with the models I am looking at the prices are odd. For example, I can see in the US there is a big price difference of $80-100 between the R7 2700 and i7-8700 while in my country the difference is about $20. The R5 2600 is quite cheap relative to these better cards so it may actually be worth getting for me. I'll look further into it.

What's the difference between the Tomahawk and the PRO-M2?

Also, you're putting a mATX Board in an ATX case. Why not get a mATX case..?

Is this on Windows?

PRO-M2 has no heatsinks and some other shit. Look yourself.

But again, not suggesting the 2700. That's more of a workstation CPU. A 2600 overclocked or a 2600X isn't going to remotely bottleneck a 1070.

What's the best Ram brand for the poozen ?

>Is this on Windows?
Yes, Win10

I built a system with a very similar storage configuration and I can only second the advice to spend more on a higher capacity SSD, even at the expense of having an HDD. Not having any moving parts makes the PC very comfy to use.

That's very strange. When was your BIOS last updated?
You may need to contact your motherboard support. Your CPU should, at the very least, be hitting well over 3Ghz stock.

>brand
Uhhh... Samsung?

why is it so hard to sell used pc parts? what can i do with my used stuff if it isn't selling?

I can't check my bios version now, but I've bought the mobo in june last year, so it's possible that my bios version is not the latest.

What book is that?

Well I be fucked, updated my bios to Jan 1st 2018 version and now on auto settings task bar shows over 3Ghz at all times, even going up to 3.54Ghz
Thanks man, I wouldn't know where to look for the issue

Update BIOS. Make sure you do so safely.

Comes with some MSI GPUs. I think their Gaming series. Or does it come with all? Might not anymore idk.

idk. I've been having trouble selling some 1070s myself.

Yeah, there you go.
I had some issues on launch BIOS myself, though not the same ones. It's like that for a new arch and shit.

>Comes with some MSI GPUs
Its also on their website
msi.com/Landing/InstallationComic

What’s the cheapest build to just have a desktop again that I can upgrade in the future for gaming down the line.

I figure a B450 motherboard and cheap AMD Ryzen 3 APU? Then I can upgrade to a CPU and dedicated GPU down the line and already have a motherboard memory and storage.

Are the APUs compatibility with Linux any good?

Haven’t owned a PC in like 5 years and don’t feel like dropping $1,500 on something at the moment. Just want to get away from my shitty Walmart laptop and figured a $500 desktop would be better than a $500 laptop.

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Decided on getting a VG278Q, have anyone used it before?

Is this shit Nvidia sponsored?

Rate my build user

Ryzen 5 1600X @ 3.95GHz
8Gb DDR4 RAM @ 2666 (no brand)
128Gb NVME ADATA SSD - split in / + bcache
2TB 7200Rpm Seagate driver cached by bcache
OC Radeon Vega 56 GPU
COUGAR 1000W PSU (got this cheaply from a miner)

it legit scares me that furries and tumblr faggots are increasingly occupying prestigious positions in desirable fields. millennials were a mistake.

Don't blame the children, blame the parents.

Is an AMD cpu harder to install then an Intel CPU?
I have built like a hundred Intel PC's(some extra work manually assembling computers) but never an AMD cpu.

Spend the extra cash, get a 2600 instead of a Ryzen 3 CPU. I was in the exact same situation as you, went with a 1200 and got an AIO to push it as hard as the chip would let me and im still suffering fucking hard in games like Destiny 2 and Black Ops 4.


Speaking of which, the reason im here.
Im still on a budget. Most online stores are trying to sell Ryzen 5 2600's new for around $245, a local brick and mortar chain is trying to clear out their Ryzen 5 1600X stock for the same price.

Should i just spend the extra cash on the 2600 or should i try and barter with the brick and mortar store to bring down the cost of a 1600X? What would be a reasonable price for it? Im thinking 200 but the idea that i can get a better CPU brand new for $45 more still seems a bit off to me but i feel like an offer under $190 isnt gonna work.

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No, it's easier even. You just place it correctly and it drops right in, nothing hard.

Attached: 1539692784930.jpg (1894x1636, 541K)

Kind of like intel then? Align the triangle, drop it in and try not to cry when locking it down with almost too much force?

Yes, only here it locks easily once dropped

Attached: pess.gif (300x168, 285K)

I wanna have hot sweaty sex with that dragon

Ok, thanks for the help.

If I recall you just have to let it slide by itself.

Am I dumb to be considering the gtx970 instead of Rx 570? Both seem to be similarly priced, 970 seems to edge benchmarks?

If you aren't going to use linux you can focus on benchmarks. If you care about open source then get an AMD even if it's 5% to 10% worse.

I don't play those game. I play a little Minecraft, CS:GO, and Farming Simulator respectively and ironically.

Judging by benchmarks, the Ryzen 3 APU is not far behind the Ryzen 5 and I don't see the need to spend the extra $50 when it's only going to be a temporary component.

>Are the APUs compatibility with Linux any good?
As long as you use a recent distro and kernel, yes.
If you're using a
>muh stability 8 years with no changes
one, then

I'd get a 2400G, though. It's not as good value, but it's still the best APU you can get. the 4c/8t CPU will handle a lot more of a GPU upgrade in the future and you'll be feeling less of a need to upgrade the CPU for longer.

No, it's easier. But it's more difficult to remove since cold thermal paste can clue the heatsink to the CPU and pull it out. However... I've ripped many PGA CPUs out of their socket and never damaged a pin. The pins are a lot stronger than LGA ones.
You can't bend pins during install by putting it in the wrong orientation with PGA.

I run Arch with 4.18 zen kernel.

Oh then you'll be fine

Neither Linux nor open source stuff appeals to me tremendously.

Thanks for the advice, I'll go 970

task manager sometimes misreports clock speeds by a fairly large margin.

vega 64 stirx for £489 or gtx 1080 strix for £599?? both new btw

I'm stuck with an old mobo, a bottlenecking i5-4460 and old DDR3 ram. All of this would need to get upgraded for my GTX 1070
Is there any point in getting the Ryzen 5 1600 when 2600 exists? Or should I go with the 2600X instead? I guess nobody wants to even talk about Intel options here