Looking to build the ultimate Ryzen 3900X build with the RTX 2080 Ti for 2020? Want to know the absolute best components for the money to pick for your 3900X + RTX 2080 Ti, and get the most out of these enthusiast-grade components? If you are looking to do such a build then we recommend you read on as we create the best possible 3900X + 2080 Ti build for 2020, whilst keeping it semi-affordable and in reach for many enthusiast-level Ryzen 3900X builders.
The components we are selecting for this build aren’t necessarily the most expensive or flagship-level models, but rather a great performing and good quality components for the money, which provide for example 90% of the performance of a flagship component but a fraction of the price.
$3500 Ultimate Ryzen 9 3900X + RTX 2080 Ti Build – The Parts List
| Component | Design | Model | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU |  | Ryzen 9 3900X | $499 | AMD's flagship Zen 2 processor for our enthusiast-grade build in 2019. |
| CPU Cooler |  | Noctua NH-D15 | $99 | The best air cooler on the market, for any CPU. If the color isn’t for you then we recommend the Dark Rock Pro 4 |
| Motherboard |  | ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi | $380 | The best performance, non-flagship X570 motherboard, with a impressive 14-phase VRM design and cooling components |
| Memory |  | G.Skill TridentZ RGB 3600 MHz CL16 (32GB) | $375 | 3600MHz CL16 RAM for maximum memory performance for the Ryzen 9 3900X |
| PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD |  | Corsair MP600 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD 1TB | $250 | NVMe SSD storage utilising the PCIe 4.0 standard, up to 5GB/s of bandwidth speed |
| Storage |  | Samsung 860 EVO 1TB | $160 | SATAIII SSD storage for general use/productivity |
| Graphics Card |  | MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio | $1295 | The best RTX 2080 Ti aftermarket card on sale right now |
| PC Case |  | Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX | $170 | Great design, build quality and compatibility with Gaming X Trio + NH-D15 |
| Power Supply |  | SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 750W 80 | $120 | Best-in-class 750W ATX PSU |
| Monitor |  | Alienware AW3418DW | $850 | Best 1440p 120Hz G-SYNC Ultrawide monitor |
| Total (excluding Monitor) | $3348 | |||
| Total (including Monitor) | $4198 |
CPU – Ryzen 9 3900X
The main component of our enthusiast, performance-orientated AMD build is the Ryzen 9 3900X, and it needs no introduction. We’re looking to create one of the best possible gaming PC builds in 2020, and the Ryzen 9 3900X seems to fit the bill quite nicely. This 12-core, 24-thread Zen 2 processor offers insane levels performance and now presents a real contest to Intels Core i9-9900K. For gaming, the 3900X offers similar performance to the i9-9900K, being a little bit slower (6%) average at gaming FPS benchmarks (see here) but for general multitasking and applications is where the 3900X excels and outperforms the i9-9900K.
CPU Cooler – Noctua NH-D15
The Noctua NH-D15 is the king of air CPU coolers, and although been around for quite a long time, no other CPU cooler has really taken the crown from this fantastic, high performance and quiet CPU cooler. There is no need to go for a liquid/AIO cooled setup for the Ryzen 9 3900X when the Noctua NH-D15 offers performance on par with any 240mm AIO cooler today. Without question, the Noctua NH-D15 gets our pick for cooling the Ryzen 9 3900X in this build, just remember to pick one with an AM4 bracket, so it’s compatible with this Zen 2 processor.
Motherboard – ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi
If you want to build Zen 2 and want to have the best possible (and compatible) motherboard for the Ryzen 9 3900X, and want to utilise PCIe 4.0, then we recommend going for the X570 chipset, and in particular, our recommended overall X570 motherboard for the 3900X is the ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi.
This 14-phase motherboard has overkill VRM components, with a huge VRM heatsink, 60A IR3555 power stages and additional heatsinks for the M.2 slots – this motherboard is going to keep the components cool. With 8 SATA, dual M.2., WiFi 6 and 2.5GbE internet, the Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi is going to have every feature you should expect from a high-end X570 motherboard, and will be a great motherboard for the Ryzen 9 3900X and RTX 2080 Ti.
Memory – G.Skill TridentZ RGB 3600 MHz CL16 (32GB)
Recent benchmarks have concluded that the absolute best RAM timings for Ryzen 3000 (and the 3900X) are DDR4 3600 MHz CL16, with 3200 MHz CL14 coming shortly behind on performance. The best 3600 MHz CL16 RAM that is generally quite available and not overly expensive, and does look rather good, is the G.Skill TridentZ RGB 3600 MHz CL16, and with the 32GB quad-channel kit will provide more than enough memory for the Ryzen 9 3900X and RTX 2080 Ti build.
PCIe 4.0 Storage – Corsair MP600 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD 1TB
If we’re building an enthusiast, maximum performance Ryzen 9 3900X build with an X570 motherboard, we’re going to want to utilise the latest PCIe 4.0 generation lanes for NVMe SSDs, which offer blistering fast bandwidth speeds of up to 5Gb/s.
Although there are only three announced PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs, the SSD we will pick for this build, offering a lower price per gigabyte than the Gigabyte AORUS PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is the Corsair MP600 1TB. At $250 for the 1TB model, this PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD certainly isn’t cheap, but this is what you should expect for utilising brand new technologies and standards.
SATAIII SSD – Samsung 860 EVO 1TB
In addition to the Corsair MP600 500GB and its PCIe 4.0 bandwidth, we’re going to add another SATAIII SSD for general usage with slightly bigger storage capacity, utilising the PCIe 3.0 standard. Our favorite 2.5-inch SSD that offers the absolute best price/performance in 2020 is the Samsung 860 Evo, and for this model, we will be picking the 1TB version for our Ryzen 9 3900X + RTX 2080 Ti ATX build.
Graphics Card – MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio
What we regard as possibly the best aftermarket RTX 2080 Ti, on par with the ROG Strix RTX 2080 Ti, the MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio is an all-out, performance-orientated card with an overkill cooling setup, mammoth factory overclocks and surprisingly super-quiet performance under load. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for with the Gaming X Trio. Our RTX 2080 Ti aftermarket card pick for this Ryzen 9 3900X build.
PC Case – Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX
We have chosen the well-regarded, and possibly best-looking case on the market, the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX to house the mammoth 327mm length MSI RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio. This mid-tower ATX case will keep all the components as cool as possible and look great whilst doing it, with a neat airflow design allowing direct airflow to both the CPU and graphics card, with the intake towards the front and exhaust through the top of the case.
Built out of solid 3mm aluminum, the build quality of this clean designed ATX case is second to none, and with neat features such as RGB, modular HDD brackets and SSD brackets, and support for up to 420mm graphics cards, this PC case really is a pleasure to build with.
Power Supply – SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 750W 80+
SeaSonic is generally regarded as the best-in-class power supply manufacturer, especially for the ATX form factor size, and with the 750W FOCUS Gold 750W 80+, this PSU will provide plenty of wattage for all of the components, as well as stable power delivery, efficiency and quiet performance under load. You won’t need a PSU larger than 750W for the RTX 2080 Ti and Ryzen 9 3900X, so there’s no point spending more money than you have to on a bigger power supply.
Monitor – Alienware AW3418DW
The Alienware AW3418DW is one of our favorite monitors to pair with the RTX 2080 Ti, and with this enthusiast-grade build we will be aiming to game as high as 1440p 144hz, and with the Alienware AW3418DW being a 1440p ultrawide monitor with excellent image quality, sleek design, G-SYNC and low response times – this monitor will go perfectly with this 3900X + 2080 Ti build. The RTX 2080 Ti will be able to handle 3440×1440 resolution @ 120Hz, approximately 595m px/sec, so picking this monitor will be suitably matched in terms of getting the maximum refresh rate and resolution out of the RTX 2080 Ti.
As we have mentioned in our RTX 2080 TI monitor guide, this is arguably the best-reviewed monitor on the market in 2020 and will be the icing on the cake for any enthusiast 3900X + 2080 Ti build in 2020.