Build Advice ~$2500 build for Small Newspaper Owner. Need a little help.

[Roma-RSM]

Specifically this is my MIL. I built her a computer about 5 years ago for $600 (not including the Video card, I gave her my old one). It lasted her all these years, but she wants to upgrade now. She uses a LOT of storage space because of her newspapers. She's currently using probably as much as 15-20 TBs of data across various hard drives. Obviously some are old and she doesn't really access them often, but she filled up her 4TBs she had on the PC probably within a year.

So this time I want to get her enough storage that she doesn't have to worry about using external storage for the next 5 years or more. This is what I got so far. The video card is optional but she does need the ram, she opens a LOT of things at the same time. I was thinking to even get her 128 which I think is overkill and 64 is probably enough.

I can't decide between the HDDs. I was hoping for some help as well with:

• The motherboard. Not sure which one will be sufficient for her, I don't want to go too cheap but I don't think she needs a STRIX z690 E.
• The RAM - Not sure if she needs DDR5s but I want it to be future proof for awhile, especially with spending 2.5k I want it to last past the 5 year mark of the current one.
• The 12900k. Overkill? I'm really happy with it and she does use a lot of programs (from quickbooks and excel to adobe photoshop and acrobat etc) and has a ton of stuff open all the time, not sure how much of it is processor heavy though so not sure on this.
• The HDDs obviously. Which one is better. I want her to have a lot of space to move files she doesn't access everyday to. So it will be either 2x Exos or 2x BarraCuda Pro. You help me decide or recommend something better.
• The Cooler seems decent, I also got 2 of the Arctic P12 to replace the Cooler Stock Fan with.
• Case may be overkill but I like a lot of space to work with, her tiny tower proved to be an issue when I wanted to expand for more storage. So I'm going all in case wise.
• Power Supply seems good. I trust and like EVGA but will take advice.
• Got 5 more fans for the case.
• Not sure if I'm missing anything.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K 3.2 GHz 16-Core Processor ($318.74 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler ($31.86 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX Z690-E GAMING WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($245.43 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($223.11 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($318.74 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 8 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($207.19 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 8 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($207.19 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Exos X14 12 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($201.86 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Exos X14 12 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($201.86 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA XC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($392.06 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($124.30 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G3 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($318.75 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro Retail - Download 64-bit ($199.99 @ Best Buy)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 PWM PST 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan ($10.61 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 PWM PST 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan ($10.61 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 PST 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fans 5-Pack ($37.18 @ Amazon)
Total: $3049.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-07-28 00:56 EDT-0400

 

[richard612]

DDR5: There's a chance you can reuse DDR5 in the next upgrade cycle (depending on how far in the future that is). DDR4 is pretty much end-of-life at this point. I don't think the difference in memory bandwidth w/ DDR4 vs DDR5 would be noticeable given the system's intended use.

12900k: Probably overkill but the price is honestly not bad for what you get. I multitask like an overcaffeinated ferret on a lesser CPU and never experience any lag. Having plenty of RAM is key as it translates to Windows almost never needing to free memory pages -- when a program component is loaded into memory it can stay there and won't need to be re-read from disk later on. 64GB should be plenty.

RTX 3060: Why? How many monitors?

HDDs: 7200rpm drives are banned from my household. I'm tired of dealing with the heat and the audible 120Hz hum. Anything that needs performance goes on SSD. I acknowledge this is an extreme, out-of-consensus position to take. As for your two choices I have no input unfortunately.

PS: Overkill. It's double overkill if you skip the 3060 and switch to a processor with an iGPU. I'm running dual GPUs (including an RTX 3060), a power-hungry datacenter networking card, and a 90w TDP CPU on a Corsair RM550x.

Fans: I like Arctic P12 a lot. The price is right, you get convenient pigtails for daisy-chaining, and the fans have locked rotor detection so they don't kill themselves if something goes wrong (like getting jammed by a wire).

 

[Roma-RSM]

DDR5: There's a chance you can reuse DDR5 in the next upgrade cycle (depending on how far in the future that is). DDR4 is pretty much end-of-life at this point. I don't think the difference in memory bandwidth w/ DDR4 vs DDR5 would be noticeable given the system's intended use.

12900k: Probably overkill but the price is honestly not bad for what you get. I multitask like an overcaffeinated ferret on a lesser CPU and never experience any lag. Having plenty of RAM is key as it translates to Windows almost never needing to free memory pages -- when a program component is loaded into memory it can stay there and won't need to be re-read from disk later on. 64GB should be plenty.

RTX 3060: Why? How many monitors?

HDDs: 7200rpm drives are banned from my household. I'm tired of dealing with the heat and the audible 120Hz hum. Anything that needs performance goes on SSD. I acknowledge this is an extreme, out-of-consensus position to take. As for your two choices I have no input unfortunately.

PS: Overkill. It's double overkill if you skip the 3060 and switch to a processor with an iGPU. I'm running dual GPUs (including an RTX 3060), a power-hungry datacenter networking card, and a 90w TDP CPU on a Corsair RM550x.

Fans: I like Arctic P12 a lot. The price is right, you get convenient pigtails for daisy-chaining, and the fans have locked rotor detection so they don't kill themselves if something goes wrong (like getting jammed by a wire).

Great reply thank you for the breakdown on the Ram, the CPU and the fans. Really appreciate it.

Video Card - She's using 2 Monitors and honestly I am 99% certain I'm just going to reuse her current video card. I wish I remembered what I gave her 5 years ago but whatever it is, it should be fine as it was fine so far running those same monitors.

HDDs - I'm with you on the 7200s, I only do NVMe's at this point tbh for myself, but for the amount of space I think she needs I feel like it's prohibitively expensive for now . One 4TB should be fine as she tends to move everything to the TB, sort it there and then move it to the other drives. But still need to get her a couple of HDDs just for the storage as she's used to it and want sit.

Copy that, Let me know on the PSU you'd recommend for this build. PCPart picker estimated 640 with the 3060, and I wasn't really sure how accurate that is.

Would like a suggestion on the Mobo as well if possible.

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 8 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($195.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 8 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($195.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Exos X14 12 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Exos X14 12 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($285.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2415.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-07-28 02:58 EDT-0400

 

[richard612]

Regarding the drives, I look to 5400rpm for "capacity" needs. Unfortunately there aren't many on the market and they tend to be specialized.

The PS in the other reply above is well-regarded and 1/3 the cost of that eVGA.

 

[Roma-RSM]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 8 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($195.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 8 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($195.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Exos X14 12 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Exos X14 12 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($285.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2415.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-07-28 02:58 EDT-0400

Awesome! Thank you. I'm def stealing the Cpu and the PSU. I'm going to keep her with the current Video Card she has - which is a RX 580 - for now. I was thinking (after making this post) to maybe do a white build for her as a nice present. And while I can keep most things the same or similar (new case and cooler), the only Mobo that I can find in white that's decent is this one. What are your thoughts on it?

Regarding the drives, I look to 5400rpm for "capacity" needs. Unfortunately there aren't many on the market and they tend to be specialized.

The PS in the other reply above is well-regarded and 1/3 the cost of that eVGA.

Yes I went to look at it and saw that it seems to be "tier A in the psu cultist list" as someone in reviews put, which makes me happy and glad I posted here. Thank you.