Building a custom PC for a friend.

[QwerkyPengwen]

OK, so I'm not new to PC building and buying appropriate parts.

Just figured I'd share what I've done so far and get feedback.

The kind of feedback though is what's important for me to stress.

You can give me your ideas and suggestions for different parts, however, you must back that up with actual facts and information that lend good reason for switching up a component.

The budget I am working with is at maximum $2000 USD. Trying not max it out though and any money that can be saved is obviously good.

I must also let you know that this budget is to include taxes.

The tax rate for my purchases is at 7.75% so you can do some math if you like.

So far I've already done the math and research into what I've chosen for his build which is why I've opted for B&H for a couple of purchases since it comes out to be less cost than with the other cheaper retail priced options since B&H doesn't collect taxes on purchases outside of New York and New Jersey and I don't live in either place.

With taxes sitting upon this build, and adding in shipping cost for the one item that has it, the total cost of this build comes to $1,843.50

And like I said, I am not looking to max out the budget just for a "marginally better" upgrade.
If it's not necessary to upgrade to something, then I won't and will save the money where I can.

This is a complete build including mouse, keyboard, and monitor.
Does not need to include Windows 10 since I already have that.

And I chose an AiO cooler since I will definitely be overclocking it for him.

I am also thinking since I do technically have a little room in the budget, that I would opt for the Meshify C TG case instead of the budget Focus G.
Might also opt for the Kraken X62 if I go with the Meshify C, but we will see about it.
Not going to be buying parts just yet, this is going to be a birthday present for early 2019 so I still have about 4 months.

Anywho, sorry for the long post.
Here's the build so far.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.69 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($86.01 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($52.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 8 GB DUKE OC Video Card ($494.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer - Predator XB241YU 23.8" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor ($399.99 @ Newegg Business)
Keyboard: Corsair - K63 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech - G602 Wireless Optical Mouse ($36.17 @ Amazon)
Total: $1710.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-10 22:16 EST-0500

 

[Darkbreeze]

B450 Pro4 only has 8 power phases. If you're going to be overclocking, you want one of the mid to upper tiered X470 boards that typically have 10-12 power phases. This is a factor for both CPU overclocking AND more importantly, getting memory to run at higher frequencies while remaining stable. Even though Ryzen has been much improved on the the newer B450 and X470 chipsets, and bios support has gotten better, there are STILL some issues that can present when using high frequency memory.

Evidence? Just browser the Google results for Ryzen memory compatibility. Most of it will be for B350 and X370 and early bios versions, but there will be enough in the threads related to high speed memory on these newer platforms to make it evident.

Also, if you want to run those sticks at 3200mhz, you probably want better sticks. I'd highly recommend using sticks that incorporate Samsung B-die ICs, otherwise you might find yourself unable to get much past 3000mhz and a lot of folks have trouble getting more than one module to run any higher than 2933mhz on lower quality sticks.

Anything listed on this page is Ryzen verified, but from board to board and configuration to configuration (Overclocked vs not, lower power phase, etc.) there are likely varying levels of success.

https://www.overclock.net/forum/18051-memory/1627555-ryzen-memory-ic-collection-thread.html

PSU is pretty good. Might want to consider this unit instead though as it's got a 100w higher capacity to give you a bit more headroom thermally for the PSU fan profile to not get too aggressive under full loads, and for your overclock. It also tests out slightly better in reviews. It's also less expensive than what you have listed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $68.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-10 22:37 EST-0500


These sticks might also be a bit more Ryzen friendly. More expensive, but almost guaranteed to offer better performance with lower timings, and better stability at higher speeds.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $209.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-10 22:42 EST-0500


The sticks you have selected will probably work fine though, but you might potentially run into problems trying to get them to run on a board with fewer phases dedicated to the memory and cpu, and with the ICs those chips use which are the Samsung E-die and are dual sided. A lot of users have found themselves having trouble getting sticks to operate at higher than 3000mhz with dual rank modules. Most dual sided modules are also dual rank. Either way, those are my thoughts on that for what it's worth.

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

I appreciate the feedback. However, that PSU is not cheaper.
Mail in rebates do nothing for me at the time of purchase and are an after thought.

yes, the RAM is definitely pricier. but for that price, I would get the Flare X instead since it's been proven to be much better with Ryzen 2nd gen and overclocking.

I will consider that thoroughly. Thank you.

Also, upgrading to the MSI Gaming Pro X470 would put a strain on what little budget I have left for this build, but I do understand that it's a better guarantee of higher overclocks and stability with overclocks on Ryzen.