Build Advice Building a new gaming pc, willing to spend 800-1050 USD (not including monitor)

[newuser999]

Hey everyone, building a new gaming pc, need some suggestions on parts (if you could give me a few different builds within the price range, that would be great)

Approximate Purchase Date: This weekend, or Monday at the latest (trying to take advantage of boxing week)

Budget Range: 800-1050 USD including shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, using software like ArcGIS pro, watching movies, browsing the web)

Are you buying a monitor: Yes (but that's not included in the build price) I'm willing to spend around 200 on top of my build budget



Parts to Upgrade: Almost everything( However, I do have a Deep Cool fan, I'd like to re-use if possible). Also I have a NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case I bought in 2016 and if I can re-use that, that would be great. Everything else will need to be bought

Do you need to buy OS: Yes


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Anywhere with the best prices

Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Parts Preferences: For gaming, I'm guessing AMD is the way to go, but if I'm mistaken let me know. All other parts I trust the experts in their suggestions.

Overclocking: Yes /Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Probably not

Your Monitor Resolution: At least 1680x1050, with the possibility to go higher

Additional Comments: Something not overly loud would be great.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My System is obsolete as I built it in 2016, and is having difficulties running newer games and software such as ArcGIS Pro.

Thank you!

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'll be happy to help you with this, but it would also be helpful if you could post a list of the hardware in your current build so we have some idea of what we are trying to improve upon and whether there is anything else in there that might be worth repurposing to this build besides the case.

Do you not have Windows installed on your current system? If so, what Windows version are you running because if you are currently running Windows 10 you can totally move that OS license to the new machine and not have to buy another license unless you have plans to continue using that with the hardware that it's attached to now or something.

Given what you've posted as preferred resolution I assume you will be planning to run a 1080p display, which is one of the three most common resolutions of 1920 x 1080, 2560 x 1440 and 3840 x 2160. Those being 1080p, 1440p (2k) and 4k. Considering the price of your budget it is not realistic to assume being able to build this for anything more than a 1080p capable system.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Anyhow, something like this would be a good place to start. I don't know how seriously you use ArcGIS Pro, but if you use it even halfway seriously, it REALLY likes to see 32GB of RAM and a GPU that offers the ability to use CUDA 6.1 or higher. This obviously can be tweaked based on whether you already have storage devices, if you don't actually need a new Windows license. Etc. Being in Canada makes it a bit tougher since of course everything is a bit more expensive.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.00 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock B550 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($89.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($62.97 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: PNY VERTO GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB Video Card ($389.99 @ Best Buy Canada)
Power Supply: Corsair RM650 (2023) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($124.99 @ Corsair)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - USB 64-bit ($139.00 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $1045.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-29 23:15 EST-0500

 

[newuser999]

Anyhow, something like this would be a good place to start. I don't know how seriously you use ArcGIS Pro, but if you use it even halfway seriously, it REALLY likes to see 32GB of RAM and a GPU that offers the ability to use CUDA 6.1 or higher. This obviously can be tweaked based on whether you already have storage devices, if you don't actually need a new Windows license. Etc. Being in Canada makes it a bit tougher since of course everything is a bit more expensive.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.00 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock B550 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($89.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($62.97 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: PNY VERTO GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB Video Card ($389.99 @ Best Buy Canada)
Power Supply: Corsair RM650 (2023) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($124.99 @ Corsair)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - USB 64-bit ($139.00 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $1045.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-29 23:15 EST-0500

Hi Darkbreeze,

Thanks for your response.

I actually have Windows 10 Pro installed.

My other components that are maybe worth mentioning are but are quite outdated are:
SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory


The outdated components are:
MSI Z170-A PRO (MS-7971)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6500 CPU @ 3.20GHz 3.19 GHz


Others are more obsolete, and I'd rather get a new power supply given this one is going on 8 years old. But if you think its ok still, I guess I can reuse it.

Yea, I would be using ArcGIS Pro rather intensely sometimes, so that seems about right.

Now that I don't need to buy a new OS , can I spend a bit more on the processor? Or what do you think?

Also do you think my case being almost 8 years old is ok to use for a new build? I noticed last time some of the wires were quite a tight squeeze in some spots.

Finally, could you give me an alternate build, that would be closer to the high end of my budget being around 1300-1400 Canadian? Would it be worth it to spend a little extra in your opinion?

Thanks,

Andy

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Intel alternative.

Reuse your case and fans:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($45.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 Pro RS ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($73.98 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($159.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Asus DUAL OC GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB Video Card ($389.00 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: FSP Group Hydro PTM X PRO,Gen5 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($116.99 @ PC-Canada)
Total: $1155.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-30 15:12 EST-0500


Monitor suggestion: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...4-270-1920x1080-240-hz-monitor-ls27bg402enxgo

If you want to spend a bit more: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...600kf-35-ghz-14-core-processor-bx8071513600kf

 

[Darkbreeze]

I think your case is fine so long as YOU are fine WITH it. No reason you can't use it. There is nothing wrong with it other than it might lack some minimal additional features found on some of the newer cases but overall there is no reason to HAVE to replace it.

Yes, your PSU needs to be replaced. Your S12 or M12-II 520w is very old, lacks some modern protections and is a group regulated design which won't work all that well with modern hardware due to some of the low power state behaviors. Besides which you never want to use a power supply that is past it's warranty period when building a new system with all new, generally speaking, expensive, hardware. Spending 800+ dollars on something and leaving it's fate to chance over a 100-150 dollar power supply would be, and when people do it, is, simply stupidity.

As far as storage devices, so you are saying ALL of your storage devices are very old as well? None of them are actually trustworthy due to age? Not that I disagree, I just don't know what you have in your current system as far as storage devices are concerned nor obviously how old they are.

I've only included a drive for the primary use of the OS and installed applications. If you want an additional drive for storing game files, backup data and potentially also the applications themselves in order to keep the primary drive as clean as possible which helps keep it operating as speedily as possible, you'll probably have to expand the budget somewhat as a lot of hardware is just expensive right now. And I wouldn't plan to add storage devices later. If you're going to do it, do it now, because storage devices are expected to increase in price by as much as 50% over the next 12 months.

Also, do you have an aftermarket cooler with your current system or are you using the stock cooler?

So, yes, it would be worth it to spend a little more now. The drives included here are both TLC NAND which means they have a much longer life expectancy (TBW and warranty) than most other budget drives which use QLC NAND. They lack a DRAM cache but still have much better performance than any SATA SSD so they are plenty fast, have good expected longevity and I've included a 512GB drive for the OS and smaller applications (Or whatever applications you want to live on that drive) and a 2TB drive for game files and whatever applications, backups or personal files you want to live on that drive.

I've increased the graphics card from an RTX 4060 to an RTX 4060 ti. The difference isn't terrific but 15% better performance, better potentially with a small overclock, is a real "nice to have" when it comes to gaming or productivity performance. If you aren't willing to pay the premium between the price of this card and the regular 4060, then swap it back for the 4060. It's your system, you can do whatever you want to.

I've changed the power supply from the Corsair RM to the RMx, which is a moderately better model. I could get into why, but suffice to say it is more than worth the price difference.

I've changed you from the budget AMD CPU to an Intel i5 with 10 cores and 16 threads (Versus the 6 cores and 12 threads of the Ryzen 5 5500) which nets you around 29% better single core performance and around 42% better multithreaded performance.

Also, this includes a B760 board that supports DDR5 instead of DDR4, which affords you the ability to reuse this memory again if you make a CPU or platform upgrade in the next few years since nothing else you buy from this point forward unless it's an older platform, is going to support DDR4. DDR4 configurations are fine still if you are looking to save money, but if you are forward looking at all then it's a good idea if you don't want to have to buy new memory if you should decide to upgrade again in the next five years or so. While it's true that we will likely start seeing DDR6 sometime in 2025 it will likely take a while for that to mature just as it has DDR5 and all other DDR generations that have come before, so the reality is anybody upgrading in the next few years is most probably still going to be moving to a DDR5 platform if they aren't already on it unless they simply must have whatever is the latest thing at that time. Getting two generations at least out of any memory purchase seems acceptable to me.

I've also included a very good CPU cooler, so that the up and down and just generally annoying behavior and noise level of the stock cooler won't be a distraction or drive you up the wall. It will also keep your hardware significantly cooler.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($45.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($227.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory ($114.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($114.97 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: PNY VERTO GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Best Buy Canada)
Power Supply: Corsair RM650x (2021) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1388.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-30 15:45 EST-0500

 

[Darkbreeze]

@Lucky_SLS, sorry man, I know it seems I always have to pick your builds apart, and of course you are always welcome to do the same to mine since we all have an equal right to offer our own opinions and recommendations here, but unfortunately I feel like I have to to some degree. And some of it IS just my own opinion, for what it's worth, not necessarily anything that is "wrong" with what you've put forth.

So, that power supply is an unknown factor. Yes, we know that FSP is an OEM for power supplies but we ALSO know that they have some extremely terrible models they have sold under their own branding over the last ten years and while that alone would not necessarily be enough to eliminate that unit from consideration, there is also the fact that there are no professional reviews of that unit that I can see, because I looked while making the original build recommendation. And FSP, much like Seasonic and CWT, generally uses much different platforms for their 750 and 850w models than they do for any of their units that are 1000w or higher. Usually, significantly inferior platforms to those units for that matter. So, I can't get on board with that unit unless I see a reputable review showing that exact model is not problematic in any way. Especially since there are other units near that price range we know without any doubt are very reliable and use high quality parts.

That Pro RS board, lacks Type C USB capability on the rear panel, which for me would be a deal breaker these days when so many devices are moving to USB C physical configurations, regardless of WHICH "type" of USB is backing it. More importantly though, a lot of USB hubs are now primarily USB C inputs, as they tend to be capable of supplying a lot more throughput, simultaneous signal and higher power at the same time through a single port than most other USB types. Yes, type A if it is the same USB gen behind it works just as well, but device manufacturers are beginning to move away from Type A devices so it's really kind of nice to have at least one Type C port back there.

I'm also not a huge fan of using DDR4 parts this late in the game, but not deadset against it as clearly I did as well on my budget build posted earlier, but again, that WAS a budget build. So, could go either way on this. What I can't go both ways on is not including additional storage if we're going to significantly bump the price of the build up. But you have room to do this anyhow so I can't complain too much about that either really. Still, it's not there.

Hate the fact that you included an ASUS product, because they are singlehandedly the worst company I've ever dealt with when it comes to product and warranty support over the last 8 years or so. Yes, they used to be very good. Used to. They are not anymore. I could probably bring dozens and dozens of testimonials here from users that can validate that fact, in addition to my own experiences, and the way they treat customers these days IF you have to deal with them on any warranty issues is simply not acceptable. You will VERY RARELY ever see me include any ASUS part in any build recommendations I do. The price would have to be phenomenal. I'd rather pay 40 bucks more for something knowing I can get help with it or get it replaced IF something goes wrong, then have to roll the dice on the idea that ASUS is going to help and/or not send it back damaged which has happened a lot to people on this forum I know, and to some of my own hardware as well. They have literally gotten too big for their own britches. Heck them.

I do like the SN850X, but in this case I think the additional drive outweighs the benefit of some extra theoretical speed that most users aren't going to really experience anyhow, especially if they don't have multiple NVME devices installed that they plan to move files between.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

@Darkbreeze , yeah I get what you are saying. I will try to answer some of your questions:

I couldn't find a atx 3.0 transient load test review but I did find this. 1000w and 850 use the same platform:
https://www.anandtech.com/show/18752/the-fsp-hydro-ptm-x-pro-1000w-atx-30-psu-review

I would also like to point that fsp as an oem really nailed atx 3.0 design/platform

You can see fsp's own platform taking the performance crown in atx 3.0 tests here:

Best PSU Picks 2025 - Hardware Busters

Hardware Busters - Best PSU Picks 2025 - Best Picks

hwbusters.com

Note: see the 1000w and 1250w page. The above list is not exhaustive like cultist's psu list. Since both 1000w and 850w uses the same platform, the results apply for both.

This was my reasoning behind choosing the ptm X pro. It's a great buy for the price IMHO.

PSU Tier List rev. 17.0g - Cultists Network

PSU Tier List will help you to choose the best PSU out of hundreds of models on the market. From budget to the highest end Power Supplies.

cultists.network

As for ddr4 vs ddr5, went for ddr4 cuz of the budget. And ddr5 performance gains is not that compelling.
https://www.tomshardware.com/features/ddr5-vs-ddr4-is-it-time-to-upgrade-your-ram

Regarding sn850x, you said it yourself, the price difference was small and might as well go for one of the best pcie 4.0 drives.

If the OP is a power user like video editing or storage backup drives with daily backup, Yes a TLC drive would be better. But for everyday use? The sn850x is perfectly fine if you ask me.

I won't comment on asus and your personal preference. My previous experience with them are my current laptop that I am using and my RX 480 dual oc from my previous rig which I no longer use. I have no complaints.

Mobo io again is upto the OP to decide. As long as it's not a basic 8 phase 50a cap vrm design, it's upto OP to see the features and decide. My selection of mobo has 13 phase vrm design. Not really sure of capacitor current rating. It is a good model for the price.

 

[Darkbreeze]

1000w and 850 use the same platform:
https://www.anandtech.com/show/18752/the-fsp-hydro-ptm-x-pro-1000w-atx-30-psu-review

I don't see anything in that review, anywhere, that claims that the 850w and 1000w units use the same platform. Nothing. Perhaps you have some other source that indicates this and if so then surely there is a review there, because if anybody looked closely enough inside an 850w and 1000w unit to make this determination then they almost certainly would be posting a review of both units otherwise there would be no reason to even pop the cover on the 850w model. FSP certainly doesn't say they have the same platform because I've looked all over their website and on the product pages for those units and found...........crickets. So maybe you've found something I was not able to?

I would also like to point that fsp as an oem really nailed atx 3.0 design/platform

While I have the utmost respect for Aris, both he and Jon Gerow will tell you point blank that simply because an OEM, company or specific model "adheres well to the standards" does not always, or even often for that matter, mean that a unit ends up having good performance, or good build quality or for that matter uses superior quality components that will make for a long lasting power supply. And I'm not saying that it means they haven't done that either. What I AM saying is that nobody, NOBODY, gets a free pass when it comes to making assumptions that a unit will be good.


Just look at EVGA if you need any evidence. Their B1 series was among the worst power supplies we've ever seen from a highly marketed well known brand. Then the B2 series came along and they were not only some of the best low cost power supplies we'd ever seen, they actually achieved Silver efficiency even though they were only rated for Bronze. So when the B3 series came out we all had high expectations for them and not only did they not meet those expectations, most of them flat out blew up on Aris test bench. So without a professional review, I don't care who the company is or what the model is, or what other models in that series looked like after reviews, they don't get a pass in my book.


Just look, if you need another example, at the Seasonic M12II units. The 520 and 620w models were group regulated and the lack some protections compared to more modern models. The 750w and 850w M12II models were NOT group regulated, used an entirely different platform, had the full slate of modern protections and if they still made them they would STILL be fairly decent in terms of performance and build quality even though they would not be as efficient and probably also lack at least a couple of protections found on the latest platforms. Plus, they certainly wouldn't do well when it comes to transient spikes (Power excursions) because there was no reason for them to since most cards didn't have big problems with it back then. So, for me at least, no review means that unit does not get recommended by me until there is one. And then, only if the review is from a reputable reviewer and says the unit is suitable for a particular use case. You can recommend whatever you like but that's basically my hard fast rule and it has never failed to serve me well. Yes, it results in fewer models that I can sort through for recommendations, but it also serves to ensure that I am never recommending something that we find out later, is poo poo.

This was my reasoning behind choosing the ptm X pro. It's a great buy for the price IMHO.

PSU Tier List rev. 17.0g - Cultists Network
​

s far as the Cultists go, we've definitely had our fair share of run-ins with them here. I (And many others here with MANY, MANY years of hardware experience) have disagreed with a lot of things that various members of that endeavor have had to say about some models and some general assumptions they've made that are, and have been proven to be, rather unfounded or just plain bad. Like assuming that ALL examples of a particular type of more modern platform are better than ALL examples of an older platform. For example, that the early Smart series platforms that were DC-DC were better than the S12II and M12II group regulated platforms. Certainly you want DC-DC if the model in question is a good example of a DC-DC platform but the fact that it's DC-DC alone does make it better. Only if the implementation, design, quality and component selection are better, is it better. Better is just better no matter what.


There are a number of other reasons why we haven't agreed with a lot of things they've had to say over the years and that is also why most of them are no longer here anymore, but, I also believe that in general most of them are at least somewhat knowledgeable and some of them are actually pretty knowledgeable in this area, so I don't automatically discount the placement of a given unit on there either. However, that is almost always when there are reviews available for that unit or AT LEAST some indication that a certain unit DOES in fact have the same platform as some other unit that has the same platform, and has been given a particular level of thumbs up. But also keep in mind that even models with the same exact platform can have GREATLY difference implementations of that platform.


So just because model Y and model X have the same platform, does NOT mean they are both good options. One can be great while the other is a turd, based entirely on how the company whose name is on the box decided they wanted to have that platform outfitted in terms of capacitor quality, cooling configuration, modular board selection, build quality or a half dozen other factors that could all make a big difference in terms of it's performance and efficiency. So even when they have the same "platform" it's still not necessarily a "pass" for me.

Yes a TLC drive would be better. But for everyday use? The sn850x is perfectly fine if you ask me.

The SN850x IS a TLC drive, so not sure where you were going with that, or honestly, if you even knew. LOL. JK.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Regarding SSD, sry i was confused with MLC like the 980 pro. And i was thinking all the high spec pcie 4.0 were MLC. Surprised about that. But in this case, even better! SN850X is a great choice.

Regarding FSP's platform - they make their own platform. All the models have the same efficiency rating. FSP does not mix platforms for the same model lineup, not in the recent models and news that i have been following.
Brands like corsair and EVGA use different platforms for higher wattage models in the same range for cost purposes.

I have my own opinion about FSP's top end lineup of products and i believe they are good, even though i dont have an ATX 3.0 review for PTM X pro. They are reputed ODM for EVGA G series lineup for a long time and all ATX 3.0 reviews for their latest lineup is good. Just like seasonic. And the non ATX 3.0 reviews for PTM X pro have been nothing but stellar. So i would agree to disagree with you here, until we have definitive ATX 3.0 review to clear it once and for all.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Regarding FSP's platform - they make their own platform. All the models have the same efficiency rating. FSP does not mix platforms for the same model lineup

Yes, obviously I am aware they make their own platforms. That was made clear when I said they are an OEM, which, in case you do not know what that means which it seems you do not, it means original equipment manufacturer. They are the ones that build platforms, assemble them, etc. Just like Seasonic, CWT, Great Wall, Andyson, Superflower, Delta, etc. They are not a brand. They are a manufacturer. Other "brands" use platforms made by OEMs by either rebranding existing platforms or designing and custom ordering platforms for OEMs to build for them. I am VERY well versed in this area, so there is no need to explain to me these basics.

As far as "all models having the same efficiency rating" and "FSP does not mix platforms for the same model lineup", LOL, that couldn't be further from the truth. Clearly you need to do more due diligence in this area because those statements are patently false. However, we can discuss that elsewhere, like in my PSU thread, if you wish. We have gone off topic long enough in this thread. Thanks.

 

[newuser999]

I think your case is fine so long as YOU are fine WITH it. No reason you can't use it. There is nothing wrong with it other than it might lack some minimal additional features found on some of the newer cases but overall there is no reason to HAVE to replace it.

Yes, your PSU needs to be replaced. Your S12 or M12-II 520w is very old, lacks some modern protections and is a group regulated design which won't work all that well with modern hardware due to some of the low power state behaviors. Besides which you never want to use a power supply that is past it's warranty period when building a new system with all new, generally speaking, expensive, hardware. Spending 800+ dollars on something and leaving it's fate to chance over a 100-150 dollar power supply would be, and when people do it, is, simply stupidity.

As far as storage devices, so you are saying ALL of your storage devices are very old as well? None of them are actually trustworthy due to age? Not that I disagree, I just don't know what you have in your current system as far as storage devices are concerned nor obviously how old they are.

I've only included a drive for the primary use of the OS and installed applications. If you want an additional drive for storing game files, backup data and potentially also the applications themselves in order to keep the primary drive as clean as possible which helps keep it operating as speedily as possible, you'll probably have to expand the budget somewhat as a lot of hardware is just expensive right now. And I wouldn't plan to add storage devices later. If you're going to do it, do it now, because storage devices are expected to increase in price by as much as 50% over the next 12 months.

Also, do you have an aftermarket cooler with your current system or are you using the stock cooler?

So, yes, it would be worth it to spend a little more now. The drives included here are both TLC NAND which means they have a much longer life expectancy (TBW and warranty) than most other budget drives which use QLC NAND. They lack a DRAM cache but still have much better performance than any SATA SSD so they are plenty fast, have good expected longevity and I've included a 512GB drive for the OS and smaller applications (Or whatever applications you want to live on that drive) and a 2TB drive for game files and whatever applications, backups or personal files you want to live on that drive.

I've increased the graphics card from an RTX 4060 to an RTX 4060 ti. The difference isn't terrific but 15% better performance, better potentially with a small overclock, is a real "nice to have" when it comes to gaming or productivity performance. If you aren't willing to pay the premium between the price of this card and the regular 4060, then swap it back for the 4060. It's your system, you can do whatever you want to.

I've changed the power supply from the Corsair RM to the RMx, which is a moderately better model. I could get into why, but suffice to say it is more than worth the price difference.

I've changed you from the budget AMD CPU to an Intel i5 with 10 cores and 16 threads (Versus the 6 cores and 12 threads of the Ryzen 5 5500) which nets you around 29% better single core performance and around 42% better multithreaded performance.

Also, this includes a B760 board that supports DDR5 instead of DDR4, which affords you the ability to reuse this memory again if you make a CPU or platform upgrade in the next few years since nothing else you buy from this point forward unless it's an older platform, is going to support DDR4. DDR4 configurations are fine still if you are looking to save money, but if you are forward looking at all then it's a good idea if you don't want to have to buy new memory if you should decide to upgrade again in the next five years or so. While it's true that we will likely start seeing DDR6 sometime in 2025 it will likely take a while for that to mature just as it has DDR5 and all other DDR generations that have come before, so the reality is anybody upgrading in the next few years is most probably still going to be moving to a DDR5 platform if they aren't already on it unless they simply must have whatever is the latest thing at that time. Getting two generations at least out of any memory purchase seems acceptable to me.

I've also included a very good CPU cooler, so that the up and down and just generally annoying behavior and noise level of the stock cooler won't be a distraction or drive you up the wall. It will also keep your hardware significantly cooler.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($45.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($227.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory ($114.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($114.97 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: PNY VERTO GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Best Buy Canada)
Power Supply: Corsair RM650x (2021) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1388.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-30 15:45 EST-0500

Hi Darkbreeze,

Thanks for that updated build. I wish I would have bought that intel processor, because the price went up recently. Also what's your opinion on intel vs AMD for processors regarding gaming and overall performance/reliability?

Would my current Deep Cool fan not be sufficient for cooling for my new build?

The one thing I'm concerned with is the motherboard because of some reviews on Amazon that say it fried and other issues people were experiencing. Do you have any other alternatives that will work with my case?

If you could please give me an updated build, because I'd like to buy the parts today or tmrw, since boxing week ends then.

Also, I have two 225 GB SSD's in my current pc, but they are pretty full atm. One of them is about 8 years old, and the other would be around 3-4.

Regards,

Andy

 

[Darkbreeze]

You can find reviews (Which are NOT actually "reviews", they are just some idiot saying whatever is on their mind, like, it's great, because the box actually arrived undamaged, or it sucks, because they are idiots who didn't know what they were doing or how to actually use a thing) on Amazon, New Egg and other sites saying just about anything you want to find, so, if you want to go through life making decisions based on "it fried" because they were greenhorns who connected things where they didn't belong, or it's great, because it looks nice (But is in reality a piece of crap that should never be connected to any hardware you value as is the case often when it comes to certain power supply models, etc.) then IDK what to tell you.

Every motherboard out there, ALL of them, you can find reviews somewhere, and again, those are not "reviews", they are just feedback from individuals with little to no knowledge about anything, saying "it fried". All that means is that person had no business trying to build anything in the first place. While ALL electronics can fail right out of the box regardless of how good the quality is, or can last thirty years even when it's a low quality box of bolts, it is MOST often due to something that was done by a clueless user more often than not when you see that kind of feedback.

I've been using various flavors of Gigabyte's Gaming 5 and 7, which now are basically the Aorus Elite variants (Elite, Elite AX, Elite WiFi, etc.) from all of the various chipset families, for years now. In fact, both the motherboard in my main PC which is a Z690 Aorus Elite AX and the one in my garage PC which is an X570 Aorus Elite WiFi, as well as four other Aorus Elite boards I've used in builds for various people are all running fine and have had no issues.

Actual PROFESSIONAL reviews, like the one below, show that this is a very good quality board. The reality is that unless you buy something at the VERY bottom of a product stack for a given chipset (And these days even most of those are at least passably decent, better in most cases than any of the motherboards you'd get as part of a prebuilt OEM type system from somebody like Dell, HP or Lenovo) they are all mostly decent and trustworthy so long as you are not using one that does not have capable enough features for the hardware you are trying to use on it. You would not want to for example use a motherboard that lacks heatsinks on the VRMs with a high end Ryzen 7, Ryzen 9, i7 or i9 product because you WILL likely end up with some kind of thermal throttling issue AND those very low end boards are generally going to include fairly low end capacitors so don't expect them to last as long as a board that costs 40-50 dollars more.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gigabyte-b760-aorus-elite-ax-review/3



https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1...therboard/index.html#Power-and-Final-Thoughts

Gigabyte B760 Aorus Elite AX

No frills, no fuss.

www.pcgamer.com

Notice, no mention of "it fried"? Right, that's because those are PROFESSIONAL reviews, not some Joe Blow who failed to make sure that all the standoffs were in the right place before installing the board in the case and powering it on, causing it to short out and fry. Which isn't to say that there can't be a legitimate failure with one of these or any other board, right out of the box or withing a short period of time, but that is true for ANY and ALL electronics, regardless of brand, model, manufacturer or price, so considering they've likely sold many thousands of this board, even if a few people have legitimately experienced premature failures, it's simply due to the fact that IT HAPPENS when dealing with electronics, and not due to any common shortcoming of this specific board model.

But hey, if you don't like the board, go with something else. That just happens to be a series that in general I trust and is from a company that in general I have a warm fuzzy feeling towards because they've never done me wrong in the way that ASUS has nor are they morally corrupt like MSI is. But by all means, go with something better if you want. It's going to cost more, but there are certainly higher quality options out there with better feature sets if you don't mind paying a premium to go up the ladder a little bit.


As for your "Deepcool fan", I have no idea what you are talking about. Yes, I noticed you said that in the original post but to me, and to anybody who knows anything about computer hardware or systems, when you say "fan" we assume "fan". Not "CPU cooler" or anything else. Just "fan". As in, case fan. So, if you have a CPU cooler already, what is the model of that cooler and do you have an adapter for it that is going to allow you to use it with any of the newer Intel or AMD sockets? Because there are many different socket designs out there and while some coolers come with adapters to fit a few different models, if it's a cooler you've had for a while it's very unlikely that it has one for anything that's current. But you also might be able to GET the appropriate adapter, sometimes for free, through the manufacturer of the cooler.

So, WHAT is the actual model of the cooler? And if you don't know, post an image of the heatsink and fan and we might be able to figure it out.

As far as the two SSDs you have, being as they are mostly full anyhow you can still use them with the new build but getting some newer drives for the OS and games/applications like I included in that build would still be a really good idea.

 

[thestryker]

No cooler you already have will have come with LGA 1700 brackets and likely won't be AM4 compatible either given the age of your existing hardware. I think any of the Thermalright dual tower coolers are likely to be the best $/perf choice here.

The MSI MPG A650GF is a bit cheaper than the Corsair recommended above, and seems to be a decent unit so if you needed to save money this may be an option. I have no personal knowledge of MSI PSUs, but this one is made by CWT @Darkbreeze might be more familiar.

USB-C on the motherboard seems extra important given the usage of an older case that won't have support at all.