Build Advice Building my first comp: MOBO, CPU, & GPU Advice

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May 22, 2019
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Hello! I am looking to build my first PC sometime this summer (the sooner the better, but willing to wait until the end of Q3 for price drops/new gen components). It will be more of a budget build with the priority being upgrade-ability. I do not do much gaming (currently only League of Legends and tend to only dabble in MMORPGs, no FPS). I do some photo editing as a hobby and small-scale coding for my graduate studies (essentially just data analysis for social science research data sets). Basically, I do not do anything that requires high-level performance, but it has been a lifelong goal to build my own PC, so I am ready to take the plunge and construct something that makes me say "wow!" when performing the tasks I do. Ideally, I'd like to buy a foundation that allows me to upgrade it on an as-needed basis to service me for the next decade, assuming my needs don't spontaneously increase.

All that said, I'm currently at a bit of an impasse. The current Ryzen prices have dropped, and I'm not sure how much more (if any) I should expect them to dip once the 3000 is revealed + released. I am more comfortable buying a proven Ryzen 7 2700X at a discount than investing in the new gen, but it seems the general consensus it to just wait. My (noob) thought is I'd rather wait so that I can purchase an x570 motherboard and still stick a 2700x on it. This at least will allow me to update the CPU down the road if I really see the need. Investing in an unproven 3000 on top of that seems like a needless investment. Even the 2700x is overkill (?), but there is probably value in splurging on the front-end for the motherboard?

Similarly, when looking at GPUs, I was simply looking at going for an RX 580/590 since their prices have dropped. This is something that I certainly don't need to splurge on until my needs change, I would think.

Overall, does this thought process make sense?

For my needs, is prioritizing a new gen MOBO best?

Noob Question Is it feasible for me to fit this all in to a smaller case and still maintain upgrade-ability down the road, or is a mid-tower unequivocally the way to go when trying to prioritize "futureproof-ness"? I am likely going to just stick with a single SSD (250 GB Samsung EVO Plus) as most of my photo/data workflow is with externals, but it would be nice to have room for a second SSD or HDD.

Here is what I'm twerking with so far.

[Edit] https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QtMDP3

Much thanks from this rookie!!

Edit: Here is the updated build I am now considering thus far


PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2PMdyX

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor ($118.50 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450I GAMING PLUS AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($126.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo Plus 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($67.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 580 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($97.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ B&H)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.39 @ OutletPC)
Total: $859.83
 
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xravenxdota

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Gotchya. Well waiting for an x570 ITX would really be the only next-gen component I'd be waiting on at this point. I'll see what the effect on prices are on the other components after Computex next week and then go from there. I'm doing this more of the experience as opposed to maximizing component performance per dollar. The parts I am eyeing now (see below) seem to have all already jobbed a decent amount in the past 6-12 months, so I'm not sure how much merit there would be in waiting until E3. It's the perpetual cycle of technology, albeit a supposedly significant next-gen.

Regarding the ITX I'm looking to minimize on space and construct something my partner won't complain about seeing haha. I saw a few LZ7 mini ITX case builds with the walnut panel and was enamored. At that price point perhaps just a DAN case, but that's something I need to research more.The small form factor in general is most appealing to me.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2PMdyX

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor ($118.50 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450I GAMING PLUS AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($126.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo Plus 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($67.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 580 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($97.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ B&H)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.39 @ OutletPC)
Total: $859.83


This comes out to $900-$1,000 depending on the case. It's tough for me to envision the 1600 going down anything significant in price (waiting into July or August for it to drop below $100 doesn't seem worth it to me). And while the next-gen entry level CPU may be bounds ahead in performance at a similar price point, I would expect needing to pay more upfront for the x570 to go with it. Again, I will just wait and see how the market reacts after Computex before pulling any triggers. For me, I'm content with this as a first build because it should meet my needs at least for the next 3 years, at which point I can either scrap most of it and re-use the case for a more premium build (I think the power supply will probably be enough as well given the direction of the industry regarding power efficiency?) or if I'm cash strapped this build still has some room for upgrade.

One thing you might want to add are a cpu cooler as im pretty sure the stock ryzen cooler won't fit.
 
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May 22, 2019
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One thing you might want to add are a cpu cooler as im pretty sure the stock ryzen cooler won't fit.

Oh shoot, thank you for the heads up. That's the sort of last-minute thing I was gonna look into, but guess I'm reaching that point now that I have a more concrete idea. Any suggestions? I was tentatively looking at Noctuas
 
May 22, 2019
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I'd go 500 gb at least. I forgot that you weren't running any huge modern games. As a rule of thumb you don't want to run SSDs more than 70% full or you'll lose performance. 500 gb - 1tb tend to be better cost per GB. NVME is nice but probably not that big of a deal for you. There are plenty of reasonably priced quality m.2 sata drives.

Gotchya! Definitely seems worthwhile then. Will probably just up it to the 500 GB Samsung Evo 860 then.
 
Hello! I am looking to build my first PC sometime this summer (the sooner the better, but willing to wait until the end of Q3 for price drops/new gen components). It will be more of a budget build with the priority being upgrade-ability. I do not do much gaming (currently only League of Legends and tend to only dabble in MMORPGs, no FPS). I do some photo editing as a hobby and small-scale coding for my graduate studies (essentially just data analysis for social science research data sets). Basically, I do not do anything that requires high-level performance, but it has been a lifelong goal to build my own PC, so I am ready to take the plunge and construct something that makes me say "wow!" when performing the tasks I do. Ideally, I'd like to buy a foundation that allows me to upgrade it on an as-needed basis to service me for the next decade, assuming my needs don't spontaneously increase.

All that said, I'm currently at a bit of an impasse. The current Ryzen prices have dropped, and I'm not sure how much more (if any) I should expect them to dip once the 3000 is revealed + released. I am more comfortable buying a proven Ryzen 7 2700X at a discount than investing in the new gen, but it seems the general consensus it to just wait. My (noob) thought is I'd rather wait so that I can purchase an x570 motherboard and still stick a 2700x on it. This at least will allow me to update the CPU down the road if I really see the need. Investing in an unproven 3000 on top of that seems like a needless investment. Even the 2700x is overkill (?), but there is probably value in splurging on the front-end for the motherboard?

Similarly, when looking at GPUs, I was simply looking at going for an RX 580/590 since their prices have dropped. This is something that I certainly don't need to splurge on until my needs change, I would think.

Overall, does this thought process make sense?

For my needs, is prioritizing a new gen MOBO best?

Noob Question Is it feasible for me to fit this all in to a smaller case and still maintain upgrade-ability down the road, or is a mid-tower unequivocally the way to go when trying to prioritize "futureproof-ness"? I am likely going to just stick with a single SSD (250 GB Samsung EVO Plus) as most of my photo/data workflow is with externals, but it would be nice to have room for a second SSD or HDD.

Here is what I'm twerking with so far.

[Edit] https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QtMDP3

Much thanks from this rookie!!
The monitor choice is going to affect a lot of your choices. Even 1080p which is hood match for a rx580/590 will have poor response times and poor color gamut if you go cheap. Hdr and good dci-p3 cost money. Goodness help you if you want faster fps and freesync. You are looking at about 600 to 1000 then for a 24". (btw hdr turns off with freesync usually due to strobing calculations being unpredictable)

As to the 2700x im more than sure youll be able to sell it for at least 50% new price. More likely 75%
 
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xravenxdota

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Oh shoot, thank you for the heads up. That's the sort of last-minute thing I was gonna look into, but guess I'm reaching that point now that I have a more concrete idea. Any suggestions? I was tentatively looking at Noctuas
https://www.gamingscan.com/best-low-profile-cpu-cooler/ should help in picking.Noctua sells mounting kit for amd seperatly but personally i would go for that as all the reviews i watched had high regards for it
 
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May 22, 2019
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The monitor choice is going to affect a lot of your choices. Even 1080p which is hood match for a rx580/590 will have poor response times and poor color gamut if you go cheap. Hdr and good dci-p3 cost money. Goodness help you if you want faster fps and freesync. You are looking at about 600 to 1000 then for a 24". (btw hdr turns off with freesync usually due to strobing calculations being unpredictable)

As to the 2700x im more than sure youll be able to sell it for at least 50% new price. More likely 75%


I currently just use an Acer SB220Q series (1920 x 1080) 75Hz

I think since I'm going with just the 1600 instead of the 2700 this should suffice. Not really looking to upgrade the rest of my rig at the moment. It certainly fulfills my needs for my tasks now; wouldn't expect it to be overwhelmed by the newer specs I'm looking at. Down the road will update the monitor once I go for a high performance setup, if that ever actually happens.
 
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One thing you might want to add are a cpu cooler as im pretty sure the stock ryzen cooler won't fit.
It depends on the case. That Node 304 in their parts list even supports tower coolers up to 165mm tall according to its specifications, so I'm pretty sure the stock cooler should fit. Some of the slim ITX cases might require a different cooler though.
 
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May 22, 2019
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It depends on the case. That Node 304 in their parts list even supports tower coolers up to 165mm tall according to its specifications, so I'm pretty sure the stock cooler should fit. Some of the slim ITX cases might require a different cooler though.

Thanks! I'll probably make a new post once I have a firm final build just to confirm with others regarding the spec compatibility.
 

rigg42

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Wraith Spire:

Stock with Shroud = 70 mm
Shroud removed = 64 mm
Hearsink Only = 39 mm
With Titan Fan = 54 mm

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0138YDLPU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This fan is direct fit for the spire. I didn't do any scientific testing but i think it might actually perform a bit better than the stock fan and is much quieter at full speed.

I realize you are looking at the 304 but figured you might also consider the 202. Either way I wanted to get the following Info out there as I certainly would have liked to have had it when I was node 202 planning.

In the node 202 the wraith spire fits with the titan fan with the dust filter. It also works with the stock fan if the shroud is removed if you remove the dust filter. 64mm is the max cooler height in this case using AM4. Intel users might be able to get a 65 mm cooler in there.

Be aware that CPU thermals suck in this case. I experimented with mine earlier this week. My temps were 20c higher with the top of the case on using the titan and the dust filter as apposed to open air. This is even with 3 custom mounted 40mm fans exhausting hot air out of the motherboard chamber. This is probably less of an issue if you orient it vertically. I didn't test that. I ended up using the stock fan with shroud removed since it is right against the vents and sucks mostly fresh air in. Even then temps are about 10 c higher than they were in a more traditional case with front intake fans.
 
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May 22, 2019
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Incredibly thoughtful of you! Really, it is much appreciated. I've been scouring cases (and speaking with my girlfriend), and I might be able to convince her to be okay with a mid tower haha. Assembly certainly would be less tricky for a first time build, I would think. That said, I do personally still like the SFF aesthetic, in which case I guess I'd go with a Noctua NH L9i.
 
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Kvlt Doom

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7. The graphics card is the most important component for gaming.
I think a GTX1660 class card would be appropriate, plan on $220.
Tom's rates the card at 63.6
I like the nvidia cards better because they use less power compared to the popular RX570 which is rated at 48.3
You could go stronger in the video card if your budget permits and your games need it.
I like EVGA as a brand. They have a 90 day trade up program if you find you need something stronger. Read the fine print on the program.

I second this one. I just bought a Radeon RX570 to replace an NVIDIA 1050. That was a big mistake! My rig is now running A LOT Warmer than before [39-42 C Package Temp under light load vs 30-32 C Before!] & using TONS more power [~109 Watts on avg vs ~78 Watts before]. By light load, I mean I'm just jamming tunes (Mycelia's OBEY & Apex albums, highly recommended 🤘:devilish:) & browsing Firefox w/ fewer than 10 tabs active. To put this in perspective, the Kill-A-Watt which my rig is always plugged into shows 0.22kWh in 2 hours and 11 minutes. By contrast, I usually didn't hit that until at least 3 hours uptime before dropping in the RX570! Ambient room temp is 76-77 F for reference. Something else odd, which I can't say for sure is the RX 570, but my CPU Monitor widget will show one of the six cores at 100% load, which is nuts.

What really blows is I'm unable to return the damn thing for anything other than an exchange of the exact same item! Means I'll be putting the 1050 back in tonight & boxing the 570 up. Maybe try to sell it or maybe hang onto it & see what happens in winter.

That's pretty damn insane! I mentioned before that I keep my system plugged into a Kill-A-Watt monitor at all times. It's not just my tower, though. It's the 25" IPS monitor & Logitech Z506 5.1 Surround Speakers plugged into a CyberPower 850PFCLCD Uninterruptible Power Supply. It's this UPS which is plugged into the Kill-A-Watt so I know what the full system is using. Furthermore, I log the usage in a text file which I then take the cumulative data & put into a spreadsheet. The point being: It's accurate, it's traceable & attributable.

Specs:
OS: Kubuntu 19.04 (KDE Plasma 5.15.5)
CPU: Intel Core i5-8500
Mobo: Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro
RAM: 16GB (8Gbx2) G.Skill Ripjaws V Series DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600).
PSU: Seasonic Focus+ 550 Platinum
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P600S Anthracite Gray, Tempered Glass Edition. Sexy!;)
GPU: Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 4 GB. WAS an NVIDIA GTX 1050 OC 2GB card, also made by Gigabyte & soon to go back into the case.
Storage: WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB SSD (Main); OCZ Arc 100 240GB SSD (Win 7); WD Black 1TB HDD; Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD.
Cooling: Intake 3x140mm Phanteks Fans (included w/ case). Exhaust: 1x140mm Phanteks SP-140 @ rear & Enermax Vegas Single 120mm @ top.
CPU Cooling: Noctua NH-U12S CPU Cooler w/ stock fan swapped with a NF-P12 redux 1700RPM fan**.
**Full Disclosure on the Cooling there: the Noctua CPU cooler was just installed (the same time as the RX570), & it replaces an Enermax Liqmax II 120s AIO Liquid Cooler after I read a bunch of horror stories about the pump seizing or the damn thing douching entire systems. I've actually been lucky & must have gotten a good one, cause I hadn't had any problems with it, but I finished this build earlier this month & didn't want catastrophe to rain down on my system. Pun intended. I don't know for certain if the temp jump is a combination of the RX570 & CPU Cooler change or not but I'm not ruling it out until I put the 1050 back in & run some tests. But I do know that the increased power usage is from the RX570. The air cooler would use less power, as it only has the one fan as opposed to the AIO's dual fans & pump.
 
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May 22, 2019
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Well after Computex, doesn't seem like much is going to shift until June/July. I do think I will still wait as there are a couple of x570 boards that I want to have more details on before purchasing. I have yet to find a motherboard I'm super stoked about. ITX certainly is limiting. Also if the Ryzen 3 3000 is going to be the same price as the 1600 then I might as well wait to see. If anyone has suggestions with cases, I'm all ears! I think the DAN A4 or LZ7 would be a bit excessive for me, but nothing else really catches my eye. I was leaning toward maybe a H200(non-i), but I saw one reviewer who had his shatter while unscrewing.
 

Logan_c

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You shouldnt need anything else besides a GPU.

I'm not exactly sure if a 2700x will work in an x570 motherboard, you will have to check with someone more knowledgeable than me, I just have a suspicion it won't.

As for future upgrades, if you wait until ryzen 3000 you can get a CPU that matches or even surpasses the 2700x for relatively cheap. If the leaks are true then I could see a $180 3600 out performing a 2700x. However they are only leaks and aren't necessarily true.
some manufacturers allow the backwards compatibility some dont gotta check with the board you are buying
 
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May 22, 2019
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Well it looks like prices are dropping on the 2600 enough to the point where there is little incentive to go for the 1600 (of course that could easily change day-by-day). Not rushing into anything as the more I think about it, waiting for an x570 makes the most sense. I was surprised to see that 1st gen Ryzen's wouldn't be supported by x570s, but that's just additional incentive to go for a 2600 or even a 3000 (but I think that would be pushing my budget). Once we get more info about the entry-level 3000s to compare to the 2600 I'll be more clear on that, but for now I'm scoping out x570s.

In regards to the case, I've decided for a first-time build perhaps I should compromise and do a mATX. Currently I'm looking at the Corsair 280x or the Phanteks EVOLV TG. I've read great reviews on both, but leaning towards the Phanteks. Does anyone have experience with either of these? I think for my needs, the subpar airflow shouldn't be an issue (and still an improvement from SFF cases). It's too bad there still aren't too many cases with USB Type C still.
 

rigg42

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In regards to the case, I've decided for a first-time build perhaps I should compromise and do a mATX. Currently I'm looking at the Corsair 280x or the Phanteks EVOLV TG. I've read great reviews on both, but leaning towards the Phanteks. Does anyone have experience with either of these? I think for my needs, the subpar airflow shouldn't be an issue (and still an improvement from SFF cases). It's too bad there still aren't too many cases with USB Type C still.

There are plenty of compact ATX cases these days that wont be a significantly larger footprint than a MATX case. I tend to only go MATX on entry level budget builds. There just aren't enough quality MATX motherboards available. They usually lack in both features and power delivery. ITX and ATX tend to have most of the good quality boards.
 
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May 22, 2019
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Well, with that in mind, perhaps I should suck it up and just go with my initial desire for an ITX. Aside from being a pain to assemble, the negatives of the ITX route won't impair my intended usage. That said, still unsure on a case hah. The LZ7 was a nice thought, but I'll leave the premium cases for down the road.
 
May 22, 2019
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I also just stumbled upon the NZXT H210 (non-i) version. I'm sold on it. Apparently they ship out in July, so I guess that's extra incentive to wait for everything else being released.
 

Logan_c

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Thank you! That's along the lines of what I was thinking, although I'm uncertain if I need the x version.
its only a £30 price difference but the 2600 x come ocd out of the box with a better cooler but if you plan on properly overclocking youll be buying a proper cooler anyways so the 2600 x dont matter really and you should go for 2600
 
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rigg42

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its only a £30 price difference but the 2600 x come ocd out of the box with a better cooler but if you plan on properly overclocking youll be buying a proper cooler anyways so the 2600 x dont matter really and you should go for 2600
You really should buy a better cooler for the 2600x. It runs temps up to borderline dangerous levels on the stock cooler under heavy loads with out of the box settings. The spire is a good cooler but is a bit inadequate for stock boost and auto voltage on the 2600x. You can dial in a great manual overclock on it although this kind of defeats the point of buying the X chip in the first place. The x and non x debate on these chips comes purely down to weather or not you want to manually overclock and the cooler isn't really that big of consideration. Either deserves a $30- $40 tower cooler IMO.
 

rigg42

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for a cpu id say just go for a ryzen 2600 x because they are very powerful and only about £150 they can be paired with gtx 1080ti and not bottleneck
This completely dependent on the game, resolution, and quality settings. In a practical sense I agree that this is a good pairing but there are some scenarios where the 2600x would limit frame rate compared to an Intel or likely a zen 2 Ryzen.

I don't believe the OP would be better served by more than an r5 1600 given his choice of GPU and games. The 2600 might be a better buy depending on pricing available to him though. The extra performance of 2600x would likely be wasted in his use case. The 1600 is going to be enough to keep the rx580 as the limitation at 1080p high/ultra and frame rates would likely be identical between all 3 CPU's. The extra money would be better spent elsewhere in the system.