Build Advice Doing a final build check before committing to buying. Please check out my build and give opinions.

[tokotigerjosh]

Hello

So, I am putting together a new PC to replace my current one, which by now has passed its 12th birthday.

I have several SSDs and HDDs in this thing, so I'll be salvaging them for storage in my new computer. I live in Canada and I am aiming to keep the budget around $1500-1700 Canadian. I'd like to know if this is the best build I am getting for the price.

I am putting together this PC for gaming as well as digital illustration, graphics work and indie gamedev (Blender 3D and a few different game engines), and I tend to prefer Intel/Nvidia parts. I also live in a dry, dusty and cold area, and chose the Fractal Design R5 for this reason: I need a case that I don't have to dust with compressed air every few months, as I am unable to take it outside do to the fact that Canadian winters tend to last around 7 months and the cold air will build condensation on my internals.

So please give me some feedback. Here is the link:

https://newegg.io/b5aec206

 

[Why_Me]

CPU cooler?

 

[tokotigerjosh]

CPU cooler?

Don't need it? The i5 I chose comes with a stock fan

 

[Why_Me]

Don't need it? The i5 I chose comes with a stock fan

You mentioned Blender and stock fan. That isn't going to work well.

 

[tokotigerjosh]

You mentioned Blender and stock fan. That isn't going to work well.

What should I be looking for then? This one okay?

https://www.newegg.ca/cooler-master-rr-t20-20fk-r1-hyper-t20/p/N82E16835103325

 

[Why_Me]

What should I be looking for then? This one okay?

https://www.newegg.ca/cooler-master-rr-t20-20fk-r1-hyper-t20/p/N82E16835103325

Look at the DeepCool AK400

 

[tokotigerjosh]

Look at the DeepCool AK400

Think maybe I should get a 12600K in that case? It's on sale, and since I have no need for one with a stock fan I was thinking I should drop the one I have and get this one.

https://www.newegg.ca/intel-core-i5-12600k-core-i5-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118347

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Keep in mind you want to verify the board has q flash so you can update the bios for that cpu.

 

[tokotigerjosh]

Keep in mind you want to verify the board has q flash so you can update the bios for that cpu.

What for?

 

[tokotigerjosh]

Says it has ASUS EZ Flash.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

If you get the 12600k you shouldn’t need to worry, but if you opt for the 13600k which is supposed to be a beast, you’ll want q flash to be able to update the bios to support the cpu.

 

[Why_Me]

Says it has ASUS EZ Flash.

That works.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Yeah if you can, go for the 13600k.

 

[tokotigerjosh]

Yeah if you can, go for the 13600k.

I don't think I can. I'm over budget as it is.

 

[Lafong]

I don't think I can. I'm over budget as it is.

I don't see any major issues with your choices.

I'd probably try to spend less on the motherboard if that enabled me to get a 13600K instead of a 12600K. Maybe go with micro ATX if necessary to drive the motherboard price down.

You'd get a 5 or 10 percent increase in performance and give up what?

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I agree with that. If you can cut the board down but still keep the q flash capability that would be a winner. However you don’t have to get the 13600k, the 12600k is a fine cpu. Here’s a quick comparison. It’s mainly that the 13th gen is the latest. But if you are budget limited there 12600k is still going to be fine. You may in the future find yourself wanting to upgrade it sooner. Have a look and you can get an idea though.

View: https://youtu.be/fOrtXzZxR0A

 

[tokotigerjosh]

No, I don't want Micro ATX, kinda hate those things.

 

[tokotigerjosh]

I've updated the build to see what it would look like with a 13600k.

I've chosen a different motherboard (previous was an ASUS Prime Z690) that comes out to $10 cheaper after rebates. Better deal?

https://newegg.io/b5aec206

 

[Lafong]

30 dollars for thermal paste?

Could be. I have not checked prices lately, but I'm accustomed to paying 10 bucks for paste.

Some coolers (Noctua for instance) include good thermal paste.

I have no idea on the Asrock motherboard.....but........

Any motherboard can cause random unforeseeable headaches, so there is some degree of hope in all of them. So the Asrock may well be as "OK" as any other, assuming it has the features you need.

On the other hand...CPUs rarely have unforeseeable headaches and very rarely fail. So they are more of a "sure thing".

Therefore, I'd probably take a chance on the Asrock as a tradeoff for getting the known long term benefit of a 13600K over a 12600K.

Unless you can develop a clear cut substantial reason to avoid the Asrock in favor of some other board. Maybe you can.

Looks OK to me generally.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I can’t speak to the specific AsRock board you picked. I’ve got an older AsRock ab350 pro 4 board (and am4 platform) that I got probably in 2017-2018 and it’s been a great board and went from 1st gen ryzen and now has a ryzen 9 5900x installed in there that is humming along fine. In other words I’ve had good luck with AsRock. As long as it has the features needed I don’t think I’d be too uncomfortable with it.

As far as paste, I’m in the USA, but here you can buy Arctic mx4 for reasonable prices. This one isn’t sold by Newegg but it’s shipped by them in Canada.

https://www.newegg.ca/arctic-cooling-actc-mx4-2g/p/2MB-000S-00007

Mx4 is what I’ve been running on my cpu. Save a few shekels to go into your motherboard/cpu budget.

 

[tokotigerjosh]

Alright, so I just learned that I'm getting a bit of a pay raise in December, so I've increased my budget a bit. I figured I'd add some HDD storage.

https://newegg.io/b5aec206

How's my overall build looking?

 

[Lafong]

Alright, so I just learned that I'm getting a bit of a pay raise in December, so I've increased my budget a bit. I figured I'd add some HDD storage.

https://newegg.io/b5aec206

How's my overall build looking?

Not good.

You've chosen a DDR 5 motherboard. That's fine.

You've chosen DDR 4 RAM. Won't work on a DDR 5 motherboard.

If budget allows, I'd keep the motherboard and change the RAM to DDR 5.

What's the 10 dollar extension cable for?

Your motherboard appears to support PCIe 4 and PCIe 5 SSDs.

Your apparent boot drive is PCIe 3. It will work on your motherboard, but you might consider a PCIe 4 boot drive. Not a big deal.

Nothing wrong with the 6 TB WD Black HDD....but you might not have to spend that much, depending on what it will be used for.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Also looking at your case I would consider a different one with a front mesh design. As well as due to the drive cages in front, not sure how well that your gpu will fit.

 

[tokotigerjosh]

UGH I tug on one thread and the whole build falls apart.

All because I had to get a 13600k...

 

[tokotigerjosh]

Also looking at your case I would consider a different one with a front mesh design. As well as due to the drive cages in front, not sure how well that your gpu will fit.

No, like I said, I need this specific case because it is dustproof and I do not want to have to unplug it, take it outside and clean it out with compressed air every three months. I'd rather just clean a few removable filters every so often.