[SOLVED] First Build Optimization

[KinkyWhiteBread]

I'm looking at building my first PC in the next month or so, and I'm trying to optimize my build as much as I can. It's primarily for gaming and movies. I'd like to be able to run VR as well. Friend of mine has a cyberpower PC build from amazon that says comes with an i7-9700K, a 2070 Super and Liquid cooling plus windows 10 and some other bits there soon but doesn't list brands for anything. His has performed well but I've heard mixed things about using builders. I cant link it here because its from amazon but if you search "cyberpower PC supreme" its $1,399 with 770 reviews.

So far, this is what I've been able to come up with. Its more expensive than I want but I've been able to bring it down to where it is now with some research and a few reddit threads.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/KinkyWhiteBread/saved/#view=ZTgrrH


CPU: Ryzen 5 3600X

MthrBd: MSI B450 Tomahawk Max ATX AM4

RAM: G.Skill Trident ZRGB 16GB DDR3200

Storage: Western Digital Blue 500GB SSD+Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM

GPU: Gigabyte RTX 2070 Super

Case: Corsair iCUE 220T Airflow

Power: Corsair CXM 550 80+ Bronze



Someone told me I could use the factory CPU Cooler from Ryzen, but if thats not true I was going to buy a Noctua NH U12S



The prebuilt seems like a better deal up front, but I don't know enough about it to know if I'm getting my money's worth or if its just a good CPU and a good GPU packed in an RGB case with a bunch of crap thats going to die in a year. Any help is appreciated.

 

[bmockeg]

I'm looking at building my first PC in the next month or so, and I'm trying to optimize my build as much as I can. It's primarily for gaming and movies. I'd like to be able to run VR as well. Friend of mine has a cyberpower PC build from amazon that says comes with an i7-9700K, a 2070 Super and Liquid cooling plus windows 10 and some other bits there soon but doesn't list brands for anything. His has performed well but I've heard mixed things about using builders. I cant link it here because its from amazon but if you search "cyberpower PC supreme" its $1,399 with 770 reviews.

So far, this is what I've been able to come up with. Its more expensive than I want but I've been able to bring it down to where it is now with some research and a few reddit threads.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/KinkyWhiteBread/saved/#view=ZTgrrH


CPU: Ryzen 5 3600X

MthrBd: MSI B450 Tomahawk Max ATX AM4

RAM: G.Skill Trident ZRGB 16GB DDR3200

Storage: Western Digital Blue 500GB SSD+Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM

GPU: Gigabyte RTX 2070 Super

Case: Corsair iCUE 220T Airflow

Power: Corsair CXM 550 80+ Bronze



Someone told me I could use the factory CPU Cooler from Ryzen, but if thats not true I was going to buy a Noctua NH U12S



The prebuilt seems like a better deal up front, but I don't know enough about it to know if I'm getting my money's worth or if its just a good CPU and a good GPU packed in an RGB case with a bunch of crap thats going to die in a year. Any help is appreciated.

Can you post an exact link for that prebuilt? Biggest issue with prebuilt is they usually have a 1 year warranty where you’ll get 3+ years off each part building it yourself.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($298.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard ($199.00 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB WINDFORCE OC 3X Video Card ($499.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($94.00 @ B&H)
Total: $1457.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-30 14:47 EDT-0400

Here’s my take.

 

[KinkyWhiteBread]

Can you post an exact link for that prebuilt? Biggest issue with prebuilt is they usually have a 1 year warranty where you’ll get 3+ years off each part building it yourself.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($298.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard ($199.00 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB WINDFORCE OC 3X Video Card ($499.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($94.00 @ B&H)
Total: $1457.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-30 14:47 EDT-0400

Here’s my take.

Here, for whatever reason it wouldn't let me post the amazon link in the post body.

 

[bmockeg]

Here, for whatever reason it wouldn't let me post the amazon link in the post body.

That’s a pretty cheap water cooler, especially for a 9700k. I’d take air cooling over that, pure marketing. Cheap 2666mhz memory most likely. Real question is PSU quality. Only way a prebuilt is cheaper is 1. Lower quality parts and 2. They buy OEM with 1 year warranty. Every part you buy above has 3 year - lifetime warranty, except for the water cooler which has 2 years.

 

[KinkyWhiteBread]

That’s a pretty cheap water cooler, especially for a 9700k. I’d take air cooling over that, pure marketing. Cheap 2666mhz memory most likely. Real question is PSU quality. Only way a prebuilt is cheaper is 1. Lower quality parts and 2. They buy OEM with 1 year warranty. Every part you buy above has 3 year - lifetime warranty, except for the water cooler which has 2 years.

That’s a pretty cheap water cooler, especially for a 9700k. I’d take air cooling over that, pure marketing. Cheap 2666mhz memory most likely. Real question is PSU quality. Only way a prebuilt is cheaper is 1. Lower quality parts and 2. They buy OEM with 1 year warranty. Every part you buy above has 3 year - lifetime warranty, except for the water cooler which has 2 years.

I just looked at the amazon listing a little more in depth, the memory is 2400hz. Thats pretty low, isn't it?

 

[bmockeg]

I just looked at the amazon listing a little more in depth, the memory is 2400hz. Thats pretty low, isn't it?

Yes, Intel doesn’t gain as much performance as AMD with higher memory speeds but there are definitely gains. The average person gets at least 3200 with 3600 being the top of the performance/price range. For AMD 3600 is generally the standard for top performance with 3rd gen CPUs.