Some thoughts:
There is no arguing about looks.
It is in the eye of the beholder.
But, like women's skirt lengths, fashion will change and what looks good now may change.
Remember, pretty is as pretty does.
On the practical side, unless one is going to overclock a processor, or needs many threads for processing, overclocking and the need for ultra cooling is no longer necessary.
For the most part, a 280 aio cooler is no more efficient as a cooler than a top tier air cooler.
Air is cheaper, more reliable, easier to install, and will never leak.
In the fall, intel should launch the 13th gen processors.
They will not be much different than 12th gen.
If buying new, you can expect better price/performance.
(Otherwise, why would Intel even bother?)
If you look at current lga1700 motherboards, you will get a good idea of what is coming.
On a high end build, do not go cheap and buy a F suffix processor.
It is most useful for testing and problem resolution.
It used to be that a top power supply was a safe early purchase.
Perhaps not so much today with pcie power changes.
If you are in the market for a new psu, here are some thoughts:
1. Buy the capacity you need and then some.
Here is a link to what you need; it depends on the graphics configuration:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
I have no problem overprovisioning a PSU a bit. Say 20%.
It will allow for a stronger future graphics card upgrade.
It will run cooler, quieter, and more efficiently in the middle third of it's range.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability.
2. Buy only a quality psu. Try to buy a tier 1 or 2 unit from a list such as this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
Seasonic is generally very good.
Look for a unit with a 7 to 10 year warranty.
A good psu is a long term investment.
A cheap PSU will be made of substandard components. It will not have safety and overload protections.
If it fails under load, it can destroy anything it is connected to.
It will deliver advertised power only at room temperatures, not at higher temperatures found when installed in a case.
The wattage will be delivered on the 3 and 5v rails, not on the 12v rails where modern parts
like the CPU and Graphics cards need it. What power is delivered may fluctuate and cause instability
issues that are hard to diagnose.
The fan will need to spin up higher to cool it, making it noisy.
A cheap PSU can become very expensive. Do not buy one.
3. It is unlikely that the price premium paid for gold rating will ever be returned to you in electricity cost savings.
There IS value in higher efficiency in that the cooling fan will need to run less and the unit will generally be quieter
4. Modular costs more. Consider that you are likely to be using most of the power leads regardless. There will normally be a decent place to store unused leads away and out if sight or the cooling airstream. Also, if you have a length restriction, the leads that plug into a modular psu will not bend as much as a fixed attachment consequently taking more room, not less.
I have noticed that in the fall, Seasonic has very good units on sale.
When building a top pc, do not forget about the monitor.
Bust your budget for a good one.
It will last for several generations of pc.
To my mind, larger/higher resolution units are more immersive to the gamer.
FWIW:
MY build process:
Before anything, while waiting for your parts to be delivered, download
and read, cover to cover your case and motherboard manual.
Buy a long #2 magnetic tip philips screwdriver.
A small led flashlight is also useful.
I find it handy to buy a power switch like this for testing.
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16812119009?Description=power switch&cm_re=power_switch--12-119-009--Product&quicklink=true
1. I assemble the critical parts outside of the case.
That lets me test them for functionality easily.
A wood table or cardboard is fine.
2. Plug in only the necessary parts at first. Ram, cpu, cooler, psu.
Do not force anything. Parts fit only one way.
Attach a monitor to the integrated motherboard adapter if you have one, otherwise to the graphics card.
- If your motherboard does not have a PWR button, momentarily touch the two pwr front panel pins with a flat blade screwdriver.
- Repeatedly hit F2 or DEL, and that should get you into the bios display.
- Boot from a cd or usb stick with memtest86 on it. memtest will exercise your ram and cpu functionality.
They boot from a usb stick and do not use windows.
You can download them here:
MemTest86 is the original self booting memory testing software for x86 and ARM computers. Supporting both BIOS and UEFI, with options to boot from USB.
www.memtest86.com
Memtest86+ is an advanced, free, open-source, stand-alone memory tester for 32- and 64-bit computers (UEFI & BIOS supported)
www.memtest.org
If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.
Running several more passes will sometimes uncover an issue, but it takes more time.
Probably not worth it unless you really suspect a ram issue.
- Install windows.
- Install the motherboard cd drivers. Particularly the lan drivers so you can access the internet.
Do not select the easy install option, or you will get a bunch of utilities and trialware that you don't want. Drivers only.
- Connect to the internet and install an antivirus program. Microsoft defender is free, easy, and unobtrusive.
- Install your graphics card and driver if you tested with integrated graphics.
You will need to remove the graphics card later to install your motherboard in the case.
As a tip when screwing the motherboard into the posts, give the screw a small counterclockwise turn until you feel a click.
That lets you know that the screw will engage properly.
Make a note of how the graphics card latches into the pcie slot.
The mechanism will be hidden under the card and may be difficult to work if you have not previously checked how.
- Update windows to currency.
- Only now do I take apart what I need to and install it in the case.
- Now is the time to reinstall your graphics card.
- Opinions vary on updating the bios. On a new build, I will update to currency right away. My thought is that I have no big loss if
I encounter a problem. Use the usb option, not the windows option.