Question First PC Build Advice

[cutiesteffy]

Hi,

Need advice on whether this is a good combination of compatible parts, or if there's any better options within the similar price range:
Do let me know if there are parts I can save on, and use that money to get better model for other components, or just to save cost overall.

CPU: Intel i7- 12700
Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming B660-Plus Wifi DDR4
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 3600 CL18 32GB (2x 16GB)
SSD: Seagate FireCuda 520 1TB
Cooler: Scythe Fuma 2 Rev.B
GPU: ASUS Dual RTX3060Ti OC V2 8GB
PSU: Superflower Leadex III 750W
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow
Additional case fans: Arctic P14 PWM (x2 for front intake), will shift the 4000D front fan to the top

Some of my considerations when selecting my parts:

• Good value/ price-to-performance is more important than raw power
• Usage mainly for gaming, occasional streaming, video/photo render/editing
• I don't play FPS, prefer story-based (e.g. GTAV, Witcher, etc.), co-op, or simulation (e.g. Cities Skylines, SIMS4, etc.) games
• Hence, ultra high (144+) fps not in my requirement, video quality is more important to me, (Ultra at ~70-90fps)
• 4k monitor (mainly for enjoying movies/shows in 4k), I game at 1440p, I understand 4k gaming at my budget will be tough too
• I want a case with USB-C front IO
• I gathered I need a motherboard with good VRMs, and an SSD with high endurance and TBW for the rendering (?)
• I know AMD GPU is better value, but seems like some of the programs I use/ want to use work better with NVIDIA CUDA
• I prefer Air cooler, its cheaper and more durable(?), slightly wary of AIO leaking and killing my PC I took so long to save up for, unless there are really good AIO recommendations at similar price range

Edit: Price is about $2,200 here, which is roughly USD1,600, parts are slightly more expensive here than in US even after forex conversion

 

[Lafong]

How much does all that cost and is that the very top of your budget?

Are you in the US?

Looks pretty good to me. You might be able to chop off a few bucks by going with a micro ATX motherboard, but not a big deal.

Have you seen any reviews about temps with that cooler and that CPU?

Have you confirmed that the case is wide enough to accept a cooler of that height?

 

[cutiesteffy]

How much does all that cost and is that the very top of your budget?

It's about $2,200 here (roughly USD1,600, I can afford to spare 100/200 more at most

Are you in the US?

Nope, in Singapore

Looks pretty good to me. You might be able to chop off a few bucks by going with a micro ATX motherboard, but not a big deal.

Yes that is a good idea, I can consider the B660-M model of the motherboard.

Have you seen any reviews about temps with that cooler and that CPU?

Not really, but I have seen some discussions on reddit with the 12700k, and it seem to be fine?

Have you confirmed that the case is wide enough to accept a cooler of that height?

I think it fits? Not sure if I saw the right numbers tho, that's why I'm checking to see if the parts are compatible. I tried checking via PCPartPicker as well, it did not raise any concern with the parts

 

[Kedi yiyen bir kedi]

Watch rewievs that parts you want buy, after compare that parts you are confused about.

For an example I want buy 980 or HyperX Fury Rampage i will start resreaching about parts after i will compare and finally i decide wich one is best part to buy.

 

[geofelt]

A well researched set of parts.
You can build as is.
As to preferences, I like the samsung ssd devices.
Puget systems thinks so also:

Most Reliable PC Hardware of 2021

Here at Puget Systems, our goal is not only to provide the fastest workstations possible, but the most reliable as well. As a part of our constant drive to offer only the highest quality components possible, we track and regularly review the failure rates for each part we carry. Today, we want...

www.pugetsystems.com

Once you get to 500mb, endurance for a desktop ssd is no longer an issue.

I like 140mm fans for front intake.
You can experiment, but I would not install a top exhaust fan.
That will tend to divert thr front intake airflow up and out of the case before going to the cpu cooler and graphics card.

Here is my canned build process:
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/N82E168121..._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.

1. If your motherboard does not have a PWR button, momentarily touch the two pwr front panel pins with a flat blade screwdriver.
2. Repeatedly hit F2 or DEL, and that should get you into the bios display.
3. 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 - Official Site of the x86 Memory Testing Tool

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+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool

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.

1. Install windows.
2. 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.

1. Connect to the internet and install an antivirus program. Microsoft defender is free, easy, and unobtrusive.
2. 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.

1. Update windows to currency.
2. Only now do I take apart what I need to and install it in the case.
3. Now is the time to reinstall your graphics card.
4. 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.

 

[Lafong]

I think it fits? Not sure if I saw the right numbers tho, that's why I'm checking to see if the parts are compatible. I tried checking via PCPartPicker as well, it did not raise any concern with the parts

I just checked for you.

Case max cooler height; 170 mm

Cooler height; 154.5 mm

So....you are OK.

If the cooler can handle a 12700k, it can certainly handle a 12700.

Looks fine to me.

 

[cutiesteffy]

A well researched set of parts.
You can build as is.
As to preferences, I like the samsung ssd devices.
Puget systems thinks so also:

Most Reliable PC Hardware of 2021

Here at Puget Systems, our goal is not only to provide the fastest workstations possible, but the most reliable as well. As a part of our constant drive to offer only the highest quality components possible, we track and regularly review the failure rates for each part we carry. Today, we want...

www.pugetsystems.com

Once you get to 500mb, endurance for a desktop ssd is no longer an issue.

I like 140mm fans for front intake.
You can experiment, but I would not install a top exhaust fan.
That will tend to divert thr front intake airflow up and out of the case before going to the cpu cooler and graphics card.

Here is my canned build process:
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.

1. If your motherboard does not have a PWR button, momentarily touch the two pwr front panel pins with a flat blade screwdriver.
2. Repeatedly hit F2 or DEL, and that should get you into the bios display.
3. 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 - Official Site of the x86 Memory Testing Tool

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+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool

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.

1. Install windows.
2. 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.

1. Connect to the internet and install an antivirus program. Microsoft defender is free, easy, and unobtrusive.
2. 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.

1. Update windows to currency.
2. Only now do I take apart what I need to and install it in the case.
3. Now is the time to reinstall your graphics card.
4. 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.

Thanks for your lengthy response and advices!

I was actually deciding between Samsung and Firecuda 520, and went with Firecuda because of the higher TBW for the constant read/write from all the temp files thru rendering. But if TBW is not an issue at 1TB size, I'll definitely go for Samsung.

I will likely be using the 4000D-included case fan as an intake on the top-front of the case, and leave the exhaust fan as is.

Thank you so much for the build guide you've shared! Will definitely be very handy and helpful when I do build it! Glad to know the parts I put together have no major jarring issues in performance/ value proposition

 

[Why_Me]

i7 12700F + B660 board. Take the savings and size up to a RTX 3070.