[SOLVED] Help me spec a PC build (haven't built one in 10 years!)

[jeremy.woolf1]

Hi everyone

Long time since I've done any of this.. So much so that I don't think I'll be building this myself, but instead I'll spec the parts (with your help) and order it from PC specialist (UK website).

Items I already have:

-Monitor
-Keyboard and mouse
-2 x storage HDDs
-PCI sound card for my amp and speakers - this needs to go back into my new PC - https://www.rme-audio.de/hdsp-9632.html

I work from home, so my computer is for:

-Work - emails/spreadsheets/internet
-Watching movies/streaming
-Occasional gaming on basic games like Portal

What I'd like:

-As fast as possible for work, internet, etc.
-Smooth playback on movies/streaming
-Very low noise case and fans - I've currently got some extra resistors on my case fans, I could potentially move them across.

So I need to decide:

-Motherboard
-CPU
-RAM
-GPU
-SSD for windows
-PSU
-Network adapter
-Quiet case/quiet case fans/CPU cooler

So the first question I think is...AMD or Intel? When I last built my PC, I went for Intel. Happy to move over to AMD if there's justification for doing so?

Sorry to post such a vague first post. I'm reading up where I can, but it's difficult to know where to start if you haven't done any of this in so long.

Budget...I'd say around £800, or around $1000.

Thanks

Jeremy

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

Leave for now - too many questions..I know.

I'll have a go at speccing a build on parts picker and then come back for comments

 

[EndEffeKt_24]

Maybe something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fnK8Zf

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($99.89 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 570 4 GB PULSE Video Card ($123.98 @ Newegg)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.90 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $558.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-24 09:39 EST-0500

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

Thanks, you reckon AMD over intel for my needs?

Any reason why you would go for a micro atx?

 

[King_V]

Wouldn't @jeremy.woolf1 need a motherboard that also includes one of the old-style PCI slots in order to use the sound board he mentioned? I was under the impression that a few modern motherboards still include an old style PCI slot, but not many. Don't hold me to that, though.

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

Thanks King. I've looked into that a further now and will go for the best board I can, with a PCI to PCIe adapter

Very few modern boards have PCI slots anymore.

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

I'm still going to look at Intel options as well, but here's where I am with an AMD build.

As I mentioned in my first post, I'm happy to spend up to around $1000. Are there any components below that could be upgraded to get a faster PC? (Bearing in mind that I don't really game)

Thanks

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/jeza_006/saved/VPDrVn

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Component		Selection	Price
CPU		AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$189.99	Buy
CPU Cooler		Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler	$29.99	Buy
Thermal Compound		Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste	$4.95	Buy
Motherboard		MSI B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$99.89	Buy
Memory		Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$64.98	Buy
Storage		Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$87.99	Buy
Video Card		EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3 GB SC GAMING Video Card	$169.99	Buy
Case		be quiet! Pure Base 500 ATX Mid Tower Case	$84.90	Buy
Power Supply		EVGA 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$84.99	Buy
Wireless Network Adapter		Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter	$36.95	Buy
Custom		PCI/PCIe adapter
Total:	$854.62

 

[King_V]

A couple of things I have concerns with, but first, I need to know about your monitor:

• What is its resolution?
• What is its refresh rate?
• Does it have FreeSync, GSync, or neither?
  • If FreeSync, what is its FreeSync range?
• If you don't know these things for sure, the exact brand and model number will be very helpful

Knowing the specs of your monitor helps with choosing a video card.

The 970 EVO, while a great SSD, is a bit on the pricey side for its capacity. The Kingston A2000 and the Mushkin Helix-L can be had for $55-$60, or, a full 1TB for $105-$110. They both have the same endurance as the 970 EVO, but the Mushkin only has a 3 year warranty. The Kingston matches the Samsung's 5 year warranty.

The Radeon RX 570 4GB generally performs on par with the 3GB version of the GTX 1060, and costs less.

I'd skip the cooler - the bundled one should be more than enough. If it somehow isn't, you could always get the cooler later.

Also, given that it's light office duty and light gaming, you might be able to get away with trading off some performance for some savings. I traded off the 3600 for the 2600X, a very small loss of performance for a big drop in price.

That EVGA PSU is not a good one. EVGA does have some good models, but this isn't one of them.

If you're in the UK, well, starting with your list and making some changes, here's what I'd suggest. I kept your motherboard, RAM, case, and wireless adapter, changing the CPU, PSU, SSD (double capacity) and video card, and getting rid of the CPU cooler and thermal paste:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor (£120.78 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£84.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£65.95 @ Box Limited)
Storage: Kingston A2000 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (£111.65 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 570 8 GB Video Card (£114.99 @ CCL Computers)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 500 ATX Mid Tower Case (£67.39 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£88.98 @ AWD-IT)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter
Total: £654.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-25 00:14 GMT+0000

EDIT: note as well that the Ryzen 5 1600 can be had for as little as £86.94. You do lose some performance, but I don't think enough to impact your usage. It does come with the same cooler (Wraith Spire) as the 2600X. In between the two is the Ryzen 5 2600, comes with the Wraith Stealth cooler instead of Spire (Stealth is smaller), but that CPU is only £12 less than the 2600X, and the latter's slight performance benefit, and beefier cooler are easily worth the extra money.

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

King...merry Christmas and thank you so much for the detailed reply.

Here's my monitor:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-S24C550VL-Monitor-250cd-1920x1080/dp/B00BFTRSWI
https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/model/LS24C550VL/EN/

GPU - I probably should have mentioned that I use the second DVI output on my current GPU to output to a 49 inch TV. Next year, I'll probably replace the TV and might want to output to a 55/60 inch TV. Would this affect your recommendation regarding the GPU? I did find it tricky to choose a GPU, as nothing stood out. What can I look for that would be as quiet as possible? (some GPUs have loud fans!)

CPU - Looking at the differences here - https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/AMD-Ryzen-5-2600X-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-3600/3235vs3481 and the difference in energy consumption over say 6/7 years, it seems worth it to go for the higher spec CPU. I so rarely build a PC that I'd like it as fast as possible for my daily use (although I appreciate the 3600 will be overkill for some of my tasks)

Question for you - will the faster CPU result in faster file opening, browsing, boot speed, etc?

PSU - Fair enough! I just chose that one as it was similarly priced to the Corsair bronze supply. I've mostly been choosing the parts so far off the "ratings" on part picker, and that has an average of 4.9 over 68 ratings . It's difficult to choose off specs/knowledge when you haven't done this in so long.

SDD - You've given me an idea here...currently I have:

-Windows on a 256g Crucial SSD (75gb/232gb actually used!)
-Storage drive - 1tb HDD (506gb/931gb used)
-Backup drive - 1tb HDD (as above)

I'm tempted to move over to the follow configuration:

-Windows on 1tb NVME SSD
-Storage also on above drive (partition or not)
-Backup drive - new 1tb HDD

Thoughts on this? Surely if I keep all my files etc on the SSD, as opposed to on a separate HDD (as I do now), that will speed things up?

I know it's not all about the figures, but the Samsung 970 Evo seems to perform much better than the A1000:

https://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compa...ton-A1000-NVMe-PCIe-M2-960GB/m494791vsm495225

Cooler - fair enough..I just thought do it all at once!

Final thoughts - it's been over 10 years since my last build. I really don't mind spending more on this build for future proofing, quiet and cool operation, fast boot speed, faster file opening, seamless movie playing/streaming, seamless browsing etc. I'm generally not gaming but I do multitask and work quickly. I'm happy to spend more to build a computer that will last me many years...as I know I won't be building another one for probably another decade!

 

[Vic 40]

Something with quite parts,yes gpu as well (although pretty high priced for it's performance),

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor (£169.98 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler (£32.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI B450 GAMING PRO CARBON AC ATX AM4 Motherboard (£117.24 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory (£68.19 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Palit GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB KalmX Video Card (£155.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case (£67.97 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£80.47 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £692.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-25 10:48 GMT+0000

Do look for an ssd,this will make most of a speed change in your system.
the cpu can do only so much for what you do with it,like opening browsers or tabs is ineternet speed from your isp more important. I did choose a motherboard with a good soundchip and LAN chip as well.
The motherboards bios can be updated via "usb flashback" without even a cpu in so no worries for getting the latest on probably needed for that Ryzen 3600.

Only way to truly get a pci slot on the motherboard is Using an older B350/X370 motherboard,but would make an older cpu needed as well imo or the shop selling it to you would be willing (for a small fee) to update the bios for latest gen Ryzen.

Don't look too much at the cold nrs with reviews about ssd's,check mostly the benchmarks that represent daily use.

A review about the gpu i chose purely based on your need for silence,
Palit GTX 1050 Ti KalmX - Silent Gaming! - YouTube

 

[EndEffeKt_24]

I like the suggestion of king. Personally I chose a microATX motherboard because I like my pcs small. If not for that soundcard I would have chosen an ITX board.
Like some of the fellow gentlemen I also do not see a huge benefit in the Ryzen 3600 vs. 2600(x) that justifies the price. In the end you do not put the system under a lot of stress so its more about saving you some bucks than squeezing out more performance.
And I would not get a Hyper 212. There are better options for air coolers.

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

Thanks everyone

Currently my PC and case is a bit of a monster...it would be nice to have a smaller case.

Just to confirm - a full size ATX board will fit in a mid tower case? In which case, there's not much point in going for a micro ATX.

However, if my soundcard with an adapter will fit in an even smaller case, I'd be happy to go for that option with a micro atx board.

I do think I'm going to struggle to get my soundcard in even a mid tower case though, without modifications...here's the soundcard next to the adapter that people have used:

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/rme-hammerfall-hdsp-9632-24-bit-1901270709
https://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-c...ascsubtag=tomshardware-1220604428431835665-20

Maybe I should just go for an AM4 board that has PCI slot? What kind of sacrifices would I be making if I went for a slightly older board, that had the correct interface as standard for my sound card? It doesn't look like there are many options though:



So I would need to update the bios for the Ryzen 5 CPU - is that tricky to do myself?

Vic:

Why did you change the RAM?
Great idea with the GPU - silent one would be nice
"Don't look too much at the cold nrs with reviews" - spelling mistake?

EndEffeKT

I just chose that cooler as it seems popular and has high ratings. Open to suggestions!

Thanks again

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

The adapter that I linked is supposed to be for low profile PCI cards.

My soundcard is not low profile...so I'm not sure how it would work in any case. I'm just reading about some people making modifications to their cases...I don't really want to go down that route with a new case!

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

More reading on this...it seems that if I want to use my soundcard with a new motherboard, I have two options:

1. Modify the back of the case (would rather avoid!)
2. Hope it all fits and leave the card floating:

From someone on another forum who has done this:

"I connected it on a PCIe slot and of course on an internal power cable, then connected my HDSP 9632 on it. The expansion board shifts the audio card by few centimeters, so :

• I can not screw the card on the back of the computer case, but it's not a problem, it's stable enough and I'm careful
• the output for the digital breakout cable is inside the computer case and is unusable, but I have the chance to not need it anyway "

(Second point is fine as I don't use that connection)

Currently there's about 8.5cm between the card and the edge of my full size case. So the question is whether there would be enough space between the card and the side of a mid tower case, with the adapter in use as well.

What a load of trouble to get my sound card fitted...

So..either deal with the above, or go for an older board.

Strangely enough, there are a lot more intel LGA1151 motherboard options than the AM4 chip. But it looks like I'd be paying more and sacrificing performance if I went for intel?

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

Found one that would fit, but I don't think it's compatible with windows 10..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sintech-Express-32bits-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00KZHDK4Q

Wow this is a tricky problem. I think I better start looking at slightly older boards with PCI slots, otherwise I might be knowingly walking into a drama and headaches with these aftermarket adapters or case modifications...

Doesn't look like there would be much difference between the B450 and B350?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/comp...X_Motherboard/BHitems/1426715-REG_1321799-REG

Although if I do go this route, there are pretty much only full sized ATX boards. The only MATX board is the Asus PRIME A320M-C R2.0.

Apologies for all the posts!

 

[Vic 40]

Thought about this case,
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/66YXsY/cooler-master-case-rc650lkkn1
has a right up pcie bracket. Could take the pcie bracket of that small adapter card (think is screwed onto it with those two screws) put the sound card in that right up pcie bracket with the adapter under it (think this might well fit) ,use the next to connect to the motherboard,
PCIE PCI Riser PCI E pci E Riser PCI Express Riser Card PCIE X1 Verlengkabel voor Moederbord Extender Converter Adapter-in Geheugenkaart van Computer & Kantoor op AliExpress

foto for the part to take of,

foto of where to put it,

think there will be enough space,but probably not fo that fanless gpu. That would be more of a gamble.

There are likely more cases like this,this was the first one where it seemed to fit.

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

Hi Vic, thanks for this. It looks like a really good option if I proceeded with an adapter.

I found the same cable with good reviews on amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FB3KPZL/ref=psdc_949408031_t2_B0024CV3SA

Tbh I don't think I'd need to mess with the adapter bracket though - it would just stay at the back of the soundcard, floating inside the case?

Here are my current issues/questions: with this..:

1. According to the manual...the adapter is for windows 7 - https://sgcdn.startech.com/005329/media/sets/PEX1PCI1_Manual/PEX1PCI1.pdf

I guess there's no way to know if it'll work on windows 10 without trying!

2. It's not possible to say that my soundcard will work as it should through the adapter - I've had a look on a few forums and it seems a bit hit and miss.

So..referring back to my other option - a board with a PCI slot as standard - what are your thoughts on this, and potential AMD/Intel boards that have this as standard?

It does seem like a slightly backwards step for a new build, but on the other hand has a lot less risk and potential issues. I'm also not sure that given my usage of my computer, I would notice there difference between for example the B450 and B350?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/comp...X_Motherboard/BHitems/1426715-REG_1321799-REG

Thanks again

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

A B350 is surprisingly difficult to find now... how about the X370-A?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Prime-X370-A-Motherboard-Black/dp/B071Z8HMZ6

 

[EndEffeKt_24]

There is nothing wrong with a x370 board inherently. It might happen that those boards might not support future Ryzen iterations though. If you are dead set on keeping this particular soundcard I wojld say take that x370 board if it has the pci slot. Maybe you can find it on ebay. For the 2600x it needs to be "Ryzen 2000 ready" or you need an older first gen cpu to update the bios.

For the cpu cooler I would stick with the stock cooler for the first build. Decide later if you need something else.

 

[Vic 40]

The X370 will be fine,but may need a bios update to support later than 1xxx Ryzen cpu's.

The Cooler Master Black version is a very good cooler for the price and pretty silent,i know i use one. It has also a far better mounting method than the EVO.

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. So...here are my options:

1. X370 board and keep sound card
-I can keep my soundcard (FYI it's connected to a nice amp and speakers)
-Straightforward compatibility with my sound card with no risk
-From what I've read, I don't think I'll notice any differences between a B450 board and X370 board? All I can see is that the X370 has more USB ports!

Bad points:
-I'll have to update the BIOS for a newer CPU - not sure how to do this/whether I'd struggle with this.
-Ive been reading about some issues with Ryzen 3000 CPUs and the older boards (even after a bios update): https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1082865-ryzen-3000-on-x370/

Should I be concerned about these issues?
-I've also read about issues with DDR4 3200Mhz memory on the X370 board. Some people have boot issues, others say that the memory has to be overclocked as standard to achieve 3200Mhz.

2. Newer board and keep sound card
-Need an adapter and riser cable for my soundcard - might have compatibility issues with my board/windows 10
-No guarantee it would work
-Case choices are limited

3. Newer board and new sound card
-I could potentially sell my sound card and replace it with a PCIe card
-This will involve more expense and time, and I don't know the sacrifice I'd be making in terms of audio quality. It's a very good sound card I've got at the moment.

4. Curveball - Intel board and CPU and keep my sound card
-I could go for a Asrock Intel Z370 - Here
-Pair it with a intel i5-9600k or similar

The Ryzen 5 3600 gets a much better benchmark score compared to the above intel chip - https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/AMD-Ryzen-5-3600-vs-Intel-i5-9600K/3481vs3337

But in user benchmarks, the intel chip performs better - https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-9600K-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-3600/4031vs4040

Please can someone explain this (if not for this build than for my knowledge!)

I'm really not sure of the best way to proceed here. However, I should add that I'm really not looking to spend lots of time tinkering with drivers, bios updates, memory timings, etc. once I do build this PC. Or maybe it's just the case of selecting the right components and memory from the board manufacturer's QVL?

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/PRIME-X370-PRO/HelpDesk_QVL/

I'm getting a bit over my head here...I do have a basic grasp of all this but as I said I haven't done this in a long time.

Really looking for a straightforward build and smooth running when built. Would really appreciate people's thoughts on the above questions and which of the above routes I should take. For example, will Intel cause me less headaches with the setup than AMD?

Thanks again

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

It would also help if someone could explain why there are two memory QVL lists for that Asus board! https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/PRIME-X370-PRO/HelpDesk_QVL/

Thanks

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

@Vic 40 How did you find that coolermaster case? Is that slot definitely for a PCI card? I can't find information on it anywhere.

I emailed startech about the adapter, and they said it should work fine in windows 10. Here's what I'm thinking now:

-Latest mobo and CPU
-Current soundcard with adapter and riser cable
-If soundcard doesn't work then I'll sell it and buy a PCIe soundcard

However this is dependant on finding the right case. The one you linked is bigger than my current case - I'm looking for a small quiet case if possible...how did you find that one?

I assume you think this is the best route to go down, although I'm still unsure of the benefits (apart from bios) that a new board has over an older one?

Thanks again

 

[jeremy.woolf1]

Hi all

I'm about to build a new PC, but would like to re-use my current PCI sound card. I need to use a PCI to PCIe adapter and riser cable to install my PCI card on a new motherboard.

So..I'm looking for a case that meets the following criteria:

-As small as possible - ideally micro ATX
-Vertical mounting PCI slot for my soundcard
-Soundproofing as I'm aiming for mostly silent or quiet components.

It's really tough to find a case that meets all of the above! Any suggestions?

So far I've found this the Fractal Mini, which has been discontinued (https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/define/define-mini/black/)

And also the Corsair 275q, which is an option but really I'd like a smaller case than this.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

 

[Phaaze88]

What kind of hardware(cpu & gpu) are you trying to cram into such a small case? There's a limit to what will work effectively in SFF cases.

-Soundproofing as I'm aiming for mostly silent or quiet components.

Tends to come at the cost of worse overall thermal performance. So think twice about putting anything high end in there, as the soundproofing will only do so much when your hardware ends up averaging over 80C...

And also the Corsair 275q, which is an option but really I'd like a smaller case than this.

I suppose you're looking for a case with more of a cubed design?
Thermaltake Core V21 MicroATX Mini Tower Case