[SOLVED] Help with my new build

[TheMailonG]

So... I've finally finished my new build and would like some help with the questions bellow:

Spoiler: Config:

(New parts)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1400 w/ stock cooler
RAM: 2X4GB HRUIYL DDR4 3200Mhz
MOBO: Biostar TB-350BTC
GPU: Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+ 4GB
CASE: Pichau Dragoon R

Spoiler: Case details

https://www.pichau.com.br/gabinete-...MIxv24kNWj5AIVBg6RCh3cHAS8EAAYASAAEgKKaPD_BwE

(Old parts)
PSU: XFX XTR 550W
SSD: Kingston SSDNow V200 64GB
HDD: WD Green 1TB
2x 120mm fans, one as a front GPU intake and another as a back CPU exhaust

Although this motherboard doesn't feature a M.2 connector, I intend buying a cheap and small (120ish GB) NVMe SSD and use it with an 1x PCIe 3.0 adaptor (yeah, that's a thing); I know it wont be as fast as it could, but would still be faster than a SATA 3 SSD (984.6 vs 600 MB/s, according to Wikipedia), and I would still be able to use it at its' full speed when I upgrade to a motherboard with a M.2 connector. I'm just concerned if it would be actually bootable lol.

As for the HDD, is its limited RPM (5,400) a problem? Should I replace it with a 7,200 or even a 10,000 RPM one?

There aren't many 2K monitors for sale here in Brazil, only 4K ones, and I'm currently stuck with an old Samsung 24'' 1080p TV. Should I get a high refresh-rate 1080p monitor, or rather a 4K @60Hz one? I know 4K gaming would be a strech, but at least I would be able to set my games to either FHD or 2K, and still be able to watch movies and YouTube in 4K, right? Also, is the huge response times in 4K TVs a deal breaker? They are priced pretty closely to their monitor counterparts...

Would an aftermarket CPU cooler or AIO significantly increase the processor's overclock? Do I need more than the 2 case fans I already have?

All suggestions are greatly appreciated, thanks for your time!
dMG

 

[PC Tailor]

I know it wont be as fast as it could, but would still be faster than a SATA 3 SSD (984.6 vs 600 MB/s, according to Wikipedia)

Well this depends on what you want to do. If you're looking for faster boot up, load times, application usage etc. Then it will make negligible difference. NVMe is one of those red herrings where technically it is faster, but applications can only use it so much. Excluding maybe data transfer, where NVMe can shine, but this is usually less importnat unless your constantly moving large files.

As for the HDD, is its limited RPM (5,400) a problem? Should I replace it with a 7,200 or even a 10,000 RPM one?

Again, depends on what you want to use the HDD for.

There aren't many 2K monitors for sale here in Brazil, only 4K ones, and I'm currently stuck with an old Samsung 24'' 1080p TV.

Just remember 2k and 4k refers to the horizontal pixel resolution, actually some people consider 1920 to be 2K (I think in some definitions it is). As long as you're hitting 2000 horizontal pixels, it's "technically" 2K. Thus why 4K are 4000+ pixels.

Would an aftermarket CPU cooler or AIO significantly increase the processor's overclock?

Do they tend to help? Yes.
Is it significant? Not always.

It depends on your current temperature headroom, if you're current temperatures are high, then you probably would need a third party cooler to OC. Usually the stock coolers aren't great, but the AMD Ryzen ones do actually allow for some headroom to OC.

 

[TheMailonG]

Well this depends on what you want to do. If you're looking for faster boot up, load times, application usage etc. Then it will make negligible difference. NVMe is one of those red herrings where technically it is faster, but applications can only use it so much. Excluding maybe data transfer, where NVMe can shine, but this is usually less importnat unless your constantly moving large files.

Understood; still undecided between M.2 and a regular SSD tho, but will go for which is cheaper.

Again, depends on what you want to use the HDD for.

To store games, movies and TV shows. I'm not obsessed with loading times, but I'm also not happy with my current ones (GTA V, I'm looking at you).

Just remember 2k and 4k refers to the horizontal pixel resolution, actually some people consider 1920 to be 2K (I think in some definitions it is). As long as you're hitting 2000 horizontal pixels, it's "technically" 2K. Thus why 4K are 4000+ pixels.

Yeah, I know; I'm referring to 1440p and 2160p, just using "2K" and "4K" for short.

Do they tend to help? Yes.
Is it significant? Not always.

It depends on your current temperature headroom, if you're current temperatures are high, then you probably would need a third party cooler to OC. Usually the stock coolers aren't great, but the AMD Ryzen ones do actually allow for some headroom to OC.

Alright, I will wait and see if it bothers me enough to upgrade it. Currently looking for a bottom-firing one (like the stock one) so I can keep the VRM cool too.

 

[PC Tailor]

You'll probably find a noticeable difference between 5400 and 7200, but less so 7200 vs 10,000. Really 7200 is probably the reasonable point to aim at, and for how much they cost nowadays, and upgrade is never hard to find.

Apologies about the 2K thing - just had to make sure! All in all the RX580 is not really suited for 4k, but movies would probably be fine. I'd imagine you may be better suited (when you look at the holistic view of your use) a 1080p at higher refresh may be more suitable for your gaming.

The SSD, going for which is cheaper atm probably is the way to go IMO. As I said, in real application, there is minimal difference, for example in game load times, you might find less than 1 second difference.

As for case fans, best way to tell is to check your current temperatures, it's a common problem that people do, where they anticipate what cooling they need, pay loads on tons of fans, when in reality, they probably didn't need it, it's much simpler and more cost effective (usually) to just see what your current temps are, and adjust and upgrade accordingly IMO.

If you have high ambient temperatures, case fans and aftermarket coolers are usually more recommended, but again, depends on your environment. What are you current temperatures under heavy load?

 

[TheMailonG]

Thanks for the understanding answer! Actually, I haven't even booted the thing on lol - I've moved recently and am still waiting for the PSU to arrive with the rest of my house stuff; the rest of the system is assembled right at my side and I'm itching to power it on! Will be a huge leap from my old i3 + GTX 950 build, that's for sure.

As for the ambient temperatures, this city is far colder than from where I moved; it's currently 25ºC and the forecast shows 17°C averages this weekend, so I guess I'll be good to go with the stock cooler.

Again, thanks for your recommendations! Will be looking for a Crucial MX500 and a WD/Seagate HDD for now.

EDIT: The PSU should arrive this Thursday, will update this post as soon as it gets here.

 

[PC Tailor]

Thanks for the understanding answer! Actually, I haven't even booted the thing on lol - I've moved recently and am still waiting for the PSU to arrive with the rest of my house stuff; the rest of the system is assembled right at my side and I'm itching to power it on! Will be a huge leap from my old i3 + GTX 950 build, that's for sure.

As for the ambient temperatures, this city is far colder than from where I moved; it's currently 25ºC and the forecast shows 17°C averages this weekend, so I guess I'll be good to go with the stock cooler.

Again, thanks for your recommendations! Will be looking for a Crucial MX500 and a WD/Seagate HDD for now.

EDIT: The PSU should arrive this Thursday, will update this post as soon as it gets here.

No worries at all my friend, just glad to help!

out of curiosity, what PSU have you ordered?

 

[TheMailonG]

No worries at all my friend, just glad to help!

out of curiosity, what PSU have you ordered?

It's listed in the "Old parts" section of the original post, my trusty XFX XTR 550W. It's 80 Plus Gold and is also modular, so I didn't feel like replacing it with a new one.

 

[PC Tailor]

Well my understanding is the XTR line are decent enough, they're a budget line really. So just remember every PSU has a shelf life, and lesser quality PSUs can pose their risks. So if you've had it a fair while, you may want to consider upgrading

But I'm sidetracking, enjoy your system my friend and just post back if you have any other queries at all

 

[TheMailonG]

Just an update:

The PSU arrived later than expected, but still many days ago - I just remembered to update this thread today.

Spoiler

Anecdote: despite of my previous experience building (but mostly taking apart) PCs, I have to say that I struggled to connect all the cables lol. This motherboard has two extra molex and one sata connectors - being designed with bitcoin mining in mind - and in very weird positions, so no amount of cable management was able to save me from cables running all over it. Overall, the hurry to finish it quickly to see if everything worked also certainly didn't help.

Now, for what concerns, erm, my previous concerns about the build:

• Temperatures are ok with the stock cooler and the two fans, even at 3.7 Ghz (although admittedly toasty): max. of 75-80ºC with intense gaming; it was easy to overheat though, using a stress test like OCCT in burn-in mode.
• I saw no difference in FPS with the OC, so I dialed it back to stock and now enjoy temps at no more than 65ºC; also saved 30~60 bucks in cooling hardware.
• Tightened the timings of the cheap chinese RAM, from 18 to 16, and still perfectly stable.
• Turns out the 5400RPM HDD actually has pretty decent loading times with this hardware, so more bucks were spared here too.
• Only thing I'm really looking to upgrade is the SSD. UserBenchmark and other softwares are reporting terrible scores with this (very) old drive, so that's it.

Anyway, thanks again for the guidence, and I hope this record will be useful for someone that is building with similar hardware.