Question I Decided To Build My Own Computer. What Parts Should I Use? Let Me Know.

[Ariel Schnee]

I decided to just build my own computer. I've never done so before. But, how hard can it be anyway?

The reason I'm building a new one is because my Win XP Pro SP3 32-bit one is just too outdated. It can't run Steam. It's browsers are too outdated to surf most of the net.

I will still be using my old XP computer for various games/programs/etc. that will not work on a modern computer. No. I will not change my mind on that any.

I will be connecting the two with this. https://www.startech.com/en-us/server-management/sv411kusb . I simply don't have enough room for more than one keyboard, mouse, monitor, pair of speakers, etc..

I have discovered that this will allow me to use a more modern card. https://www.startech.com/en-us/audio-video-products/hd2vgae2 . It says that it's an active adapter.

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Here are the answers to the questions in https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-new-build-or-upgrade-advice.528714/ .

Approximate Purchase Date: I don't know. Whenever I get the money. I have no idea when that will be.

Budget Range: Hopefully, two, or three, thousand.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Play Steam games. Surf internet with updated browsers. Use 64-bit programs that XP cannot run.

Are you buying a monitor: No. I've already got one. A HP LE1901w. Here. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ABA_LE1901w_19_Widescreen_Computer.html/specs .

Keyboard: Already have one. Here. https://www.fanficparadise.com/arielschnee/gallery/s-l1600.jpg

Mouse: Already have one. Here. https://www.fanficparadise.com/arielschnee/gallery/s-l1600.jpg

Parts to Upgrade: Everything. Building from scratch. I have nothing right now except for the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and pair of speakers.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes. I'm building it from scratch afterall. I plan to get Win 10 Pro off ebay. Or Win 11. Whichever is better.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Dunno.

Location: West Monroe / Monroe, Louisiana 71292

Parts Preferences: I don't particularly care for RGB. The only time I would want it is if the component is better than the non RGB version. Otherwise, I could do without the RGB.

Case (Phanteks Eclipse P400A High Air-Flow ATX Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, ARGB, Full-Size Tempered Glass) (Feel free to suggest something better. It must have USB 3.0 ports, and high air flow.)

CPU (Intel i?-???K) (Something that can be cooled with only air cooling. I DO NOT want the hassle of dealing with liquid cooling.) (Suggestions?)

GPU (GeForce RTX ????) (I NEED one with that can work with this { https://www.startech.com/en-us/audio-video-products/hd2vgae2 }, so I can connect it to this {https://www.startech.com/en-us/server-management/sv411kusb }.)

Powersupply (850 Watts - Corsair RMx Series RM850x 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Fully Modular Ultra Quiet Power Supply) (Anyone know of one that is better?)

Motherboard (Z?90. Must have USB 3.0 ports.)

Memory (32 GB. Two sixteen GBs. Do they make single thirty-two GB sticks? Whatever the best is for this build. I don't know what that would be.)

Case Fans (6X 120mm Phanteks SK120 PWM FAN - high airflow nine-blade 500-1500 RPM Radiator Fans Black) (I saw an add for these somewhere. They sound good. Any better suggestions?)

CPU Cooler (Must be an air cooler.)

Primary, And Secondary, Hard Drives (Must be 2 TB SSD.)

Network (Dunno. I heard about an "Onboard Gigabit LAN Network". Would that work?)

Sound (High Definition On-Board 7.1 Audio) (If you know something better, feel free to suggest it now.)

Speakers (Already have some.)

External Hard Drive(s) (I was thinking of getting a few of these { https://www.bestbuy.com/site/toshib...ble-hard-drive-silver/6377857.p?skuId=6377857 }, and using them with this { https://www.startech.com/en-us/cards-adapters/st4300minu3b }.)

Optical Drive (An External USB DVDRW) (I don't think they make the internal ones anymore.)

Overclocking: No.

SLI or Crossfire: I don't even know what that means.:(

Your Monitor Resolution: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ABA_LE1901w_19_Widescreen_Computer.html/specs .

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Because my Win XP Pro SP3 32-bit one is just too outdated. It can't run Steam. It's browsers are too outdated to surf most of the net.

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Ask me if you need anything else.

 

[Fosrot]

I'm curious as to why you would avoid HDMI to VGA cables (or DP to VGA) now that you know DVI to VGA cables, if VGA compatibility isn't too much of an issue. Not to mention that newer graphics cards have lower power consumption or better performance, and their larger VRAM (Video random-access memory) will also better support the running of future games.
Also, if you're on a tight budget, it may be more cost-effective to divide the cost of buying memory into the graphics card. RAM is easy to add gradually (just buy and plug into the motherboard), while adding VRAM requires replacing the entire graphics card. (8G RAM is enough to run most 2D games, 16G RAM is enough to run most 3D games, and 32G RAM is enough to run some professional software. In contrast, XP only supports 4G RAM, and this still works on Windows 11 Do some work that doesn't take too much memory.)

By the way, even 2060 is good enough to run almost all modern 3D games smoothly on your monitor (1440x900) at max quality (if CPU performance isn't the bottleneck, generally 5800x or 12700k), so I'm curious if you A PC that knows how much performance you need, or just wants it to be obsolete less quickly. (Because more and more spending will result in less and less performance gain, it is better to buy hardware frequently at lower prices than to buy the most expensive hardware all at once.)

As for the onboard gigabit network, as long as it is a modern motherboard, it will be equipped with at least a gigabit onboard network card (1Gbps), and better motherboards have faster speeds (2.5Gbps) and even have WiFi.

 

[Oasis Curator]

Are you sure you need an older PC to run certain games?
Many will run fine on modern hardware (albeit with some tweaks).

 

[Lafong]

You have chosen a Z590 motherboard.

That's 2 generations old. Why not newer, like Z690, B660, Z790?

Z690 and B660 would use 12th generation Intel CPUs like 12400, 12600, 12600K, 12700, 12700K

Z790 would use the newest 13th gen CPUs like 13600K.

At your budget, I don't see any reason to use Z590. It will certainly work, but why ignore newer stuff?

 

[Eximo]

It's not just games. There's other stuff too. Programs like my Outlook Express 6 which I use for email. Windows Movie Maker. And many others.

You should be able to upgrade your saved Outlook file to new versions of Outlook and stop using your old system for that. Also, you should probably consider migrating that completely to the cloud anyway. Outlook.com is just fine, quite a bit of free storage too.

Windows Movie Maker can actually run on modern Windows. You just have to grab the installer and run it in compatibility mode (last I checked) There are also tons of paid and open source tools that can do a better job these days. Not sure if Microsoft still hosts the download, but it can be found.

I suggest trying a Windows XP VM on a modern computer. Most software will do fine in the virtualized environment. Your old system can remain dedicated to older games, though many would be available on Good Old Games (gog.com) or can be made to work with some compatibility tweaking. Often just a matter of start up resolution, color depth, and making sure that you launch older programs with administrative rights.

 

[Ariel Schnee]

You have chosen a Z590 motherboard.

That's 2 generations old. Why not newer, like Z690, B660, Z790?

Z690 and B660 would use 12th generation Intel CPUs like 12400, 12600, 12600K, 12700, 12700K

Z790 would use the newest 13th gen CPUs like 13600K.

At your budget, I don't see any reason to use Z590. It will certainly work, but why ignore newer stuff?

Because all the other stuff you listed runs waaaaay too hot for simple air cooling.

 

[Lafong]

Because all the other stuff you listed runs waaaaay too hot for simple air cooling.

According to who?

Where do you hear that?

 

[Why_Me]

Because all the other stuff you listed runs waaaaay too hot for simple air cooling.

Link please.

The i5 12400 / 12400F runs fine on a $20 air cooler.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098D84SLF
Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE CPU Cooler $19.90

The i7 12700 / 12700F runs fine on a $65 air cooler.

https://www.amazon.com/DeepCool-AK620-High-Performance-Dual-Tower-Dissipation/dp/B09CSXS3X4
DeepCool AK620 CPU Cooler $64.99

 

[Ariel Schnee]

Arrrggghhh!

This is all too complicated.

I think I'll just forget building one.

 

[Lafong]

Ariel:

We could easily pick out a set of compatible components if you give us a firm budget. You don't have to agonize over the parts. Many combinations will work.

You need:

Case

Motherboard

CPU

CPU cooler if not included with CPU

RAM

Power supply

Drive (probably SSD)

Case fans if not included with case

Windows

Monitor if you don't have one

Keyboard and Mouse if you don't have them

If you have a firm budget, state what it is and which of the above parts you already have.

You have to make a judgement about your mechanical aptitude when assembling. Lots of people won't or can't check tire air pressure or oil and water levels in their car. If you are one of those people, you probably should buy a pre-built.