Build Advice I'm a first-time builder looking for some help ?

[Robert823]

Budget: Roughly $2,000 - without graphics card (see below).

Country: USA

Goals:

1. Speed - especially when multitasking. Normally, I neither game nor edit videos. But, I do work on the computer alot. I open up many, many tabs of all kinds - including long videos - and I have multiple programs running. I want the computer to be able to handle this sort of activity as fast as possible, without hesitating or flinching.

2. Longevity. I want the new computer to last for as long as possible without really needing an upgrade/fix.

3. Silence. within reason.

4. RGB is not desired. But, some is okay.

5. I plan on getting a decent OLED monitor. But, I have to save up some money for that. For now, I'm going to use an older monitor.

6. I really want to make sure that I get my moneys worth; if I'm going to spend $2,000, then I want the best possible computer for $2,000 that will suit my purposes.

Parts list:

Processor: either

• Intel Core i9-13900K or
• Intel Core i7-13700k

Cooler: Maybe

• Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix XT three fan model
• But, I don't know if I need something more powerful, such as an Asus Ryujin III.

Motherboard: This is a really hard one for me to figure out. Maybe:

• Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX.

Memory: aiming for 64GB (2x32). Not sure if Corsair or G.Skill is better here. So,

• Corsair Vengeance (2x32) DDR5-6000 CL30 or
• G.Skill Trident Z5 (2x32) DDR5 6000 CL30 or
• the neo version.

Storage: Aiming for 2TB for now. Maybe

• Samsung 990 2TB, although I've read that there has been some problems with it.

* Video card:

• AMD 100-438373 Radeon Rx 6900 XT 16GB (I'm getting this from a friend who is upgrading his pc) If this ends up being a problem, I plan on replacing it at some point.

Case:

• Corsair 4000D

Power supply: No idea what I need.

• Corsair RM1000x 80+ gold (2021) or
• the EVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G6, 80+ Gold or
• Corsair HX1000i 80+ Platinum.

Case fans:

• 3 Noctua A12x25 PWM 60.1 120mm fans

This is what I am leaning toward: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tfGmrv.

I understand that I can save money, especially with the processor, cooler, and power supply. But, I am not sure whether it is worth the roughly $400 in savings. I am hoping that the extra $400 gets me speed - particularly when multitasking - and longevity. But, I have no idea if it actually does.

Thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[Zerk2012]

I do work on the computer alot. I open up many, many tabs of all kinds - including long videos - and I have multiple programs running.

First what kind of work?
2nd many tabs of all finds (what does that include)? videos are just videos nothing taxing.
3rd what kind of programs?

As of now it looks like your buying a dragster to drive on the street to go buy groceries.

EDIT as of now you can just sell the 6900XT and buy a simple low end card. You have listed nothing that would require anything like a high end gaming card.

 

[Robert823]

I have two jobs that require me to do very large amounts of research. The research takes place on the internet and in databases, including legal databases like Westlaw. I also have to watch internet and non-internet videos and listen to internet and non-internet audio files. At the same time, I use typical workplace-type programs, such as a chat programs - like slack - and a task programs - like trello - note taking programs - and communication programs such as zoom.

I also use various internet and non-internet word processing programs to produce reports on my research. Then, I also use the computer for entertainment purposes when I am not working. This mostly consists of watching videos, both internet and non internet. But, the bottom line, is that all of this stuff happens at the same time - it's not like I'm only doing one thing at a time - and it really boggs my current computer down. And, I don't want to be bogged down anymore. I'm a bit tired of the frustration.

 

[Lafong]

As far as I know, no reason to get G Skill Trident rather than Ripjaws if you don't care about RGB.

If you can wait a few weeks, the 14900K and 14700K may be available.

Do you have any particular attraction to liquid cooling?

 

[Robert823]

I'm open to all suggestions. I built something that I am positive will satisfy me. If you can show me something less that will satisfy me, please do.

 

[Lafong]

I'm open to all suggestions. I built something that I am positive will satisfy me. If you can show me something less that will satisfy me, please do.

Buy what you are "positive" about.

Why settle for "less" to any extent? No one here can know what might satisfy you.

 

[Robert823]

Buy what you are "positive" about.

Why settle for "less" to any extent? No one here can know what might satisfy you.

Based on the research that I have done, I am positive that this setup will be able to handle anything that I throw at it without issue. This is what I mean by "satisfy" - that it will meet my needs. I'm a first-time builder. It's easy to research and overbuild. It is a lot harder to know what you can get away with and still have a computer that will meet your needs. This is where experience would really help, which is why I turned to this forum. How much can you save me and still meet my needs? This is the key question.

 

[punkncat]

What are the specs of the current PC you are using?

According to what you are relaying it appears that you need a lot of RAM and a darned good internet connection. Almost all of what you mention could run well on a dinosaur aside from added time towards editing things. That last thing didn't seem like you did very often.

 

[Lafong]

"Worth it" questions are all but impossible to quantify by anyone other than the purchaser (you).

You have parts list A that satisfies you.

Imagine Parts list B of whatever composition.

All you have to compare them is benchmarks, anecdotes, spec sheets, reviews, etc.

None of which will provide you with a "seat of the pants" comparison....which could only be had by you personally comparing both builds side by side after assembly.

Which I'd guess is VERY unlikely to happen.

Leaving aside how you would actually measure machine A versus machine B even if they were both sitting in front of you. More benchmarks? Repeated use of a stopwatch? Freedom from headaches over the first 72 hours? 72 weeks? DOA parts entirely beyond your control?

Ad infinitum.

No reason your parts list A wouldn't give you as much long term satisfaction as parts list B.

Buy what you want and don't look back at stuff you couldn't predict with any accuracy. Might be impossible if you are prone to buyer's remorse......"if only I'd done X, Y, and Z!!!"

 

[Robert823]

Punkncat: My current setup is a laptop, which is probably a large part of my current problem. It's a MacBook pro. I'm pretty sure it has 16GB of RAM (1600 Mhz DDR3) and about 500GB of storage. Processor is Intel Core i7 with 3Ghz. It's old at this point, and on its last legs. This is why I am looking to upgrade - hopefully before it dies. And, I've decided to switch to PC.

Edit: is the RAM that i put down enough?

Lafong: I certainly hear what you are saying, haha. I tend to overbuy - so it's rare that I am dissatisfied. The part where I tend to second guess myself is on the money. At the moment, I'm nowhere near rich. So, sometimes I find myself asking - would I be equally happy if I kept some more money in my pocket? I don't know the answer. It never happens.

 

[Lafong]

Punkncat: My current setup is a laptop, which is probably a large part of my current problem. It's a MacBook pro. I'm pretty sure it has 16GB of RAM (1600 Mhz DDR3) and about 500GB of storage. Processor is Intel Core i7 with 3Ghz. It's old at this point, and on its last legs. This is why I am looking to upgrade - hopefully before it dies. And, I've decided to switch to PC.

Edit: is the RAM that i put down enough?

Lafong: I certainly hear what you are saying, haha. I tend to overbuy - so it's rare that I am dissatisfied. The part where I tend to second guess myself is on the money. At the moment, I'm nowhere near rich. So, sometimes I find myself asking - would I be equally happy if I kept some more money in my pocket? I don't know the answer. It never happens.

64 RAM is overkill for probably 98% of users.

But you can of course justify it in any number of ways:

Yeah, but I'm keeping this PC for a long time.

Yeah, but I wanna be sure and can afford it.

Yeah, but I might wanna do xyz in the future that might "need" 64.

Yeah, but aren't "need" and "want" pretty much synonyms in 2023?

Yeah, but at least I'm not thinking about 128. Sorta; for now anyway.

Yeah, but all the avant-garde is moving to 64. I need to be able to show my face in their presence.

Make up a bunch more.

Speculating on what it's like to be in your shoes, I'd guess there is some chance you'd regret 32 RAM regardless of so-called justification, so go for it.

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($366.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler ($58.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ B&H)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Adorama)
Case: *Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Corsair K65 PRO MINI RGB Gaming Keyboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G203 Lightsync Wired Optical Mouse ($29.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1253.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-11 00:12 EDT-0400

A better look at those components.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B760-GAMING-PLUS-WIFI

Intel® Core™ i7-13700 Processor (30M Cache, up to 5.20 GHz) - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Core™ i7-13700 Processor (30M Cache, up to 5.20 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.

www.intel.com

AK620 - DeepCool

Achieve dominant cooling and silent efficiency with the DeepCool AK620 High Performance CPU Cooler equipped with six copper heat pipes stacked with a dense dual-tower fin array and two 120 FDB fans. - DeepCool was founded with the mission of providing professional, innovative, high-performance...

www.deepcool.com

F5-6000J3040F16GX2-RS5K F5-6000J3040F16GA2-RS5K - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Ripjaws S5 is a performance DDR5 DRAM memory series made with hand-screened memory ICs that passed G.SKILL rigorous validation tests. Each Ripjaws S5 memory kit strikes an ideal balance between performance, compatibility, and stability and is available in matte black or matte white aluminum...

www.gskill.com

https://www.crucial.com/ssd/p5-plus/CT2000P5PSSD8

MAG A850GL PCIE5 | Power Supply | Overflow With Power

The MAG A850GL PCIE5 power supply is designed to be ready for GeForce RTX^TM 4070 Ti and other graphics cards thanks to its ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 support.

www.msi.com

LANCOOL 216 - LIAN LI is a Leading Provider of PC Cases | Computer Cases

LANCOOL 216 AIRFLOW FOCUS The LANCOOL 216 is a mainstream case that features all-around mesh panels for optimal airflow. Thanks to its modular rear panel, it can be optimized for air cooling or water cooling. It includes 2 x 160mm and 1 x 140mm pre-installed PWM fans and an innovative rear PCIe...

lian-li.com

 

[Zerk2012]

Ebay that old school gpu.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($366.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler ($58.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ B&H)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE V2 GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card ($1649.99 @ Newegg)
Case: *Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *Corsair RMe (2023) 1200 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Corsair K65 PRO MINI RGB Gaming Keyboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G203 Lightsync Wired Optical Mouse ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2934.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-10 20:36 EDT-0400

A better look at those components.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B760-GAMING-PLUS-WIFI

Intel® Core™ i7-13700 Processor (30M Cache, up to 5.20 GHz) - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Core™ i7-13700 Processor (30M Cache, up to 5.20 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.

www.intel.com

AK620 - DeepCool

Achieve dominant cooling and silent efficiency with the DeepCool AK620 High Performance CPU Cooler equipped with six copper heat pipes stacked with a dense dual-tower fin array and two 120 FDB fans. - DeepCool was founded with the mission of providing professional, innovative, high-performance...

www.deepcool.com

F5-6000J3040F16GX2-RS5K F5-6000J3040F16GA2-RS5K - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Ripjaws S5 is a performance DDR5 DRAM memory series made with hand-screened memory ICs that passed G.SKILL rigorous validation tests. Each Ripjaws S5 memory kit strikes an ideal balance between performance, compatibility, and stability and is available in matte black or matte white aluminum...

www.gskill.com

https://www.crucial.com/ssd/p5-plus/CT2000P5PSSD8

GeForce RTX™ 4090 WINDFORCE V2 24G (rev. 1.0 / 1.1) Key Features | Graphics Card - GIGABYTE Global

Discover AORUS premium graphics cards, ft. WINDFORCE cooling, RGB lighting, PCB protection, and VR friendly features for the best gaming and VR experience!

www.gigabyte.com

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/psu...ular-low-noise-atx-power-supply-cp-9020258-na

LANCOOL 216 - LIAN LI is a Leading Provider of PC Cases | Computer Cases

LANCOOL 216 AIRFLOW FOCUS The LANCOOL 216 is a mainstream case that features all-around mesh panels for optimal airflow. Thanks to its modular rear panel, it can be optimized for air cooling or water cooling. It includes 2 x 160mm and 1 x 140mm pre-installed PWM fans and an innovative rear PCIe...

lian-li.com

LOL at the 4090 video card a 1050ti would work. For the keyboard and mouse a 20 buck MS combo would work.
Not playing games just docs and videos.

In general on a PC any modern i5 would be a bunch more than a i7 mac pro.

 

[Why_Me]

LOL at the 4090 video card a 1050ti would work. For the keyboard and mouse a 20 buck MS combo would work.
Not playing games just docs and videos.

In general on a PC any modern i5 would be a bunch more than a i7 mac pro.

My bad ... I missed the part where he doesn't plan on gaming.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

AM5 for long term support

B650E for pcie 5.0 M.2

minimalist case with front panel type C and gpu air intake

big air cooler that is quiet and fancy with temp readout

psu with 16 pin connector for future gpu upgrades

comparable SSD to 990 but a bit cheaper.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($349.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 DIGITAL 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Adorama)
Case: NZXT H5 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 1050 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Thermalright TL-C12C-S 66.17 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($13.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Thermalright TL-C12C-S 66.17 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($13.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $1091.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-11 02:26 EDT-0400

 

[ARICH5]

if i may offer a simpler solution, just for an objective opinion.
sounds like the OP needs a faster internet connection and the proper apps to watch these videos. the best nvme's and ram.

i had a i7 4770 at 1 time and then i upgraded my internet 2 tiers, 16gb of ram, and an ssd, then i switched to VLC player. the difference was night and day.

 

[ilukey77]

Decent b650e

7900 non x

some non rgb gskill cl30 6000

arctic freezer ii 280mm/360mm AIO

if your scared of AIO's ( not a judgement as much as some people just are ) a Noctua NH-U12a should cool a 7900 non x quite well or the AK620 or d15 but you are starting to go big big air coolers with the d15 and AK620 so case size and depth play a big part then

pair that with the 6900xt

ive had no issues with firecuda 530 m.2s samsung 980s and my 2tb WD sn850x have all worked well but the WD SN850x's are damn near a steal at the moment !!

corsair 1000w psu i just recommend over kill on a psu with a 6900xt by default ( just me being better safe than sorry )

decent air flow case to fit the components and JOB DONE..

wouldnt waste time on Intel this late in the game when possible 2 more cpu gen upgrades with AM5

 

[Robert823]

I've read all the posts. Thank you for them. I understand that good RAM and internet connection are essential for me. The other stuff, not so much. I'm currently trying to make an alternative cheaper parts list using the various deals that you can get online at the moment.

The i7-13700K is going for $360-370. So, I am thinking about that. That's a $200 difference from the i9 on the above list.

The Corsair iCUE H150i Elite CapelliX XT 65.57 is at $170.

I'm not sure what motherboard to choose.

RAM - not sure whether to keep it the same or go down to 32GB - because various posts above say this is important for me. It's about a $100 difference.

SSD - price wise, at 2TB, I don't see any point in getting anything other than either the Samsung 990 or the WD SN850x. I'm probably going to pick up the SN850x while the price is $100.

Video card is already decided.

Power supply: either the EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G6 W 80+ Gold or Corsair RM1000x 80+ gold (2021) both seem good. They are around $170-$190, which saves me about $50.

Any idea what motherboard to choose? Any other changes I should make, assuming we stick with the i7-13700k (because of the sale)?