Build Advice Is there a proper order to start a new build ?

[Sneaky Wizard]

It's been 10 years since I built my own PC with the help of this awesome community.

This could be a long journey, so I'm looking for community members that are in this for the long haul with me too please

I already bought my case, a Meshify 2 because I love the design and from what I read it should fit pretty much anything I would like to put in it... (Or at least anything I can afford...)

I was thinking of buying my motherboard next, a GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS Master X (LGA 1700)

I'm pretty sure it fits, but I'd love to know thoughts/experiences please

Thanks in advance

 

[USAFRet]

1. Start here:

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

2. Generally, you want to buy ALL the parts within a 30 day window. (assuming you are buying from typical US places). This means you're still within the easy return window.

 

[Sneaky Wizard]

1. Start here:

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

2. Generally, you want o buy ALL the parts within a 30 day window. (assuming you are buying from typical US places). This means you're still within the easy return window.

Huh, I never thought of that... My first build was way out of my price range but I built it over about 6 months, buying parts when I could. I suppose I was lucky nothing turned out to be faulty

 

[helper800]

I was thinking of buying my motherboard next, a GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS Master X (LGA 1700)

I'm pretty sure it fits, but I'd love to know thoughts/experiences please

Thanks in advance

I would avoid getting anything intel 13/14th generation right now. They have a known widespread stability issues with their 65w and higher CPUs. I would wait until the AMD 9000 series CPUs come out in about two weeks and get the 9700x or get a 7800X3D now. You can of course pick any graphics card that fits within your budget, however, the rest of the parts I have linked are very good for their cost so I would try to keep to them as a base. Here is what I recommend if this is for a gaming/general PC build.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($299.99)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 69 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X670E PG Lightning ATX AM5 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Gigabyte AORUS Gen4 7300 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7900 XT 20 GB Video Card ($689.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1584.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-08-02 01:12 EDT-0400

 

[Sneaky Wizard]

I would avoid getting anything intel 13/14th generation right now. They have a known widespread stability issues with their 65w and higher CPUs. I would wait until the AMD 9000 series CPUs come out in about two weeks and get the 9700x or get a 7800X3D now. You can of course pick any graphics card that fits within your budget, however, the rest of the parts I have linked are very good for their cost so I would try to keep to them as a base. Here is what I recommend if this is for a gaming/general PC build.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($299.99)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 69 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X670E PG Lightning ATX AM5 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Gigabyte AORUS Gen4 7300 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7900 XT 20 GB Video Card ($689.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1584.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-08-02 01:12 EDT-0400

Awesome reply, and exactly what I was hoping for, so thank you very much.

Without opening up a can of worms... I'm reluctant to go with AMD. My friends all ran Intel, and my last cpu was Intel and it never put a foot wrong. However; if you're telling me straight that they're having problems perhaps I should be thinking about it.

 

[helper800]

Awesome reply, and exactly what I was hoping for, so thank you very much.

Without opening up a can of worms... I'm reluctant to go with AMD. My friends all ran Intel, and my last cpu was Intel and it never put a foot wrong. However; if you're telling me straight that they're having problems perhaps I should be thinking about it.

I have also ran Intel for the majority of my life, but in 2019 I went for Zen 2 and never looked back. AMD is a seriously performative competitor to Intel, its not like it was 10 years ago when AMD was going bankrupt with few viable products. Allow me to give you some food for thought:

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...says-damage-is-irreversible-no-planned-recall

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...ected-owners-instructions-to-mitigate-crashes

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...-applies-to-13th-and-14th-gen-core-processors

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...ction-for-cpu-crashing-and-instability-issues

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...h-gen-intel-cpu-instability-also-hits-servers

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...s-happen-on-intel-overclockable-core-i9-chips

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...mpany-sells-defective-13th-and-14th-gen-chips

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...tops-have-suffered-similar-crashes-in-testing

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...uld-be-only-one-of-the-causes-of-cpu-crashing

 

[Lucky_SLS]

If it is gaming performance that is needed, i would choose the 7800X3D over the 9700X.

 

[Sneaky Wizard]

If it is gaming performance that is needed, i would choose the 7800X3D over the 9700X.

I was kind of hoping for good all-rounder. I'll be playing games, for sure but also using video editing software etc.

 

[Sneaky Wizard]

I have also ran Intel for the majority of my life, but in 2019 I went for Zen 2 and never looked back. AMD is a seriously performative competitor to Intel, its not like it was 10 years ago when AMD was going bankrupt with few viable products. Allow me to give you some food for thought:

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...says-damage-is-irreversible-no-planned-recall

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...ected-owners-instructions-to-mitigate-crashes

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...-applies-to-13th-and-14th-gen-core-processors

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...ction-for-cpu-crashing-and-instability-issues

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...h-gen-intel-cpu-instability-also-hits-servers

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...s-happen-on-intel-overclockable-core-i9-chips

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...mpany-sells-defective-13th-and-14th-gen-chips

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...tops-have-suffered-similar-crashes-in-testing

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...uld-be-only-one-of-the-causes-of-cpu-crashing

That's some damning material, and hardly looks like a one-off...

Okay, so if I switch to AMD, it's going to have an affect on all my components? Motherboard I'm guessing for sure.

What would be the best all-rounder AMD chip for heavy gaming but also some video editing?

Thanks again for you time

 

[helper800]

That's some damning material, and hardly looks like a one-off...

Okay, so if I switch to AMD, it's going to have an affect on all my components? Motherboard I'm guessing for sure.

What would be the best all-rounder AMD chip for heavy gaming but also some video editing?

Thanks again for you time

Does your video editing take advantage of a higher core count or is is mainly 8 cores or less? Either way if you want a balanced CPU the 9700x (8core), 9900x (12core), or the 9950x (16core) would be best. The higher the number the more the cores. I would guess they would be within about 10% in gaming performance as a 7800x3d but significantly faster in single threaded and multithreaded performance.

What are the exact video editing software you are using?

 

[Sneaky Wizard]

Does your video editing take advantage of a higher core count or is is mainly 8 cores or less? Either way if you want a balanced CPU the 9700x (8core), 9900x (12core), or the 9950x (16core) would be best. The higher the number the more the cores. I would guess they would be within about 10% in gaming performance as a 7800x3d but significantly faster in single threaded and multithreaded performance.

What are the exact video editing software you are using?

Right now I have an El Gato HD60 S+ and the associated software

I'm up for changing though, if there is something better

 

[punkncat]

As far as actual order of assy. assuming all parts are in hand.

I do motherboard first. Install CPU, install RAM, install M.2 drive. If the system is to be an air cooler you sort of have to consider whether you will be able to reach all the motherboard fasteners with it on. With an AIO I typically wait to do that later. A point to consider here. I build on the mobo box. If you are in an area that is prone to static it is not a bad idea to have a wrist band, etc.

Look over your case and make sure that all the standoffs are in the proper location and number needed. At this point I also like to check out my screw bag (from the case) and make sure you know which of the fasteners for those standoffs. Good idea to look your case over to be sure it is the proper format and size for your graphics solution. I tend to wait for a moment to pull any of the backplates (I/O shields). I have found recently that a lot of cases like to have those where they "break out" instead of being removable and replaceable. It is important to consider whether they will do so without touching that area of the motherboard and possibly breaking something off of it while doing so.

Back to the motherboard. At this point I get out the power supply and possibly the graphics solution and put the proper power cables to the motherboard, graphics solution, basically put it together outside the case and power it up to be sure I get to BIOS before installing inside the case. Edit to say- At this point is where I often go ahead and install OS with only the destination drive hooked up. This can be dependent on your chosen cooling solution.

Look over your motherboard and your case to be sure you are aware how you will need to run your wiring. According to the case and power supply, alongside other factors you will need to determine if you can reach everything with/without the motherboard for cable management and access. At this same time if you are using 2.5 or 3.5" drives it is a good idea to look that over and plan out the method of attack for that as well. Check to be sure you can reach and install any planned cooling fans.

Once you have determined the rig is working outside the case, it is time to put it all together. Typically, I will pre-run any cables that need to be to hard-to-reach areas, get the motherboard in, get everything attached where it goes and so on. One aspect to watch here is whether the cooler you have picked needs to have anything put on the back of the motherboard and can you access that while in or out of the case.

The last couple of items are to get the graphics solution in, put in any remaining cooling fans or AIO, if equipped. Make sure everything is plugged up.

I highly suggest you power the PC on before doing the last details of wire management. In some cases, I will use velcro or twist sticks to keep everything roughly in place for the first 30-60 days so as to be sure nothing needs changed out or added.

Enjoy your new rig!

 

[helper800]

Right now I have an El Gato HD60 S+ and the associated software

What is the above marked software that is being used? I am trying to figure out if it can benefit to more cores or RAM.

 

[Sneaky Wizard]

As far as actual order of assy. assuming all parts are in hand.

I do motherboard first. Install CPU, install RAM, install M.2 drive. If the system is to be an air cooler you sort of have to consider whether you will be able to reach all the motherboard fasteners with it on. With an AIO I typically wait to do that later. A point to consider here. I build on the mobo box. If you are in an area that is prone to static it is not a bad idea to have a wrist band, etc.

Look over your case and make sure that all the standoffs are in the proper location and number needed. At this point I also like to check out my screw bag (from the case) and make sure you know which of the fasteners for those standoffs. Good idea to look your case over to be sure it is the proper format and size for your graphics solution. I tend to wait for a moment to pull any of the backplates (I/O shields). I have found recently that a lot of cases like to have those where they "break out" instead of being removable and replaceable. It is important to consider whether they will do so without touching that area of the motherboard and possibly breaking something off of it while doing so.

Back to the motherboard. At this point I get out the power supply and possibly the graphics solution and put the proper power cables to the motherboard, graphics solution, basically put it together outside the case and power it up to be sure I get to BIOS before installing inside the case. Edit to say- At this point is where I often go ahead and install OS with only the destination drive hooked up. This can be dependent on your chosen cooling solution.

Look over your motherboard and your case to be sure you are aware how you will need to run your wiring. According to the case and power supply, alongside other factors you will need to determine if you can reach everything with/without the motherboard for cable management and access. At this same time if you are using 2.5 or 3.5" drives it is a good idea to look that over and plan out the method of attack for that as well. Check to be sure you can reach and install any planned cooling fans.

Once you have determined the rig is working outside the case, it is time to put it all together. Typically, I will pre-run any cables that need to be to hard-to-reach areas, get the motherboard in, get everything attached where it goes and so on. One aspect to watch here is whether the cooler you have picked needs to have anything put on the back of the motherboard and can you access that while in or out of the case.

The last couple of items are to get the graphics solution in, put in any remaining cooling fans or AIO, if equipped. Make sure everything is plugged up.

I highly suggest you power the PC on before doing the last details of wire management. In some cases, I will use velcro or twist sticks to keep everything roughly in place for the first 30-60 days so as to be sure nothing needs changed out or added.

Enjoy your new rig!

Superb reply, very detailed and understandable. Thank you

 

[Sneaky Wizard]

What is the above marked software that is being used? I am trying to figure out if it can benefit to more cores or RAM.

It's here, I think it's their own software?

www.elgato.com/us/en/s/downloads

 

[helper800]

It's here, I think it's their own software?

www.elgato.com/us/en/s/downloads

I cannot find any information about that software and how it scales with CPUs, RAM, or GPU. It likely does not scale to 32 threads, or more than 32gb of RAM. I think a 9700x would be appropriate. If anyone else knows more or can find out more about this software's performance scaling, please jump in to advice us on more specific hardware recommendations.