[SOLVED] Need help and advice with my new PC build!

Nov 21, 2020
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My first PC build! It would be great if I could get a few other more knowledgeable opinions on it!

Approximate Purchase Date: This week (whenever I can get my hands on the 6800 xt)

Budget Range: $1500 - $2200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, streaming, browsing internet

Are you buying a monitor: Yes


Parts to Upgrade:

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (CPU)
MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard (Motherboard) (not sure if this is the best mobo for my build or whether I should get a B550 or different model?)
G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (Memory)
Team MP34 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (Storage) (my main question is whether I would need more storage, better storage, or perhaps some storage for my system?)
MSI - Radeon RX 6800 XT 16G - 16GB GDDR6 - PCI Express 4.0 - Graphics Card Black - Black (Graphics Card) (I will be trying to get my hands on a 6800xt but am gonna use a filler GPU because of the scarcity of them)
Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case (Case)
Corsair CXM 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (Power Supply)
Gigabyte G27Q 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor (Monitor) (sale ends soon)

My PCPartPicker list is here:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dcwHRT

Do you need to buy OS: Yes (I don't really now how how to install or price for Windows)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com , bestbuy.com , amazon.com , microcenter.com

Location: Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Parts Preferences: AMD CPU and GPU, not to specific on the rest

Overclocking: I don't know what overclocking is so probably no

SLI or Crossfire: I don't know what this is so probably no

Your Monitor Resolution: 2560 x 1440

Additional Comments: Preferably not too loud and not overheating a lot. Going to be playing a variety of games that will include some like rocket league, valorant, etc.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I like playing PC games but I have only ever had a MacBook laptop which doesn't really work for games so I decided to take initiative and buy a PC
 
Solution
My first PC build! It would be great if I could get a few other more knowledgeable opinions on it!

Approximate Purchase Date: This week (whenever I can get my hands on the 6800 xt)

Budget Range: $1500 - $2200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, streaming, browsing internet

Are you buying a monitor: Yes


Parts to Upgrade:

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (CPU)
MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard (Motherboard) (not sure if this is the best mobo for my build or whether I should get a B550 or different model?)
G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (Memory)
Team MP34 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (Storage)...
I'd recommend the B550 Tomahawk. Also threw in a DDR4-3600 kit of RAM for not much more $$. I haven't researched the Team MP34 SSD (looks like a Phision E12 controller with an average amount of DRAM cache = decent) so I'm going to assume you chose that for a reason (also not sure how much budget tolerance you have for price creep since I added $35 to your total with the RAM and mobo).

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.00 @ Adorama)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team MP34 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($106.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB Video Card
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($95.87 @ Amazon)
Total: $796.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-03 13:00 EST-0500
 
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My first PC build! It would be great if I could get a few other more knowledgeable opinions on it!

Approximate Purchase Date: This week (whenever I can get my hands on the 6800 xt)

Budget Range: $1500 - $2200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, streaming, browsing internet

Are you buying a monitor: Yes


Parts to Upgrade:

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (CPU)
MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard (Motherboard) (not sure if this is the best mobo for my build or whether I should get a B550 or different model?)
G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (Memory)
Team MP34 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (Storage) (my main question is whether I would need more storage, better storage, or perhaps some storage for my system?)
MSI - Radeon RX 6800 XT 16G - 16GB GDDR6 - PCI Express 4.0 - Graphics Card Black - Black (Graphics Card) (I will be trying to get my hands on a 6800xt but am gonna use a filler GPU because of the scarcity of them)
Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case (Case)
Corsair CXM 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (Power Supply)
Gigabyte G27Q 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor (Monitor) (sale ends soon)

My PCPartPicker list is here:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dcwHRT

Do you need to buy OS: Yes (I don't really now how how to install or price for Windows)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com , bestbuy.com , amazon.com , microcenter.com

Location: Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Parts Preferences: AMD CPU and GPU, not to specific on the rest

Overclocking: I don't know what overclocking is so probably no

SLI or Crossfire: I don't know what this is so probably no

Your Monitor Resolution: 2560 x 1440

Additional Comments: Preferably not too loud and not overheating a lot. Going to be playing a variety of games that will include some like rocket league, valorant, etc.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I like playing PC games but I have only ever had a MacBook laptop which doesn't really work for games so I decided to take initiative and buy a PC
I've made some changes to your parts list;
  1. I've selected a much newer chipset Mobo B550 Tomahawk
  2. I've swapped the team ssd with Samsung 970 which is best performance and gives 5 years warranty instead of 3 years.
  3. And instead of the bronze rated 750 watt PSU i changed it with Sea Sonic focus 750 watt gold rated with 10 years warranty. As you are getting many top of the line cpu and GPU i think it's must.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Bx3Mwz
Edit: The SeaSonic psu generally comes under $130 as they are out of stock pc part picker has listed the expensive one.
Edit2: Updated to a more inexpensive but good 650 watt psu with 7 years warranty as recommend by others. And added 2TB HDD
 
Last edited:
My first PC build! It would be great if I could get a few other more knowledgeable opinions on it!

Approximate Purchase Date: This week (whenever I can get my hands on the 6800 xt)

Budget Range: $1500 - $2200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, streaming, browsing internet

Are you buying a monitor: Yes


Parts to Upgrade:

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (CPU)
MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard (Motherboard) (not sure if this is the best mobo for my build or whether I should get a B550 or different model?)
G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (Memory)
Team MP34 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (Storage) (my main question is whether I would need more storage, better storage, or perhaps some storage for my system?)
MSI - Radeon RX 6800 XT 16G - 16GB GDDR6 - PCI Express 4.0 - Graphics Card Black - Black (Graphics Card) (I will be trying to get my hands on a 6800xt but am gonna use a filler GPU because of the scarcity of them)
Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case (Case)
Corsair CXM 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (Power Supply)
Gigabyte G27Q 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor (Monitor) (sale ends soon)

My PCPartPicker list is here:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dcwHRT

Do you need to buy OS: Yes (I don't really now how how to install or price for Windows)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com , bestbuy.com , amazon.com , microcenter.com

Location: Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Parts Preferences: AMD CPU and GPU, not to specific on the rest

Overclocking: I don't know what overclocking is so probably no

SLI or Crossfire: I don't know what this is so probably no

Your Monitor Resolution: 2560 x 1440

Additional Comments: Preferably not too loud and not overheating a lot. Going to be playing a variety of games that will include some like rocket league, valorant, etc.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I like playing PC games but I have only ever had a MacBook laptop which doesn't really work for games so I decided to take initiative and buy a PC
It isn't a bad build, however, there are some improvements to be made.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.00 @ Adorama)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 CPU Cooler ($49.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Za 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Mushkin Pilot-E 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($208.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Define 7 ATX Mid Tower Case ($158.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Ion+ 660 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1191.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-03 12:11 EST-0500

With this you are getting a better motherboard, faster RAM, much better PSU, and an extremely quiet case. The dual SSD is for separation of storage. You use the small one for the OS and the big one for your games. If you wanted to save money you can go with the single 2TB, single 1TB (The SN550 is the best price/performance in that range as you would need to spend an extra $25 to get a better performing drive), or a 512GB & 1TB split setup. The CPU cooler isn't needed, however, it will be quieter than the included cooler from AMD and would allow you to use a 105W TDP CPU as well.
 
Solution
I've made some changes to your parts list;
  1. I've selected a much newer chipset Mobo B550 Tomahawk
  2. I've swapped the team ssd with Samsung 970 which is best performance and gives 5 years warranty instead of 3 years.
  3. And instead of the bronze rated 750 watt PSU i changed it with Sea Sonic focus 750 watt gold rated with 10 years warranty. As you are getting many top of the line cpu and GPU i think it's must.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sxQNvf
Edit: The SeaSonic psu generally comes under $130 as they are out of stock pc part picker has listed the expensive one.
You could get the 850W for cheaper. Also there isn't a reason to go with a 750W. You can run a 6800XT & 3700X very easily on a 650W.
 
$165 for the PSU!?! Ooph. Heck, in 2019 you wouldn't have paid more than $80 for that same unit.

Just a really crummy year to buy a PSU.
You could get the 850W for cheaper. Also there isn't a reason to go with a 750W. You can run a 6800XT & 3700X very easily on a 650W.
Thank you for letting me know I've updated it to a 650 watt SeaSonic focus.:)
 
In all honesty, for an extra at most $15 you can get the fully modular Phantek AMP (which is a rebadged Focus GX) or Fractal Design Ion+. IMHO the few extra dollars for those are worth it.
The thing is Jeremy, Spencer had selected a 750watt bronze psu so i have no idea how much he is willing to spend but still i swapped it with a SeaSonic PSU which was hell of alot exp, but after you and @tennis2 informed me about the psu i swapped it with $100 SeaSonic psu, he also had no hdd and i swapped his ssd with a samsung ssd so total cost was already high.
 
Nov 21, 2020
6
0
10
It isn't a bad build, however, there are some improvements to be made.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.00 @ Adorama)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 CPU Cooler ($49.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Za 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Mushkin Pilot-E 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($208.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Define 7 ATX Mid Tower Case ($158.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Ion+ 660 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1191.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-03 12:11 EST-0500

With this you are getting a better motherboard, faster RAM, much better PSU, and an extremely quiet case. The dual SSD is for separation of storage. You use the small one for the OS and the big one for your games. If you wanted to save money you can go with the single 2TB, single 1TB (The SN550 is the best price/performance in that range as you would need to spend an extra $25 to get a better performing drive), or a 512GB & 1TB split setup. The CPU cooler isn't needed, however, it will be quieter than the included cooler from AMD and would allow you to use a 105W TDP CPU as well.
thanks for the advice! I am thinking I may wait to get a CPU cooler based on whether it overheats, but I'll look into it. Definitely wouldn't hurt.
 
Nov 21, 2020
6
0
10
I've made some changes to your parts list;
  1. I've selected a much newer chipset Mobo B550 Tomahawk
  2. I've swapped the team ssd with Samsung 970 which is best performance and gives 5 years warranty instead of 3 years.
  3. And instead of the bronze rated 750 watt PSU i changed it with Sea Sonic focus 750 watt gold rated with 10 years warranty. As you are getting many top of the line cpu and GPU i think it's must.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Bx3Mwz
Edit: The SeaSonic psu generally comes under $130 as they are out of stock pc part picker has listed the expensive one.
Edit2: Updated to a more inexpensive but good 650 watt psu with 7 years warranty as recommend by others. And added 2TB HDD
Thanks a bunch for the advice and for everyone that workshopped the PSU. The warranty means that if 650w isn't enough, I can return and get a 750 or whatever, correct?
 
Nov 21, 2020
6
0
10
I'd recommend the B550 Tomahawk. Also threw in a DDR4-3600 kit of RAM for not much more $$. I haven't researched the Team MP34 SSD (looks like a Phision E12 controller with an average amount of DRAM cache = decent) so I'm going to assume you chose that for a reason (also not sure how much budget tolerance you have for price creep since I added $35 to your total with the RAM and mobo).

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.00 @ Adorama)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team MP34 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($106.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB Video Card
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($95.87 @ Amazon)
Total: $796.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-03 13:00 EST-0500
Thanks for the input, could you explain to me the difference between a DDR4-3200 and the 3600 variant? Is there gonna be better performance or how does it change the RAM? Thanks!
 
Thanks a bunch for the advice and for everyone that workshopped the PSU. The warranty means that if 650w isn't enough, I can return and get a 750 or whatever, correct?
The warranty is if the PSU breaks they will replace it.

Here is an example of worst case power draw with the build I did.
OuterVision PSU Calculator part list

Motherboard: Desktop
CPU: 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
CPU Speed: 3600MHz
CPU Vcore: 1.1V
CPU Utilization: 90%
Memory: 2 x 16GB DDR4 Module
Video Card Set 1: 1 x AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
Core Clock: 2250MHz
Memory Clock: 2000MHz
Storage: 2 x M.2 SATA SSD
PCI Express Card: 1 x WLAN Card
Keyboard: 1 x Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: 1 x Gaming Mouse
Fan: 3 x 140mm
Computer Utilization: Always On (24/7)
Gaming/Video Editing/3D Rendering Time: Game On! (24/7)

Load Wattage: 477W
Recommended Wattage: 527W
Amperage: +3.3V: 9.9A, +5V: 10.6A, +12V: 36.8A
Recommended UPS Rating: 900VA
Generated by OuterVision PSU Calculator 2020-12-03 03:24:47

PSU calculators are for determining worst case but gives an idea of what you need. You can see why I said you don't need more than a 650W PSU.
 
Thanks for the input, could you explain to me the difference between a DDR4-3200 and the 3600 variant? Is there gonna be better performance or how does it change the RAM? Thanks!
With the Ryzens they like faster RAM. You can get a few percentage better performance going with 3600MHz CL18 than you can 3200MHz CL16. The main thing to remember is price/performance. Right now there is a $2 difference between 3200MHz CL16 & 3600MHz CL18, for a difference of 2% price. You can get up to 5% better performance with the faster RAM so price/performance ratio is worth the extra $2. It would not be worth the money if the difference were 10% in cost.
 
Thanks a bunch for the advice and for everyone that workshopped the PSU. The warranty means that if 650w isn't enough, I can return and get a 750 or whatever, correct?
No it means if the psu breaks they'll repair it for you but i guess if you pay more(when you send them for warranty)then they can exchange with a 750 Watts not sure about that but i guess it's possible although you shouldn't have any issue a 650 watt psu would be enough for a 6800xt