[SOLVED] New to PC and can't decide as I suffer from impulse buying

[ThePharaoh]

I have always gamed on a console all my life. However, I have decided to switch to PC due to convenience and overall productivity. I am also studying software engineering, so having a PC where I can just game and work on would be great.

I suffer from impulse buying, it's so bad to the point that I have put myself in bad financial situations multiple times just because I wanted to buy the best version of something. I know PC builds can be very expensive, but I wanted something more reasonable than just wanting to dish out $5000 on a full system that I will probably not need half of the capabilities it will offer.

I have done some research but I still fall into choosing the top tier version of a component. Therefore, my friend introduced me to this website and told me to write down my exact needs, hoping to get advice on what components (from the PC to the monitors and peripherals) would be ideal for me now and also be future proof for as long as possible without spending lots of cash that I don't have.

My needs:

1. I game a lot, I also just purchased Star Citizen because I love space sims and I heard it needs a beast to run it. I know the game isn't out yet so I shouldn't build a system around a game that's still in Alpha.
2. I am in the process of learning computer programming and will be soon working with AI, ML and Blockchain programming.
3. I want to try 120 fps or more as I have always been stuck at 60 fps. I don't care for 4K, but 1440p would be nice.
4. I would need lots of screen real estate due to my work in programming, I can't decide if an ultra wide is better or two normal monitors (I have no space for 3 monitors, although if I put my rig on the floor I can have space for 1 ultra wide and one normal monitor).
5. I have slight OCD, I like stuff to be clean and everything synced. I would really love to have a full RGB setup as I love changing colors regularly depending on holiday seasons and whatnot, I don't care for rainbow effects but I may need to have a blend between 2 or 3 colors at one given time so syncing is important to me.
6. My main job is construction planning, so I use a software called Primavera P6 by Oracle which I need to work as smoothly as possible.
7. Other hobbies I have is that I use Photoshop on a regular basis.

I hope this wasn't too much or too little information. I am just worried I will end up buying the most expensive components out there for no reason. Any help would be heavily appreciated.

This is the build I have created so far, my friend says it's too much: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Z2H6fH

NB: The country I currently live in doesn't offer products from some manufacturers in stock and I would have to pay a lot for special orders, for example AMD, Lian Li, Phantex, and some other brands. The most widely available brands here are Intel, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Corsair, Razer, CoolerMaster, InWin, NZXT, Zotac, Alienware, TeamGroup and Logitech.

 

[mdd1963]

I don't see anything in your build that seems silly, but, I'd opt for a larger NVME drive (preferably Samsung 970 EVO Plus) for the OS drive, as the 240-250 GB does not go as far as it once did. (Secondary drive SSD--- I've not personally heard of or seen reviewed any Team Force SSDs, so I'd shoot for a Corsair MX500 or Samsung 860 EVO 1 TB drive on sale if possible/available...; add a second later if you think you need it.)

If you decide you don't need 4k/1440P gaming at 144 Hz, you can drop down to the RTX2060 class of cards (matches 1070Ti in performance) and save almost another $500 on overall rig cost...

You might also be able to find a quality 650 watt PSU and save another $100...(as it is, you have but about 340 watts peak load in components)

 

[ThePharaoh]

I don't see anything in your build that seems silly, but, I'd opt for a larger NVME drive (preferably Samsung 970 EVO Plus) for the OS drive, as the 240-250 GB does not go as far as it once did. (Secondary drive SSD--- I've not personally heard of or seen reviewed any Team Force SSDs, so I'd shoot for a Corsair MX500 or Samsung 860 EVO 1 TB drive on sale if possible/available...; add a second later if you think you need it.)

If you decide you don't need 4k/1440P gaming at 144 Hz, you can drop down to the RTX2060 class of cards (matches 1070Ti in performance) and save almost another $500 on overall rig cost...

You might also be able to find a quality 650 watt PSU and save another $100...(as it is, you have but about 340 watts peak load in components)

Thank you for your reply. I was planning to put the OS only on the NVME Drive and dedicate the 2 TB SSD for games and programs. Do you still think I should upgrade to 480GB NVME?

Regarding GPU, I do wish to play games at 1440p at 120Hz or more, thus my choice (rather my friend's choice) of the 2080, I previously had the 2080Ti but he said its too overkill for nothing so he downgraded that to the 2080.

650W is indeed cheaper, but doesn't more power mean better lifespan for PC and future proofing and more space to overclock if I so need?

 

[assasin32]

Get another HDD for backups, I'm experimenting with Windows file history to automatically do backups and so far so good. But for any type of work you do a backup on a separate HDD is a must. Not much point in going with anither SSD for backups when a normal HDD will get the job done and be cheaper too. Some form of off-site backup would be good too if feasible. I still feel the lose of a 1.5tb HDD that failed without backups 10 years ago and fortunately I didn't do any computer related work or else I would've been really screwed.

 

[USAFRet]

Thank you for your reply. I was planning to put the OS only on the NVME Drive and dedicate the 2 TB SSD for games and programs. Do you still think I should upgrade to 480GB NVME?

$3,000 in hardware, and a selection of second rate drives.

500GB Samsung 970 EVO for the OS drive, and other SATA III SSD for the one or two others.
Samsung 860 EVO or Crucial MX500.

It serves no real purpose to try to have the OS on one drive, and your programs on another. Have all that on one drive.
Games and other personal data can go on the other drives.


And some sort of automated backup routine is a must.

 

[ThePharaoh]

$3,000 in hardware, and a selection of second rate drives.

500GB Samsung 970 EVO for the OS drive, and other SATA III SSD for the one or two others.
Samsung 860 EVO or Crucial MX500.

It serves no real purpose to try to have the OS on one drive, and your programs on another. Have all that on one drive.
Games and other personal data can go on the other drives.


And some sort of automated backup routine is a must.

First of all thanks a lot for your time to reply to my post.

Unfortunately we do not have Samsung Evo where I live, I am limited to Kingston only (from the cheapest A series to the most expensive HyperX Predator), one store sells the Samsung Evo for double the price because they know they are the only one selling it in the country.

Also, isn't it always better to keep the OS drive on one drive to not affect the speed of the OS and boot up?

About the automatic backup routine, I don't know anything about that in that stage.

 

[ThePharaoh]

Get another HDD for backups, I'm experimenting with Windows file history to automatically do backups and so far so good. But for any type of work you do a backup on a separate HDD is a must. Not much point in going with anither SSD for backups when a normal HDD will get the job done and be cheaper too. Some form of off-site backup would be good too if feasible. I still feel the lose of a 1.5tb HDD that failed without backups 10 years ago and fortunately I didn't do any computer related work or else I would've been really screwed.

You mean I should invest in 2 HDD or do I just get a larger one? I don't want to add more stuff as it just increases the risk of faulty or overtime damaged components. I already have a portable 2TB Hard Drive, can I just use that and save myself some extra cash?

 

[USAFRet]

First of all thanks a lot for your time to reply to my post.

Unfortunately we do not have Samsung Evo where I live, I am limited to Kingston only (from the cheapest A series to the most expensive HyperX Predator), one store sells the Samsung Evo for double the price because they know they are the only one selling it in the country.

Also, isn't it always better to keep the OS drive on one drive to not affect the speed of the OS and boot up?

About the automatic backup routine, I don't know anything about that in that stage.

The OS and all your applications can go on one drive. It will not affect the speed of anything.

Backups - Visualize one of your drives dying suddenly. Mentally walk yourself through what you would do to recover the data that was on it.

 

[ThePharaoh]

The OS and all your applications can go on one drive. It will not affect the speed of anything.

Backups - Visualize one of your drives dying suddenly. Mentally walk yourself through what you would do to recover the data that was on it.

So one big M.2, 1TB SSD and 2 HDD (maybe 2 TB each) ?