The PC Builders Thread ("I Need a New PC") v3

[myojinsoga]

Hey all, I've been considering a build for a long time and am getting close to making an order. First build since HL2!
The intention is whip-smart 1080p gaming at reasonable cost, with moderate room to upgrade down the line.
Can wiser heads than mine see anything glaringly amiss? Possibly a couple case fans?
I haven't thought much about clearances and headrooms, but I think all this should muck along quite happily, even the enormous cooler:

Case - Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower
Motherboard - MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX
CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 3600
CPU Cooler - be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
RAM - Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600
Storage - Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2
GPU - MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB GAMING X
PSU - (not on PCPP.com) Corsair HX750 Fully Modular 80 PLUS Platinum
Monitor - 27" MSI Optix MAG272QR (165hz / 1ms QHD VA)

Saved Part Lists

uk.pcpartpicker.com

 

[Crazymoogle]

Hey all, I've been considering a build for a long time and am getting close to making an order. First build since HL2!
The intention is whip-smart 1080p gaming at reasonable cost, with moderate room to upgrade down the line.
Can wiser heads than mine see anything glaringly amiss? Possibly a couple case fans?
I haven't thought much about clearances and headrooms, but I think all this should muck along quite happily, even the enormous cooler:

Case - Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower
Motherboard - MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX
CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 3600
CPU Cooler - be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
RAM - Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600
Storage - Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2
GPU - MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB GAMING X
PSU - (not on PCPP.com) Corsair HX750 Fully Modular 80 PLUS Platinum
Monitor - 27" MSI Optix MAG272QR (165hz / 1ms QHD VA)

Saved Part Lists

uk.pcpartpicker.com

Click to shrink...

I did a very similar build recently. (3600, DR4Slim, TUF X570).

• CASE: I said it before, but if you're not planning on installing a 3.5" hard drive, the first thing you should do is remove that drive cage because it will give you a ton of very valuable space for installing your PSU cables. Honestly, it will even give you the space to not go modular on the PSU if you wanted.
  
  
• FANS: The Meshify C comes with 2x case fans. Generally I recommend putting them at the back (exhaust and top) and it fits 2x140mm or 3x120mm on the front as intakes. (I did 2x120mm, bigger fans generally push more and are quieter). But if you're just interested in going cheap, you can have one fan on the front and one on the back and you'll survive just fine. If you want something, just get a 3 pack of whatever case fans fit your liking.
  
  
• CPU: Dark Rock 4 Slim gives plenty of cooling but makes room for your memory modules if you ever want to use the final two slots. The Pro 4 is of course the best, but it's also a monster, and basically overkill for the 3600. I'd go Dark Rock 4 at most, or even the Mugen 5 RGB. But I'm confident the Slim will cool the 4600/4700.
  
  
• M2: The 970 EVO is of course great, but depends on how cheap you can get it. I opted for the ADATA SX8200 Pro, which is to say that you don't need the 970 EVO with so many cheaper and great options out there. And if you get an X570 board you always have that second M2 slot for something much faster down the line.
  
  
• GPU: Great 1080P option, but if you have the money to clear and aren't saving for RTX 3000, you could cut costs elsewhere and aim for the RTX 2060 Super. But really depends on your region and pricing. Totally fine to go 1660 Super for now and re-evaluate next year.
  
  
• PSU: I think you can get away with a 650W Gold personally. Nothing wrong with Platinum of course, but if you want to cut costs, there are options.

This is fully loaded (6 fans including the Dark Rock) but it's probably a bit overkill for most people. 😆

 

[MazeHaze]

Alright, then you're down to the case and PSU...if you have a spare PSU that's definitely worth a try. Or if you just want a fast solution, you could try grounding yourself instead - if your wrist hits the table before the mouse, you could ground a wire to your mousing surface? Basically try and defuse the static before it can get to the mouse.

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Oh yeah, that was like step one, it's definitely static in my hand, discharging myself prevents the issue but is annoying as fuck lol. I'm just not sure how a PSU would be causing this issue but thats the easiest option to test next. If it's the case though, then what? Maybe I just get a wireless KB and M and forget about it lmao. Such a bizarre issue. Is it possible that the motherboard is just more sensitive, i.e. it's a feature not a bug? My other PC is a z 97 motherboard, so it's pretty old.

 

[Mr_Mondee]

My 2 months old PG279Q is going faulty (Display Port failing) and i am in the process of getting a refund.

I need to order a new monitor, but i am unsure if there is a 27 1440p 144hz IPS monitor out there as good as the PG279Q.

Any recommendations?

 

[catpurrcat]

My 2 months old PG279Q is going faulty (Display Port failing) and i am in the process of getting a refund.

I need to order a new monitor, but i am unsure if there is a 27 1440p 144hz monitor out there as good as the PG279Q.

Any recommendations?

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Dell 2719DGF

Love it.

 

[Mr_Mondee]

Dell 2719DGF

Love it.

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My bad, i should have mentioned that i want to stay with IPS monitor.

Thanks anyway

 

[Deleted member 49611]

My 2 months old PG279Q is going faulty (Display Port failing) and i am in the process of getting a refund.

I need to order a new monitor, but i am unsure if there is a 27 1440p 144hz monitor out there as good as the PG279Q.

Any recommendations?

Click to shrink...

I have an Asus VG27AQ which is their "budget" monitor. Check that out. it's 27" 1440p 165hz IPS but i run it at 144hz.

RTing's review: https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/asus/tuf-vg27aq

they have it listed as their best FreeSync monitor and it works perfectly with Nvidia cards because it's officially supported by Nvidia :) if you want to compare both monitors you can check it out here:

ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q vs ASUS TUF VG27AQ Side-by-Side Monitor Comparison

The ASUS TUF VG27AQ is a bit better than the ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q. Both monitors deliver the same excellent gaming experience and are among the best we've tested so far for gaming. The TUF supports FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) technology, while the ROG supports G-SYNC VRR. Their...

www.rtings.com

They say:

The ASUS TUF VG27AQ is a bit better than the ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q. Both monitors deliver the same excellent gaming experience and are among the best we've tested so far for gaming. The TUF supports FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) technology, while the ROG supports G-SYNC VRR. Their difference in overall performance is mainly due to the HDR support that the TUF provides and due to its faster refresh rate that helps motion look smoother.

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[Mr_Mondee]

I have an Asus VG27AQ which is their "budget" monitor. Check that out. it's 27" 1440p 165hz IPS but i run it at 144hz.

RTing's review: https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/asus/tuf-vg27aq

they have it listed as their best FreeSync monitor and it works perfectly with Nvidia cards because it's officially supported by Nvidia :) if you want to compare both monitors you can check it out here:

ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q vs ASUS TUF VG27AQ Side-by-Side Monitor Comparison

The ASUS TUF VG27AQ is a bit better than the ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q. Both monitors deliver the same excellent gaming experience and are among the best we've tested so far for gaming. The TUF supports FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) technology, while the ROG supports G-SYNC VRR. Their...

www.rtings.com

They say:

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Thanks, i will check it out. Bit wary of buying another ASUS do to these quality issues.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Oh yeah, that was like step one, it's definitely static in my hand, discharging myself prevents the issue but is annoying as fuck lol. I'm just not sure how a PSU would be causing this issue but thats the easiest option to test next. If it's the case though, then what? Maybe I just get a wireless KB and M and forget about it lmao. Such a bizarre issue. Is it possible that the motherboard is just more sensitive, i.e. it's a feature not a bug? My other PC is a z 97 motherboard, so it's pretty old.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, sometimes it's really hard to say why things happen. Could be a piece of metal in the wrong place, a capacitor busted, a trace gone bad...I can't imagine it's a feature though. Discharge should not be tracing back to your case, period. So usually it's either wiring in the mouse is weak enough to take a charge from your hand, or something in your case is touching the motherboard when it shouldn't. Or the PSU is just completely misbehaving. Try replacing whatever you're comfortable with, but probably the cheapest first. Certainly a wireless KBM would fix it 😆

 

[MazeHaze]

Yeah, sometimes it's really hard to say why things happen. Could be a piece of metal in the wrong place, a capacitor busted, a trace gone bad...I can't imagine it's a feature though. Discharge should not be tracing back to your case, period. So usually it's either wiring in the mouse is weak enough to take a charge from your hand, or something in your case is touching the motherboard when it shouldn't. Or the PSU is just completely misbehaving. Try replacing whatever you're comfortable with, but probably the cheapest first. Certainly a wireless KBM would fix it 😆

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Thanks, yeah it's not the mouse because it happens with two different mouses and two keyboards. Since the motherboard has been replaced, I guess it's most likely this Apevia PSU then? I guess I'll buy a name brand one and see, probably a good idea anyway because I have heard Apevia are really unreliable. Ughhh I am not looking forward to rewiring everything lmao.

 

[catpurrcat]

Thanks, i will check it out. Bit wary of buying another ASUS do to these quality issues.

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For monitors, check reddit over review sites. My experience has unfortunately not matched that of review sites for my last 3 TV's and monitors so YMMV

 

[Commander Keen]

Well Era I FINALLY did it! Thanks to everyone for all of their opinions and help on here. Haven't seriously PC gamed since 2006.

Had 2 kids and was working 50-60 hours a week at a new job at that same time period and just started gravitating towards consoles more and more. Where as prior to that had always gamed on PCs AND consoles.

Almost every CPU I've ever used I've built from scratch, (besides my first PB 386dx lol.) Thought about building one again this time around but was content when I found an iBuypower i7 9700k, 2080 Super, 480 GB SSD, Liquid cooled box for only $1599!!

I'm still going to play most of my new games on XB1X (Soon Series X) and PS4Pro hooked up to 55" LG C8 OLED (HDMI 2.0 peasant ☹️.)

Mainly bought this PC to be able to play Fallout 4, Skyrim, GTA 4/5, and the Mass Effect Trilogy all at 4K 60fps on my OLED, or maybe 1440p 120hz if it looks good, (my HDMI will only do 120hz @ 1440p).......Also to catch up on 15 years of Steam games I haven't played lol.

Any advice, tips/tricks for my setup? Also any PC only gems that I've maybe missed out on in the last 15 years?

It'll be here in a week and I'm beyond excited to jump in again, ❤️ everyone on here so much for the advice and opinions once again.

 

[Astronut325]

With Intel you will get better battery life and power management/standby time. AMD is still janky and you will see significantly worse battery life. CPU performance is better on Intel too. This is not a Zen2 part, it is a Zen+ part. The new 4000 series are a huge improvement and are considered better than IceLake, if you can wait, wait.

The graphic performance on Vega 8 is a lot better than Intel G1 but it is still not good to play games well and you don't want to play games anyway.

Also check the wifi card, Intel models usually ship with better cards than AMD models for reasons. Intel AX200 wifi6 is pretty good and ship with a lot of icelake laptops while AMD could be shipping with Killer wifi which is pretty bad in my experience. Qualcomm based wifi cards are also very good,

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Thank you. This is really helpful since there isn't much comparison data.

 

[Kieli]

Well Era I FINALLY did it! Thanks to everyone for all of their opinions and help on here. Haven't seriously PC gamed since 2006.

Had 2 kids and was working 50-60 hours a week at a new job at that same time period and just started gravitating towards consoles more and more. Where as prior to that had always gamed on PCs AND consoles.

Almost every CPU I've ever used I've built from scratch, (besides my first PB 386dx lol.) Thought about building one again this time around but was content when I found an iBuypower i7 9700k, 2080 Super, 480 GB SSD, Liquid cooled box for only $1599!!

I'm still going to play most of my new games on XB1X (Soon Series X) and PS4Pro hooked up to 55" LG C8 OLED (HDMI 2.0 peasant ☹.)

Mainly bought this PC to be able to play Fallout 4, Skyrim, GTA 4/5, and the Mass Effect Trilogy all at 4K 60fps on my OLED, or maybe 1440p 120hz if it looks good, (my HDMI will only do 120hz @ 1440p).......Also to catch up on 15 years of Steam games I haven't played lol.

Any advice, tips/tricks for my setup? Also any PC only gems that I've maybe missed out on in the last 15 years?

It'll be here in a week and I'm beyond excited to jump in again, ❤ everyone on here so much for the advice and opinions once again.

Click to shrink...

I'm impressed that you built a CPU from scratch. Haven't heard of too many folks running a silicon foundry out of their homes.

 

[MegaBeefBowl]

Well Era I FINALLY did it! Thanks to everyone for all of their opinions and help on here. Haven't seriously PC gamed since 2006.

Had 2 kids and was working 50-60 hours a week at a new job at that same time period and just started gravitating towards consoles more and more. Where as prior to that had always gamed on PCs AND consoles.

Almost every CPU I've ever used I've built from scratch, (besides my first PB 386dx lol.) Thought about building one again this time around but was content when I found an iBuypower i7 9700k, 2080 Super, 480 GB SSD, Liquid cooled box for only $1599!!

I'm still going to play most of my new games on XB1X (Soon Series X) and PS4Pro hooked up to 55" LG C8 OLED (HDMI 2.0 peasant ☹.)

Mainly bought this PC to be able to play Fallout 4, Skyrim, GTA 4/5, and the Mass Effect Trilogy all at 4K 60fps on my OLED, or maybe 1440p 120hz if it looks good, (my HDMI will only do 120hz @ 1440p).......Also to catch up on 15 years of Steam games I haven't played lol.

Any advice, tips/tricks for my setup? Also any PC only gems that I've maybe missed out on in the last 15 years?

It'll be here in a week and I'm beyond excited to jump in again, ❤ everyone on here so much for the advice and opinions once again.

Click to shrink...

If that is all the storage on the build, I'd probably add onto it. 480 fills up very fast.

 

[Nothing]

My 2 months old PG279Q is going faulty (Display Port failing) and i am in the process of getting a refund.

I need to order a new monitor, but i am unsure if there is a 27 1440p 144hz IPS monitor out there as good as the PG279Q.

Any recommendations?

Click to shrink...

Are you sure it's the displayport and not the cable? My first dp cable had bent pins just from plugging and unplugging it twice. Cables can go bad quite easily.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

So I mostly eliminated my problems with my new PC, but I am still getting random CPU spikes in some games that lead to micro stutters. I am using a Ryzen 7 3800x on an ASUS TUF B450-Plus Gaming Mainboard together with 16GB G.Skill RAM running @3000MHz RAM (overclocked from 2333MHz) and a GeForce RTX 2070 Super. Hardware is okay and tested, PC isn't overheating. Benchmarks are in the range they should be.

I already disabled Precision Boost Overdrive. Auto-Overclocking/Turbo Mode is still on, but disabling it and letting the CPU run at constant 3900MHz doesn't change anything. I've installed the latest drivers and BIOS from https://www.asus.com/de/Motherboards/TUF-B450-PLUS-GAMING/HelpDesk_Download/ and NVIDIA and also the latest version of AMD Ryzen Master. I activated AMD Balanced Energy Option. Then I deactivated HPET in the Windows Device Manager - my BIOS doesn't have an option to deactivate it there a well - and that reduced the spikes even more. I reduced background tasks to an absolute minimum while playing games.

Still some random spikes and micro stutters. It's not stuttering all the time like in some youtube videos you can find about stuttering. It's more like a micro-stutter every few minutes. It's mainly in VR games, so it might be a problem with the Oculus Link software which is still in Beta.

Any more optimization I might give a try or an AMD option I am missing? It's my first AMD CPU. I never had those issues with Intels.

 

[Azriell]

I'm new to PC building. My gpu (5700 XT) has an 8 pin connector and a 6 pin connector. After Googling it I believe I should use the 8 pin connector but I don't want to fuck it up. What should I do?

 

[Duck Sauce]

I'm new to PC building. My gpu (5700 XT) has an 8 pin connector and a 6 pin connector. After Googling it I believe I should use the 8 pin connector but I don't want to fuck it up. What should I do?

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You use both.

 

[TaySan]

This whole week has almost been crash free! I only had 1 crash. Count that ONE and it was only in Assassin's Creed Odyssey which i'm suspecting it has something to do with having Afterburner on.

Disabled all overclocking except for RAM and disabled hibernation and everything is stable.

 

[Azriell]

You use both.

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Tyvm

 

[Azriell]

You use both.

Click to shrink...

Actually, I have a follow up question. The gpu came with 2 types of cables to connect the PSU to the gpu. One wire is an 8 pin to 6+2 pin connector, while the other is a split wire that has an 8 pin connector on one side and two 6+2 connectors on the other side. I should just use the split cable right? There's no reason to run both the split and non-split cables, yeah?

 

[Duck Sauce]

Actually, I have a follow up question. The gpu came with 2 types of cables to connect the PSU to the gpu. One wire is an 8 pin to 6+2 pin connector, while the other is a split wire that has an 8 pin connector on one side and two 6+2 connectors on the other side. I should just use the split cable right? There's no reason to run both the split and non-split cables, yeah?

Click to shrink...

I don't recommend using split. It's better to use 2 different cables so you won't run into any power issues.

 

[TylerPickstock]

Hey all, I've been considering a build for a long time and am getting close to making an order. First build since HL2!
The intention is whip-smart 1080p gaming at reasonable cost, with moderate room to upgrade down the line.
Can wiser heads than mine see anything glaringly amiss? Possibly a couple case fans?
I haven't thought much about clearances and headrooms, but I think all this should muck along quite happily, even the enormous cooler:

Case - Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower
Motherboard - MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX
CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 3600
CPU Cooler - be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
RAM - Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600
Storage - Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2
GPU - MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB GAMING X
PSU - (not on PCPP.com) Corsair HX750 Fully Modular 80 PLUS Platinum
Monitor - 27" MSI Optix MAG272QR (165hz / 1ms QHD VA)

Saved Part Lists

uk.pcpartpicker.com

Click to shrink...

thats a really good build.... recommend the 3600 and the 1600ti

 

[TylerPickstock]

I don't recommend using split. It's better to use 2 different cables so you won't run into any power issues.

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i agree

 

[Mr_Mondee]

Are you sure it's the displayport and not the cable? My first dp cable had bent pins just from plugging and unplugging it twice. Cables can go bad quite easily.

Click to shrink...

This is the 3rd cable i am using, so i am sure it ain't the cable. Earlier today, I changed the display port in use on the GPU and haven't had any issues since so i am not sure what the problem is anymore...

 

[Smokey]

I don't recommend using split. It's better to use 2 different cables so you won't run into any power issues.

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i agree

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tbf i used split for a while and never had any issues, and always had the highest end nvidia GPU at the time. i do use separate psu cables in the present, though.

 

[Commander Keen]

I'm impressed that you built a CPU from scratch. Haven't heard of too many folks running a silicon foundry out of their homes.

Click to shrink...

🤨🤨🤨😂

 

[Commander Keen]

If that is all the storage on the build, I'd probably add onto it. 480 fills up very fast.

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Has a 1tb 7200rpm drive also but don't really count that bc I don't want to use it!

Coming from a decade and half of nothing but console gaming I want (almost) the best PC experience possible.

 

[ABeezy1388]

Being new back to the PC game and building a new PC within the last month and a half what are the major factors in running modern high end graphical games at max settings while mainting 60+ FPS? Naturally your graphics card, but what else plays a big part? For games such as say Shadow of the Tomb Raider to run everything at max/ultra and still get a consistent 60+ FPS... curious of the hardware needed...(I am sure this is a silly question, I know lol)

 

[Crazymoogle]

One wire is an 8 pin to 6+2 pin connector, while the other is a split wire that has an 8 pin connector on one side and two 6+2 connectors on the other side. I should just use the split cable right? There's no reason to run both the split and non-split cables, yeah?

Click to shrink...

I don't recommend using split. It's better to use 2 different cables so you won't run into any power issues.

Click to shrink...

tbf i used split for a while and never had any issues, and always had the highest end nvidia GPU at the time. i do use separate psu cables in the present, though.

Click to shrink...

Q: Can I use a 6+2 in an 8 pin slot on my Video Card?
Yes. PSU manufacturers are basically cutting the 8-pin into a 6+2, giving you the convenience to use a given plug for 6 pin (some video cards have 6-pin slots, some have 8, some have both...) ...Okay, the longer story is they are not cutting the plastic of the cable, but rather changing the ATX spec to support more power delivery and thus get 6+2=8 even though that's not technically supported, but everybody does it because there still exists 8+8, 8+6, 6+6, etc setups out there...

Q: My Video Card needs 8+6 or 8+8. Can I use a single PCIe cable from my power supply?
"Yes", but it's not a cut-and-dry topic. Buildzoid has shown that in terms of power delivery, a single-daisy chained cable is totally fine. But there are a bunch of suggestions that say if you're having trouble, or want to play it safe, you're better off using two cables.

• Coil Whine: Some anecdotal evidence of whine reduction when using twin cables.
• Heat reduction: Splitting the load across two cables reduces voltage drop and heat. If you're in a very warm country, this can matter more.
• Overclocking: Again, not supposed to matter for most cards, but some card software (especially GTX 1000 series) has been shown to increase overclocking overhead when there is less voltage drop AKA using twin cables. It's not clear if RTX is affected this, but if you're overclocking, it's safer to use twin cables.
• Weird BSOD: If you're having weird crashes/BSOD, that can mean power delivery problems, which again could be offset by using twin cables.

 

[sackboy97]

What option would you guys recommend to move a Windows install to a new SSD?

I know the right answer is a clean install, but having literally just done one a week ago for unrelated reasons, I would really like to avoid having to do it again.
I also know I probably will anyway, but I'd like to know if there are other options.

 

[Terbinator]

In my experience you can just drag and drop once you've formatted the new drive (it's how I moved existing install to an SSD).

Honestly for piece and what takes half an hour or so, I'd just do it from scratch.

 

[Black_Stride]

What option would you guys recommend to move a Windows install to a new SSD?

I know the right answer is a clean install, but having literally just done one a week ago for unrelated reasons, I would really like to avoid having to do it again.
I also know I probably will anyway, but I'd like to know if there are other options.

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From the OP


Setup and Overclocking
Want to know exactly what you bought? Or figure out what kind of overclocking room you may have? Try these.

• CPU-Z: Displays CPU, Motherboard, and Memory info.
• GPU-Z: Displays extremely detailed Graphics Card info.
• MSI Afterburner: Videocard overclocking, temps, fans. Works on non-MSI cards.
• AMD Ryzen Master: Overclocking/temps for AMD CPUs. Installs some power plans that are good for AMD Builds.
• WizTree: Visual display of your files, great for figuring out how to make space on your SSD.
• Macrium Reflect Free Edition: Clone a drive or make an exact backup for later.
• HWiNFO: Not as obvious as CPU-Z but it lets you do realtime temperature/fan monitoring, if you need that.

Easy work.

I pretty much have always clone disks when I get a new bigger one.
Its realtively fast and then you can use your old disk for storage.

 

[afrodubs]

I have a few questions:
1. How is the PC part market now in the UK?

2. Where are the best prices and delivery times? (I used to use Scan)

3. Can anyone recommend some good midrange VR ready PC builds? (I have case, monitor, kB&mouse, and drives)

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[sackboy97]

I pretty much have always clone disks when I get a new bigger one.
Its realtively fast and then you can use your old disk for storage.

Click to shrink...

Ah sorry, I missed it when skimming through the OP, thanks! I'm glad to hear it works well, that's what I was planning to do.

 

[myojinsoga]

I did a very similar build recently. (3600, DR4Slim, TUF X570).

• CASE: I said it before, but if you're not planning on installing a 3.5" hard drive, the first thing you should do is remove that drive cage because it will give you a ton of very valuable space for installing your PSU cables. Honestly, it will even give you the space to not go modular on the PSU if you wanted.
  
  
• FANS: The Meshify C comes with 2x case fans. Generally I recommend putting them at the back (exhaust and top) and it fits 2x140mm or 3x120mm on the front as intakes. (I did 2x120mm, bigger fans generally push more and are quieter). But if you're just interested in going cheap, you can have one fan on the front and one on the back and you'll survive just fine. If you want something, just get a 3 pack of whatever case fans fit your liking.
  
  
• CPU: Dark Rock 4 Slim gives plenty of cooling but makes room for your memory modules if you ever want to use the final two slots. The Pro 4 is of course the best, but it's also a monster, and basically overkill for the 3600. I'd go Dark Rock 4 at most, or even the Mugen 5 RGB. But I'm confident the Slim will cool the 4600/4700.
  
  
• M2: The 970 EVO is of course great, but depends on how cheap you can get it. I opted for the ADATA SX8200 Pro, which is to say that you don't need the 970 EVO with so many cheaper and great options out there. And if you get an X570 board you always have that second M2 slot for something much faster down the line.
  
  
• GPU: Great 1080P option, but if you have the money to clear and aren't saving for RTX 3000, you could cut costs elsewhere and aim for the RTX 2060 Super. But really depends on your region and pricing. Totally fine to go 1660 Super for now and re-evaluate next year.
  
  
• PSU: I think you can get away with a 650W Gold personally. Nothing wrong with Platinum of course, but if you want to cut costs, there are options.

This is fully loaded (6 fans including the Dark Rock) but it's probably a bit overkill for most people. 😆

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Hey, sorry this is late. It's been a tiring week, and yesterday I got sucked into timely therapeutic sessions on Rimworld and GT Sport. Just wanted to say a massive thank you for the input. I thought more about all the points you raised and adjusted very slightly. I scaled back on the Dark Rock Pro - but to the 4 rather than the Slim. If I ever need to tap into the other DIMMs, I'll accepts a fan swap as part of the job. I just guessed, really, that the DR4 would offer its cost/value in cooling overhead, above the Slim. And I like that it's bigger! But I agree the Pro was more overkill than I'd meant.

I've kept Platinum PSU, but bumped down to 650W. More than enough, although the cost is about the same. I am attracted to the marginal efficiency (and to a lesser extent thermal) gains from Platinum. It's going to run a lot, so may as well do it easy.

I added two case fans. The point of the mesh case was to have an easy-breathing system, so may as well set it free.

I also relented and changed the solid case for the TG one. In theory this system is all-business / no-nonsense ... but these are some nice components and I will enjoy looking at them ^^

I held off until this morning as I've done partial finance, and wanted to to make sure my SO was on board with the plan. Just put my order in, set for delivery next weekend :DDD ...

 

[Kiyoshi]

I have a few questions:
1. How is the PC part market now in the UK?

2. Where are the best prices and delivery times? (I used to use Scan)

3. Can anyone recommend some good midrange VR ready PC builds? (I have case, monitor, kB&mouse, and drives)

Thanks in advance guys.

Click to shrink...

1. It hasn't massively changed as yet. Prices seemed to have increased by a few quid here and there, but on the whole it seems pretty static. The exception seems to be Nvidia GPUs. For a while there were plenty of offers on GPUs well below MSRP, but the offers have tried up a bit and a 2070 Super card I was looking at has increased from £429 to £499 in the last couple of months.

2. Amazon, Scan, Ebuyer, Overclockers UK are all good bets.

 

[afrodubs]

1. It hasn't massively changed as yet. Prices seemed to have increased by a few quid here and there, but on the whole it seems pretty static. The exception seems to be Nvidia GPUs. For a while there were plenty of offers on GPUs well below MSRP, but the offers have tried up a bit and a 2070 Super card I was looking at has increased from £429 to £499 in the last couple of months.

2. Amazon, Scan, Ebuyer, Overclockers UK are all good bets.

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Cheers mate. Good info 😉

Just waiting for an answer to my 3rd question now....

 

[Kiyoshi]

No worries. If you use https://pcpartpicker.com/ you can find out the best prices.

 

[Morzak]

Hey all, I've been considering a build for a long time and am getting close to making an order. First build since HL2!
The intention is whip-smart 1080p gaming at reasonable cost, with moderate room to upgrade down the line.
Can wiser heads than mine see anything glaringly amiss? Possibly a couple case fans?
I haven't thought much about clearances and headrooms, but I think all this should muck along quite happily, even the enormous cooler:

Case - Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower
Motherboard - MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX
CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 3600
CPU Cooler - be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
RAM - Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600
Storage - Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2
GPU - MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB GAMING X
PSU - (not on PCPP.com) Corsair HX750 Fully Modular 80 PLUS Platinum
Monitor - 27" MSI Optix MAG272QR (165hz / 1ms QHD VA)

Saved Part Lists

uk.pcpartpicker.com

Click to shrink...

ordered the same Motherboard and CPU (just the X version because there was a discount on it that had it at the same pricepoint ). I'm now thinking about getting a new GPU since becasue my old GTX 780 really doesn't cut it anymore. I'm really not willing to shell out 400+ for a GPU anymore since my gaming time isn't that big anymore.

Looking into either:

A RX 5600 XT:
Sapphire RX 5600 XT Pulse (339.- )
Or GTX 1660 Super:
Gainward GeForce GTX 1660 Super Ghost OC (6GB) (269.-)

I'm really not sure which way to go, the cheapest decent RTX 2060. seem to be a good 40-50 bucks more then the 5600XT. I'm not in the US but the currency is nearly one to one.

I'm really not sure which way to go..... I mostly game on a 1080P 120 HZ display, i may will upgrade to a 1440P. at one point the next 2 years... I also not sure if it's worth going for the more expensive one that stil 6GB.

 

[Deleted member 49611]

Thanks, i will check it out. Bit wary of buying another ASUS do to these quality issues.

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i understand. i've only had my monitor about 2 months now and never had an asus before. it's by far the best i've bought and i've tried many monitors out. i'm quite picky when it comes to them. hope you find a good monitor that suits your needs :)

 

[WolverinesFather]

So I'm doing a bit of an upgrade in order to keep a backup of photos. So I will be doing a case, psu, adding in a ssd and hdd, and sneaking in a 1660.

My question is, if I currently have a 1TB drive with existing data, can I throw in the new HDD and set it up as raid? or will it be better to just do software mirroring?

 

[Megauap]

i understand. i've only had my monitor about 2 months now and never had an asus before. it's by far the best i've bought and i've tried many monitors out. i'm quite picky when it comes to them. hope you find a good monitor that suits your needs :)

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Don't know why but in Europe the Asus VG27AQ is GSYNC instead of Freesync. Is it the same monitor you have?

TUF Gaming VG27AQ｜Monitors｜ASUS Global

TUF Gaming monitors are ideal for competitive gamers on a budget, delivering a carefully selected set of high-end gaming features at palatable prices. Immaculate visuals are now within reach.

www.asus.com

 

[Sexy Fish]

So I saw the guide in the OP post and theres some compatibility issues with the CPUs in the 1200~ range pc build? Is there an updated listing for that price range or could someone assist me at around that range. Pretty much want to do 1080 gaming and maybe upgrade to 1440p 144hz gaming in the future. Thanks.

 

[Crazymoogle]

So I saw the guide in the OP post and theres some compatibility issues with the CPUs in the 1200~ range pc build? Is there an updated listing for that price range or could someone assist me at around that range. Pretty much want to do 1080 gaming and maybe upgrade to 1440p 144hz gaming in the future. Thanks.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, sorry, still going with the old parts list for now while we all try to make it through these crazy times. $1200 USD allows you to do 1440p now, although maybe not 144hz on everything. It just depends on your priorities.

Looking at the ~$1200 USD build Soda put together in the past, here's what I would do

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 3600X ($200)
  The 3600X is 6 cores/12 threads, but $100 cheaper than the 8/16 3700X. It's just a huge bargain, and the cooler is at least usable if you don't have the budget to move up to a Mugen 5 RGB / Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB / Dark Rock 4 Slim. I would prefer an aftermarket cooler myself, but the 3600X uses at least a competent cooler. If you go for one of those other coolers, you can downgrade to the 3600 (non-X) to save ~30 dollars. The ~5% perf difference isn't worth it.
  
  
• MB: MSI Tomahawk Max ($115)
  I am on the record saying you should go X570 if you wish to upgrade your processor to Ryzen 4000 later. And you can do that for another $20-30 bucks. But if you want cheap but great, that's the Tomahawk Max.
  
  
• GPU: EVGA RTX 2060 Super SC ($404)
  This is where it gets tough. The 5700 XT undoubtedly gives better raw performance, but you are risking driver issues. The 1660Ti will save you 100-130 bucks and give you an awesome 1080p experience, but they aren't truly 1440p cards and lack RTX. So to me the gamechange right now is the RTX 2060, because DLSS 2.0 (basically, using machine learning cores for framerate) has shocking performance improvements to games that support it, so you get basically a good card now that will continue to get better. If you fully intend to go RTX 3000 next year though, look at the 1660 Super or Ti.
  
  
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB ($78)
  Can always pay more for RGB but these are pretty good.
  
  
• SSD: Crucial P1 1TB NVMe ($110)
  Just carry over your old HDD if you want more space. The key thing here is NVMe so you've got speed and room for your most played games.
  
  
• CASE: Fractal Design Meshify C TG ($100) There are cheaper options but this one lets you build easily with ATX and you even get the tempered side glass. There is a non-glass version out there if you prefer. It's a great, roomy mid-tower and it comes with two fans (plus it's mesh front, so you can put 3 more upfront if budget allows.) If you hate the look, the Phanteks P400A is also highly regarded, although it has a little bit less room for CPU cooler height and you may need to check versus aftermarket coolers.
  
  
• PSU: EVGA Supernova 650W ($100) Modular and fully capable.
• Windows 10 Home ($107) Can always look around for keys, or just go keyless, but if you want to expense everything...

Here's the partpicker link. $1211 USD

I scaled back on the Dark Rock Pro - but to the 4 rather than the Slim. If I ever need to tap into the other DIMMs, I'll accepts a fan swap as part of the job. I just guessed, really, that the DR4 would offer its cost/value in cooling overhead, above the Slim. And I like that it's bigger! But I agree the Pro was more overkill than I'd meant.

Click to shrink...

I have a friend with the DR4. It's a great cooler. I just don't see the point unless you have the 3800X or 3900X. So personal preference. In my case I spent well over that price difference on case fans though...2x140mm front, 1x140mm top, and 2x120mm back/top. So ymmv 😆

I added two case fans. The point of the mesh case was to have an easy-breathing system, so may as well set it free.

Click to shrink...

General rule of thumb is 120mm fronts if you expect to go to 3 later, 2x140mm fronts for quietest/easiest install. You align one to the top (intake - pointing towards your Dark Rock 4) and one to the bottom (sitting on top of the PSU shroud, so it's aimed at your video card. Then you put the Meshify C fans on the exhaust (back) and exhaust (top/back) for a relatively balanced airflow. Again, get rid of that drive tray if you don't intend to use it 😅

I also relented and changed the solid case for the TG one. In theory this system is all-business / no-nonsense ... but these are some nice components and I will enjoy looking at them ^^

Click to shrink...

I did it because my kid is obsessed with looking inside. But it *is* pretty cool, and if nothing else you can confirm that all of the fans are working! But it's a slippery slope; you may one day end up looking at RGB strips!

I held off until this morning as I've done partial finance, and wanted to to make sure my SO was on board with the plan. Just put my order in, set for delivery next weekend :DDD ...
[/QUOTE]

 

[pj-]

Finished up my first build with water cooling, pretty happy with it. Copy/paste of my reddit post..




Didn't feel like disconnecting everything for nicer photos..

Components:

• 3950x
• Pascal Titan X from old PC
• Aorus x570 Ultra
• 2x16GB Trident Z Neo
• Hardwarelabs SR2 360 & GTS 360
• Heatkiller cpu and gpu blocks
• Bitspower fittings
• 10x Noctua NF-P12 redux-1300 PWM
• EK 240 flat res w/ D5 pump
• Corsair RM850 white PSU
• Cryofuel Clear coolant
• Silverstone fan hub
• Noctua thermal paste

Planning to upgrade the GPU when Nvidia 3000 series eventually comes out, and also maybe upgrading the CPU to Ryzen 4000 if they are a decent bump. Cables don't look great so I may get extensions at some point.

FYI for anyone thinking of push/pull for the bottom rad in this case while preserving front panel USB, you will need some sort of USB header extenders like this because the cables that come with the case are super thick and stick straight into the rad.

Temps under load are about 53 for the CPU and 43 for the GPU

 

[Chessguy1]

It looks like my GPU in my PC is kaput. A 1070, i've had it since launch. A bunch of tiny red squares appeared on the screen while gaming and my PC crashed, and now it appears fairly consistently when trying to play a game. It has gotten worse, and now it will happen right when i bootup windows and tries to load the graphics driver i assume. If i can get past that and I don't run a game the PC works fine though, haha. I have tried everything to fix it except a full windows install.

I have a 3600x, and 90% of my gaming on a PC is playing overwatch on all low settings on a 165 fps G-SYNC monitor. I remember overwatch barely used up any resources on my 1070 while playing it, its mainly a CPU game for high framerates i believe.

Please recommend me a card. Budget is $400, but if i can get by with a $150 card that will be great as i pretty much only play overwatch. I dunno if i should get a cheap card now and use it for a year or two then upgrade, or just get a 2070 now.

Thanks, and remember i need it ASAP. Looking to order it tonight for i don't end up PC-less when my GPU fully kicks the bucket.

 

[crazy monkey]

It looks like my GPU in my PC is kaput. A 1070, i've had it since launch. A bunch of tiny red squares appeared on the screen while gaming and my PC crashed, and now it appears fairly consistently when trying to play a game. It has gotten worse, and now it will happen right when i bootup windows and tries to load the graphics driver i assume. If i can get past that and I don't run a game the PC works fine though, haha. I have tried everything to fix it except a full windows install.

I have a 3600x, and 90% of my gaming on a PC is playing overwatch on all low settings on a 165 fps G-SYNC monitor. I remember overwatch barely used up any resources on my 1070 while playing it, its mainly a CPU game for high framerates i believe.

Please recommend me a card. Budget is $400, but if i can get by with a $150 card that will be great as i pretty much only play overwatch. I dunno if i should get a cheap card now and use it for a year or two then upgrade, or just get a 2070 now.

Thanks, and remember i need it ASAP. Looking to order it tonight.

Click to shrink...

Overwatch can be played on very cheap cards. Buy used one and wait it out.

https://www.logicalincrements.com/games/overwatch

 

[Brandino]

It looks like my GPU in my PC is kaput. A 1070, i've had it since launch. A bunch of tiny red squares appeared on the screen while gaming and my PC crashed, and now it appears fairly consistently when trying to play a game. It has gotten worse, and now it will happen right when i bootup windows and tries to load the graphics driver i assume. If i can get past that and I don't run a game the PC works fine though, haha. I have tried everything to fix it except a full windows install.

I have a 3600x, and 90% of my gaming on a PC is playing overwatch on all low settings on a 165 fps G-SYNC monitor. I remember overwatch barely used up any resources on my 1070 while playing it, its mainly a CPU game for high framerates i believe.

Please recommend me a card. Budget is $400, but if i can get by with a $150 card that will be great as i pretty much only play overwatch. I dunno if i should get a cheap card now and use it for a year or two then upgrade, or just get a 2070 now.

Thanks, and remember i need it ASAP. Looking to order it tonight for i don't end up PC-less when my GPU fully kicks the bucket.

Click to shrink...

Zotac's eBay store has some good deals