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

[NovumVeritas]

Just build my PC two days ago.

The Define R7 by Fractal Design is really cool.

Installed a MSI Z390 Gaming Edge AC, i7-9700F, 32 GB Corsair Dominator,
MSI RTX 2080 Super Trio X and a H115i water cooling solution by Corsair.
Was smooth sailing. Everything worked the first time, glad it went without issues.

 

[Nikokuno]

What's a good mid-priced graphics card that should last a while?

I'm currently still on a 750 Ti from ages ago.

Hoping to play Control, RE2, RE3 with at least on as stable 70+ FPS high and have some head room to support games in the next couple of years at 1080p with no problems.

Or is there something I should wait for? I'm thinking $300-$350 CAD

Click to shrink...

I'm not used to the CAD market and currency, so I checked on Newegg and you can get a GTX 1660 Super or a RX 5500 for that kind of money.

You'll able to play current gen games and next-gen with some graphical tweak I guess. But those cards are on the low-end side, what's your current CPU?

 

[Infinity Times Two]

Just build my PC two days ago.

The Define R7 by Fractal Design is really cool.

Installed a MSI Z390 Gaming Edge AC, i7-9700F, 32 GB Corsair Dominator,
MSI RTX 2080 Super Trio X and a H115i water cooling solution by Corsair.
Was smooth sailing. Everything worked the first time, glad it went without issues.

Click to shrink...

That moment when the newly built PC posts on first try, and it feels like you've pulled off a magic trick.

 

[bushmonkey]

I just want to thank everyone here. I hadn't built my own PC in over 10 years and it was a daunting prospect until I started lurking in this thread a couple of months ago. I now took the plunge and got myself a build for £800 with:
- ryzen 5 3600
- MSI X470 motherboard
- 16gb DDR4
- RTX 2060

I have a couple of fans coming too, any recommendations for optimising the cooling in an affordable manner?

the parts are all arriving within the next couple of days. Wish me luck!

 

[Genio88]

Just build my PC two days ago.

The Define R7 by Fractal Design is really cool.

Installed a MSI Z390 Gaming Edge AC, i7-9700F, 32 GB Corsair Dominator,
MSI RTX 2080 Super Trio X and a H115i water cooling solution by Corsair.
Was smooth sailing. Everything worked the first time, glad it went without issues.

Click to shrink...

Waiting for the "'why didn't you get a Ryzen cpu" in 3 2 1....

 

[MegaBeefBowl]

Anyone have experience with paying less than full price on a Windows 10 key through sites like G2A or Kinguin?

I haven't had to pay for Windows in a very long time, are these third party sellers the way to go?

 

[NovumVeritas]

That moment when the newly built PC posts on first try, and it feels like you've pulled off a magic trick.

Click to shrink...

I worked in that field, building PC's for a living,
and there were all kind of weird and odd problems, so I know exactly what do you mean with that lol.
Glad that everything worked smoothly, very happy with the setup.

Waiting for the "'why didn't you get a Ryzen cpu" in 3 2 1....

Click to shrink...

I am waiting for those too haha.
I am honest, I was always an Intel / nVidia guy, always had the best setup with those.
I know AMD improved in the CPU field but I always keep going with Intel.

 

[Shoichi]

Anyone have experience with paying less than full price on a Windows 10 key through sites like G2A or Kinguin?

I haven't had to pay for Windows in a very long time, are these third party sellers the way to go?

Click to shrink...

I've had experience with Kinguin & G2A before. As long as you go with a reputable seller its fine.
Of the two I enjoyed the service of Kinguin more, G2A was a hassle to deal with regarding a service I had with them

 

[Infinity Times Two]

Anyone have experience with paying less than full price on a Windows 10 key through sites like G2A or Kinguin?

I haven't had to pay for Windows in a very long time, are these third party sellers the way to go?

Click to shrink...

I wouldn't support G2A, they are scumbags.

 

[Evolution of Metal]

Anyone have experience with paying less than full price on a Windows 10 key through sites like G2A or Kinguin?

I haven't had to pay for Windows in a very long time, are these third party sellers the way to go?

Click to shrink...

Ebay $3 key.

You will buy the same shit on G2A/Kinguin just priced higher.

 

[SmartWaffles]

Well, 3700X it is I guess.

That GPU news is a real bummer too. I have a 1070 at the moment, Still waiting for a GPU though.

Is there any real reason to go with a 570 board over a 450? PCIe 4.0 isnt enough. Hell any reason to get anything more expensive than the Gigabyte B450m

Click to shrink...

I'd recommend pairing a 3700X with a X570 instead of B450, more flexible if you want to upgrade to Ryzen 4000 later.

I know AMD improved in the CPU field but I always keep going with Intel.

Click to shrink...

"Improved" is a huge understatement this time heh.

 

[NovumVeritas]

I'd recommend pairing a 3700X with a X570 instead of B450, more flexible if you want to upgrade to Ryzen 4000 later.

"Improved" is a huge understatement this time heh.

Click to shrink...

I know lol, AMD is now a threat to Intel to say at least, and competition is always a good thing.
I hope AMD can reach nVidia levels too someday, they are still lacking in this department.

 

[SmartWaffles]

I know lol, AMD is now a threat to Intel to say at least, and competition is always a good thing.
I hope AMD can reach nVidia levels too someday, they are still lacking in this department.

Click to shrink...

AMD is thoroughly giving Intel a beatdown at this point from top to bottom, all the way over to laptop, it's not even a competition any more. The 9700 is by all means, not a good buy today.

 

[Vex]

I know AMD improved in the CPU field but I always keep going with Intel.

Click to shrink...

I was tempted to do the same as I've only owned intel cpus, but I could not ignore the tremendous value of amd's offerings. I currently await my AMD cpu for my next build.

i hope I don't get any DoA parts this time around. Was a nightmare with my first build.

 

[NovumVeritas]

AMD is thoroughly giving Intel a beatdown at this point from top to bottom, all the way over to laptop, it's not even a competition any more. The 9700 is by all means, not a good buy today.

Click to shrink...

What is the equivalent of the i7-9700?
That is really good AMD is giving Intel a beatdown now, after so many years where AMD was so behind.

I was tempted to do the same as I've only owned intel cpus, but I could not ignore the tremendous value of amd's offerings. I currently await my AMD cpu for my next build.

i hope I don't get any DoA parts this time around. Was a nightmare with my first build.

Click to shrink...

What CPU have you ordered?

Yeah that was my fear as well, especially faulty GPU, CPU, Mainboard or even RAM.
Glad everything went smooth sailing.

 

[Stacey]

Bought the noctua NH-U12A cooler and the nickel plate is scratched out of the box

Worth a replacement?

 

[Deleted member 25042]

AMD is thoroughly giving Intel a beatdown at this point from top to bottom, all the way over to laptop, it's not even a competition any more. The 9700 is by all means, not a good buy today.

Click to shrink...

Yeah going with a 8C/8T CPU with next gen a few months away and when better options are available is an odd choice to say the least

 

[SmartWaffles]

What is the equivalent of the i7-9700?
That is really good AMD is giving Intel a beatdown now, after so many years where AMD was so behind.

Click to shrink...

The Ryzen 5 3600 is cheaper than the 9700, is equally fast in games, up to ~50% faster in computing tasks, and can be used on $100 motherboards from last generation, and that motherboard can support AMD's upcoming CPU with even faster single core performance.

 

[Vex]

What is the equivalent of the i7-9700?
That is really good AMD is giving Intel a beatdown now, after so many years where AMD was so behind.



What CPU have you ordered?

Yeah that was my fear as well, especially faulty GPU, CPU, Mainboard or even RAM.
Glad everything went smooth sailing.

Click to shrink...

I've opted to get the 3700x (got a rtx 2080s coming as well). First build in awhile so I'm nervous.

Last time I got 980 that would pass out after an hour of gameplay (after 3 months) and I got a DoA Mobo. Brutal. Sometimes I wish I lived right up the street to a PC store. I would love to just walk in, buy my shit, and walk back out. Instead of waiting weeks just to receive another DoA/faulty part.

 

[NovumVeritas]

The Ryzen 5 3600 is cheaper than the 9700, is equally fast in games, up to ~50% faster in computing tasks, and can be used on $100 motherboards from last generation, and that motherboard can support AMD's upcoming CPU with even faster single core performance.

Click to shrink...

Oh I see, maybe I should think about AMD when I am building a new PC in the near future, that is pretty impressive.

I've opted to get the 3700x (got a rtx 2080s coming as well). First build in awhile so I'm nervous.

Last time I got 980 that would pass out after an hour of gameplay (after 3 months) and I got a DoA Mobo. Brutal. Sometimes I wish I lived right up the street to a PC store. I would love to just walk in, buy my shit, and walk back out. Instead of waiting weeks just to receive another DoA/faulty part.

Click to shrink...

That is a nice combination. Which RTX 2080 are you getting, which manufacturer?

Damn that is really a bad combination, especially when the MoBo and GPU fails you at the same time.
Yeah I know that feeling, I am glad I have the option to get my stuff in a store,
because of the corona crisis it was pretty difficult to get all the components,
especially with the whole delivery jazz, was horrendous.

 

[Vex]

Which RTX 2080 are you getting, which manufacturer?

Click to shrink...

MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Super Ventus XS OC.

It is crazy because they are all seeing small mark ups right now on Amazon and the like. I got mine before that apparently.

 

[Crazymoogle]

It's tough waiting. Sometimes I just want to buy the cheapest EVGA 2080 SUPER and call it a day...

I have a couple of fans coming too, any recommendations for optimising the cooling in an affordable manner?

Click to shrink...

What's your case?

Fans actually have a "side". The front/nice part of the fan sucks air in ("Intake"). The ugly/sticker/back side is the "exhaust". Good fans will literally have an arrow in the plastic mold, but otherwise you get the idea.

While the ideal is to have balanced airflow (intake = exhaust) in general aim for positive airflow. You want some fans on the front to suck air in and fans in the back to suck air out. Positive (more intake than exhaust) generally does better at expelling dust. It's rare to have a balanced airflow because the fan on the back of the case is usually small (120mm, 90mm, etc) whereas the front has room for 2-3 fans based on your case. So a common config is 2-3 up front, 1-2 in the back.

 

[NovumVeritas]

MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Super Ventus XS OC.

It is crazy because they are all seeing small mark ups right now on Amazon and the like. I got mine before that apparently.

Click to shrink...

Nice, got an MSI myself.

Yeah I've noticed that as well, probably because of this whole crisis.
Pretty crazy.

 

[Relix]

I ordered a Ryzen 3900x last night at 10pm from Amazon. It just got delivered. I ain't complaining but now I gotta stare at that chip without anything else for a week at least since stuff is still in process. This is gonna kill me.

 

[Deleted member 25834]

I'm not used to the CAD market and currency, so I checked on Newegg and you can get a GTX 1660 Super or a RX 5500 for that kind of money.

You'll able to play current gen games and next-gen with some graphical tweak I guess. But those cards are on the low-end side, what's your current CPU?

Click to shrink...

I just purchased a Ryzen 5 3600

 

[bushmonkey]

It's tough waiting. Sometimes I just want to buy the cheapest EVGA 2080 SUPER and call it a day...



What's your case?

Fans actually have a "side". The front/nice part of the fan sucks air in ("Intake"). The ugly/sticker/back side is the "exhaust". Good fans will literally have an arrow in the plastic mold, but otherwise you get the idea.

While the ideal is to have balanced airflow (intake = exhaust) in general aim for positive airflow. You want some fans on the front to suck air in and fans in the back to suck air out. Positive (more intake than exhaust) generally does better at expelling dust. It's rare to have a balanced airflow because the fan on the back of the case is usually small (120mm, 90mm, etc) whereas the front has room for 2-3 fans based on your case. So a common config is 2-3 up front, 1-2 in the back.

Click to shrink...

My kids chose it because of how it looked so don't judge me but it's the DeepCool TX Mid Tower Tesseract SW. Thanks for the fan setup recommendation, I'll have a play.

 

[Vex]

I ordered a Ryzen 3900x last night at 10pm from Amazon. It just got delivered. I ain't complaining but now I gotta stare at that chip without anything else for a week at least since stuff is still in process. This is gonna kill me.

Click to shrink...

I know the feeling. My case and ssd (x2) came nearly the next day. Now I gotta sit here until my gpu and psu come today and then the rest of my stuff (Mobo, etc) comes by Sunday.
.*sigh* the waiting is truly the hard part.

 

[mp77]

I'm putting together my first PC in 8 years and welcome feedback on this potential build. I'm fairly committed to getting a 2080 ti even if isn't especially rational. I have a little more budget to play with so upgrades or change recommendations that are more expensive are ok. Thanks!

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xtXnK4

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($294.14 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI X470 GAMING PLUS MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Dual OC Video Card ($1179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.90 @ B&H)
Power Supply: *EVGA SuperNOVA GA 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 3 pwm 59.5 CFM 140 mm Fan ($26.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $2095.88

 

[Iron Eddie]

This might not be the best thread to ask in but can anyone give advice on how to fix my mouse? It seems to want to double click (left side) a lot and I went into the Windows 10 setting and that did nothing. I have iCue installed (M65 Pro), is there anytrhing in there I can try? It's geting rather annoying.

 

[Deleted member 25042]

I'm putting together my first PC in 8 years and welcome feedback on this potential build. I'm fairly committed to getting a 2080 ti even if isn't especially rational. I have a little more budget to play with so upgrades or change recommendations that are more expensive are ok. Thanks!

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xtXnK4

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($294.14 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI X470 GAMING PLUS MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Dual OC Video Card ($1179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.90 @ B&H)
Power Supply: *EVGA SuperNOVA GA 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 3 pwm 59.5 CFM 140 mm Fan ($26.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $2095.88

Click to shrink...

I'd go with
ASUS Prime X570-P $149.90
(or a B450 Tomahawk Max if you want to save some bucks)
MSI GeForce RTX 2080 TI GAMING X TRIO $1214 after coupon (+$20 prepaid card by MSI)
(The Asus Dual isn't that great and the price difference is worth it imo)

 

[Nikokuno]

I just purchased a Ryzen 5 3600

Click to shrink...

Oh nice. I was afraid you were on an old CPU too.

 

[Deleted member 25834]

Oh nice. I was afraid you were on an old CPU too.

Click to shrink...

Haha, I was on an older i5-4430 since like 2014/2015 or something, so I'm hoping to do a full rebuild.

 

[Nikokuno]

Haha, I was on an older i5-4430 since like 2014/2015 or something, so I'm hoping to do a full rebuild.

Click to shrink...

At the beginning of September I was on a i5-4460/RX480, I upgraded to a 3700X. Playing The Witcher III never felt so smooth. I'll wait for Nvidia/AMD new GPU's before upgrading my GPU

 

[low-G]

The Ryzen 5 3600 is cheaper than the 9700, is equally fast in games, up to ~50% faster in computing tasks, and can be used on $100 motherboards from last generation, and that motherboard can support AMD's upcoming CPU with even faster single core performance.

Click to shrink...

I'm not saying the 9700 is a great choice but it is significantly faster in games than the 3600 and as the 3600 is only 6 cores, the 9700's lead will only increase when games expect 8 cores.

you weren't thinking of the 3700?

 

[the doombass]

Looking for a bit of advice/recommendations for upgrading my old build from 2012. I have been out of the PC space for awhile now but would like to upgrade my machine as its super outdated.

Current specs: ASUS P8Z77-V LK, Intel Core i5-2500k @ 3.70 GHz, EVGA Superclocked GeForce GTX 660Ti, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, 1TB HDD

Looking at buying these upgrades: RTX 2070 Super, 500 GB SATA SSD, +8GB RAM (Limited to DDR3)

I am basically asking if this is even worth it or if I should just do a completely new build? I don't really care much for the next gen of GPU, just want something that will last me 2-5 years. From my research, the above upgrades should be compatible with my current motherboard but I don't have enough knowledge to know if I will need to do a complete new build or if this would be worth it.

 

[demosthenes]

Just build my PC two days ago.

The Define R7 by Fractal Design is really cool.

Installed a MSI Z390 Gaming Edge AC, i7-9700F, 32 GB Corsair Dominator,
MSI RTX 2080 Super Trio X and a H115i water cooling solution by Corsair.
Was smooth sailing. Everything worked the first time, glad it went without issues.

Click to shrink...

I'm on my 3rd Fractal case. I love them.

 

[NovumVeritas]

I'm on my 3rd Fractal case. I love them.

Click to shrink...

I had the R6 and now the R7. They are really high quality. I totally agree, excellent cases.

 

[SmartWaffles]

I'm not saying the 9700 is a great choice but it is significantly faster in games than the 3600 and as the 3600 is only 6 cores, the 9700's lead will only increase when games expect 8 cores.

you weren't thinking of the 3700?

Click to shrink...

The 3600 has 4 more threads. And the common CPU gaming benchmarks don't usually reflect the full picture. Yes the 9700 is faster if framerate is your biggest priority like esports titles where GPU power is abundant and the CPU's ability to push more frames is more important, but most players will be GPU limited instead of CPU limited.

 

[Skyfireblaze]

I just saw the Define 7 case and it makes me want to throw my Define R6 out with my next build already. The white-gray 7 with a slightly smaller form-factor looks amazing o.o

 

[NovumVeritas]

I just saw the Define 7 case and it makes me want to throw my Define R6 out with my next build already. The white-gray 7 with a slightly smaller form-factor looks amazing o.o

Click to shrink...

Haha indeed. The Type C port is cool too. Case is really easy to open. No screws with the side doors only pull. I got the black case without a window.

 

[Skyfireblaze]

Haha indeed. The Type C port is cool too. Case is really easy to open. No screws with the side doors only pull. I got the black case without a window.

Click to shrink...

Nice, that's great to hear! :D I'm getting really excited for my next build around 2021-2022! Not sure I'll go for the 7 though because who knows what else Fractal will make till then and I think I amassed enough experience and knowledge to go for a near-silent ITX build next time. I would love to see their take on a XBOX Series X style case.

 

[NovumVeritas]

Nice, that's great to hear! :D I'm getting really excited for my next build around 2021-2022! Not sure I'll go for the 7 though because who knows what else Fractal will make till then and I think I amassed enough experience and knowledge to go for a near-silent ITX build next time. I would love to see their take on a XBOX Series X style case.

Click to shrink...

A XBX X style case by Fractal would be awesome as well. You have already a build in mind ? What's your current one?

 

[kharma45]

Sapphire RX 570 Nitro+ 8GB vs the 580 4GB version. Any thoughts if they're exactly the same price at £85?

It'll initially just be 1080p gaming.

 

[Heazy]

I'm finally saying farewell to my i7 2600k and looking at getting the Ryzen 7 3700X and pairing it with B450 TOMAHAWK MAX.

However, on PCpartpicker it states:

"Some AMD B450 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Matisse CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions."

Am I going to bump into any problems here?

 

[eddy]

I'm finally saying farewell to my i7 2600k and looking at getting the Ryzen 7 3700X and pairing it with B450 TOMAHAWK MAX.
...
Am I going to bump into any problems here?

Click to shrink...

No.

 

[kharma45]

well, someone has already bought the 570 whilst i have dithered. 580 it is. I'm sure 4GB will be fine.

 

[Skyfireblaze]

A XBX X style case by Fractal would be awesome as well. You have already a build in mind ? What's your current one?

Click to shrink...

My current build is a 8600k paired with a GTX 1070 in a R6 White TG case. I don't really have a set build in mind yet but I've been thinking a Ryzen 4000 8c/16t paired with a mid-range RTX 3000 all put in a case not higher than my 24" screen paired with its stand. I'm honestly not confident making it through next-gen with 6c/6t only, I'm only gaming a 1080p 144hz VRR but I know my GTX 1070 won't last forever either even though I don't see myself upgrading to 4k anytime soon since I really don't want to exceed 24" on the monitor-side. Besides my current screen is only a year old. The only bummer will be that my 1070 has a custom-cooler and I really hope I can put it on eventual RTX 3000 cards.

 

[LegendX48]

well, someone has already bought the 570 whilst i have dithered. 580 it is. I'm sure 4GB will be fine.

Click to shrink...

8gb would be better as some games blow straight past that 4gb buffer like tomb raider.

 

[low-G]

The 3600 has 4 more threads. And the common CPU gaming benchmarks don't usually reflect the full picture. Yes the 9700 is faster if framerate is your biggest priority like esports titles where GPU power is abundant and the CPU's ability to push more frames is more important, but most players will be GPU limited instead of CPU limited.

Click to shrink...

Usually I think of threads over cores (multithreaded cores) as better for frame times (still important), but we have seen games that choke on insufficient physical cores (4 cores in Ubisoft games and previously 2c/4t) as well. This need will be mitigated by consoles reserving at least one core for their OS though.

 

[kharma45]

8gb would be better as some games blow straight past that 4gb buffer like tomb raider.

Click to shrink...

An 8GB 580 would be ideal, but I won't get one of those for £85. They're refurbished cards from Sapphire with a full warranty. Both the 570 8GB and 580 4GB are the same price, but the 570 has already sold out, so will probably pull the trigger on the 580. Still a good deal.