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

Mullet2000 · Apr 28, 2020

Green said:
Any suggestions for a 1-2TB nvme drive in Canada? Starting to prep for Flight Simulator :)

I bought a 2TB ADATA SX8200 Pro for $299.99 (no tax) off of Amazon.ca in December. It's been basically perfect. Seemed like the best balance of price to quality when I was researching back in December.

Prices seem to be generally higher now though. Looks like it's $350 now on Amazon. Still, 2TB in general is going to be expensive.

Qudi · Apr 28, 2020

So how many case fans or enough? I have a be quiet silent base 600 case, which already had two be quiet silent wings 2 installed (one intake and one exhaust). Should i install more fans? If yes, what setup/combination should i use for the fans.

Nothing · Apr 28, 2020

Raydonn said:
Going by benchmarks and MRSPs, you're basically getting RTX 2060 Super results at $50-$80 cheaper.

Plus game crashes due to AMD driver issues and also no raytracing capabilities.

Not that many are people buying AMD 5600 XT or 5700's these days dude. Several people in this very thread have complained about their experiences with 5700 XT usage as well. Make no mistake, people are more than willing to sometimes have to pay a small tax to buy an Nvidia card. What you said is also why the RTX 2060 is not often recommended. The 2070 Super is more palatable for the performance : value, plus longevity, that it delivers in the higher pricing tier.

SmartWaffles · Apr 28, 2020

I don't have a particualr beef against 5600XT or 5700XT, but imo NVENC, RT, DLSS and RTX Voice are easily worth the premium.

HotHamWater · Apr 28, 2020

Nvidia's event on the 14th is just the announcement for the 3000 series right? They aren't gonna actually be available that soon after and I don't really see price drops happening for older cards any time soon either. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Other than that, I've come to the conclusion that I can't afford/justify getting a 27" 1440p 144hz monitor and the (large) price increase that would entail by having to buy a beefier graphics card to power it. So...
I was hoping you fine folk could recommend a 24" 1080p 144hz monitor that's either a TN or IPS panel that represents value for money, and also an nVidia card that'll replace my trusty 970. I'd like to go AMD, but I don't think something like 5700XT would last me as long as the equivalent (2060?). I appreciate any recommendations.

Sabin · Apr 28, 2020

Qudi said:
So how many case fans or enough? I have a be quiet silent base 600 case, which already had two be quiet silent wings 2 installed (one intake and one exhaust). Should i install more fans? If yes, what setup/combination should i use for the fans.

Depends on the case honestly. More isn't always better.

But for a normal midi tower case 3 Front and 1 Rear is usualy enough as long the front is somewhat open and isn't blocked by some super thicc dust filter or tg panels.

More "exoctic" case like the upcoming O11 mini should get better thermals with more fans. The setup as an example that im planning to use for it will a be side intake AOI with pull/push setup, 2 bottom intake, 2 top exhaust and 1 rear exhaust.

SarcasticRobot · Apr 28, 2020

HotHamWater said:
Nvidia's event on the 14th is just the announcement for the 3000 series right? They aren't gonna actually be available that soon after and I don't really see price drops happening for older cards any time soon either. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Other than that, I've come to the conclusion that I can't afford/justify getting a 27" 1440p 144hz monitor and the (large) price increase that would entail by having to buy a beefier graphics card to power it. So...
I was hoping you fine folk could recommend a 24" 1080p 144hz monitor that's either a TN or IPS panel that represents value for money, and also an nVidia card that'll replace my trusty 970. I'd like to go AMD, but I don't think something like 5700XT would last me as long as the equivalent (2060?). I appreciate any recommendations.

No idea what is true or not, but from what I've read it'll be the new architecture showcase and server versions, not really the gaming cards on the 14th (article and quote below).

Nvidia Ampere will show how gaming PCs will leapfrog PS5 and Xbox Series X

Nvidia Ampere could supercharge next-generation GeForce graphics cards

www.tomsguide.com

"As GTC is more of an event for developers and IT specialists, the graphics card Nvidia will likely reveal is set to be a GPU for datacentre and server use; it'll be used to power things like artificial intelligence and rendering workloads, not push games at high-fidelity graphics settings. So unless you're into making AI systems, the GPU won't be for you."

No idea how long of a wait it might be for the gaming ones if that's true. Otherwise, good luck on the search!

Qudi · Apr 28, 2020

Sabin said:
Depends on the case honestly. More isn't always better.

But for a normal midi tower case 3 Front and 1 Rear is usualy enough as long the front is somewhat open and isn't blocked by some super thicc dust filter or tg panels.

The case has two dust filters, one on the front panel and one on the bottom. I probably going to add another one ln the front. Has Noctua the best fans?

Sabin · Apr 28, 2020

Qudi said:
The case has two dust filters, one on the front panel and one on the bottom. I probably going to add another one ln the front. Has Noctua the best fans?

be quiet or noctua are both great options.

Alastor3 · Apr 28, 2020

Any good alternative for a geforce 2080?? Here in Canada, the difference between a 2070 for 599$ and 2080 for 1099$ is insane....

LorentzFactor · Apr 28, 2020

Alastor3 said:
Any good alternative for a geforce 2080?? Here in Canada, the difference between a 2070 for 599$ and 2080 for 1099$ is insane....

There is no alternative to Nvidia for high end consumer GPUs, if that's what you mean.

Mullet2000 · Apr 28, 2020

Alastor3 said:
Any good alternative for a geforce 2080?? Here in Canada, the difference between a 2070 for 599$ and 2080 for 1099$ is insane....

A good 2070 Super can overclock up to non-overclocked 2080 non-Super levels but you're still looking at $700-$800 for that.

elLOaSTy · Apr 28, 2020

Can anyone help recommend another board that I could use and is compatible with my build.

The Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard is what I have right now. The Aorus Elite was recommended a bit back but has no USB C. I might go that way if it's the next best option.

I've now ordered every other component though, very excited!

My First PC

pcpartpicker.com

Sabin · Apr 28, 2020

Henry Gale said:
Can anyone help recommend another board that I could use and is compatible with my build.

The Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard is what I have right now. The Aorus Elite was recommended a bit back but has no USB C. I might go that way if it's the next best option.

I've now ordered every other component though, very excited!

My First PC

pcpartpicker.com

If you can wait for a few weeks the MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI will release very soon at around 200$ and will be the new baseline recommendation for X570 MBs.

MaDKaT · Apr 28, 2020

PlayALLTheGames said:
What does "system" refer to? What are your temps for the card on load, benching or otherwise?

System is a 7700K@5ghz and the 2080ti sharing the same loop (rad>res>pump>cpu>gpu) pumped through a MO-RA3 360 rad with an mcp50x. Overkill but silent. Load has been hovering mid to upper 60's(c) and brief spikes to low 70's, benching with something like real bench and my cpu can still hit mid 80's but the 2080(mild OC) hovers in the mid to upper 70's when pushed. I do feel the system should run a bit cooler considering my office is usually about 73/74f(23c) and was thinking it could be the cards stock pump/cooler since the inlet/outlet are pretty small and possibly restricting flow. Maybe I should have just branched off the card from the main loop and let the stock pump pull/push what it needs or maybe I just have too high expectations. No real complaints as far as temps during regular use/VR, just a lot of time to play around.

Polyh3dron said:
I'm a few weeks out from putting an EK waterblock on my 2080 Ti FE myself. I feel like it'd be good to see it no longer hit 80-ish degrees routinely, and if I get a small performance bump, all the better. I'll probably upgrade to the 3080 Ti whenever that drops and I'll just get an EK block for that and do the upgrade.

This is kind of where I'm at though Im looking for more to shave off the cpu temps. No real urgency to do the waterblock and will certainly do one with my next card but exploring options and gathering opinions for my current setup since I just like to tinker.

Ricky · Apr 28, 2020

Please help!!! I got my PC parts in and started building (first build ever). I went to power it on and got nothing. I followed a video step-by-step. I think it may be my PSU as it's not making any noises and the fan isn't turning. I made sure to plug the cable that says CPU and the MB cable both to the MOBO. The thing that has me confused about it being the PSU is I do get a LED to turn on. If it was the PSU, would I get anything at all? I'd post a picture but I get an error message everytime I try to add one.

imgur.com

505 views on Imgur: The magic of the Internet

imgur.com

I Don't Like · Apr 28, 2020

MaDKaT said:
System is a 7700K@5ghz and the 2080ti sharing the same loop (rad>res>pump>cpu>gpu) pumped through a MO-RA3 360 rad with an mcp50x. Overkill but silent. Load has been hovering mid to upper 60's(c) and brief spikes to low 70's, benching with something like real bench and my cpu can still hit mid 80's but the 2080(mild OC) hovers in the mid to upper 70's when pushed. I do feel the system should run a bit cooler considering my office is usually about 73/74f(23c) and was thinking it could be the cards stock pump/cooler since the inlet/outlet are pretty small and possibly restricting flow. Maybe I should have just branched off the card from the main loop and let the stock pump pull/push what it needs or maybe I just have too high expectations. No real complaints as far as temps during regular use/VR, just a lot of time to play around.

This is kind of where I'm at though Im looking for more to shave off the cpu temps. No real urgency to do the waterblock and will certainly do one with my next card but exploring options and gathering opinions for my current setup since I just like to tinker.

Something definitely isn't right; should run significantly cooler even on a single 360mm. I don't think restricted flow would add that much to temp but maybe it's the combo of things. I'm 2080Ti and 7700k With a 480mm. Gpu > cpu in my case. My ambient is 28 and I top out in the high 40s to low 50s. Using EK Vector and backplate.

So yeah I think new block and redoing the loop would be a good idea. Also not sure why you say it's overkill. There are people using two 360s and two 420s or a single 560 and all kinds of shit for a cpu/single gpu loop. That to me is more like overkill.

Also sorry if you mentioned already but is this soft tube or hard?

Dmax3901 · Apr 28, 2020

Reposting for a new day:

Dmax3901 said:
So I checked out the buyers guide for SSD's (once again, thanks so much for these!) and I'm looking at maybe getting the following: https://www.centrecom.com.au/crucial-p1-1tb-3d-nand-nvme-pcie-m2-ssd

I plan to use this old thing which I've had for nearly five years: https://www.pccasegear.com/products/30449 as my main drive and the Crucial P1 for my Steam library etc.

Does this seem like a good idea? If there's some other way I could be approaching this I'd be happy to learn about it.

MazeHaze · Apr 28, 2020

FallenHeroX1 said:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ynsnFG Here is what I think is our final build. Unless any folks in here have any objections, here is to hoping these parts all show up and that they work. Thanks to everyone for the help.

Just a heads up you can get an OEM windows key for like 10 bucks online and save yourself 90 dollars.

Gevurztraminer · Apr 28, 2020

Ricky said:
Please help!!! I got my PC parts in and started building (first build ever). I went to power it on and got nothing. I followed a video step-by-step. I think it may be my PSU as it's not making any noises and the fan isn't turning. I made sure to plug the cable that says CPU and the MB cable both to the MOBO. The thing that has me confused about it being the PSU is I do get a LED to turn on. If it was the PSU, would I get anything at all? I'd post a picture but I get an error message everytime I try to add one.

imgur.com

505 views on Imgur: The magic of the Internet

imgur.com

You can test the PSU with a paperclip, can cause a short and the fan should spin briefly. Otherwise, looks fine from your photo, but make sure all cables are fully plugged in, all motherboard screws are in with standoffs, and if you're using the case power button, bypass that and short the pins to test turning it on.

Ricky · Apr 28, 2020

Gevurztraminer said:
You can test the PSU with a paperclip, can cause a short and the fan should spin briefly. Otherwise, looks fine from your photo, but make sure all cables are fully plugged in, all motherboard screws are in with standoffs, and if you're using the case power button, bypass that and short the pins to test turning it on.

Thanks! I just figured it out. I forgot to connect the front panel I/O cable to the MOBO. The power button had no power LOL!!

finalflame · Apr 28, 2020

Man, right now feels like an absolutely terrible time to be building a PC, with Ryzen 4000 and Ampere around the corner. I think I'm gonna hold off a bit longer :/

TheGift · Apr 28, 2020

Can anyone tell me if this is a good deal? I have about $1000 to spend on a gaming pc. I need help.
Edit: my bad! Forgot to include the link

Amazon.com: CLX Set Gaming Desktop E-Sports AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6GHz 4-Core, GeForce GTX 1650 4GB, 8GB DDR4, 480GB SSD, WiFi, Black Mini-Tower RGB Fans, Windows 10 Home: Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.com

reKon · Apr 28, 2020

finalflame said:
Man, right now feels like an absolutely terrible time to be building a PC, with Ryzen 4000 and Ampere around the corner. I think I'm gonna hold off a bit longer :/

I feel much more comfortable building a new PC a year or so after the new consoles have launched. There will be a new standard baseline for development with consoles that run off a SSD baseline.

DLSS tech will be further along and hopefully utilized more and Ampere GPUs will be discounted. The it will be quite a leap forward for me in terms of upgrade from my current rig which is already plenty fast for general use and handling the games I play on it (1070TI + 4690K + 16 GB RAM + 2 TB SSD).

mewmedic · Apr 28, 2020

I'm building a PC for the first time ever and I really have no idea what I am doing. I asked a friend to recommend me a build and this is what he gave me. How does this look?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($172.76 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: *ASRock X570 PHANTOM GAMING 4 WIFI ax ATX AM4 Motherboard ($153.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: *G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *PNY CS900 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: *Zotac GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB MINI Video Card ($499.99 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 (w/o ODD) ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1262.67

I would like to avoid going over $1,000 USD but I'm not sure if that's possible
This computer will be used for graphic design and gaming. I would like to learn basic 3D modeling and video editing on it as well.
I plan to purchase the parts once I believe I have done enough research on building
I am not reusing parts
I will need speakers and a mic too. I already have a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and a TV I would like to use as a monitor too.
I do not wish to overclock as that kind of sounds unnecessary and scary. I just want to be able to handle 3D graphics at amid and maybe even high quality

Sabin · Apr 28, 2020

mewmedic said:
I'm building a PC for the first time ever and I really have no idea what I am doing. I asked a friend to recommend me a build and this is what he gave me. How does this look?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($172.76 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: *ASRock X570 PHANTOM GAMING 4 WIFI ax ATX AM4 Motherboard ($153.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: *G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *PNY CS900 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: *Zotac GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB MINI Video Card ($499.99 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 (w/o ODD) ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1262.67

I would like to avoid going over $1,000 USD but I'm not sure if that's possible

This computer will be used for graphic design and gaming. I would like to learn basic 3D modeling and video editing on it as well.

I plan to purchase the parts once I believe I have done enough research on building

I am not reusing parts

I will need speakers and a mic too. I already have a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and a TV I would like to use as a monitor too.

I do not wish to overclock as that kind of sounds unnecessary and scary. I just want to be able to handle 3D graphics at amid and maybe even high quality

I mean thats for sure a great PSU but for your spec and use a good 500-550 W Gold PSU would be more than enough plus saves youself 80$

What you picked is meant for decently overcockeded builds -> OC Ryzen 3950 and 2080ti

Nothing · Apr 28, 2020

reKon said:
I feel much more comfortable building a new PC a year or so after the new consoles have launched. There will be a new standard baseline for development with consoles that run off a SSD baseline.

DLSS tech will be further along and hopefully utilized more and Ampere GPUs will be discounted. The it will be quite a leap forward for me in terms of upgrade from my current rig which is already plenty fast for general use and handling the games I play on it (1070TI + 4690K + 16 GB RAM + 2 TB SSD).

Indeed. If they raise the prices with Ampere or anything crazy like that then most people will simply hold firm. It would be a stupid move too, considering the value proposition that the new consoles are offering. During these economic times it sure seems like (the monetary) interest in PC gaming is certain to take a dip. You've even got parts makers and manufacturers telling us to expect that things are going to cost more and become more scarce too. People are simply going to turn to 'used' and budget options bc none of this high-end stuff is necessary for leisure.

I really wonder how lucrative this weird $150-200 keyboard market has become during the last three years. Is that strategy even working? I know that at my Best Buys people weren't buying that stuff. You can get a keyboard for $3.99 at microcenter.

Unfortunately, Nvidia stock seems to be doing really well over the last six months too.

elLOaSTy · Apr 28, 2020

Sabin said:
If you can wait for a few weeks the MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI will release very soon at around 200$ and will be the new baseline recommendation for X570 MBs.

Is there something about this new motherboard that would offer a true impact? I guess as a new to PC guy I usually just pay attention to CPU/GPU/SSD/RAM

Id like to be able to use my computer before a few weeks out since all the other parts will be here by monday.

Sabin · Apr 28, 2020

Henry Gale said:
Is there something about this new motherboard that would offer a true impact? I guess as a new to PC guy I usually just pay attention to CPU/GPU/SSD/RAM

Id like to be able to use my computer before a few weeks out since all the other parts will be here by monday.

VRM thermals on the level of a 600-700€ board and lots of internal connectors for only 200€

For a board with that performance and specs you have to pay at least 400€ right now.

Qudi · Apr 28, 2020

TheGift said:
Can anyone tell me if this is a good deal? I have about $1000 to spend on a gaming pc. I need help.
Edit: my bad! Forgot to include the link

Amazon.com: CLX Set Gaming Desktop E-Sports AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6GHz 4-Core, GeForce GTX 1650 4GB, 8GB DDR4, 480GB SSD, WiFi, Black Mini-Tower RGB Fans, Windows 10 Home: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: CLX Set Gaming Desktop E-Sports AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6GHz 4-Core, GeForce GTX 1650 4GB, 8GB DDR4, 480GB SSD, WiFi, Black Mini-Tower RGB Fans, Windows 10 Home: Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.com

The thing with these prebuilds is that you dont really now what you are buying into until you have them in your hands. They dont specify what exact components they are using.

And no, a 4 core cpu and a rx 580 in 2020 for nearly 1000 bucks is a terrible combination and deal.
What do you want to do with your rig? What resolution and fps are you aiming at? 1080p@60 fps, 1440p@144fps etc.

Gevurztraminer · Apr 28, 2020

mewmedic said:
I'm building a PC for the first time ever and I really have no idea what I am doing. I asked a friend to recommend me a build and this is what he gave me. How does this look?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($172.76 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: *ASRock X570 PHANTOM GAMING 4 WIFI ax ATX AM4 Motherboard ($153.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: *G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *PNY CS900 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: *Zotac GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB MINI Video Card ($499.99 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 (w/o ODD) ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1262.67

I would like to avoid going over $1,000 USD but I'm not sure if that's possible

This computer will be used for graphic design and gaming. I would like to learn basic 3D modeling and video editing on it as well.

I plan to purchase the parts once I believe I have done enough research on building

I am not reusing parts

I will need speakers and a mic too. I already have a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and a TV I would like to use as a monitor too.

I do not wish to overclock as that kind of sounds unnecessary and scary. I just want to be able to handle 3D graphics at amid and maybe even high quality

If you don't plan to OC, no need for a 3600. I would suggest getting a 3nnnX instead for a factory boost. And 3600 is only 6 cores, which is more than adequate for now but paying a bit more for an 8 core cpu now will be worth it. Also, no need for a small gpu when you can easily fit larger ones. Only reason to get a small gpu is for form factor, but in a normal case like this get something with more fans and a bigger cooler. Additionally, if you need all the peripherals and want to be under budget, it's going to be really tough. What's your absolute limit?

Deleted member 18379 · Apr 28, 2020

gotta say, it's been awful trying to get the parts I want. Everything is out of stock. Not sure if this the norm or if it's the coronavirus or what. It's wearing my patience pretty thin. I would prefer to buy everything at once and I'm not going to bend. Nobody wins but my wallet I guess. It's been nothing but a headache so far and I haven't bought anything yet.

GameAddict411 · Apr 28, 2020

HotHamWater said:
Nvidia's event on the 14th is just the announcement for the 3000 series right? They aren't gonna actually be available that soon after and I don't really see price drops happening for older cards any time soon either. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Other than that, I've come to the conclusion that I can't afford/justify getting a 27" 1440p 144hz monitor and the (large) price increase that would entail by having to buy a beefier graphics card to power it. So...
I was hoping you fine folk could recommend a 24" 1080p 144hz monitor that's either a TN or IPS panel that represents value for money, and also an nVidia card that'll replace my trusty 970. I'd like to go AMD, but I don't think something like 5700XT would last me as long as the equivalent (2060?). I appreciate any recommendations.

Unlikely. i think they already released the topics they are going to talk about and a new gaming consumer GPU is not listed. But even still, I think we will probably see something about that in the Summer.

Black_Stride · Apr 29, 2020

Henry Gale said:
Is there something about this new motherboard that would offer a true impact? I guess as a new to PC guy I usually just pay attention to CPU/GPU/SSD/RAM

Id like to be able to use my computer before a few weeks out since all the other parts will be here by monday.

Nope nothing that the Aorus or TUF gaming cant do, the VRM thermals thing is for when/if you are overclocking a 12 or 16 core CPU.
And all of these motherboards are well within safe range.

Just get the board that will arrive soonest you wont be missing anything NOT getting the Tomahwk.

Sabin said:
VRM thermals on the level of a 600-700€ board and lots of internal connectors for only 200€

For a board with that performance and specs you have to pay at least 400€ right now.

Its still in the same class as the Aorus and TUF Gaming.
Theres nothing it does that the other budget boards arent capable of doing

And having good VRMs for overclocking yet none of the overclocking support features is pretty much pointless.
Its still in the same class and there is no real reason to go for one over another when it comes to the Aorus, TUF Gaming and Tomahawk.
Pick the one you think looks good or is a kind price and/or will ship earliest.

Vex · Apr 29, 2020

Is the one point method still good for applying thermal paste? Or should I spread it?

MazeHaze · Apr 29, 2020

FallenHeroX1 said:
gotta say, it's been awful trying to get the parts I want. Everything is out of stock. Not sure if this the norm or if it's the coronavirus or what. It's wearing my patience pretty thin. I would prefer to buy everything at once and I'm not going to bend. Nobody wins but my wallet I guess. It's been nothing but a headache so far and I haven't bought anything yet.

It's because of covid. I noticed as I was shopping, each day there would be another part from my build out of stock. So I just got one together immediately and pulled the trigger. I kept an eye on ever since and it looks like microcenter ngot a bit more stock, but over the last week its mostly been depleted.

Crazymoogle · Apr 29, 2020

Mullet2000 said:
I bought a 2TB ADATA SX8200 Pro for $299.99 (no tax) off of Amazon.ca in December. It's been basically perfect. Seemed like the best balance of price to quality when I was researching back in December.

Prices seem to be generally higher now though. Looks like it's $350 now on Amazon. Still, 2TB in general is going to be expensive.

I also have the SX8200 Pro 2TB, and it's been great. But honestly, so is the HP ex950, the Sabrent Rocket, and virtually any other 2TB model that is TLC based. It's cheaper than 2 1TB NVMe, but not by a lot. And as you say stock and pricing is all over the place right now.

Ricky said:
Please help!!! I got my PC parts in and started building (first build ever). I went to power it on and got nothing. I followed a video step-by-step. I think it may be my PSU as it's not making any noises and the fan isn't turning. I made sure to plug the cable that says CPU and the MB cable both to the MOBO. The thing that has me confused about it being the PSU is I do get a LED to turn on. If it was the PSU, would I get anything at all? I'd post a picture but I get an error message everytime I try to add one.

imgur.com

505 views on Imgur: The magic of the Internet

imgur.com

Cool looking build!

You've got the 24pin connected. Can't see if the 8pin CPU power is plugged into the correct spot from this photo.
I would say do the pin trick but the photo indicates the motherboard has power? If so I would try reseating all of the power cables (on both ends if your PSU is modular). If the motherboard is getting power the 24pin is probably working fine. I'd be particularly careful to make sure the 8pin cable for the CPU is correct and going to the correct place on the motherboard.
Beyond that I would unplug everything not needed for the PC to boot. Everything. Every SATA, NVMe, RGB, heck, probably even one of the RAM sticks. you basically only need the motherboard, GPU (if it's AMD), the two power cables into the motherboard, and a keyboard/monitor connection. Slim it down so that only the essentials are there and then you at least have more confidence in what is wrong.

Dmax3901 said:
So I checked out the buyers guide for SSD's (once again, thanks so much for these!) and I'm looking at maybe getting the following: https://www.centrecom.com.au/crucial-p1-1tb-3d-nand-nvme-pcie-m2-ssd

I plan to use this old thing which I've had for nearly five years: https://www.pccasegear.com/products/30449 as my main drive and the Crucial P1 for my Steam library etc.

Does this seem like a good idea? If there's some other way I could be approaching this I'd be happy to learn about it.

The Crucial P1 is a great drive. It's cheap (probably due to QLC) but still a great performer for games. In fact, despite being QLC it's still substantially faster than the Samsung 850. That being said I don't think Windows would be noticeably faster on the P1; faster SSDs don't make a truly noticeable difference to startup and app boot time. You just need to make sure your motherboard has an NVMe slot...

mewmedic said:
I'm building a PC for the first time ever and I really have no idea what I am doing. I asked a friend to recommend me a build and this is what he gave me. How does this look?

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($172.76 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: *ASRock X570 PHANTOM GAMING 4 WIFI ax ATX AM4 Motherboard ($153.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: *G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *PNY CS900 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: *Zotac GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB MINI Video Card ($499.99 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 (w/o ODD) ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1262.67

To reduce the cost:

Switch to a B450 motherboard like the MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX. (Which is a better MB anyway)
The 2070 Super is literally half your budget. It's a great card, great perf, but you can afford to go down to a 2060S if you need to fit in a tighter budget.
That PSU is overkill. You need a ~600-650W PSU, modular is nice but not a hard requirement, and 80+ gold is also acceptable. A PSU can last for 10+ years so as a buy it's a good pick but it's probably the highest quality component in your build.

Henry Gale said:
Is there something about this new motherboard that would offer a true impact? I guess as a new to PC guy I usually just pay attention to CPU/GPU/SSD/RAM

Id like to be able to use my computer before a few weeks out since all the other parts will be here by monday.

Just another VRM heavy hitter, which means it doesn't sweat with the 3950X so much and has some OC room. The TUF X570 is in the same boat, just that the TUF is .ac, not .ax on the wireless version. Basically, for the money, they are very good boards, with lots of ports, RGB, NVMe slots, WiFi options, and overclocking headroom. I'd be totally confident with the TUF or your favorite Gigabyte, and I'd really only hesitate if your motherboard budget is strict and this one offers something you are missing.

Dmax3901 · Apr 29, 2020

Crazymoogle said:
The Crucial P1 is a great drive. It's cheap (probably due to QLC) but still a great performer for games. In fact, despite being QLC it's still substantially faster than the Samsung 850. That being said I don't think Windows would be noticeably faster on the P1; faster SSDs don't make a truly noticeable difference to startup and app boot time. You just need to make sure your motherboard has an NVMe slot...

Thanks for the info, I have X570-A Pro which I'm almost certain has the right port.

Crazymoogle · Apr 29, 2020

Dmax3901 said:
Thanks for the info, I have X570-A Pro which I'm almost certain has the right port.

Yep no problems there.

Deleted member 18379 · Apr 29, 2020

MazeHaze said:
It's because of covid. I noticed as I was shopping, each day there would be another part from my build out of stock. So I just got one together immediately and pulled the trigger. I kept an eye on ever since and it looks like microcenter ngot a bit more stock, but over the last week its mostly been depleted.

Hey I did the same. Realized I would have to concede on the motherboard and powersupply. Ultimately though I am happy with what ended up in my final build.
-------------
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9XfjK4 We went with the ryzen 7 3600x because it came recommended as a good cpu for streaming. I didn't hear a whole lot good about MSI mobos, but this board seemed fairly well liked and msi was about the only thing available. The ram is the ram. I went with a Western Digital Blue over the crucial, due to availability. Seagate blah, mass space for space. I actually wanted the windforce oc, went to evega, found out that card didn't have a back plate, then went ahead and just jumped on the more expensive versions of the card I wanted. I guess it's a little better, but it was also 50 dollars more expensive. The case had decent reviews, it was suffered from the budget stretching elsewhere. What can you do. The power supply is probably completely unnecessary for what it is supporting, but hey. 12 year warranty and it's been praised from the high heavens every where I went to look for feedback. Also forced my hand because every, other, psu was gone. I was up all night doing this. Now it's done and I can sleep. Overall I'm cautiously optimistic. I think I got some really good stuff but other areas suffered. Now we wait 3-5 days. I hope I did good.

Jimrpg · Apr 29, 2020

Heya I know this is the PC Builders thread - but I have a hardware question.

A few days ago, I was playing Terraforming Mars online with a friend, and the PC would shut down, on reboot it would say there was a power surge and ask me to go BIOS. I thought it must have been something to do with the power at home, as there were storms the last couple of days, and maybe there were repairs outside.

The day after, I played RE2 and it would do the same thing as the game loaded. 3 times in a row. Tried Monster Hunter World, same thing. So then I cleaned out the PC, as it was a bit dusty. Hadn't cleaned it in a couple of years. I noticed the PC and programs was a bit quicker on reboot. RE2 worked, and I thought I fixed it. I lowered the overclock (i5-4690k) from 4.5ghz to 4.4 and also the voltage 1.25->1.24 just to not stress out the system.

Today, RE2 shut down again but during play, and then again on boot. I lowered the overclock again to 4.3ghz (no change to the voltage). Updated the graphics drivers. And played in 1080p windowed mode (I was on 1440p full). And the PC has been fine since.

I'm starting to think it might be a power supply issue instead? What do you guys think? Should I get a new power supply? It's a seasonic 550W gold supply, I got 4 years ago with the PC. I've also got a Gigabyte GTX 1070. Maybe I should buy a new power supply (which I'll use in a new build in a couple of years anyway)? It'd be annoying to be without my PC during lockdown.

Also Ive just moved the PC from one home to another, and this one has kind of shoddy wiring - sometimes the electricity will just turn off for no reason. Electrician has been in to check and can't fix it.

chrominance · Apr 29, 2020

Recently swapped my CPU for a Ryzen 3700x, and now thinking about maybe fitting in a RAM upgrade as the last thing I do with this B350 rig. Right now I'm running 2x8GB Corsair DDR4-3000, which was great for the Ryzen 1600 I used to have in this box but is apparently a little outside of the sweet spot for Ryzen 3000 chips. I also wouldn't mind an upgrade to 32GB. So I'm looking at these G.Skill Ripjaws V sticks, which are rated for 3600 CL16 and are about $50 CAD cheaper than every other 3600 CL16 option out there.

I don't really intend to overclock, and honestly I haven't noticed significant issues with my current RAM (I'm not really sure how I'd notice anyways tbh). I think I will notice the extra 16GB, just because I often see my physical memory close to maxed out in Process Explorer. Do these sticks make sense for an upgrade, or am I really losing out by not spending the extra $50?

Deleted member 2474 · Apr 29, 2020

Got an MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC motherboard (ITX). Pretty sure one of the two RAM slots is fucked. If I put any RAM in the right (DIMM2) slot, the machine just won't boot and the DRAM debug light on the board lights up. Same sticks work fine in the DIMM1 slot, tested with multiple sticks. Really don't want to be stuck with half my RAM (in single-channel to boot), and would really rather avoid RMA'ing the board in a plague if possible. Any ideas?

Ricky · Apr 29, 2020

Crazymoogle said:
Cool looking build!

You've got the 24pin connected. Can't see if the 8pin CPU power is plugged into the correct spot from this photo.

I would say do the pin trick but the photo indicates the motherboard has power? If so I would try reseating all of the power cables (on both ends if your PSU is modular). If the motherboard is getting power the 24pin is probably working fine. I'd be particularly careful to make sure the 8pin cable for the CPU is correct and going to the correct place on the motherboard.

Beyond that I would unplug everything not needed for the PC to boot. Everything. Every SATA, NVMe, RGB, heck, probably even one of the RAM sticks. you basically only need the motherboard, GPU (if it's AMD), the two power cables into the motherboard, and a keyboard/monitor connection. Slim it down so that only the essentials are there and then you at least have more confidence in what is wrong.

Thanks! I figured it out last night. I didn't quite understand what the "F Panel" cable was for not did I know where it plugged in. The damn power button on the case didn't work until I plugged it in 😂

SmartWaffles · Apr 29, 2020

arbok26 said:
Heya I know this is the PC Builders thread - but I have a hardware question.

A few days ago, I was playing Terraforming Mars online with a friend, and the PC would shut down, on reboot it would say there was a power surge and ask me to go BIOS. I thought it must have been something to do with the power at home, as there were storms the last couple of days, and maybe there were repairs outside.

The day after, I played RE2 and it would do the same thing as the game loaded. 3 times in a row. Tried Monster Hunter World, same thing. So then I cleaned out the PC, as it was a bit dusty. Hadn't cleaned it in a couple of years. I noticed the PC and programs was a bit quicker on reboot. RE2 worked, and I thought I fixed it. I lowered the overclock (i5-4690k) from 4.5ghz to 4.4 and also the voltage 1.25->1.24 just to not stress out the system.

Today, RE2 shut down again but during play, and then again on boot. I lowered the overclock again to 4.3ghz (no change to the voltage). Updated the graphics drivers. And played in 1080p windowed mode (I was on 1440p full). And the PC has been fine since.

I'm starting to think it might be a power supply issue instead? What do you guys think? Should I get a new power supply? It's a seasonic 550W gold supply, I got 4 years ago with the PC. I've also got a Gigabyte GTX 1070. Maybe I should buy a new power supply (which I'll use in a new build in a couple of years anyway)? It'd be annoying to be without my PC during lockdown.

Also Ive just moved the PC from one home to another, and this one has kind of shoddy wiring - sometimes the electricity will just turn off for no reason. Electrician has been in to check and can't fix it.

Sounds like a PSU issue yeah. Frequent power surge like that will do damage to PSU circuits.

Jimrpg · Apr 29, 2020

SmartWaffles said:
Sounds like a PSU issue yeah. Frequent power surge like that will do damage to PSU circuits.

perhaps I need to get a better anti surge power board while I'm at it? And a new power supply? There's not much I can do about the house electrical wiring.

MaDKaT · Apr 29, 2020

PlayALLTheGames said:
Something definitely isn't right; should run significantly cooler even on a single 360mm. I don't think restricted flow would add that much to temp but maybe it's the combo of things. I'm 2080Ti and 7700k With a 480mm. Gpu > cpu in my case. My ambient is 28 and I top out in the high 40s to low 50s. Using EK Vector and backplate.

So yeah I think new block and redoing the loop would be a good idea. Also not sure why you say it's overkill. There are people using two 360s and two 420s or a single 560 and all kinds of shit for a cpu/single gpu loop. That to me is more like overkill.

Also sorry if you mentioned already but is this soft tube or hard?

Went ahead and tore down my PC and loop last night considering what you said and having similar hardware. Cleaned up and redid my chip lid and block and did the same for the GPU since I had it off. Also went ahead and diverted the GPU off the primary loop instead of in series for testing. Got it all back together and my primary pump died out. sigh.... Went ahead and put an older, lower flow pump on since I need my PC and ordered a new D5. Even with the weaker pump Im seeing a marked improvement on the cpu, gpu seems about the same(I didnt expect a change). However Im not benching and more or less running in limp mode until the new pump.

Anywho, as for the overkill comment, I just meant for my needs. I probably could of gotten away with a much smaller rad than 360x360x65. Just kind of funny to see a rad the size of my PC case I guess.

Also using soft lines currently. Doing a liquid loop started out as a curiosity and I have been through a lot of configurations over the last couple of years. Soft is just more convenient to work with. Next config, when I update my processor and mobo, will likely be hard.

Smoothconfection · Apr 29, 2020

I've got a 2080 TI running on a 6600k. I can pull max frames on my LG OLED at 120fps/2560x1440 in just about anything I throw at it, but see performance hits when I'm on my ultrawide at my desktop in various titles (especially with fancy shit like RTX turned on, obviously). Is my CPU a bottleneck in this instance? Would I see big gains jumping to, say, a 3700x?

elLOaSTy · Apr 29, 2020

So pumped I woke up to find my MoBO now in stock at bestbuy at the original price! My last part will arrive by tuesday!

Jsee80 · Apr 29, 2020

Smoothconfection said:
I've got a 2080 TI running on a 6600k. I can pull max frames on my LG OLED at 120fps/2560x1440 in just about anything I throw at it, but see performance hits when I'm on my ultrawide at my desktop in various titles (especially with fancy shit like RTX turned on, obviously). Is my CPU a bottleneck in this instance? Would I see big gains jumping to, say, a 3700x?

I think in the cities of Assassins Creed Odyssey/other demanding stuff you would see a world of difference. But if your good already then maybe not.

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