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

[Serpens007]

So I'll let this here in case someone finds this of use, International english reviews for these type of products are hard to find.

I have a Ryzen 5 3600, which with the stock cooler and stock settings reached a peak of 90°C with Battlefield V. Ran ClockTuner, went with an undervolt of 1175mV and 4225Mhz reached 80°C, but couldn't go through the C20 stress test.

Looking for a new cooler, I got recommended the Darkflash Dark Air ARGB cooler, very cheap in local market and imported from Aliexpress. Alright, went looking for reviews, found a few in spanish that recommended them, and a few other in different languages, none in english. Being very cheap and the recommendation coming from people that imported it, alright I said, and bought it. 1:1 convertion ratio at 33USD, for reference an Hyper212 costs 54USD.

Flashfoward, got the cooler, installed and ran some tests. Same undervolt settings, 1175mV and 4225Mhz, Battlefield V reached a max of 55°C! 25°C less than the stock cooler. So I ran Clock Tuner again, C20 now was able to go through with stock settings, getting 3523 points in multicore. Gave an underclock, same of 1175mV but this time reaching 4350/4400Mhz of speed. C20 now reaches 3846 points in multi, 504 in single core performance, reaching a max of 68°C with the stress test.

So all in all, very good cooler specially for the price, and looks nice too. Fully programable from the motherboard.

Some images in the spoilers, sorry for the blurriness (box came well wraped and protected, but still got an edge damaged, but oh well... everything inside was fine)

Spoiler

 

[ABeezy1388]

Buy a right-angled power cord? Might be enough clearance.

Click to shrink...

that's what I thought too but I don't know it's pretty tight... I still don't think it would clear :/

 

[DarthWoo]

I know it's petty and selfish of me to be worried about something like this while so many are suffering, but the Dell I ordered was apparently sitting in a Fedex hub in Fort Worth for four days in sub-freezing temperatures. I assume that unless there were any condensation issues, a bit of cold shouldn't really harm it?

 

[F34R]

:) 64GB 3600 CL16

 

[Deleted member 35509]

So I ordered from Build Redux. Right after ordering, googled them and found out there stuff takes weeks to usually 2 months to be built and delivered. Their customer service NEVER replies. I was charged for this thing Jan. 28th and the order still says "unfulfilled". Anybody else order from them? Seems like the best prebuilt option plus all reviews have been amazing from people who have received their PCs. Just wanted to see if anyone else was in or is in the same boat.

 

[Rurunaki]

So I ordered from Build Redux. Right after ordering, googled them and found out there stuff takes weeks to usually 2 months to be built and delivered. Their customer service NEVER replies. I was charged for this thing Jan. 28th and the order still says "unfulfilled". Anybody else order from them? Seems like the best prebuilt option plus all reviews have been amazing from people who have received their PCs. Just wanted to see if anyone else was in or is in the same boat.

Click to shrink...

Can't speak for Build Redux, but Maingear is my go to for prebuilts. However,lack of supplies plus pandemichave delayed may orders. Some have been waiting 4 months for their PCs now.

 

[Kopite]

10400F better value than a 3600? Don't think my work software will need the productivity advantages. Can it be OCed? Planning to pair with a 3060

 

[Polyh3dron]

:) 64GB 3600 CL16

Click to shrink...

Nice! Is it the Hynix or the B-Die? (the B-Die timings are 16-16-16-36 IIRC)

 

[F34R]

Nice! Is it the Hynix or the B-Die? (the B-Die timings are 16-16-16-36 IIRC)

Click to shrink...

Hynix 16-19-19-39

 

[Polyh3dron]

Hynix 16-19-19-39

Click to shrink...

Ah. I had that kit before swapping it out for the new 64GB 3600 B-Die CL14-15-15-35 kit.

You should be able to get a decent improvement from the Hynix kit by using the numbers from the Ryzen DRAM calculator.

 

[F34R]

Ah. I had that kit before swapping it out for the new 64GB 3600 B-Die CL14-15-15-35 kit.

You should be able to get a decent improvement from the Hynix kit by using the numbers from the Ryzen DRAM calculator.

Click to shrink...

Can you post an AIDA64 bench on that ram?

 

[Lakeside]

Ah. I had that kit before swapping it out for the new 64GB 3600 B-Die CL14-15-15-35 kit.

You should be able to get a decent improvement from the Hynix kit by using the numbers from the Ryzen DRAM calculator.

Click to shrink...

Man I'm digging but not deep enough probably. Which B-Die kit do you have?

LOL I see a kit of the gold Royal's on Newegg for $900. Is that right? Hell I'd have to split a 64GB kit with someone.

 

[Flammable D]

gah finally managed to get a hold of a 3400G on eBay and it arrived with 2 bent pins

 

[DOT_mjo]

stupid to upgrade from a 3600 to a 5800x if I'm gaming at 1440p/4K?

 

[super-famicom]

stupid to upgrade from a 3600 to a 5800x if I'm gaming at 1440p/4K?

Click to shrink...

Nah, I did that and I'm using a 1440p 165Hz monitor.

 

[eddy]

stupid to upgrade from a 3600 to a 5800x if I'm gaming at 1440p/4K?

Click to shrink...

Going to depend on your graphics card. Skipping around the following may be useful.

 

[LegendX48]

gah finally managed to get a hold of a 3400G on eBay and it arrived with 2 bent pins

Click to shrink...

bent pins? No sweat, that's an easy fix. If you have a mechanical pencil or credit card, you can bend them back (mechanical pencil being the preferred method as you can get the pin into the pencil tip)

 

[Flammable D]

bent pins? No sweat, that's an easy fix. If you have a mechanical pencil or credit card, you can bend them back (mechanical pencil being the preferred method as you can get the pin into the pencil tip)

Click to shrink...

Oh I thought that was CPU death
Thanks, I'll give it a go

 

[LegendX48]

nah, if the pin comes off, that's death lol

if its just bent one way, you can bend it back (I speak from experience with my 3800x)

 

[OCD Guy]

I currently run G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600 which is 14-15-15-35 so it's good b-die ram.

G.Skill have also recently released new ram such as 3800 CL14 to tie in with Ryzen 5000. But Corsair seem to have dropped some crazy ram.

4000Mhz at 16-16-16-36 at 1.35v lol CMK16GX4M2Z4000C16

Although it actually seems to be 1.4v from the few people that have it.

Got some on order from Amazon. It seems to be the best b-die ram but no one's talking about it....

As someone that hate's rgb I love that it's all black too, will go nicely with my Unify motherboard.

 

[Azai]

Edit: worng thread lol

 

[exodus]

Question about Windows 10 and HDR.

I got a pair of MSI MAG274QRF monitors and just tried HDR. I notice no real difference on the desktop...white levels appear to stay the same and I don't notice anything being washed out. What I do notice however is that HDR videos on YouTube have significantly better range, especially with bright highlights. I was lead to believe this wasn't possible without local dimming. How can the video display brighter than pure white without local dimming LEDs?

I expected HDR to be a dud, but it's pure magic so far.

 

[exodus]

Actually I get it now. The monitor is removing all brightness control, so it's likely running at a much higher brightness but color mapping white down to be more grey in actuality. The effect is still surprisingly incredible. Since I have the same monitor, it's easy to see SDR/HDR side by side, and I'm impressed that there's no noticeable degradation to SDR content, only a slight change in brightness (which I can adjust using the Windows HD color settings. I would have thought blacks would look washed out, but I don't really see much difference, at least during daytime. I guess I'll wait to see at night.

I thought people said HDR in Windows sucked, but I'm honestly impressed. I think it's staying on.

edit: tried Resident Evil 2 because I figured that would pose the biggest challenge. Definitely much more washed out with HDR. So on a monitor without local dimming, HDR is a double edged sword. Better whites vs. better blacks. I do think HDR on is generally better, though.

edit2: hmmm maybe RE2 is more to blame here. Blacks are still relatively good in HDR video.

edit3: okay yeah it fucks with SDR color too. A lot less saturation. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing since my panel is oversaturated in the first place.

 

[exodus]

Watching HDR youtube videos not fullscreen really fucks with me. Whites look so gray after that until my eyes adjust again.

 

[SmartWaffles]

Question about Windows 10 and HDR.

I got a pair of MSI MAG274QRF monitors and just tried HDR. I notice no real difference on the desktop...white levels appear to stay the same and I don't notice anything being washed out. What I do notice however is that HDR videos on YouTube have significantly better range, especially with bright highlights. I was lead to believe this wasn't possible without local dimming. How can the video display brighter than pure white without local dimming LEDs?

I expected HDR to be a dud, but it's pure magic so far.

Click to shrink...

The monitor doesnt even remotely touch the edge of proper HDR.
MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD Review - RTINGS.com
Sub 400 nit peak brightness and no local dimming, the difference you see will be purely because it can properly accept and display HDR space. Proper HDR monitor/TVs will look significantly better than that.

 

[Deleted member 11370]

The announcement of the Diablo 2 Remaster with crossprogression made me want to upgrade my PC (mainly the non-existent GPU) to be able to play it on PC, while being able to Platinum it on PS5. Playing the odd PC game here and there again is not a bad plus either. Here's what I have:

Mobo: Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon
CPU: i7-6700K @ 4GHz
RAM: 16GB DDR4
GPU: GeForce 710 (which I use with my 2 monitors, lol)
Monitor: ASUS ROG PG248Q GSync (currently at 60 Mhz via HDMI, but can go up to 144 Mhz via DisplayPort, which I don't have ATM)
I also have a BenQ 4K HDR monitor that I use exclusively with my consoles, but I could use for PC gaming if I had somewhere to connect it to...

What would be a good GPU for 1080p gaming with the GSync monitor? I'm only concerned with 60 FPS minimum, since GSync would smooth out any framerate instability. The problem is that I can't find anything recent in stock, and if it's in stock, it's at least €1000...

It's a bad time to get into PC gaming, ain't it?

 

[Polyh3dron]

Can you post an AIDA64 bench on that ram?

Click to shrink...

This is just running at straight DOCP/XMP. Ryzen DRAM calculator gives me garbage numbers for this kit so I haven't bothered trying to OC it yet.

Man I'm digging but not deep enough probably. Which B-Die kit do you have?

LOL I see a kit of the gold Royal's on Newegg for $900. Is that right? Hell I'd have to split a 64GB kit with someone.

Click to shrink...

G.Skill Trident Z Neo F4-3600C14Q-64GTZN

Got the kit from Newegg for $589.99 last December, but apparently the price went up a little after that.

 

[F34R]

This is just running at straight DOCP/XMP. Ryzen DRAM calculator gives me garbage numbers for this kit so I haven't bothered trying to OC it yet.

G.Skill Trident Z Neo F4-3600C14Q-64GTZN

Got the kit from Newegg for $589.99 last December, but apparently the price went up a little after that.

Click to shrink...

Thanks for the AIDA64. The added cost vs performance increase just wouldn't add up for me at this point.

 

[Polyh3dron]

The announcement of the Diablo 2 Remaster with crossprogression made me want to upgrade my PC (mainly the non-existent GPU) to be able to play it on PC, while being able to Platinum it on PS5. Playing the odd PC game here and there again is not a bad plus either. Here's what I have:

Mobo: Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon
CPU: i7-6700K @ 4GHz
RAM: 16GB DDR4
GPU: GeForce 710 (which I use with my 2 monitors, lol)
Monitor: ASUS ROG PG248Q GSync (currently at 60 Mhz via HDMI, but can go up to 144 Mhz via DisplayPort, which I don't have ATM)
I also have a BenQ 4K HDR monitor that I use exclusively with my consoles, but I could use for PC gaming if I had somewhere to connect it to...

What would be a good GPU for 1080p gaming with the GSync monitor? I'm only concerned with 60 FPS minimum, since GSync would smooth out any framerate instability. The problem is that I can't find anything recent in stock, and if it's in stock, it's at least €1000...

It's a bad time to get into PC gaming, ain't it?

Click to shrink...

The upcoming RTX 3060 sounds like it'll be up your alley.

 

[Deleted member 30077]

I currently run G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600 which is 14-15-15-35 so it's good b-die ram.

G.Skill have also recently released new ram such as 3800 CL14 to tie in with Ryzen 5000. But Corsair seem to have dropped some crazy ram.

4000Mhz at 16-16-16-36 at 1.35v lol CMK16GX4M2Z4000C16

Although it actually seems to be 1.4v from the few people that have it.

Got some on order from Amazon. It seems to be the best b-die ram but no one's talking about it....

As someone that hate's rgb I love that it's all black too, will go nicely with my Unify motherboard.

Click to shrink...

Isn't it single rank? If it is then that kind of kills it at that price. You can probably get more performance from a much cheaper dual rank 3600 MT/s kit with decent timings than a single rank 4000 MT/s kit. After dual channel, rank is probably the most important thing to look out for.

From what I've read it also isn't easy to hit 2000 mhz FCLK while 1900mhz seems easier to hit which means 3800 MT/s kits are optimal.

 

[Crazymoogle]

that's what I thought too but I don't know it's pretty tight... I still don't think it would clear :/

Click to shrink...

Sorry, then I think then we need a better photo of your setup and what you need to do? It's not really clear why you don't...rotate it or do something else. There's probably a good reason it's just hard to tell what is what.

I know it's petty and selfish of me to be worried about something like this while so many are suffering, but the Dell I ordered was apparently sitting in a Fedex hub in Fort Worth for four days in sub-freezing temperatures. I assume that unless there were any condensation issues, a bit of cold shouldn't really harm it?

Click to shrink...

A packed box, especially in a hub, is unlikely to have condensation problems. TX is not exactly humidity land either. It will be fine. While cold for human beings, this is not like a COVID cold fridge or anything; keep in mind eastern Canada can hit -40c/f, which is around where Lithium batteries start performing really badly but computers themselves are okay.

10400F better value than a 3600? Don't think my work software will need the productivity advantages. Can it be OCed? Planning to pair with a 3060

Click to shrink...

Really depends on the pricing you are looking at, but yeah, apples-to-apples the 10400F is a good pick. Just keep in mind there is no built in GPU on either one. The non-K series can't be overclocked but I believe some people up the BCLK to get an overclock. Just keep in mind you probably need a Z490 board for that.

stupid to upgrade from a 3600 to a 5800x if I'm gaming at 1440p/4K?

Click to shrink...

No. In fact that is exactly what I did (3600>5800X) although I do have a RTX 3080. The GPU is really the critical factor here.

Watching HDR youtube videos not fullscreen really fucks with me. Whites look so gray after that until my eyes adjust again.

Click to shrink...

As mentioned this is not really HDR so much as remapping but if you like the effect, that's cool. In true HDR you see peak brightness that is basically like the sun peeking through trees on a sunny day - at around 1000 cd/m2 your eyes have to literally squint. For example on my X900F white is full white as always, for HUD and whatnot, but there is a brighter, searing white in scenes where HDR is used.

Mobo: Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon
CPU: i7-6700K @ 4GHz
RAM: 16GB DDR4
GPU: GeForce 710 (which I use with my 2 monitors, lol)
Monitor: ASUS ROG PG248Q GSync (currently at 60 Mhz via HDMI, but can go up to 144 Mhz via DisplayPort, which I don't have ATM)
I also have a BenQ 4K HDR monitor that I use exclusively with my consoles, but I could use for PC gaming if I had somewhere to connect it to...

What would be a good GPU for 1080p gaming with the GSync monitor? I'm only concerned with 60 FPS minimum, since GSync would smooth out any framerate instability. The problem is that I can't find anything recent in stock, and if it's in stock, it's at least €1000...

Click to shrink...

The...710?! A quick browse online suggests even a GTX1650 should blow it out of the water. I would take a look on pricing for any of these:

• RTX 3060 (best option for now and future, but out Feb25 and who knows about stock)
• GTX 1660 (fast but stock problems for GPUs in general mean it might be overpriced for its age)
• Radeon RX570 (still a thousand percent better than what you have)
• GTX 1650 (not even that respectable but still a thousand percent better than what you have)

I would try to aim for a card with 8GB of GDDR but I mean it really depends on how much performance you want out of your aging system.

 

[Deleted member 11370]

The upcoming RTX 3060 sounds like it'll be up your alley.

Click to shrink...

The...710?! A quick browse online suggests even a GTX1650 should blow it out of the water. I would take a look on pricing for any of these:

• RTX 3060 (best option for now and future, but out Feb25 and who knows about stock)
• GTX 1660 (fast but stock problems for GPUs in general mean it might be overpriced for its age)
• Radeon RX570 (still a thousand percent better than what you have)
• GTX 1650 (not even that respectable but still a thousand percent better than what you have)

I would try to aim for a card with 8GB of GDDR but I mean it really depends on how much performance you want out of your aging system.

Click to shrink...

Mind you, I never used the 710 for gaming. I only needed something very cheap that could handle (then) 3 monitors, because my CPU alone couldn't. I've since scaled down to two monitors, but if I could use my new 4K monitor as well, that'd be great.

I'll aim for a 3060, then. I don't need to have the latest and greatest, just something that could let me play a handful of games that I won't be playing on PS5. Or, in the case of D2R, capture that classic point-and-click feel.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Kopite]

Hey guys, I've just been quoted this by a PC store here. I originally wanted a 3060ti but the prices are ridiculous so I thought I might go for a store that can 'guarantee' getting me a 3060 (no promises on the model). Wanted to know what you think? I want to be able to play the latest games as of now at 1440P at least at 60fps

INTEL CORE I5-10400F
GIGABYTE B460M AORUS PRO
GSKILL TridentZ RGB 2x8GB DDR4 3200mhz
RM499 NVIDIA GEFORCE GA106-300 12GB DDR6 192BIT
ANTEC NE550C 550W
ANTEC DP301M
CORSAIR FORCE Series MP510 480GB
RM419 WD 1TB Caviar Blue

What I'm most worried about is they're skimping on the RAM, PSU, SSD, and case. Just realized they didn't throw in a cooler as well. I'm not sure how good the CPU is as well and if it's better to wait for the new Intels. I was planning on getting a 3600 but they told me just for gaming a 10400 is better. I can afford to wait until late April at least but I'm worried that prices are going to increase and I won't even get a 3060 then.

This will cost me USD1171.82 , but we never get MSRP here in Malaysia anyway

 

[OCD Guy]

Isn't it single rank? If it is then that kind of kills it at that price. You can probably get more performance from a much cheaper dual rank 3600 MT/s kit with decent timings than a single rank 4000 MT/s kit. After dual channel, rank is probably the most important thing to look out for.

From what I've read it also isn't easy to hit 2000 mhz FCLK while 1900mhz seems easier to hit which means 3800 MT/s kits are optimal.

Click to shrink...

You're right that dual rank is optimal.

But from my understanding running 4 single rank sticks is the same as 2 dual rank sticks?

The only other thing to consider is often motherboards tend to perform better with 2 dimms and there's less stress on the cpu's memory controller too.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Hey guys, I've just been quoted this by a PC store here. I originally wanted a 3060ti but the prices are ridiculous so I thought I might go for a store that can 'guarantee' getting me a 3060 (no promises on the model). Wanted to know what you think? I want to be able to play the latest games as of now at 1440P at least at 60fps

INTEL CORE I5-10400F
GIGABYTE B460M AORUS PRO
GSKILL TridentZ RGB 2x8GB DDR4 3200mhz
RM499 NVIDIA GEFORCE GA106-300 12GB DDR6 192BIT
ANTEC NE550C 550W RM249
ANTEC DP301M RM199
CORSAIR FORCE Series MP510 480GB
RM419 WD 1TB Caviar Blue RM189

What I'm most worried about is they're skimping on the RAM, PSU, SSD, and case. Just realized they didn't throw in a cooler as well. I'm not sure how good the CPU is as well and if it's better to wait for the new Intels. I was planning on getting a 3600 but they told me just for gaming a 10400 is better. I can afford to wait until late April at least but I'm worried that prices are going to increase and I won't even get a 3060 then.

This will cost me USD1171.82 , but we never get MSRP here in Malaysia anyway

Click to shrink...

Ah, Malaysia? Cool. Is this a physical store or are you throwing money at Shopee and hoping for the best?

You could wait for Rocket Lake but honestly new platforms rarely come out with affordable products. The 10400F is considered the 3600 equivalent right now and is probably more available, so why not? The RAM sounds fine, GPU sounds fine, the parts in general line up with each other as being a balanced build. Certainly I would rather have a 3060 Ti at 1440p but the 3060 should be no slouch either.

I hear the included cooler "works" but is not exactly great with noise. I'm surprised they wouldn't try to upsell you on a Deepcool or some other cheapo Shopee cooler that does the same or a bit better. It's probably fine until you think you need better. Depends how noise sensitive you are too; here in Singapore I always have to have ceiling or standing fans running so "low noise" is hardly required...

 

[exodus]

The monitor doesnt even remotely touch the edge of proper HDR.
MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD Review - RTINGS.com
Sub 400 nit peak brightness and no local dimming, the difference you see will be purely because it can properly accept and display HDR space. Proper HDR monitor/TVs will look significantly better than that.

Click to shrink...

Well not exactly. If I had my monitor on 100% brightness it might look closer, but I don't I use my monitor at 40-50% brightness during the daytime, which is still quite bright. What HDR does do is unlock that additional 60% brightness for HDR highlights, so it is very noticeable. I realize tone mapping is involved here, but it's still very striking...much moreso than I ever expected from a non local-dimming monitor.

So while my whites are maybe 150ish nits, I still get ~390 for brighter than whites, which is very noticeable. Tone mapping is doing a great job at keeping that paper white looking the nearly the same as it does with HDR off.

Of course the downside is that blacks will be worse since the backlight is running at a higher level, but it's not nearly as noticeable as I thought. The main thing I notice is reds/greens being less saturated in HDR, but that's probably to be expected since SDR is oversaturated on this monitor in the first place.

As mentioned this is not really HDR so much as remapping but if you like the effect, that's cool. In true HDR you see peak brightness that is basically like the sun peeking through trees on a sunny day - at around 1000 cd/m2 your eyes have to literally squint. For example on my X900F white is full white as always, for HUD and whatnot, but there is a brighter, searing white in scenes where HDR is used.

Click to shrink...

I've played HDR content extensively on an LG B9 and a Sony X900F. While yes, there is significantly higher range there, the increased range is still VERY noticeable even on a 390 nit display. I of course did not expect that at all, so it's just a really nice surprise to me. I also haven't noticed ABL in action, which is also surprising since blacks still look quite good to me.

These two videos in particular are absolutely stunning with HDR on:



They look comparatively flat and lifeless with HDR off.

It makes me wish RTINGs actually evaluated the quality of tone mapping in displays since that could be a major factor. Instead, all they measure is peak brightness which is only one facet of HDR.

 

[GraphicViolets]

GPU are a tough situation right now. Minus GPU You could spec a perfectly capable system for $500-600 with a i5 10400 or Ryzen 3100 or 3300 or 3600, but then even the GPUs that were $200-$300 (GTX 1660 Ti, RTX 2060 KO, Radeon 5600xt, Radeon 5700) last year are not to be found for MRSP in most online retailers. For the love of god, do not pay $400 for the likes of the GTX 1650 or a Rx 5500 or a R9 580.

Here is an example $500-$600 build without a graphics card. Since intel CPUs at least have a version with integrated graphics I chose a i5 10400 (10400F is the one that doesn't) because it would at least work as a computer if you were to build it while you try to find a graphics card. A Ryzen 3400G being an APU also would work, and they have stronger graphics, but they are slower CPUs than a 10400 and the Ryzens 3300 and 3600 while being more expensive, so it is a worse choice if you are getting an actual dedicated GPU to pair them with.

Here is a Ryzen 3600 version of that. (Ryzen 3300 is out of stock everywhere as well). But as I said before, even though this is more capable for productivity than the 10400 (not gaming though), you just can't get picture to the monitor without adding a dedicated GPU.

Other than that, there's a i5 11400 launching next month or soon after. I can't say what availability is going to be like, nor the price, but know that the B460 motherboards are not going to be compatible with it, so if you were to wait for that, you should get one of the new intel 500 series mobos, B560 or H570.

Click to shrink...

Thanks!

I may just wait since I already ordered an ipad and my current computer still technically works even though its on its last legs.

It's definitely useful to have the options you mentioned in case I find I need a new computer more immediately. At least it isn't like last year when I was going to school

I seem to have picked a bad time for my computer to go bad...

 

[Lakeside]

G.Skill Trident Z Neo F4-3600C14Q-64GTZN

Got the kit from Newegg for $589.99 last December, but apparently the price went up a little after that.

Click to shrink...

Thanks. I'd be down at that price but the current going rate doesn't work for me.

 

[Deleted member 30077]

Hey guys, I've just been quoted this by a PC store here. I originally wanted a 3060ti but the prices are ridiculous so I thought I might go for a store that can 'guarantee' getting me a 3060 (no promises on the model). Wanted to know what you think? I want to be able to play the latest games as of now at 1440P at least at 60fps

INTEL CORE I5-10400F
GIGABYTE B460M AORUS PRO
GSKILL TridentZ RGB 2x8GB DDR4 3200mhz
RM499 NVIDIA GEFORCE GA106-300 12GB DDR6 192BIT
ANTEC NE550C 550W
ANTEC DP301M
CORSAIR FORCE Series MP510 480GB
RM419 WD 1TB Caviar Blue

What I'm most worried about is they're skimping on the RAM, PSU, SSD, and case. Just realized they didn't throw in a cooler as well. I'm not sure how good the CPU is as well and if it's better to wait for the new Intels. I was planning on getting a 3600 but they told me just for gaming a 10400 is better. I can afford to wait until late April at least but I'm worried that prices are going to increase and I won't even get a 3060 then.

This will cost me USD1171.82 , but we never get MSRP here in Malaysia anyway

Click to shrink...

3200 MT/s ram is fine for a budget build. I think RAM RGB is a waste but that's personal taste. That said, you won't actually be able to run it at that speed as Intel has locked down memory OC on B460 boards so you can only run it at 2666 MT/s. You should try and get a decent B560 board that fixes this. Although they're officially released there aren't a lot of boards on the market yet but I suspect most will release around Rocket Lake so waiting for Rocket Lake might indeed be a good choice. The 11400F might be an option then but I suspect it'll only be about 10% faster and with the 10400F's price cut it'll also be more expensive.

While the 10400 isn't better than the 3600 for gaming it does make more sense with current prices. In most places the 3600 is 50% more expensive than the 10400F. On a B560 board performance will be the same but on a B460 the 10400 will be about 5-10% slower as it doesn't make sense to pair a 3600 with 2666 RAM with how small the price difference is between 2666 & 3200 RAM. 5-10% extra performance isn't worth paying 50% more for your CPU though and a B560 negates that downside entirely.

SSD is fine. I'd even go for the cheaper Kingston A2000 but it won't save you much. Do get something better than the stock cooler as I've heard they're pretty noisy. You can get a cheap air cooler for $20-25. It's very cheap case so you kind of get what you pay for. It needs another fan though for intake as it only comes with 1 exhaust fan.

You're right that dual rank is optimal.

But from my understanding running 4 single rank sticks is the same as 2 dual rank sticks?

The only other thing to consider is often motherboards tend to perform better with 2 dimms and there's less stress on the cpu's memory controller too.

Click to shrink...

Yes, 4 sticks would make it dual rank so that would fix the downside. It can make it harder to hit higher clocks/lower timings or even just hit XMP settings. If you can get 2000mhz FCLK & stable XMP it would be pretty amazing with 4 sticks.

 

[Polyh3dron]

Thanks. I'd be down at that price but the current going rate doesn't work for me.

Click to shrink...

It was last in stock on January 6 for $609.99

Computer Memory In Stock Trackers - NowInStock.net

 

[Black_Stride]

Yeah I hate this timeline.

RTX 3070 almost 800 dollars.
Not scalper prices thats just the price the store is selling it to me for.

Im so tempted to live without a computer for "however many months" until prices normalize, but then I keep thinking to myself, it might never normalize and a 800 dollar RTX 3070 is just what we should expect even when the miningproof ones come out.
Stock likely isnt going to be getting that much better anytime soon.

Remember towards the end of last year we were told the shortages would last until february.
Well its pretty much the end of february and I delayed my build based on those "analysts" predictions.....but now things are actually worse than they were because atleast late last year I could snag a 3070 for closer to 700 dollars than 800 dollars.

Someone convince me biting the bullet is a bad idea......please.

 

[OCD Guy]

Yes, 4 sticks would make it dual rank so that would fix the downside. It can make it harder to hit higher clocks/lower timings or even just hit XMP settings. If you can get 2000mhz FCLK & stable XMP it would be pretty amazing with 4 sticks.

Click to shrink...

I can't even boot at 1900Mhz lol. 2000Mhz is a pipe dream for me.

Not sure if it's down to my motherboard, bios or simply the cpu.

I've tried with 2 sticks and still no dice.

You could wonder why I'm buying 4000Mhz ram, but my thought process is as it seems to be very fast b-die I should be able to get very tight timings at 3600/1800

Yeah I hate this timeline.

RTX 3070 almost 800 dollars.
Not scalper prices thats just the price the store is selling it to me for.

Im so tempted to live without a computer for "however many months" until prices normalize, but then I keep thinking to myself, it might never normalize and a 800 dollar RTX 3070 is just what we should expect even when the miningproof ones come out.
Stock likely isnt going to be getting that much better anytime soon.

Remember towards the end of last year we were told the shortages would last until february.
Well its pretty much the end of february and I delayed my build based on those "analysts" predictions.....but now things are actually worse than they were because atleast late last year I could snag a 3070 for closer to 700 dollars than 800 dollars.

Someone convince me biting the bullet is a bad idea......please.

Click to shrink...

The only way prices are going to lower is when availability goes back to "normal" and to be honest that's not happening anytime soon. Infact I can't see it being normal at all this year.

I paid over the odds for my graphics card from Amazon (they seem to raise prices at times sneakily lol) but I've had it since December and I'm getting use out of it. As bad as it may sound the fact that prices are still high and availability still scarce doesn't make me regret my purchase as much. Whereas if availability was now everywhere, and prices had dropped I'd be kicking myself slightly.

Look at it this way, had you bought at the end of 2020 you'd have paid about the same and had 2 months use of it, if you wait another couple of months to see what might happen, it'll probably be the same situation as now and you've lost out on use.

I guess what I'm saying is jump in, you won't be in a situation where you've paid too much and suddenly see your card in stock everywhere are dirt cheap prices. If anything the price from retailers is gonna go up the same way DDR4 ram is going.....

 

[catpurrcat]

Yeah I hate this timeline.

RTX 3070 almost 800 dollars.
Not scalper prices thats just the price the store is selling it to me for.

Im so tempted to live without a computer for "however many months" until prices normalize, but then I keep thinking to myself, it might never normalize and a 800 dollar RTX 3070 is just what we should expect even when the miningproof ones come out.
Stock likely isnt going to be getting that much better anytime soon.

Remember towards the end of last year we were told the shortages would last until february.
Well its pretty much the end of february and I delayed my build based on those "analysts" predictions.....but now things are actually worse than they were because atleast late last year I could snag a 3070 for closer to 700 dollars than 800 dollars.

Someone convince me biting the bullet is a bad idea......please.

Click to shrink...

Black, if you're on a strict budget, it is a bad idea...and like everyone else here I love pc building and gaming.

May I suggest a 3060ti? It's $600 Canadian which should be like $550 USD. So a $250 USD difference between the 3060ti and 3070 ($800 you mentioned as your local pricing)

Or go with an Xbox Series X, which is a good option that will give you 5 years of excellent gaming with PC level optimized hardware. Gamepass makes the cost of gaming so much cheaper.

 

[SmartWaffles]

Yeah I hate this timeline.

RTX 3070 almost 800 dollars.
Not scalper prices thats just the price the store is selling it to me for.

Im so tempted to live without a computer for "however many months" until prices normalize, but then I keep thinking to myself, it might never normalize and a 800 dollar RTX 3070 is just what we should expect even when the miningproof ones come out.
Stock likely isnt going to be getting that much better anytime soon.

Remember towards the end of last year we were told the shortages would last until february.
Well its pretty much the end of february and I delayed my build based on those "analysts" predictions.....but now things are actually worse than they were because atleast late last year I could snag a 3070 for closer to 700 dollars than 800 dollars.

Someone convince me biting the bullet is a bad idea......please.

Click to shrink...

Camp your local computer store and try getting a 3060Ti or 3070 first, then do everything else.

 

[Terbinator]

Is MBR or GPT better for a new NVMe drives for games?

WD SN550 1TB if that matters at all?

 

[Deleted member 30077]

Yeah I hate this timeline.

RTX 3070 almost 800 dollars.
Not scalper prices thats just the price the store is selling it to me for.

Im so tempted to live without a computer for "however many months" until prices normalize, but then I keep thinking to myself, it might never normalize and a 800 dollar RTX 3070 is just what we should expect even when the miningproof ones come out.
Stock likely isnt going to be getting that much better anytime soon.

Remember towards the end of last year we were told the shortages would last until february.
Well its pretty much the end of february and I delayed my build based on those "analysts" predictions.....but now things are actually worse than they were because atleast late last year I could snag a 3070 for closer to 700 dollars than 800 dollars.

Someone convince me biting the bullet is a bad idea......please.

Click to shrink...

You could buy the card and mine back the difference between MSRP and what you're paying. Prices will go down when crypto crashes though or those miningproof cards will reduce prices. People are willing to spend so much on GPUs because how easy and fast it is to make it all back with mining. Miners aim for a theoretical ROI of 4-6 months and that sets the price of a GPU.

 

[NeoChaos]

Is MBR or GPT better for a new NVMe drives for games?

WD SN550 1TB if that matters at all?

Click to shrink...

Use GPT unless you plan to also use the drive on older, non-UEFI systems.

What’s the Difference Between GPT and MBR When Partitioning a Drive?

Set up a new disk on Windows 10 or 8.1 and you’ll be asked whether you want to use MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table). Today we’re explaining the difference between GPT and MBR and helping you choose the right one for your PC or Mac.

www.howtogeek.com

 

[Caz]

10400F better value than a 3600? Don't think my work software will need the productivity advantages. Can it be OCed? Planning to pair with a 3060

Click to shrink...

No, and the main reason is because it can't be overclocked (if it doesn't have a K, it can't be overclocked), plus there's little in the way of an upgrade path for the Intel chip.

 

[Xun]

This may not be the best place to ask, but my brothers partner wants a new non-gaming PC for around £500 (ideally pre-built).

Any suggestions?

It would only be used for general use (office work, music, photos etc) so nothing too strenuous is needed whatsoever.

 

[Brandino]

Anyone know if LG treats their monitor pricing the same way they do their tvs? I'm wanting a g950-b, but 799 is a bit steep for me right now. Will they heavily discount this model when their hdmi 2.1 version comes out?