Getting back into the desktop world

D

deweyzeph

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So I've had laptops pretty much since the late 2000's. Before that from the mid 90's obviously desktops ruled the roost and I had plenty of them. Now, with Covid, and working from home full-time, I've started eyeing a desktop again, with all the extra power, performance and upgrade advantages it has over a laptop. The only problem is that I'm completely out of touch with desktop hardware since I last owned one in the mid 2000's. I'm quite keen to build my own system from scratch, which I'd be quite comfortable with, but I don't really know where to start. I don't want to buy some generic desktop system from Takealot, for example, I want to spend a bit of money and do a custom build with the best parts I can get. I'm talking 64GB of RAM, an Intel i7 processor, SSD drives, etc. I do a lot of software development with Visual Studio and SQL Server, so I really want top of the line performance.

I've been looking at this site for build ideas:

Pick parts. Build your PC. Compare and share.

pcpartpicker.com pcpartpicker.com

But this site is obviously very American-focused, so I'm looking for advice from the good folks of Mybroadband to point me in the right direction in my quest to build the best desktop PC I can.
 
If its top of the performance, amazing speed and build quality you cannot even begin to compare to anything else because its so good, you're actually looking for one of these: https://www.apple.com/za/mac-pro/
I mean just watch when they lift the cover off, no kitch LED lights, just absolute perfection.
I actually get tears in my eyes its such a masterpiece :love:
 
neoprema said:
If its top of the performance, amazing speed and build quality you cannot even begin to compare to anything else because its so good, you're actually looking for one of these: https://www.apple.com/za/mac-pro/
I mean just watch when they lift the cover off, no kitch LED lights, just absolute perfection.
I actually get tears in my eyes its such a masterpiece :love:
Click to expand...
I get tears in my eyes thinking if the absolute lack of value for money and ability to properly upgrade things as and when needed without it costing an unnecessary fortune..
 
WAslayer said:
Budget..? Any gaming..?
Click to expand...

My budget is about R30k. No gaming, so I'm not going to need a hectic GPU, but I will need the ability to hook up 3 HDMI-connected screens, at least. I use an extra monitor with my laptop at the moment, and as a developer the more screens I can have the better.
 
neoprema said:
If its top of the performance, amazing speed and build quality you cannot even begin to compare to anything else because its so good, you're actually looking for one of these: https://www.apple.com/za/mac-pro/
I mean just watch when they lift the cover off, no kitch LED lights, just absolute perfection.
I actually get tears in my eyes its such a masterpiece :love:
Click to expand...

As pretty as it looks I just couldn't stomach having anything Apple-related in my house.
 
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neoprema said:
If its top of the performance, amazing speed and build quality you cannot even begin to compare to anything else because its so good, you're actually looking for one of these: https://www.apple.com/za/mac-pro/
I mean just watch when they lift the cover off, no kitch LED lights, just absolute perfection.
I actually get tears in my eyes its such a masterpiece :love:
Click to expand...

"top" performance at 28 cores :ROFL:
 
deweyzeph said:
My budget is about R30k. No gaming, so I'm not going to need a hectic GPU, but I will need the ability to hook up 3 HDMI-connected screens, at least. I use an extra monitor with my laptop at the moment, and as a developer the more screens I can have the better.
Click to expand...
On the monitor side, I went from 6x30” to 2x43” (Dell 2020 edition), and I far prefer the latter for development. I highly recommend it.
 
deweyzeph said:
My budget is about R30k. No gaming, so I'm not going to need a hectic GPU, but I will need the ability to hook up 3 HDMI-connected screens, at least. I use an extra monitor with my laptop at the moment, and as a developer the more screens I can have the better.
Click to expand...
For CPU, I would go with the Ryzen 7 5800x..
Any b550 motherboard that strikes your fancy..
GTX 1660 should be adequate for your graphics needs..
750watt PSU 80+ efficiency..
Whichever case you like that would fit your motherboard..

That should put you right around 22k or so for the above items, from wootware..
 
neoprema said:
If its top of the performance, amazing speed and build quality you cannot even begin to compare to anything else because its so good, you're actually looking for one of these: https://www.apple.com/za/mac-pro/
I mean just watch when they lift the cover off, no kitch LED lights, just absolute perfection.
I actually get tears in my eyes its such a masterpiece :love:
Click to expand...
find-the-difference.png
 
deweyzeph said:
As pretty as it looks I just couldn't stomach having anything Apple-related in my house.
Click to expand...
many have felt that way, until they buy their first device and realise they've been living in a cloud of horrible hardware and software. Hell i was anti-Apple for years, and in 2010 i got my first Apple device. I've never looked back, all my PCs are apple, laptops, phones, streaming, speakers etc. You will just never find something as good from everyone else who's copying Apple.
Suspect99 said:
View attachment 1032578
Click to expand...
dunno what that woman is smoking but she's clearly higher than a kite.
 
Post budget, specs and what you want to do with it. I am sure someone will put a nice system together. The more specific you are, the better advice you will get.

The PC Build Thread

*Updated PC Build Thread found here* *For quicker responses click here* Guide to PC Bulding Cases Choosing a case : Picking a case reflects what you are looking for, and your personal tastes. Note that some cases might not be able to fit taller rifle coolers, like the Noctua NH-14, or a...
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I'd be inclined to wait for whatever socket Zen4 comes with. Best option in terms of long term upgrade path
 
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