The PC Build Thread

[Matt91]

Howdy all, looking to build my first PC soon. I have about R15K to spend.
I know nothing.

I was thinking I'd try get the best gpu and cpu so I'll spend more in those areas, and I don't really care about RGB lights, I just want to be able to play newish games on mid level graphics if that makes sense?

Currently I game on my laptop a 2013 HP Envy DV7:

GT630M 2Gb VRAM
Win10
6Gb system RAM
i7-3630QM

I mostly just play League of Legends which it handles okay but it gets hot after a few mins of gaming, but I'd like to be able play more games, which my laptop really struggles with.

Can someone tell me what I should be looking at? I've done a bit of armchair research but I find it all a bit confusing and I don't know what's compatible with what... Also I realize graphics card are at a premium now so should I wait?

 

[UrBaN963]

Howdy all, looking to build my first PC soon. I have about R15K to spend.
I know nothing.

I was thinking I'd try get the best gpu and cpu so I'll spend more in those areas, and I don't really care about RGB lights, I just want to be able to play newish games on mid level graphics if that makes sense?

Currently I game on my laptop a 2013 HP Envy DV7:

GT630M 2Gb VRAM
Win10
6Gb system RAM
i7-3630QM

I mostly just play League of Legends which it handles okay but it gets hot after a few mins of gaming, but I'd like to be able play more games, which my laptop really struggles with.

Can someone tell me what I should be looking at? I've done a bit of armchair research but I find it all a bit confusing and I don't know what's compatible with what... Also I realize graphics card are at a premium now so should I wait?

Do you need just the tower, or also screen, keyboard, mouse?

 

[Matt91]

Do you need just the tower, or also screen, keyboard, mouse?

I have a screen I can use it's nothing fancy, but I'll save up for something decent later on. I'd want to build it myself from the case up. Keen to learn so I want to do it myself.

 

[UrBaN963]

I have a screen I can use it's nothing fancy, but I'll save up for something decent later on. I'd want to build it myself from the case up. Keen to learn so I want to do it myself.

You're probably looking at something like this. You could add a 1660 Super which would put you at roughly R19k, or get a secondhand GPU from carbonite.co.za, if you can find something decent at a reasonable price.

 

[UrBaN963]

Your other option would be to get a B450 motherboard and a Ryzen 3400G (which has built in graphics which will play LoL at 1080P on HIGH at about 100FPS).

You can then just add a GPU later on when pricing is a bit more reasonable and so on. Honestly it's a crappy time to be building a gaming PC.

 

[Matt91]

You're probably looking at something like this. You could add a 1660 Super which would put you at roughly R19k, or get a secondhand GPU from carbonite.co.za, if you can find something decent at a reasonable price.

View attachment 1036500

Ah thank you kindly, what site did you grab this from?

Also I know Ryzen is sometimes a little more affordable than intel, with regards to overall affordability vs performance is there a noticeable difference if I chose one over the other?

 

[UrBaN963]

Ah thank you kindly, what site did you grab this from?

Also I know Ryzen is sometimes a little more affordable than intel, with regards to overall affordability vs performance is there a noticeable difference if I chose one over the other?

That's from www.wootware.co.za

Ryzen is better in terms of bang-for buck at any given price point. They're far better at multi-threaded applications, though overall can be slightly slower than Intel in single-threaded applications (like games). However, unless you want absolute maximum performance in games, where price is no object, I don't know of anyone who would seriously recommend Intel over AMD at this point.

The Intel equivalent at this price is probably the Intel i5-9600K which would overclock better. However, it is a 6-core/6-thread part, whereas the AMD Ryzen 3600 is a 6-core/12-thread part which makes it much better at multi-threaded applications.

The Intel part also doesn't come with a CPU cooler so you'd have to add the cost of that in as well.

Here's the Intel parts list.

 

[Matt91]

That's from www.wootware.co.za

Ryzen is better in terms of bang-for buck at any given price point. They're far better at multi-threaded applications, though overall can be slightly slower than Intel in single-threaded applications (like games). However, unless you want absolute maximum performance in games, where price is no object, I don't know of anyone who would seriously recommend Intel over AMD at this point.

The Intel equivalent at this price is probably the Intel i5-9600K which would overclock better. However, it is a 6-core/6-thread part, whereas the AMD Ryzen 3600 is a 6-core/12-thread part which makes it much better at multi-threaded applications.

The Intel part also doesn't come with a CPU cooler so you'd have to add the cost of that in as well.

Here's the Intel parts list.

View attachment 1036514

Thanks so much @UrBaN963 this gives me a good place to start from, and thanks for answering my other questions. I wasn't really considering AMD initially tbh but now you've enlightened me and I can make more informed decisions.

 

[UrBaN963]

Thanks so much @UrBaN963 this gives me a good place to start from, and thanks for answering my other questions. I wasn't really considering AMD initially tbh but now you've enlightened me and I can make more informed decisions.

At the end of the day it's going to be personal preference and up to your budget man.

But I would highly recommend the AMD route, personally.

Only things I would say are key:

Make sure whatever you get has a CPU cooler.
Make sure you get some form of SSD hard drive - either SATA 3 or PCI-e 3.0.
Don't waste money on super fast RAM at this point - 3200MHz is the sweet spot for Ryzen.
B450 and B550 motherboards will both work fine, for a 3600. If you go for an AMD CPU with integrated graphics (Ryzen 3200G or 3400G), you will have to go B450 as B550 doesn't support them officially.
The second-hand market is vrot right now so buy carefully, many many scammers and scalpers around at the moment trying to cash in on the shortage. If you want to go new, your choices suck but for what you play a 1660 Super would be just fine.
I don't know what screen you have, but a good 1080P screen can make a massive difference to your overall experience. If you're using some old shitty one, this would be a good upgrade.

 

[Barbarian Conan]

That's from www.wootware.co.za

Ryzen is better in terms of bang-for buck at any given price point. They're far better at multi-threaded applications, though overall can be slightly slower than Intel in single-threaded applications (like games). However, unless you want absolute maximum performance in games, where price is no object, I don't know of anyone who would seriously recommend Intel over AMD at this point.

The Intel equivalent at this price is probably the Intel i5-9600K which would overclock better. However, it is a 6-core/6-thread part, whereas the AMD Ryzen 3600 is a 6-core/12-thread part which makes it much better at multi-threaded applications.

The Intel part also doesn't come with a CPU cooler so you'd have to add the cost of that in as well.

Here's the Intel parts list.

View attachment 1036514

6c6t has some smoothness issues with modern games. I definitely wouldn't buy a 9600K now. For intel you really want 10th gen, or i9 9900K.

AMD 3600 is really great value for money, and will probably last you quite some time.
B550 is a good chipset as well, and imo the best option for longevity. It will probably also offer better support for 5000 series CPUs. Upgrading to a 5800X in a few years time will give your system a big boost.

 

[_kabal_]

I have the 5800x and I'm not 100% happy. It's a great chip and all but go read up about high temps on 5800x and rather save up and get either a 5600x or 5900x. B550 should be fine and I bought this ASRock B550 Steel Legend AMD B550 Ryzen Socket AM4 ATX Desktop Motherboard - Wootware

Thanks for the feedback

Guess the 5900x it is. Oh no, 4 extra cores

I was going to go with the Fractal Design Celcius S24. Do you think this is inadequate and should rather go for the S36?

I want as plug 'n play solution as possible.
Will be running Ubuntu, using this as a dev workstation, so most of the tweaking software is not available
If there are BIOS tweaks needed, then fine, not ideal.

 

[Barbarian Conan]

Thanks for the feedback

Guess the 5900x it is. Oh no, 4 extra cores

I was going to go with the Fractal Design Celcius S24. Do you think this is inadequate and should rather go for the S36?

I want as plug 'n play solution as possible.
Will be running Ubuntu, using this as a dev workstation, so most of the tweaking software is not available
If there are BIOS tweaks needed, then fine, not ideal.

The 5800X has all the cores on 1 CCX. it should perform better than the 5900X in some tasks?

 

[nelis]

Thanks for the feedback

Guess the 5900x it is. Oh no, 4 extra cores

I was going to go with the Fractal Design Celcius S24. Do you think this is inadequate and should rather go for the S36?

I want as plug 'n play solution as possible.
Will be running Ubuntu, using this as a dev workstation, so most of the tweaking software is not available
If there are BIOS tweaks needed, then fine, not ideal.

I say if you willing to and your case can do top mounter 360mm radiator go with the s36 just to be on the safe side.

 

[nelis]

The 5800X has all the cores on 1 CCX. it should perform better than the 5900X in some tasks?

Yes but trust me the added heat is a no go. My cpu is not overheating but it runs much hotter than a 5900x. even with my cae that has 3x intake fans with mesh panel and the gpu is also watercooled with g12 and set as exhaust so even that is not heating the case. So GPU rad at back as exhaust and cpu on top also exhaust front 3x intake fans.

 

[L-Dog]

Why would you guys spec such a high end PSU and not a 500W unit, is it to futureproof the system ? I can't remember the exact thread but some guys swear buy a decent power supply and others just take the cheapest one that meets the W requirements

 

[UrBaN963]

Why would you guys spec such a high end PSU and not a 500W unit, is it to futureproof the system ? I can't remember the exact thread but some guys swear buy a decent power supply and others just take the cheapest one that meets the W requirements

He plans to buy a decent GPU, so the headroom is a good idea. Also, that’s the cheapest PSU in stock. PSU stock issues have been a bit of an issue.

 

[WAslayer]

Why would you guys spec such a high end PSU and not a 500W unit, is it to futureproof the system ? I can't remember the exact thread but some guys swear buy a decent power supply and others just take the cheapest one that meets the W requirements

When you say high end are you referring to higher than needed wattage only..?

High end in terms of PSU would come down to efficiency ratings, i.e 80+ gold, modularity of cables etc, not so much the wattage alone..

Personally, when I am buying my rig, I would be buying the cheapest, most efficient, modular PSU I can fit into my budget and it's position on the PSU hierarchy list..

 

[Barbarian Conan]

He plans to buy a decent GPU, so the headroom is a good idea. Also, that’s the cheapest PSU in stock. PSU stock issues have been a bit of an issue.

PSUs degrade a little over time, and they are most efficient when they don't run at 100%.

Also, my i7 2600K (stock) would reboot on my TT 650W Tough Power PSU whenever I launched a game after I got my stock R9 290. Sure, it's a pretty power hungry GPU, but far from the top end at the time.
Now I always get at least 750W, especially with CPUs often drawing more peak power than advertised.

 

[UrBaN963]

PSUs degrade a little over time, and they are most efficient when they don't run at 100%.

Also, my i7 2600K (stock) would reboot on my TT 650W Tough Power PSU whenever I launched a game after I got my stock R9 290. Sure, it's a pretty power hungry GPS, but far from the top end at the time.
Now I always get at least 750W, especially with CPUs often drawing more peak power than advertised.

Yup, hence the 750w. My 650W Gold works perfectly on my 3700X & 3070, though I wouldn't imagine it would take another GPU very well.

 

[Elon]

Running too far below what the PSU is rated for is also going to mean it is inefficient. A Ryzen 3600 and 1660 Super is getting nowhere near 750w.

Would get a Gold rated 650w in case Matt gets the itch for maybe a 3070 but 750w is a bit too much IMO.

A good 550w PSU could handle a Ryzen 3600 and a 3070, but when you constantly run the PSU at close to max you decrease it's lifespan. A casual gamer could maybe get away with it since it will only really stress the PSU when gaming and not when using Excel. Not that I'd recommend that, just for perspective.

Intel CPUs are power hogs especially when overclocked so yeah, 750w may be a good idea if you are the unsavory kind who makes poor life decisions like buying Intel. Friends don't let friends buy Intel!