Help build me a PC (because I haven't been keeping up)

Pr3tty F1y

Pr3tty F1y

Active member
My nearly 11 year old (for the most part) PC just rebooted spontaneously three times in the last hour. I believe the end is nigh.

While this is a lazy post, if anyone has been doing research recently, I'd appreciate leveraging your knowledge. I want a higher-end rig but I don't need to pay a premium for it. High enough is good enough ;)

I haven't done watercooling before, but I'm not against it. Although I do like overclocking my systems, so that's something I want to be able to do.

I want maximum CPU horsepower (I'm into emulation and I think Intel has taken back the IPC lead), but I see conflicting things about disabling efficiency cores for more throughput vs. that now being blocked. It sounds like this may be something better addressed in a future CPU generation, but I don't think this rig will be lasting that long.

I'm figuring GPU prices are still high, despite reports of them being lower than they were. Is it worth just trying to get a semi-prebuilt mobo/case/GPU to get a higher-end GPU at a decent price?

My biggest question is re: memory and storage. Is DDR5 good/plentiful/cheap yet? What about hard disks - I'm going to need some with a lot of space so should I be going with hybrid mechanical drives?

If anyone has any thoughts, I'd appreciate them.
 
Two questions always come to mind whenever someone asks for advice on buying or building a new PC:
1. What's your budget?
2. What will you use it for?
 
Munkus said:
Two questions always come to mind whenever someone asks for advice on buying or building a new PC:
1. What's your budget?
2. What will you use it for?
Click to expand...

Gaming/emulation (but most of the time just sitting there streaming YouTube - because of course). I'd probably be targeting 1440p rather than 4K. I haven't really looked into monitors, but I want something with VFR freesync/gsync.

I'm thinking of something I can OC past 5.0ghz, 32GB ram, ~1gb M2 primary storage and something 8tb+ (probably more than 8tb) for secondary storage.

I have a CAT6 jack right behind the PC, so wired LAN built in would be preferred.

Budget - TBD. I really haven't kept up with prices. I'd like to say $3K given the assumed inflation of things, but it very well may exceed that.
 
Also - As far as graphics cards, I haven't had an nVidia card since before the original Radeon.

I'm not adverse to it, but I'm assuming Radeons are still lagging behind Geforces?

I want something graphically impressive (like raytracing would be nice - but I'm not sure to what degree and if low-end raytracing is just a waste), but I don't need absolute top tier.

However, if would say... drop $1200+ for a RX 6900 XT, is it worth the few extra hundred for a 3080 TI?
 
acroig said:
IMHO yes, unquestionably. CP 2077 is something else with RT and DLSS.
Click to expand...

Good to know.

It appears, if I want to push things (get a 12tb drive *and* another 12tb drive for a backup that I run intermittently and keep in a fire safe), and a nice monitor, and beefy power supply that is a bit more than what I need (which is what I credit in this build for lasting so long), and everything else... this $3K build is slowly becoming a $4.5K build :p
 
Do you want Ultrawide monitor, or stick to 16:9?

I'll part a rig off of Newegg, and then you can price-match to find the best prices. If you have a Microcenter nearby, I highly suggest grabbing your CPU and motherboard from them, and probably a GPU as well.
 
Nunz said:
Do you want Ultrawide monitor, or stick to 16:9?

I'll part a rig off of Newegg, and then you can price-match to find the best prices. If you have a Microcenter nearby, I highly suggest grabbing your CPU and motherboard from them, and probably a GPU as well.
Click to expand...

16:9 would be preferred. Unfortunately, no Microcenter within a few hundred miles.

I did put together a NewEgg cart with ZERO research on most products - Just going on past good experience or what NewEgg suggested to ballpark things. I'd gladly take your recommendations for anything/everything:

$99.99.......|Fractal Design Meshify C Black ATX High-Airflow Compact Dark Tint Tempered Glass Window Mid Tower Computer Case, FD-CA-MESH-C-BKO-TG
$309.99......|GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS PRO LGA 1700 Intel Z690 ATX Motherboard with DDR5, Quad M.2, PCIe 5.0, USB 3.2 Gen2X2 Type-C, WiFi 6, 2.5GbE LAN
$1,429.99....|EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card, 12G-P5-3967-KR, 12GB GDDR6X, iCX3 Technology, ARGB LED, Metal Backplate
$264.99......|CORSAIR HX Series HX1200 CP-9020140-NA 1200W ATX12V v2.4 / EPS12V 2.92 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Power Supply
$666.98......|Intel Core i9-12900K - Core i9 12th Gen Alder Lake 16-Core (8P+8E) 3.2 GHz LGA 1700 125W Intel UHD Graphics 770 Desktop Processor - BX8071512900K
CPU Bundle...|Enermax AQUAFUSION 360 ARGB, All-in-one CPU Liquid Cooler for AM4 / LGA 1700/1200/1151, 360mm Radiator, Dual-Chamber Water Block, SquaA RGB Fan LGA 1700 Compatible
CPU Bundle...|Enermax Mounting Bracket for LIQMAX III and AQUAFUSION on Intel LGA 1700 Alder Lake Platform
$299.99......|SAMSUNG 980 PRO Heatsink M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 V6(12xL) V-NAND 3bit MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V8P2T0CW. A Perfect Fits for PS5/PC
$329.99......|G.SKILL Trident Z5 Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR5 SDRAM DDR5 5600 Intel XMP 3.0 Desktop Memory Model F5-5600U3636C16GX2-TZ5S
$629.98......|Two(2) x WD Gold 12TB Enterprise Class Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM Class SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD121KRYZ - OEM
$119.99......|Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-bit, DVD - OEM
$2.05........|Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G
$393.00......|ASUS TUF Gaming 32" 1440P Gaming Monitor (VG32AQL1A) - QHD (2560 x 1440), IPS, 170Hz, 1ms, Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync, FreeSync Premium, 99% DCI-P3, DisplayPort, HDMI, USB Hub, DisplayHDR 400

Current Total: $4,546.94 (pre $20 MIR on the power supply)

I didn't even check if the case had fans or not, so that probably will nullify the MIR and then some
 
4 Gs for that rig seems excessive. With 4 Gs you should be rocking a 3090 Ti. Not sure where the price is going through the roof in that setup.

I would not buy:

Gigabyte board
Enermax CPU cooler
Corsair PSU
AS5 thermal paste
3080 Ti
Asus 170 Hz monitor

I would buy

Asus board (Strix or normal)
Corsair cooler with LCD or EK 360 cooler or Arctic 360 Cooler
Seasonic/EVGA PSU
Thermal grizzly
3090 Ti
Alienware QD-OLED ultra wide or 42 inch LG C2 OLED 16:9

Since you are going all out.

Something like this:



Also ram: Check this out on @Newegg: G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR5 SDRAM DDR5 6000 Intel XMP 3.0 Desktop Memory Model F5-6000J3636F16GX2-TZ5RK
 
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OK, here we go. Kept the GPU the same, you nailed that.

Case - Phanteks P500A / $159: https://www.newegg.com/black-phanteks-eclipse-p500a-atx-mid-tower/p/11-854-101

Reason: Comes with 3x quality fans, excellent build case with the best airflow possible. I stuck with the mid-tower, but if you want to go bigger, there are more options.

Motherboard - MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk / $289: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144512?Description=MSI ddr5&cm_re=MSI_ddr5-_-13-144-512-_-Product

Reason: Gigabyte is atrocious for Z690. The MSI boards from top of the product line to the bottom have some of the best quality PCB/VRM, and are chart toppers for Memory OC. Easily the best board you will find unless you are super serious about memory OC with active-cooling on the memory.

CPU - 12900KF / $559.99: https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i...=12900K-_-19-118-341-_-Product&quicklink=true

Reason: Unless you need the iGPU, get the KF. Same chip, same binning (currently looks like the KF bins slightly higher), just without the integrated graphics. Cheaper price too.

PSU - Superflower 1000w Platinum / $249: https://www.newegg.com/super-flower...wer-_-9SIAMNPC0F2629-_-Product&quicklink=true

Reason: Not a fan of Corsair PSUs anymore - Superflower and Seasonic are far-and-away the highest quality on the market. Superflower used to make powersupplies for EVGA, back when EVGA had good stuff. My EVGA 1000w is a Superflower rebrand .. couple years strong w/ a high wattage load on it. EVGA PSUs now are made by a cheap manufacturer.

CPU Cooler - Arctic 360mm AIO / $144: https://www.newegg.com/arctic-cooli...0mm_AIO-_-35-186-249-_-Product&quicklink=true

Reason: Arctic is arguably the best AIO on the market. The Enermax you have selected in that bundle is very, very bad. Horrible QC, terrible performance, and a design that caused tons of gunk build-up within the AIO. Enermax is a really, really bad brand. NOTE: YOU WILL NEED TO CONTACT ARCTIC AS SOON AS YOU PURCHASE to have the LGA1700 bracket sent to you. You will NOT be able to install the cooler without an LGA1700 mounting kit. You are better off with no cooler than that Enermax LOL

SSD - Samsung 980 PRO 2TB / $299: https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails?ItemList=Combo.4488672

Reason: Best SSD on the market, even if they false-advertise the product as MLC. The link I sent you is actually a really solid combo, which leads to the next item..

Memory - GSkill Trident Z5 2x16 6000CL36 / $369 - $20 due to combo: https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr5-sdram/p/N82E16820374351?Item=N82E16820374351

Reason: 6000CL36 kits are typically Samsung chips. They overclock fairly well, are priced better than most Hynix chips, and should work perfect at XMP on your Tomahawk.

Monitor - LG 27" 1440p / $346: https://www.newegg.com/black-lg-ultragear-27gl850-b-27/p/N82E16824025955

Reason: LG Monitors are great. 32" at 1440p won't look very good - the pixel density is really weak at that size. I would stick to 27" for 1440p unless you want to up the resolution.



Windows is cheap, don't pay for a $119 key. https://www.g2a.com/microsoft-windows-11-home-pc-microsoft-key-global-i10000271161001 I've used G2A for years. Many keys, never had a problem. I'm still using a key I bought way back for Win7 that has made it all the way to Win11.

I'm at $2450 - add the $1429 of the GPU, and it's $3879. Add the $629 for the WD drives, and you're at $4508. Instead of AS5 for TIM, get MX5. Do not buy a 3090TI.. waste of ****ing money. 3080TI is the much, much better deal.

ASUS boards suck for Z690. Extremely overpriced with lacking feature-sets. The STRIX @ $469 is a horrendous deal.
 
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I wouldn’t buy a 980 Pro unless you want to play Russian roulette with your data.

Yes I know busted nvme rate is super low but the fact that it runs hot af and can do that is a big no no. WD or the Corsair I have or even Sabrent TLC (Rocket Plus) drives are best imo.

Also I have the Phanteks case. Much better than the Lian Li Evo shitbox that I got now.

Finally, I would rather have less storage but all on SSD than go on a platter drive ever again. Unless you are just streaming porn. Then it don’t matter as you want it to load slowly anyways. :bleh:
 
I have a 980 Pro running @ PCIE4.0. Runs cool. People who have heat issues just don't have adequate airflow.

Oh, and since we have so much budget left, add one more fan to the case to round it out. 3x front included, 3x top (CPU AIO), and 1x rear exhaust. This is the matching fan with what comes with your case, but in 140mm flavor since your rear slot can fit it: https://www.newegg.com/phanteks-ph-f140sk-drgb-pwm-case-fan/p/N82E16835709162
 
Is MSI bios good for Z690. I got the Tomahawk based on HW Nexus and bios has been crap. Late bios delivery and still the board doesn’t run 3XXX series cards off a riser. What a piece of shite board. Asus TUF X570 runs 3XXX series cards off riser just fine and all other boards do as well. Only MSI X570 boards have this problem. Last MSI board for me. Plus it doesn’t even have a CMOS or reset switch. An absolute bitch to do memory tuning taking a screwdriver to the board just to reset.

Wouldn’t advise MSI board to anyone. The Strix I linked btw can use the Arctic cooling without need for a bracket as well.
 
The STRIX can use the cooler with an LGA1200 bracket but the mounting pressure is bad and the performance is lacking. It's not meant to be used forever that way. It was a good stop-gap until LGA1700 mounting kits were available, but it's not optimal. I know this because I did it. Even if you get an ASUS board that can use LGA1200, you should be actively trying to grab an LGA1700 mounting kit.

MSI on Intel is a different beast. I loved my Z490 MEG ACE and their Z690 boards have been excellent. I'm running an ASUS TUF Z690 right now and I won't be going ASUS again for quite some time .. quite frankly I miss the MSI UEFI BIOS layout compared to ASUS. ASUS loves to rename voltages/settings for no ****ing reason besides trying to be different. It's stupid.
 
KAC said:
Is MSI bios good for Z690. I got the Tomahawk based on HW Nexus and bios has been crap. Late bios delivery and still the board doesn’t run 3XXX series cards off a riser. What a piece of shite board. Asus TUF X570 runs 3XXX series cards off riser just fine and all other boards do as well. Only MSI X570 boards have this problem. Last MSI board for me. Plus it doesn’t even have a CMOS or reset switch. An absolute bitch to do memory tuning taking a screwdriver to the board just to reset.

Wouldn’t advise MSI board to anyone. The Strix I linked btw can use the Arctic cooling without need for a bracket as well.
Click to expand...

I don't buy MSI anymore. Horrible service if you have an issue, and shady overall these days.
 
Greasy said:
I don't buy MSI anymore. Horrible service if you have an issue, and shady overall these days.
Click to expand...

Things have changed then. I just got done RMAing my Z490 ACE, no questions asked. I wasn't even sure if the board was the issue, I just said **** it and RMA'd the chip and board.

MSI sent me a brand new board back, not even a refurb.
 
Pr3tty F1y said:
16:9 would be preferred. Unfortunately, no Microcenter within a few hundred miles.

I did put together a NewEgg cart with ZERO research on most products - Just going on past good experience or what NewEgg suggested to ballpark things. I'd gladly take your recommendations for anything/everything:

$99.99.......|Fractal Design Meshify C Black ATX High-Airflow Compact Dark Tint Tempered Glass Window Mid Tower Computer Case, FD-CA-MESH-C-BKO-TG
$309.99......|GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS PRO LGA 1700 Intel Z690 ATX Motherboard with DDR5, Quad M.2, PCIe 5.0, USB 3.2 Gen2X2 Type-C, WiFi 6, 2.5GbE LAN
$1,429.99....|EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card, 12G-P5-3967-KR, 12GB GDDR6X, iCX3 Technology, ARGB LED, Metal Backplate
$264.99......|CORSAIR HX Series HX1200 CP-9020140-NA 1200W ATX12V v2.4 / EPS12V 2.92 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Power Supply
$666.98......|Intel Core i9-12900K - Core i9 12th Gen Alder Lake 16-Core (8P+8E) 3.2 GHz LGA 1700 125W Intel UHD Graphics 770 Desktop Processor - BX8071512900K
CPU Bundle...|Enermax AQUAFUSION 360 ARGB, All-in-one CPU Liquid Cooler for AM4 / LGA 1700/1200/1151, 360mm Radiator, Dual-Chamber Water Block, SquaA RGB Fan LGA 1700 Compatible
CPU Bundle...|Enermax Mounting Bracket for LIQMAX III and AQUAFUSION on Intel LGA 1700 Alder Lake Platform
$299.99......|SAMSUNG 980 PRO Heatsink M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 V6(12xL) V-NAND 3bit MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V8P2T0CW. A Perfect Fits for PS5/PC
$329.99......|G.SKILL Trident Z5 Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR5 SDRAM DDR5 5600 Intel XMP 3.0 Desktop Memory Model F5-5600U3636C16GX2-TZ5S
$629.98......|Two(2) x WD Gold 12TB Enterprise Class Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM Class SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD121KRYZ - OEM
$119.99......|Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-bit, DVD - OEM
$2.05........|Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G
$393.00......|ASUS TUF Gaming 32" 1440P Gaming Monitor (VG32AQL1A) - QHD (2560 x 1440), IPS, 170Hz, 1ms, Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync, FreeSync Premium, 99% DCI-P3, DisplayPort, HDMI, USB Hub, DisplayHDR 400

Current Total: $4,546.94 (pre $20 MIR on the power supply)

I didn't even check if the case had fans or not, so that probably will nullify the MIR and then some
Click to expand...


If you are really into RTX i would recommend , if you can, wait for the new gen gpus from both Nvidia and AMD.
The current generation are underpowered with RTX.The AMD side is much slower.The Nvidia gpu's is borderline playable with 3080 but still there are games that requires trickery like DLSS to get playable FPS.Cyberpunk 2077 is very good example of that.
Imo the RTX market is still in infancy.There are RTX bugs in Cyberpunk like rays and ilumination that shouldnțt suppose to be there.I personally play Metro EXODUS enchanced editoon with RTX on my RX6800 and i can say the image is blurier than the non-RTX version.Is kinda dissapointing.This is not an AMD bug.This is the game itself.
DLSS adds some artefacts and bugs in the image.Be aware of that also.There are technical demos for both Metro Exodus Enchanced edition and Cyberpunk 2077 like the one below.See if you can accept the compromises. that RTX brings to the table.
The next gen should gpu's will fix both problems.You don't have to use DLSS and other tricks so much with RTX.It will add sufficient amount of performance so you can run at native resolution.
I wanted so much to get an RTX card and i had been behaving like a child until i dwelve deeper in RTX and experience it's compromises and disatvantages.I don't want to cut your enthuaziasm but when you will begin to play you will see yourself if it's worth the hype with all the bugs and problems that are present now.

[yt]-mEP5k_-zso[/yt]
 
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@badsykes - I was thinking that too. That always seems to be the case - always wait for the next best thing.

However, I think you're spot on for raytracing.

My R9 Fury - while long in the tooth, has held up remarkably well so I definitely could just ride it out with just the current card until something better pops up.

For everyone else - Thanks for the thoughts on good vendors vs. potentially problematic ones. I rolled the dice on my current ASRock board and it has held up amazingly well so I'm not tied to any particular vendor for anything moving forward. Sad to hear that Corsair power supplies aren't as reliable as they used to be. I definitely want something solid in that department.


Lots of good thoughts here :)
 
Pr3tty F1y said:
@badsykes - I was thinking that too. That always seems to be the case - always wait for the next best thing.

However, I think you're spot on for raytracing.
Click to expand...

I disagree, Metro and CP run just great with all RT options on and balanced DLSS @ 1440p for me 85+ FPS.

4K is another story, of course.
 
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