Help with Prebuilt - New to PC

[LRenzinator]

It's not pinching pennies as much as saving up for a future upgrade imo

That partpicker link is just to the partpicker website. You'd need to link to it specifically e.g. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sF8TwP (top left-ish) or use the "BB" formatting at the top that lets you post a list of the parts as well as a link to the build

intel

System Builder

pcpartpicker.com

amd

System Builder

pcpartpicker.com

Let me know what you think

 

[Zoid]

I would go with the AMD build. However, unless you think you'll really utilize all 24 of those threads, I think a Ryzen 7 3700X is a better use of your money, but it's ultimately up to you.

Some changes / observations I'd make:

• Get faster RAM. Something like the Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4 3600 will be faster, only about $10 more, and will still have fancy RGBs since it looks like you're going for a certain aesthetic.
• The SSD you picked is a very nice one, but pricey. If you still want to stick with more performance-oriented SSDs, you could save a couple clams by getting something like the Seagate FireCuda 1TB.
• I don't think the motherboard you picked is an especially good value. Did you pick it for a specific reason (like certain features)? Something like the MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus would be a better value for a good board.

EDIT: Ignore that motherboard suggestion, I was thinking of one board and linking another. @Oussebon has a better suggestion.

 

[Oussebon]

Both systems:

Go with 3600MHz RAM as it's reasonably affordable.

The case is, despite the price tag, mid range. And it's bad value. The high price of the 510 Elite comes from the fact it bundles extra RGB fans, in a fundamentally medicore case.

You're buying a very good CPU cooler, which has excellent fans included, and mounting it will replace the fans you are spending extra on with the case!

So go with a different case. H710 (non-i) perhaps?

As for AMD vs Intel, it's not an entirely 'fair' comparison as you are matching a top of the line Intel mobo against a more value (though still outstanding) X570 board. The AORUS Pro would cost a lot less and give many of the same features.

Tbh if you're spending this much on a CPU, and you really don't want to buy an R7 3700x despite it being all but as good for your uses, then you might as well buy the i9 9900k. Because it is the better performer for gaming than the 3900x.

 

[Oussebon]

Something like the MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus would be a better value for a good board.

Isn't that one of the MSI ones with terrible VRMs?

The Asus TUF is actually pretty decent

 

[Zoid]

Isn't that one of the MSI ones with terrible VRMs?

The Asus TUF is actually pretty decent

You're right. I think I was cross-wiring different boards in my head, that one's on me. Need more caffeine.

The Gigabyte AORUS Pro you mentioned would be a better pick

 

[LRenzinator]

Love all the recommendations! Truly helpful. I have made a few changes based upon those - I can't find a case I like as much aesthetically but can continue to shop a bit.

This if for the AMD build

System Builder

pcpartpicker.com

if you agree the 3900x will make no difference in performance I'll save the money and get the 3700x. The 3950x and 9900k are the budget if you think that is significant for current/future use. This is coming in under 2k which I am very happy about!

As for the GPU, are there cheaper variations of the 2080 super that you would recommend? I am unfamiliar with all the different brands/options of the same card. 2070 super would be considered as well.

 

[Oussebon]

Go with the 3700x, it won't make a difference in gaming. And with a decent X570 board like the TUF PLUS, in the extremely unlikely event you find you need some kind of 16-core beast in the future, you can buy the 4000 series one that comes out in late 2020 / early 2021 and swap that in.

I'd recommend the AORUS Pro for the Intel build, but I'd probably stick with the TUF for an AMD one as it's actually very good. Unless there's something on the Pro you need for another $60?

For the GPU, anything that's a good price and doesn't have a 'blower' (single, squirrel cage) fan. There's very little performance difference between Model A and Model B. That EVGA one you picked is a decent option, being relatively inexpensive, twin fan, and EVGA have a good warranty.

 

[LRenzinator]

Looks like I get all this at newegg - How does this look? Do I need any other cables etc?? I'll be ordering here in a minute.


Case: Corsair Carbide Series 275R CC-9011133-WW White Steel / Plastic / Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case

GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER XC GAMING Video Card, 08G-P4-3182-KR, 8GB GDDR6, RGB LED, Metal Backplate

PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GA, 80 Plus Gold 750W, Fully Modular, ECO Mode with Dbb Fan, 10 Year Warranty, Compact 150mm Size, ..

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance RGB Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) Intel XMP 2.0, Corsair iCUE Desktop ...

CPU: AMD RYZEN 7 3700X 8-Core 3.6 GHz (4.4 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 65W 100-100000071BOX Desktop Processor

MB: ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, Dual M.2, 12+2 with Dr. MOS Power Stage, HDMI, DP, ...

SSD: Seagate FireCuda 510 M.2 2280 1TB PCIe G3 x4, NVMe 1.3 3D TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ZP1000GM30011

Cooling:
Corsair Hydro Series, H100i RGB PLATINUM SE, 240mm Radiator, Dual LL120 RGB PWM Fans, Advanced RGB Lighting and Fan ...

 

[Zoid]

Looks good to me! You don't need any additional cables or anything - everything will come with their own necessary cables and connectors. Your case comes with 2 fans it looks like, and when you combine those with your 240mm CPU cooler, that should be enough to supply your case with decent air. You can always order another fan later if you feel like you need one.

Definitely keep us updated on the build itself!

Some peace of mind for you on going with the Ryzen 7 instead of 9 - I am running a Ryzen 7 3800X right now in my main rig (basically the same as the 3700X), and it hasn't even broken a sweat on any of the games I've thrown at it. It should serve you well for a good while.

 

[LRenzinator]

Fantastic! Thanks for all your help guys! The final bill was just slightly different as I wanted to find everything (almost) in stock at the same place. Ended up at amazon with the following:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core, 16-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Prism LED Cooler

MB: Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO WiFi (AMD Ryzen 3000/X570/ATX/PCIe4.0/DDR4/USB3.1/Realtek ALC1220-VB/Fins-Array Heatsink/RGB Fusion 2.0/2xM.2 Thermal Guard/Gaming Motherboard)

SSD (Bundle with MB): Gigabyte AORUS NVMe Gen4 M.2 1TB PCI-Express 4.0 Interface High Performance Gaming, Full Body Copper Heat Spreader, Toshiba 3D NAND, DDR Cache Buffer, 5 Year Warranty SSD GP-ASM2NE6100TTTD

RAM: Corsair Hydro Series, H100i RGB PLATINUM SE, 240mm Radiator, Dual LL120 RGB PWM Fans

Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series, H100i RGB PLATINUM SE, 240mm Radiator, Dual LL120 RGB PWM Fans

GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Super XC Gaming, 08G-P4-3182-KR, 8GB GDDR6, RGB LED, Metal Backplate

Case: CORSAIR CARBIDE 275R Mid-Tower Gaming Case, Tempered Glass- White (CC-9011133-WW)

Actually pretty damn excited to put this together. I will be researching videos to make sure I am doing this right, if you have recommended links to follow please advise. Thanks again!

 

[Zoid]

Actually pretty damn excited to put this together. I will be researching videos to make sure I am doing this right, if you have recommended links to follow please advise. Thanks again!

Awesome, congrats! Building a new PC is really exciting. One thing to note about that different SSD you bought - it comes with a heat spreader pre-installed on it, but your motherboard also comes with built-in "thermal guards" for the M.2 slots. You'll need to remove the heat spreader from either the SSD or the motherboard to get it to fit. That shouldn't be a big deal at all, just something to note.

As for recommended how-to links for building a PC, I'll go ahead and say it for us all - NOT the Verge They made a video a while back that is so bad it's become a bit of a meme now, and it still pops up near the top of search results. This video from Linus Tech Tips is pretty good, although not everything will apply to your build. It's always nice to watch a few different build guides to get a few different perspectives. Feel free to ask us here if you have any questions about things you see!

A few quick tips for a first-time builder:

• Watch videos ahead of time to start becoming comfortable with the general process (sounds like you're ahead of me on this one!)
• Plan to take things slowly. Block out most of a Saturday for the build, or plan to do it spread out over several evenings. Setting your expectations for a leisurely pace will help keep the process stress-free.
• Set aside time for cable management. Before you start putting parts in your case, take a good look at how you're going to route the cables. The less things end up like a tangled mess the better, for your sanity if nothing else.
• Yes, sometimes you'll have to push on parts harder than you think you should to get them to snap into place or for a connection to seat properly. Double check that it's really how things are supposed to fit, and then proceed with your best judgement and you shouldn't break anything.
• Make sure your fans are pointing the right direction. They should have a little arrow somewhere on the chassis indicating the direction of air flow.
• If you're like most of us, when your build is all done you'll push the power button, nothing will turn on, and you'll have a moment of complete panic before you remember that you didn't flip the switch on the back of the power supply

 

[LRenzinator]

Awesome, congrats! Building a new PC is really exciting. One thing to note about that different SSD you bought - it comes with a heat spreader pre-installed on it, but your motherboard also comes with built-in "thermal guards" for the M.2 slots. You'll need to remove the heat spreader from either the SSD or the motherboard to get it to fit. That shouldn't be a big deal at all, just something to note.

As for recommended how-to links for building a PC, I'll go ahead and say it for us all - NOT the Verge They made a video a while back that is so bad it's become a bit of a meme now, and it still pops up near the top of search results. This video from Linus Tech Tips is pretty good, although not everything will apply to your build. It's always nice to watch a few different build guides to get a few different perspectives. Feel free to ask us here if you have any questions about things you see!

A few quick tips for a first-time builder:

• Watch videos ahead of time to start becoming comfortable with the general process (sounds like you're ahead of me on this one!)
• Plan to take things slowly. Block out most of a Saturday for the build, or plan to do it spread out over several evenings. Setting your expectations for a leisurely pace will help keep the process stress-free.
• Set aside time for cable management. Before you start putting parts in your case, take a good look at how you're going to route the cables. The less things end up like a tangled mess the better, for your sanity if nothing else.
• Yes, sometimes you'll have to push on parts harder than you think you should to get them to snap into place or for a connection to seat properly. Double check that it's really how things are supposed to fit, and then proceed with your best judgement and you shouldn't break anything.
• Make sure your fans are pointing the right direction. They should have a little arrow somewhere on the chassis indicating the direction of air flow.
• If you're like most of us, when your build is all done you'll push the power button, nothing will turn on, and you'll have a moment of complete panic before you remember that you didn't flip the switch on the back of the power supply

Sounds good! Thank you very much!

 

[Oussebon]

The 275R is also not particularly good for airflow.

What kind of aesthetic are you going for? Black with tempered glass? Consider the Fractal Meshify S2

You could also switch to a Corsair MP600 SSD, which is a very similar price to the Firecuda on Newegg, but straiht up faster. Also if you like the latest and greatest, it's PCIe 4.0 (hence why it gets to be faster).

Otherwise the build looks fantastic

 

[LRenzinator]

The 275R is also not particularly good for airflow.

What kind of aesthetic are you going for? Black with tempered glass? Consider the Fractal Meshify S2

You could also switch to a Corsair MP600 SSD, which is a very similar price to the Firecuda on Newegg, but straiht up faster. Also if you like the latest and greatest, it's PCIe 4.0 (hence why it gets to be faster).

Otherwise the build looks fantastic

I going for a mostly white aesthetic for my office and this was one of the few that I came up with that seemed to have good reviews. Saw a couple reviews that said it was ok? I already placed the order but if this one is a concern I can make adjustments as amazon is pretty easy to work with. The SSD I ended up with as they had a "bundle" with the motherboard is stock is the Gigabyte AORUS NVMe Gen4 M.2 1TB PCI-Express 4.0 Interface High Performance Gaming, Full Body Copper Heat Spreader, Toshiba 3D NAND, DDR Cache Buffer, 5 Year Warranty SSD GP-ASM2NE6100TTTD . More expensive but was trying to get all of these items quickly so I spent a little more based on quick they could get here.

 

[Oussebon]

The Phanteks Eclipse P400A is very good for airflow, and comes in white. Would that suit?

The 275R is a sort of okay budget case but given a choice I wouldn't put something like a 2080 Super in there. Noting that thermals affect boost clocks of GPUs and directly affect performance, as well as component longevity.

 

[LRenzinator]

The Phanteks Eclipse P400A is very good for airflow, and comes in white. Would that suit?

The 275R is a sort of okay budget case but given a choice I wouldn't put something like a 2080 Super in there. Noting that thermals affect boost clocks of GPUs and directly affect performance, as well as component longevity.

looks good to me. I was kinda going for matching brands For uniformity as well since I have a lot of Corsair hardware in this build. Just my ocd kicking in lol. I did see several good reviews for the current case, albeit listed as one ofthe best “budget cases”

Between these two or a different Corsair what would you recommend? Still looking for this aesthetic basically. Between these too I like the looks of phanteks.

Cooler Master MCM-H500P-WGNN-S00 MasterCase Mesh White ATX Mid-Tower w/ Front Mesh Ventilation, 2x 200mm RGB Fans, Tempered Glass Side Panel And 2x Vertical GPU Card PCI Slots https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDS8L83/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_zPCJEbQK07BYJ


Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid-Tower (PH-EC400ATG_DWT01), Mesh Front Panel, Tempered Glass, Digital-RGB, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TTDW37F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LQCJEbCTQHWGB

 

[Inspireless Llama]

Honestly, when you look at your PC I don't think uniformity of brand will be noticed much. I have a Phanteks case and alot of the rest is Corsair but I don't think it's a big deal for my case and I don't think much people will notice. I can repost a link to the picture if you'd like to check it out, but I don't think uniformity is that important, not even for aesthetics. If you want uniformity I'd rather do in in colors and get a good case with fitting colors, like @Oussebon said with a white version of the P400A. With my previous case, I used a P400S which was suggested as one of the best cases for combined airflow and silence (it ran a bit hotter but also was more silent).

I can't remember what you wrote about your cooler, but with the P400 (not sure if the A is the same in sizes as the S) note that my P400S did not have enough room for an radiator + fans on top, only on the front. It's a bit small sized. I'm not sure how that is with Corsair, NZXT or Cooler Master.

I have a P600S in white personally, which is far from cheap, but I like it alot, and combined with a black & white mobo, white fans, black GPU and white AIO it looks pretty awesome.

 

[Oussebon]

Of those 2 cases, either is more than fine in terms of cooling.

Good point about the P400A and top radiator support. So of the two, the H500P appears to offer more choice for placement. Depends on relative pricing and your aesthetic preferences I guess.

@LRenzinator do check stores other than Amazon for the case. As it looks like the two you linked are only being sold by marketplace sellers, not Amazon themselves. This can mean the manufacturer doesn't offer a warranty as it doesn't recognise marketplaces as authorised resellers, essentially treating the item like a 2nd hand purchase. If you bought any of your other stuff from marketplace sellers, same applies.

 

[LRenzinator]

Actually really liking the p600s. Not seeing that it's in stock anywhere in White unfortunately.

 

[Inspireless Llama]

My main advice would be not to choose to quickly. Take time to think about it, what you want, how it looks, maybe watch videos about it (some have building videos, unboxing or taking apart), read a review etc. When I chose my case it wasn't really a random and impulsive one haha. I knew I wanted phanteks, I was pretty sure about the size, I knew I wanted a sidepanel and I knew I wanted a metal case. With those requirements it was easier to pick one that suited my needs.

A few quick tips for a first-time builder:

• Watch videos ahead of time to start becoming comfortable with the general process (sounds like you're ahead of me on this one!)
• Plan to take things slowly. Block out most of a Saturday for the build, or plan to do it spread out over several evenings. Setting your expectations for a leisurely pace will help keep the process stress-free.
• Set aside time for cable management. Before you start putting parts in your case, take a good look at how you're going to route the cables. The less things end up like a tangled mess the better, for your sanity if nothing else.
• Yes, sometimes you'll have to push on parts harder than you think you should to get them to snap into place or for a connection to seat properly. Double check that it's really how things are supposed to fit, and then proceed with your best judgement and you shouldn't break anything.
• Make sure your fans are pointing the right direction. They should have a little arrow somewhere on the chassis indicating the direction of air flow.
• If you're like most of us, when your build is all done you'll push the power button, nothing will turn on, and you'll have a moment of complete panic before you remember that you didn't flip the switch on the back of the power supply

Also wanted to add: Do NOT forget to remove the plastic cover from your CPU cooler before you place it! Looking at that you got a H100i I think it's impossible to forget if you're going to place the AM4 brackets on the pump, but it's worth pointing out .

 

[LRenzinator]

My main advice would be not to choose to quickly. Take time to think about it, what you want, how it looks, maybe watch videos about it (some have building videos, unboxing or taking apart), read a review etc. When I chose my case it wasn't really a random and impulsive one haha. I knew I wanted phanteks, I was pretty sure about the size, I knew I wanted a sidepanel and I knew I wanted a metal case. With those requirements it was easier to pick one that suited my needs.

I definitely agree with you...I have been watching videos and reading non stop for several weeks. The case is one I haven't done as much research on honestly. I'm at the point I just want to get started. Especially since I'm off work currently. Once I'm back to work I won't have as much time as I do now. Between these 3 since they are in stock please give a recommendation - I don't think my current order has shipped yet.


Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid-Tower (PH-EC400ATG_DWT01), Mesh Front Panel, Tempered Glass, Digital-RGB, White - assuming this has a fitting issue with my build as you said so probably out


Cooler Master MCM-H500P-WGNN-S00 MasterCase Mesh White ATX Mid-Tower w/ Front Mesh Ventilation, 2x 200mm RGB Fans, Tempered Glass Side Panel And 2x Vertical GPU Card PCI Slots


Corsair Carbide Series 678C Low Noise Tempered Glass ATX Case, White

 

[Oussebon]

When looking at a case, ask yourself where is it getting the air from?

The H500 has a load of mesh on the front that air can get in through.

The 678C, like the 275R, doesn't. The problem with a nice, sealed up, sheer-fronted case, is that you have a nice, sealed up, sheer-fronted case that doesn't allow for airflow to the graphics card.

The 678C doesn't seem particularly good either according to Hardware Canucks. Vortez's review doesn't measure GPU temps, for some reason. Kitguru say that "it's not a complete disaster" which somehow doesn't seem like a stellar result. It didn't do so well in bit-tech's review either. Tom's Hardware's review is all over the place, posting poor to mediocre results but then praising thermals in the conclusion as if they hadn't read their own numbers.

My bottom line would be that there's not much point buying a high end PC if the bits inside, especially the GPU, will get a bit smothered.

 

[Inspireless Llama]

That's a tough one for me to advice on. I don't know the other cases so I read reviews about them just now. In terms of cooling, the Cooler Master one seems to have the same issue as the P400 (it has a new front and is not actually cooler), and the review I read about the Corsair one isn't that fantastic either, they rather recommend the Corsair 680X, but that one's more expensive too.

Yet another case, that as far as I remember is very simular to the P600S and has good reviews is the Phanteks Evolve X. It's not a cheap case but as far as I read, it's good. Yes I know I tend to talk about Phanteks alot but that's the only manufacturer that I have used after my prebuild gaming PC that had a Sharkoon case.

In terms of cooling, airflow of course is important, but I'm not sure it matters much wether a GPU is 35 degrees in idle or 40 degrees. I haven't read about any case so far that actually caused overheating on PC components, but maybe someone else has.

Guru3D review
Hardwarecanucks (youtube)

Gamersnexus actually says the H500 is better, so I guess every reviewer will have a different opinion about a case .

 

[LRenzinator]

When looking at a case, ask yourself where is it getting the air from?

The H500 has a load of mesh on the front that air can get in through.

The 678C, like the 275R, doesn't. The problem with a nice, sealed up, sheer-fronted case, is that you have a nice, sealed up, sheer-fronted case that doesn't allow for airflow to the graphics card.

The 678C doesn't seem particularly good either according to Hardware Canucks. Vortez's review doesn't measure GPU temps, for some reason. Kitguru say that "it's not a complete disaster" which somehow doesn't seem like a stellar result. It didn't do so well in bit-tech's review either. Tom's Hardware's review is all over the place, posting poor to mediocre results but then praising thermals in the conclusion as if they hadn't read their own numbers.

My bottom line would be that there's not much point buying a high end PC if the bits inside, especially the GPU, will get a bit smothered.

And the p400a may present issues with fitting? The reviews on the Fractal design Meshify S2 seem decent as well.

The Phanteks Evolv X looks great and am leaning towards that one currently if I can find it in stock. I'm down to 4 lol. Sorry for the all the back and forth guys, but I do appreciate your help! Quick thoughts here and I'll go ahead and order

1. Phanteks Evolv X - silver would go great with my set up
2. Phanteks Eclipse p400a (fitting issue?)
3. Fractal design meshify s2
4. Cooler master H500p

 

[Inspireless Llama]

P400A won't support a radiator on top, it will in front though. I've never bothered to go into it too much myself because I ran into all the argues wether these fans should be intake or outtake and what outcome that had on overal temps. There are plenty of people who choose for a front radiator anyway though.