Out With The Old

...Ghost... · 16-07-2024 06:50PM #1

Hi guys.

My trusted decade old PC died a couple weeks ago. It was a tall tower build and I got the parts list recommendation from this very forum 😀. I gave it a temporary lease of life by transplanting a used board and OS drive into the case of my old PC. It won't last, as the used components are also about 10 years old and I sense it is on its last legs. I'm afraid to use it for anything other than browsing truth be told.

OK…..

1. What is your budget? [€1500]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [General purpose and work. Video editing/3D Modelling/Internet]

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [No] Will buy key online

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Yes]

Storage: 1 x 2TB WD Red and 1 x 2TB WD Blue internal HDs.

I will also want a good sized SSD for windows and programs to run on.

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes] Not included in budget. I have 2 AOC 27" monitors. I plan to upgrade them to 4k monitors 27/28". Recommendations welcome outside of posted budget. Any thoughts on this model?

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [27 or 28"] I could go up to about 30". Any bigger won't fit without modifying my built-in-desk.
5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? Will be upgrading very soon.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [No]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [No]

8. How can you pay? [Cash, Card, Bank Transfer]

9. When are you purchasing? [Inside of a week most likely. As early as tomorrow if the planets align for me]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [Should be OK to build. Previous experience]

So, here's where I am. I will use the existing storage from my PC in the new one, but I will want a brand new SSD for my C Drive. I have 2 OK monitors. I'm not likely to use them for the new build at all, as I will be donating my old PC to my Brother. I'm not including monitors in the budget, but I am hoping to get 2 good ones for around €500, bringing the total build to around €2k. Any thoughts on this model?

The PC is shared between myself and the OH. Kids occasionally use it for homework. She does browser based work, mainly working with MS Office and browser based stuff. I use it for Boards, YouTube, MS Office, and some Adobe products for photo/video editing. I also use some CAD and Sketchup. I want the system running without being stressed, so over-specced on graphics and RAM. I'd like to have the option of gaming on it, but in all honesty, I never used my current PC to game. My thinking is that if it's a good gaming PC, it will handle anything I throw at it.

I think I would like water cooled this time and I like the look of the systems below. I like clean styling and want something that doesn't make me think of a 1970s disco. I like the digital temp display too, but it's more the fact I like the look of it and it would be a nice touch. Here's a couple of examples of the design language I like.

Thanks for looking.

cornholio509 · 17-07-2024 01:13AM

If your looking for aesthetics be careful . By going for white you are going to have to pay a tax on it . The other issue is what you are doing requires high end on the CPU and GPU . So it might not be as cheap as you hope .

Ryzen 9 7900x at least for cad . CAD programmes are CPU intensive not gpu intensive . Currently CPU is sitting at 401 euro. Could go down further after the next CPU launch .

MSI X670E gaming plus wifi €250 euro . My reasoning here is PCIE lanes . SO if you want more storage later on you can add more NVME and HDD storage without worrying about external enclosures . B650 boards in white cost more . Cheapest one i could find .

1tb gen 4 NVME about €100 give or take €20 depending on brand . If you want a 2TB 150-200 euro .

DDR5 32 gig kit . roughly 130 euro +/- €15 depending on brand.

Now the GPU front is a hard one . AMD or Nvidia is really the only choice still . Intels ark GPUs are still not mature enough to recommend . I would go with a rtx4070 at the minimum if you can get one cheap enough . Currently they are about 570 euro +/- 30 depending on brand . Add another €130 to have one in white .

740 or 800 watt PSU can be got for around 100 euro .

Thermalright aqua 360 rgb White . €60

SO for the cheapest build there your about 1500 euro with no case or monitors . on the expensive side your on about 2000 euro for everything in white . including the cooler and no case .

Now you can save more money on that build . Don't get me wrong here that was a very quick browse through a couple fo sites . Amazon is currently having a sale so buying your DDR5 ram , GPU , power supply and Cooler might be the best choice first . Maybe even a case if need be . These parts are basically platform agnostic so getting them on sale will bring down the costs .

Now the ryzen 9000 series CPUs are due in a few weeks . SO i would hold off on the motherboard and CPU for now and see if prices drop at the beginning of next month . New CPU and New chipsets mean current CPU and motherboard prices will fall .

EDIT:

ALternatively you could go for the B550/X570 AM4 socket , 32gigs of ddr4 and a 5950X . It would be cheaper and is still a very powerful . Pair that with a decent RX 7800 or an RTX 4070 and it should cover all your basis for years to come .

...Ghost... · 17-07-2024 09:21AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122390039#Comment_122390039

I’m just as happy for it to be black. Those are just the first ones that showed up in the design language I like.

Funny though. White car = cheap. White PC = expensive

...Ghost... · 17-07-2024 04:54PM

Well, budget was blown there! €2,700, including 2 monitors. Saved about €500 by using Prime Day deals for nearly everything. Only the RAM and Liquid cooler were non deal prices.

Took advantage of Prime Day. Used PC Part Picker for compatibility check and it looks OK there…no warnings.

I'm sure it's more than I need (especially the GPU), but as I said, I want this to last me years and don't want to wait because my current PC is pure torture!!!

Some questions if you don't mind.

How does it look to you? Have I missed anything? Should I add a sound card?

edit: Added 3 140mm NZXT fans for the base and exhaust.

cornholio509 · 17-07-2024 11:53PM

I dont see anything out of place there . Again dont go off of PC parts picker prices . I generally use it as a guide then shop around .

Your liquid cooler is a bit on the expensive side . Artic liquid freezer III can be got with the rgb madness for roughly 150 euro new . I would be more inclined to get that as its the best performing AIO . You could save yourself 200 euro.

Ram drives and everything else looks good .

...Ghost... · 18-07-2024 12:14AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122394084#Comment_122394084

The savings are only based off the non prime day prices. I only used pc parts picker to check compatibility and guide my pick list which you kindly gave direction on. I see I could have went for a cheaper cooler, I just like the one I picked since seeing it on an adverts.ie gaming pc some lad is selling. It's more than I wanted to spend, but I figure my last build was 2015 and lasted until very recently without issue.

The only problem I see with the case I have chosen is there is only space for one of my Western Digital SSDs. It holds one 3.5" and two 2.5" drives.

cornholio509 · 18-07-2024 06:18PM

Where i am AT with PC cases is there are plenty of copies of higher end Pc cases . Also there is a weird trend of not supporting drive storage in cases . Full atx or cases with a lower chamber seem to support 2 HDDs . Mid towers seem to only support 2 or maybe 3 ssds . Mini cases either have 1 SSD storage spot or none at all . Its not always the rule that this is what they have for storage . It does seem to be a trend .

I would go with a LIAN LI O11 D . Its drive cage in the back has 2 bays for 3.5 inch drives . THere is also a panel there for cable management that hold 2 more or you can mount 2 x2.5 inch drives there . ALso the case should come with brackets where the fans go in the bottom of the case for 2 more 2.5 inch drives . I believe the O11D evo costs the same . DO be aware of the ASUS ROG or RAZER Branding on them . THose cases cost 100 euro more because gamer reasons .

ON another note there are plenty of clones PC cases out there . THough build quality isnt great on some . you can get the looks you want for cheaper .

...Ghost... · 18-07-2024 06:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122397072#Comment_122397072

Everything is already ordered. Should arrive over the next few days.

I think what I will do is leave one of the 2TB drives in the old PC for my Brother. I have a couple of 2.5" drives in it which I can take out and use for storage in the H6 cage. One of them is 500GB, so should be more than enough for the OH to use. Alternatively, I'll add a 2TB 2.5" for her and use the 500GB to put program files onto.

...Ghost... · 05-08-2024 02:00PM

The case was delayed at customs, so Amazon refunded me and I ordered another one. The cancelled order says to return it when it arrives. Don't see how that's going to happen unless Amazon pre-pay return postage, or collect it themselves.

My RAM also hadn't arrived when I went checking the parts, but was listed as delivered by AnPost. I got onto Amazon to let them know. Offered refund or replacement. Replacement RAM arrived with the case, but I was delayed in building it due to travel plans.

Just as I was laying out the parts on Saturday to build the PC, AnPost dropped RAM into my postbox! 😅 A nice surprise, but i'll let them know it arrived. I also ordered a second 2TB 2.5" SSD, so I have the WD_BLACK 1TB on the board, 2 x 2TB 2.5" SSDs and a re-used 3.5" WD BLUE which I plan to use for program storage.

Thanks for the pointers.

Here is the finished product:

Jon Doe · 16-08-2024 11:50PM

If you're not OCing why DDR5-5600? You could have gone with DDR5-5200 but with tighter timings… Also, do you have 4 sticks installed? Can you use CPUZ and check the memory operating speed?

...Ghost... · 17-08-2024 03:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122512558#Comment_122512558

I take the approach of spending a bit extra to have it over-engineered, meaning less stress on the system and resulting in it lasting longer. I plan to have this going for a decade, just like the last one I built. It also makes it easier because there are fewer people who understand the difference between DDR5-5200 and DDR5-5600 than those who don't. Yeah, I've got 4 sticks. 2 went missing in the mail and arrived after the replacements.

So, to be sure I was building a system that could handle more than I need now, or might need in the near future, I was happy to spend a bit more. The jealous stares from my gamer children is enough to make it worthwhile 😂. It bothered me that my old system struggled with CAD because my graphics card was p1ss poor. Rendering sucked and software crashes were regular enough, but it was a bit old/late to start adding to the system by the time it came to being needed.

Luna84 · 17-08-2024 03:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122512558#Comment_122512558

My 7800X3D used to run at 6400 MHz XMP. All you do is click XMP in bios and all done. It was 100% stable. I then moved to tuned 6400MHz and some days I run it at 8000MHz tuned.

Luna84 · 17-08-2024 03:09PM

Never mind I didn't realise he was running so much RAM. It's harder to tune so much RAM.

Out With The Old

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