Build or prebuilt PC for my needs
 

I couldn’t find the “Build Your Own PC” thread, so I figured I’d create my own.

Haven’t had a gaming PC in a long time. I mostly play PS4. I’m looking into getting a desktop PC that can handle gaming (both on a monitor and a TV), Photoshop and Illustrator and then as a media PC that I can play movies. I’m looking into burning all of my DVDs to a hard drive so that I can play them in my media room or downstairs on my main TV.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

Should I go prebuilt or build my own? Keep in mind that I’ve never built my own.

I'm going to listen in...I've been thinking about getting a gaming laptop. They get expensive quick though. And it would be easier to keep up with hardware advancements with a desktop unit. I'm undecided.

Building a PC is like an expensive lego set. It's very clear how to do things because the slots all line up. A stick of RAM only fits in the RAM slot. You can't accidentally put the RAM where the video card goes.

The main thing with building your own is the time it takes to pick the parts, assemble the pc, and then load drivers and software vs picking out a prebuilt and putting it in the car (or shipping it to your house).

Personally, I think it would be easier to split those tasks up. Get a home theater PC that's small form factor and quiet, then get a next gen console for gaming. Their value is way better that what you can get for a gaming PC right now. Video card prices are reeruned high.

edit: I just checked Amazon for fun, and a Radeon 5700, which is essentially the same as what's going into the PS5, is $330. Building a gaming PC comparable to a PS5 would easily cost over $1k. That's a non-starter on value imo.

Just know that if I do get a PC....I will also still be getting the PS5. This isn’t going to eliminate my console gaming. I just want to be able to play certain games on PC as well. Now with that in mind....I’m not looking to get an over the top, amazing gaming PC that will play everything.

I am not sure how resource-intensive PS and Illustrator are. I know for video editing, you need a beast CPU where you can get away with something much more reasonable purely for gaming. For gaming, the most important component is the GPU and you only want enough CPU to not bottleneck it. That usually means an upper mid-range CPU.

Media centers don't require much at all and you can get away with a super cheap machine serving that role. Now that $/terabyte is a complete joke, it's even less cost prohibitive.

Bill Brasky mentioned something about the drivers, but that honestly hasn't been a pain at all since Windows XP came out many years ago.

Stick to PC Part Picker (https://pcpartpicker.com/) and you can't **** up.

Putting it together is fun and will feel very rewarding when you're done. Getting the most juice out of it by overclocking your CPU and GPU while keeping your system stable is a more advanced, equally as rewarding a step.

I should add, that if you want to get OCD about cable management, it will make the putting-together part a little more time-consuming.

How much are you willing to spend?

I’m probably looking anywhere between $800-$1300. All depends on the deal and what it’s going to do.

I'd recommend purchasing a Gigabyte motherboard, the latest and fastest Intel i9 processor, at least 32 gigs of Ram, a 700 watt power supply and a high end cooling fan.

I'm not up on the latest graphics cards because I'm not a gamer but if you purchase and build the fastest computer computer today, it'll last you at least 5 years, if not more.

As for Photoshop and Illustrator, you'll need at least 16 gigs of Ram at minimum and I'd recommend two SSD's, one for your system files, which can be 250 gigs and one for your data, which should be at least 750 gigs, if not a full terrabyte.

You should be able to build that system for $1,300 or less on Amazon and I'd definitely recommend purchasing your computer parts from them because it's just so easy to return and replace defective items. I received faulty motherboards for the last two computers I built. Amazon sent the replacements Next Day Air, so it wasn't a huge ordeal.

Good luck!

In that case, I’d go with the AMD 3600 build on pcpart picker.

It will be more than enough for your office work and content creation and is still a beast for gaming. I recommended the AMD version because it has 6 cores 12 threads vs 6 cores 6 threads on the Intel. Also, the AMD cpu is 65 watts vs 95 watts for the intel, which means it will run quieter.

https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/gWv6M...treaming-build

The latest and fastest Intel i9 CPU will cost over $1000 just by itself.

If I were currently buying and not wanting to spend over $1300, I'd go for an AMD CPU. Much more likely to keep it under that price point. Intel CPUs are certainly better, but at the current price point, AMD is a much much better deal. Any other time, I would definitely recommend Intel, but their current pricing is dumb.

Sorry, my bad.

I should have linked the processor I had in mind, which is the Intel Core i9-9900 Desktop Processor, which is currently $556.

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-i9-9900...1046229&sr=8-8

Photoshop and Illustrator don't take a whole lot to run, so i wouldn't worry too much about them.

I run the latest version of Photoshop on my old ass 2nd gen I5 w/ 8gigs of DDR3 and it runs smooth.

Hell, i was running photoshop back in the day on an old Windows XP w/ no dedicated video card. They really dont require a whole lot.

Premiere or any video editing software can also run on a minimal PC these days, but you'll certainly notice a performance difference there that you wouldn't with Photoshop.

Meh.

What you need is a true quad core or greater. When building my video editing PC i chose an 8-core AMD. Nothing fancy.

Programs like Premier and After Effects are designed to utilize true multi-core processors, so the more cores the better.

Don't do it. Just build the desktop.

Huh.

My wife and daughter have the Adobe Suite subscription and there are some projects in which 16 gigs of ram isn't enough. They both have i7's but my daughter is doing some intensive animation, so maybe that's the difference.

Back to what I said earlier, if you're talking about the Intel 9900, then the current AMD offerings are a much better value for what you get. Right now is a terrible time to buy an Intel.

Also, you don't really need 16GB of RAM for Photoshop or Illustrator. 8GB is perfectly sufficient. I support hundreds of users running the latest Photoshop and Illustrator on 8GB RAM and Intel i3.

Maybe I’m ****ing stupid (I know I am)

But most of the motherboards that I’ve seen only have one HDMI input. What do I need to run dual monitors?

You'll be plugging your monitors into the video card.

Graphics card

If you're wanting to run two monitors from the onboard graphics card, buy one HDMI cable that's HDMI>HDMI and a second cable which would be DVI>HDMI.

Great site for research: https://www.tomshardware.com/

If you check out forums there's a sub dedicated to custom builds.

I'm going to assume that with an $800-$1300 budget he's going to take the advice of others and buy AMD, in which case there is no onboard graphics unless you buy an APU.

In more than 22 years of building PC's for my recording studio, I've never built an AMD, nor has any manufacturer recommended that I purchase an AMD (as a matter of fact, it's been blatantly stated to avoid them at all costs), so I'll defer to you.

That said, I'll never purchase or build an AMD based computer. I'm sure they're fine for other applications but not for pro audio.

Intel all the way.

AMD has been shit until recently, so it's no surprise that people have been telling you over 22 years to avoid them.

Ryzen is a different animal and the support of Ryzen from AMD is much better than the support from Intel. Ryzen has used the same socket for 4 years now. Intel will refresh the same shit from 3 years ago and sell it as new by adding 1 extra pin to the CPU so you have to buy a new motherboard too.

a middle of the pack PC will play everything. It just wont play everything in 1440 or 4k thats it.

I just did a whole new AMD set up this time. I went with the Ryzen 7 3800x and a amd Radeon 5700XT. Runs everything i throw at it in 1080 easy peasy.

I’m looking at getting an AMD Ryzen 3700x with a EVGA GeForce® RTX 2070.

Yeah, it was the actual manufacturers telling us to avoid them but I sure wish they worked for pro audio because they're less expensive than a full on Intel box.

:D

Push that to 2070 Super if you can. It's just a much better value. That will be a monster of a PC.

You will not need 32 GB of RAM for anything. 16 GB will not bottleneck. Like ever.

HDMI and DVI are no longer a thing, really. Everything is done through DisplayPort. Your 2070 or 2070 Super will have 2 DisplayPorts for your monitors and 2 HDMI ports for your TVs by default.

If you end up deciding you can spend more and if you are going to go with a 2070 or above, you will probably want to get a 1440p monitor. If you get the Super, I would suggest you get a GSync monitor with at least a 120Hz refresh rate or higher for the buttery smoothness.

Has it really been 22 years since the great Athlon generation? Jesus.

Absolutely this. Small cost difference, notable performance difference.

And lots of Freesync monitors are now G-Sync compatible so you can get variable refresh rate and no screen tear without spending bigger $ on full G-Sync. I’m monitor shopping right now with my son, all but decided on this one which appears to offer a good mix of options at a decent price:
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E1682401...qHhDdxo.0.7tIA

It actually is the Super. It just got cut off.

5+ years ago, I would have supported your opinion 101%. I have never owned anything but Intel, and am currently waiting for the 10th gen of Intel CPUs to lower in price as opposed to building a current more affordable AMD upgrade system. But Intel has completely ****ed the bed for the last 2 generations of their CPUs. Their price point has been stupid, and everybody knows it. In about 6 months or so, the current Intel prices will relax and come down more in line with AMD's pricing because AMD is currently killing it. I'm waiting until then. But that said, the current AMD CPUs are nothing to laugh at. Unlike 20 years ago, they actually provide very competitive performance, at a much lower price. Especially for gaming. They're offering more cores for the buck, and that's really important. The performance isn't any worse for business relates apps like Adobe Suite either.

I'm a system admin by trade, and I have a great deal of experience with a huge variety of current hardware. Both Windows and Mac. AMD is currently king, as much as it pains me to say that. Even though my next build will still be an Intel.

This is another good point. Your choice of monitor is just as important as your GPU purchase. Don't hold back spending on a good monitor. It's what you'll be directly staring at for years. I highly recommend allocating proper budget towards your main monitor. The difference between a 1080p 60Hz monitor, and 2K/4K 120Hz monitor is INSANE on the user end. I highly suggest you budget for at least a 2K/4K 120Hz monitor if you want that amazing hifi experience. And look for the GSync/FreeSync option that matches your other hardware choices if possible.

That's a good point, man.

I have this https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator...s%2C158&sr=1-1 but paid much more. That is an incredible deal. This is a thing of beauty. The design is dumb but the PQ is out of control.

Have you done a lot of research on VA vs TN vs IPS?

I have found this website to be a useful resource. I am in the process of building my own.

edit: also, avoid https://www.userbenchmark.com/ to compare components. They are a joke.

Has anyone ever bought anything through Cyberpower PC? I’m guessing I’m going to hear how they’re overpriced but just checking to see if anyone has.

I used to sell them like ten years ago. I felt they always tried to make up their margin on the PSU, meaning the power supply was lower quality or under-powered. No clue how they hold up now.

I’m doing some price comparisons right now and it’s not too far off in price. Obviously it’s going to be higher priced because someone is building it for you and installing everything. I’m just not seeing a gaping price discrepancy.

Once you find one you like, post a link. I'd be interested in the PSU specs.

Http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1MCW4E

This is one I spent about 15 minutes customizing. Updated the RAM,
, the power supply, the HD and the GPU.

Just by glancing at it, the price seems a little steep?

$1800....yeah. I figure I’m paying more money for them to build it....as well as a warranty. Not saying it’s a better deal....just a different option.

Kinda what I was thinking. I havent looked at recent pricings but I'm not sure how you start with a $500ish GPU and a $280ish CPU and end up at $1800.

What exactly is their warranty? All the parts come with a warranty from the manufacture and you'll get a 30 day window to return a defective part to a retailer. Feel like you could probably buy someone dinner to build one for you and save a bunch of money.

Prices I’ve seen for the GPU start at $500

And fans versus water cooled? What are your thoughts?

Price to performance = Air.

I havent seen any compelling reason to go to water cooling other than aesthetics and the RGBs which turns your PC into a "pro" model and makes it run 30% faster.

I wouldn't bother with water cooled, unless you just want it to look fancier. Just get a decent CPU fan and it'll be fine. Make sure you have decent airflow through your case. A case fan in the front pulling air in, and another in the back pushing hot air out. I overclock my GPU, and still have never had any heat issues.

I went with an AIO water cooler for the CPU on my current build (8400k OCed to 4.8GHz) and I honestly think that was a waste of money. A good air solution would probably do a better job. It does look very nice and clean but that doesn't make it worth it at all.

I thought I would be able to hit 5Ghz with water AIO. The results were hilarious.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LbP6b8

I looked up completed builds and found this guys. He had 32 gb of ram so I changed it to 16 gb because I’m not sure if I need that much.

Are the amount of fans overkill?

I built my Ryzen fall of last year and unless something has changed I would stay away from MSI X570 motherboards. Everything I read and watched was nothing but terrible in regards to their performance in OCing, if that matters to you, and temperatures.

EDIT: https://youtu.be/rD65w5RVmtY

I guess MSI is making changes after it was a unanimous stay the **** away review from launch.

Ryzen 5 3600 would be plenty for photoshop and illustrator btw, but if you're cool with dropping $1500 here is one that will do far more than you need.

Head over to PCpartpicker and swap different components in and out until you get what you want.

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X $325
ASRock X570 Pro4 $130
G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR4-3200 $65
Intel 660p 1TB NVMe SSD $98
MSI RTX 2080 Super Ventus OC $720
Fractal Design Meshify C $90
Corsair RMx 650 W 80+ Gold $95
Total $1523

Prices are probably outdated btw.

edit: For what it's worth, I am probably going to go with something similar to that $1500 build for nearly the same uses as you.

Nah, fans are fine. That will give you great airflow. Just make sure you mount them so they blow in the correct direction through the case.

That case is ugly as hell though. No offense.. :D

Find me a prettier case then, asshole. LMAO

I really like what Phanteks is doing.

https://www.newegg.com/black-phantek...82E16811854086

One of the few cases that you can still find with a mesh front panel that doesnt look like your typical box but also isn't overly "gaming." There's a cheaper version that's slightly smaller called the P300A but its sold out everywhere.

Are you happy with your monitor? That does seem like a good price.

We’ve read up a bunch on VA, TN, IPS. Near as I can tell VA or IPS are both very good for gaming with IPS having better viewing angles not ghosting and VA having slightly better refresh rate and but slightly slower response times and subject to ghosting in some circumstances.

In the end it seems either will work and for me it’s not a definition factor.

Good choice on NZXT. I’ve built three rigs with NZXT cases. Love them. Solid build, good cabling, good looking. If you move up from the 510 to the 710 you’ll get a case that comes with four 120mm fans already installed instead of the two that come on the 510, which is all you need. The 710 is $70 more but you can take those two $90 fans off your list.

They make some good looking cases. And their reviews seem to be good too.

I like this one better. The black/red. Customizable light scheme that looks cool, and not too flashy: https://www.newegg.com/black-phantek...82E16811854046

After looking some more at the monitor you posted, it just seems like newer technology overall and it had some features listed with which I am not familiar and, therefore, do not know whether or not they make a difference.

After I built my old GTX 1070 tower, I realized it was silly to not have something better than my old ass 24" Samsung 60hz 1080p panel. My GTX 1070 was maxing the games on Ultra settings with ease. I needed something better to do it justice.

So I originally bought a 27" 1440p (2K) Dell TN panel with GSync and it was within my "new monitor" budget. When I hooked it up, though, I just felt like I wasn't quite happy and everything seemed a little too yellow no matter how much I ****ed with the RGB and temperature/hue settings. I was going to replace that monitor with an identical model hoping things would be better.

After some thought, I just decided to say "**** it" and splurge on something much better (at the time, it was basically like the best monitor you could get under $1000). It was much more expensive than the Dell and as soon as I bought, feelings of buyer's remorse started to creep in.

As soon as I hooked it up, I got the biggest shit-eating grin of all time and realized I made the right decision. Been happy as **** with it ever since. It's now been through 2 computer builds and I have zero interest in upgrading.

Exactly. Paying $40 for a fan seems crazy to me. I'm 100% with vail on this. I'm a huge fan of NZXT as well because they have reasonably priced full towers that are just so easy to work with.

Get a full tower if you can. It's SO MUCH nicer.

I did some looking around today and found that the AMD processors are still causing issues with pro audio hardware and software, especially with Thunderbolt equipped audio interfaces.

Intel again for me... :(

I just prefer high airflow. I'll sacrifice looks for better performance. The P400A is one of the best cooling cases on the market right now and it actually doesn't look depressing.

Only problem I have with it is that I still want my optical drive so I'm using the Phanteks Enthoo Pro M.

I’ve done water. I don’t recommend it at all.

Thanks. My son is ready to buy but is hesitant to pull the trigger on a monitor since this time it’s his own money and he wants to get it right. I’ll share your review with him.

A couple other comments for you to take or leave.

The spinning hard drive Son that list will very soon piss you off. Solid state drives (ssd) are now pretty affordable and 5x as fast. They definitely cost more than a spinning drive but you’ll feel the benefits every time you use your pc. And they are much less prone to crash.

Buy the Windows that comes on a thumb drive.

Nvidia will be launching their 3000 series gpu line in August-September this year. You might see prices drop on that 2070 as we get closer to the date. Probably. Maybe.

Everyone has an opinion but end of day whenever you decide to jump in you’ll end up with a new fast rig you’ll love.

Ok. Here is my updated list.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dMyKDx

Do I need to get extra fans since it looks like the Phanteks doesn’t have any in the front?

That case comes with both a front fan and a rear fan already installed. You can see it in one of the pics. You can optionally add another 2 in the front, and one blowing up from the top of the case as well. It would likely be fine with the 2 120mm fans it comes with, unless you plan on overclocking. It would be pretty easy to add more later too.

That is a lot of cash going into an SSD that's not super great.

What I like to do is get a smaller size SSD for your executables and a large capacity HDD for media.

I would suggest you get an M.2 SSD for your Windows and games.

And then get a few TB in HDD for your media files.

So your updated list would like this and save you $100:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/66xsQq

You can then wait for a good deal and get another SSD whenever you see a good sale. Same thing with more HDDs if you need another 4TB or whatever down the line. The 500GB EVO 970 will be plenty for your windows and a few games. If you want a larger library of games just downloaded and sitting on your drives, 500GB may not be enough.

I currently have these and feel like it's more than enough for my needs:

• 250 GB M.2 Samsung EVO 970 SSD
• 240 GB SanDisk Pro SSD
• 1 TB ADATA XPG M.2 SSD
• 2 TB HDD for media

I didn't get all of those at the same time. I started this build with the EVO 970 and 2 TB HDD. Then I recycled the ancient SanDisk from an old build and then bought the 1TB XPG on a sale.

Also, make sure you check the compatibility notes on the bottom. You're getting a mid tower so room may be an issue. Also, my MB is set up to where I have 2 M.2 slots and they block 1 SATA each (SATA is the traditional way of connecting SSDs/HDDs to your motherboard). It looks like the mobo you selected may have 1 M.2 slot and it will block 2 SATAs so that may limit your expansion options. This isn't as big of a deal as your video card potentially being physically too big (I am not sure how large that 2070 Super is).

Getting a full tower would solve all your worries when it comes to fitting things in. :D

Ok. Updated to a full tower.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/g6VwvW

I'm betting the animation is the difference. I don't do any animation. I use photoshop damn near daily though and it runs smooth as hell with half the computing power you're describing.

When you get into live rendering, i.e video editing and animation, that gets real memory intensive. Without sufficient memory and a good multi-core processor that rendering can really slow things down.

This is just my anecdote, but **** i've had the worst luck building AMD machines. Maybe its just me and im not matching components well, but im real gun shy about AMD's these days.

Intel builds have just always been more stable for me.

Could just be me though. I'm sure plenty of people would say otherwise and swear by AMD.

In my experience though, Intel builds have simply been more stable.

The P400 was more than big enough to hold the video card.

"Max GPU Length Allowance 395mm"

The card you have selected is only 280mm long.

I probably wouldnt put a Ryzen 7 3700x in a 2000 series B450 board.

I agree.

I'm not familiar with how much space video games use on the system drive but mine is packed with programs and I still have 30 gigs left on a 250 GB Samsung SSD.

Instead of a 4 TB 5400 rpm drive, I'd recommend a one or two TB 7200 rpm internal drive along with a 2 TB or larger external drive. It appears the case has 7 drive slots (if I'm reading it correctly) and putting everything on a 4TB drive is asking for a disaster to happen because if it dies, there goes all of your data.

To clarify, I'm not a gamer but I do believe in having data backup and faster drives for performance. I've had excellent luck with the WD Black drives for audio and video:

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Perform...s%2C204&sr=8-3

The card is slightly longer than 280mm and the compatibility note said anything over 280mm may block expansion bays.

Heh. It's really freakin' hard to find tower designs that don't look like they were made for a 14 y/o.

I'm a big fan of some of Thermaltake's designs. So much so that i have 3 of the same case. Wish i could remember the model this is that i have, but w/e im sure it's outdated.

But i find that Thermaltake has some of the classier designs on the market. Like this one, less the gaudy RGB shit unless you're into that.

https://www.thermaltake.com/versa-c2...b-edition.html

And my piece of advice: Don't skimp on the power supply. I do. And i always end up paying for it in the long run. I swear, 9/10 when i have some weird PC issue it's a faulty power supply that went bad a year or 2 later. I've replaced more power supplies than anything and it's always because i get some bronze rated thing that bites me in the ass a year or two later.

I could be wrong but I do not think lower RPM translates to shorter life span or a high chance of failure. I think it just affects the access times which don't matter at all with media.

This is the reason you go with an M.2 SSD for things where access time matters (Windows, games, etc.).

English man. What board should I be looking at then?

It's a generic compatibility note. You have to actually look at specs and see if its a problem. There's literally nothing inside the P400 for it to block except from maybe 1 additional HD bay if he wanted to buy the extra bracket to install in the case behind the front fans, but the case already comes with 2 slots below the PSU shroud and he's only going to use 1 of those.

Ok one last chime from me:

When it comes to the Air vs Liquid cooling debate, yeah i get that air is plenty effecient.

But im a big fan of this product here:

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Catego.../CW-9060040-WW

It's basically liquid cooling for the CPU for dummies. It's all self contained.

I like it because:

1. Whisper quiet. Couple this with the right case fans and you can barely hear the computer at all.

2. It looks cool. And i mean, if you're building your own PC it should look cool, right? Heh.

3. @ $89 it's not much more (and in some cases, less) than some of the more popular air cooled fans.

Gotcha. I would still go full tower, personally, for ease of build and room. But then again, I do not care for the looks that much and the bulkiness doesn't bother me. I have zero LED fans in my very simple-looking NZXT case. Only the video card, parts of my mobo and the AIO liquid cooler are lit up (all LEDs are set to white and the case is black).

I should just have everyone send me their final builds like it’s a ****ing reality show.