New to building - component advice

[GreenMadman]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm building my first PC and there are quite a few things that i need advice on. First off, the main use of my PC will be for gaming and programming, with the occasional need to run a VM. The games I will be playing are mostly newer titles, and I will be using one 1080p 60Hz monitor. I don't think the work I'll be doing will be very demanding. The questions I have concern the CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD and PSU. I've decided on my HDD choice, while the motherboard and case I'll choose depending on the rest of the components, but their prices don't vary too much so it's not a point of concern. The budget i have right now might increase fairly soon, so I'm looking for recommendations on specific parts rather than a complete build. Now onto the main part. For each point, I'm hoping you could recommend me one or two options based on their stated prices and performance (a different option with a similar scaled price would also be a welcome choice). I've put the prices for the components in my area, since they vary quite a bit from online prices and something that I've seen quite a lot in component discussions is people bragging about what a great deal they got with their purchase.

 

1) CPU : The first point I need advice on is whether overclocking is worth it for me. Since I won't be doing much heavy lifting and I'm not really looking for a top-notch gaming experience, I don't know if overclocking will make a noticeable difference. The price difference between a locked and an unlocked CPU isn't big, but if the benefits are going to be negligible I would much rather put that money into something else. Next, I've read a lot that Intel CPUs are better for gaming, have better single-core performance and are pricier, while AMD CPUs are much better for heavier workloads, have better multi-core performance and are cheaper overall. Since I'd say I'm somewhere in-between I don't know what the best choice is. There are 8 models which I'm considering: 230$ Ryzen 5-2600, 250$ i5-8400, 285$ Ryzen 7-1800X, 295$ i5-8500, 325$ i5-8600, 335$ i5-9600k, 330$ Ryzen 7-2700, 430$ i7-8700.

 

2) GPU : I've looked up quite a few performance comparisons but I just can't really make a call. Here I'm looking for a GPU that will deliver a solid 1080p minimum 60 FPS experience with newer titles. The options are: 375$ GTX 1070, 490$ RTX 2060, 535$ RX VEGA 56, 655$ GTX 1070ti, 670$ RX VEGA 64, 720$ GTX 1080.

 

3) RAM : I've read in older articles that RAM speed isn't really important, since a RAM with higher speeds won't give noticeable benefits unless it is tested in a very specific workload, but I've also seen a fair amount of people saying that newer CPUs do make use of higher RAM speeds. Now the difference in price between 2400 and 3000 MHz RAM isn't big, but just like with overclocking, if it doesn't make a difference, I'd rather put that money somewhere else. So which RAM speed would you recommend?

 

4) SSD :  One of the things I've heard is that having two separate SSDs, a small fast NVMe one for just the OS, and a big one for everything else, is a very good thing. The first question I have is whether this option yields noticeable benefits, or is the difference negligible. If it is worth having two SSDs, is it important for the small one to be an NVMe, or can it also be a SATA 3 SSD? The reason I'm asking this is because the price difference between an NVMe and a SATA 3 isn't small, and the smallest NVMe size is 128GB, which seems a bit overkill for just the OS. The last thing I want to make sure of is that while NVMe SSDs are hugely fast, their potential isn't achieved during everyday work, except during very large file transfers and similar heavy-duty tasks. Since the work I'll be doing isn't of that caliber, I'm assuming that it makes more sense to go for a SATA 3 option rather than an NVMe one, since I can get double the storage at a bit higher price.

 

5) PSU : The only question about the PSU I have is how much power should I go for? I've looked at two different power calculators and they both gave me an ~500 W result. So is a 600 W PSU more than enough, or should I go for a 700/750 W one? One thing I do have to note is that I most likely won't be upgrading my system any time soon, unless a component outright dies on me.

 

Thank you to everyone who reads and posts a reply!

[LukeSavenije]

cpu: 2600, is about 8400/8500 equivalent, comes with a good enough cooler and can be overclocked if wanted. would go great with a good b450 board

 

gpu: a rx 580 is more than enough for high-ultra in most games

 

ssd: crucial p1 seems to be pretty cheap rn

 

ram: 3000+ will make around a 20 fps difference on ryzen compared to 2400, highly recommended

 

psu: psu calculators are bullshit, a good 450 watt should be enough

 

overclocking: it's fun, not much that can happen if you don't touch the voltage too hard

[Eastman51]

CPU: I recommend a Ryzen 5 2600x, or Ryzen 7 2700x, or an i5-9600k. For motherboards, get B450/X470 for the Ryzens or a H370/Z390 for the Intel.

 

GPU: Get a 2060, they are only around $350 (not $490, lmao). 2060 is comparable to the 1070Ti

 

RAM: The speed of the RAM actually makes or breaks Ryzen (a little bit). Ryzen has been proven to be faster with high speed memory. The "older articles" you read apply to DDR3, where RAM speed had little to no affect on anything. DDR4 is different. For coding/VMs, I would recommend a minimum of 16GB with 32GB ideal for lots of VMs. Aim for 3000MHz RAM.

 

SSD: NVMe vs SATA has little to know difference for gaming and OS/application load times. The speed differences between them only matter in large file transfers, scratch disk based video editing, and other specific use cases. I would get a 120-250GB boot drive, a 1TB SATA SSD for generic things and a 4TB HDD for archival storage; or I would just get a 1TB SSD for boot and generic things, with a 4TB HDD for everything else.

 

PSU: a 650W would be fine, but if your system power draw is going to be ~500W I would get a 750W for extra headroom. The main reason here being that a higher wattage PSU will run quieter and cooler than a PSU closer to your system power draw. I would also recommend an 80+ Gold rated unit or higher for improved power efficiency. I use the Seasonic Focus Plus Platinum 750W, which is a fantastic unit; but you could get any other PSU, as long as its a good model. There is a PSU tier list floating around on these forums that you can look at to find good units.

[LukeSavenije]

2 minutes ago, Eastman51 said:

Ryzen 5 2600x

why?

 

2 minutes ago, Eastman51 said:

GPU: Get a 2060

fair enough

2 minutes ago, Eastman51 said:

Ryzen has been proven to be faster with high speed memory.

true

 

3 minutes ago, Eastman51 said:

your system power draw is going to be ~500W I would get a 750W for extra headroom.

one: it's not even getting close

 

two: what about no?

[Eastman51]

1 minute ago, LukeSavenije said:

why?

The 2600 is cheaper, yes; but I mean, if the budget allows, why not?

2 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

one: it's not even getting close

 

two: what about no?

*shrug* idk

I still recommend going higher than you need. True online calculator things are BS (bottleneck calculator, lmfao). Maybe a 550-650W instead?

[LukeSavenije]

1 minute ago, Eastman51 said:

The 2600 is cheaper, yes; but I mean, if the budget allows, why not?

because for the difference you can get a much better aircooler and overclock it as far if not further?

 

1 minute ago, Eastman51 said:

*shrug* idk

I still recommend going higher than you need. True online calculator things are BS (bottleneck calculator, lmfao). Maybe a 550-650W instead?

450 would be enough, but 500-550 shouldn't be that much more. as long as it is a quality unit, it'll be fine

[Eastman51]

2 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

because for the difference you can get a much better aircooler and overclock it as far if not further?

That's actually a good point. A Noctua NH-U12 would probably get you good OC headroom off the lower TDP of the non X

2 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

450 would be enough, but 500-550 shouldn't be that much more. as long as it is a quality unit, it'll be fine

At least in my area/what I see online tells me you may as well get a 650W for ~$10-15 more than a 550W. But yea, quality units all the way.

[LukeSavenije]

28 minutes ago, Eastman51 said:

That's actually a good point. A Noctua NH-U12 would probably get you good OC headroom off the lower TDP of the non X

or even better, arctic freezer 34 esports duo that came out like 3 weeks ago

[xKyric]

1 hour ago, GreenMadman said:

Hello everyone,

 

I'm building my first PC and there are quite a few things that i need advice on. First off, the main use of my PC will be for gaming and programming, with the occasional need to run a VM. The games I will be playing are mostly newer titles, and I will be using one 1080p 60Hz monitor. I don't think the work I'll be doing will be very demanding. The questions I have concern the CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD and PSU. I've decided on my HDD choice, while the motherboard and case I'll choose depending on the rest of the components, but their prices don't vary too much so it's not a point of concern. The budget i have right now might increase fairly soon, so I'm looking for recommendations on specific parts rather than a complete build. Now onto the main part. For each point, I'm hoping you could recommend me one or two options based on their stated prices and performance (a different option with a similar scaled price would also be a welcome choice). I've put the prices for the components in my area, since they vary quite a bit from online prices and something that I've seen quite a lot in component discussions is people bragging about what a great deal they got with their purchase.

 

1) CPU : The first point I need advice on is whether overclocking is worth it for me. Since I won't be doing much heavy lifting and I'm not really looking for a top-notch gaming experience, I don't know if overclocking will make a noticeable difference. The price difference between a locked and an unlocked CPU isn't big, but if the benefits are going to be negligible I would much rather put that money into something else. Next, I've read a lot that Intel CPUs are better for gaming, have better single-core performance and are pricier, while AMD CPUs are much better for heavier workloads, have better multi-core performance and are cheaper overall. Since I'd say I'm somewhere in-between I don't know what the best choice is. There are 8 models which I'm considering: 230$ Ryzen 5-2600, 250$ i5-8400, 285$ Ryzen 7-1800X, 295$ i5-8500, 325$ i5-8600, 335$ i5-9600k, 330$ Ryzen 7-2700, 430$ i7-8700.

 

2) GPU : I've looked up quite a few performance comparisons but I just can't really make a call. Here I'm looking for a GPU that will deliver a solid 1080p minimum 60 FPS experience with newer titles. The options are: 375$ GTX 1070, 490$ RTX 2060, 535$ RX VEGA 56, 655$ GTX 1070ti, 670$ RX VEGA 64, 720$ GTX 1080.

 

3) RAM : I've read in older articles that RAM speed isn't really important, since a RAM with higher speeds won't give noticeable benefits unless it is tested in a very specific workload, but I've also seen a fair amount of people saying that newer CPUs do make use of higher RAM speeds. Now the difference in price between 2400 and 3000 MHz RAM isn't big, but just like with overclocking, if it doesn't make a difference, I'd rather put that money somewhere else. So which RAM speed would you recommend?

 

4) SSD :  One of the things I've heard is that having two separate SSDs, a small fast NVMe one for just the OS, and a big one for everything else, is a very good thing. The first question I have is whether this option yields noticeable benefits, or is the difference negligible. If it is worth having two SSDs, is it important for the small one to be an NVMe, or can it also be a SATA 3 SSD? The reason I'm asking this is because the price difference between an NVMe and a SATA 3 isn't small, and the smallest NVMe size is 128GB, which seems a bit overkill for just the OS. The last thing I want to make sure of is that while NVMe SSDs are hugely fast, their potential isn't achieved during everyday work, except during very large file transfers and similar heavy-duty tasks. Since the work I'll be doing isn't of that caliber, I'm assuming that it makes more sense to go for a SATA 3 option rather than an NVMe one, since I can get double the storage at a bit higher price.

 

5) PSU : The only question about the PSU I have is how much power should I go for? I've looked at two different power calculators and they both gave me an ~500 W result. So is a 600 W PSU more than enough, or should I go for a 700/750 W one? One thing I do have to note is that I most likely won't be upgrading my system any time soon, unless a component outright dies on me.

 

Thank you to everyone who reads and posts a reply!

1) I would use a Ryzen 5 2600, it's more than enough for 1080p 60Hz gaming. As for overclocking, I don't overclock my own system because I try to avoid voiding warranties. However, if loosing a warranty doesn't bother you, I would do it. Just keep an eye on your temperatures. 

 

2) As @LukeSavenije said, a RX 580 should suit your needs pretty well.

 

3) Especially, with Ryzen, the faster the RAM the better. I wouldn't use anything below 2666Mt/s, but preferably 3000Mt/s or higher.

 

4) From what I have heard, NVMe isn't worth the cost unless used for moving large files. Just use one SSD for primary storage, I've never heard of using one drive solely for the OS, unless it's a really small drive. 

 

5) A 600W PSU is more than enough. A 450-550 watt power supply should work just fine.