New replacement self-build proposal

[nickboston]

I am getting ready to build a replacement for my self-build of about 14 years ago.  This sure seems a lot easier now than it was back then.  Almost all the parts will be new; a few won't be added for a while, and some may not be added at all, depending on how the build functions when I turn it on. 

 

The machine will be used for modest gaming (some Steam side-scrollers, some real oldies - Outcast, the Myst series (what?), little or no wargames or shooters; I'm always looking out for interesting puzzle games and adventure games); high-level still pic editing (Corel Paint Shop Pro, old Photoshop), no video editing; high-level sound recording and editing (Cool Edit Pro if it cooperates, or last purchased version of Audition, or others I'm trying out: Audacity, Wave Pad Sound Editor). And of course internet browsing, email, word processing and editing (WordPerfect).  I intend this machine to be a bit above the level needed for all that, so I won't have to worry about slowdowns, stalls, crashes....

 

Existing equipment: new Dell 4K 27"monitor; current Logitech trackball; and older equipment: 2x 300G Barracuda 7200 HDs with preexisting fileage on them to be replaced with newer drives in time; near-antique (20 yrs old?) Dell keyboard that works perfectly to this day, eventually to be replaced with, etc.; Seagate external 1.5T backup drive, variety of peripherals and stand-alones for sound and photo work. 

 

The parts for the new machine are all available at my local Micro Center (Cambridge MA).  (Not all these parts are listed on pcpartpicker, so I haven't included that list.)  This has changed in 15 years: most of MC's prices are approximately the same as mail-order services (Newegg and Amazon); a couple items could be ordered cheaper, but I wouldn't save much (maybe $25-50).  The staff guy at MC - on a quick look through the list - declared they're all compatible, but I'll check that carefully before the wallet comes out, and I'd like whatever validation and criticism I can find here.

 

Here's the list:

case: Antec P-100 Silent (I'll add Noctua fans as necessary after I see how loud and how hot it is)

Mboard: Asus Tuf Z-390 Plus Gaming (this one includes wi-fi, which I may need depending on room reconfiguration) (I hope the RGB stuff can be turned off...)

CPU: Intel Core i5-9400F (no graphics)

Graphic: Asus Phoenix G-Force GTX 1060 single-fan 6 G (I can't hardly imagine I'd ever outrun this card... maybe not even for the next 14 years)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix 2x16G (there's room for another 32G later)

SSD: Crucial MX500 500G for primary drive (plus the 2 storage Barracudas to begin with)

Asus internal SATA 24x DVD +- writer-reader (yeah, I really do need one of these)

PSU: EVGA Supernova 650 G plus 80+ gold modular (I think this is comfortably large enough even with an additional large sound card)

Windows 10 Home 64-bit

 

Local pricing brings this in at about $1080 US.

 

I have not yet identified a card reader (SD-HC -XC should be sufficient), which I will need almost right away.  It could be internal or USB.  Recommendations welcomed!

 

Later additions: fans as necessary, a high-quality external or internal sound card (abt $200), new big hard disk(s) for replacement of Barracudas, 32G more memory, snazzy keyboard

 

Comments and suggestions gratefully received!  Thanks.

 

-Nick

[Derrk]

unless i can temp you into switching to a ryzen 2600x, or waiting for ryzen 3000 series, i think this list looks pretty good for what you want. You may want to consider getting an aftermarket cpu cooler as well, just to cut the noise down a bit

cambridge microcenter rocks btw

[badreg]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel - Core i5-9400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($167.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: *ASRock - B365M Phantom Gaming 4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: *G.Skill - Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($135.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: *Silicon Power - A55 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: *Asus - Radeon RX 580 4 GB Dual Video Card  ($169.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Antec - P110 Silent ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($66.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $815.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-02 14:45 EDT-0400

 

Add your optical drive for $25, and transfer your existing Windows license (or buy one for $15), and you're still more than $200 cheaper.

[nickboston]

Cambridge MC is a great place, I'm looking forward to getting to know their Raspberry Pi shelves.  That should keep me out of trouble for a while. I've been Intel since the beginning, unless there were some cutting-edge need to switch, but cutting edges is what I'm trying to avoid!  Intel's CPU coolers are notoriously noisy.  I have a Noctua or two in my sights.  Thanks!

[trevb0t]

Note that microcenter sells Ryzen 5 1600's cheap and offers a $30 further discount if you pick up a MOBO with it. 

Huge savings potential.

 

Since you aren't an upgrade-every-few-years kinda guy, if you run Intel, I would grab something unlocked, and something Hyperthreaded so you can expect more years out of it.

[nickboston]

6 minutes ago, badreg said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel - Core i5-9400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($167.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: *ASRock - B365M Phantom Gaming 4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: *G.Skill - Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($135.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: *Silicon Power - A55 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: *Asus - Radeon RX 580 4 GB Dual Video Card  ($169.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Antec - P110 Silent ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($66.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $815.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-02 14:45 EDT-0400

 

Add your optical drive for $25, and transfer your existing Windows license (or buy one for $15), and you're still more than $200 cheaper.

You've found some interesting alternatives, thanks!  The case must be a loss-leader at MC; they only charge $80. Unfortunately my existing Windows license was XP, and it was free to me, because I was on the staff at MIT.  That's all history now.  How do you buy one for $15?  Where's the media?

[WebPlayz]

id suggest this for your work case. 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3 GHz 8-Core Processor	$159.99 @ Newegg Business
Thermal Compound	Noctua - NT-H1 3.5 g Thermal Paste	$7.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard	$109.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$74.99 @ Newegg
Storage	ADATA - Ultimate SU800 128 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$23.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Hitachi - Ultrastar 7K4000 4 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$88.88 @ Amazon
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB XC ULTRA GAMING Video Card	$399.99 @ Amazon
Case	be quiet! - Pure Base 600 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case	$89.00 @ Amazon
Power Supply	EVGA - 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply	$66.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1051.61
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$1021.61
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-02 14:59 EDT-0400

 

[badreg]

5 minutes ago, nickboston said:

You've found some interesting alternatives, thanks!  The case must be a loss-leader at MC; they only charge $80. Unfortunately my existing Windows license was XP, and it was free to me, because I was on the staff at MIT.  That's all history now.  How do you buy one for $15?  Where's the media?

I'm not sure if we're allowed to mention specific specific places for Windows keys, but just do a Google search for "Windows 10 key reseller".

 

Media as in SD card reader? Any $10-15 USB3 one from Amazon will do just fine.