Building my first PC

[Dox_Box]

So I’m a college student building my first pc, but my requirements aren’t exactly a standard use case like just for gaming, and I would appreciate any advice you guys could give on part selection.

 

Goals for the PC:

 

Able to play games such as: 

Rainbow6, KSP 1(and 2!), Minecraft w/ visual enhancements, and Destiny 2 at decent graphical details and frames.

 

I’ve also been considering experimenting with something like an oculus rift s for some mid tier VR gaming.

 

Ideal Size: the smaller the better, I don’t have a ton of space for it when I have to move it in between semesters.

This isn’t a massive deal, but some of the mid size ATX cases are quite large.

 

Budget: absolute maximum I can spare for this guy is about $1450 including tax + shipping (I worked all summer lol)

 

Now this next one is a bit tough: I need a build that will support Linux.

 

I need linux for my computational physics work, so I’m looking for something like a ryzen 3600x or 3700x.

 

AMD seems to have better gpu driver support for Linux (open source drivers) however the latest gen cards have not had the best driver rollout imo.

 

I’m currently leaning towards nvidia at this point, feel free to change my mind though!

 

(I already have a mouse, keyboard and monitor that I hook up to my laptop.)

 

I’ve come up with microATX, ATX, and mini ITX builds:

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Dox_/saved/wkqgJx

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Dox_/saved/vgdzNG

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Dox_/saved/kGVykL

 

Thank you!

[dizmo]

Why are you spending needlessly on the PSU? You don't need so much power.

Are you sure 500GB will be enough? That will run out a lot faster than you realize.

I'd personally go ATX. But ditch the 850w PSU, it's completely unnecessary.

Personally I wouldn't get an MSI motherboard.

 

Welcome to the forum!

[Streetguru]

1 hour ago, Dox_Box said:

 

Just get a case that has airflow in any event

 

and the RX 5700/XT is the better mid range GPU for the money, dunno about the linux stuff, Level 1 Techs does a lot more of that.

You could drop down to an R7 2700 at ~$200, with a $125 X470 board, and just use the stock cooler to really get the price down.

It's just that all of the aftermarket RX 5700s are out of stock currently.
 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/gCFMGG

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($327.79 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Scythe FUMA 2 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($195.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport AT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Patriot VPN100 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($78.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 5700 8 GB Video Card  ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB511 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($87.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1210.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-29 01:22 EDT-0400

[Dox_Box]

7 hours ago, dizmo said:

Why are you spending needlessly on the PSU? You don't need so much power.

Are you sure 500GB will be enough? That will run out a lot faster than you realize.

I'd personally go ATX. But ditch the 850w PSU, it's completely unnecessary.

Personally I wouldn't get an MSI motherboard.

 

Welcome to the forum!

“Personally I wouldn’t get an MSI board” could you elaborate please? Is it more of a brand reliability thing? 

[dizmo]

On 8/29/2019 at 6:16 AM, Dox_Box said:

“Personally I wouldn’t get an MSI board” could you elaborate please? Is it more of a brand reliability thing? 

I had 3 X370 motherboards from MSI. All failed. My current Z270 board is also failing. Also MSI. I'll never buy or recommend on of their boards again.