First custom build thought process

[Flessa]

Budget (including currency): 3700 USD (including monitor, excluding other peripherals)

Country: US

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Games: Anno 1800, CoD, LOL | Photo edditing: Ligntroom, Luminar, big backup for photos in RAID

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

 

Hello internet strangers!

 

I'm assembling my first custom build (which I intend to start doing by the beginning of 2021) and would like to share my thought process for both receiving improvements suggestions and helping whoever is also trying to define their own build.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts on the parts I'm selecting - do you see any compatibility issue, any individual performance concern, anything you would rather buy a cheaper version with a similar result, ...

 

I'll walk you through my rationale and needs, but if you want to jump straight ahead to the list itself, here it is.

The complete part's list:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JLdycT

[ ~$3700] for PC + Monitor

[ ~$1500] for Miscellaneous

 

Rationale:

 

- I want to future proof myself by buying good parts since I'm (a) building from scratch and (b) I'll build while I'll be in the US and after a few years I'll have to move - i.e. future hardware upgrades would be way costlier.

- I'm a gamer (no shit Sherlock), meaning:

• I need a good graphics card;
• DRAMS with good speed and low CAS (low latency after all);
• A good CPU (love to play Anno).

- I'm a photographer (it's a hobby that I take seriously) and I love to post-process heavy raw images later on, meaning:

• I need a good amount of memory space and also a proper backup (in raid) - cloud could get really expensive when you have 5TB+ ;
• I need a fair amount of DRAM memory, 32GB will set me back, but since I don't edit videos (usually), 128GB seems unnecessary;
• A good processor. Since I don't render digital images or 3d models I shouldn't need an $800+ threadripper CPU, though.

 

Parts discussion:

 

[$550] CPU: Since I need a combination of CPU performance and gaming, at a fair price, I decided to go with AMD. Given the latest news, I believe the 5900x should be available by January, and would future proof myself offering great performance, so that's my pick: https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-9-5900x

 

[$300] Motherboard:

• I need a motherboard with good power delivery (amount of phases and its quality) since I will be overclocking the 5900x and likely the DRAMs;
• Future-proofing is important to me, so I wanted PCIe gen 4 connections and an x570 chipset;
• I intend to use at least 6 SATA ports, so that's a boundary as well (well, not quite... I could expand my # of SATA with a PCI-e SATA adaptor, but that could constrain my RAID capabilities in addition to adding cost and complexity);
• I wanted at least one USB 3.2 gen 2 connector - Will make my life easier when transferring photos from my camera;
• I don't care for RGB, actually I rather not to have it (sorry RGB folks);
• I may be constrained on internet cables where I will be living, so I want a WIfi-capable MOBO - with good bandwidth to allow for proper gaming.

With all that I decided to go with the one that is cheaper at the time among these two:

- https://pcpartpicker.com/product/GcfFf7/asus-rog-crosshair-viii-hero-wi-fi-atx-am4-motherboard-rog-crosshair-viii-hero-wi-fi

- https://pcpartpicker.com/product/CLkgXL/asus-rog-strix-x570-e-gaming-atx-am4-motherboard-rog-strix-x570-e-gaming

 

[$150] CPU cooling: I'm using and overclocking a very strong CPU so a no-stock cooler is a must. Since the pc may eventually have to travel, I was inclined not to use an Air cooler (A NH-D15 would be quite heavy, putting tension on the MOBO in the travel). Also, the big and potent air coolers have a narrow RAM clearance (32mm for NH-D15) which would restrict me on the RAMs -- I'll be using 4 DRAMS, more on that later. So, for a non-RGB guy, looking for performance and price, and for an AIO water cooler, that's what I plan on going for: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/JfVG3C/nzxt-kraken-x63-9817-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-rl-krx63-01

 

[$300] RAM: As I mentioned in my needs, I needed to go for 64GB+. Also, I wanted a good CAS and frequency (something over 3400 Mhz and less than 18CL). Also, I decided to go with 4 sticks rather than 2 for three reasons:

• Price;
• 4x16 usually outperforms 2x32 in gaming
• I don't believe I will need to add more memory at least in the next 7-8 years, so I'm fine with not having spare RAM slots

Once again, I don't care for RGB and at that point I decided to go for a white-themed PC, so I decided to go with 2 sets of these 2x16 memories: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9y848d/crucial-ballistix-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-bl2k16g36c16u4w

 

[$907, yes I know...] Storage: Again, I have two big needs: fast access storage and a huge capacity for backups.

• [$162] Fast access: I went for the EVO 970 1TB (for the operational system, games, and editing programs). I feel that the 980 is way overpriced for the additional performance, while the difference from the EVO970 to other 1TB NVMe options is bearable - Actually, I'm not 100% sure of it, I may change for a cheaper NVMe... what do you think? https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Zxw7YJ/samsung-970-evo-plus-1-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-mz-v7s1t0bam
• [$351] Daily usage storage (mainly my photos and files): I decided to get a mix of performance and cheap storage: 2x 2TB WD Blue SSDS in RAID 0 configuration - I know these WD blues do not have great speeds, but I think having them in RAID 0 and using for photo and other files should be enough. The total 4TB is a must though, I need ( 3TB+) https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Mtprxr/western-digital-0-25-2000000rpm-internal-hard-drive-wds200t2b0a
• [$392] Backup: I wanted to go for something with a virtual memory of 8TB+ and with RAID (not raid 0). Originally, I thought of having 3 HDDs in RAID 5, but my MOBO doesn't support the RAID 5 setup. Thus, I decided on a 4HDD Raid 10 setup (which is supported by the MOBO). With that, having 5400RPM HDDs is more than enough (remember, backup), since the RAID 10 would also speed them up. Even being in RAID I didn't want to go very cheap and compromise on reliability, so I decided to go with 4x 6TB WD Blue (in RAID 10), rather than the cheaper barracudas (which have a higher Annual Fail Rate) https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Z2HRsY/western-digital-blue-6-tb-35-5400rpm-internal-hard-drive-wd60ezaz

 

[$700] GPU: I think this one was a no-brainer for me. I want a very good GPU for gaming and future-proofing. However, I won't be playing on 45" 4K monitors, so I decided to go with the RTX 3080, and for aesthetics and benchmark results I chose the Founders edition: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/RnDkcf/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-10-gb-founders-edition-video-card-9001g1332530000

 

[~$150] Case: I had a few preferences here:

• Mid-tower (Having a full tower could be annoying when moving in a couple of years);
• Good ventilation is a must, low noise levels are preferred;
• At least 4x 3.5" bays without having the HDD showing between the MOBO and front panel;
• White color preferred;
• USB 3.2 gen 2 in the front.

With all of that, I decided to go with the https://pcpartpicker.com/product/bnzkcf/phanteks-eclipse-p600s-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-ec600pstg_wt01

I love its aesthetics, the fact that it supports 3x140mm fans in the front, 3x140 in the top, and 1x140 in the back, and checks my other boxes. It also performed very well in benchmarks for acoustics and cooling capabilities. In addition, love the fact that all my storage would be properly hidden behind the MOBO shield or beside the PSU.

 

[$205] PSU: My bare minimum is a 750W due to the RTX3080, but that being said, I wanted to future proof myself and go two steps more (+200W) thinking of upgrading after ~5-6 years without having to change the PSU - these things last an eternity. Not to mention that having a few Watts more would allow me to overclock without a heavy conscience and would put me in a good point in the PSU efficiency curve. Also, I don't believe I'd ever been SLIing, so no need for humongous Wattages here...In addition to that, I went for strong brands and 80+ gold at least. Looking at the prices I chose https://pcpartpicker.com/product/nQJkcf/corsair-hx-platinum-1000w-80-platinum-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-cp-9020139-na which right now is $205 so I think it's a very good price. If its price increases, I would go for the 1200 W version which is $250.

 

[$92] Case cooling: These were my guidelines:

• All 140mm fans (allow for better noise levels, which was one of the factors for picking the case);
• I wanted some white light coming from them in the upper-back part of the case;
• Having the sum of inflow CFMs being higher than the outflow CFMs sum.

The case comes with 3x140mm non-led and non-PWM (3pin) fans. I intend to leave them all in the front, however, I saw that they are not very strong/efficient -- unfortunately, I found very little data for them. Would love if some could provide numbers on them. With that, I decided put the radiator (280mm) on the front in a push-pull config, while having one of the 140mm slots with only the stock fanThat would allow me to have 5 inlet fans in the front, but with a non-extraordinary individual performance. To balance it I decided to have 3x140mm in the rear/top of the case, having decided to go with the https://pcpartpicker.com/product/ycH48d/corsair-co-9050046-ww-970-cfm-140mm-fan-co-9050046-ww

With that, I would have 3 strong outlet fans vs 5 average inlet fans, which certainly would give me a very good airflow in terms of displaced volume, and hopefully a positive pressure environment. In addition, it would complete my white but sober build.

Also, I didn't want to put any outlet fans in the top-front position of the case since I believe it actually acts against the cooling efficiency (exhausting cool air before it refrigerates anything).

 

[$300] Monitor: I'm still thinking a lot about this one. I'm already a little over budget so I didn't want to spend too much, that being said, my minimum specs from what I think would suit me (and I could be very wrong here, so please comment on that) are:

• 144Hz+
• 2K+
• 27"+
• Low response time
• G-sync

With all of that, I found this, which seems to be a very good cost-benefit: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LFRzK8/acer-xv272u-pbmiiprzx-270-2560x1440-144-hz-monitor-xv272u-pbmiiprzx

 

In addition to all of these main parts, I also picked some smaller ones, but I don't think it's worth mentioning. For the full list of parts, please visit: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JLdycT

 

My main open questions:

- Should I save money on my main NVMe using a $100 Crucial P5 or so?

- Do you have data on the Phanteks stock fans?

- Is 27" too small for gaming? I also think that going too big would make me have to move my head a lot while gaming, so wouldn't be ideal, but maybe a 32" would be a better sweet-spot? Would you have any specific monitor suggestions around this price range?

 

Comments are very well appreciated!

Hope I also help someone with their thought process.

 

Best

[SupaKomputa]

Quote

4x16 usually outperforms 2x32 in gaming

2x is less problematic than x4. the speed might be reduced with full slots.

 

- Should I save money on my main NVMe using a $100 Crucial P5 or so?

If you have money go for 970. Or maybe the new 980 (pcie 4.0).

 

- Is 27" too small for gaming?

27 is the ideal size (for me), you can also opt for an ultrawide 34" 21:9 ratio (27 height equivalent).

 

5900x will be available at november, don't miss it.

[Flessa]

Thank you, @SupaKomputa.
I'll take a look at these Ultrawide 34"
Havea nice week

[brob]

I'd suggest using low cost NVMe drives. The performance difference is not noticeable.

 

Fans are easily added. I'd suggest starting with just the three case and two aio fans. Personally, I would mount the aio on the lower front as intake and move the case fans to the top as exhaust.

 

WD Blue hdd are sub optimal for use in a RAID array. Spend more and get hdd designed for use in RAID arrays such as Seagate IronWolf / Pro, WD Red / Pro.

 

Consider a motherboard with three or more m.2 connectors. Also consider using NVMEe drives instead of SATA ssd.

 

Consider using a separate NAS box for backup. Isolation from the pc provides additional protection.

 

Seasonic has a new series of Prime PX (platinum) and TX (titanium) units. Availability seems poor at the moment, but that may change by the time you are ready to purchase.

 

FYI RAID 5 is a very poor choice for multi TB drives. (Array rebuilds can take more than 24 hours and an error during that time can result in total data loss.)

 

Don't get too hung up on memory and storage performance. If you don't have actual benchmark data, it's pointless to consider the differences. If you do have benchmark data keep in mind human perception. Differences of less than 20% when dealing with sub second timings are rarely noticeable. Such differences only make a real difference in processes running over long periods of time, e.g. rendering.

 

Most modern diy builds only require use of a Philips screwdriver.