Productivity build

[TudorFinalBosz]

Budget (including currency): 1000$ / 800€

Country: Romania

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Productivity mostly (programming, web development, Adobe suite work), some occasional gaming but not very recent or demanding titles (LoL, AOE3)

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i5-11600K 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor	$254.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-L9x65 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler	$54.95 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Asus PRIME Z590M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard	$174.99 @ ASUS
Memory	Kingston HyperX Fury 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$94.99 @ Best Buy
Case	Deepcool Gamer Storm MACUBE 310 ATX Mid Tower Case	$64.99 @ B&H
Power Supply	SeaSonic FOCUS 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$105.97 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$750.88
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-29 07:53 EDT-0400

I came back with an actual build.

 

My initial budget was 1k bucks and still is, but I thought I don't have to spend it all and I could save some remainder for maybe finding some older midrange GPU (like a GTX 1050 Ti) still in stock somewhere, so that at some point I can have graphics capabilities above just iGPU stock levels, without having to pay the current insane prices.

 

I don't care that much about gaming, but having a GPU can make a difference in programs like Photoshop, which can use some hardware acceleration, and whatever graphics capabilities come with the i5 (either in the generation 10 or gen 11 version, so either UHD Graphics 630 or UHD Graphics 750) might still be much too poor compared to an actual GPU, even an older one like a GTX 1050 ti. At least that's what GPU benchmarks show. A dedicated GPU also comes with dedicated VRAM, so that the system's RAM won't get used by graphics, like it happens with integrated graphics.

 

Initially I made a build with the 10600K which was 50 bucks cheaper, but with this motherboard there are compatibility issues, it disables the m2 slot if it doesn't use a Rocket Lake CPU. So I replaced it with the 11600K to fix this.

I didn't include storage, because I'll be using the SSD and HDD I already have from the previous system. Planning on adding more storage later.

 

There's one small issue here, the board is micro ATX and the case is ATX, so it might leave some space on the lower side where the power source will be placed. That might not be so bad, because the case has a hard drive cage below the area where the board is mounted, so it might allow for more space for airflow and for cable management. I think I saw a micro ATX version of this case somewhere, but can't find it here in the local store I'm planning to buy from.

Also, I'm not sure if that cooler will allow enough clearance for the RAM modules, but I could replace it with another one, no problem.

 

PS. The list was made on the US version of the PCPartPicker site, just to give you an idea, but the total cost of this build will be a bit higher here (about 100 bucks more), due to different import taxes, business markup and shipping fees.

 

Interested in hearing some feedback on this build.

 

[Downkey]

Unless you plan on Overclocking, i'd just go with a 11500, around 1 - 2% slower than the 11600K in gaming and productivity

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i5-11500 2.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	$214.95 @ B&H
Motherboard	ASRock B560 Pro4 ATX LGA1200 Motherboard	$122.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Kingston HyperX Fury 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$94.99 @ Best Buy
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P360A ATX Mid Tower Case	$69.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	MSI 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$89.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$592.91
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-29 08:35 EDT-0400

 

[brob]

The cpu cooler should not infringe on the memory area. However it would not be an appropriate choice if you want to overclock the cpu.

 

The case can accommodate cpu coolers up to 165mm tall.

 

The case looks like it might not have very good airflow. It only comes with 1 fan. In my opinion most cases of this design should have at least two fans. One intake and one exhaust.

 

Are there no ATX motherboards available that meet your needs?

[TudorFinalBosz]

@brob

The mobo suggested by Downkey, ASRock B560 ATX, might be a good fit for this build. It costs more than what I used in my build, but the discount it had when I made the build seems to be gone now so now it costs even more than the ASRock from that build.

 

Well, this Deepcool case is one of the few cases I could find that doesn't have RGB stuff on it. I wanted a case that looks plain, black and doesn't have features I don't plan on using, like lots of frontside bays with a removable cover. I've seen some cool ones made by Fractal, but they were overengineered and had too many features I wouldn't use. So it made no sense to pay for stuff I had no use for.

 

 

[TudorFinalBosz]

Hm well, B560 boards don't allow OC, so I'll have to find another Z590 that doesn't run the costs too high.

[brob]

An mATX board just looks a little odd in an ATX case. Other than that, it works. If it makes sense budget wise and you don't particularly care about the odd look, stay with it.

[TudorFinalBosz]

@brob

Nah, you're right, it would look odd. I picked that mATX one because it was discounted, so it was the cheapest Z590 I could find. But now that the discount is gone, I don't have much choice than to pay more but at least I'll get a normal ATX board.

 

I'm currently considering ASUS PRIME Z590-A, but I think I could also wait and see if they make some new discounts on some of them.

Basically what I want from a motherboard for this build is:

- Z590 chip

- ATX

- Display Port and HDMI ports, because I won't have a GPU for some time and I need to connect two monitors

- no wifi, because I have router

- USB-C ports

- not too many audio outputs, because I won't use them, I have external audio interface through USB port, so I don't want to pay for features I won't use

- a good set of expansion slots

- preferably no RGB stuff

 

The Asus Prime looks like an interesting one, but it's a bit pricey at $279:

[brob]

The trend is to fewer expansion slots on less expensive motherboards. You need to define your current needs for this aspect.

 

MSI Z590 MAG Torpedo or Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus might be suitable. If you want a lower cost motherboard, check out the MSI Z590-A Pro.

 

Lighting and WiFi can usually be turned off.

[TudorFinalBosz]

@brob

The ASUS is really nice. I see that in the US it costs about 240 dollars. Here it costs 336 dollars.

The MSI seems to be fine too, it costs 250 here. But it's one of those mobos without an I/O back plate. Not sure if that's a good idea, it might allow dust to get in.

[brob]

10 hours ago, TudorF said:

@brob

The ASUS is really nice. I see that in the US it costs about 240 dollars. Here it costs 336 dollars.

The MSI seems to be fine too, it costs 250 here. But it's one of those mobos without an I/O back plate. Not sure if that's a good idea, it might allow dust to get in.

 

Only higher-end motherboards come with a built in I/o shield. Those without will include a shield in the box. (The shield is mounted on the case before the motherboard his mounted.) If you look near the bottom of the specifications section of a motherboard's web page you will see the I/o shield on the list of package contents.