First Real PC Build

[RAchilles47]

Budget (including currency): $500-1000 (CAD)

Country: Ontario, Canada

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Primary day-to-day use will be accessing my office PC using VPN. Additional use will be for gaming, games include: War Thunder, Battlefield, Kerbal Space Program, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and DSC World.

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):

 

I'm planning to start off using an existing GPU until I can find one for a decent. The current one I have is an NVIDIA GT 710 (I believe). I also already have a 320GB HDD with Windows 10 installed. I have the typical peripherals (mouse & keyboard) but need a monitor. Due to the budget I'm thinking I'll start with one monitor and add another along the way. I've drafted a parts list for the build so far on PC Part Picker that I'll share below (prices are in CAD).

 

Note, my CPU choice was based on a few factors, but most notably was that during my research the Intel CPU/Mobo combo was currently (as of 4/30/2021) the best value for performance compared to the AMD route. I also figured that the Intel i3-10100 has onboard graphics that may hold me over on some of the more basic games until a GPU can be obtained.

Open to any thoughts or opinions!
 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i3-10100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$154.98 @ Newegg Canada
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler	$48.95 @ iSanek
Motherboard	MSI B460M PRO-VDH WIFI Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard	$127.60 @ Vuugo
Memory	ADATA XPG SPECTRIX D60G 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$119.99 @ Amazon Canada
Storage	Corsair MP510 480 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$79.99 @ Newegg Canada
Case	Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case	$118.75 @ Vuugo
Power Supply	Gigabyte P-B 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$49.99 @ Canada Computers
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$700.25
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-30 17:54 EDT-0400

 

[Dutch_Master]

Consider upgrading to an i5 or even i7 if that fits in your budget. Assuming those have onboard graphics as well. Also, consider a low(er) tier used GPU.

[whm1974]

8 minutes ago, Dutch_Master said:

Consider upgrading to an i5 or even i7 if that fits in your budget. Assuming those have onboard graphics as well. Also, consider a low(er) tier used GPU.

Yes both the i5 and i7 have iGPUs.

[SorryBella]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i5-11400 2.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$234.99 @ Memory Express
CPU Cooler	FSP Group Windale 4 60 CFM CPU Cooler	$57.91 @ Amazon Canada
Motherboard	Asus PRIME B560M-A Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard	$137.50 @ Vuugo
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$99.99 @ Memory Express
Storage	Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$124.99 @ Amazon Canada
Case	Deepcool MATREXX 55 MESH ATX Mid Tower Case	$49.99 @ Canada Computers
Power Supply	Corsair CXF 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$109.50 @ Vuugo
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$814.87
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-30 18:15 EDT-0400

 

[CT854]

57 minutes ago, RAchilles47 said:

The current one I have is an NVIDIA GT 710 (I believe).

You're better off with integrated graphics than a GT 710. That card is made for people who either need additional ports for many monitors, or people who run chips with no iGPU.

 

1 hour ago, RAchilles47 said:

I also already have a 320GB HDD with Windows 10 installed.

I'd just do a clean install on the SSD and copy over important data from that HDD. Boot times really are different between the two.

 

Do you have any preference in monitor resolution? I'm assuming at your budget you'll be okay with 1080p. Do you have any size limitations for the display (e.g. <27")?

[RAchilles47]

23 minutes ago, CT854 said:

You're better off with integrated graphics than a GT 710. That card is made for people who either need additional ports for many monitors, or people who run chips with no iGPU.

Perfect, this is good to know, I wasn't sure if there were any value in keeping this card. I'll just use the iGPU for a bit, at least until the market (hopefully) cools down a little.

 

23 minutes ago, CT854 said:

I'd just do a clean install on the SSD and copy over important data from that HDD. Boot times really are different between the two.

Yeah, the plan was to have the SSD run the OS and install the games on the HDD. Not sure if that's actually doable, but I think I heard somewhere from someone that it is, lol. Recently installed an SSD on my laptop and was impressed with the significant difference in boot times.

 

23 minutes ago, CT854 said:

Do you have any preference in monitor resolution? I'm assuming at your budget you'll be okay with 1080p. Do you have any size limitations for the display (e.g. <27")?

I was looking for at least 1080p, I'm not sure really what hertz is significantly noticeable (especially for a passive gamer). No size limitations but I was thinking of just going with whatever is the best value at the time. Hoping to include at least the first monitor int the initial budget with the secondary monitor being added later outside of the original budget (much like the GPU).

[CT854]

27 minutes ago, RAchilles47 said:

Yeah, the plan was to have the SSD run the OS and install the games on the HDD. Not sure if that's actually doable, but I think I heard somewhere from someone that it is, lol. Recently installed an SSD on my laptop and was impressed with the significant difference in boot times.

Absolutely doable, though 320GB of HDD space is a bit lean. Still, perfectly doable. If I were you, though, I would only hook up the intended boot drive when first installing Windows, to avoid accidentally overwriting the HDD, then hooking up the HDD afterwards to transfer the data.

 

28 minutes ago, RAchilles47 said:

I was looking for at least 1080p, I'm not sure really what hertz is significantly noticeable (especially for a passive gamer). No size limitations but I was thinking of just going with whatever is the best value at the time. Hoping to include at least the first monitor int the initial budget with the secondary monitor being added later outside of the original budget (much like the GPU).

I was one of the people who didn't realize I had to manually set my monitor frequency to >60Hz out the box... I'm not sure how much of a difference I actually see, but I absolutely felt a difference going from 1080p60 to 1080p144. If it's in your budget, I'd stretch it to 144Hz. But 60Hz is perfectly good too. Not sure how comfortable I am recommending an actual display, but those are my thoughts.

 

Also, another thing to consider -- what kind of GPU would you want once prices come down? You may need to swap our your PSU depending on what you'd want to get, because 450W is plenty for your current setup, but it may limit your options for GPU upgrade paths. Also, a 3-year manufacturer warranty on a PSU (which is how long the warranty on that PSU is) is on the relative low end, so that's something to consider as well.

[RAchilles47]

25 minutes ago, CT854 said:

Also, another thing to consider -- what kind of GPU would you want once prices come down? You may need to swap our your PSU depending on what you'd want to get, because 450W is plenty for your current setup, but it may limit your options for GPU upgrade paths. Also, a 3-year manufacturer warranty on a PSU (which is how long the warranty on that PSU is) is on the relative low end, so that's something to consider as well.

I'm currently leaning towards either a GT 1030 or GTX 1660. The 1660 is what I'm currently running on my office PC (for CAD, GIS, and modelling) with no issues. Noticed another computer at work had the GT 1030 and seemed to run similar tasks fine.

 

2 hours ago, SorryClaire said:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i5-11400 2.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$234.99 @ Memory Express
CPU Cooler	FSP Group Windale 4 60 CFM CPU Cooler	$57.91 @ Amazon Canada
Motherboard	Asus PRIME B560M-A Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard	$137.50 @ Vuugo
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$99.99 @ Memory Express
Storage	Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$124.99 @ Amazon Canada
Case	Deepcool MATREXX 55 MESH ATX Mid Tower Case	$49.99 @ Canada Computers
Power Supply	Corsair CXF 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$109.50 @ Vuugo
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$814.87
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-30 18:15 EDT-0400

 

I'm actually really digging the parts on this list. Even the case seems to get better airflow and the PSU seems to have enough buffer to accommodate a GPU's in the future.