First Mid-tier PC Build

[PoltatoPC]

Hello guys! This is my first time building a PC and my first time on LTT forums. I have made a build list on PCPartPicker.com which I posted on r/buildapc. The two versions that I have are the revised ones of my original build list.

 

Budget (including currency): ~$1100 USD (can go higher, but not by much)

Country: United States

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: General school work (shouldn't be an issue), using Adobe products (Illustrator, Animate, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, etc.), and gaming (RDR2 for example) at a decent (45+ fps) framerate.

Other details:

• Existing Parts: A 1080p monitor with a 75Hz refresh rate and a pair of decent USB speakers.
• Peripherals: Included in list
• Upgrading from: 2012 MacBook Pro
• When you're going to buy: Sometime in August
• What resolution and refresh rate you want to play at: 1080p at 75Hz

1st version: 

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/PoltatoPC/saved/dg6z6h

 

2nd (slightly more expensive) version:

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/PoltatoPC/saved/3jzcHx

 

What do you guys think of this build, and is it possible to improve it? Thanks a lot!

[Chris Pratt]

The second build is *much* better overall. The RAM is more appropriate: 3000MHz is way too slow for a 3700X. It also has a better PSU. The first build's PSU is lackluster at best.

 

That said, it seems you lost the AIO in the second build, so are you planning to use the stock cooler instead with that one? The Wraith Prism is decent enough. It's a little noisy, but it should be fine overall. I'd personally still try to get a better air cooler, at least, but that can happen later on.

[adarw]

i suggest buying a better mobo with wifi and take out the wifi adapter  also take a look at the used market someties theres great deals oh and you might find a better gpu like a 1060 6gb or 1070 for cheaper than that 1650

[Downkey]

You can probably get an RX 570/ GTX 1060 for around 200 - 250 soon.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($397.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S redux 70.75 CFM CPU Cooler  ($49.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($105.38 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power XPOWER Turbine RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR400 (w/ODD) MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA B5 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Redragon K552 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G502 HERO Wired Optical Mouse  ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $912.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-07-19 17:00 EDT-0400

[PoltatoPC]

1 hour ago, Chris Pratt said:

The second build is *much* better overall. The RAM is more appropriate: 3000MHz is way too slow for a 3700X. It also has a better PSU. The first build's PSU is lackluster at best.

Thanks for the advice! The RAM and PSU I had on the first build were cost saving measures, but now that you said it, I'll switch the RAM. For the PSU though, how much of a difference would it truly make using the Supernova (80+ Gold) vs B5 (80+ Bronze)? Searching on the internet, I got mixed results.

 

Quote

That said, it seems you lost the AIO in the second build, so are you planning to use the stock cooler instead with that one? The Wraith Prism is decent enough. It's a little noisy, but it should be fine overall. I'd personally still try to get a better air cooler, at least, but that can happen later on.

I could integrate the AIO from the first build into this second one, though that would push the price up to $1175.

[PoltatoPC]

30 minutes ago, adarw said:

i suggest buying a better mobo with wifi and take out the wifi adapter  also take a look at the used market someties theres great deals oh and you might find a better gpu like a 1060 6gb or 1070 for cheaper than that 1650

Thanks for the suggestion! Though, the only GPUs I could find with those chipsets were over $1000 (if they weren't sold out completely).

 

Or do you mean buying the GPUs themselves on the used market?

[PoltatoPC]

25 minutes ago, Downkey said:

You can probably get an RX 570/ GTX 1060 for around 200 - 250 soon.

How soon are we talking about?

 

25 minutes ago, Downkey said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($397.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S redux 70.75 CFM CPU Cooler  ($49.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($105.38 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power XPOWER Turbine RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR400 (w/ODD) MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA B5 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Redragon K552 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G502 HERO Wired Optical Mouse  ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $912.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-07-19 17:00 EDT-0400

Thanks for this parts list! I'll take a closer look at this with regards to what I currently have

[Chris Pratt]

5 minutes ago, PoltatoPC said:

how much of a difference would it truly make using the Supernova (80+ Gold) vs B5 (80+ Bronze)?

I haven't used the B5, and decent reviews are frustratingly difficult to find, which is sort of the problem. The Supernova is a known quantity. It's not the best PSU for sure, but it's decent enough. I used one myself for a year for a 3700X and then a 5900X. I did end up replacing it with a Corsair RM850x, but that was because 1) I wanted more wattage and 2) it was holding me back a bit on my efforts to tweak the most performance out of my 5900X. There was no actual problems with it, though.

 

PSU quality does actually matter. I mean all your really need is something reliable enough to not set your house on fire (which can't be said of all PSUs out there sadly), but even running stock, a lesser PSU can still hurt your performance, and if you want to push things, be it your CPU, RAM, or GPU, PSU quality will come into play real quick. I wouldn't roll the dice on it.

[PoltatoPC]

6 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

I haven't used the B5, and decent reviews are frustratingly difficult to find, which is sort of the problem. The Supernova is a known quantity. It's not the best PSU for sure, but it's decent enough. I used one myself for a year for a 3700X and then a 5900X. I did end up replacing it with a Corsair RM850x, but that was because 1) I wanted more wattage and 2) it was holding me back a bit on my efforts to tweak the most performance out of my 5900X. There was no actual problems with it, though.

 

PSU quality does actually matter. I mean all your really need is something reliable enough to not set your house on fire (which can't be said of all PSUs out there sadly), but even running stock, a lesser PSU can still hurt your performance, and if you want to push things, be it your CPU, RAM, or GPU, PSU quality will come into play real quick. I wouldn't roll the dice on it.

Thank you very much for this info! Considering this, I'll switch from the B5 to the Supernova, considering it's only a $15 increase in price for increased performance (if there comes a time when I have an extremely heavy load). However, with all of the amendments to my build, the price is steadily creeping towards $1200.

[PoltatoPC]

1 hour ago, Downkey said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($397.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S redux 70.75 CFM CPU Cooler  ($49.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($105.38 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power XPOWER Turbine RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR400 (w/ODD) MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA B5 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Redragon K552 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G502 HERO Wired Optical Mouse  ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $912.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-07-19 17:00 EDT-0400

There are two potential issues/incompatibilities that I just noticed with this build:

Quote

Warning! Some AMD B550 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vermeer CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions.

Quote

Note: The EVGA B5 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply length of 150mm is within the Cooler Master MasterBox NR400 (w/ODD) MicroATX Mid Tower Case maximum of 325mm, but exceeds the recommended length of 140mm. Please verify that the connector locations on the power supply will not interfere with the structure of the case.

Are these going to be causes for concern?

[Chris Pratt]

The first one is nothing to worry about. B550 came out before Zen 3. Newer boards off the line will support it out of the box, but there's always a chance you'll get one that's been on the shelf for a while and has an older BIOS revision that doesn't.

 

If you don't have an older AMD CPU lying around, you might want to try to find a board that has flashback. That will let you do a BIOS update off a USB drive without a CPU installed. It's a nice to have anyways, as you can basically always update the BIOS worry free. If you brick it because of a power outage or something, flashback lets you reflash.

 

Worst case scenario, though, AMD will actually provide you with a CPU you can use to do the update. You'll just have to wait on snail mail for it.

 

The second one is tougher. The case probably set a minimum for a reason, so you might have issues fitting the PSU with all the cables attached. 140-150mm is a pretty standard ATX PSU length, though, so it might be hard to find an alternative that won't have issues without going with a different form factor like SFX. Those tend to be more expensive.

[Kronion]

Whether you need to perform a BIOS update or not, depends on the date the board was manufactured and what version of the BIOS is installed on it. It is possible to update the BIOS without a CPU or RAM installed in the board (and the process ist pretty painless - at least it was for me anyway).

[Chris Pratt]

3 minutes ago, Kronion said:

Whether you need to perform a BIOS update or not, depends on the date the board was manufactured and what version of the BIOS is installed on it. It is possible to update the BIOS without a CPU or RAM installed in the board (and the process ist pretty painless - at least it was for me anyway).

* If the board has flashback.

[Kronion]

The MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI does have it.

[ebprince the computer nerd]

11 hours ago, PoltatoPC said:

Hello guys! This is my first time building a PC and my first time on LTT forums. I have made a build list on PCPartPicker.com which I posted on r/buildapc. The two versions that I have are the revised ones of my original build list.

 

Budget (including currency): ~$1100 USD (can go higher, but not by much)

Country: United States

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: General school work (shouldn't be an issue), using Adobe products (Illustrator, Animate, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, etc.), and gaming (RDR2 for example) at a decent (45+ fps) framerate.

Other details:

• Existing Parts: A 1080p monitor with a 75Hz refresh rate and a pair of decent USB speakers.
• Peripherals: Included in list
• Upgrading from: 2012 MacBook Pro
• When you're going to buy: Sometime in August
• What resolution and refresh rate you want to play at: 1080p at 75Hz

1st version: 

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/PoltatoPC/saved/dg6z6h

 

2nd (slightly more expensive) version:

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/PoltatoPC/saved/3jzcHx

 

What do you guys think of this build, and is it possible to improve it? Thanks a lot!

i feel like 512gb is a little too small so maybe try and get a 500gb+ hdd or a bigger ssd and for the graphics card try and get a rx 570 or 580 or a 1650 g6 or 1650 super but overall pretty good (also forgot please at least get 3200mhz for ram)

[Somerandomtechyboi]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WJJJLP

Maybe something like this?

 

Use the igpu for now and wait for gpu prices to come down abit, overclock the igpu via intel xtu and overclock the ram to 3600mhz or higher and if you wish you can tweak the ram timings

 

You may wish to upgrade to a z590 ud for ocing and extra features