Dark Xmas

FoxHunter · December 20, 2021

First post in really long time.

Well, it's time to update my dad's PC. He uses for day-to-day activities, so it's a low-end PC. My focus here is longevity, his last rig lasted 10 years (if not for security reasons and Windows 11, it could have lasted longer). I basically took PCPartPicker's Budget Home/Office Build guide with what he already had and made it my own guide/build.

His previous PC specs were:

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3 GHz Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) DDR3-1333 CL9 Memory
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) DDR3-1333 CL9 Memory
Storage: Intel 330 Series 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: Cooler Master MasterWatt 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply

Wired Network Adapter: TP-Link TG-3468 PCIe x1 1 Gbit/s Network Adapter (faulty MB ethernet chip )
Custom: ORICO USB3.0 5-Port PCI-E Expansion Card with Dual Chip (PVU3-5O2I-V1)

So, as you can see, a 10 year old PC with a great Case (from my old Personal Rig) and a recently bought PSU (the previous one was an Corsair CX430, which failed after 10 years of use). +4GB were added a few years later when I felt only 4GB were bottlenecking his system, matched specs with the one already in it.

Parts Selection

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

CPU: Intel Core i3-10105 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI B560M PRO-VDH WIFI Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory
Storage: Kingston KC2500 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: Cooler Master MasterWatt 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply

CPU

I wanted to wait for Intel's Alder Lake Core i3, but he needs a PC right now. For a brief moment I considered going with an Pentium Gold, but staying on 2C/4T might not survive the next 10 years.

The only reason I chose the i3-10105 and not the 10100 was only 5 bucks more for 100MHz faster and a black cooler, to keep the aesthetics, even if there isn't a window to show it, I care about that in any build.

CPU Cooler

Intel's Stock black cooler, it's quite and more than enough for that CPU.

Motherboard

I could have cheaped out $20-30 bucks here, but I wanted a B560 motherboard because of Memory Overclocking. The must have features were Memory OC on 10th gen CPUs confirmed by the manufacture, 2 or more Case Fan headers, and Bluetooth so my father can connect his phone and his wireless Headphones.

Memory

I like to select memory with First World Latency of 10ns or less. 4GB might have been fine, but as I see Windows getting more memory use as time goes on, so than, I first decided to go with 8GB, but it would feel empty to put only one Stick in a Motherboard with 4 Memory Slots, so I wanted memory with 2 Sticks. Prices for 2x4GB memory are only 5-10 bucks cheaper than 2x8GB, so it doesn't make sense getting them. I had to choose between a Silicon Power 3200Mhz CL16 kit that looked cheap or spend $5 more on a G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 3600MHz CL18 kit. Well...

Storage

Even though, PCP's guide recommends a 500GB NVME SSD, my father didn't even fill half of his old 120GB SATA SSD, so I could cheap out a few dollars on a 250GB-ish SSD. This Kingston KC2500 was on sale and is a tier higher in LTT's SSD Tier List than the "best bang for the buck" WD SN570. I didn't want to go with a 2.5" SATA SSD for clean aesthetics, using only two power cables for the entire build.

GPU

He only plays Solitaire, watch videos on YouTube, Social media, and live sports in streaming services. The Intel UHD 630 is more than capable to deliver that at 1080p 60Hz when hardware acceleration is enabled.

Power Supply

80 Plus Bronze efficiency, Semi-Modular, Whisper quiet Fan, 5 year Warranty, Reputable Brand, and it doesn't explode. I believe it will last the next 10 years without any problems just like the previous one.

Case

Good construction quality, great airflow. Legendary Case.

The Build