Build Help/Question/Advice

[ArkTheConfused]

Not sure if this belong in troubleshoot or here, sorry. 

 

Hi guys, I'm new to building a PC. I was here a few weeks ago, because I was stuck for hours on how to update a BIOS, and people kept telling me conflicting information, but anyways fast forward to now. I've almost have all the parts delivered just waiting for the motherboard. This is what I'm working with: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BF3WbK, and would use some advice on how to build it. Assume I already have everything bought. I've also have some question, and if you could please dumb it for me. Sorry, I'm pretty anxious on building my first.

 

1. To what version should I update my BIOS to, and if it's a higher version to what step/order should I do it in and how?

 

2. How do you know if a CPU already has thermal paste or a sticker on it? I was checking out the Wraith stealth that came with my new CPU, and couldn't tell it looked muddy.

 

3. How would I know if my parts are good quality and now DoA that I keep hearing people talk about?

 

4. Does the physical condition of a motherboard matter? I order two B550 Tomahawk, one from Amazon "Good" condition, and one from a 3rd Party "Like New" condition with low rating. I've already got the Amazon one, it's looks pretty new as far as I can tell. Some of the black square chip have some pink and white splatter on them. Other than that it looks pretty normal, as for 3rd Party I haven't gotten it to comment.

 

5. So I got the 120mm Antec RGB Spark, and it does not come with a hub. I would like to buy a Fan Hub to make it look nice, but not sure which one. Don't RGB fan have two plug, one for RGB and one for Fan speed, so that be like 6 plug in.

 

 

 

 

[An0maly_76]

First, if you want good quality, you get what you pay for.

 

Secondly, building a PC is like building an engine. If you want performance, performance parts are going to inherently be more expensive. And just like it doesn't make sense to use stock grocery-getter cooling on a 700-hp fire-breather, speed = heat, heat needs cooling and not all cooling is equal.

 

You selected a 5600X. Good CPU, but being a Ryzen 5000-series, needs good cooling as well. I recommend the Scythe Mugen 5 or Noctua NH-15.

 

Motherboard - B550 boards are generally better for Ryzen. However, I've had bad experience with MSI. If you'd like to know more, PM me. I used the Asus TUF B550-PLUS with my build. The Tuf B550-PRO offers USB 3.2 support, the PLUS does not, my one regret on my build - Not the board's fault.

 

RAM - Good choice - I have a 2x16 (32GB) in my 5900X build. You can get 32GB for $113 on Amazon right now, so why not?

 

Storage - I would highly recommend an M.2 for increased performance. The Western Digital WD Blue SN570 is about the best bang for the buck.

 

GPU - The 1650 Super is an okay GPU, but better suited to a four-core processor and could bottleneck the 5600X somewhat. I might recommend an upgrade here, budget permitting.

 

Case - Looks okay for cooling, a consideration with the 5600X. I have a Corsair 4000X that is quite similar.

 

PSU - My previous rig had a 500W 80+Bronze PSU and it did okay. Asus TUF is decent. But you might consider 80+ Gold for future upgrades.

 

Fans - If you're truly on a budget, why not forego RGB on the fans and use that towards other things? RGB is kinda cool, but at the end of the day, it does nothing for performance.

[ArkTheConfused]

18 minutes ago, An0maly_76 said:

- Snip -

I know nothing of building an engine, especially anything about cars. Can't even tell a Honda from a Hyundai. My budget is $200-300 And I'm using a Ryzen 5 4600g. Majority of the parts were order 1-2 weeks ago. And I only wanted to transfer my Pre-Built for future upgrade, before actually upgrading main components.

 

CPU - I had a Ryzen 5 4600G at the time, before I had order the Ryzen 5 5600X.

 

CPU Cooler - Was suggested by other since it was $20, this is the cooler to be exact. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FDWPCWZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Motherboard - Yes, I was originally going to get the ASUS Board since they were cheaper, but they did not support the Ryzen 5 4600G, so I got the Tomahawk instead which I heard good thing about.

 

RAM - Transferring over from HP Pre-Built.

 

Storage - Transferring over from HP Pre-Built.

 

GPU - Transferring over from HP Pre-Built.

 

Case - Was also suggested since it was on sale at the time.

 

PSU - Was also suggested since it was on sale. I had wanted to get the EVGA BQ one, but was told it's call BBQ for a reason.

 

Fans - Saw case reviews, and was said it would be better to have 3x fan than 2x. I got the RGB, because the Cooler was RGB. Didn't just want a single thing to glow so yeah...

 

And my questions? I'll also write down what you said for when I start getting better parts.

[Jonathan Lee]

1 hour ago, ArkTheConfused said:

1. To what version should I update my BIOS to, and if it's a higher version to what step/order should I do it in and how?

1. Go to mob manufacturer's website and look for your mobo

2. Look under support -> drivers and downloads -> BIOS

3. Select latest non-beta version

4. Download to USB (make sure it's not in folder)

5. Plug USB into mobo where it says USB Flash

6. Hold button near that USB port until it starts blinking

7. Do not power off/touch computer until light is off

 

Here's a video on how to do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aBiTr6tpcs&ab_channel=GregSalazar

 

1 hour ago, ArkTheConfused said:

2. How do you know if a CPU already has thermal paste or a sticker on it? I was checking out the Wraith stealth that came with my new CPU, and couldn't tell it looked muddy.

The thermal paste is typically on the cooler, not the CPU itself

 

1 hour ago, ArkTheConfused said:

3. How would I know if my parts are good quality and now DoA that I keep hearing people talk about?

Check reviews made by multiple youtubers. The techtubers tend to be on agreement if something is good quality. DOA means Dead On Arrival. Means the part you received is broken before you even started using it

 

1 hour ago, ArkTheConfused said:

4. Does the physical condition of a motherboard matter? I order two B550 Tomahawk, one from Amazon "Good" condition, and one from a 3rd Party "Like New" condition with low rating. I've already got the Amazon one, it's looks pretty new as far as I can tell. Some of the black square chip have some pink and white splatter on them. Other than that it looks pretty normal, as for 3rd Party I haven't gotten it to comment.

Yes, it matters. For mobo's, there is a high risk that a used one may have broken pins in the socket which the manufacturer may not accept a return on. Stick with new if you want to be safe

 

1 hour ago, ArkTheConfused said:

5. So I got the 120mm Antec RGB Spark, and it does not come with a hub. I would like to buy a Fan Hub to make it look nice, but not sure which one. Don't RGB fan have two plug, one for RGB and one for Fan speed, so that be like 6 plug in.

RGB fans can be plugged into the motherboard directly. There is a 4 pin that goes to a fan header and an RGB pin that goes on an RGB header. You would have to refer to motherboard's manual to find where the headers are on your specific model

[ArkTheConfused]

32 minutes ago, Jonathan Lee said:

- snip -

So I'm checking the motherboard compatible bios https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B550-TOMAHAWK/support

The latest non-beta would be the 7C91vA8, so I would only this one download? It does say "Update to AMD ComboAm4v2PI 1.2.0.5" not sure if I need that update first before this one to support Ryzen 5 5600X.

 

 2. Yeah, I meant the Cooler. There's this muddy looking gray spot on cooler, not sure if this is thermal paste or a sticker. I tried peeling it, but it seem to push it out of the way and wasn't sure if it's suppose to be like this.

 

4. Well I'm on a budget and couldn't afford the new one, so I guess I'll stick with the "Like New" one, is there any telltale sign that it's a bad motherboard? I'm buy from a seller call Polytopia. They seem to sell Refurbished motherboard, not sure if that's a good sign. They have a store for Ebay, NEWEGG, and Amazon.

 

5. Can you suggest a Hub for these please? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V32FKVT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Jonathan Lee]

10 minutes ago, ArkTheConfused said:

So I'm checking the motherboard compatible bios https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B550-TOMAHAWK/support

The latest non-beta would be the 7C91vA8, so I would only this one download? It does say "Update to AMD ComboAm4v2PI 1.2.0.5" not sure if I need that update first before this one to support Ryzen 5 5600X

Yes go with that one

 

10 minutes ago, ArkTheConfused said:

Yeah, I meant the Cooler. There's this muddy looking gray spot on cooler, not sure if this is thermal paste or a sticker. I tried peeling it, but it seem to push it out of the way and wasn't sure if it's suppose to be like this.

That's the thermal paste. There really isn't a "thermal sticker". At least not one I'm aware of

 

10 minutes ago, ArkTheConfused said:

4. Well I'm on a budget and couldn't afford the new one, so I guess I'll stick with the "Like New" one, is there any telltale sign that it's a bad motherboard? I'm buy from a seller call Polytopia. They seem to sell Refurbished motherboard, not sure if that's a good sign. They have a store for Ebay, NEWEGG, and Amazon.

Not really, if it doesn't boot with working CPU and ram, then that's typically how you know it's broken

 

11 minutes ago, ArkTheConfused said:

5. Can you suggest a Hub for these please? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V32FKVT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not too familiar with fan hubs unfortunately

[ArkTheConfused]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Lee said:

So I don't need any other update step for the Bios, just the one? Sorry, I heard MoBo are easy to Brick when updating Bios. Is there a test or stress test for motherboard? 

 

[Jonathan Lee]

Not that I am aware of unfortunately. The mobo is easy to brick because the bios update cannot be interrupted. It will 100% brick if the update is interrupted before finishing

[ArkTheConfused]

19 minutes ago, Jonathan Lee said:

Not that I am aware of unfortunately. The mobo is easy to brick because the bios update cannot be interrupted. It will 100% brick if the update is interrupted before finishing

Got me scared now, my house randomly gets a blackout from time to time.

[Jonathan Lee]

hmm if that's the case, you can consider going with Intel 12th gen. The 12400 performs very close to the 5600x and has an iGPU for troubleshooting. They have some good budget offerings and you won't have to worry about BIOS updates.

 

Example build:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($207.98 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock H670 Steel Legend ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($169.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 (w/o ODD) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.00 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Asus TUF Gaming 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($60.11 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Case Fan: Antec SPARK 45.03 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.73 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Antec SPARK 45.03 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.73 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Antec SPARK 45.03 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.73 @ Amazon) 
Custom: Heich-Pea 1650 Super (Purchased)
Custom: OEM Samsung 256 GB SSD (Purchased)
Total: $645.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-03-23 19:46 EDT-0400

[GeorgeMKane]

5 hours ago, ArkTheConfused said:

Not sure if this belong in troubleshoot or here, sorry. 

 

Hi guys, I'm new to building a PC. I was here a few weeks ago, because I was stuck for hours on how to update a BIOS, and people kept telling me conflicting information, but anyways fast forward to now. I've almost have all the parts delivered just waiting for the motherboard. This is what I'm working with: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BF3WbK, and would use some advice on how to build it. Assume I already have everything bought. I've also have some question, and if you could please dumb it for me. Sorry, I'm pretty anxious on building my first.

 

1. To what version should I update my BIOS to, and if it's a higher version to what step/order should I do it in and how?

 

2. How do you know if a CPU already has thermal paste or a sticker on it? I was checking out the Wraith stealth that came with my new CPU, and couldn't tell it looked muddy.

 

3. How would I know if my parts are good quality and now DoA that I keep hearing people talk about?

 

4. Does the physical condition of a motherboard matter? I order two B550 Tomahawk, one from Amazon "Good" condition, and one from a 3rd Party "Like New" condition with low rating. I've already got the Amazon one, it's looks pretty new as far as I can tell. Some of the black square chip have some pink and white splatter on them. Other than that it looks pretty normal, as for 3rd Party I haven't gotten it to comment.

 

5. So I got the 120mm Antec RGB Spark, and it does not come with a hub. I would like to buy a Fan Hub to make it look nice, but not sure which one. Don't RGB fan have two plug, one for RGB and one for Fan speed, so that be like 6 plug in.

 

 

 

 

1. It does sometimes depend on the motherboard and what their latest BIOS update was for. However, most of the time, just the latest BIOS update that's available. Sometimes it'll come on the box "Ryzen 5000 series ready" and you won't have to do anything.

 

3. DOA means dead on arrival. You won't know until you install and set up and everything, and hit the power button.

 

4. Why... Why didn't you just get new from amazon? Don't get third party either.

 

 

Thermal Paste (X Method)

 

 

[ArkTheConfused]

@GeorgeMKane Because I'm on a budget, a new board was $170 and a used one was $105 on Amazon. 

 

@Jonathan Lee Sadly I already bought everything, I only need the 2nd motherboard to get here. And a new USB since my mines just got corrupted/malfunction and window doesn't recognize it. 

 

Is this how you reply? 

[GeorgeMKane]

3 hours ago, ArkTheConfused said:

@GeorgeMKane Because I'm on a budget, a new board was $170 and a used one was $105 on Amazon. 

 

@Jonathan Lee Sadly I already bought everything, I only need the 2nd motherboard to get here. And a new USB since my mines just got corrupted/malfunction and window doesn't recognize it. 

 

Is this how you reply? 

I'm guessing they didn't read your original post, and thought you would just return everything. lol!

 

& that's okay. I mean... I would've gone used on some other components, but maybe not the motherboard, since that's like the center of everything, you know. D:

 

To answer one of your earlier questions about it, refurbished can be good or bad. Refurbished means something was wrong with the motherboard, and a fix supposedly happened. Usually I would recommend someone trust a refurbished product from an actual company... From a third party seller not so much, because you never know what kind of cheap work they did to "repair" an issue the motherboard had. Like new would mean non refurbished, but "Refurbished - Like New" means there was a problem with the motherboard that had to be fixed.

[ArkTheConfused]

@GeorgeMKane  On the condition of the 3rd Party Seller it says "Condition: Used - Like New - MSI Manufacturer Refurbished Product, 120 days MSI warranty, Comes with SATA Cable and I/O Shield." not sure if that matters or anything. If they let me return for free shipping I could try to return it and get a new mobo instead. I wanted to save some fund to get a better GPU in the future.

[ArkTheConfused]

Thanks guys, I ended up being able to make the PC. It looks pretty bad tbh, but so far no issue with the used motherboard. only big problem I see is that my mouse pointer loading thingy would blink a lot, it never did that before.