Long Time Watcher, First Time Builder (AUD)

[Frunk]

Budget (including currency): $3000-$3500 AUD

Country: Australia

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Old school games*, light photo/video editing, web browsing (tabssss), media consumption. Double/eventually-triple-monitor set-up.

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): 

 

Hi everyone,

 

First off, thanks for taking the time to read my thread, which adds to the myriad of similar threads here. 

 

I have been laptop-based my entire life. My most recent setup was a Dell XPS 17 which died unexpectedly 2 weeks ago, reportedly due to motherboard death. For a machine I bought in mid-2020 for over $4000 AUD, pretty awful ROI. Dell have been unable to source the replacements part(s), which I understand. Their contact has been poor though. Sadly I only took a year's worth of support when I bought it. A costly mistake which I will not be making again. I wonder if I might have any rights as a consumer to pursue them for, but I doubt it. Anyway, I need a PC for general life as well as some (currently very basic) photo/video editing I do, which is paid work. This workload may become more demanding in the future.

 

Pretty steep learning curve for me to come up with a parts list, as I've only been casually interested in PC building and did not intend to/expect to be diving into it for a few more years at least (thanks again, Dell). I am fortunate when it comes to budget, and while I have a certain aesthetic in mind, I don't want to overlook/overthink things. I'm sure there's a lot of knowledge I lack as I've spent basically the last 2 weeks trawling website articles and YouTube, like I'm cramming for a high school test. 

 

*I only play old school stuff like Total War circa 2000's at the moment, but I may like to delve in to more modern, demanding games if/when I find the time to game at all. I have no interest in overclocking. I am keen to buy a higher refresh rate monitor down the road, but for the time being I'm using a Xiaomi Mi 34" 144 Hz monitor along with a basic Lenono ThinkVision 23.8" panel. Maybe something like a Gigabyte M28U, but again that's for down the road.

 

I have no allegiances to brands. I started off with a build based on a 5800X and a 6700XT, but got put off by some feedback elsewhere about the medium term future of AM4 builds. 

 

CPU: Intel Core-i5 12600K ($419, click & collect)

GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Aorus Master Rev 2.0 ($1,099 + $6 postage)

MOBO: Asus ROG Strix Z690-A Gaming ($517.66, Amazon Prime)

RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SL 3600 CL18 White 4x16 ($438, click & collect)

PSU: Corsair HX Platinum 1000W ($250, click & collect)

SSDs: Will take the 2 M.2 drives out of my dead laptop - can find the specs if it's relevant. May add some 2.5" drives for cheap storage as an aside.

OS: Windows 11 
 

CPU cooler: Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO White ($79.99, Amazon Prime)

Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 White ($239, click & collect)

Case fans: Arctic P14 PST White x 7 ($98 + $6 postage)
Thermal compound: not sure, help!

Fan controller: Do I need one? 

 

Running total for the above is $3023.71. I can stretch from here by a bit if it really improves things. Hoping to buy & build within the next few weeks.

It's hard to not get caught up on the negative reviews you come across on any part. I've seen some issues with the motherboard, and it's expensive for my needs. A big part of it is the aesthetic, I'll be honest. White with a bit of black thrown in by the GPU. I like RGB, but don't feel like I need RGB case fans unless I can get them quite cheap. The case can take 9 fans and comes with 3 stock.

 

Feel free to have at it. I am a noob, but I can handle any real talk you're willing to share. Thanks so much.

 

Frunk

[lyricalosu]

i would recommend going ryzen 5600x for the price, and getting b500 a-pro from msi (155 aud on amazon). you do not need a 1000 w psu. instead get a 750w corsair cx psu for about 75 aud (on amazon). if you are video editing, then 64gb is fine but if its not really your main plan, go with a 32gb 3600mhz 2x16 kit. also wait for cheaper prices for ur gpu, 700-850 aud is good for a 3070 but not 1000. everything else should be fine

[GhostRoadieBL]

PCPartPicker Part List: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/kxRLPX

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($539.00 @ Umart) 

CPU Cooler: Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX 75 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($275.00 @ Amazon Australia) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z690 GAMING X DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($289.00 @ Amazon Australia) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SL 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($215.00 @ I-Tech) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SL 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($215.00 @ I-Tech) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB LHR 10 GB FTW3 ULTRA GAMING LHR Video Card  ($1499.00 @ BPC Technology) 

Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($219.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Power Supply: Corsair RM (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($158.00 @ BPC Technology) 

Case Fan: Corsair iCUE SP RGB ELITE 47.73 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack  ($84.00 @ Skycomp Technology) 

 

Total: $3493.00 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-15 02:20 AEST+1000

 

Leaned a little more into the budget,

3080 for not much more than that 3070 but FTW3 looks great in any build and is a top performer. It has a huge led strip to turn white and match the build

360mm AIO covers 3 of your fans in the top of the case saving cost overall if you were to go with 7 good fans and a big tower cpu cooler.

12700k vs 12600k isn't a huge improvement in gaming but worth it for the video editing, looks like the F sku of each is within a few $ so the igpu is a nice to have for troubleshooting in the off chance you need it.

 

If you needed to save a few $ from the build I would start with dropping one pair of ram sticks, then 3070ti($1199 for FTW3) instead of 3080, then 12600k vs 12700k.

Would be https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/gxWVcb with 3070ti and 32gb ram

 

Cooler comes with the commander pro module to plug all the fans and rgb into for software control. It's not needed if you use fan splitters off the Motherboard but definitely a quality of life improvement for cabling.

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by GhostRoadieBL
Double checked the aio comes with the controller

[Jeppes]

I would'nt spend that much for that usage. Even a 3070 is bit wasteful if you dont play a lot of new more demanding games.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($539.00 @ Umart)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler  ($99.00 @ Centre Com)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($212.00 @ I-Tech)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($186.99 @ Amazon Australia)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 LHR 8 GB VISION OC Rev 2.0 Video Card  ($799.00 @ JW Computers)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A ATX Mid Tower Case  ($87.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A-GF 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($109.00 @ Centre Com)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($6.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($6.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $2043.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-15 03:12 AEST+1000

[ExpiredPancake]

36 minutes ago, Jeppes said:

I would'nt spend that much for that usage. Even a 3070 is bit wasteful if you dont play a lot of new more demanding games.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($539.00 @ Umart)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler  ($99.00 @ Centre Com)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($212.00 @ I-Tech)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($186.99 @ Amazon Australia)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 LHR 8 GB VISION OC Rev 2.0 Video Card  ($799.00 @ JW Computers)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A ATX Mid Tower Case  ($87.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A-GF 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($109.00 @ Centre Com)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($6.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($6.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $2043.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-15 03:12 AEST+1000

Good part selection here, this build will get you great performance without overspending. I'd just recommend going with the 12700F instead of the 12700K. It's within margin of error of the K, especially if you go with a B series board and can't overclock anyway and saves you a little extra. 

[GhostRoadieBL]

4 hours ago, Jeppes said:

I would'nt spend that much for that usage. Even a 3070 is bit wasteful if you dont play a lot of new more demanding games.

PCPartPicker Part List

 

It's a nice part list for performance, just doesn't match the OP's requirements for the build

"A big part of it is the aesthetic, I'll be honest. White with a bit of black thrown in by the GPU. I like RGB, but don't feel like I need RGB case fans unless I can get them quite cheap"

 

[Frunk]

14 hours ago, mrekk said:

i would recommend going ryzen 5600x for the price, and getting b500 a-pro from msi (155 aud on amazon). you do not need a 1000 w psu. instead get a 750w corsair cx psu for about 75 aud (on amazon). if you are video editing, then 64gb is fine but if its not really your main plan, go with a 32gb 3600mhz 2x16 kit. also wait for cheaper prices for ur gpu, 700-850 aud is good for a 3070 but not 1000. everything else should be fine

Good point on the PSU. I wasn't sure what I might need. The price of a Corsair HX Platinum was pretty close in the 750W - 850W - 1000W range (like $50 IIRC), so I decided to just go the 1000W. Probably makes sense to downgrade. I'd heard on one of the many videos I watched that a 20% overhead is worthwhile, and PC Part Picker says my estimated wattage is 508W, so 750 should be plenty? 

I could get an Asus Radeon RX 6700 XT ROG Strix Gaming OC for $899, but then I'd have to change up the motherboard and such of course. $1100 for the 3070 is a stinger, though.

13 hours ago, GhostRoadieBL said:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/kxRLPX

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($539.00 @ Umart) 

CPU Cooler: Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX 75 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($275.00 @ Amazon Australia) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z690 GAMING X DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($289.00 @ Amazon Australia) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SL 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($215.00 @ I-Tech) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro SL 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($215.00 @ I-Tech) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB LHR 10 GB FTW3 ULTRA GAMING LHR Video Card  ($1499.00 @ BPC Technology) 

Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($219.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Power Supply: Corsair RM (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($158.00 @ BPC Technology) 

Case Fan: Corsair iCUE SP RGB ELITE 47.73 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack  ($84.00 @ Skycomp Technology) 

 

Total: $3493.00 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-15 02:20 AEST+1000

 

Leaned a little more into the budget,

3080 for not much more than that 3070 but FTW3 looks great in any build and is a top performer. It has a huge led strip to turn white and match the build

360mm AIO covers 3 of your fans in the top of the case saving cost overall if you were to go with 7 good fans and a big tower cpu cooler.

12700k vs 12600k isn't a huge improvement in gaming but worth it for the video editing, looks like the F sku of each is within a few $ so the igpu is a nice to have for troubleshooting in the off chance you need it.

 

If you needed to save a few $ from the build I would start with dropping one pair of ram sticks, then 3070ti($1199 for FTW3) instead of 3080, then 12600k vs 12700k.

Would be https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/gxWVcb with 3070ti and 32gb ram

 

Cooler comes with the commander pro module to plug all the fans and rgb into for software control. It's not needed if you use fan splitters off the Motherboard but definitely a quality of life improvement for cabling.

 

Awesome post, thanks GhostRoadie! 

 

3080 looks so sweet. Bit of a premium, I might be able to stretch to. Just need to check my pockets, haha. I could get the Asus Prime Z690-P for around the same price as that motherboard as I'd like Wi-Fi, but I gotta be honest I think I'm getting my heart set on the ROG Strix. Someone else's build has the Meshify 2 and that motherboard and it just looks so much better to me than other motherboard colour schemes (even silver/grey/black). 

 

Great idea to grab the cooler and get the Commander Pro with it for RGB fans. Looks really great, and I'd be struggling to understand what I needed to control all that RGB until you suggested it. I already have a Corsair keyboard and use iCue with it, so that works well.

 

Also really handy to know what priorities I could take with the $ saving if I need to. It would be pretty easy to get more RAM later and I might even get a deal if I set up some price alerts. Definitely gonna look at the 12700K & 12700F (thanks ExpiredPancake as well). 

12 hours ago, Jeppes said:

I would'nt spend that much for that usage. Even a 3070 is bit wasteful if you dont play a lot of new more demanding games.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($539.00 @ Umart)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler  ($99.00 @ Centre Com)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($212.00 @ I-Tech)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($186.99 @ Amazon Australia)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 LHR 8 GB VISION OC Rev 2.0 Video Card  ($799.00 @ JW Computers)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A ATX Mid Tower Case  ($87.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A-GF 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($109.00 @ Centre Com)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($6.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($6.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $2043.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-15 03:12 AEST+1000

11 hours ago, ExpiredPancake said:

Good part selection here, this build will get you great performance without overspending. I'd just recommend going with the 12700F instead of the 12700K. It's within margin of error of the K, especially if you go with a B series board and can't overclock anyway and saves you a little extra. 

Thanks Jeppes! Any reason you'd recommend that particular PSU and that CPU cooler? 

 

Nice looking 3070. Out of stock on all the links though it seems. Will look around.

 

Whilst I don't game much currently, I would like to in the near future. Even curious about doing some video capturing of my Total War games. Not to shift the goal posts, but as long as I have something which I could easily upgrade in the future for a use-case like that, that'd be awesome.