Forgotten much about computers.

[whm1974]

Due to not having to build a new Rig since June 2013. I did lose Track of what is current far as decent but lower cost hardware to get. how do I read up on this subject? Basically which the best sites I can read about this.

 

Thanks Guys

[An0maly_76]

I don't necessarily know of a place to read up on it, but obviously, it comes down to what is the best hardware combination for whatever budget you might have. It's kinda like building a race car, the faster you want to go, the more it's gonna cost. At some point you have to question what's worth it and what's not. My recent build was done purely from a bang for the buck standpoint, focusing more on a high-tier processor with staying power for the future and a decent GPU for gaming. What you plan to do figures greatly into hardware choice, of course, but so does budget.

 

Quick and dirty, hardware prices have gotten insane in the past couple years, only fluctuating a bit for the most part, while some stuff has come down. Everyone will have their opinions about this and that, these are mine.

 

Rumors are that the RTX4000 series GPUs are coming soon, and AMD has been teasing an AM5 platform, but to be frank, I wouldn't wait for it. They've boasted 5.5Ghz, and some are getting that from existing stuff. They've also blown one tentative release date either have or are about to blow another. I suspect they're having production issues or have discovered some serious flaw like cooling or something. I can't really speak on Intel, I'm not that knowledgable about them. Read: I'm autistic and can't make sense of model numbers because I can't retain how to decode them.

 

IMO, unless you are a YouTuber that streams or uploads gameplay, anything over an RTX3060ti or RTX3070 is way overpriced and not worth it. What some were asking for 3080tis and 3090s when I built mine, I built an entire machine. Of course, I regard RGB as nice for ambience and temp monitor, but I don't go crazy with it.

 

If you go Ryzen, they are funny about RAM, and do not seem to like Corsair at all from recent posts. I find Crucial Ballistix to be best for Ryzen, but regardless of processor choice, be sure the RAM you use is suitable for the CPU and board. DDR4-3200 is pretty much the bang-for-the-buck standard these days, but not all processors can handle it. Many Ryzens are actually stated as 2933 max. That said, I have been running 3200 in a 1700 for about a year. It runs, but occasionally seems to act strangely. Also, do not take '5000-series ready' as gospel on motherboards if you go that route. There are still quite a few folks showing up with a brand-new 5600X or 5800X with a "5000-ready" motherboard that won't boot until the BIOS is updated -- and if the board does not support USB flashing, an older CPU supported by the current BIOS must be used to do it.

 

A word of caution on the 5000-series Ryzens and any other processor with the potential for running over 60-70C (may not be official, but my recommendation), pay attention to the board and look for nice, big heat sinks surrounding the processor socket, or other indications of VRM cooling -- this is critical for avoiding serious issues and even board / CPU damage. To illustrate, my 5900X idles 38-43C, moderately loads 58-65C and my heaviest use usually peaks around 70-72C, but it can reach upwards of 76-87C under full load, PBO dependent. Most newer 'X' Ryzens have Precision Boost Overdrive that can activate turbo frequencies when needed. Intel has similar technology as well. Some processors support it, others don't. And it's not as effective on some processors as others, either.

 

Cooling is paramount on anything with a TDP higher than 65W. I have a Scythe Mugen 5 and six Corsair 120s on my 5900X, so don't let anyone tell you liquid cooling is required -- I also use a case that probably isn't the best for airflow -- the 4000X Corsair, which has about 34 square inches of intake area. But it still delivers okay cooling given the platform I use. I regard liquid cooling as a headache to set up and an even bigger one when troublehsooting is needed, but if you go this route, be aware that not all setups are created equal, and some are much worse quality than others. Pump failures are somewhat common, going by the rash of such posts I see here. Corsair's iCUE cooling management is clutch - they have a temp monitor setup for RGB control that is quite handy as an early warning system.

 

A newer advancement you want to look for is the M.2 form factor NVME drives. These are about the size of a stick of gum and mount to a port on the motherboard. Not all boards have the necessary slot, but most do. Be aware you want the B+M key for these, there is an E-key that is meant for wi-fi cards (another option you might consider, but personally I prefer a USB dongle, they're plenty fast for the most part and easily replaceable if they have problems. These range from 120GB to 2TB, but prices and speed are all over the place. The nice thing about these is that they put the boot drive on the motherboard, leaving room for more auxiliary storage where space is at a premium.

 

For bang-for-the-buck, I would generally recommend the WD Blue SN570, maybe the WD Black SN770 if you absolutely have to have that extra 0.5-1.5 second it takes to load a game. I can see where it would pay off with a game that relies heavily on reading data, but they are horrendously expensive, about $150 on average more than a comparable SN570. They run hotter under extended write processes also. The difference is that most are PCIE3.0, the faster, more expensive ones are PCIE4.0, which may become a standard in the future, but I just don't see it being worth the money yet. DDR5 is being pushed, but is not a standard yet, and I see prices on that going way up when it is.

 

Bottom line, you can build a pretty solid Zen3 gaming setup for under $2500 these days, and AMD has said the AM4 platform isn't going anywhere anytime soon. So for budget gaming, I'd recommend a 5600X, either a GTX1660ti or RX6600 (whichever performance level you must have or can live with), and 16 / 32 GB of DDR4-3200, on a B550 board, preferably with good VMR cooling, should you want to upgrade to a 5800X or 5900X later, and at least a 650W-750W PSU.

 

That said, do your research. If you're into serious gaming, don't waste time with anything less than 6 cores, 8 is better, I have 12. I would also recommend at least an RTX2080ti / RTX2090 / RTX3060ti / RTX3070, and depending on your obsession for perfection, a monitor in the 144-165hz range. Alternately, an AMD RX6600 XT or better would be okay, but I've heard about some issues concerning drivers or compatibility with certain games or something. Perhaps someone else will chime in here. Also, for serious gaming with the GPUs mentioned here, don't bother with any less than 750W PSU, and look for those with 105C rated capacitors.

 

My build is a 4000X Corsair case, Corsair RM850x PSU, Ryzen 9-5900X on an Asus TUF Gaming B550-PLUS board, 32GB of DDR4-3200 Crucial Ballistix, and an Asus KO-RTX3060ti-8GB-OC. Air-cooled with the aforementioned cooling setup, it scores better than expected on Cinebench R23, as does my previous 1700 with the same RAM, MSI B450M Bazooka board and Asus TUF Gaming GTX1650S-4GB-OC. So while CPU and GPU performance are best matched, if there is a bottleneck, you're better off being GPU-bound, this will help the processor run cooler, and leaves room for the processor to do other things if necessary.

Edited June 19, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised, more info

[whm1974]

1 hour ago, An0maly_76 said:

I don't necessarily know of a place to read up on it, but obviously, it comes down to what is the best hardware combination for whatever budget you might have. It's kinda like building a race car, the faster you want to go, the more it's gonna cost. At some point you have to question what's worth it and what's not. My recent build was done purely from a bang for the buck standpoint, focusing more on a high-tier processor with staying power for the future and a decent GPU for gaming. What you plan to do figures greatly into hardware choice, of course, but so does budget.

 

Quick and dirty, hardware prices have gotten insane in the past couple years, only fluctuating a bit for the most part, while some stuff has come down. Everyone will have their opinions about this and that, these are mine.

 

Rumors are that the RTX4000 series GPUs are coming soon, and AMD has been teasing an AM5 platform, but to be frank, I wouldn't wait for it. They've boasted 5.5Ghz, and some are getting that from existing stuff. They've also blown one tentative release date either have or are about to blow another. I suspect they're having production issues or have discovered some serious flaw like cooling or something. I can't really speak on Intel, I'm not that knowledgable about them. Read: I'm autistic and can't make sense of model numbers because I can't retain how to decode them.

 

IMO, unless you are a YouTuber that streams or uploads gameplay, anything over an RTX3060ti or RTX3070 is way overpriced and not worth it. What some were asking for 3080tis and 3090s when I built mine, I built an entire machine. Of course, I regard RGB as nice for ambience and temp monitor, but I don't go crazy with it.

 

If you go Ryzen, they are funny about RAM, and do not seem to like Corsair at all from recent posts. I find Crucial Ballistix to be best for Ryzen, but regardless of processor choice, be sure the RAM you use is suitable for the CPU and board. DDR4-3200 is pretty much the bang-for-the-buck standard these days, but not all processors can handle it. Many Ryzens are actually stated as 2933 max. That said, I have been running 3200 in a 1700 for about a year. It runs, but occasionally seems to act strangely. Also, do not take '5000-series ready' as gospel on motherboards if you go that route. There are still quite a few folks showing up with a brand-new 5600X or 5800X with a "5000-ready" motherboard that won't boot until the BIOS is updated -- and it the board does not support USB flashing, an older CPU supported by the current BIOS must be used to do it.

 

A word of caution on the 5000-series Ryzens and any other processor with the potential for running over 60-70C (may not be official, but my recommendation), pay attention to the board and look for nice, big heat sinks surrounding the processor socket, or other indications of VRM cooling -- this is critical for avoiding serious issues and even board / CPU damage. To illustrate, my 5900X idles 38-43C, moderately loads 58-65C and my heaviest use usually peaks around 70-72C, but it can reach upwards of 76-87C under full load, PBO dependent. Most newer 'X' Ryzens have Precision Boost Overdrive that can activate turbo frequencies when needed. Intel has similar technology as well. Some processors support it, others don't. And it's not as effective on some processors as others, either.

 

Cooling is paramount on anything with a TDP higher than 65W. I have a Scythe Mugen 5 and six Corsair 120s on my 5900X, so don't let anyone tell you liquid cooling is required -- I also use a case that probably isn't the best for airflow -- the 4000X Corsair, which has about 34 square inches of intake area. But it still delivers okay cooling given the platform I use. I regard liquid cooling as a headache to set up and an even bigger one when troublehsooting is needed, but if you go this route, be aware that not all setups are created equal, and some are much worse quality than others. Pump failures are somewhat common, going by the rash of such posts I see here. Corsair's iCUE cooling management is clutch - they have a temp monitor setup for RGB control that is quite handy as an early warning system.

 

A newer advancement you want to look for is the M.2 form factor NVME drives. These are about the size of a stick of gum and mount to a port on the motherboard. Not all boards have the necessary slot, but most do. Be aware you want the B+M key for these, there is an E-key that is meant for wi-fi cards (another option you might consider, but personally I prefer a USB dongle, they're plenty fast for the most part and easily replaceable if they have problems. These range from 120GB to 2TB, but prices and speed are all over the place. The nice thing about these is that they put the boot drive on the motherboard, leaving room for more auxiliary storage where space is at a premium.

 

For bang-for-the-buck, I would generally recommend the WD Blue SN570, maybe the WD Black SN770 if you absolutely have to have that extra 0.5-1.5 second it takes to load a game. I can see where it would pay off with a game that relies heavily on reading data, but they are horrendously expensive, about $150 on average more than a comparable SN570. They run hotter under extended write processes also. The difference is that most are PCIE3.0, the faster, more expensive ones are PCIE4.0, which may become a standard in the future, but I just don't see it being worth the money yet. DDR5 is being pushed, but is not a standard yet, and I see prices on that going way up when it is.

 

Bottom line, you can build a pretty solid Zen3 gaming setup for under $2500 these days, and AMD has said the AM4 platform isn't going anywhere anytime soon. So for budget gaming, I'd recommend a 5600X, either a GTX1660ti or RX6600 (whichever performance level you must have or can live with), and 16 / 32 GB of DDR4-3200, on a B550 board, preferably with good VMR cooling, should you want to upgrade to a 5800X or 5900X later, and at least a 650W-750W PSU.

 

That said, do your research. If you're into serious gaming, don't waste time with anything less than 6 cores, 8 is better, I have 12. I would also recommend at least an RTX2080ti / RTX2090 / RTX3060ti / RTX3070, and depending on your obsession for perfection, a monitor in the 144-165hz range. Alternately, an AMD RX6600 XT or better would be okay, but I've heard about some issues concerning drivers or compatibility with certain games or something. Perhaps someone else will chime in here. Also, for serious gaming with the GPUs mentioned here, don't bother with any less than 750W PSU, and look for those with 105C rated capacitors.

 

My build is a 4000X Corsair case, Corsair RM850x PSU, Ryzen 9-5900X on an Asus TUF Gaming B550-PLUS board, 32GB of DDR4-3200 Crucial Ballistix, and an Asus KO-RTX3060ti-8GB-OC. Air-cooled with the aforementioned cooling setup, it scores better than expected on Cinebench R23, as does my previous 1700 with the same RAM, MSI B450M Bazooka board and Asus TUF Gaming GTX1650S-4GB-OC. So while CPU and GPU performance are best matched, if there is a bottleneck, you're better off being GPU-bound, this will help the processor run cooler, and leaves room for the processor to do other things if necessary.

Thanks. I to read this about three times so I'm clear about what you posted. Is SeaSonic is still good to get? I have a 550w Gold 80%+ made by that company. I needed I can post the Model. 

[An0maly_76]

1 hour ago, whm1974 said:

Thanks. I to read this about three times so I'm clear about what you posted. Is SeaSonic is still good to get? I have a 550w Gold 80%+ made by that company. I needed I can post the Model. 

Models and other specifics are usually good to research with others. Most seem to think SeaSonic is good. Corsair has had some quality issues lately, and Ryzens don't seem to like their RAM, but I'm quite happy with my 4000X case and RM850x so far. Amazon offers 3 and 4 year protection plans on most electronic parts, so it's like getting a three or four-year warranty for peanuts.

Edited June 18, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised, more info

[whm1974]

1 hour ago, An0maly_76 said:

Models and other specifics are usually good to research with others. Most seem to think SeaSonic is good. Corsair has had some quality issues lately, and Ryzens don't seem to like their RAM, but I'm quite happy with my 4000X case and RM850x so far. Amazon offers 3 and 4 year protection plans on most electronic parts, so it's like getting a three or four-year warranty for peanuts.

Thanks for telling me this. Now since I am starting to buy some Computer hardware from Amazon, I'll Consider those Plans.

[Beerzerker]

If you have some real budget concerns and need to cut a corner or two a 3rd gen Ryzen is still a good choice, trick is finding one for a fair price.
Not long ago I picked up a used Ryzen 9 3950X for $350 in a different forum (TPU) and it's been a good chip, runs cool and does all I need it to. Of course with any chip like it cooling is very important so don't skimp on that regardless of what you get. Also, it doesn't have to be a 9 series, the lesser cored chips like a 3600 are good too and has plenty of power in itself, that model is a 65W chip so it will use less power and be easier to cool.
Same can be said for boards and so on.

To get something that's "Good" doesn't always need to be the absolute newest but at the same time I can understand why one would want to go that way with a build and it's not like I haven't before myself.
Go with what you want or can afford and be happy.

[whm1974]

7 hours ago, Beerzerker said:

If you have some real budget concerns and need to cut a corner or two a 3rd gen Ryzen is still a good choice, trick is finding one for a fair price.
Not long ago I picked up a used Ryzen 9 3950X for $350 in a different forum (TPU) and it's been a good chip, runs cool and does all I need it to. Of course with any chip like it cooling is very important so don't skimp on that regardless of what you get. Also, it doesn't have to be a 9 series, the lesser cored chips like a 3600 are good too and has plenty of power in itself, that model is a 65W chip so it will use less power and be easier to cool.
Same can be said for boards and so on.

To get something that's "Good" doesn't always need to be the absolute newest but at the same time I can understand why one would want to go that way with a build and it's not like I haven't before myself.
Go with what you want or can afford and be happy.

Thanks. After I got my Disability I built a rather nice Rig. Given it's age(2013),  Perhaps I shouldn't leave it on all the time. Make the Rig last longer.

[Beerzerker]

Same here about disability, got what was going to do the job without spending too much on it.

In your case I know it's about the economics for such because I'm in that boat too so every penny has to count. I don't really know what your planned use for it would be but, at least in my case the 3950X was a good buy.

It does all I expect, does it well and was cheap enough to get for what it is. This chip should last me for a long time with it's capabilities and the fact it's a 16 core/32 thread chip means it's not going to suffer from a lack of cores/threads anytime soon.

Even a 3900 with 12 cores/24 threads would have been enough here but saw the chip I got with it's price and went for it - Glad I did.

BTW I noticed for some reason the 3000 series chips are just as, if not more expensive than the 5000 series chips are for what you get.
Can't hurt to shop around anyway but that's what I've seen as of late.

Compared to what one is vs the other a 5000 series is the better buy hands down in any case except if you find one cheap like I did.

If cost of operation is a concern (Power bill), a standard chip with a 65W rating is probrably what you'd need.
A 5700 or 5800 Ryzen for example are 8 core/16 thread chips with the 5700 rated for 65W's, the 5800 at 105W so that's something to think about. The cost of these (New) aren't that expensive (Esp the 5700) but at the same time a 5600 is cheaper, has a 6 core/12 thread count and perfect for regular desktop use. Both verisons of a 5600 (X and non-X) are rated for 65W, plus if you shop around you can find these for around or even below $200 depending on what you shop for - A 5500 Ryzen is even cheaper with the same basic spec's except for stock clockspeed/boost speeds. 

And of course the Ryzen 5000/9 series chips are the most expensive ones and have a 105W power draw rating with the same core/thread counts as their 3000 series counterparts based on which one you look at.
With the expense I've seen about the 3000 series, a 5000 series chip is clearly the way to go here if buying new.

Up to you because you know what you'd need before I would but figured I'd lay all that out for you if going with a 5000 Ryzen.

[An0maly_76]

I'd say so. When it comes to PSUs, seems everybody is having some form of quality control issue these days. I see a lot of people recommend SeaSonic that may be more versed in some things than I, so I would venture a guess it should be okay. I don't really see any posts saying they're bad.

[AkikoKumagara]

On 6/18/2022 at 5:19 PM, An0maly_76 said:

Ryzens don't seem to like their RAM

I believe this is usually the motherboard or limitations thereof rather than the CPU itself.

I've not seen evidence to convince me otherwise.

[An0maly_76]

17 minutes ago, AkikoKumagara said:

I believe this is usually the motherboard or limitations thereof rather than the CPU itself.

I've not seen evidence to convince me otherwise.

I don't claim to be the expert, I just know I've seen a ton of people having issues with Ryzens crashing and glitchy video, and every one was running Corsair RAM. Though not impossible, RAM speed limitations were not likely to be an issue. I have Crucial Ballistix in my 1700 and my 5900, and neither have those sort of issues. One has an MSI B450M Bazooka, which I won't even go into the fiasco surrounding that when it came to upgrades. One need only search "Corsair RAM Ryzen crash" on this forum to see the pattern in what I'm referring to.

Edited June 20, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised, more info

[whm1974]

On 6/19/2022 at 9:39 PM, An0maly_76 said:

I'd say so. When it comes to PSUs, seems everybody is having some form of quality control issue these days. I see a lot of people recommend SeaSonic that may be more versed in some things than I, so I would venture a guess it should be okay. I don't really see any posts saying they're bad.

I have a SeaSonic G550. Before I built my Rig in 2013, the nice Posters over at Ars Technica advised me to get A SeaSonic as they as Reliable at the Time. The Reason I went to 550 Watt instead of 450W. It seems that Gamers Nexus and PSU Manufacturers are having a major Beef over dGPU Tansients due to Nvidia's RTX 3000 and 4000 Series.

 

Gamers Nexus mostly takes the side of PSU Makers. Watch this to know more:

 Didn't know what Tansients were until I watched that.

[An0maly_76]

The thoughts put forth in that video are exactly why I bought an 850W PSU. I don't play with stuff like that. But I'm starting to wonder if perhaps the 850W isn't enough for the startup surge load. In light of this and my random startup fails, maybe I need a bigger one. It sure seems to be related to the GPU being seated properly, though.

Edited June 28, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised, more info

[whm1974]

1 hour ago, An0maly_76 said:

The thoughts put forth in that video are exactly why I bought an 850W PSU. I don't play with stuff like that. But I'm starting to wonder if perhaps the 850W isn't enough for the startup surge load. In light of this and my random startup fails, maybe I need a bigger one.

Stuff like this is simply outrageous. No one should have to get overpowered PSUs to ensure their DIY Computer works correctly. I don't even know how Watts a standard wall outlet can put out to begin with.

[saintlouisbagels]

11 hours ago, whm1974 said:

Stuff like this is simply outrageous. No one should have to get overpowered PSUs to ensure their DIY Computer works correctly. I don't even know how Watts a standard wall outlet can put out to begin with.

It's not about how many watts a standard outlet provides, but the maximum amperage a circuit will allow before the circuit breaker trips. A common US household is comprised of 15-amp and 20-amp circuits. You don't necessarily need to worry about tripping circuits because things like a microwave (600W-1200W) or a blender (500W-1500W) will certainly draw more power than your desktop computer, so if those kinds of devices aren't giving you electrical issues, your desktop likely isn't.

 

"Overpowered" is a pretty relative term. There are calculators online that will help you determine power draw of a computer. However it is always advised to go for a higher wattage PSU than required because there are performance peaks where the system will momentarily draw way more power. In a general sense, it's always nice to have a lot of headroom in a PSU because the PSU will usually have better power efficiency and you don't want it constantly working near its limit all the time.

[Beerzerker]

8 minutes ago, hippocheese14 said:

It's not about how many watts a standard outlet provides, but the maximum amperage a circuit will allow before the circuit breaker trips. A common US household is comprised of 15-amp and 20-amp circuits. You don't necessarily need to worry about tripping circuits because things like a microwave (600W-1200W) or a blender (500W-1500W) will certainly draw more power than your desktop computer, so if those kinds of devices aren't giving you electrical issues, your desktop likely isn't.

 

"Overpowered" is a pretty relative term. There are calculators online that will help you determine power draw of a computer. However it is always advised to go for a higher wattage PSU than required because there are performance peaks where the system will momentarily draw way more power. In a general sense, it's always nice to have a lot of headroom in a PSU because the PSU will usually have better power efficiency and you don't want it constantly working near its limit all the time.

This is something I've been saying for years!

Headroom for a PSU over expected power demands from the system is a GOOD thing.
I normally base it on what I expect the system to demand for power and usually overspec the wattage by about 20% of the total calculated power demand of the system. 
Point is if your PSU is already running at 100% or close to it's rated wattage it's running hard period, even if there is no real demand from the system for power above normal use.
It's never a good idea to have any electrical device running like that (100% load rating) on a constant basis, instead the nominal load is about 80% of capacity for best efficiency but you can go even larger with a PSU to ensure enough wattage capability if you want.

PSU's don't cram power into a system at the wattage it's rated for, it's wattage rating only means it's capable of supplying that much power if there is demand for it.
I'm running a 1600W with this one myself yet I'm probrably using somewhere around 400-500W max for most anything I do and haven't seen any difference in the power bill over it.

[whm1974]

16 hours ago, hippocheese14 said:

It's not about how many watts a standard outlet provides, but the maximum amperage a circuit will allow before the circuit breaker trips. A common US household is comprised of 15-amp and 20-amp circuits. You don't necessarily need to worry about tripping circuits because things like a microwave (600W-1200W) or a blender (500W-1500W) will certainly draw more power than your desktop computer, so if those kinds of devices aren't giving you electrical issues, your desktop likely isn't.

 

"Overpowered" is a pretty relative term. There are calculators online that will help you determine power draw of a computer. However it is always advised to go for a higher wattage PSU than required because there are performance peaks where the system will momentarily draw way more power. In a general sense, it's always nice to have a lot of headroom in a PSU because the PSU will usually have better power efficiency and you don't want it constantly working near its limit all the time.

 

16 hours ago, Beerzerker said:

This is something I've been saying for years!

Headroom for a PSU over expected power demands from the system is a GOOD thing.
I normally base it on what I expect the system to demand for power and usually overspec the wattage by about 20% of the total calculated power demand of the system. 
Point is if your PSU is already running at 100% or close to it's rated wattage it's running hard period, even if there is no real demand from the system for power above normal use.
It's never a good idea to have any electrical device running like that (100% load rating) on a constant basis, instead the nominal load is about 80% of capacity for best efficiency but you can go even larger with a PSU to ensure enough wattage capability if you want.

PSU's don't cram power into a system at the wattage it's rated for, it's wattage rating only means it's capable of supplying that much power if there is demand for it.
I'm running a 1600W with this one myself yet I'm probrably using somewhere around 400-500W max for most anything I do and haven't seen any difference in the power bill over it.

Well my concern here has to do more with increased cost. As higher wattage PSUs are more pricey then lower ones are. By the time I build a new rig, I will need a new PSU.

[saintlouisbagels]

11 hours ago, whm1974 said:

Well my concern here has to do more with increased cost. As higher wattage PSUs are more pricey then lower ones are. By the time I build a new rig, I will need a new PSU.

If you can't afford a good PSU, then you can't afford the rig. The PSU will outlast most things on the build, whereas cheaping on an underpowered one sounds like an expensive risk. Although I'm not telling you to buy a 1600W. I personally use a 850W PSU for my 8700K, RTX 2080 Super build.

[whm1974]

On 6/29/2022 at 11:47 AM, hippocheese14 said:

If you can't afford a good PSU, then you can't afford the rig. The PSU will outlast most things on the build, whereas cheaping on an underpowered one sounds like an expensive risk. Although I'm not telling you to buy a 1600W. I personally use a 850W PSU for my 8700K, RTX 2080 Super build.

Thank You. I already been doing what you describing when I build new Rig. It is what I did in 2013 with my current Rig. That is good advice to give.

 

I'm not buying anywhere near the highest end dGPU. I'm on a fixed income, so I can't anyway. So I don't need extremely high Wattage PSUs.

[clementishutin]

There is lots of stuff online, on websites and on youtube as well.

 

[whm1974]

3 hours ago, clementishutin said:

There is lots of stuff online, on websites and on youtube as well.

I do read and watch stuff online about Building Computers. And GPUs.

[Beerzerker]

I'd have to guess a 750W, possibly a 850W would be the ticket in your case to ensure it's big enough and have a good shot at a long life without it being too big or expensive.
There is also the thing it can possibly to be used in a later upgrade build as well but that in itself depends on how long you plan on using this build when it's ready to go. 
A good quality PSU can go on average for 10 years or a little more before their age starts catching up with them.

I'll reiterate you really don't want the unit screaming along at 100% or close all the time, it's not good for anything electrical to be in a constant state of stress or heavy load, that's why I said earlier about 80% of the expected load it's going to handle is nominal.
A larger unit of course would have an easier time of it and chances are would last until the unit's components themselves start going bad due to sheer age, not from "Wear and tear" on them.

Thing here is I don't know what you are going to build, from what I can tell you haven't decided on the exact components to use just yet.
May have to do as I have to as well these days, buy it in pieces and assemble it all once you have everything.

Up to you on how to approach it.

[whm1974]

On 7/1/2022 at 9:07 AM, Beerzerker said:

Thing here is I don't know what you are going to build, from what I can tell you haven't decided on the exact components to use just yet.
May have to do as I have to as well these days, buy it in pieces and assemble it all once you have everything.

Up to you on how to approach it.

Well I do want to keep up with this Topic, I'm also catching with Shows I watch online due some of them have long times between Episodes.

 

I did in fact built my first Rig doing exactly what you are describing. Which Vendor(s) are you buying from?

[whm1974]

Sorry guys, I have developed interest in other things besides Computers and related Tech. Such as cooking, eating new foods, getting some exercise.

[saintlouisbagels]

2 hours ago, whm1974 said:

Sorry guys, I have developed interest in other things besides Computers and related Tech. Such as cooking, eating new foods, getting some exercise.

Good for you. You should always try to be a well-balanced person.

I don't know how old you are, but definitely keep up with exercise while you're still young and mobile. Cheers.