First PC build, any tips?

[Wilrik]

Budget (including currency): ~2000-2300€ 

Country: Netherlands

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Mainly photo and video editing; 3D modeling (fusion 360); gaming, although not the most heavy games, but it has to last a long time. 

Other details: At this moment, this is my idea: https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/RXtX78. I already bought the motherboard when it was for sale, so no change possible for processor socket type. This build is supposed to last for a long time (8+ years). For comparison, my laptop is already running for 8 years. After replacing the hdd for a ssd it runs a lot faster, but the processor and videocard are becoming too slow for gaming and modeling. The resolution for this new build is 1440p with a (minimum) refresh rate of 60fps. 

 

At the moment my main question is about the videocard. I have the RTX3070 in my build, but i was wondering if it is worth it to change it for the RTX3070ti, which costs €40-€70 more. Other remarks about this build are welcome too of course!

 

[Budget DIY]

Based on title: don't forget to buy zip-ties. (can't be bothered to check partspicker link) Considering you're Dutch, did Megekko get added to the NL version of partspicker? Last time I've checked, they didn't. And it's one of the most affordable larger PC components webstore.

[DoctorNick]

First of all you can save alot of money by buying a OEM key and make your own Windows USB using this: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11

You could for example buy this license: https://www.whokeys.com/software/p202110081033376633.html?currency=EUR

2nd you can save money by buying a AMD GPU with almost identical performance. Also I have put a better ssd and CPU cooler on the list:

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/J2yDv3

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€469.00 @ Amazon Netherlands) 
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (€103.50 @ Azerty) 
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 Taichi ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  (Purchased For €350.00) 
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-5200 CL36 Memory  (€165.90 @ Amazon Netherlands) 
Storage: Kingston KC3000 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (€184.90 @ Amazon Netherlands) 
Video Card: XFX Speedster QICK 319 Core Radeon RX 6750 XT 12 GB Video Card  (€474.00 @ Amazon Netherlands) 
Case: SHARKOON RGB LIT 200 ATX Mid Tower Case  (€80.00) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS PLUS 850 Gold 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€130.00) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro OEM - DVD 64-bit  (€26.90) 
Total: €1984.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-19 10:15 CET+0100

[TPCEA]

First of all, either ditch the K CPU for a lesser one, unless you plan to overclock and want the extra speed of a K processor, or ditch the GC and use the integrated GPU of the processor you chose. Or, get the KF version, which is faster, allows overclocking, but doesn't have an integrated GPU. A non-suffixed or K processor has a built-in GPU. Yes, the 3070 will be a bit better than it, but I doubt it's worth the price difference (opinion) Alt: get an F CPU and the 3070, unless you're expected that you'll need the redundancy of the integrated GPU AND a GC (i.e. you expect that the GC will die, in which case why get it?).

Also, for the price you're paying for the GC, you could get a BETTER AMD GC, like my XFX Speedster Swift 319 RX 6800 XT.

Again, if you're not going to overclock, you don't need the Z690 mobo. Realistically, how many M.2, PCIe and USB ports will you need? Look at alternatives in the B660 or H670 categories.

 

I'd suggest something other than Kingston, Adata and PNY. Why? Because, as Linus recently pointed out, they've all been caught rebuilding well-reviewed SSDs with cheaper parts that altered their stats - but they neither revealed this nor changed the packaging to reflect the decrease in stats. As I recall, Linus said Kingston has done this at least twice. I no longer trust them...Shades of Gateway Computers.

 

Given the work you'll be doing, that 2TB SSD will rapidly fill up. Either add more SSDs or, if you want more space and don't plan to frequently access it, add a LARGE HDD as a  backup for the files you don't need on your SSD.

 

I'm not convinced you need the AIO, especially if you're in an AC'd room. You could certainly get away with lots of fans. Want powerful fans? Get the Noctua industrialPPC 3000 RPM fans.

Not sure why you're buying RGB stuff - it isn't going to help you do your job, save you money or decrease your monthly bills. Replace all that nonsense with non-RGB counterparts.

[TPCEA]

@DoctorNickIs WhoKeys a registered Windows partner? If not, the keys are likely being sold illegally  (i.e. in violation of the contract between bulk license buyers and MS).

[JonS77]

151 bucks for a windows liscense =/? It's your money but I wouldn't do that if I were you.

 

I would swtich that AIO with an Arctice Liquid Freezer one instead.

 

Your choice of graphics card is okay. the type of gpu doesn't matter that much for Fusion 360, unless you do any other work with any other software. But as someone who does similar  work I would always just stick with Nvidia cards and drivers for stability during work. But maybe the new AMD cards have better drivers now, I wouldn't risk my personal work to put that to test tho. But they are cheaper so there is that.

 

 

[DoctorNick]

4 hours ago, RevGAM said:

@DoctorNickIs WhoKeys a registered Windows partner? If not, the keys are likely being sold illegaly  (i.e. in violation of the contract between bulk license buyers and MS).

Idk, they could be buying OEM keys straight from microsoft in bulk, this is very common you know.

[Wilrik]

Hi everybody,

 

@Budget DIYI don’t think megekko is added to the partspicker, but I used partpicker to have a quick overview for the components. The Tweakers pricewatch is also a useful tool in the Netherlands to look for the most affordable components. Zip-ties are no problem. 

 

@DoctorNick I know about the windows keys and how to make a usb, it was to have a complete overview. Regarding the GPU I prefer Nvidia for the reason @Jon-Slow mentioned and I am okay with having to pay more for Nvidia. Thank you for the CPU cooler recommendation!

 

@RevGAM Thank you for your comments. On the processor choice: The reason I chose the K over the KF version is indeed as you mentioned redundancy. No, I do not expect the GPU to die, but in case it should die, I would like to be able to continue using the system. Given that the K version is only €20,- more compared to the KF, it is a no-brainer for me.

For the storage, I know 2TB will fill up quite quick. I already own an extra SSD and I want to add a large HDD (or two) to store the files I don’t need, but didn’t add it to the build. Thank you for pointing out about the Kingston/Adata/PNY! I didn’t know about this and will look into it.  

Regarding the RGB stuff, yes I know it doesn’t add anything but I like the RGB stuff and is worth the extra cost for me. 

 

I didn't expect to get so many reactions on this. Thank you all! Enough to think about  

 

 

[venomtail]

Something like this should do the job. About 70euro more expensive than the option you went with but also all white theme. Can probs save 50-100eur if you go all black bland looking and a cheaper case. This one's meant to be a statement.

 

Reading people's comments on CPU cooling, apparently they all run hot so key is to configure the CPU rather than get a beefier cooler? You'll have to do more research to see if AK620 is enough. It at least was enough before raptor lake. 

Boohoo 4070ti but in the real world, especially if you need it for professional applications probs comes in handy actually. I'd pick an i5 4070ti over an i7 3070 pretty much always.

Get a key from a reseller. Can't see a pro one costing more than 30eur.

[TPCEA]

11 hours ago, DoctorNick said:

Idk, they could be buying OEM keys straight from microsoft in bulk, this is very common you know.

That is the point I'm asking you about. WhoKeys is located in Hong Kong, where several other illegal key sellers host their sites. There is no indication on WhoKeys that it is an MS partner, therefore the keys they sell are most likely illegal.

 

10 hours ago, venomtail said:

Get a key from a reseller. Can't see a pro one costing more than 30eur.

Windows keys for 30 euros are not legal. There is only one legit price for keys and anything that low is not.

[DoctorNick]

5 hours ago, RevGAM said:

That is the point I'm asking you about. WhoKeys is located in Hong Kong, where several other illegal key sellers host their sites. There is no indication on WhoKeys that it is an MS partner, therefore the keys they sell are most likely illegal.

 

Windows keys for 30 euros are not legal. There is only one legit price for keys and anything that low is not.

Idk where you get your information, I used to work in PC retail and 30 eur for OEM windows key's isn't uncommon. They're not meant to be sold by themselves, only with a PC, but Microsoft has no way of knowing this and that's why we see alot of OEM keys being sold by themselves. Also who cares, if they work?

[venomtail]

9 hours ago, RevGAM said:

Windows keys for 30 euros are not legal. There is only one legit price for keys and anything that low is not.

Of course they're legal, you've just paid for a key. You're gonna get a receipt and pay taxes on the purchase. If it were illegal, woudn't it be free...?

 

Sure, with these cheap keys you don't really get to move the key if you build a brand new computer as they often bind ot the motherboard but in all other sense it's a legit windows key.

If you're real cheap you can go one ebay but I've bought like 3 win 10 kes from Kinguin, always worked.

 

Of course, it's your money at the end of the day and if you so much want to, go ahead and buy a windows key straight from the microsoft store for 150euro but I'd rather have that go towards a 4070ti and use the free windows with a watermark.

[TPCEA]

1 hour ago, venomtail said:

Of course they're legal, you've just paid for a key. You're gonna get a receipt and pay taxes on the purchase. If it were illegal, woudn't it be free...?

 

Sure, with these cheap keys you don't really get to move the key if you build a brand new computer as they often bind ot the motherboard but in all other sense it's a legit windows key.

If you're real cheap you can go one ebay but I've bought like 3 win 10 kes from Kinguin, always worked.

 

Of course, it's your money at the end of the day and if you so much want to, go ahead and buy a windows key straight from the microsoft store for 150euro but I'd rather have that go towards a 4070ti and use the free windows with a watermark.

Kinguin is a known illegal seller of keys. Just because you can buy it and pay tax doesn't make it legal. Microsoft spells it out very clearly - the individual sale of bulk certificates to end-users is prohibited unless they have a partnership and their contract allows for that. The fact that Kinguin, WhoKeys and others are located in China should give you a clue. MS has no way to force China to shut down the illegal suppliers. That doesn't make it legal. There is a set market price for Windows keys, and whether you pay $1 or $80, that doesn't make the key legal. And, since you bought it from an overseas company, you did NOT pay the taxes you may be legally obliged to pay in your country.

If I sold you a stolen painting and charged taxes for it, would that make it legal? No. If you were discovered in possession of it, even if you didn't know it was stolen, it would still be confiscated.

Microsoft has, at its discretion, the right and ability to deactivate any key sold in the above-mentioned manner.

[Budget DIY]

10 hours ago, RevGAM said:

Microsoft has, at its discretion, the right and ability to deactivate any key sold in the above-mentioned manner.

Microsoft is a scam company to begin with. With all the bloatware, malware and built-in spy tools. I don't see any problem buying a key from an company, which sells otherwise legal and functional keys.

 

I myself would never pay for an OS, that installs bloatware, malware and built-in spy tools. They also don't have the ability to deactivate stuffs. There are also loads of people using a less-legal windows version, and they keep functioning like intended/desired.

[TPCEA]

17 minutes ago, Budget DIY said:

Microsoft is a scam company to begin with. With all the bloatware, malware and built-in spy tools. I don't see any problem buying a key from an company, which sells otherwise legal and functional keys.

 

I myself would never pay for an OS, that installs bloatware, malware and built-in spy tools. They also don't have the ability to deactivate stuffs. There are also loads of people using a less-legal windows version, and they keep functioning like intended/desired.

I am not going to argue about your allegations against MS - it's well known that they have committed crimes, and so on. Whether you choose to buy legit or illegal keys is your choice and, if it comes to it, your problem. I'm merely making sure that users have the TRUTH instead of unsupported and false claims about sites that are clearly selling keys in violation of contracts.

They DO have the ability to deactivate a key that they feel has been abused. It has happened many times. The question is not if they can or not - the question is under what circumstances (e.g. numerous activations, concurrent machines running under the same key that has only a single-PC license). Just because they don't shut down everyone who has an illegal key is not proof that the keys are legal - it suggests that they're either unaware or unwilling to pursue the matter.

 

What OS do you use?

[Budget DIY]

2 hours ago, RevGAM said:

I am not going to argue about your allegations against MS - it's well known that they have committed crimes, and so on. Whether you choose to buy legit or illegal keys is your choice and, if it comes to it, your problem. I'm merely making sure that users have the TRUTH instead of unsupported and false claims about sites that are clearly selling keys in violation of contracts.

They DO have the ability to deactivate a key that they feel has been abused. It has happened many times. The question is not if they can or not - the question is under what circumstances (e.g. numerous activations, concurrent machines running under the same key that has only a single-PC license). Just because they don't shut down everyone who has an illegal key is not proof that the keys are legal - it suggests that they're either unaware or unwilling to pursue the matter.

 

What OS do you use?

My OS should be listed in my bio I think.

 

I remember stories where MS didn't care about less-legal-obtained keys, or even cracked windows versions. They would still be able to mine all kinds of userdata, and make profits on those people that way. And marketshare makes them also more interesting (and powerful) for trying to sell ads or other junk. Not sure if they would be willing to loose 10% marketshare (random number) due to blocking people, and forcing those users onto a different unrelated OS/the competition. Because MS doesn't like competition.

[JonS77]

21 minutes ago, Budget DIY said:

My OS should be listed in my bio I think.

 

I remember stories where MS didn't care about less-legal-obtained keys, or even cracked windows versions. They would still be able to mine all kinds of userdata, and make profits on those people that way. And marketshare makes them also more interesting (and powerful) for trying to sell ads or other junk. Not sure if they would be willing to loose 10% marketshare (random number) due to blocking people, and forcing those users onto a different unrelated OS/the competition. Because MS doesn't like competition.

Yeah that's pretty much true. They make their money using your data and more importantly the windows store which still sells people stuff regardless of where the liscense came from or even if it was cracked. Another huge source of income is the windows liscenses sold to coprs and companies that buy in bulk which is a much much larger market than home PCs. So we are already the product, I woudn't mind not paying them for a liscense either.

[TPCEA]

If it was simply people saying, "Hey, they probably don't sell legal keys, but they're cheap", I wouldn't much mind. That doesn't happen, though - several times now on different IT forums I've seen people passing these keys off as legal when they're clearly not. The problem is that going to such websites tends to offer up some unwanted risks beyond data collection and questionable keys. It could be as simple as being ripped off, having your credit card data stolen and sold on the dark net, or getting a key others have also bought, or it could be worse, such as malware installation, data encryption/exfiltration and/or identity theft. These problems have only increased in scope and risk since the Internet went public, and the hackers have gone from small time criminals, anarchists and hobbyists looking for a thrill to multi-billion dollar criminal syndicates affecting businesses, utilities, patients, governments, and everyone else in between, including people who cannot afford what they've lost and, worse yet, what happens after that.

[TPCEA]

And, even though I've been using computers since 1980, and I know one or two things about computers (or several thousand, if you want to count my knowledge in programming, hardware, maintenance of hardware and software, networking and malware removal) because of that, I'm a noob (formerly: "newbie," as in new user") on this forum, so why listen to me? You don't have to. Linus himself talked about the activation limit AND the illegal "$20" (his words) keys sold on the grey market FOUR YEARS AGO.

Illegal key sellers include: BryteSoft, Kinguin, SCDKeys, and SoftwareMedia.

 

And, if that's still not enough, and you want it straight from the pirate kings at MS, all you have to do is look at their website. Need the links? Here ya go!

Download Windows 10 free: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 System Requirements: https://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-10-specifications Download Windows 11 free: https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11/ System Requirements: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-specifications Piriform Speccy: https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy Windows Club, How to find Windows Product Key using VB Script in Windows 11/10: https://www.thewindowsclub.com/find-windows-10-product-key-using-vb-script Windows Club, Find Windows Product Key using Command Prompt or PowerShell: https://www.thewindowsclub.com/find-windows-product-key References: How to tell if a cheap key is legit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/howtotell/Shop.aspx PC Purchase - Microsoft Genuine Product Labels: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/howtotell/hardware-pc-purchase https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/howtotell/software-packaged Microsoft, Beware of Product Keys Sold Separately (scroll down & click on it): https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/howtotell/shop.aspx Microsoft volunteer forum moderators and Microsoft MVPs say the same thing: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-check-if-seller-is-selling-legit-windows-10/83268869-6180-4128-bf58-af4caaeb2f13 Is Windows 10 OEM keys sold on Kinguin LEGIT (legal)? (Tom's Hardware): https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/is-windows-10-oem-keys-sold-on-kinguin-legit-legal.3029215/

 

The point is that if someone wants to promote keys sold in violation of contracts, the EULA, and/or laws, then please don't misrepresent such sources as being legit just because MS is unlikely to turn off those keys, taxes (to someone/some government) were paid on top of the tiny price, or just cuz you hate Gates (I do, too - he's a scumbag).. People, especially noobs and IT neophytes, deserve to be given accurate info so that they can make informed decisions rather than be misled into buying something that is not legal. If they know and make the choice to do so, that's on them. If they install an OEM version on a different OEM's computer or on a custom-built PC, thus violating the EULA, that's on them. But, especially since some of those sites WILL rip people off, resell their credit card data, steal their identity, install trojanware/malware/spyware, sell a key they've sold to others thus increasing the likelihood that MS will deactivate the key, and so on, it is important that those of us who are trying to help others give them accurate information. It's best NOT to give such information at all, but it's better to spread info on where a gray market is selling illegal keys and say "it's probably illegal" than to lie because then we're guilty of not just the crime of promoting illegal key sites but also the crime of duping victims, making us an accessory to any crimes committed by the key sellers in a worse way than being upfront about the shady source that we're telling people about or promoting.

.