Looking For Advice (First Build)

[JellyRoll_77]

Budget (including currency): around $1600 USD

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: GTA, Hogwarts Legacy, Minecraft, CSGO

Other details 

Im looking to build my first PC because I hear it's cheaper in the long run and think it might be fun to learn. I would like to have an i7-12700k or something similar around same price and a GPU that can run these games, maybe geforce 3060ti or 3070? I only need DDR4 with like 16 gigs of ram because its purely for gaming. Not sure what other specs I need that can work with this, all the MOBOs I found that can work with intel cpu are pretty expensive. Any advice is appreciated!

[TPCEA]

First,  get 32GB if you can. It will serve you well, especially if you'll leave other apps running. Otherwise, exit your browser and other stuff before gaming to minimize the chance of your system using virtual memory. 

 

Unless you're playing light-weight games, get a 2TB,  or two 1TB M.2 PCIe 4x4 NVMe SSDs and install the games to the extra one.

 

I have the same cpu as you so, unless you NEED the extras of a Z or H board, choose a B board. If you need wifi, that'll bring up the cost so go without if you can do ethernet. If you need tech support, know that Asus isn't good at that and Corsair will try to trick you into getting more than you need. I've heard Gigabyte support isn't good, either, unless you get Aorus.

 

The size of the case determines things like coolers, radiators, graphic cardsand even mobo, so choose carefully.  Make sure it has great airflow. You do NOT have to buy an expensive case and, unless you're planning to frequently mess around inside it, you don't need one that is easy to build in, is pretty or has great cable management. You can easily get a case for $50 if you're realistic.  Later, get some paint, stickers and LEDs and decorate if that's important. 

 

Don't forget about fans and a good cooler for the CPU. 

 

If you're cautious, you can get a decent monitor. 

 

For a PSU, find out how much power everything will need and then use the PSU tier list. 

[SpookyCitrus]

The 13600K is a better performer for only like $15 more.

 

Also 32GB of Ram is essentially a requirement for gaming PCs these days. We see this becoming more true with the release of Hogwarts Legacy which pretty much requires 32GB of Ram as with it's current optimization it can hit upwards of 17GB of Ram usage. 

 

I also will recommend going used on the GPU, if you don't mind, finding a 3080 or even 3090 for sub $800 is easy as pie, I've gotten 4 or so mint condition 3090s for less than $800 and 3080s for below $600 the last 3080 I bought was in like new condition for $499 on Ebay. It's the best way to get into a GPU right now if you don't want to pay the astronomical prices of the 40 series. 

 

But this is what I'd go for and then snag a 30 series card off of Ebay.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($319.83 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING AURAFLOW X 74.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 GAMING X AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($169.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($75.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($134.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($114.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $975.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-02-14 11:29 EST-0500

[PC HEROES]

31 minutes ago, JellyRoll_77 said:

Budget (including currency): around $1600 USD

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: GTA, Hogwarts Legacy, Minecraft, CSGO

Other details 

Im looking to build my first PC because I hear it's cheaper in the long run and think it might be fun to learn. I would like to have an i7-12700k or something similar around same price and a GPU that can run these games, maybe geforce 3060ti or 3070? I only need DDR4 with like 16 gigs of ram because its purely for gaming. Not sure what other specs I need that can work with this, all the MOBOs I found that can work with intel cpu are pretty expensive. Any advice is appreciated!

Hello... I think this list will do just nicely. Let me know if you have any questions. Good Luck!!!

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9W4jrD

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($417.48 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Enermax Liqmax III 360 ARGB 72.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston NV2 250 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($22.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: MSI SPATIUM M450 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ GameStop)
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB Video Card  ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Enermax Revolution D.F. 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1557.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

[SpookyCitrus]

7 minutes ago, NeverGonnaBreak_Nokia said:

Get 240 or 500 GB boot drive then a 1 or 2 tb hard drive for games

With the pricing of SSDs even Gen 4.0 Nvme drives, skimping on SSD storage in favor of a mechanical HDD is just bleh. There is no need, SSDs these days are very inexpensive for the speed and storage spaces available. Having a mechanical HDD in most any computer these days, let alone a gaming computer, is just dumb. 

[JellyRoll_77]

6 minutes ago, PC HEROES said:

Hello... I think this list will do just nicely. Let me know if you have any questions. Good Luck!!!

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9W4jrD

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($417.48 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Enermax Liqmax III 360 ARGB 72.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston NV2 250 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($22.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: MSI SPATIUM M450 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ GameStop)
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB Video Card  ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Enermax Revolution D.F. 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1557.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Thanks! Do you suggest using liquid cooler? I just assume it's trickier to install and use. Is it worth it? I've never built a pc and am currently running on a pre-built alienware with only fan cooling so I basically know nothing lol.

[SpookyCitrus]

6 minutes ago, JellyRoll_77 said:

Thanks! Do you suggest using liquid cooler? I just assume it's trickier to install and use. Is it worth it? I've never built a pc and am currently running on a pre-built alienware with only fan cooling so I basically know nothing lol.

The AIO liquid coolers are fairly easy to install however, they are pretty much on par with a decent air cooler and are a little more pricey depending on what you go for. Also while the list @PC HEROESprovided is within budget it has some fairly overpriced parts and they have recommended combining two kits of DDR4 Ram, which those of us in the business consider a big no no. If you do decide to go with their part list for your build please keep this in mind and maybe ask if the list can be improved, as lowering the price and configuring it properly could get you a better GPU and save you future headaches. Also keep in mind that PCPartPicker does not include taxes or shipping even though it says it should. 

[nmindz]

1 hour ago, JellyRoll_77 said:

Budget (including currency): around $1600 USD

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: GTA, Hogwarts Legacy, Minecraft, CSGO

Other details 

Im looking to build my first PC because I hear it's cheaper in the long run and think it might be fun to learn. I would like to have an i7-12700k or something similar around same price and a GPU that can run these games, maybe geforce 3060ti or 3070? I only need DDR4 with like 16 gigs of ram because its purely for gaming. Not sure what other specs I need that can work with this, all the MOBOs I found that can work with intel cpu are pretty expensive. Any advice is appreciated!

As for the "purely for gaming", "only 16GB" and "Hogwarts Legacy" in the same sentence: I've personally seen HGL take well over 16GB of memory if allowed to which makes open-world exploring in the game way better/faster overall. (Currently I'm running with 64GB so that's plenty and then some)

 

Newer games can mostly benefit a lot from high RAM (usually 32GB is fine and gives you good headroom). If you consider Windows takes a very minimum of 2GB for minimal operation and even if HGL takes "only" 10-12GB probably anything else running (and believe me, there will be) and you'd be doing a non-insignificant amount of virtual memory swapping, which is slow and might come back later to bite you.

 

If you want to keep a tight budget, go for moderately-fast RAM (cheaper) and you get better overall performance at the cost of ~3-5 FPS avgs from top-tier memory. For example, I'd rather recommend 32GB 3200Mhz/3600Mhz over 16GB 4200Mhz for your particular definition of gaming any day.

I've put together a list with PPP: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/nmindz/saved/#view=9DD2kL

 

I'd personally go with the 13600K over the 13400F (also if you're not concerned with Wifi or upgrading to a 13600K or 13700K/13900K anytime in the future you can go for a cheaper motherboard). I've opted for a Z-Series motherboard (chipset) because it usually bakes the most funcionality, RGB, most of them have Wifi and offer some decent nice-to-haves (such as RAID, more PCI-E slots, RGB, etc). But you can totally step down to an Intel H-Series motherboard (cheaper).

With that said, I was trying not to step over the budget (despite opting for Intel Z mobo). If you do not need Windows or already have a license, that's ~$100 you shave off the list and use towards the 13600K. I run HGL with an MSI 3070 and I get consistent 55-60 FPS Ultra settings, RT turned off and DLSS Quality @ 2K resolution (QHD). 1% lows at ~45-50 FPS overall. If you plan gamming in FHD (1080p) the 3060 Ti should be more than sufficient and you also save an extra ~$100-ish.

I've opted for a very good air cooler which means minimal maintenance and tolerance to rookie mistakes (such as not dusting often) and it is way easier to clean than triple fans and a rad if you're only getting started. But yeah, if you save in the 2 previous departments you can go with a 13600K and a good watercooler with the savings. And no, the Noctua NH-D15 won't be a thermal bottleneck for you in those games I'm pretty much sure.

The other games in the list are way less demanding, except maybe for Minecraft RTX which despite having square graphics can wreak havoc for a workload. lol

[PC HEROES]

58 minutes ago, JellyRoll_77 said:

Thanks! Do you suggest using liquid cooler? I just assume it's trickier to install and use. Is it worth it? I've never built a pc and am currently running on a pre-built alienware with only fan cooling so I basically know nothing lol.

An AIO Liquid Cooler should be easier to install and it's better for RAM placement. If you ever decide to go with 4 sticks of RAM then a big air cooler will probably get in the was of the 1st RAM slot. It just saves some headaches now and in the future.

 

And since people had a problem with my original RAM selection I just replaced the ram with a 4 stick kit in one.

 

Also I don't think the parts I picked are too high in price given that they are new and still cost a lot, but hey... I still got the man within his budget. Maybe he doesn't want cheaper parts?

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hGHQH2

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($417.48 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Enermax Liqmax III 360 ARGB 72.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston NV2 250 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($22.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: MSI SPATIUM M450 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ GameStop)
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB Video Card  ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Enermax Revolution D.F. 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1580.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-02-14 12:23 EST-0500

[nmindz]

7 minutes ago, PC HEROES said:

An AIO Liquid Cooler should be easier to install and it's better for RAM placement. If you ever decide to go with 4 sticks of RAM then a big air cooler will probably get in the was of the 1st RAM slot. It just saves some headaches now and in the future.

Better for RAM placement I can totally agree, now, easier to install I can totally disagree. More moving parts, worst to remove/reinstall/clean overall. Also easier to cause problems, if you consider you can mislevel your AIO pump/flow and force it to run harder, killing it earlier.

Remember that this is his first build and 2 sticks are overall better in any case for performance/stability over 4 sticks. Unless he plans to keep the PC for well over 5 years he won't seriously need 4 sticks if he starts with 32GB.

Plus, an AIO that can outperform a good cooler will usually cost 30% more than said cooler, which he can either spend in extra storage, better CPU or GPU, IMHO.

[JellyRoll_77]

22 hours ago, SpookyCitrus said:

The AIO liquid coolers are fairly easy to install however, they are pretty much on par with a decent air cooler and are a little more pricey depending on what you go for. Also while the list @PC HEROESprovided is within budget it has some fairly overpriced parts and they have recommended combining two kits of DDR4 Ram, which those of us in the business consider a big no no. If you do decide to go with their part list for your build please keep this in mind and maybe ask if the list can be improved, as lowering the price and configuring it properly could get you a better GPU and save you future headaches. Also keep in mind that PCPartPicker does not include taxes or shipping even though it says it should. 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/

 

This is what I have so far, for GPU I think i'll look for used or open box 3070 or something similar but any advice is welcome. Let me know what you think.

[SpookyCitrus]

46 minutes ago, JellyRoll_77 said:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/

 

This is what I have so far, for GPU I think i'll look for used or open box 3070 or something similar but any advice is welcome. Let me know what you think.

The link you posted isn't a link to your PCPartPicker list, you need to get the link from the top of the list on the webpage not the address bar at the top.

[JellyRoll_77]

40 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

The link you posted isn't a link to your PCPartPicker list, you need to get the link from the top of the list on the webpage not the address bar at the top.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/y64v9r

lol woops

[SpookyCitrus]

7 minutes ago, JellyRoll_77 said:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/y64v9r

lol woops

Looks solid, only things I would suggest are.

 

You can install Windows 11 completely free, you do not need to buy a license for it if you don't want to, I've been using an un-activated copy of 11 on my streaming rig since it came out and haven't even gotten a watermark or anything. You can activate it at a later date for cheaper than that as well.

 

I would also advise against getting an NZXT case, they're absolutely abysmal. They may look cool, but they have dog water airflow and can be pretty pricey for what they are and come with. Go for a fractal design, phanteks, or Corsair that has a full mesh front panel, find something that comes with preinstalled fans. The one I had in the list I posted is one I've used a few times and is super solid. Great airflow, decent cable management areas, and it comes with the two RGB 140mm fans pre-installed all for like $80. You can even find others for cheaper. NZXT cases are just overhyped garbage that if you look in the forums you'll see most people regret getting and end up replacing pretty early on after building the system due to what I mentioned before.

[JellyRoll_77]

4 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

Looks solid, only things I would suggest are.

 

You can install Windows 11 completely free, you do not need to buy a license for it if you don't want to, I've been using an un-activated copy of 11 on my streaming rig since it came out and haven't even gotten a watermark or anything. You can activate it at a later date for cheaper than that as well.

 

I would also advise against getting an NZXT case, they're absolutely abysmal. They may look cool, but they have dog water airflow and can be pretty pricey for what they are and come with. Go for a fractal design, phanteks, or Corsair that has a full mesh front panel, find something that comes with preinstalled fans. The one I had in the list I posted is one I've used a few times and is super solid. Great airflow, decent cable management areas, and it comes with the two RGB 140mm fans pre-installed all for like $80. You can even find others for cheaper. NZXT cases are just overhyped garbage that if you look in the forums you'll see most people regret getting and end up replacing pretty early on after building the system due to what I mentioned before.

Thanks so much. I'll swap the case. The only thing I'm worried about is buying used GPU. I've seen a bunch of 3070s on ebay for under 500. should I go for dual or triple fan and is it safe buying used?

[SpookyCitrus]

10 minutes ago, JellyRoll_77 said:

Thanks so much. I'll swap the case. The only thing I'm worried about is buying used GPU. I've seen a bunch of 3070s on ebay for under 500. should I go for dual or triple fan and is it safe buying used?

Really it depends on the listing, I buy used GPUs and parts on Ebay all the time, if you find one that interests you go ahead and link it and I can take a look and let you know if I'd go for it or not. Also check the pricing on 3070tis and 3080s, I have been able to find those for cheaper that what 3070s are going for in the past.

 

Here are some tips.

You'll want to sort by Buy it Now and Used, as well as filter by Lowest Price and Shipping First, be sure to check the description of the item and make sure it says it's Used and not Broken or For Parts. You'll want to buy one with a 30 or 60 Day Return Policy and make sure the Seller has a good rating with at least a couple hundred reviews. 

[Awesomon2234]

ok so here we go. we have a few choices here and ill give you a couple builds showcasing those options.

Build 1
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hf8kQ6

Intel/AMD BEAST build

CPU: I went with the 13600kf which has better performance than the 12700k for a similar price. (NOTE if you want nvidia quick sync for video editing etc you will need the 13600 or 13600k with the igpu. you will also need an nvidia gpu) you could go instead with a 13500, 13400, or 12600k all of which will give great performance and allow you to upgrade other parts.

cooler: you could go with a high end air cooler like the deepcool ak620 although this AIO has a great price rn and will work wonders for your cpu. (NOTE 13th gen tends to run at its thermal throttle limit even with sufficient cooling as it will eat the cooling to boost performance) 

mbd: the mbd isnt too special but should have bios flashback and work with 13th gen intel

Ram: you could go with a 2x8 kit although i hooked you up with 4x8 3600 cl16 which is as fast memory as i would go for ddr4. you could switch it for 3600 cl18 or 3200 cl16.

storage: any budget NVME SSD is fine for gaming unless you are doing lots of production work.

gpu: I hooked you up with the 6800XT. A great gpu for 1080p, 1440p, or even some 4k gaming. 4070ti is another option although i couldnt fit it into this budget with this cpu.

case: go with a case that has good airflow. i tend to look for front panel mesh and ones that have fans pre installed. Some other case suggestions are "DIYPC Rainbow flash",  "Deepcool Matrexx 40 3fs (MATX)", "Bitfenix Nova Mesh SE", or "Gamdias Athena m2". If you want a white case i would recommend either the bitfenix Nova Mesh SE (same price as the black version), Cougar Archon 2, or Fractal design focus 2 

PSU: for this build i would recommend around 850w-1000w psu C tier or better on the PSU cultists tier list 

Build 2
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/GhKLmr

AMD/Nvidia BEAST

case/storage: same as intel/amd build

CPU: 7600x is definitely an amazing choice for this price point.

Cooler: same as the 13600k. NOTE any cooler that would replace the backplate will not work for am5 platform.

Ram: DDR5 is required for amd 7000. i would go with a 2x8 or 2x16 5200 cl40, 5200 cl36, 5600 cl40, or 5600 cl16 for the budget end. You could go up to 6000 cl30 although it has diminishing returns as we go up in resolution to 1440p and 4k. even so 5200 or 5600 speed ram is all you need unless you have money to burn.

GPU: 4070ti, could also instead go with 6800XT. I wouldnt go any lower than a 6800 for this level of CPU

PSU: you can go with a minimum 700w recommended 750w PSU C tier or better on the PSU cultists list

TLDR:
go with either 13th gen intel or 7000 gen AMD
13th gen intel and 7000 gen AMD will use all cooling to boost performance.
AMD 7000 cannot remove back plate so coolers requiring different back plate will not work.
AMD 7000 requires DDR5.
Best speeds for these price points are DDR4 3200 cl16, 3600 cl18, or 3600 cl16DDR5 5200 cl40, 5200 cl36, 5600 cl40, 5600 cl36 and 6000 cl30
go with either 2x8 or 4x8 ddr4. or go with 2x16 or 2x8 ddr5
for this price point gpus you should be looking at are 6800, 6800XT, 4070ti, (4070 non ti when it comes out), and 3080/ti (has kinda been phased out by 4070 and 4070ti)
for PSU take estimated wattage in pcpartpicker and multiply it by 1.5x for recommended wattage.
check PSU cultist tier list for proper units

if you have any other questions feel free to ask away.