What do you think about this boring non-gaming build?

[jeb_]

Budget (including currency): 700 EUR

Country: Germany

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Programming, playing CTFs, virtualization, office tasks. Linux. No gaming in the traditional sense.

Other details: No peripherals or OS required. Monitors: 1440p + 1080p. I may upgrade to 2x 1440p later. I currently use a laptop (ThinkPad T490) as my main PC, but I would like to have a desktop again.

 

Hi all,

 

I'm currently looking into building a new PC for myself. The last time I built one was in 2009 -- I've used laptops ever since, so I'm a bit out of the loop and thus asking for your advice.

 

This is my current plan:

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/hTDMKX

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€197.00 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: ASRock B650M Pro RS WiFi Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard  (€171.93 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory  (€114.16 @ Galaxus)
Case: Fractal Design Define 7 Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (€109.90 @ Galaxus)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G12 GC 550 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  (€68.90 @ Alza)
Total: €661.89
 

This is my reasoning:

 

AMD. I would like to go with an AMD system. Afaik, Intel is about to release a new socket this year, while the AM5 socket is likely a bit more future-proof.

 

Mainboard. I've selected the mainboard based on the following criteria:

• It has WiFi and, more importantly, Bluetooth (to connect my headphones)
• It has an USB-C port (I'd like to have at least one on the board itself)
• It has a DisplayPort port (more on that below)
• It has an Ethernet port with >1Gbps (which is nice to have)
• It's not crazy expensive

However, I was a bit overwhelmed with the mass of boards available, so I'm happy to take recommendations if you think there is a better choice.

 

Regarding the DisplayPort: I currently use two monitors (1440p + 1080p) that are daisy-chained (DisplayPort MST). I would like to keep it that way with the new PC. The PC will replace my personal laptop, I will keep using another laptop for work. I plan to use my main monitor (Dell U2722DE) as a KVM switch: my keyboard, mouse, and the second screen are all connected to that main monitor. The main monitor is connected (a) to my work laptop with a single USB-C cable, and (b) to the new PC via a USB-C->USB-A and a DisplayPort cable. This allows me to switch between work laptop and PC with two clicks in the monitor's on-screen menu. I've tested this general setup with two laptops, it should work

 

No dedicated GPU. I think there is no need for a dedicated GPU for my current use case. I hope the iGPU supports daisy-chaining. Should I need a dedicated GPU later, I guess the build allows me to add a mid-tier model without major problems.

 

Case & Cooling. As I said before, I would like to end up with a relatively silent system. I guess the case should be okay in that regard. As far as I know, the processor ships with a cooler. My current plan is to try that one first and replace it later if it annoys me too much (or if temperatures rise too high).

 

Storage. I did not include an SSD in the build because I have a spare one that I can use.

 

This is my current plan, now you tell me where I'm wrong I'm grateful for any comments you have!

 

Cheers,

Jan

 

[Cyberwolf]

i see no problem with this build otherthan using the stock fan i believe this would work https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/hbnG3C/noctua-nh-l12s-5544-cfm-cpu-cooler-nh-l12s

[podkall]

18 minutes ago, Cyberwolf said:

i see no problem with this build otherthan using the stock fan i believe this would work https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/hbnG3C/noctua-nh-l12s-5544-cfm-cpu-cooler-nh-l12s

isn't that just stock fan with extra steps?

[Cyberwolf]

8 minutes ago, podkall said:

isn't that just stock fan with extra steps?

i dont have much confidence in stock fans

[Zando_]

12 minutes ago, Cyberwolf said:

i dont have much confidence in stock fans

Why not? I've ran up to a 3700X on the Wraith Stealth from a 2200G box without issues. Unless they made the AM5 stock cooler worse than a 25mm-ish stack of aluminum (don't even get a copper core on the Stealth just straight cheap ass aluminum), I don't see how it'd have problems. 

[Cyberwolf]

Just now, Zando_ said:

Why not? I've ran up to a 3700X on the Wraith Stealth from a 2200G box without issues. Unless they made the AM5 stock cooler worse than a 25mm-ish stack of aluminum (don't even get a copper core on the Stealth just straight cheap ass aluminum), I don't see how it'd have problems. 

well first off they are made cheaper due to it being just a throw in 

i prefer noctua because it would be a lot quieter

[podkall]

1 hour ago, jeb_ said:

Case & Cooling. As I said before, I would like to end up with a relatively silent system. I guess the case should be okay in that regard. As far as I know, the processor ships with a cooler. My current plan is to try that one first and replace it later if it annoys me too much (or if temperatures rise too high).

hmm

 

1 hour ago, jeb_ said:

This is my current plan, now you tell me where I'm wrong I'm grateful for any comments you have!

almost nothing wrong really, there's a few things you should consider though,

 

how is Gigabyte B650M GAMING X AX for your use cases? I will include it in my list and photo of it's back below it.

the only immidiate downside to Gigabyte's board is it only has 2 M.2 slots, whereas Asrock Pro RS Wifi has 3, do check out the motherboard, if it has all the things you need, if you consider Gigabyte to reduce the price a little.

 

The ram is decent, but I'd consider paying slightly more for lower latency one, since it's just nice to have fast and low latency RAM,

 

the PSU is quite good quality,

 

the case looks pretty decent, it's pretty pricey so that's expected, not sure how soundproof it is, but looking at the filters it could be decent while maintaining some airflow, got some fans too,

 

as for a CPU cooler, you can go for a high quality and performance one, and if it's noise wasn't great, you'd simply run it's fan at slow RPM

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€197.00 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650M GAMING X AX Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard  (€165.90 @ Alza)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  (€116.39 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Fractal Design Define 7 Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (€109.90 @ Galaxus)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G12 GC 550 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  (€68.90 @ Alza)
Total: €658.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-23 21:27 CET+0100

 

Here's the backside of Gigabyte Gaming x Ax

 

 

• So your build is great, there's nothing wrong with any part
• Do consider a 6000Mhz 30CL RAM
• If you feel confident with Asrock Pro RX Wifi, stick with it, it's a good motherboard

 

5 minutes ago, Zando_ said:

Why not? I've ran up to a 3700X on the Wraith Stealth from a 2200G box without issues. Unless they made the AM5 stock cooler worse than a 25mm-ish stack of aluminum (don't even get a copper core on the Stealth just straight cheap ass aluminum), I don't see how it'd have problems. 

yeah but 7600 can boost over 5Ghz and it uses the Wraith Stealth cooler, which I think it doesn't use copper core unless for AM5 it does?

 

though I do agree, that trying it out to see if it's too noisy or not can save money and time getting the CPU cooler, because the stock is much easier to install

[jeb_]

Thanks @podkall for your suggestions! The Gigabyte board looks good, I think I'll change to that one. Thanks for pointing out the faster RAM option, I'll take that as well.

 

Quote

as for a CPU cooler, you can go for a high quality and performance one, and if it's noise wasn't great, you'd simply run it's fan at slow RPM

 

I think I'll stick with my original plan and try the stock fan first. I've nothing to loose there. In case I would like to change it, which cooler would you suggest? The one @Cyberwolf suggested looks decent to me, no?

[podkall]

2 minutes ago, jeb_ said:

Thanks @podkall for your suggestions! The Gigabyte board looks good, I think I'll change to that one. Thanks for pointing out the faster RAM option, I'll take that as well.

 

 

I think I'll stick with my original plan and try the stock fan first. I've nothing to loose there. In case I would like to change it, which cooler would you suggest? The one @Cyberwolf suggested looks decent to me, no?

you can make another post for the CPU cooler, if the situation calls for it,

 

yeah like I said, the Gigabyte is quite decent, it's pretty stacked with some features, overbuilt to the point it will be able to drive even future CPUs most likely, with the only downside being 1 less M.2 slots, but not everyone ever fills 3 SSD slots

[Zando_]

14 hours ago, jeb_ said:

The one @Cyberwolf suggested looks decent to me, no?

It's quite small and the Define 7 Mini has clearance for a proper tower cooler.  The NH-L12S is no slouch (I have one), but it does not have the surface area to compete with a 120 or 140mm dual-tower style cooler (like the Noctua NH-D15, which I also have). If you don't want a Noctua specifically, you can get a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 which performs the same as the NH-D15 for usually $35.