First build since 2004

lesabendio · May 22, 2018

So for the past couple weeks or so I've been slowly reacquainting myself with the part-by-part build scene. I'm starting from scratch. It's been nearly 15 years since I last did this and a lot of the tech has changed--but then again a lot of it hasn't really. It's been both strange and familiar at the same time.

Anyway, I've been collecting parts for the past couple weeks and letting the currents of the Great Deal River take me where they may, but I still haven't purchased core components yet (except RAM). I'd like your advice about what I'm putting together and whether I'm getting the best value. I plan on putting everything together when the school year ends in about a month, so I'm trying to be patient for deals.

I'll post my PCPartPicker specs in a sec, but first I want to lay out my budget and what I intend to use the build for. I'd like to spend between $800-$1000USD, and I'm primarily going to be using it for gaming (AAA games on high-to-ultra settings) with my friends back home, watching streaming services (but not streaming gameplay), and normal, non-coding professional work like Internet, word processing, research stuff, etc. (I'm an academic in the humanities). I prefer a Ryzen build because those CPUs seem to have the best value at my price point. I do not need a monitor; I got one a year and half ago that's 1080p, 60hz, and I don't plan on replacing that or adding another gaming monitor (except perhaps another screen to make research easier) any time soon.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($175.69 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B350 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot - Viper LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (Purchased For $124.47)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $72.19)
Storage: Western Digital - Mainstream 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $34.64)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Dual Video Card ($299.89 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($0.00)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte - GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($33.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: HP - 27es 27.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech - K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($8.99 @ Target)
Mouse: SteelSeries - Rival 300 Wired Optical Mouse (Purchased For $17.09)
Headphones: Logitech - H390 Headset ($24.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $951.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-22 01:16 EDT-0400

I've indicated which parts I've already purchased (after tax price btw), and I'm 95% certain I can get Windows 10 Education through my university.

So, some questions.

If I'm a casual gamer, do I really need to spend more than $15 on a keyboard or other peripherals? What's the $$$ vs. comfort/aesthetic tradeoff here? I'd like to have nice and comfortable peripherals, but I'm not really trying to gain a competitive advantage, and I'm not really into the whole RBG/gamer aesthetic.
I know future proofing is more or less a fool's errand, but I'm wondering if I should be prioritizing certain parts so that I can go the longest before having to upgrade. Like, for example, should I spend the extra cash on a RX 580 8GB over the 1060 6GB in order to keep up with game requirements a little longer? What about the possibility of overclocking not to squeeze out extra performance for gaming now but down the line so that I could possibly put off replacing CPU/mobo for another year or so?
How's the speed on the RAM I bought (2666, CL 15) look for a Ryzen build? I know Ryzen significantly benefits from 3000+mhz. I just couldn't pass the kit up at that price.
What B350 motherboard brands should I watch out for and which should I avoid? Considering my uses, will a cheap, basic B350 suit my needs, or should I look for something a little more mid-range?
Finally, what do I need to look for in a (regular ATX) case? I'm a little flexible on the price here since I want it to look clean and simple--maybe with a nice see-through side panel or something. What kind of fan setup or cooling system (beside the stock coolers that come with the CPU and GPU) should I look out for?

That's it for now. I know it's a little long-winded, but I wanted to make my concerns specific and answerable to you all. Thanks for all your help!

xriqn · May 22, 2018

Would replace that PSU with a coolermaster masterwatt 550w, the current PSU is in tier 4. Here's the PSU tier list for you to reference to in the future, it's VERY useful.

I honestly don't see the difference between "gaming" peripherals and normal other than the fact that they get in house macro programs and RGB controllers. You're fine with the future proofing part, a 1060 6GB should serve you well for about 4 years, however I'd go with a 1070ti if you can afford. Ryzen 5 1600 is last gen but it's still VERY worth the cash imo. 2666MHz RAM should be fine for your zen 5 1600, my mate has one with that speed of ram and the PC works perfectly fine, hardly ever notice performance issues, funnily enough I built it for him last year. Would avoid the B350 tomahawk's, heard plenty of bad things about those boards. Maybe go with this here as it's got a much more beefy VRM for overclocking and I've heard good things about the strix lineup of mobos. With a regular ATX case just look for good cable management ability and good air flow for any fans you might have (though you really should have 3 - 4 fans at least imo).

lesabendio · May 22, 2018

15 minutes ago, xriqn said:

Would replace that PSU with a coolermaster masterwatt 550w, the current PSU is in tier 4. Here's the PSU tier list for you to reference to in the future, it's VERY useful.

I honestly don't see the difference between "gaming" peripherals and normal other than the fact that they get in house macro programs and RGB controllers. You're fine with the future proofing part, a 1060 6GB should serve you well for about 4 years, however I'd go with a 1070ti if you can afford. Ryzen 5 1600 is last gen but it's still VERY worth the cash imo. 2666MHz RAM should be fine for your zen 5 1600, my mate has one with that speed of ram and the PC works perfectly fine, hardly ever notice performance issues, funnily enough I built it for him last year. Would avoid the B350 tomahawk's, heard plenty of bad things about those boards. Maybe go with this here as it's got a much more beefy VRM for overclocking and I've heard good things about the strix lineup of mobos. With a regular ATX case just look for good cable management ability and good air flow for any fans you might have (though you really should have 3 - 4 fans at least imo).

Awesome! Thanks for the advice. What's the benefit of going for the 1070ti? Future proofing, value, etc.?