Feedback

SepticGengar · July 26, 2018

Hey everyone! I just wanted some feedback on my first build. I also had a question; is my disc drive compatible with Rawdump?
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/ZpwdxG

skimmilk5 · July 26, 2018

Add an SSD, even a cheap one like Kingston's A400 series. It'll make the whole system feel snappier and more responsive than a hard drive. Windows 10 really prefers an SSD. HDDs are relics of computers past, and even WD recognizes that, as they have closed one of their major hard drive manufacturing plants.

If you don't care about size, the case is fine. You can definitely find smaller cases (or cases that appear smaller and less impactful) but that maintain similar features, like tempered glass and RGB lighting. Just don't buy cheap crap for your case unless you really want to make a blood sacrifice (literally, these cases can slice you up good) to the PCMR god, Lord Gaben.

Don't buy Arctic Cleaner, especially if you haven't built before. It expedites the process, but IMHO, 70% isopropyl alcohol does just as good a job, and a whole lot cheaper. Get your magnetic parts tray from Home Depot, they cost $3. If you don't plan on doing a lot of tinkering in the future, don't worry about getting an antistatic strap. Just ground yourself on the case periodically. I've built well over 20 computers and servers, and I've never used a strap, mostly because I find myself leaning against something metal when building out the motherboard (like my desk) or rubbing all over the case itself when installing stuff into it. Zip ties are optional; some will be included with your power supply, more will be included with your case, and if you run out, you can always just use twist ties that all your cables come wrapped in.

SepticGengar · July 26, 2018

28 minutes ago, kimsejin5 said:

Add an SSD, even a cheap one like Kingston's A400 series. It'll make the whole system feel snappier and more responsive than a hard drive. Windows 10 really prefers an SSD. HDDs are relics of computers past, and even WD recognizes that, as they have closed one of their major hard drive manufacturing plants.

If you don't care about size, the case is fine. You can definitely find smaller cases (or cases that appear smaller and less impactful) but that maintain similar features, like tempered glass and RGB lighting. Just don't buy cheap crap for your case unless you really want to make a blood sacrifice (literally, these cases can slice you up good) to the PCMR god, Lord Gaben.

Don't buy Arctic Cleaner, especially if you haven't built before. It expedites the process, but IMHO, 70% isopropyl alcohol does just as good a job, and a whole lot cheaper. Get your magnetic parts tray from Home Depot, they cost $3. If you don't plan on doing a lot of tinkering in the future, don't worry about getting an antistatic strap. Just ground yourself on the case periodically. I've built well over 20 computers and servers, and I've never used a strap, mostly because I find myself leaning against something metal when building out the motherboard (like my desk) or rubbing all over the case itself when installing stuff into it. Zip ties are optional; some will be included with your power supply, more will be included with your case, and if you run out, you can always just use twist ties that all your cables come wrapped in.

Right now, I'm focusing on a budget build. Eventually I'll upgrade to a 1tb SSD and transfer over all my data. The Arctic cleaner is because the CPU I'm buying comes with a stock cooler with thermal paste pre-applied. The zipties are just in case and they're cheap anyway. Also, do you know if my disc drive is compatible with Rawdump?

skimmilk5 · July 26, 2018

I wouldn't do that. The SSD price-to-capacity ratio still sucks compared to good 'ol magnetic storage. Until we can get equivalent price-to-capacity, the recommendation from me remains a small SSD for boot and key applications, and a magnetic hard drive for your games and other large files.

You don't need Arctic Cleaner for preinstalled thermal goop. It'll make the job marginally easier, but ultimately, you'll be limited by the cooler itself, which won't have enough mass to effectively handle the thermal load at a level whose gains would be realized by a Arctic Cleaner cleaned base vs an alcohol cleaned base. It'll look cleaner, but that doesn't equate to better performance, and you're looking at a 0.5 to 1 degree improvement. Really. It's not a great value, that's why I'm telling you not to buy it.

I believe that your disc drive should be compatible with RawDump.

Remember, I'm not trying to attack you for having a small budget. For the majority of my life, that's where I was at, too. I'm trying to help you not waste the little that you have on components and items that you won't gain benefits from. When building on a budget, if it doesn't make the FPS or performance go up, it doesn't make it in. You asked for feedback, so I gave you feedback; I hope that feedback was helpful, but ultimately, you'll make the decisions on what to buy. Thanks for understanding, and happy building!