[Updated] Second Opinions on a Build

[Hidden Orange]

I've made a previous thread or two about PC builds, but never went through with them. This one, however, I fully intend to build this as I really need a PC at this point.

 

1. Budget & Location

Around $1300, but only for the PC itself, and USA. Also, no mail-in rebates. I just don't like them and you have to pay for the entire thing anyway.

2. Aim

Primary focus: Actually having a desktop, so having a back-up computer in case my laptop dies and I need immediate and easy access to a computer at home for university that could run stuff like 3ds Max, Maya, Mudbox, ZBrush, Photoshop, and maybe some sound stuff if I continue to dabble into that. Possibly game development, but that will have to wait until I get further into my CS degree/actually become a competent programmer and responsible human being who is motivated, disciplined, and has goals. I realized a few days ago that I only have my laptop as a capable computer since the only other one is my dad's old office PC. The laptop's fine, but if it permanently dies, then I'm screwed. Of course, the campus has libraries and labs with computers I can use, but that's not always ideal and the other thing is that they might not have all the programs I want or need to use. Related to that is I feel like I have to stop being all wishy-washy and start actually doing things so I can have a varied skill set in life and not be all "Well, I don't know, maybe I should, maybe I shouldn't." Screw it, if I have some kind of interest in 3D modeling, art, game development, whatever, then I should pursue those interests. Another thing is that I intend to get an art minor in digital art, so it might be wise to learn a bit before I take those courses in 3D modeling and this imaging class that requires I get a drawing tablet.

 

Secondary focus: gaming. Stress relief and trying to reinvigorate my love for gaming. Depression kills, man. I'll play anything really.

3. Monitors

Don't think I need another one at the moment. I currently have a 1920x1080, I think 24" TN Asus monitor I bought years ago. For my purposes and needs, I think it will be fine and it's been sitting around doing nothing.

4. Peripherals

Keyboard, possibly a mouse, and ethernet cable. I definitely need a keyboard since there isn't a spare one at home anymore. Also, I'd like to try a mechanical keyboard. I have a mouse I can use, this GE mouse: https://www.amazon.com/GE-Ergonomic-Design-Optical-98529/dp/B004Z2991K, but a better one would probably be more useful if I can fit into my budget. Ethernet cables aren't that expensive, but I will need one depending on the motherboard because apparently some of them don't come with built-in Wi-Fi and it's not a problem since this computer would be right next to the house's router and modem. It's just on the list as a reminder that I should get one, regardless if that motherboard has Wi-Fi or not.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor  ($160.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($36.40 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($103.13 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($276.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($166.99 @ Walmart)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB WINDFORCE OC 8G Video Card  ($484.98 @ Newegg Business)
Case: Phanteks - Eclipse P350X (Black/White) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: BitFenix - Formula Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($69.88 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Redragon - K552 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech - G203 Prodigy Wired Optical Mouse  ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Other: AmazonBasics RJ45 Cat-6 Ethernet Patch Cable - 10 Feet (3 Meters)
Total: $1417.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-11 05:08 EDT-0400

 

So, the things I want advice on are for the motherboard, RAM, and CPU cooler. While looking for an AM4 motherboard, apparently they're really, weird? Some of Asus's, like the Prime series, do not have VRM heatsinks, MSI doesn't want to update their BIOs to be able to use voltage offset, and then there's a whole slew of other things like inconsistent VCC phases where 4 phases would enough for the R5 series, but a motherboard like the ASRock B450 Gaming K4 Fatal1ty only has 3 phases. For RAM, Ryzen benefits from high speeds and tight timings where I could drop down to 16GB with the same speed, but 15 CAS. That said, maybe 32GB would be more useful for stuff like rendering. The CPU cooler is just there. Probably would be better than the stock one, would help for overclocking, so other recommendations, I guess?

 

Last things I can think of since it's really late in the night and I should go to sleep, but I wanted to post this as soon as possible since I didn't get the chance to do so yesterday: I know the GTX 1080 is probably overkill for 1080p gaming and at 60FPS, but hey, it fits the budget, it's not that expensive now that prices have dropped, so why not. I also know that new GPUs have come out or are coming out and that Ryzen 2 and Intel's new CPUs are around the corner, but I'd like to get a desktop as soon as possible.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention this, but I have a spare 2.5" 640GB HDD that I'm going to slap into this system. It's been sitting around unused, so might as well make it useful.

[Cereal5]

Honestly it looks pretty good to me. Getting a used GTX 1080 can save you around $100 off the one you have listed. I would also recommend a different PSU. Look at an EVGA G2/G3, in 550 or 650W variants. You will thank yourself later for having a modular PSU. 

[LukeSavenije]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor	$160.98 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master - MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$59.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard	MSI - X370 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX AM4 Motherboard	$103.46 @ B&H
Memory	G.Skill - Sniper X 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$253.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$166.99 @ Walmart
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card	$409.99 @ B&H
Case	NZXT - H500 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case	$69.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply	$49.99 @ Amazon
Keyboard	Redragon - K552-R KUMARA Wired Gaming Keyboard	$33.49 @ Amazon
Mouse	Corsair - Harpoon RGB Wired Optical Mouse	$28.09 @ Amazon
Other	AmazonBasics RJ45 Cat-6 Ethernet Patch Cable - 10 Feet (3 Meters)
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1396.96
	Mail-in rebates	-$60.00
	Total	$1336.96
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-11 06:40 EDT-0400

 

[Hidden Orange]

2 hours ago, Cereal5 said:

Honestly it looks pretty good to me. Getting a used GTX 1080 can save you around $100 off the one you have listed. I would also recommend a different PSU. Look at an EVGA G2/G3, in 550 or 650W variants. You will thank yourself later for having a modular PSU. 

I did see people saying getting a used GTX 1080 or even a Ti would be a good idea, but this is my first time buying and doing a build, so I'd like to play it safe. Ryzen not having an iGPU makes this another factor since if it arrives much later than everything else, I wouldn't be able to do anything. I could borrow a relative's GTX 660s, but that's it.

 

Didn't LTT used to have a forums marketplace? I'll check later.

 

As for PSU, I used @STRMfrmXMN's guide: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/, and the Bitfenix Formula Gold was in tier 2. It's not modular which sucks, but if it's pretty good as a PSU, then that's fine by me. There was another LTY user who said it was a good PSU. @Stefan Payne? The EVGA G3 is in the same tier, so I'll see if I can rearrange my build unless someone else says the Formula Gold is still better despite not being modular.

 

I checked before posting this, but speak of the devil:

 

It was mentioned in there and I think I could fit in Bitfenix's Whisper which is modular for a few dollars more. 450W would be a few dollars more while 550W would be around 20 more. I only chose the 550W Formula Gold because it was 7 dollars more than the 450W if I recall correctly.

 

@LukeSavenije, an explanation for your build suggestion would be appreciated since I don't know why exactly you chose those parts.

 

I can guess on some of them. With air coolers, liquid is usually better, but I've never built a system, so I'd like to play it safe even if stuff is usually made idiot-proof. That said, I'll consider it.

 

The GTX 1070 Ti is essentially a GTX 1080 and you can overclock it to meet a GTX 1080's performance and it being less expensive means I could choose one with a better reviewed cooler. Gigabyte's Windforce cooler for the GTX 1080 works from what I read, but there are better options. At the same time, it's still a GTX 1080. The worst part is had I posted this a day or two ago, the Gigabyte card would have only been $30 more than the GTX 1070 Ti card you chose. So, I'm kicking myself for not having done this earlier. Might as well pick up the damn thing or else see it raise in price a bit more.

 

I don't know why you chose that keyboard. It's the one I chose, but RGB and that's it. If it was the not tenkeyless one, then sure. I'm okay with living without the numpad and saving a few dollars. I forgot to put it in my OP, but I don't like RGB or LED stuff.

[Stefan Payne]

3 hours ago, Cereal5 said:

Honestly it looks pretty good to me. Getting a used GTX 1080 can save you around $100 off the one you have listed. I would also recommend a different PSU. Look at an EVGA G2/G3, in 550 or 650W variants. You will thank yourself later for having a modular PSU. 

No, the Bitfenix Formula is good, no need to replace it with a shittier PSU.

Modularity isn't really that great of an advantage and has more Problems. And with the 550W Formula, what cable do you want to save?? one Peripherial one??

 

There are also better ones like Be quiet Straight Power 11 or Bitfenix Whisper M, if you want it modular...

 

The EVGA PSU are pretty shit for the size of EVGA as they are usually worse than the competition and offer NOTHING that others don't do better...

3 hours ago, Hidden Orange said:

Case: Phanteks - Eclipse P350X (Black/White) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg)

With that I have an Issue because the screws for your Graphics Card and other PCie things are outside of the case.

That's really crappy and causes unnecessary Problems. 

Especially inserting bigger components (like Graphics cards) is annoying and might even damage your Motherboard.

 

So you should absolutely look at a different case.

 

For example be quiet Dark Base 700

Or the new Silent Base 601.

Or any other Case that has the screws for the Graphics Card inside the case.

[Hidden Orange]

43 minutes ago, Stefan Payne said:

Bitfenix Whisper M

I just found out that the 450W version is a few cents more than the Formula Gold 550W: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/cg4NnQ/bitfenix-whisper-m-450w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-bp-wg450umag-7fm. I think I'll go with that. I don't think I'll need 550W.

 

43 minutes ago, Stefan Payne said:

With that I have an Issue because the screws for your Graphics Card and other PCie things are outside of the case.

That's really crappy and causes unnecessary Problems. 

Especially inserting bigger components (like Graphics cards) is annoying and might even damage your Motherboard.

 

So you should absolutely look at a different case.

 

For example be quiet Dark Base 700

Or the new Silent Base 601.

Or any other Case that has the screws for the Graphics Card inside the case.

Noted. I'll see what I can find later. The cases you suggested I think are out of my price range.

 

Edit: Note to self, Fractal Design Focus G has PCI screws on the inside. Just annoyed with how the Amazon price for the black case is their Prime-only price, so it's a bit misleading whenever I sort by lowest price.

[LukeSavenije]

9 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor	$160.98 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master - MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$59.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard	MSI - X370 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX AM4 Motherboard	$103.46 @ B&H
Memory	G.Skill - Sniper X 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$253.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$166.99 @ Walmart
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card	$409.99 @ B&H
Case	NZXT - H500 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case	$69.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply	$49.99 @ Amazon
Keyboard	Redragon - K552-R KUMARA Wired Gaming Keyboard	$33.49 @ Amazon
Mouse	Corsair - Harpoon RGB Wired Optical Mouse	$28.09 @ Amazon
Other	AmazonBasics RJ45 Cat-6 Ethernet Patch Cable - 10 Feet (3 Meters)
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1396.96
	Mail-in rebates	-$60.00
	Total	$1336.96
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-11 06:40 EDT-0400

 

o boy this is going to be one hell of some typing.

I chose the 2600 for having many cores, good single and multicore performence, better then last gen equivelent r5 1600. I chose the x370 pro carbon becouse i have had a great time with my z370 version, and it supports sli for later upgrades, Gskill sniper becouse I think g-skill makes great ram, and with this kind of money you want to buy something realiable. Pre-filled liquid coolers should be foolproof, exept if you're following the verge on how to install it. the samsung 860 evo is just a really good sata ssd. the evga SC gaming 1070 ti was becouse of what you already mensioned with the 1080-1070 ti comparising, but i chose this one specificly becouse you're allowed to overclock it without bricking your warrenty at EVGA, but if you want to spend a little more the FTW version has better power delivery. the H500 becouse it's generally a good case and it supports the radiator which I chose to cool the cpu, the cxm 550 watt becouse it's a great budget psu, but you might want to get a tier 2 750+ watt psu if you want to use sli. the reddragon was for the RGB, but I didn't know you don't like RGB (what are you doing here?). and the mouse is just as an upgrade with also RGB support, but I once again didn't know about your RGB problems.

 

So that's why.

[Hidden Orange]

3 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

I chose the 2600 for having many cores, good single and multicore performence, better then last gen equivelent r5 1600.

That's a given and I wanted something that could work well for other, non-gaming stuff.

 

3 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

I chose the x370 pro carbon becouse i have had a great time with my z370 version, and it supports sli for later upgrades,

One thing I don't know about with the B3XX and X3XX AM4 boards are if the Ryzen 2000 series would work out of the box. The BIOS needs to be updated and I don't know anyone with a spare Ryzen 1000 series CPU and waiting for the upgrade kit might take some time compared to getting a B4XX or X4XX AM4 board. I'm also not sure I want to do SLI or Crossfire. The technology has gotten better for scaling GPUs, but a single, strong GPU seems more reliable and practical.

 

3 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

Gskill sniper becouse I think g-skill makes great ram, and with this kind of money you want to buy something realiable.

This came up after doing more research into RAM and Ryzen and the memory I chose apparently is a Hynix while Ryzen would prefer Samsung's B-die. The higher frequency, well, 3400Mhz, G.Skill Snipers are B-Die, but I have no idea if the 3200Mhz are and I can't seem to find it. Maybe their site lists it, but I couldn't find it or didn't look in the right place. If it's B-die, then I'd pick this, but for now, I dropped down to considering G.Skill's and Team Dark Pro's 16GB (2x8GB), 3200Mhz, 14 CAS sticks. The lower latency 32GB, 3200Mhz, 15 or lower CAS RAM are so expensive.

 

3 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

Pre-filled liquid coolers should be foolproof, exept if you're following the verge on how to install it.

Noted, but I looked around here and some people suggested an air cooler around that price would be better or to get a different, more expensive AIO. Currently, I've decided on Cryorig's H5 Ultimate which I hope fits whatever case I decide on and there's enough clearance for the RAM where I could just move them to the furthest slots.

 

3 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

the evga SC gaming 1070 ti was becouse of what you already mensioned with the 1080-1070 ti comparising, but i chose this one specificly becouse you're allowed to overclock it without bricking your warrenty at EVGA, but if you want to spend a little more the FTW version has better power delivery.

My only concern for this is while the GTX 1070 TI can match the GTX 1080 and overclocking EVGA's wouldn't void the warranty where apparently if you don't tell anyone, it doesn't really matter, is that the GTX 1080 would have a higher ceiling if I overclock it. It would be stronger out of the box and could be stronger, right?

 

3 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

the cxm 550 watt becouse it's a great budget psu, but you might want to get a tier 2 750+ watt psu if you want to use sli.

I guess this doesn't need to be talked about with the previous posts on the Bitfenix Formula Gold and Whisper M and other options over EVGA's. That said, Corsair PSUs are good, especially the one listed in that PSU tier list.

 

3 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

but I didn't know you don't like RGB (what are you doing here?).

Because it's a nice community and Linus has a bunch of useful videos back when I watched them. From what I remember, RGB wasn't that big four years ago when I joined. I don't mind RGB if whatever has it fits my budget, but I'd prefer not having it and sticking with less vibrant and bright stuff. I know, I'm a boring person.

[Hidden Orange]

I've settled on this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor  ($160.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($103.13 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - DARK PRO 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($200.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($166.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Scorpio Blue 640GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GAMING X 8G Video Card  ($489.99 @ Walmart)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case  ($81.53 @ Newegg Business)
Power Supply: BitFenix - Whisper M 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($70.18 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Redragon - K552 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech - G203 Prodigy Wired Optical Mouse  ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Other: AmazonBasics RJ45 Cat-6 Ethernet Patch Cable - 10 Feet (3 Meters)
Total: $1378.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-11 22:09 EDT-0400

 

The only things that changed were the CPU cooler, RAM, GPU, and case. With regards to the CPU cooler, the Cryorig H7 went out of stock when I checked my build, so I had to find something else. As I said in my previous post, @LukeSavenije, I did consider your suggestion about getting the AIO cooler, but I looked around and others suggested getting an air cooler around that price or lower which the H5 Ultimate ended up being.

 

For RAM, I dropped down to 16GB in return for RAM using Samsung's B-die and tighter timings. Time will tell if the 3200Mhz G.Skill Sniper X are actually B-die or not. For GPU, I didn't notice that was how much the Gigabyte Windforce card went up after the sale ended. I thought it was still around $460 not $480. The MSI 8G Gaming X is only a few dollars more expensive and it's apparently much quieter according to reviews. Welp, guess I'll get that then. Buying a GPU from Walmart. I hope nothing goes wrong and if something does, the RMA process isn't awful.

 

Finally, I took @Stefan Payne's advice about getting a case with the PCI bracket inside of the case which led to me choosing something more expensive, but that's all right since the Meshify had some good reviews.

 

Not sure if you'll read this, @Cereal5, but regardless, thanks everyone for the advice.

[brob]

Why not stick with the stock cooler instead of the H5. An H7 can always be added later if the stock cooler proves insufficient.

[Cereal5]

13 hours ago, Hidden Orange said:

I did see people saying getting a used GTX 1080 or even a Ti would be a good idea, but this is my first time buying and doing a build, so I'd like to play it safe. Ryzen not having an iGPU makes this another factor since if it arrives much later than everything else, I wouldn't be able to do anything. I could borrow a relative's GTX 660s, but that's it.

 

Didn't LTT used to have a forums marketplace? I'll check later.

You'd be surprised how many people should buy used for their first build, based on their budget. Even so, do whatever you want. However, the current market is relatively well priced. A high tier GPU is still expensive though. I don't know why you would spend $410 on a 1070 Ti when you can spend $375 on a 1080. And yes, it's called classifieds

[Hidden Orange]

2 hours ago, brob said:

Why not stick with the stock cooler instead of the H5. An H7 can always be added later if the stock cooler proves insufficient.

You have a point there. My main concern is that during the summers, my room gets really hot and the cooler doesn't seem that expensive, so I figured why not. I do know that AMD's stock coolers are pretty good, so... yeah, canceled and I'll see how it goes.

 

[LukeSavenije]

6 hours ago, Hidden Orange said:

The only things that changed were the CPU cooler, RAM, GPU, and case. With regards to the CPU cooler, the Cryorig H7 went out of stock when I checked my build, so I had to find something else. As I said in my previous post, @LukeSavenije, I did consider your suggestion about getting the AIO cooler, but I looked around and others suggested getting an air cooler around that price or lower which the H5 Ultimate ended up being.

yea, it was just that I saw at the first build you chose for 32 gigs, so I thought to take this into the build. But a good air cooler is a good choise. The MSI Gaming X is good, but if you can find the EVGA SC gaming, Asus ROG strix or any other card that is good in reviews, you should get it. but you won't regret any of them

[Hidden Orange]

15 hours ago, brob said:

Why not stick with the stock cooler instead of the H5. An H7 can always be added later if the stock cooler proves insufficient.

Wait a minute, isn't the Cryorig H7 not as good as the H5? Thinking about it, I might want to overclock the R5 2600 where the stock cooler might work, but an aftermarket one would cool it better. That and there's around a fifty dollar difference between the R5 2600 and the 2600X where the 2600X's Wraith Spire stock cooler is apparently pretty good, but around $50 which is where the Cryorig H5, Scythe Mugen, fit also, so, I'm not so sure. Using this post as reference: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/891730-cpu-cooler-performance-tier-list/.

 

I'll think about it, but for now, a stock cooler should be fine unless I feel like I want more power or whatever.

 

Regardless, most of the parts should be here by Thursday or next Friday and I'm pretty stoked.

[brob]

The H5 is better. It is also a bit larger and taller than the H7 so case clearance should be checked. As long as the motherboard doesn't use the PCIe slot position closest to the cpu for gpu, it would be fine.

 

https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6966/cryorig-h5-universal-cpu-cooler-review/index.html in reviewing the H5 does a bit of a comparison.

[Hidden Orange]

43 minutes ago, brob said:

The H5 is better. It is also a bit larger and taller than the H7 so case clearance should be checked. As long as the motherboard doesn't use the PCIe slot position closest to the cpu for gpu, it would be fine.

 

https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6966/cryorig-h5-universal-cpu-cooler-review/index.html in reviewing the H5 does a bit of a comparison.

Yeah, I know that, but I was wondering why you suggested I get the H7 instead which you answered with case, GPU, and RAM clearance depending on if it's the H5 Universal or H5 Ultimate. Case clearance should be fine as the Fractal Design Meshify has, according to its page on Fractal Design's page, https://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/meshify/meshify-c-bko, a 170mm height limit for CPU coolers where the H5 is 160mm in height or around 168.3mm if you adjust the fan for the Ultimate probably so it doesn't obstruct the closest RAM slot: http://www.cryorig.com/h5-ultimate_us.php.

 

I'm not sure about the GPU clearance, though, since the MSI B450 Tomahawk does use the PCIe slot closest to the CPU for a GPU, but I have no idea what the dimensions are from the CPU to the PCIe slots. The board looks like this: https://asset.msi.com/global/picture/features/MB/Gaming/B450/B450Tomahawk/b450-Tomahwk-rgb_cover.png.

[brob]

I suggested the H7 because it was in the OP build, will do the job well, has no memory clearance issues and is less obtrusive.

 

The H5 Ultimate while better than the H5 Universal has memory clearance issues. Cooling efficiency will be impacted if the fan is raised. I also find this sort of adjustment unsightly.

 

An ATX motherboard can have seven PCIe expansion slots. If you look at the back of an ATX case you will see that the one closest to the cpu is right beside the i/o panel. Just a few mm separate the two. If you look at the B450 Tomahawk you will see that this position on the motherboard does not have an expansion slot, i.e. it is not used, instead it is reserved for an M.2 ssd. If you look at (click to enlarge), you will see a x1 slot closest to the cpu. 

[Hidden Orange]

8 minutes ago, brob said:

I suggested the H7 because it was in the OP build, will do the job well, has no memory clearance issues and is less obtrusive.

Oh, in that case, I switched to the H5, either is fine, because the H7 was listed as out of stock on PCPartPicker when I was still planning my build. It's in stock on Newegg, though.

 

11 minutes ago, brob said:

An ATX motherboard can have seven PCIe expansion slots. If you look at the back of an ATX case you will see that the one closest to the cpu is right beside the i/o panel. Just a few mm separate the two. If you look at the B450 Tomahawk you will see that this position on the motherboard does not have an expansion slot, i.e. it is not used, instead it is reserved for an M.2 ssd. If you look at (click to enlarge), you will see a x1 slot closest to the cpu. 

In that case, it should be fine as the GPU would be slotted further away and it wouldn't interfere with a PCIe slot as there isn't one nor would it interfere with a M.2 SSD if I had chosen to get a M.2 SSD... Ah, shit. Installing a large air cooler like that would make it a pain in the ass to add a M.2 SSD. Amazon hasn't shipped the SSD yet. Maybe?

[brob]

Don't install the cooler until the M.2 drive is installed. While the drive itself is easy enough to insert, securing the screw may prove troublesome.

[Hidden Orange]

11 minutes ago, brob said:

Don't install the cooler until the M.2 drive is installed. While the drive itself is easy enough to insert, securing the screw may prove troublesome.

Something came to mind and with its placement on the MSI board being so near to a potentially large air cooler, would that affect its temperature?

[brob]

The cooler does not overhang that much of the area so I wouldn't expect it to cause any serious problems.

[Hidden Orange]

31 minutes ago, brob said:

The cooler does not overhang that much of the area so I wouldn't expect it to cause any serious problems.

All right, then. I looked into them a bit more and they can get hot, but it shouldn't be a problem for regular use.

 

Edit: Whatever, I don't think it's worth the hassle of getting a M.2 drive over a regular, SATA? SSD.

 

Edit 2: Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Scythe Mugen 5 and the Rev.B version are in my budget and I couldn't find them before on PCPartPicker because once again, they were listed as out of stock, but they're in stock elsewhere including retailers that are common on PCPartPicker which in this case is Amazon. They're around the same price as the H5, but don't have RAM clearance issues and I think they're guaranteed to come with AM4 compatibility unlike the H5 and H7 where the older models before some point in 2017 would require me to get the free AM4 kit from Cryorig and who knows when that will happen. The Fuma, however, wouldn't work with the RAM I chose. If only. That thing looks badass.

Welp, I chose the Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.B as the air cooler for this system and stuck with the regular SSD. No more changes. I'm probably pissing off Amazon, Newegg, the bank, and whoever else with me swapping out stuff randomly like this. Goddamn, me, just goddamn you.

 

Anyway, thank you for your help, @brob. It's been a while if I think you are who I think you are since I'm pretty sure we've ran into each other years ago on these forums.

[Hidden Orange]

Everything arrived today and I built my first computer. Once again, thank you, @brob, @Cereal5, @LukeSavenije, and @Stefan Payne.

 

The scariest thing was when a standoff got stuck and I thought I stripped it or the screw. Turns out in my excitement, I used the wrong screws to install the motherboard. I used the screwed labeled as drive screws which I'm guessing is for a 3.5" drive instead of the motherboard screws. I should have noticed something when the screws were much longer than the standoffs. Fortunately, I was able to get the standoff off after looking up how to by holding it with pliers and screwing the wrong, drive screw off. Since it wasn't going into the standoff hole anymore, I swapped it out with one that didn't get messed up and it worked along with installing the correct screws for the motherboard. And more fortunately, nothing went wrong.

 

Now to figure out cable management. I think I could just smush the cables in the back after plugging in the SATA power cable to the 2.5" HDD. I didn't plug it in just to make sure that Windows 10 would install into the SSD. Well, to make sure I didn't screw up by picking the wrong drive in some way. The Bitfenix PSU only gave me right angle SATA power cables which I guess is normal? It made it so I couldn't install the SSD to the back of the Meshify since I couldn't plug in the power cable. It's fine but now the 3.5" drive trays are all busy with other cables.

 

I am typing this on my laptop, so, no I'm not being too eager and using the new PC right away. I'm having it update while typing this.

 

There is still one mystery and that is a piece of plastic broke off somewhere. I have no idea where it came from and it hasn't been impacting anything. It happened while I was installing the motherboard, so it's probably something from the case.

[brob]

Post a picture of the part that broke.

[Cereal5]

18 minutes ago, Hidden Orange said:

snip

Good to hear. My SATA power cables are also 90 degree, except for the ones on the end, which are straight. That one I used on the Optical drive actually so the chord wouldn't run into the 24 pin and would route nicely through the grommet. Can't say about the plastic piece though. Your PC is gonna destroy some games, especially with that overkill GPU lol