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What country are you in? US What are you using the system for? Gaming and programming, mostly Webdev and C/C++ What's your budget? I'd like to keep it in the $1,000 range, but I don't particularly want to skimp on parts dangerously. If you’re doing professional work, what software do you need to use? I wouldn't necessarily call it "professional" per se, most of what I do on my home PC is hobbyist programming, but It'd be nice to run Visual Studio well and have reasonable compile times. If you're gaming, what is your monitor resolution / refresh rate? My primary monitor is a1920x1200 @ 60hz. I'm considering getting a higher refresh rate monitor at 1080p. However, I also currently own an Oculus Quest that I intend to play PCVR titles with. It runs at 72hz, but I might eventually upgrade to a nicer headset capable of 90hz. The games I am targeting are Half-Life: Alyx and No Man's Sky VR. I also play Destiny 2 a bunch, and I'm CPU-capped on my current CPU, but I think I'll be able to handle that with most any upgrade no sweat. This parts list was assembled with help from /r/buildapc discord. PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Walmart) Motherboard: MSI B450-A PRO MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($103.98 @ Newegg) Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon) Storage: Mushkin PILOT 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg) Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.99 @ Walmart) Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.99 @ Amazon) Total: $1162.91 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-26 18:06 EST-0500 I'm considering a few things.
Unboxing Day fucked around with this message at 00:38 on Dec 27, 2019 |
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Dec 27, 2019 00:27
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Updated parts list for my build. I think this is near-final and would like some last comments before I pull the trigger. PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Walmart) Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H) Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Mushkin PILOT 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg) Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.98 @ Newegg) Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00) Total: $1089.92 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-27 13:45 EST-0500 Actuarial Fables posted:Don't go for the 1tb 660p - instead, drop down to a 1TB version of the Mushkin or one of these. Allright, if I can't have 1TB for $100 and the second M2 slot is half-speed anyway, I'll just spring for the 2TB, so worrying about space will never even cross my mind for the life of the build. quote:The replacement motherboard you've picked out doesn't have the ability to flash the bios without entering the UEFI, so if you happen to get old stock then you'd have to find someone with a compatible processor, pay a computer shop, or beg AMD for a loaner CPU. Additionally, you should be aware that the 2nd M.2 slot is half the bandwidth of the first slot - two PCIe Gen3 lanes instead of four. Not a deal breaker, but depending on your workflow you may not get the full performance of an NVMe drive in that slot. If you don't know for sure that you'll see any benefit of an NVMe data drive, you could also consider a 2.5" SATA data drive and not worry about a 2nd m.2 slot. Noted. I switch it out for the Tomahawk MAX, which I was told comes pre-flashed, but I don't know first-hand. quote:The 3600x comes with a bigger cooler, which I feel is worth the $10 by itself. Noted. The discord suggested I still get the 3600 and just get a $20 fan, but I've read reviews that AMD fans are actually quite nice if you're not overclocking, so I think I'll get the 3600X if it's still on sale when I pull the trigger. quote:For memory performance, the 3000/c15 RAM would have a lower latency than a 3200/c16 set. I'm not sure if the slightly lower RAM frequency would affect the Infinity Fabric frequency and overall performance in a noticeable way - maybe someone else here would know? I was told that this particular memory uses a specific chip (Micron Rev E die) that's apparently better for overclocking, and even if you don't overclock it performance is comparable to 3200 CL16 out of the box. I figured why not, it's in the same price ballpark. quote:I'd get Windows 10 from this person or this other person and save some money. Noted, thanks for the tip. EDIT: I am also not married to my case either. If there is an alternative case that is black metal (not plastic), doesn't have silly RGB stuff in it, is easy to work inside, and has a window I can see my build through, I'm all ears. I'm hearing that the P400A might be a nice alternative. EDIT2: Updated the case to not be the one with the tinted glass. Unboxing Day fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Dec 27, 2019 |
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Dec 27, 2019 19:16
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Am I giving up anything by getting a MSI B450-A PRO MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard instead of the Tomahawk MAX? I gotta be honest, the only reason I care is because I think I prefer the normal-looking backplate compared to the X-TREME RED AND BLACK of the Tomahawk, but I have to admit, I don't care that much. The only difference I was able to tell is that the A PRO doesn't have hardware RAID, which I don't particularly care about. I've also heard that the VRM's aren't as good, but still servicable...whatever those are. My current part list, for reference. If nobody has an issue with anything on the list, I'll probably pull the trigger today or tomorrow. Unboxing Day fucked around with this message at 19:51 on Dec 28, 2019 |
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Dec 28, 2019 18:54
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Okay, here's my final build. I took the 3600 suggestion into account and decided to get a Deepcool cooler instead. I also decided to stick with the TOMAHAWK MAX because I couldn't tell if the B450-A PRO MAX was black or actually brown, which since my case was going to be a see-through was a little more important to me. Probably going to buy the lot tonight unless there are any other suggestions. Thanks for your help, thread. PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($194.99 @ Walmart) CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 74.34 CFM CPU Cooler ($20.99 @ Newegg) Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H) Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($71.50 @ B&H) Storage: Mushkin PILOT 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg) Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.98 @ Newegg) Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00) Total: $1112.42 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-29 16:00 EST-0500 EDIT: After running the build by a discord, someone on the discord thought that $1.1k for a 5700 build is a "ripoff", and pulled this build out. I gotta be honest, I do not enjoy working on my current machine primarily because it's a microATX board and things are way too cramped. But it is a good deal cheaper than the TOMAHAWK. It also looks like they found some cheaper 3200-16 RAM and went with a Corsair CX power supply, and was able to put that saved money into a 5700 XT. Unboxing Day fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Dec 29, 2019 |
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Dec 29, 2019 22:02
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Okay, I downgraded to the 1TB mentioned earlier, swapped out some cheaper 3200-16 RAM and got an 5700 XT and came in below my previous price. PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($194.99 @ Walmart) CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 74.34 CFM CPU Cooler ($20.99 @ Newegg) Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H) Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg) Storage: HP EX950 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($126.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($403.98 @ Newegg) Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.98 @ Newegg) Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00) Total: $1096.90 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-29 16:45 EST-0500 Mu Zeta posted:What kind of monitor do you have? It might be moot if you're on 1080p. I'm on a 1920x1200 monitor right now, and if I get a new monitor it's going to be 1080 @ 144hz, not a higher resolution. However, I also have an Oculus Quest VR headset as well, which runs at VR resolutions at 72 hz, and upgrading to a 90hz headset is not out of the realm of possibility. So frankly, I'm not sure if I need the XT or not. Unboxing Day fucked around with this message at 23:42 on Dec 29, 2019 |
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Dec 29, 2019 22:49
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Allright, parts are purchased! I hope to god that this build goes better than my last build, which had some incredibly unfortunate motherboard issues. I ditched the cooler for now, because I really did not want a fan with an LED on it, and I don't know if you can shut the LED on the GAMMAXX 400 off. If anybody knows different, or if anybody would recommend a cheap cooler that would be much quieter than stock, I'm all ears.
Unboxing Day fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Dec 30, 2019 |
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Dec 30, 2019 00:51
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Stickman posted:Probably not, but the version without lighting is just $1 more. The Arctic Freezer 34 would be a step up in cooling and noise reduction. I think you linked the exact same cooler. If you click through to newegg, you'll see it comes with the LED.
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Dec 30, 2019 01:13
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So I have had it up to here with trying to stream or dual-monitor Steam games to my big TV, and I was thinking about getting a small little NUC/mini-PC to run indie/low spec games. Hitting a stable 1080p/60fps is my preference, I don't care how it looks (within reason). However, as this thought occurred to me, I also realized that it might also be useful for my gamedev job as well - functioning as a second machine to test netcode with, running games in Visual Studio with a debugger attached. Our games are also low-spec (think stuff like this or this), but when I broached the subject in our group chat someone recommended I get something with Vulkan 1.2 support. I was fully prepared to spend $500-600 on a build. I was kind of shocked to find this: PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Best Buy) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 CL16 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon) Storage: Crucial P2 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($52.99 @ Amazon) Custom: ASRock DESKMINI A300W AMD Socket AM4 1 x HDMI Barebone System ($157.98 @ Newegg) Total: $365.95 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-10-15 09:27 EDT-0400 Keeping in mind that this is not going to be my daily driver, is the best I can do at around this price point and form factor? How would it compare to an Intel NUC or something similar? Unboxing Day fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Oct 15, 2020 |
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Oct 15, 2020 14:41
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So apparently, I have the worst luck in the world, because this PC that I built a year and a half ago is starting to randomly bluescreen on me. link I say "worst luck" because my last build from 2013 also did this and it turned out to be the motherboard in the end. Anyway, after some attempts at diagnostics and visits to a PC repair shop, I came to the realization that if I'm going to start replacing parts, I had the bright idea that the parts I would get would be better than what I had before. The thing is, my computer has changed from being something I mostly played games on and noodled around on hobby projects with to my gamedev breadwinner that I spend 95% of my time in Visual Studio waiting for C++ to compile. My primary concern is core count. I've often maxed out my CPU usage while compiling and I would love to be able to throw more cores at my builds. Hard drive space - I don't think that 1TB is enough for me. RAM, 16GB is okay, but I often use around 11GB from having two user accounts open with two copies of Visual Studio and Firefox. If there's a downgrade candidate, video card would be it - I don't play many AAA games at all and I would actually be happy with something that MSRP'ed at $200~250 or so, as long as it was reliable. Obviously the GPU market being what it is might make that tricky, but if I replaced all the other parts first and it turned out to be a GPU issue by process of elimination I suppose at least I know what it is at that point. I'm in the USA, and I want to throw around $1000 at this upgrade/fix. I also want to keep my case and PSU. Recommendations? Unboxing Day fucked around with this message at 16:54 on May 28, 2021 |
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May 28, 2021 16:40
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MonkeyFit posted:That's a tough budget in this market. I can spend more, but I was hoping that I would find the issue before I replaced every single part. Frankly, the machine I have is good enough, but if I'm going to start replacing parts I figure I might as well upgrade, starting with the CPU/Mobo, the SSD, RAM, then finally the GPU. quote:Do you or a friend have any old GPUs laying around that you can test to eliminate the graphics card? Can you run any stress tests for specific components to see if one of those exposes the culprit? Like maybe a specific component is overheating under load? Have you tried a fresh install of windows? The PC repair place ran Furmark to test my GPU, and I ran 8 passes of memtest to test my RAM. I also reinstalled Windows. The BSOD's I get don't point to any driver repeatedly, and the hard freezes usually transition over to a DPC Watchdog error. Given that it's random and occasional, it reminds me a lot of my motherboard issues in my last build (although I never got BSOD's on my last build, it just hard-froze all the time until I replaced the mobo). Unboxing Day fucked around with this message at 22:34 on May 28, 2021 |
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May 28, 2021 22:28
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