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A little advice for my new PC!


=VG= Connor

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Hey guys, so I am planning to build a new PC next month, but I was a bit worried about some of my part choices. My main worry was whether my CPU would bottleneck my GPU, but after a long and helpful chat with Semler in DMs, he has pointed out a few other things such as needing new ram and possibly a better PSU. Now because I am not so educated about PC building and parts (My knowledge goes as far as what a good CPU and GPU is. Although Semler has provided SO MUCH useful information for me) even though I built the one I currently use, Semler thinks I will get even better results if I make a thread rather than keeping it in DM, so I shall! I will link my PC Part list and the video that inspired my build so it makes it easier for you and just give me any tips or suggestions you have and if possible keep it within the $1000 budget. 

 

Video: https://youtu.be/2tYim2XRT-M

My PC Part Picker List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bV8px6 (GPU Will be RTX 3070)



Cheers, Connor.

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Hay mate i'm  a  DIY PC fan too its been a while, well 10 years as my last PC was built to last 20 years  : ) 

overclockers.co.uk, have good worked out specks to save you any costly mistakes.  Go for a bundle if you want to be sure it will work out fine. same price as the components on there own, or cheaper :) and it comes all pugged in to the MB,, just re fit the bundled MB  to the ATX case and boom your dun....... 

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-systems/configurator/gaming-pc

Semler has got PC building down to a fine art,  but i will add to his PSU suggestion...... 700 watts minimum 1000 watts is better.  And most importantly and not talked about much is cooling.....  over clocked or not it will get hot, CPUs and ram hate heat and your mother board will suffer.  the fans sold for PCs are shit.... add you own fan (non PC) with a filter to keep out the dust. have the fan blow into the PC and it will stay dust free  and run cool  and your CPU wont melt : )   SSD drives are stable now, so go SSD  : ) for the OS and games, then get  cheap HDDs for storage 2x 500 GIG super cheap  : )  reuse your old ATX case.  and spend the extra dosh/ cash on stuff that will make a difference to performance. 

GO full size micro is rubbish and smaller sometimes means more expensive  

Cooler Master MasterBox MB320L ARGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case NO no NO no  i had lots of problems with Cooler Master cases in the past cheap fans and poor construction. 

Enjoy the thing making  :)

 

 

 Keep us in the loop and send pics  : ) 

 

 

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What GPU are you using? As i see a 700W PSU in the list. 

Also, what is the purpose of that system?

I will opt for the MB311L instead due to mesh front panel for better air intake. But if u don't like the mesh design, that MB320L should be ok. Never bother test the case temps even tho i have stocks for both that casing models in hand with me.

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@Connorsponner01 Your GPU is missing from the list :P 

Apart from that, I'd recommend an SSD 1000% of times. HDD's are fine for file storage, but anything that you want to load quickly (games, graphical stuff etc) will see considerable benefits with an SSD. They're getting cheaper and cheaper, so it's a good investment anyway. Another option is to go hybrid, putting in a 512GB SSD and 512 HDD which could save money.

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11 minutes ago, Cruizer said:

Maybe his waiting for the RTX 3060 or RTX 3070 :lol:

Sorry yeah I forgot to mention I will be getting the 3070! @=VG= Acro1 As for Storage I already have a very good SSD, I just want a HDD for other things, but a 7500rpm at least which I am going for!

 

26 minutes ago, =VG= STRONTIUM-DOG said:

 

Semler has got PC building down to a fine art,  but i will add to his PSU suggestion...... 700 watts minimum 1000 watts is better. 

I havent actually updated the list to what Semler has suggested to me other than the Storage, so everything there was my choice!

 

22 minutes ago, Cruizer said:

What GPU are you using? As i see a 700W PSU in the list. 

Also, what is the purpose of that system?

I will opt for the MB311L instead due to mesh front panel for better air intake. But if u don't like the mesh design, that MB320L should be ok. Never bother test the case temps even tho i have stocks for both that casing models in hand with me.

It's a Gaming PC, I only do a little bit of Photoshop work for Fiverr so nothing fancy. And if it will give better aiflow I'm all for it! I will think about that one so thanks!

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17 minutes ago, Connorsponner01 said:

Sorry yeah I forgot to mention I will be getting the 3070!

Good luck in getting your hands on it. As I never able to secure stocks for any of the RTX 3000 on my side. My distributor told me to wait super long for more stocks for the mass market.

Somehow the manufacturers are still ramping up production for the RTX 2000 Series & Yes, there are still backorders for those cards in my country from us resellers. For production on RTX 3000 Series, pretty much silent. Most said they are trying to ramp up but... meh. On the other hand from my distributor side, they say, not much info. Oh well

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3 minutes ago, Cruizer said:

Good luck in getting your hands on it. As I never able to secure stocks for any of the RTX 3000 on my side. My distributor told me to wait super long for more stocks for the mass market.

Somehow the manufacturers are still ramping up production for the RTX 2000 Series & Yes, there are still backorders for those cards in my country from us resellers. For production on RTX 3000 Series, pretty much silent. Most said they are trying to ramp up but... meh. On the other hand from my distributor side, they say, not much info. Oh well

Yeah i am pretty worried about being able to get one, hoping this launch compared to the 3080 is better.

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I didn't realize that this was a build based on a BitWit vid - like I said, I'm not too familiar with AMD motherboard offerings, but I have learned tons more about their CPU's.

Conner and I had been chatting in a PM, and I figured I'd migrate some of our discussion here -- but after reviewing it, only one post seems relevant enough to carry over anyway, where we discussed HDD, MoBo and RAM, and PSU, so I'll quote what I wrote here -- should be good enough to share what we already discussed:
 

22 hours ago, =VG= SemlerPDX said:

There are some parts on that list that I have some notes about:

The choice of HDD -- Seagate 1TB 7200RPM 128MB Cache  @ $62.99  (from newegg)

This is a slightly older drive, and it is far, far too expensive and way too small in price per GB, where the cost goes for mostly unused recovery plan.
You have chosen the "Compute" line which includes 2 years data recovery plan.  At this level (1TB) this is so unlikely to get used due to the high MTFB for drives of this sort that you'd be so much better off manually backing up key files rather than expecting the entire drive to be "the" safeguard (for only 2 years) due to the included free data recovery in the event of failure.

**I say this, but I do use a "Compute" line of HDD, and plan to pay to extend the 2 year plan, but this is for a 8TB drive that is over 50% capacity including sensitive files related to running the entire VG community and all our servers (over ten years), as well as sensitive personal project files and works over the years, and my entire movies / videos library.  It cost $300 but I consider that peace of mind worth it, given my role at VG, and the main part of my life that my PC plays a role in.  It was a better solution than buying a cheaper 8TB drive, and a second cheaper 8TB drive (at 5400RPM) for redundant backup.


IMHO you should consider changing to:

Seagate 2TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache @ $54.99

This drive is faster, better than half the price per GB, and at this level of price is is much more fitting to pair it with a second drive of the same kind somewhere down the road, maybe 6 months to a year after you purchase this one.  This is for the reason to ensure these two drives are likely not from the same production run, to extend the overall MTFB combined factors between both drives... You regularly backup the entire first drive to the second, and this system would work for 5 years easily, whereas spending $50 for half capacity (1TB and lower Cache) with a data recovery plan expires in 2 years (which go by faster than you think) is arguably a less optimal way to spend your money.  RAID setups frequently use this tactic, in redundant arrays, where half of the array is purchased months later so that the MTFB is staggered between the first set and second set of drives.  *You don't want all drives to have the same countdown clock coming closer to failure time, this is how that is accomplished.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H2RR55Q

*totally understandable if you have different goals, just pointing out my opinions on this matter.  Also, for $99 a year, DropBox offers 2TB of cloud storage, very very affordable peace of mind for off-site backups of crucial files (obviously biased recommendation, I use DB for personal and for VG crucial backups and to me this is actually expensive on my monthly budget, but worth it!!)

Motherboard:

Your Motherboard choice seems to be decent, though I must admit I am less familiar with AMD motherboard offerings than Intel, only this year being won over by AMD and focusing more attention to these chipsets.  I assume your choice is motivated by budget, and that MoBo certainly has all the necessary features AFAIK for the two CPU's you plan to run on it, and has plenty of SATA ports for additional drives plus that NVMe PCI Gen4 slot.

BUT the choice of RAM should ONLY be found through the QVL for System Memory for that specific motherboard.  These will be dual and quad DIMM sets that were directly tested and validated by the motherboard manufacturer.  Your chosen RAM modules have NOT been tested or validated.  While this does not guarantee that they will not run, it may be a factor in whether the RAM can run at it's rated speed (3200MHz).

Also on that note, RAM speed is directly tied to the speed of the Infinity Fabric Clock speed of the Ryzen CPU, which is the way two separate CPU dies communicate with each other, in dual rate, so this is something we strive to achieve a 1:1 speed ratio between RAM and IF -- for my Ryzen 9 3900X, this is 1800MHz, doubled, so 3600MHz is the speed of RAM I purchased (from the MoBo QVL list) and is the speed I have my RAM overclocked to in BIOS.

I did my best to look up both the CPU's you noted, but hastily, and you should look further into this to be sure.  AFAIK, it's 1800MHz for both the CPU's you noted, which would mean the RAM speed you should strive for is 3600MHz preferably at CL16 if you can afford it.

IF you plan to add RAM down the road, you should be doing like you do with your CPU:  selling the old set, and buying a x4 set from the QVL, rather than combining another 2x set with your current set from the QVL.  This is because these are tested in sets, and sets are NOT equal when combined.  If you want a good high performing set of 4 sticks, you get a 4x -- or get one that is tested in a 2x AND 4x set of the same RAM, with the same chips, if you want to do 2 now and add 2 later, and that is not always easy to find either in the QVL list or from vendors.  Research and proper planning in this pays off in droves if you plan to increase your RAM from 2 sticks to 4 down the road!  Also, if doing this, do not wait longer than 1 year -- specific RAM modules can be harder and harder to find as time goes on, and if you wait too long, the very, VERY specific "2 more of exactly the same kind" can become nearly impossible to find, or too overpriced by scalpers selling off the last remaining stock.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/B550M-PRO-VDH-WIFI#support-mem-19
 

Power Supply:

This is a matter of several factors from the stability of your region, your neighborhood, and your house's mains power.  After that, it's a matter of maximum expected usage and efficiency of power delivered.  This is where that 80+ certification comes in... means "equal to or greater than 80% efficiency" - so take that number of wattage, take 80% of it, and you have your estimated delivery of efficient power.  These PSU's are most efficient as they get closer to 70% load or thereabouts, and this is why though your estimate for your build would fall in the ~350-400 Watt range (once you pop in a 3070) the 700 Watt PSU is right in the ballpark of "best choice for this system".

That being said, your particular choice of PSU models is not the best, a Tier C part for a cheap mid/low end system.  This does not exactly fall in line with the end goals you have for the awesome CPU and GPU you have chosen, the 3700X and RTX 3070.  Will it run safely? YES!  Will it run well for years and years? YES!  Will it cause problems or potentially ruin other parts?  NO - highly unlikely!

Why do I bring this up?   Because along with a computer monitor, your PSU can be one of the most seldom replaced parts if you plan to upgrade portions of your new PC over the years, rather than fully replacing it in 5 years with an entire new PC.  *The PSU you choose now will likely run well for 7+ years, so replacing it WOULD be inefficient vs. budget, so choosing a good brand now (even if it costs $20-30 more than your original choice) can be money well spent down the road.

I understand you are on a specific budget, so this is the last thing you should revisit as you refine your build before final purchase, but do check out options here to see if going over your budget by even $20-30 for a better power supply is possible.

Here is the end-all list for PSU's, most all pro's check this list yearly and those who don't know about it are often delighted to find the LTT PSU Hierarchy.  Their methodology is superb*, and they do these each year. 
(read: not done by Linus Sebastian ;) )

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1116640-psucultists-psu-tier-list/

 

Again, did not mean to write out a novel, just started putting down my thoughts and then looked up to find this huge thing... apologies, I wish I was a man of fewer words.  Hope it helps!

:coffee: 
-Sem

 

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2 minutes ago, =VG= SemlerPDX said:

I didn't realize that this was a build based on a BitWit vid - like I said, I'm not too familiar with AMD motherboard offerings, but I have learned tons more about their CPU's.

Conner and I had been chatting in a PM, and I figured I'd migrate some of our discussion here -- but after reviewing it, only one post seems relevant enough to carry over anyway, where we discussed HDD, MoBo and RAM, and PSU, so I'll quote what I wrote here -- should be good enough to share what we already discussed:
 

 

I had sent you the video too haha I guess you missed it. :lol:

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That mb option is a decent mb that can handle Ryzen 9 3000 Series. Since his using Ryzen 5, it's 100% safe side as the mb VRMs/Mosfet won't so called thermal throttle the cpu.

16GB is now the minimum people nowadays take. Since Ryzen love high frequency ram, 3200MHz is not an issue. Unless he want squeeze more & get 3600MHz  or heck get the Gigabyte/TeamGroup 4000++MHz Ram (If his crazy)

Not going to say much bout HDD unless he want to opt all out SSD like Semler latest system.

The casing, I already provide the alternative model that Cooler Master has to offer for a better air intake/airflow due to the front mesh design.

700W 80+ Bronze is ok since he wanted to get the RTX 3070. But going 1000W is way overkill unless his doing some liquid nitrogen OC crap with it. Since the minimum for that GPU is 650W . But if his going to put tons of light show in his casing (YES, I know Rainbows in the system will help increase ur FPS) at least add 50-100W from it just to be on the safe side (As some ARGB Hubs/controller do consume high wattage due to using the additional sata power).

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2 hours ago, Cruizer said:

That mb option is a decent mb that can handle Ryzen 9 3000 Series. Since his using Ryzen 5, it's 100% safe side as the mb VRMs/Mosfet won't so called thermal throttle the cpu.

16GB is now the minimum people nowadays take. Since Ryzen love high frequency ram, 3200MHz is not an issue. Unless he want squeeze more & get 3600MHz  or heck get the Gigabyte/TeamGroup 4000++MHz Ram (If his crazy)

Not going to say much bout HDD unless he want to opt all out SSD like Semler latest system.

The casing, I already provide the alternative model that Cooler Master has to offer for a better air intake/airflow due to the front mesh design.

700W 80+ Bronze is ok since he wanted to get the RTX 3070. But going 1000W is way overkill unless his doing some liquid nitrogen OC crap with it. Since the minimum for that GPU is 650W . But if his going to put tons of light show in his casing (YES, I know Rainbows in the system will help increase ur FPS) at least add 50-100W from it just to be on the safe side (As some ARGB Hubs/controller do consume high wattage due to using the additional sata power).

Yeah I think I will get a 750W to be safe! As for ram I still need to find some ram from the QVL list, even though other ram may work I don't want to risk it. HDD Will be fine for now, I already have a 500gb SSD for Windows and other programs. The case I'm still torn between, I really like the none-mesh case but I don't know if better air intake is significant enough to trade for cool looks :blind:

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13 hours ago, Connorsponner01 said:

Yeah i am pretty worried about being able to get one, hoping this launch compared to the 3080 is better

Never buy new release tech it's a rip off and there maybe problems with it. get old tech one or 2 years old. its cheap has had all the bugs worked out, and you won't notice the performance change in just 2 years of development. Building smart keeps you out of the marketing scams :)

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1 hour ago, =VG= STRONTIUM-DOG said:

Never buy new release tech it's a rip off and there maybe problems with it. get old tech one or 2 years old. its cheap has had all the bugs worked out, and you won't notice the performance change in just 2 years of development. Building smart keeps you out of the marketing scams :)

I don't agree, at least not this time around. The performance for price ratio on these 3000 series are 100% worth the money even if there are some issues at the start. And games that are coming out now a days really are getting better and better (therefore harder to run) graphics every release. So I will indeed start seeing the performance change, not only that but this PC will future proof me for at least some years to come which all I want!

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3 hours ago, Connorsponner01 said:

The case I'm still torn between, I really like the none-mesh case but I don't know if better air intake is significant enough to trade for cool looks :blind:

Not sure if ur only eyeing on Cooler Master or maybe there's other brands u also do like. Or u could also wait for the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Mini (if u have the patience for it)

As i'm currently awaiting shipment update for that model on my side.

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8 minutes ago, Cruizer said:

Not sure if ur only eyeing on Cooler Master or maybe there's other brands u also do like. Or u could also wait for the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Mini (if u have the patience for it)

As i'm currently awaiting shipment update for that model on my side.

No I just found it and liked it. I do enjoy Corsair cases too! I just don't know much about cases so this is the only one I found so far, so any other suggestions will be great! As for the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Mini, bit too expensive! 

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Not much case that can be recommended for M-ATX Size as most case manufacturers prioritize more on the ATX Size. So pretty hard too narrow down unless you do live in Asia which have other so called cheaper brands like Tecware (they love to rip off design from other bigger brands while using flimsy metal), Aigo (but they called it DarkFlash), Gamemax & more. These companies do make more rip off & downsize them to M-ATX size.

 

Not sure if u have seen MettalicGear (sub division of Phanteks). But Phanteks pretty much silent on their budget sub brand. Not much news. Probably they still having supply/demand issue that's not fully resolve yet.

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Corsair 4000D Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX PC Case - Black

Price:

$79.99

  • Includes two CORSAIR 120mm AirGuide fans, utilizing anti-vortex vanes to concentrate airflow and enhance cooling.
  • A spacious interior fits up to 6x 120mm or 4x 140mm cooling fans, along with multiple radiators including 360mm in front and 280mm in the roof 

 

81tUBrCgk8L._AC_SX569_.jpg

81kf6kqcuKL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

 

 

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1 hour ago, =VG= STRONTIUM-DOG said:

Corsair 4000D Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX PC Case - Black

Price:

$79.99

  • Includes two CORSAIR 120mm AirGuide fans, utilizing anti-vortex vanes to concentrate airflow and enhance cooling.
  • A spacious interior fits up to 6x 120mm or 4x 140mm cooling fans, along with multiple radiators including 360mm in front and 280mm in the roof 

 

81tUBrCgk8L._AC_SX569_.jpg

81kf6kqcuKL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

 

 

I really do love Crosair cases. I have one at the moment, was considering a corsair case but again, I dont want a super expensive one. need to keep within my budget

 

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If ur opting for an ATX casing, u might want to opt for an ATX mb.

 

Example:

Mb: Asrock B550 Pro4 or MSI B550-A Pro or Gigabyte B550 Gaming X

 

U still can use the current B550m on the ATX casing. But for me, I will take the ATX mb due to the gap at the bottom of the casing after u have install it in the casing (Pretty empty gap which is kind of awkward). Y those mb, as ur just using a Ryzen 5 which those mb still can handle them (all I know the above mentioned MSI mb can handle an Ryzen 9 3000 Series on the VRms/Mosfet, not sure bout other brands as I have not search it up yet. More like too lazy to research it).

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47 minutes ago, Cruizer said:

If ur opting for an ATX casing, u might want to opt for an ATX mb.

 

Example:

Mb: Asrock B550 Pro4 or MSI B550-A Pro or Gigabyte B550 Gaming X

 

U still can use the current B550m on the ATX casing. But for me, I will take the ATX mb due to the gap at the bottom of the casing after u have install it in the casing (Pretty empty gap which is kind of awkward). Y those mb, as ur just using a Ryzen 5 which those mb still can handle them (all I know the above mentioned MSI mb can handle an Ryzen 9 3000 Series on the VRms/Mosfet, not sure bout other brands as I have not search it up yet. More like too lazy to research it).

Ah okay, well to be honest a small gap at the bottom leaves room for a little decoration but I will think about the ATX mb. Again I don't know much/anything about mb's so thanks for the help!

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It's ur choice if u wish to so called downsize a bit, M-ATX casing will be it but need to use M-ATX or smaller mb. ATX mb won't be able to fit (y i said this cuz i still have customers asking me on ATX mb 'Can fit?' which i ask them what casing it is & end up it is a bloody M-ATX Casing. *Face Palm*). Don't recommend downsizing to ITX mb YET for the so called beginners/non tech savvy. 

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