1st pc building

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NCKLang
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Wed Jul 26, 2017 9:49 am

Hi guys I'd like some help on picking parts. Figure I should go with Cohhs advice of building the pc myself to get better bang for my buck ;) . Only 1 problem: I'm a total stranger to it and read too much on the internet and thus get totally confused. Here we go;

My budget is: approx. €1000
I live in: Netherlands
Operating system: student OS
Monitor: Negative
Gaming resolution: prefer 2 monitor capability. One is fine for gaming though given the budget. 1080p minimum.
Peripherals?: Negative
Will you do overclocking?: Nope
What are you planning to do with the pc?: aside from some work, photoshop and programming I'll mainly use it for triple A games like witcher, PUBG etc. would like to have 60+ fps where possible.

I've read some posts etc and came up with the following: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fnDs4C

Any tips are greatly appreciated. Also do I need CPU cooler other than stock?

Kind regards,
Nick
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Bloodyfloor4
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Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:32 pm

As you live in the netherlands i recommand to use Tweaker.net instead op pcpartpicker. Its a specialist site with alot of experts on the products and often great indept reviews of product(hardwareinfo for even more information). Its also handy to compare prices of shops in the netherlands.

You could go with a AMD Ryzen 1700 and a RX 580(if available, damn miners!) or RX 480, but doubt you will see much change in performance between the builds although the i7700 will be better in less optimized games as they tend to be more single core heavy.

I'd take an other PSU of 550W, if you dont intend to expand you pc in the future or overclock.
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/463791/ ... zwart.html

Stock cooler should be fine, only for the k variants of processors CPU-coolers are needed. Just get a good airflow in you case.

Always check which memory types are supported by the processor(and motherboard):
https://ark.intel.com/products/97128/In ... o-4_20-GHz
So the RAM you picked(DDR4-2666) will be downclocked by your CPU, so basicly you are throwing away money. Get one that is DDR4-2400 and (2x8GB).
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NCKLang
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Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:54 pm

Hi Bloodyfloor,

Thanks for the swift reply! I've two versions on tweakers, a budget i5 and i7 version: https://tweakers.net/gallery/950463/wenslijst guessed pcpartpicker was easy given tweakers is dutch only ;)

I've changed the RAM as you suggested, but what's the extra value of taking gold label over bronze label PSU (except for the efficiency?). Is +50%€ really worth it in my case given the tight budget? If I compare 550/650 budget bronze with your recommendation the only difference to me is the number of SATA ports being 1 less than my motherboard?


Also i've read up on the "i5 - 8gb is enough for gaming"-literature (and youtube vids..). What's your oppinion on this? Will the i5 pc suffice or not?

Thanks for taking the time much appreciated!
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Bloodyfloor4
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Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:25 pm

When looking at PSU i always look at their warranty, this is because i build my pcs for longevity. Gold PSU generally have warrenties of over 5 years. A problem with the PSU is that if it fails it will take the whole pc down basically destroying the other components(Mostly caused by the stability of the 5V and 12V lines). For instance the PSU you chose is of a brand that is known to make unsafe PSUs:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id- ... -list.html
Another thing with PSU is costs of power, you can spend a little more now on a slightly higher efficiency PSU so that the power costs over the years will be lower, especially if you intend to use it intensively. But if you intend to buy a new pc over a year or 3-5 then you dont really have to worry too much about bronze or gold(expect for avoiding the really bad PSUs like sharkoon).

i5s are generally enough for 60 fps 1080p, anything higher could become a problem. I myself have an i5-4460 and it hardly bottlenecks my system during gaming, the GPU is the most important thing for gaming. The hyperthreading of an i7 can be useful for other stuff you wish to do on the pc that are heavily CPU dependent, but can't really come up with anything for photoshop or/and programming which needs it or benefits it. You have to search the internet for this. You could go for the i5-7500(non-k) or i5-7600(non-k) to spare some money.
For the RAM 8GB is enough for purely gaming, but if you wish to do other things, like on the second monitor, it could start becoming slow as it constantly has to relocate data. Having a larger amount of RAM, like 16GB, makes it so that more program activity can be stored on the RAM so that the programs respond quicker and don't constantly have to extract data from the SSD or HDD. RAM is sort of a quicker storage for programs which the CPU can excess and having more means that more programs can be used at the same time at higher speed.
Also as note to the RAM chosen with the i5, always take 2 modules, So not 1x8GB but 2x4GB for 8GB RAM and not 1x16GB but 2x8GB for 16GB RAM.
http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/1349- ... nel/Page-3

Take a look at this Thread:
https://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/li ... 531704#cpu

Hope this helps!
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NCKLang
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Thu Jul 27, 2017 3:00 pm

Hi Bloodyfloor,

Once again thanks for the good read. Nice comparrison of all PSU's. I've selected a seasonic-m12ii-evo-620w since it was the cheapest I could find that's tier 2. It's 620w 80 bronze, fully modular and comes with 5Y warranty. I had 3 other options but guessed the modular part was worth the 15€: https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/compare ... 30;360227/ BTW could I go with 520W: Seasonic m12II EVO 520w or not?

Had 3 follow up questions:
The first one is regarding the processor, why not take the K version as this might open up the possibility to OC when needing the extra power in the future?

When taking the non-k processor I guess the stock CPU cooler will suffice, can I decide to buy and install an aftermarket one later (say after a few weeks/months) or is this tedious/not recommended? - I figure this qualifies as a noob question :confused:

Last one is about RAM. I've found this set which looks surprisingly good (and cheap...) but has no reviews, so I wondered if you have heard of it / recommend it: team-group-vulcan-vulcan-ddr4-2400-16gb else i'll go with the crucial-ballistix-sport-lt it has plenty of good reviews :)

Updated the wenslijst link on tweakers with the latest changes.
Again many thanks for the information!
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Bloodyfloor4
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Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:57 am

If you wish to have the option of OCing go with a k version, i just assumed that you didn't want to OC. It's not too hard or unsafe, there are a lot of guides online to help you out, just keep in mind warranty has its limits. Also if you go for the k-version get a CPU cooler and get the 620W PSU because OCing needs extra power, without OCing 520W should be enough.

You can install a different CPU cooler afterwards just clean the CPU of any left over cooling pasta and apply new pasta before installing the new one. Again plenty of guides about this on the internet to help you. Removing the stock CPU cooler could be annoying to do though, so just be patient and careful when you do.

RAM generally works on any Mobo aslong as the Voltages and frequencies are supported by the mobo. The only thing is that it's not guaranteed(or verified) that it will work. The Crucial one is verified to be compatible with your chosen mobo, i can't find the Team Group Vulcan one in the compatibility list:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support ... ARBON.html

The heatsink on the RAM could become a problem with a third party CPU cooler so keep that in mind. Also check if everything fits in the case. And don't forget that the price shown on tweakers is always the cheapest, but not neccessarily from a good shop(you can check reviews of the shop by clicking on the stars from the shop).
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NCKLang
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Sat Jul 29, 2017 11:49 am

Hi Bloodyfloor last questions then i'm good to go because of you, much much much appreciated!
I've checked the dimensions such that everything should fit (am I forgetting something?):
1. Mobo is ATX and case accepts that;
2. 1060 gtx is H 40mm x B 114mm x L 278mm and mobo case accepts up to 364mm so that will be fine too;
3. has sufficient fan, ssd and hdd ports/holders.

Btw with regards to the GPU size it states: GPU Clearance With Radiator: 334mm and GPU Clearance Without Radiator: 364mm does that relate to having an external CPU coolers or am I mixing things up?

I guess i'll take the K version CPU, but them I'll need to get another cooler. Any recommendations? Something like https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/470156/ ... r-i32.html would be fine, or 90mm cheaper ones will do OK too?

Last question is regarding the motherboard. I've checked the manual and it should have 2 PCIe 3.0 1x slots though tweakers states it has only 1. Need the 2nd for connecting the WLAN card (as the GPU will block the first one). If my info is correct I can always install the WLAN card in the PCIe 3.0 4x slot?

One last question purely for my own information. I see on youtube that the WLAN cards are located directly under the GPU fans, can this lead to some form of overheating or has this never happened before? just curious that's all.

Maybe the most important question, how can I check if the PSU comes with all required cables (correct connector / sufficient etc.)? Tried looking at manual of b250 but can't really find a list of necessary connectors

Last question the manual states you need a GPU card bolster when installing a heavy card on it. Is that necessary for a gtx 1060 or will the normal philips screws work just fine?

W.r.t. the ram I'll play it safe and just go with the crucial's then.

Thanks for all the help bro!
Wish you all the best.
Nick
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Bloodyfloor4
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Sat Jul 29, 2017 1:48 pm

Case should be good, just a minor side note, you can't install a optical drive into this case.

Some GPUs have an radiator attached to it, like this one:
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/580629/ ... ificaties/
The pipes need extra room, but you GPU doesn't have this. This has nothing to do with the CPU cooler.

For a cooler i should look for a popular one with enough of reviews, then you atleast know what you are getting. Smaller fan size results in a lesser effectiveness of cooling so the fan needs to spin more resulting in alot more sound so i'd stick with the 120mm, especially if you want to OC in the future. But the CPU cooler in you wishlist should be fine. Check if it fits in the case. Don't really have any recommendations here.

It has 2 PCI-e 3.0 1x, must be a mistake on tweakers. PCIe 3.0 has backwards compatibility so you can install the WLAN card into any of the PCIe slots. I'd just pick the second PCI-e 3.0 1x.

Aslong as the airflow is sufficient in the case overheating shouldn't become an issue. Just make sure the adapter doesn't touch the GPU, especially the heatsink. But the distance between them should be more than enough.

Card bending shouldn't really be an issue, never used or seen a bolster before. If you are uncomfortable with the bending(or it bends alot) you can always improvise to lift it up a bit. Your mobo even has a steel armor on the first PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, so it's protected against bending.
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NCKLang
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Sat Jul 29, 2017 3:14 pm

Thanks you're the best! Verified the fan heights with https://support.nzxt.com/hc/en-us/artic ... o-An-S340- seems I've 2 spare mm's :confused: I just hope they already accounted for the motherboard not sitting to the side of the case ;)
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NCKLang
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Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:42 pm

Just letting you know it's up and running like a charm. Never knew it was that straightforward! It's running PUBG on a solid 60 fps with all settings on high and viewing distance on ultra :)
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