Computer nerds - I'm building a new PC!

[Zack T 171]

I already bought everything, so feel free to insult me if you disagree with my choices :)

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/zackteach/builds/#view=7qD2FT

[Zack T 171]

Dunno why I can't edit my own post so I'll just reply.

 

EDIT: I knew I needed to upgrade my 7 year old 30inch 720p Philips TV as my primary monitor and I needed to go big or else all the power I just bought would be under-served. So I bought this monitor https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NBM6KYH - 2K 1MS delay with G-Sync capability and 144HZ refresh rate, 27 inches.

 

I also bought a new desk, simple L shaped desk from wal-mart. My current desk is also about 7 years old and I'm tired of the wobbly keyboard tray and it making me paranoid it's gonna fall apart at any minute.

[jack25 13]

Hey @Zack T, you did a terrific job with the build, and it's now apparent that building your PC is not cheap, but worth the effort. Are you so much into gaming?

[Zack T 171]

I'm not the craziest gamer, but I do spend a good chunk of my free time on the computer and playing games. Part of it is just me wanting to do it the best that I can. I don't like feeling as though I could've made it better :P

[lymmo 8]

Hey @Zack T, you went for a SSD rather than the usual hard drive. What informed your choice? I have heard of solid-state drives having a shorter lifespan, despite being lighter and using less energy.

[Classified 17]

I can't disagree with choices I don't know are good or bad. For the price you paid, I sure hope you might the right choice for you personally.

 

But I have to ask......is it worth it? Is what you did, make it so much better for you than store bought and meeting your needs that the price is justified. ?

[Zack T 171]

No, SSD's once upon a time did have lesser lifespans, but no longer. They're up to hundreds of years now, so it should be alright.

 

The reason I went with them is because the read/write speeds of data on a solid state hard drive are substantially faster than a regular mechanical hard drive. As a result, programs can load faster, data can be moved around a lot quicker, games load faster, your computer will boot up much faster too.

 

Regular hard drives can read/write data at about 120 megabytes per second. Regular 2.5mm solid state drives that most computer you buy pre-built come with are about 5 to 6 times faster, often finding 550 to 600 speeds. The SSD I chose is an M.2 2280 SSD, which is more like a USB Thumb drive in size. These tiny things can hold the same storage capacity, but read/write data about 6-7 times faster than a standard SSD (Or over 30x faster than a standard hard drive). They're a huge quality of life piece, and they're not any more expensive than a typical 2.5mm SSD.

 

Truthfully I didn't NEED to build the new computer, but I badly wanted to. I got to build the one I've got right now in 2017 and while it's still pretty awesome even today (I can play Borderlands 3 on ultra graphics settings at 1080p resolution without dropping below 60 FPS for example), I did have to make some sacrifices on it. Plus I didn't find out about these M.2 2280 SSD's until after I built it too, which pissed me off, I would've loved to. Also, I've learned a lot more along the way and felt I could make even better choices.

 

On top of that, AMD released their 3rd generation of the Ryzen computer processors in July 2019. Every year we get a new generational release of both AMD and Intel chips and they're usually 10 to 15% better than the previous generation, but 3rd gen Ryzen took a huge step forward, more like 25 maybe even 30%. So I wanted in on that too.

 

I went and bought a new 27 inch 2K UHD gaming monitor as well, to take advantage of all this power. If I didn't, yea I would've had a faster computer but I wouldn't see any graphical improvement because my TV is 7 years old and 1080p quality and that's what I use as a monitor right now. That won't take much power from what I've got to provide top end graphics. So upgrading my gaming display will MUCH better put what I've bought to full use. Now my computer will need to work harder for 2K definition, as well as displaying 144 FPS because the monitor has a higher refresh rate than what I've got now. That'll give the RTX 2080 and 3800X Ryzen plenty to do.

 

Now I've properly future proofed myself, I'll be good for another 3 to 4 years, and beyond. By then, I'll build a new one, sell the old one for a good amount, and move on :D

[didge 11]

All along, I knew that SSDs were superior, but I didn't have the specifics. Are you a computer scientist or engineer by any chance? There is the satisfaction that comes with building a PC from scratch. You also get it to work according to your specifications!

[Zack T 171]

No, I'm just a mega nerd with a mild obsession on making sure I know as much about this stuff as I can because I hate making bad choices when I'm spending so much money :D

[coleman 9]

Self-taught, right? I wish I had the same energy and drive because stuff to do with computing entices me. The internet has made almost every resource available, including free tutorials and YouTube videos.

[Zack T 171]

Yea pretty much self directed. I read a lot, watched videos, asked for advice. Self taught in the sense that I wasn't in a formal education, but I didn't learn it without help from others in some way.

 

Well, it might seem overwhelming to try and learn EVERYTHING. I personally went 1 thing at a time. For example, learning about computer processors is probably a great place to start. That's basically the brain of the computer. Looking up what's current generation and then reading reviews and benchmark tests comparing processors is really helpful because you get real world examples of performance compared to other processors, and you get useful information from the reviewers explaining what you're seeing.

 

So if you ever get the desire to, just start with 1 thing and work on that til you feel you have a decent understanding of it. Then move on to something else, like graphics cards, and just go piece by piece. There's only 7 or 8 components most computers need anyway. You can add plenty more, but most don't. All you need is a computer case to put everything in, processor, motherboard, a computer processor cooling unit, a hard drive, RAM/Memory, and a power supply. You don't always need a graphics card, depending on the processor you get and what you're aiming to do, but most do have one.

 

So there's less to it than you might think. Honestly the compatibility and technical information is what I'm talking about here - the actual "Put it all together" part is the easiest, technically speaking. All you do is plug things in and screw them tightly into place. That's easy to follow directions for.

[etz 78]

If you think that M2 thing pissed you off, imagine ordering a Q6600 literally 2 days before the i5 launch. Yeah, that was me, seeing 50% of the order I hadn't even received yet pissed down the drain. Never, ever again. Bleeding edge can f*** right off. Also, you're 100% right, there isn't very much to learn if you have, no word of a lie, half a brain. That doesn't stop sales people getting it wrong, but it is very much plug and play if you read the compatibility guides. Most importantly, the internet and youtube are your friend. If you get the kit right in the first instance, then a monkey could basically do it... or a small child, since that's who actually does do it for most electronics manufacturers.

[coleman 9]

So if you ever get the desire to, just start with 1 thing and work on that til you feel you have a decent understanding of it. Then move on to something else, like graphics cards, and just go piece by piece.

I concur with you completely. The main idea is to perfect one thing before moving to the next one. On the surface, learning on your own can seem like an easy thing to do, but self-discipline and organization count to a great deal.

[Zack T 171]

 

If you think that M2 thing pissed you off, imagine ordering a Q6600 literally 2 days before the i5 launch. Yeah, that was me, seeing 50% of the order I hadn't even received yet pissed down the drain. Never, ever again. Bleeding edge can f*** right off. Also, you're 100% right, there isn't very much to learn if you have, no word of a lie, half a brain. That doesn't stop sales people getting it wrong, but it is very much plug and play if you read the compatibility guides. Most importantly, the internet and youtube are your friend. If you get the kit right in the first instance, then a monkey could basically do it... or a small child, since that's who actually does do it for most electronics manufacturers.

 

 

OUCH. That sort of thing happened to me too actually, in 2017. I bought my first new computer, pre built, from Best Buy in March 2017 with a Best Buy Credit card I had with 1000 dollar limit. I bought a computer for around 970 from them. It was a good system overall, AMD FX-8350, 16GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 1 TB HD, GTX 1060 6GB. Right decent little system, and I was upgrading from a computer that was 6 years old at that point. And that computer had also experienced this "Bleeding edge" cutoff. I ordered that one from cyberpowerpc right as SATA-6 and USB 3 were released, but I couldn't afford motherboards with those new compatibilities so I was stuck on SATA-3 and USB 2. Also didn't have an SSD. Ouch.

 

ANYWAY, I bought that 2017 Best Buy PC and then a friend of mine was also interested in looking for a new PC. I went to recommend him mine and tried to find him a link on BestBuy to it, when I saw a bunch of new computers with this "Ryzen" processor and I was like ??? These weren't here a month ago when I bought mine? Turns out, Ryzen Gen 1 released in late April 2017 and I just barely missed it. So I had an FX-8350 (Good sure) but it's an old processor itself. DROVE ME NUTS. So I ended up selling the new computer on Craigslist, somehow I got 1200 for it, turned around and built my first ever computer part-by-part. That's what got me into this in the first place - the driving madness over the fact that I, AGAIN, had missed an awesome leap forward and gotten stuck with previous tech. My 2017 system I built myself has a Ryzen 1600x, 16 GB RAM 3000 MHZ, I originally put a GTX 1070 in there but I later upgraded to a 1080 for 25 bucks (I sold my 1070 to make the difference), 250 GB SSD, 1 TB HD. So all in all, I built something even better and it's been great.

 

Now I have future proofed myself as much as I can, having a 2080 Super, 3800x Ryzen, X570 motherboard. I know the Ryzen 4000's will be compatible with these motherboards so if I did want to upgrade to a 4800x or something, I can just get that and drop it in instead of building a whole new system. Plus the motherboard has PCI-4 so that's good too. I know 5 is coming out soon too cause 4 was so heavily delayed, but still.

 

And yea, sales people and stores absolutely rob people blind over computers. They throw together hot garbage and disguise it with enthusiastic tag lines like "1 Terabyte Hard Drive - You can hold over 8000 videos!" or stupid crap like that designed to fool people. "VR READY! - GTX 1050" NOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Zack T 171]

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/7qD2FT

 

Detailed reasons behind each component, but also most importantly, pictures!

[Dust and Rust 9]

If you get the kit right in the first instance, then a monkey could basically do it... or a small child, since that's who actually does do it for most electronics manufacturers.

 

LOL........That was harsh.

 

You're right though. We tend to overthink these things. I guess if they're new only a NASA scientist could figure it out, right? When mainly new tech. is a variation of the previous generation of that same tech.

[etz 78]

LOL........That was harsh.

 

You're right though. We tend to overthink these things. I guess if they're new only a NASA scientist could figure it out, right? When mainly new tech. is a variation of the previous generation of that same tech.

 

Ah, don't get me wrong, the people who actually design new tech are just amazingly intelligent. It's just that they deliberately design it so that almost anyone can do it. I used to work for a company that, amongst other things, built PC's and servers from high level components (eg. case, motherboard, ram, cpu, psu, hdd etc.). I was on the services side, but the training on the production side could have been a day. Fortunately, the production manager was as solid as they come and would, at least, double check everything until he was absolutely sure of his staffs capability. Sadly, the company we worked for is no more (hey credit crunch, fuck you guy), but everyone has moved on to better since.

[ShadowEdge 48]

Are you still happy with it, @Zack T. Which games are you running right now?

If you think that M2 thing pissed you off, imagine ordering a Q6600 literally 2 days before the i5 launch. Yeah, that was me, seeing 50% of the order I hadn't even received yet pissed down the drain. Never, ever again. Bleeding edge can f*** right off.

I've been in a similar situation and it was absolutely infuriating. And of course, once the next big thing is out, prices fall on that shiny object you just paid full price for. Yeah, it took me a long time to get over it.

[Zack T 171]

Oh yea I'm still very happy with it. I know that I'm not totally cutting edge, I'd have to get an i9 or Ryzen 9 or Threadripper processor and a 2080 Ti or even a RTX Titan if I really wanted to hit it. But it's not just about being top of the line to me, it's also about cost effectiveness. I'm at the point where I'm about maxed out in terms of a reasonable cost-to-performance ratio. If I wanted to get higher, it'd cost thousands and thousands of dollars and I wouldn't really be getting that much more out of it, so it's not worth it in my mind and I'm not bothered by it.

 

That bleeding edge thing, I experienced that TWICE.

 

2011 - I have the chance to finally get a new computer built after owning the same one for 7 years. Designed it through Cyberpowerpc.com back then because I didn't trust myself to put it together yet. Unfortunately, this was Feb/March of 2011 so while SATA 6 and USB 3.0 had just come out, they were still too expensive for me to get a motherboard with those capabilities. So I was stuck on SATA 3 and USB 2.0 connections til I build my next computer in 2017.

 

2017 - I BOUGHT a computer from BestBuy because I had a bestbuy credit card. Bought a decent system, it was an FX-8350 with a GTX 1060 6GB, 128GB SSD and 1TB HD, 16GB Ram. Major upgrade from what I previously had (Phenom X6 1100T with a 560 Ti and GT 430 as dedicated PhysX card, 1 TB regular HD SATA-3, and 8GB of RAM). So at FIRST I was real happy. But about 2 or 3 weeks later, a friend of mine expressed interest in also getting a new PC. I recommended him the one I just bought and went to BestBuy to find him the link, when I discovered all these new "Ryzen" PC's out and I was confused because I hadn't seen those just a couple weeks earlier when I bought mine. Ryzen 1st gen was released like, 2 or 3 weeks after I bought that PC and I was so...frustrated.

 

I ended up selling the BestBuy Computer, somehow I got more for it than I paid (I paid 997, sold it for 1200, got real lucky there) and used that money to build my own computer for the first time. Ryzen 1600x, 16 GB Ram at 3000 MHZ, 250 GB SSD, 1 TB HD, GTX 1070 PNY OC Edition. That's the system I just upgraded from, and I managed to upgrade the GPU from that 1070 to a EVGA 1080 SC model thanks to craigslist. Sold my 1070 after, only cost me 25 bucks in the end to upgrade, woo. Anyway, that Ryzen 1600x system still is rockin. I got it ready for sale, it's wiped clean and only has Overwatch on there to provide a real time example for anyone who wants to buy it from me. Nearly 3 years old and it still gets 120FPS on Ultra settings on a 2K HD Monitor. I'm so proud of it. <3