Looking For A Few Recommendations & Advice For A New Build PC

Elliot-Harrop

Elliot-Harrop

Elliot-Harrop

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Joined
13 Apr 2024
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2
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United Kingdom
Hi All,
Back in 2014 I built myself a nice PC and have used it for a couple of hours daily, 4 hours a day max and primarily for website design and Get iPlayer.

It has never let me down so I've had no reason to stay in the loop with PC hardware development etc, last week I decided that I would like to build a new PC and move onto Windows 11 but it seems there's a hell of a lot more options out there to choose from now than back in 2014.

In a nutshell, I'm looking for something that runs Windows 11, can be used for web design, Get iPlayer and probably the Any Video Converter program as I would like to convert some of my iPlayer recordings into a format that can be put on to a DVD/Blu-ray disc.

I think the AMD Ryzen 3 3100 or it's Intel equivalent which Google says is the Core i5-9400F should be decent enough for what I need? but I would like to go a little bit better than them I think as I'm not intending to upgrade it again until 2034 :cry::cry:

Any suggestions?

Once a year I totally strip the PC down, clean the fans, change the thermal pace, get rid of any dust, open the PSU, get rid of dust and inspect the capacitors etc - that probably hasn't contributed to it being so reliable but I just like to look after it.

Also any idea on whether I'd be better sticking with a normal hard drive or getting an SSD? or an M2?

A few posts online say SSD's are not recommended for small files that are being edited regularly (I'm assuming that includes HTML files) my Get Iplayer files are 400mb - 600mb and when I convert them they go down to 200mb, are SSD's suitable for converting video files?

Any recommendation and advice would be greatly appreciated
 
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Am M2 drive is a must these days, and makes a huge difference to the speed, read and writing isnt an issue it used to be I think the issue is/was how many writes each cell could do, but reliability has increased somewhat over the years, however I would have an M2 drive to have your os on and load programs and convert your videos.. Then use your existing hard drive to store files on.

I'd recommend the following, the CPU comes with a cooler which by all accounts is pretty good, I've assumed you will use your existing case, the CPU has a GPU in it so no need for a seperate GPU, your use case doesn't warrant a dedicated GPU.

I've not included a PSU, but you can if you wish, a 550w gold will suffice.

This will see you good for many years.

My basket at OcUK:

Total: £591.95 (includes delivery: £7.99)​
 
 
Intel Core i3-13100 (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail
CP-6BA-IN
£138 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard
MB-37M-MS
£150 (incl. VAT)
£140 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
Arctic Freezer i35 Intel CPU Cooler
HS-080-AR
£26 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
Elliot-Harrop said:
A few posts online say SSD's are not recommended for small files that are being edited regularly (I'm assuming that includes HTML files) my Get Iplayer files are 400mb - 600mb and when I convert them they go down to 200mb, are SSD's suitable for converting video files?
Click to expand...
For heavy video usage, I'd usually recommend a higher-end SSD like SN850X, but since your usage sounds very mild, I don't think you need to worry. You could use/get a HDD to store the files as suggested above, but the huge compromise on speed and responsiveness isn't worth using one for your operating system.

Elliot-Harrop said:
I think the AMD Ryzen 3 3100 or it's Intel equivalent which Google says is the Core i5-9400F should be decent enough for what I need? but I would like to go a little bit better than them I think as I'm not intending to upgrade it again until 2034 :cry::cry:

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
These are very dated and you would struggle to find a motherboard that supports the i5-9400F. They're also only just into Windows 11 support, so you're likely to have more problems getting them ready than with a modern system.

I'd switch to AM5, since you're planning to keep this for 10 years and there will be upgrades available, though I suppose a 6-core Intel CPU like the 12400 would last you a long while.

You might want to check if Intel QuickSync is applicable to your video work, because I'm not sure how AM5 CPU's integrated graphics perform with this kind of work.

Best to avoid buying an -F CPU if you don't want to buy a graphics card.
 
@sx_turbo thanks for taking the time to put together the AMD and Intel alternatives, I think I'd like to get a new case too but I notice a lot of them are M-ATX and some don't have space for a DVD drive, I like the idea of an external disc drive but at least with the internal I won't accidental knock it off or drop it.

I just want something smart and preferably with buttons on the front rather than on the top, even basic cases seem to have a big window these days

I have only ever personally had AMD PCs so it would be nice to try an Intel.
Are PSU's not as important these days? I remember when I built my PC everyone seemed to have PSU's that were 750-850w, I've seen some nice looking Corsair 600w which look decent

@Tetras, You've woken me up, I thought the Ryzen 3 3100 was the latest socket,
I have always gone for motherboards without graphics as I thought that way it's one less thing that could go wrong, my current graphics card is 4GB and was about £80 back in the day, what would be equivalent to that in 2024?

I appreciate the time you've both taken, there's so many options to choose and different review sites have totally conflicting ratings on products so I thought asking on a forum would be the best way to get some real input on what I need for my use case
 
ADHD kicking in with the wall of text :cry:
need a tl;dr version

what is the exact spec (ie make/model of each component) of your current computer? just to see if there is anything worth carrying over
what is your budget?
what do you want your new computer to accomplish?
are there any specific requirements you need? eg: wifi, optical drive, high capacity drives etc
 
This be quiet case looks like it does what you need, not many cases have buttons on front with a dvd drive slot, so this although has buttons on top there at an angle so they're kinda on the front,

www.overclockers.co.uk

be quiet Pure Base 600 Midi Tower Case - Black

Order be quiet Pure Base 600 Midi Tower Case - Black now online and benefit from fast delivery.
www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk

An in built GPU will suffice for your needs, if you decide it doesn't you can upgrade later.

An equivalent £80 card, not sure what you've currently got, but they generally don't exist, cheapest amd card is a rx6500 and it's still only 4gb of vram, wouldn't bother buying this as an "upgrade", Nvidia for £150 (same price as amd 6500) would be a 1650, and still only 4gb vram, graphics cards are obscene costs these days compared to what you paid previously. Budget cards are around £300+ these days.

You could always swap over your existing card if it's working fine and the built in GPU does not work for your needs (though I'm sure it will)

Components aren't as power hungry as they were in the past, the CPU's I mentioned above are 65w tdp, a dedicated GPU for your needs will be at most a few hundred watts, and everything else is only marginal, so a 550w or 600w PSU will be plenty sufficient.

Otherwise have same questions as tamzzy
 
Elliot-Harrop said:
I have always gone for motherboards without graphics as I thought that way it's one less thing that could go wrong, my current graphics card is 4GB and was about £80 back in the day, what would be equivalent to that in 2024?
Click to expand...
As sx_turbo has said, I suggest you get the PC with integrated graphics and try it out (they're on the CPU now, but the motherboard has to have the display outputs), since it is an easy upgrade later. There's no danger of it going wrong since the CPU has it integrated regardless (-F CPUs just have that part disabled). The only reason I would buy an -F CPU is if the price is significantly cheaper, because otherwise a graphics card adds to the build cost and the power consumption for no real reason.
 
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