Newbie advice for PC build.

Clarence Boddicker said:
Just wanted to check something before I place an order.

The description for the motherboard says that its intel 12th and 13th gen compatible. No mention of 14th though, will it be ok with the cpu that im getting?

Also I just watched an install video and it said to check if the ram slots were dual channel so that not to install them both in the same channel. I can see that it has 4 slots but cant see that it says dual channel anywhere?
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The Gigabyte B760 GAMING X AX has Q-Flash Plus：Update BIOS Without Installing the CPU, Memory and Graphics Card.

So your covered just update if needed.

It is dual channel motherboard slots 1 and 3 or 2 and 4 are to be used with 2 sticks of ram,

Says dual channel on the website.

www.gigabyte.com

B760 GAMING X AX (rev. 1.x) Key Features | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...
www.gigabyte.com www.gigabyte.com
 
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mickyflinn said:
The Gigabyte B760 GAMING X AX has Q-Flash Plus：Update BIOS Without Installing the CPU, Memory and Graphics Card.
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So I still build the pc as normal, install cpu, memory, graphics card etc, install windows and then update bios?

Is there another board thats definitley 14th gen compatible that I could get instead, its just that Im very new to all this so want to try to make it as easy as possible.
 
If you buy the board now it will probably come with a BIOS which already supports it. My new motherboard needs bios version 1303 to support 7950X3D. I checked the manufacturer date of the board it was November 2023, bios version 1303 came out in April 2023 so should be updated enough.
 
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Clarence Boddicker said:
So I still build the pc as normal, install cpu, memory, graphics card etc, install windows and then update bios?

Is there another board thats definitley 14th gen compatible that I could get instead, its just that Im very new to all this so want to try to make it as easy as possible.
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From my understanding it will work out the box but the bios update is needed to optimise the CPU and you should be updating the bios anyway.

14th gen first bios release I' don't no any boards but @Tetras mite.
 
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Ok thanks. Just looked up how to do it and it doesnt seem too bad.

If it does work straight out of the box, would you reccomend installing windows first and then updating the bios or do the bios before windows?
 
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Clarence Boddicker said:
Ok thanks. Just looked up how to do it and it doesnt seem too bad.
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We can suggest boards that are guaranteed to work out of the box, but they usually seem to need an update to make them fully stable anyway :o

Clarence Boddicker said:
If it does work straight out of the box, would you recommend installing windows first and then updating the bios or do the bios before windows?
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I would update it first because a BIOS update can mess up your tpm and secure boot keys and that can deactivate your Windows license.
 
Im nearly there now, last couple of questions I promise.

I think that I want to go with a Gigabyte 3060 instead of the palit. Either the winforce oc or gaming oc, probably the gaming oc. I just wanted to check that either of these will be ok in this build. Ive checked and the larger gaming oc will fit but Im not sure if Ill need a bigger power supply or not.


Also the smaller ssd for the os that you linked isnt in stock anymore, I noticed that it has a heatsink. Can I just get any other 1 tb drive or was there a reason for that one with the heatsink?
 
Clarence Boddicker said:
Ive checked and the larger gaming oc will fit but Im not sure if Ill need a bigger power supply or not.
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Doesn't matter, there shouldn't be a significant power usage difference between brands, but if you can afford it, something like Seasonic GX-750 or GX-850 would give you some more headroom for upgrades. The 650 is a bit low if you plan to get a higher-end one at some point.

Clarence Boddicker said:
the smaller ssd for the os that you linked isnt in stock anymore, I noticed that it has a heatsink. Can I just get any other 1 tb drive or was there a reason for that one with the heatsink?
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No, it doesn't matter. I just didn't want a decent 1TB drive that cost a lot, because smaller drives tend to be worse value. I picked one that was higher-end and with DRAM, which is what I suggest for an OS drive. Equivalent drives for a similar price @ OCUK would be Kioxia or MSI's Pro drives.
 
mickyflinn said:
You should look at the Zotac 3060 as it offers a 5 year warranty if registered within 30 days otherwise it's 3 years.
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Just had a look at the zotac 3060 gaming and it has one less fan than the gigabyte equivalent. Do you think this will matter? Ive read that the cpu that im getting can get really hot.

Also the gigabye gaming 3060 has an rgb light. Can I still use the card if I havent got rgb in my setup?
 
Clarence Boddicker said:
Just had a look at the zotac 3060 gaming and it has one less fan than the gigabyte equivalent. Do you think this will matter? Ive read that the cpu that im getting can get really hot.

Also the gigabye gaming 3060 has an rgb light. Can I still use the card if I havent got rgb in my setup?
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No one less fan won't make much difference as the 2 fans are bigger and the shape of the heatsink will be different.

Read some reviews then make a choice.

Yes you can use the GPU and there are free software available to control the RGB.

The 14700k can get hot but your getting a 360mm aio which will deal with that and having a case with decent airflow.
 
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Clarence Boddicker said:
Just had a look at the zotac 3060 gaming and it has one less fan than the gigabyte equivalent. Do you think this will matter? Ive read that the cpu that im getting can get really hot.

Also the gigabye gaming 3060 has an rgb light. Can I still use the card if I havent got rgb in my setup?
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Three fan cards do tend to have an advantage, but as Mickyflinn said, it depends on the card you're looking at.

My assumption from what you described is that the card would mainly be idle anyway (or using the decoder/encoder chip), which should enable zero-rpm mode and so I'd personally prioritise the price and get as close to £250 as possible. Otherwise, I'd start considering the 4060 if you can stomach the loss of VRAM, because of the low power consumption.

Watch this first though:
www.youtube.com

FINALLY a CHEAP GPU for CREATORS, RIGHT?! | Zotac RTX 4060 vs RTX 3060 Review

In This video I'm reviewing the NEW Nvidia RTX 4060 for Creative Professionals! Budget option? Sponsored Message:whokeys 25% Coupon Code: TN20 Windows 10 Pro...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
nlel1975 said:
Still something to be said for decent air cooling. This is the Noctua D15S for AM5 platform…

https://ncc.noctua.at/coolers/NH-D15S-5/cpu/AMD/AM5

For the LGA1700 platform…

https://ncc.noctua.at/coolers/NH-D15S-5/cpu/INTEL/LGA 1700?q=14900

Might not be quite as cool as a 360 AIO but will still be more than adequate.
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Most definitely and with coolers like the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 costing a 3rd of the price of the Noctua makes them even more attractive solution.

www.tomshardware.com

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Review: Incredible, Affordable Air Cooling Performance

Shockingly cool and quiet, less than $40!
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com
 
Ive ordered the aio, but my heads spinning after looking at all the graphics cards and reviews. Theres so many conflicting opinions out there.
Tetras said:
My assumption from what you described is that the card would mainly be idle anyway (or using the decoder/encoder chip), which should enable zero-rpm mode and so I'd personally prioritise the price and get as close to £250 as possible. Otherwise, I'd start considering the 4060 if you can stomach the loss of VRAM, because of the low power consumption.
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Yes I dont think it’ll be used much at all for any of the video work that ill be doing. Im now thinking though that if I do get into the gaming side of it, whats the point if its not going to be any better than my xbox.

The gigabyte 4060 gaming oc is about the same price as the 3060 gaming oc. I have no idea which one would be the better choice. I don't think the reasons the youtuber had for not liking the 4060 will really apply to me as it wont really be used for creating. I think theres a 4 gb difference between the two but unsure what that really means in terms of gaming.

What problems can the loss of VRAM cause?
 
Clarence Boddicker said:
What problems can the loss of VRAM cause?
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Hardware unboxed (on YouTube) have done some testing and it depends on the game, but mainly:
1. texture issues (e.g. popping, disappearing, scaling down to poor quality versions)
2. framerate inconsistency (e.g. stutters, drops when loading/unloading, poorer performance in longer gaming sessions)

Clarence Boddicker said:
Yes I dont think it’ll be used much at all for any of the video work that ill be doing. Im now thinking though that if I do get into the gaming side of it, whats the point if its not going to be any better than my xbox.
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From what you have said, I'm getting the impression that maybe you don't actually need a graphics card at all and if you DO buy one, you want to turn this into a proper gaming PC?

If so, I'd honestly just discount both of those cards and get a 7800 XT or 4070 / 4070 Super, all of which are stronger than the Xbox series X and capable of decent 1440p gaming (can't remember if you said what the resolution is).
 
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