Opinions on this first gaming PC build

Beth · 16 Jul 2018 at 17:28

Ok, thank you. Do you think in the long term it's worth spending more money on the 2700X? Would the rest of my build work well with it or would I have to spend even more money? I'm just concerned the 2600X won't fully be able to stream smoothly.

strumpusplunket · 16 Jul 2018 at 17:44

Well, in general terms I'd think the 2700X would be the pinnacle for streaming (everything else you've listed will be fine with it btw). It depends on the software you'll be using, though, I think. It's probably a good idea to check out some benchmarks with the software you'll be using to see how much it benefits from more cores. I'd think 2700X is more future-proof, but then Zen2 might make you want to change processor anyway...

Beth · 16 Jul 2018 at 18:02

I'm going to be using OBS. I just really want a CPU that I'm not going to have to change for a couple of years. I feel like if I get the 2700X then I should get b-die as well and then it makes it too expensive.

Journey · 16 Jul 2018 at 18:11

Beth said:
I'm just not 100% confident in building it myself and if I could get a pre-build one for the same price I would rather go for that.

Do you not know anyone local to where you live who could help you out, especially if you find yourself stuck with something?

As already said, there are plenty of guides, and the main thing is to take all the time you need, don't rush, and make sure you read the manuals where applicable. If something doesn't feel like it will fit, don't force it as it may not end well.

Building your first PC would hopefully be quite a rewarding experience, especially as it means should something fail you know what it is and how to replace it.

orbitalwalsh · 16 Jul 2018 at 18:58

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 7 Eight Core 2700 4.10GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £254.99
1 x Team Group Xtreem "8Pack Edition" 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-32000C18 4000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black= £188.99

Total: £452.68 (includes shipping: £8.70)

Ryzen master . Voltage 1.41 , all cores 4.1ghz , enable XMP , lower speed to 3400hz and off you go . Leave timings at their 4000hz speed , saves a whole load of ryzen ram calculator fuss and saves £30 plus 2700 over 2700x is another £10-30 .
If your workload you won't notice much difference for timings Geomapping etc then yes , you'd go through the effort etc

Beth · 16 Jul 2018 at 21:14

Thanks @Journey, I guess there is people that I could contact if it goes terribly wrong!

Overall, do you think there will be much difference between my most recent update and the build in the original post?

strumpusplunket · 16 Jul 2018 at 21:39

Beth said:
Thanks @Journey, I guess there is people that I could contact if it goes terribly wrong!

Overall, do you think there will be much difference between my most recent update and the build in the original post?

If there's not too much difference in price, having RAM with a profile of 3200MHz will be better than a kit with 3000. Not a lot in it, but might as well get the best if the cost isn't too prohibitive.

As I said, I've never had an MSI board, nor really kept up with their product line, so I can't really comment on that. I've heard the Asus Prime X470-Pro is a solid choice, but whether it's worth the money over your original I'm not really sure. I've also said I always err on the side of caution with motherboards because they're not something you want to replace and I usually want to make sure it's got all the features and power headroom for future use (but then I do tend to want to overclock my CPUs. Whether you want to leave open such possibilities for the future or you're sure you'll never want any of that, well, that's up to you...).

The other major difference is the case. As others have said, the case doesn't actually make much difference to your performance, especially if you're not running a hot system.

I again tend to think a case is something I'm going to have to live with for a while as it's such a pain to change (I actually aim to keep my case through a two or three system builds if possible), so I like to be assured it's got enough space for expansion, bigger coolers, good airflow options, and that it's not going to annoy me with noise further down the line. I've had cases in the past that I thought were fine when I got them and then came to hate because they were noisy, they took in dust at a ridiculous rate, they were hot when I overclocked, or that I just hated working in when I made changes to my system.

But, if you're reasonably sure you'll not need to worry about any of that because you're just going to set up your system and forget about it, then again, you might not notice the benefit of a better case than the one in your first post.

Basically, the only difference in specs I'd say is 100% going to translate into a difference in streaming performance is the RAM - and that only a couple of percent. If stock performance is your only concern, then I can't strongly recommend the more expensive parts. But if in two years you decide... actually I do want to replace my CPU and try my hand at overclocking, fit a better cooler, etc.... then you might wish you'd have got a slightly better board and case.

Beth · 16 Jul 2018 at 21:56

Ok, thank you. I guess in a couple of years time I may want to update my CPU, so would you recommend:
Gigabyte - X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard or Asus - Prime X470-Pro ATX AM4 Motherboard?

Also graphics card wise will there be any difference between these:
Palit - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB Dual Video Card or EVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card?

As I'm not going to be overclocking is 650W too much?

strumpusplunket · 16 Jul 2018 at 22:30

Beth said:
Ok, thank you. I guess in a couple of years time I may want to update my CPU, so would you recommend:
Gigabyte - X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard or Asus - Prime X470-Pro ATX AM4 Motherboard?

Also graphics card wise will there be any difference between these:
Palit - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB Dual Video Card or EVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card?

As I'm not going to be overclocking is 650W too much?

I can't see much difference between those two graphics card, so probably whichever is cheapest.

For the motherboards, I believe the Asus Prime Pro has better on-board sound, and some more high-speed USB ports, I think, but other than that I can't see a whole lot in it. A number of people dislike the Gigabyte BIOS (I am one of them, having a GB system for my son!), but if you're not going to mess around in the settings then that's a moot point. So, I guess unless you want the better audio or the extra high-speed USB connector, you can go with the cheapest.

If you're not overclocking, you could drop down to a 500W PSU really. The best thing is to try to an get 80+ Gold unit. 500, 550W+ should be fine for your needs. 650W is good too, as PSUs are most efficient at (tries to remember...) around 40-50% load(?) (someone may correct me on the exact figure there...)

Beth · 16 Jul 2018 at 22:39

Ok, thanks

Will the Asus Prime Pro be better in the future if I want to change to a new CPU? I can get the 650W for £20 cheaper than 550 at the moment, so I think I'm going to go for that.

I'm guessing I'm still ok for now to stick with the CPU cooler that's provided and don't have to buy additional fans?

Also, have you ever purchased from newegg before? It's just that a lot of the parts seem cheaper on their website however they don't have very good reviews.

orbitalwalsh · 17 Jul 2018 at 07:08

strumpusplunket said:
I can't see much difference between those two graphics card, so probably whichever is cheapest.

For the motherboards, I believe the Asus Prime Pro has better on-board sound, and some more high-speed USB ports, I think, but other than that I can't see a whole lot in it. A number of people dislike the Gigabyte BIOS (I am one of them, having a GB system for my son!), but if you're not going to mess around in the settings then that's a moot point. So, I guess unless you want the better audio or the extra high-speed USB connector, you can go with the cheapest.

Aorus have the better Audio via their WIMA Caps (red square ones next to normal caps)

Asus has the better Bios to 90% of people , easier to use

strumpusplunket · 17 Jul 2018 at 08:02

orbitalwalsh said:
Aorus have the better Audio via their WIMA Caps (red square ones next to normal caps)

Ah, and that makes it better than the Crystalsound on the Prime Pro?

In that case, since we're not needing to think too much about the BIOS perhaps the Aorus Ultra is the better choice given the price.

The difficulty with second guessing what will work best with future processors is that we don't know their power requirements yet. That's why I went for a board with overkill VRMs.

I don't know if anyone else has any insight on this?

The stock cooler is fine if you're not overclocking. It can get a bit noisy when the processor boosts, though. You can always just see how you get on with it.

No idea on the other retailer as I've never used them (might want to remove the name from your post, though, as mods are quite strict about pretty much all competitor references).

orbitalwalsh · 17 Jul 2018 at 08:09

@strumpusplunket , Crystalsound is software based, think they have all their own . Looking at hardware point of view. Asus Zenith , Aorus 7's both knock everything out of the water with sound though .

VRMs are another good amrleting trick, asrock taichi has loads compare to Hero, and 7, but be the user newer IR ... Many ways to deal with the delivery - both solutions are rock solid

strumpusplunket · 17 Jul 2018 at 08:21

orbitalwalsh said:
@strumpusplunket , Crystalsound is software based, think they have all their own . Looking at hardware point of view. Asus Zenith , Aorus 7's both knock everything out of the water with sound though .

VRMs are another good amrleting trick, asrock taichi has loads compare to Hero, and 7, but be the user newer IR ... Many ways to deal with the delivery - both solutions are rock solid

Cool. Thanks for the clarification. Not many reviews make this distinction clear when discussing on board audio.

orbitalwalsh · 17 Jul 2018 at 08:54

strumpusplunket said:
Cool. Thanks for the clarification. Not many reviews make this distinction clear when discussing on board audio.

to be honest, when you go hunting the DAC's used etc, you often end up in Audio forums where various parts have also been used and then it just flies over my head!

Beth · 17 Jul 2018 at 11:59

Ok, so this @strumpusplunket?
************ part list: https://uk.************.com/list/T6HBTB
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte - X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: Team - T-Force Vulcan 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Palit - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB Dual Video Card
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 (EU) 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Monitor: AOC - G2460FQ 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz Monitor
Total: £1298.16

Is this the motherboard that you mean? It has mixed reviews on Amazon which puts me off.

Somebody said that EVGA is better than Corsair for PSU, is this correct as it's a bit more expensive? I can get a 650W Corsair for a lot cheaper than this, but don't know if it's worth it?

I honestly don't know anything about BIOS, do you have a guide on how to set it up? I feel like I'm getting more out of my depth the more I learn about building this PC! Ideally I want to purchase the parts today.

Beth · 17 Jul 2018 at 16:34

Also, somebody has suggested that I get a B350 board if I'm not planning on overclocking, would you agree with this?

lltfdaniel · 17 Jul 2018 at 16:51

Beth said:
Also, somebody has suggested that I get a B350 board if I'm not planning on overclocking, would you agree with this?

Just make sure you get a motherboard with decent VRM passive cooling on it.

strumpusplunket · 17 Jul 2018 at 17:26

Also a B350 would need BIOS flashing before it will work with a Ryzen 2xxx processor as well, don't forget.

But once done I'm sure it would be fine for a 2600X. My son's B350 board works fine with a four core plus iGPU APU at stock and I'm happy enough to try overclocking the graphics on it.

Beth · 17 Jul 2018 at 17:39

Ok, I don't know how to do that so will stick with X470. So overall you think Gigabyte - X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard will be best?

Would you get EVGA or Corsair PSU?

Sorry I've asked so many questions and am being a pain, I just want to order it tonight and don't want to get anything wrong.