Project Cyclone

epbrrrrr1

epbrrrrr1

epbrrrrr1

Associate
Joined
25 Nov 2011
Posts
339
Location
Norwich
I am starting this log because I have been thinking about building a new PC for ages. In 2018, I bought a laptop, and this, plus a monitor plugged in, is what serves as my set-up. About 12 years ago, I made a gaming PC, and I want to do it again but better.
My upper budget is 2.5k. But I don't want that to define it. I'm guessing I could spend much less to get what I want.

What I want versus what I need are two different things. I thought it might be smarter to start small build my own NUC. But when I looked into it, it was going to cost me hundreds anyway.

This is what I want :
  • Small form factor
  • Watch movies on a projector screen and gaming. Also VR.
  • Looks good because my first build I did was a mess with cable management.
  • Great performance, efficiency and reliable PC.
The next thing to do is to write down a list of parts. I don't know enough about computers to make really informed decisions. So far, I've just been watching videos of PCs that other people have made. So, this is an example list of parts that I have come up with :

- Case - Fractal Terra - £150
- CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Desktop Processor (6-core/12-thread, 38MB cache, up to 5.3 GHz max boost) - £200
- GPU - MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16G GAMING X TRIO - £1100
- MOBO - One that has the right CPU socket and fits inside the case obviously - £250
- RAM - DDR5 RAM 32GB - £120
- Hard Drive - 1 TB SSD - £130

Total = £1,950

I have had a look at my decommissioned rig, and Im not sure if there's anything worth recycling from it.
 
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  • PSU - 850 Watt Coolermaster - £125
  • CPU Air cooler - Noctua NH-L9a-AM5, Premium Low-profile CPU Cooler for AMD AM5 - £40
Total - £2115

I used a water cooler on the CPU on the last rig, but air would probably have been fine. I assumed water cooling was better. I still have this water-cooling unit.

On the last rig the 650W PSU I got had so many cables. Trying to fit all the cables and get them connected properly was the most bothersome part. I ended up stuffing them down the bottom pf the tower case
 
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The most demanding thing I want it to do is properly support a VR headset, even though I won't be able to afford that to begin with.
I'll have two monitors: a 27-inch 4 K, which I will have to purchase, and a 24-inch 1080p, which I already own.

Here is a possible list of parts and why. I'm taking the case out of the equation at this point. I don't know if I should aim to overclock this system.

CPU - AMD Ryzen7X. This CPU will offer good future-proofing and will be powerful enough.

RAM - 32GB DDR5 6000

4K 28 Inch Monitor -

Because I will be using the system for different things, I will need to be able to tweak for best performance depending on use. For example, higher FPS and refresh rates for online games and then higher graphics quality for everything else.
Perhaps I can save money with a 1440p resolution monitor.

MOTHERBOARD - AMD socket to go with the Ryzen CPU.

PSU - Asus ROG Loki SFX-L 850W Platinum Power Supply
I have found one in white that looks nice and has a small form factor.

Graphics Card - GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 AERO OC 12GB Graphics Card
I think this card is powerful enough for VR.

The system needs to run smoothly as well, so the hardware needs adequate cooling.

​

 
keef247 said:
Picture this @Redek , a PSU that is stupidly loud even at a pathetic 150w total system load, to the point you can hear it over listening to music, even when the PSU fan isn't at peak RPM - I dread to think how bad it'd be with a proper power draw from a gaming system!!!

The fan is also a very irratating type of fan noise, hard to explain but you'd have to witness it yourself, to understand how annoying it was!

Then pair that with terrible build quality in both the cables/PSU itself, finished off with a rip off price, then this is THE **** PSU for you!

THE WORST PSU I've ever bought/used! Do NOT buy a Coolermaster.

I have never been so angry and disappointed with a PC product, ever - CM are literally just a logo now, they clearly don't give a **** about their reputation nor loyalty to their old school products/previous buyers!

TLDR, they are ****! Avoid like the plague!
Click to expand...
thanks for the heads up I will give CM products a wide berth!
 
mickyflinn said:
You can get the ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB M.2 for £115 thats where I would be putting my money , or the 1tb version for £66.
Click to expand...

This one is much cheaper than the Samsung, but the specs look similar, if not the same. It must be cheaper because of the brand name. Thanks for pointing that out.
 
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keef247 said:
Sorry for the rant, but I needed to release that anger, I kept trying to lie to myself about how bad it was, just unboxing it and feeling how cheaply made it and the cables were, was bad enough, I bit my tongue, installed it, had a nightmare with the stupidly long rubbish quality cables/plugs, then turned it on, silence... For 10-15mins, then all hell broke loose!

I tried to put up with it for a few days, then thought WTF am I doing? I'm not a charity case? This is MY money for ***** sake! Bought the legendary Corsair SF750 80+ platinum for a tenner more - that along with my NZXT C850, are THE best SFX/ATX PSU's I've owned, in every aspect!

I genuinely considered not returning it, so that I could throw it off a multi story car park, run it over repeatidly, set fire to it, then beat the **** out of it with a sledge hammer just incase someone took what remained and tried to reuse it!

I do wish I'd done this now, so that I could film it and send the video to my brothers @mickyflinn and @Tetras - hope you all enjoyed my 2 reviews above :cry:
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haha, yeah, that's what it's like sometimes. I've never had it with a PSU, lol, but I have but defo have lied to myself that everything was hunky dory when it clearly was not! Glad you found the Corsair to replace that piece of crap!
 
Here is another list of core components. This is based on a system that can happily manage gaming at 1440p. I want to consider all available options.

Most expensive core components :
  • AMD Ryzen 5 or 7

  • ASUS ROG Strix B650E-I Gaming WiFi AMD Ryzen AM5 mini-ITX motherboard​

  • 32 GB of Ram​

  • An Nvidia 4070 Graphics card

    ​

I also thought that from a physically building-it POV, it might be easiest to start with the case and the PSU.​


I really like the Iqunix ZX-1 (10.6L) and also the Fractal Terra for a SFF build.

Also I like this PSU in white - Asus ROG Loki SFX-L 850W Platinum Power Supply - White
 
I like how these might look together in white :

  • NZXT Kraken 240 RGB water CPU cooler - this thing looks cool and has a helpful display for CPU and and GPU temps​

  • Asus ROG Loki SFX-L 850W Platinum Power Supply - White​

  • Iqunix ZX-1 - In coral white​

 
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Rich (BB code): 
************ Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor  £336.96
CPU Cooler: Corsair iCUE H100i RGB ELITE 59.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  £142.42
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard  £239.34
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory  £114.29
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  £107.99
Video Card: Gigabyte AERO OC GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB Video Card  £599.99
Power Supply: Asus ROG LOKI 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply  £232.97
Monitor: LG UltraGear 27GR75Q-B 27.0" 2560 x 1440 165 Hz Monitor  £276.97
Total: £2050.93
 
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Yes thanks for informing me about both of those. Im not actually buying any of this stuff yet, apologies if it seemed that way. Also apologies for not checking forum rules.
 
I don't like leaving things uncompleted. However, I got ahead of myself with my budget, and unfortunately, it's going to take longer than I hoped to build a new PC.

That said, I have realised that I don't want to build in a small form factor. It's not actually necessary, and it will be easier for me to build within a larger case. So, the case I want to get currently is the Fractal North. I particularly like the wood on the case, which is the same colour as other furnishings in my flat and the plethora of bamboo growing right outside my lounge window, where the PC is definitely going once built.
 
I sold some parts of my old setup online. This is what I got for them :

G Skill Ripjaws DDR3 - £5.67
Intel i5 2500k CPU - £6.21

I also sold the GPU for about £4, but then Evri lost it, so I made—£3.50 paying for them not to deliver that.

I am going to sell a Flipper Zero and the money will go towards a new PC.
 
Gepetto said:
I'm hoping you have an alternative source of funds to buy your new components, although you may garner a bit more for the Flipper..
Click to expand...
I wont be buying these new parts anytime soon. When I started this thread I was awaiting a hefty windfall and took to thinking I could use it to make a new PC. But some reflection caused me to realise it would be much better to sort out some other things first.
Based on my salary, I estimate it would take 1.5 years to save up. I should get another windfall at some point though, and the next one I will put some more of the money towards it. But I don't know when this will be which is kinda annoying, but just taking it as it comes.
 
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My plan is to begin building without the GPU, which I will add later. I now want to use the Fractal Desgin North case, it would fit well with my desk and furniture.
However, I am uncertain about ensuring my chosen CPU cooler and GPU fit. At a later date, I want to potentially add something like an NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti SUPER.

The thing with the FD North is there is a modest widthway clearance that wont allow for certain GPUs and CPU cooling. With the mesh side panel (my preferred choice for aesthetics), there is the option of adding a bracket for two additional fans on the side. But Im thinking I might have to leave these in order to have room for everything to fit inside.

Im just making a note at the moment to refer back to later. But any comments are welcome.

This is the list of parts I am currently working with. Im not overly fussed about a specific budget limit at this time :


imgur.com

PC parts

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