PC Building Megathread: As long as she doesn't demand ray tracing

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > PC Building Megathread: As long as she doesn't demand ray tracing

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

Heavy Metal posted:

Question about budget builds, and budget CPUs. What are the best couple CPU choices under say $210?

I'm in the US, looking to replace an i5 2500k rig from 2012. It's been having a couple issues lately, and I figured 9 years is pushing my luck. But looking for either a budget build (that friends may put together - they built my last one) or may go for a prebuilt etc. Either way, I'd like the total to be under say $850 before tax. Including hard drives etc and $110 for Windows, but can leave the GPU out for now and use my old 970.

I have no complaints about the speed of the i5 2500k, and I'm looking to be frugal. I don't need a current or future proof gaming PC, and this could be an interim rig for a few years. So wanna go intentionally mediocre for gaming, but smooth for multitasking, web browsing, futureproof only for playing 4K video files or whatever.

So on budget CPUs, is the i5 10400 as good a deal as it seems? I look at it vs 2500k on that user benchmarks site, and it says it's a lot better. And the price is superb. Plus it has an iGPU they say is good for video etc. Says it's 17% faster effectively, and ranked 68th instead of 237th. I'm open to AMD options as well.

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-2500K-vs-Intel-Core-i5-10400/619vs4073

When I showed that to friend they were razzing me, and wanted to put a $300 Ryzen in there. Which is fun, but I tell ya, I just like the idea of beating a topnotch PC from 9 years ago with a bargain bin price. And I'd go from 8gb to 16GB of ram, up my 64GB SSD to 256 or 512, and 4TB of storage. So with those, a decent name-brand power supply, good air cooling, simple case, a reliable motherboard, can that be done under $850?

Don't need an exact build or anything, but if similar sample builds are around or you dig messing with the part picker, I'd be curious to see. And also thoughts on budget CPUs and budget to mid-range parts in general. Since understandably everybody says not to go with a Dell or HP etc, but it feels like they can cram a lot of value into the the 900 or under range. Though if they fail I know it's a pain. Just messing with part picker, it seems tough to make a cheap but good PC, with my preferred storage and ram etc, to the layman here.

I love the i5 2500K so much and always love hearing about it still running

I started a build around a Ryzen 5 3600, but then I realized I don't know if you have a discrete graphics card. So, I assumed you did not have one and switched to the i5-10400 and came up well under your $850 budget. I have to admit I don't know what would be a good CPU cooler and motherboard, but these should be decent and work well for you.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10400 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z490-A PRO ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Western Digital)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($65.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GA 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($58.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $728.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-06-13 01:26 EDT-0400

# ¿ Jun 13, 2021 06:28

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 12:37

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

Pilfered Pallbearers posted:

It’s due to chia and it’s already starting.

If it’ll continue no one knows (it probably will)

I semi-panic-bought* a 2TB SN550 back at the end of April for $225 because of this Chia crap, but it looks like it's still in stock for the same price:
https://shop.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-blue-sn550-nvme-ssd#WDS200T2B0C

Everyone panic-buy these now before all of us panic-buying these causes the price to go up and stock to disappear

* I say semi because I've actually had to uninstall a couple of games these past 12 months to install new games. I'm imagining install sizes aren't getting any smaller for AAA titles

# ¿ Jun 18, 2021 05:07

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

pezzie posted:

God drat Prime day has a Core i7-10700KF for $239.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086MMS6FV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was gonna go AMD this upgrade cycle but I don't think I could pass this up at that price.

gently caress Amazon, buy from a goon and save a few bucks

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3970739&pagenumber=1&perpage=40

# ¿ Jun 22, 2021 22:42

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

VelociBacon posted:

try plugging that monitor into the mobo instead of the GPU

Unfortunately this won't won't because the Ryzen 5 3600 doesn't have integrated graphics

# ¿ Jul 20, 2021 14:20

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

The Joe Man posted:

Holy poo poo, I had no idea this was a thing, it's atrocious and an absolute dealbreaker if anyone thinks that'll be an issue with this card

One reviewer on Newegg mentioned not hearing any coil whine, and none of the others mention it at all. A cursory googling didn't turn up anything either. I think you're good to go with this card.

Also, pat your friend on the back for not being a scalpy jerkface

# ¿ Jul 25, 2021 05:58

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

VelociBacon posted:

CPU fans - adjust through BIOS most likely

GPU fans - adjust through MSI afterburner

For a single application to control all my fans, I like FanControl. Requires Windows 10, though

# ¿ Sep 10, 2021 19:46

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

UmOk posted:

So I have finished my first ever build! Everything seems to be running good. Is there anything I need to check or keep an eye on? I know I should be watching temps. What program is goon recommended for temps?

HWiNFO is a favorite of mine

edit: and this is also an opportunity for me to shill for FanControl for your fan-controlling needs

# ¿ Oct 9, 2021 04:35

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

repiv posted:

My Define C build is pretty quiet but it's always had an issue with fan oscillation, I managed to tune the RPMs to the point where it's minimised but it was still there

I finally decided to get to the bottom of it, and figured it might be related to the 120mm fan frame impeding the 140mm fans

cut these bits out with tin snips and the problem appears to be gone

A+ mod would attack case with big scissors again

This gives me an idea to unfuck the situation with my CL530 caused by a single stripped Philips-head screw ... Is there a go-to snip for cutting sheet metal (20 gauge galvanized steel per Sliger)?

HappyCapybaraFamily fucked around with this message at 20:52 on Jan 1, 2022

# ¿ Jan 1, 2022 20:50

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

So ... putting aside the GPU hellscape we are in now, how senseless would it be to pair a 3060 Ti with a 4th-gen Core i5 for 1440p75Hz? Currently have a GTX 980 in it but want to try to get G-Sync, and also I'm incredibly bored/burned out in general and am looking into some retail therapy (?)

# ¿ Jan 20, 2022 19:04

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

Still idly entertaining an upgrade from a 4th-gen Core / GTX 970 for 1440p gaming, but on a scale from "lol" to "lmao", how foolish am I for entering Newegg Shuffles with bundles including a Z590 motherboard? Should I expand to bundles including X570 for the AMD option? There don't seem to be any B550 bundles (lol @ the B450 bundle today), and there will definitely never be any 12-gen Core mobos in these bundles.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2022 17:23

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

buffalo all day posted:

where are you? us? there are other alternatives to newegg shuffle that people have been successful with (microcenter, BB's out of stock search, evga DIY bundle)

Yeah, in the US. I've looked at EVGA's DIY stuff too, and it looks like they only do X570 motherboards. I've been half-heartedly monitoring BestBuy as well, but thanks for reminding me about Microcenter. I'll check there as well, as I'm less than 10 miles from one

# ¿ Feb 11, 2022 18:00

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

lol, "won" my first Newegg Shuffle, but the Z590 motherboard in the bundle won't fit my mATX case, so I let it lapse. I also noticed the "congrats" email with only 25 minutes left to order, so whatever

# ¿ Feb 12, 2022 03:42

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

I have an RTX 3070 on the way now :toot:

Guess it's time to start contemplating upgrading from my Core i5-4590.

Is there a good reason to get a Ryzen 5 5600X over a Core i5-12600K now, or would it be worth the extra cash for the Intel? Another limitation I have is the motherboard must be mATX or mini-ITX.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2022 19:31

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

Probably don't need anything more than this Radeon HD 5450

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185425263026

Edit: haha 19 W TDP :3:

# ¿ May 21, 2022 06:44

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

Mutant Headcrab posted:

E

Edit: Opened my phone to see I somehow butt-posted this. Leaving my shame up for all to see.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2022 20:50

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

Cruiserweight posted:

Here in the image the only light that's on is the Zotac GPU logo. I tried to find out if there should be more lights on like on the motherboard but I can't find an answer. The only plugs I have connected on the PSU is a single VGA, MB, and CPU.
https://imgur.com/a/v8SYlxJ

Where's your CPU cooler? 😱

# ¿ Jul 2, 2022 06:37

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

Cruiserweight posted:

disconnected it because I was adjusting the CPU. simply haven't bothered putting it back.

it wasn't booting with the cooler installed but I'll try it with it on again

I don't see any evidence of thermal paste on that CPU, either :raise:

# ¿ Jul 2, 2022 06:52

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

DaveSauce posted:

Cool. Well, I hope so, at least.

On the subject, kind of: what sort of benchmark and stress testing are the cool kids doing these days? Is 3D Mark still relevant? And is there a "gently caress you CPU" test like prime95 used to be so I can see how my cooling works?

I've seen some people use Cinebench for CPU tests. It's not as "gently caress you" a CPU test as Prime95 as it looks like the maximum benchmark time is 30 minutes, but it'll definitely stress your CPU to render a 3D scene.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2022 23:34

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 12:37

HappyCapybaraFamily: Sep 16, 2009; Roger Baolong Thunder Dragon has been fascinated by this sophisticated and scientifically beautiful industry since childhood, and has shown his talent in the design and manufacture of watches.

What's memory training?

# ¿ Dec 4, 2022 07:46

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > PC Building Megathread: As long as she doesn't demand ray tracing