Looking for help with my brother's first build

sass20 · February 2023

Hello!

My brother is making the switch from laptops to a desktop and asked me for help. However, it's been 6 or 7 years since I last did my build, and I'm feeling a little lost in the woods. Hopeful that someone can come up with a few ideas, or a direction to head in.

Uses would be primarily gaming, but also some work. Game wise - More things like Elden Ring and not the big FPS titles. Also probably more single player over multiplayer. Work wise, doesn't require any intense software.

Budget is $1000-1500. Would need all components except for keyboard & mouse. WiFi is needed as running an ethernet cable is not feasible. (Currently using a ASUS RTAX82u router) No real preferences on things color wise, though not generally a fan of the white look. Would also like to have something done by the end of March.

I think I touched on all the basics and other questions I always see asked, please let me know if I missed anything, or if you have other questions.

Thanks in advance.

magarity · February 2023

MicroCenter's "builder" will walk you through this process: PC Builder: Build Your Own PC | Micro Center

For that budget range, you should start with either Intel 12th generation CPU such as the 12400K or the AMD Ryzen 5000 series such as the R5 5700X. Then it will only show you compatible motherboards, etc, as you go down the list. After you finish, do 'save and name the list' on the far right there and it will provide a link you can paste to get some feedback. This lets you pick things to your taste, especially the case.

sass20 · February 2023

Alright, here's a run I did (Unable to share links currently:)

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800x Vermeer 3.8GHz 8 core (SKU 195081)

Mobo: ASUS B550-F ROG Strix Gamining WiFi II AMD AM4 ATX (SKU 332098)

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 CL16 Dual Channel (SKU 348201)

Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow (SKU 201863)

PSU: Corsair CX750M - 750W 80 Plus Bronze Semi Modular (SKU 314161)

GPU: ASUS NVidia RTX 3060Ti Overclocked 8GB GDDR6 PCIe4.0 (SKU 295063)

Storage: Samsung 980 Pro SSD 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4 (SKU 229948)

Couple of questions:

Air cooled or liquid cooled? The room tends to get warm, and unfortunately, there's one of those old metal radiators in the room that will be close to the tower. A couple friends like the Kraken models. I've also seen the Dark Rock Pros (as an air option) mentioned here a lot in some other threads I've skimmed.

What can I expect of this at 1080p and 1440p respectively?

Mobo/CPU were a bundle. I eventually realized you have to "Add to Cart" for the pricing to be right. How long are said bundles generally available?

Also, back and forth over 1TB or 2TB. If I read / understand correctly, the mobo has 2 slots for m.2 drives? So I could do 1TB and add an second later if needed.

Going to throw at least one more case fan in as well.

I think, that's it for right now. Thoughts, follow up questions, etc?

magarity · February 2023

So the 5800X does not come with a stock cooler. You either need an AIO liquid cooler as you mentioned or else a tower air cooler. The 4000D airflow case (make sure you do get the 'Airflow' version, do NOT get the 'X' or 'Crystal' version) has most excellent airflow, hence the name. You can do just fine with a tower cooler such as bequiet 3 or 4: be quiet Shadow Rock 3 Black CPU Cooler - Micro Center or Noctua NH-U12: Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black CPU Cooler - Micro Center

Especially if you get a good bunch of fans. The case comes with only 2 because people get picky about what fans they want. You should get 3 more. Put the 2 it comes with in the top as exhaust and get 3 more for the front as intake. It would be a good idea to either get a couple of 2:1 splitter cables or even a fan hub.

Here's a youtube of elden ring with a 3060ti at different resolutions: https://youtu.be/hyHkspgHgvM

I don't know how long the particular bundles tend to last but they seem to always have a selection of bundle deals.