build a new computer

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I was telling GF that maybe I should build a new computer in the fall as my current rig is 5 years old, to my surprise she said “why not now?”. (She says that a lot to me but usually about something I would rather do later, much later. ) She asked how long it would take, I said oh a couple of hours and she made a disappointed sound and I added that it would likely take me a few weeks to DECIDE what to get, an she perked right up. (Maybe I have been getting on her nerves this summer??)
I had been wondering if now might be a good time as a trade war with one of the bigest manufacturers of tech stuff might tend to inflate prices this side of the world. On first glance at present prices look good, for some reason I was thinking that memory prices were high but looks like I can get twice as much DDR4 for less than what I bought DDR3 for a few years ago.

So anybody else out there in AWforum land planning on building a computer this summer?

FYI looking at

yet to be released Ryzen 7 3700X

Intel Core i9-9900 Coffee Lake 8-Core, 16-Thread, 3.1 GHz (5.0 GHz Turbo) LGA 1151 (300 Series) 65W BX80684I99900 Desktop Processor Intel UHD Graphics 630

AMD Ryzen 7 2700X AMD50 Gold Edition 3.7 GHz (4.3 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 YD270XBGAFA50 Desktop Processor
or maybe
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X AMD50 Gold Edition 3.7 GHz (4.3 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 YD270XBGAFA50 Desktop Processor

the 3700X @ $329 looks golden! but not yet released.

What I see as needed in a case:
Ability to filter incoming air and have a positive pressure
front panel USB3s (2 at least)
front panel eSATA would be nice
front panel audio connections
room for a BluRay player
still thinking on the rest…

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Lars220

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I’m also going to have to build a new one, so I’ll be watching this thread. I’m not even past the linux or Win10 pro decicion, but have looked a little and for the first time considering an AMD product.

I’m not a gamer and I find most things I’ve looked at (mobo’s especially) are geared for gaming. I just want a current board with current specs..  no overclocking, etc.

Suggestions are welcomed as iI havn’t built a new computer for 7-8 years

Win 10 Pro v.20h2

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Not a gamer either, just want snappy.
I am considering a TPM but maybe need to post questions in another part of the forum.

I am trending away from Gigabyte mb because of the crapware they want me to load to use their utilities. It seems prudent to wait for the AMD 3000 series CPU release either for it or the commandment price reductions for previous hw .
I am going to look at cases for the time being, seems to be a harder process

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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[NetDef]

I’m in the same boat – need to build a VR capable system for my son before the holidays. (He’s using my ancient Intel i7-2600K system as a hand-me-down – which was doing fine with various inexpensive upgrades over the years until he started wanting to create VR sets.)

Looking in the near-term (meaning the next 5 months) I suspect we are about to see a drop in Intel prices, or something.  Based on AMD’s recent announcements.

Planning to wait until those are on market before I decide.

BTW if you need a neat tool to help put your parts list together, along with rudimentary compatibility checking and price shopping, check out pchound.com . . .  you can put together a list, save the custom URL it generates, even send that URL to others (or here) for partners/clients to review before purchasing.

 

EDIT: PCHound appears to lack compatibility info for the newest Intel CPU’s, use with caution and be certain you know your socket matches!  You can also try pcpartpicker.com which currently looks like it’s compatibility filter is working much better!

~ Group "Weekend" ~

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by NetDef.

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Lugh, wavy

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OK I must be over the hill, What are VR sets, I know what VR is, been meaning to use my old phone to look but I take forever to get around to things these days..

“create VR sets”

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Specifically my son want’s this for the holiday: https://store.steampowered.com/valveindex

And he want’s to use it to work on a personal project using SteamVR API and the upcoming kit. (11 years old and already trying to outshine his dad.)

 

~ Group "Weekend" ~

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[CADesertRat]

Hi Wavy,

I just built a 2700X in Oct. 2018 and it is definitely snappy I used PC Partpicker for most of my build stuff (other than the case which was cheaper through Walmart CoolerMaster Model # MCM-M500M-KG5N-S00). AMD is kickin Intels butt on CPU’s especially when you get a good cooling fan with the CPU. Here’s my part’s list that has current prices.

NOTE: I didn’t get the Pioneer Blu-Ray drive just the ASUS burner.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by CADesertRat.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by CADesertRat.

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wavy, NetDef

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BTW, I didn’t spend that much for W10 Pro. I got a retail key through a MS authorized company for $125.00 and used 1803 (at the time) that I had already downloaded on a USB. Not sure of your OS plans but I can post the link for where I got mine if your interested.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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Oh Cool looks very nice!!!
I am still wondering about the OS. I believe i have rights to one more w7 pro, gotta look closer I bought an W7 Ultimate as well as a pro…. I think that a half year ago I would consider the exact same rig!!

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

1 user thanked author for this post.

CADesertRat

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At the time, I had an XP upgraded to W7 32 bit that was originally built in 2003 and it was just getting too slow for me so I decided it was time to start fresh. Although AMD is coming out with new stuff, I’m pretty darn happy with this 2700X system. It’s not used for any heavy gaming but some number crunching and amateur Photoshop.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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At PC PartPicker (https://pcpartpicker.com/products/os/) you can pick your favorite OS – Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10. Looks like this is about the only way you could get a brand new computer with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

If you want fast, get plenty of memory (at least 16 GB, more if you want to run multiple VMs all at the same time); separate NvME solid state drives for each of the following: the host OS, the data drive, and each virtual machine you want to run; and a good video card with plenty of on-board memory.

By the way, since you are building your own system, I would suggest getting a motherboard that has PS/2 ports (for the keyboard and mouse). And get yourself a cheap PS/2 keyboard and mouse, and put them in your “toolbox” for future use. If USB ever dies on your computer, you will be very glad that you have PS/2 available, because PS/2 makes it possible to use a keyboard and mouse when there is no USB functionality.

I have had two computers in my life where USB died, and fortunately in both cases the computer had PS/2 ports. I hooked up a PS/2 keyboard and mouse, and I was then back up and running.

You may never need PS/2 in your entire life; but the one time that you do, it will be a lifesaver.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

2 users thanked author for this post.

Bill C., wavy

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Wavy,

Going into the Bit-Coin mining business or you going to generate “fake news videos”?

That’s an awfully powerful system are you sure you need that much power?

Make sure you have plenty of cooling I’d recommend water cooling a rig like this.

You didn’t mention what Power Supply you were looking at. I’d take a look at the one CADesertRat chose.

HTH

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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wavy, CADesertRat

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I am a big believer in quality PS s . That is what keeps it all going. I was a Seasonic fan but now run EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 220-G2-0750-XR which has been good .

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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RetiredGeek wrote:

I’d recommend water cooling a rig like this

I haven’t done any comparison research, but fyi Noctua fans look interesting at the higher cooling end.

Lugh.
~
Alienware Aurora R6; Win10 Home x64 1803; Office 365 x32
i7-7700; GeForce GTX 1060; 16GB DDR4 2400; 1TB SSD, 256GB SSD, 4TB HD

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[mngerhold]

Wavy: in case your budget is more modest, last October I upgraded my 12-year old Acer with:

Icy Box 3.5" USB-3 Front Adapter Mfg# IB-866        £13 
Lite-On iHAS124 DVD Drive Mfg# IHAS124-14           £12 
Maxtor 1TB M3 USB3.0 HDD Mfg# STSHX-M101TCBM        £42 
CCL MB Bundle: GB A320M-S2H, Ryzen3-2200G, 8GB DDR4 £230 
Intel 760p 256GB M.2 SSD Mfg# SSDPEKKW256G801       £62 
                                             total: £361

All put into the original case with original PS (!) and newish HDD. W10 runs like a dream. That lot would cost £30 less now.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by mngerhold.

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ROTFLOL-BlueShoes
That’s an awfully powerful system are you sure you need that much power?

Heck no, but GF said go fer it

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Going into the Bit-Coin mining business or you going to generate “fake news videos”?

If i though BitCoins were a way to actually make money I might be on it but we are a decade late for easy money there..
The Fake News Business is way too competitive now….

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

1 user thanked author for this post.

MrJimPhelps

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CADesertRat wrote:

BTW, I didn’t spend that much for W10 Pro. I got a retail key through a MS authorized company for $125.00 and used 1803 (at the time) that I had already downloaded on a USB. Not sure of your OS plans but I can post the link for where I got mine if your interested.

Ok Retail = OEM ??
seems not bad these days of WAAS..

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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wavy wrote:

Ok Retail = OEM ??

No, Retail means I can install it on any computer I want as long as it’s only on 1 computer. In other words, if my MB dies and I have to replace it there are no problems with validation from MS. It’s different with OEM since you may have to call MS to re-validate if you change a major component on your computer.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

1 user thanked author for this post.

wavy

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You may find the front panel eSATA to be a hard one to find. It seems to have fallen from favor with the rise of USB 3.0+. For my new box, I have not seen any front panel eSata in a case for a while, and definitely not in a case with external 5.25 Optical drive bays. I have an eSATA drive, but have found USB 3.0 to be more reliable than my eSATA drive.

If you can find an older case NOS or used you might find front panel eSATA. I have also seen memory card panels with eSATA ports.

I do wish you luck though, sounds like a nice build with decent headroom.

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RetiredGeek wrote:

Wavy,

Going into the Bit-Coin mining business or you going to generate “fake news videos”?

That’s an awfully powerful system are you sure you need that much power?

Make sure you have plenty of cooling I’d recommend water cooling a rig like this.

You didn’t mention what Power Supply you were looking at. I’d take a look at the one CADesertRat chose.

HTH

Maybe fake bitcoin mining videos.
But H2O cooling should not be needed. Except for my Cyrix ?? I have never OCed, a CPU capable should IMHO be a good one though.
Just scratching at the skin….

One note :
This one should be MUCH more accessible than the present which requires 2 c-clamps to move my 300 lb desk to access. Gonna go where the really old one is now!!

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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wavy-

Could you post the link to where you got your win 10 pro key?

Thanks

Win 10 Pro v.20h2

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Ok I have made some decisions (well purchasing type). I am for once a bit more on the bleeding edge rather than the healing edge. The AMD RYZEN 9 3900X just seems too good to ignore, $500US but unless one goes ultra for a $1000 or more it is the price point to beat. I have gotten Gigabyte M/Bs for a while but dislike their utility structure, too unified. Asrock, MSI and Asus were contenders, I was unable to make a really informed decision but Asrock was new to me and Asus vs MSI M/Bs were a toss up. My requirements are not stringent, a $200 goal yielded an Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) looked good and like a couple of others was available. Unfortunately the RYZEN 9 was not, looks like Monday (and be quick about it, looks like I am not the only one to see the value equation). I found an Asus TUF-GTX1660TI-O6G-GAMING card for just over $200 w/ rebates and coupons.
Pretty new and fast, tough to ignore. I found a Intel 660p Series M.2 2280 1TB PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 3D2, QLC Internal Solid State Drive for $10 off. The unit is not a high usage hero but very fast for most routine use at a very good price ($95) to begin with.
Memory is still up in the air, I am still waiting for a good deal on 2 16 GB units of DDR4 3600 capability. Looking at a Seasonic PS but cases are going to be a problem, most have no Optical Disk space and more whiz bang than I really care for.

I will update as I go, any one out there making these kind of decisions?

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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CADesertRat

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wavy wrote:

The AMD RYZEN 9 3900X just seems too good to ignore

Should be a “Screamer” Wavy, most benchmarks show it to be fast.

wavy wrote:

I have gotten Gigabyte M/Bs for a while but dislike their utility structure

I had always used ASUS in the past but went with Gigabyte for this 2700x because of all the USB availability and I didn’t install most of their Utility’s just the drivers.

wavy wrote:

cases are going to be a problem, most have no Optical Disk space and more whiz bang than I really care for.

Take a look at that CoolerMaster I got for mine (in my earlier post) and CoolerMaster has a number of other cases with Optical drive bays.

Anyway, sounds like you will have quite a system

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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you’re further along than I am. I’ve looked at numerous cases but they all have a lot of bays that i won’t use, I’d like to stick to a mid tower so it’s upgradeable, they seem to be more in line for what I’m doing.

I haven’t yet decided about the processor, but will be using an M.2 drive, probably Samsung. At least 512GB. I’m not a gamer so I don’t need a high end graphics card or maybe none at all if I go with an Intel proc.  Probably go with an Asus board.

Keep us informed about what you find and I’ll do the same.

Win 10 Pro v.20h2

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@ Retired Geek
Yes I am planning on taking over the would with this rig -;
PS also bought a really cheap W10 Pro Retail Key. Fingers crossed….. turning blue..

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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@retiredgeek  Aren’t you taking a chance buying a retail key so cheap? How does that work?

Win 10 Pro v.20h2

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rhp52 wrote:

@retiredgeek  Aren’t you taking a chance buying a retail key so cheap? How does that work?

Wavy bought the retail key.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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BTW how does one get an image in the post rather than as an attachment (yes I see it does come up in both places sometimes )

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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[PKCano]

There is a link next to the attachment in the edit view that says “insert in content” – In the Visual tab it inserts where the cursor is.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by PKCano.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by PKCano.

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wavy

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rhp52 wrote:

@retiredgeek  Aren’t you taking a chance buying a retail key so cheap? How does that work?

I will let you know, I failed to find any bad stuff on a cursory search. Hopefully I will get my parts together soon enough to cancel CC if if proves bogus…

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Well been busy ..

I was all set on Ryzen 9 3900x 5 bills but what the hey. But nobody had any!! The egg said they should have them Monday. Tried today , had one in the cart with a couple of other items only there because the wish list was not working, Whilst removing the extraneous items the Ryzen 9 was sold out. Now I have gone with the Ryzen 7 3700X and save 170 bucks. Ps the egg raised their price 70 bucks on the Ryzen 7 3700X overnight..

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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I think the 3700x is the best bang for the buck. Good choice.

Win 10 Pro v.20h2

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wavy wrote:

I was all set on Ryzen 9 3900x 5 bills but what the hey. But nobody had any!! The egg said they should have them Monday. Tried today , had one in the cart with a couple of other items only there because the wish list was not working, Whilst removing the extraneous items the Ryzen 9 was sold out

I went through that when I decided on the 2700X, I waited though and pre ordered and it actually came in the next day. My guess is that you will probably be pretty happy with the 3700X though.

Sounds like a fun build. Congrats

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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yeh maybe lucked out in that regard. Also ordered The end game steel, which I had been holdifg off oon . Now i may not feel so bad about spending 120 on a case! Looks like Phanteks Enthoo Pro TG PH-ES614PTG_BK 110 bucks,

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Get at least 16 GB of RAM, an NvME solid state drive, and a good video card with a decent amount of memory. By doing so, you will have plenty of speed in three critical areas: video, disk reads and writes, and “elbow room” to work.

If you want to have several VMs open at the same time, then get at least 32 GB of RAM; and get a separate NvME solid state drive for each of the VMs.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

1 user thanked author for this post.

Bill C.

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Nice Wavy, good luck with it

MrJimPhelps wrote:

get a separate NvME solid state drive for each of the VMs

Just curious Jim, I asume it would be enough to have a separate partition for each VM, if one had a large SSD?

Lugh.
~
Alienware Aurora R6; Win10 Home x64 1803; Office 365 x32
i7-7700; GeForce GTX 1060; 16GB DDR4 2400; 1TB SSD, 256GB SSD, 4TB HD

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You would gain a slight edge in speed by having a separate drive for each VM, because you could access two at the same time quicker with separate drives than with one drive and separate partitions. However, an NvME SSD is so fast that the difference would be only slight. Of course, if any of the SSDs begin to slow down (e.g. for TRIM issues), those VMs on the slow SSDs would be slower than those VMs on the faster SSDs. Therefore, separate SSDs means that only some things would slow down.

Back in the mechanical drive days, the difference would have been greater. Anytime multiple tasks are being performed at the same time, it is always faster to have each task on a separate drive, rather than all tasks on the same drive, because separate drives means that each task would actually happen at the same time rather than one after the other.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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[wavy]

Well for better or worse, as they say. Way over budget (ok I really should have figured out a budget)
Ryzen 7 3700X
ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti DirectX 12
Intel 660p Series M.2 2280 1TB PCIe NVMe 3.0
G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB)
Seasonic FOCUS Plus Series SSR-550FX 550W 80+ Gold
Phanteks Enthoo Pro TG PH-ES614PTG_BK

Or in long form

AMD – Ryzen 7 3700X Octa-Core 3.6 GHz Desktop Processor
$329.99

ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, Dual M.2, 12+2 with Dr. MOS Power Stage, HDMI, DP, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Aura Sync RGB Lighting
$199.99

ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti DirectX 12 TUF-GTX1660TI-O6G-GAMING 6GB 192-Bit GDDR6 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Video Card
$299.99 $-50.00

Intel 660p Series M.2 2280 1TB PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 3D2, QLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SSDPEKNW010T8X1
$94.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model F4-3200C14D-32GVR
$247.99

Seasonic FOCUS Plus Series SSR-550FX 550W 80+ Gold Intel ATX 12V Full Modular 120mm FDB Fan Compact 140 mm Size Power Supply
$74.99

Phanteks Enthoo Pro TG PH-ES614PTG_BK Integrated RGB lighting Tempered Glass Side Panel ATX Full Tower Computer Case – Black
$109.99

WD Black 4TB Performance Desktop Hard Disk Drive – 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5 Inch – WD4005FZBX
$164.99

WD Blue WD20EZAZ 2TB 5400 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive
$54.99

StarTech.com USBPLATE4 4 Port USB A Female Slot Plate Adapter – USB panel – 4 pin USB Type A (F)
$6.99

Coboc PCIU3-20PSPL2-18 18″ Dual Ports USB 3.0 to 20pin Header Adatper Cable w/ Rear Panel – PCI Bracket USB 3.0 20pin to 2 Ports Type A Female
$5.49

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by wavy.

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Nice rig, congrats and enjoy. We all want pics posted once built!
Oh and good luck with the OS ‘creature update’ gravy train..

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Nice rig Wavy and you’ll be ready to change parts when more PCIE 4.0 parts become available (not many on the market yet). My tally with what you listed is $1540.39, a bit more than what I spent but you got more computer, LOL.

Congrats and as Microfix say’s, post some pictures.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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Nice rig Wavy and you’ll be ready to change parts when more PCIE 4.0 parts become available (not many on the market yet). My tally with what you listed is $1540.39, a bit more than what I spent but you got more computer, LOL.

I figure 1565 with tax and a coupon and rebate. More than I was planning on spending but….
I know once PCIe 4.0 parts are available at a reasonable price it would seem to be a good upgrade.

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Ok here’s the crew.
First problem:

No easy way to open the side door with unit laying on side, the little spring thingy is just not strong enough to push up heavy door. If that is the worst problem I encounter I will celebrate when I am done.. Ok even if it is NOT the worst.

Nice little box for the screws and some ties and manual for the case. ( which is annoyingly is in 7 different languages on same page) BTW this thing is BIGGER than I anticipated a good two inches in every dimension than the case it is replacing.

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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wavy wrote:

No easy way to open the side door with unit laying on side, the little spring thingy is just not strong enough to push up heavy door.

How about a Bungee cord to hold it open?

wavy wrote:

BTW this thing is BIGGER than I anticipated a good two inches in every dimension than the case it is replacing

Yeah, ATX Mid size cases have grown in the past 10 years. I ran into the same problems on the last 2 computers I built. I had to make sleds for them.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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Looks like you got a welding machine too! That ought to give you some nice diversion when you are burned out from all of the computing.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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wavy

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You mean a skate board ?
Actually I just righted it and the door lifts off it’s hinges. But I did give it the evil eye for a second or 20..

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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CADesertRat

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I have built my last three work stations at 4-5 year cycles.  My current PC is still going fine and my demands are modest, office apps, Internet work, and photoediting (predominately Lightroom with occasional photoshop usage).  My workstation sits on my desktop so it has to be quiet, thus selection of an appropriate case is critical.  My recommendations for a new build are:

1. case – Fractal Designs R6; it’s quiet and has adjustable installed fans, there is also lots of space to work in and posts to tie down all the cables; it has space for an optical drive if you need it; there is a higher priced model with a type C USB front port if you want that otherwise the standard version has 2 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports
2. PSU – Seasonic Focus Gold 550 or 650W; you don’t need any more power than that
3. CPU – Intel core i7; 8 core would be best for future proofing (disclaimer – I am an Intel shareholder); make sure that your CPU and motherboard are compatible!!!
4. CPU cooler – Noctua NH U12S; quiet and adequate for all uses other than gaming
5. Motherboard – ASUS TUF Pro Z390; even if you don’t overclock the Z motherboard components are more robust; I’ve only used ASUS ATX motherboards and never had any issues
6. Memory – 32GB Crucial memory; I always use their on-line tool to make sure the memory is compatible with the chosen motherboard; 32GB will be more than enough for almost every application you will run
7. GPU – NVIDIA GTX 1660 with 6GB memory; this is good for all applications including photo editing
8. Storage – 500GB SSD for OS and programs; it’s probably more than one needs (my current Win10 and programs occupy 61GB) but memory is cheap; my own preference is for regular 2.5 inch SSDs rather than new ones that install directly on the motherboard as they are easier to replace in case something goes bad; 1TB (or more depending on the data storage needs) standard hard drive

These parts will run about $1400 last time I looked.  Cost can be reduced by dropping memory to 16GB and moving to an i5 CPU and getting a less powerful GPU.

Happy building.

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Lugh

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Nice post AGH, thanks. I like a lot of your recommendations.

agoldhammer wrote:

CPU cooler – Noctua NH U12S; quiet and adequate for all uses other than gaming

This will cover gaming no problem, unless you have something crazy in mind—and even then… Noctua fans are preferred by many over water cooling for overclocking.

agoldhammer wrote:

Memory – 32GB

Unless you have apps you know will use it—eg multiple VMs—16GB is plenty for the next while. My 16GB only went over 50% usage a couple of times, when I forgot to close down a bunch of apps before starting an AAA game.

agoldhammer wrote:

GPU – NVIDIA GTX 1660

Yeah, looks to be the sweet spot now price-wise for future-proofing for a few years. My 970 & 1060 in 2 machines are still taking anything I throw at them.

agoldhammer wrote:

Storage – 500GB SSD for OS and programs

Hmm, I think you’re falling between two stools there. 256GB is way more than enough for normal OS-Programs-Users—I have a lot installed and still only 120GB used.

I recently swapped out my 2nd 256 SSD for a 1TB SSD under $100 to hold most of my games, now that even small ones are 2-5GB and big ones 30-100GB.

I use a 4TB HD for data storage, as I have a fair amount of media files & various large backup files. Still overkill, but I got it in exchange.

Lugh.
~
Alienware Aurora R6; Win10 Home x64 1803; Office 365 x32
i7-7700; GeForce GTX 1060; 16GB DDR4 2400; 1TB SSD, 256GB SSD, 4TB HD

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satrow

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@rhp52

More tails to tell, took 2 days to get a working box…
Will be back

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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CADesertRat

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yikes! Glad it’s working

Win 10 Pro v.20h2

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1809 or 1903? Looks like wherever you got the key, it worked.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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1903 239 to 267 I think.
It will get wiped a few times but the key should stick.

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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wavy wrote:

It will get wiped a few times but the key should stick

From your last 2 post’s, it sounds like you are having a few problems?? Hope they get worked out ok.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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@CADesertRat
No real problems now, in mis wired a header cable late at night and the power button was non functional. And Wednesday had a transformer replacement so power was out for a while. Wiping out the OS a few times because I will try some of the proprietary s/w which I am always leery of from my Gigabyte M/B install. and I want to try the PS script Rick Corbett wrote about @
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/customize-the-initial-windows-10-installation/#post-1848764

Hopefully I will start exploring UEFI tomorrow.
BTW this thing lights up like an XMAS tree LOL. Did not really realize that, will send a pic .

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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wavy wrote:

BTW this thing lights up like an XMAS tree LOL. Did not really realize that, will send a pic

Yeah, this is mine when I was first building it (without the glass side which reflected me taking the picture).

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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Well 2 weeks and I have been doing a lot of nothing.. I do have one problem, not a serious issue. After much head scratching and playing around with the s/w and cables for the leds on the Wraith cooler I realize I am not getting any blue on the fans leds.

The m/b came with cFoss Internet Traffic Shaping s/w and I am wondering if anyone has any opinion of this. I was thinking it was just more crud ware but ????

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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wavy wrote:

The m/b came with cFoss Internet Traffic Shaping s/w and I am wondering if anyone has any opinion of this. I was thinking it was just more crud ware but ????

My Gigabyte MB had that as an optional download and I did some googling and there are a lot of hits saying it isn’t worth the space it takes up. Then again there are a few that say it’s great but the bad outweighed the good so I decided against it.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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wavy

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If you are serious about shaping your traffic buy a router that does it. Don’t rely on software on your PC because that still requires all traffic to pass onto your PC.

BTW do you know what to do with traffic shaping?

cheers, Paul

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wavy

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Paul T wrote:

BTW do you know what to do with traffic shaping?

Having all the lights turn green as I approach them ??
I got the Idea though! I am still fiddling with Asus s/w seeing whats flash and whats trash before the final install of W10.

I am also wondering if the fan control s/w is worth keeping as Uefi has options..

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Be aware that MB makers utility software/drivers might be buggier and more vulnerable than their hardware drivers: https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/big-bunch-of-bad-drivers/#post-1906644

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wavy, CADesertRat

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@wavy,

You may want to keep an eye out for this firmware release. Seems that AMD 3000 cpus aren’t hitting the Boost clock speeds. Here’s an article.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-ryzen-3000-boost-frequency-bios-fix,40308.html

 

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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wavy

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Here is a guy that is extremely AMD CPU oriented and has a very good knowledge of building computers. You might want to contact him with your thoughts.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDXy6QCXBePLvfTSzeb2v5Q

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[PKCano]

PKCano, Kirsty, Microfix. Hey gang, I tried to post something for Wavy and it did not make it past Awaiting Moderation. I assume it was a assumed spam the robot blocked. Thanks. post-1936134

Moderator note: The reason the post was not published is listed as “duplicate of a post on reddit.”
Cross posting without notification is against the AskWoody Rules.

Cross forum posts (the same question on more than one site) must be marked as such

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by PKCano.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by PKCano.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by PKCano.

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MrJimPhelps wrote:

Looks like you got a welding machine too! That ought to give you some nice diversion when you are burned out from all of the computing.

Well I had one. I needed (still need) to repair my TV viewing chair. I was reading the specs on the unit and I had no 20 Amp ckts handy and 10 gauge power cable was recommended. ( another 30 to 50 bucks). These things on top of the main reason. GF asked ‘where are you going to PUT THAT thing?’
I live in a crowded condo and had no good answer ! ( Door stop ?? ) Before I bought it I was unable to remove the broken piece from the main part of the chair, but had finally figured it out so I returned to unit and will pay someone to fix it, likely do a much better job than I would have done not having welded for nearly 40 years!

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Wavy, Here are some possible fixes to your lack of blue color from REDDIT.

“Problems with RGB LED Wraith Spire Cooler Ryzen (lack of blue shown)
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/725w4d/problems_with_rgb_led_wraith_spire_cooler_ryzen/

“Set up your colors in Mystic light.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AMDHelp/comments/b1fr1f/wraith_prism_leds_reset_to_all_red_every_time_i/

Wraith Prism LED Issue
https://www.reddit.com/r/AMDHelp/comments/axyeot/wraith_prism_led_issue/

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wavy

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