Help with basics? Cases, monitors, etc.
Beginning down my journey of building a PC, and started with one of Pcpartpicker's build guides. My budget is ~$1500.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DsnMq4

This is simple copy-paste of the suggested parts, but I only understand about half of what I'm looking at and I have a billion questions. I know I'll have to tweak a lot of things down since the parts that are there already go over 1500 and I need peripherals as well.

1. What separates a good case from a bad case?
2. Is it worth it to try and get a 144 hz monitor? Is 60 hz always cheaper?
3. What is a CPU Cooler? @_@ I guess it cools the CPU.
4. How do I know if I got a proper motherboard? What's the difference between one and another?
5. The parts aren't compatible with an optical drive and I'm not sure why.
6. What else is required that I might be forgetting?
Ultima modifica da Netsa; 5 ago 2019, ore 14:33
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Visualizzazione di 1-15 commenti su 24
Messaggio originale di Netsa:
Beginning down my journey of building a PC, and started with one of Pcpartpicker's build guides. My budget is ~$1500.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DsnMq4

This is simple copy-paste of the suggested parts, but I only understand about half of what I'm looking at and I have a billion questions. I know I'll have to tweak a lot of things down since the parts that are there already go over 1500 and I need peripherals as well.

1. What separates a good case from a bad case?
2. Is it worth it to try and get a 144 hz monitor? Is 60 hz always cheaper?
3. What is a CPU Cooler? @_@ I guess it cools the CPU.
4. How do I know if I got a proper motherboard? What's the difference between one and another?
5. The parts aren't compatible with an optical drive and I'm not sure why.
6. What else is required that I might be forgetting?

1 - Airflow mainly, but you've also got other features, like fan mounts, storage bays, cable management options, or even, for some people, aesthetics and / or sound.
I mainly just recommend the person get a good airflow case, which the H500 does well.

2 - Yes, 144hz is one of the best upgrades I've made. It's fixed my headaches and eye strain, and improved my performance in FPS games. I would always recommend 144hz.
However, there are some downsides, first being, once you look at it, you can't go back to 60hz, it looks like ♥♥♥♥. And, some people can't actually see that much of a difference, albeit, it's very few, but it's always a possibility.
Just make sure you get one with Adaptive sync (almost always the case anyway.)
And, it depends, you can get some 2160p60hz monitors that are more expensive than 1080p144hz monitors, it depends what you're buying, and when.

3 - I can't tell if that's a joke, but I'll answer anyway.
CPUs generate lots of heat when they're being used, when they heat up (usually past 95c), there's a chance for damage, and they use more power the hotter they get. (Which also makes it hotter, because power = heat)
The cooler is there to absorb the heat from the CPU, and then, when airflow runs over the fins of the cooler, transfers the heat to the air, cooling the CPU down.
Air coolers are generally the way to go, because they're cheap and good.
You can go with AIOs (CLCs) if you want to make it look nicer.

4 - It depends on what CPU you want, it has to have the correct socket and chipset. (i.e 2600x requires AM4 socket, and B350/B450/X370/X470 chipset, and the i7-9700K needs the LGA1151v2 socket, and Z370 or Z390 chipset.
You would also need to make sure the power delivery on the board is decent for the chip you're going to use.
It would also be a good idea to make sure it's got all the features you want.

5 - They are. Just the case doesn't support one, the H500 doesn't have any 5.25 inch bays. So it can't be mounted in the case.
That's okay, most content doesn't come on disk form anymore, just grab yourself a USB one, it'll more than do the job.

6 - It should already work, if you've got mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

I would just like to add my thoughts.

I would consider a Ryzen 3600 and X470/X570 board, it's more than enough performance, and cheaper than the i7-9700/k, doesn't need an after market cooler, and is cheaper.

A better quality HDD would be better, and you don't NEED an NVMe if you're only gaming, so you can get more space from SATA SSD, and there won't be a noticeable increase in loading times.

And, you should be able to get the 2080 SUPER for the same price, but it's 4-8% better, I know, not much, but it's better nonetheless.

Edit ; https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ccnr29
This would be something to consider.

Also, have you put any thought into the monitor you want?
Ultima modifica da Autumn_; 5 ago 2019, ore 15:18
What Autumn has said is spot on, but I'd like to add to point 4 - motherboards come in different sizes (eg, Micro ITX, Micro ATX, ATX etc). Make sure you get one that will fit your case. Also, some come with two RAM slots, some come with four. Some boards have different bios features which are usually negligible, but can contain features which are quite useful (for example, always keeping power to USB ports even if the system is turned off).
It`s not very good build really, he kinda went where the fence is lowest quality wise with quite a few parts to get the CPU and graphics card fit into this price.

Something like this would probably be more balanced:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wyNjP3

Stock CPU cooler is decent enough and comes in the box with the CPU with thermal paste already applied to the heat sink.
Extra case fan is for the back slot as exhaust.
This build can easily run modern games on 1080p or 1440p monitor.

1. Decent airflow and ventilation options, easy of use and room to build.
2. If you are into competitive shooters then 144 Hz is certainly worth it as it has reduced input lag and no ghosting.
3. Yes, it`s the heat sink with a fan that sits on top of the CPU, or cooling block and radiator with fans if it`s liquid cooled all-in-one cooler.
4. Motherboards are defined by their chipsets and CPU sockets, you need to have the right socket and right chipset for the brand and generation of the CPU. Some are cheap boards with no VRM-heat sinks that wont allow the CPUs to be overclocked and some like most recent for AMD X570 and Intel Z390 allow overclocking the CPUs if they are overclockable.
5. Most modern cases dont even have slots for internal optical drives anymore since they are rarely needed these days, that case in your build is one of them.
Messaggio originale di Rumpelcrutchskin:
It`s not very good build really, he kinda went where the fence is lowest quality wise with quite a few parts to get the CPU and graphics card fit into this price.

Something like this would probably be more balanced:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wyNjP3

Stock CPU cooler is decent enough and comes in the box with the CPU with thermal paste already applied to the heat sink.
Extra case fan is for the back slot as exhaust.
This build can easily run modern games on 1080p or 1440p monitor.

1. Decent airflow and ventilation options, easy of use and room to build.
2. If you are into competitive shooters then 144 Hz is certainly worth it as it has reduced input lag and no ghosting.
3. Yes, it`s the heat sink with a fan that sits on top of the CPU, or cooling block and radiator with fans if it`s liquid cooled all-in-one cooler.
4. Motherboards are defined by their chipsets and CPU sockets, you need to have the right socket and right chipset for the brand and generation of the CPU. Some are cheap boards with no VRM-heat sinks that wont allow the CPUs to be overclocked and some like most recent for AMD X570 and Intel Z390 allow overclocking the CPUs if they are overclockable.
5. Most modern cases dont even have slots for internal optical drives anymore since they are rarely needed these days, that case in your build is one of them.
I'd just like to mention, that the x series for AMD CPUs is pointless, it's going to perform nearly exactly the same as the non-x. It's just going to cost more.

And, that SSD is pretty bad, you can get the 660p for less, and it's faster.

But you did something I forgot to do, swap to the 2070 SUPER, or 2080 SUPER; I just left the GPU as it was by accident.
Messaggio originale di Netsa:
1. What separates a good case from a bad case?
Good cases have:

  • Good airflow - At least 5 or 6 120mm/140mm fan slots (with some pre-installed), as well as top/front/side panels that don't choke airflow. A lot of popular cases like NZXT's H500 have simple grills on the sides of their panels which does have a big enough impact that I would steer clear of those cases. They look decent but you're not doing yourself a service by getting that type of case as it's not really any quieter.
  • Good cable management options - Most cases nowadays have rubber grommets or grills designed for cable routing from the main chamber to the behind the motherboard tray, and some of them even have "beauty covers" that allow for cable routing but conceal what's behind it.
  • Tempered glass panel(s) - Standard acrylic windowed panels scuff and scratch easily, they're pretty bad. Tempered Glass is easier to take care of, provided you're careful and don't remove or damage the factory protection film.
  • Options - Whether it be choosing to have several HDD cages, liquid cooling support (or just AIO support), motherboard form factor support, and among other things, a good case has plenty of options for all builds, but it depends on how much space you have that determines what kind of case you should be getting and what motherboard form factor you'd need as a result.
  • Filtering - Any good case should have some sort of mesh dust filter to reduce the amount of dust and debris that may be pulled into the case by your fans.

Messaggio originale di Netsa:
2. Is it worth it to try and get a 144 hz monitor? Is 60 hz always cheaper?
1. Yes, 60 Hz just doesn't compare. Some people with 60 Hz monitors overclock them, but it's honestly better to go for 120 Hz or higher. 1080p 144Hz is usually the most common and usually has the most deals out of high-refresh monitors. For that kind of monitor, you'd want one of the following: RTX 2060/2060 Super, Radeon 5700, RTX 2070/2070 Super, Vega 56/64. GTX 1070/1070 Ti, GTX 1080, etc. You can go higher, like 5700XT, 2080, 2080 Ti, 1080 Ti, etc but it's overkill for that resolution.

2. Usually yes, 60 Hz is generally cheaper. But it's garbage.

Messaggio originale di Netsa:
3. What is a CPU Cooler? @_@ I guess it cools the CPU.
Yes, CPU cooler cools the CPU so it doesn't overheat. There are 4 mainstream types:
1. Air
2. Closed Loop Liquid Coolers / All-In-One Liquid Coolers
3. Custom Loop Liquid Cooling (DIY stuff built from kits)
4. Liquid Nitrogen (LN2)

For the majority, air cooling is more than enough. You only need an AIO if your case lacks the room for massive air cooler, like the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 or Noctua NH-D15, and custom loops are impractical for most users as they're really expensive, take a lot of maintenance, and a fair deal of skill/experience to install correctly without risk of leakage. LN2 is over the top and is only done for beating world records in overclocking, because you constantly have to supply LN2 as it quickly dissipates.

Messaggio originale di Netsa:
4. How do I know if I got a proper motherboard? What's the difference between one and another?
There are a few differences:
1. Platform - Intel or AMD
2. Socket type - Intel currently uses socket LGA1151, while AMD uses socket AM4. An AM4 CPU will only fit in an AM4 socket, and vice versa.
3. Chipset - The chipset is the easiest way to determine what CPU type it was made for. AMD chipsets for AM4 include: A320, B350, B450, X370, X470, X570, while a few of Intel's are: B360, Z370, Z390.
4. Features - Some include M.2 slots for M.2 type SSDs (some only with SATA interface while others support PCIe Gen3 interface. X570 has Gen4 support.) That's the major thing that people pay attention to, but there are other things, like 2 or 4 RAM slots, more or less SATA ports, tons of rear I/O options, etc.

You can use PCPP's compatibility filter, which is enabled by default. It'll tell you if your chosen CPU is compatible or not.

Messaggio originale di Netsa:
5. The parts aren't compatible with an optical drive and I'm not sure why.
It's usually 1 of 2 things, or both:
1. No slot in the case for an optical drive
2. Not enough SATA data ports

In your case, it's the case. It doesn't support optical drives, but I recommend getting a USB powered model that you can just plug in instead of changing the case.

Messaggio originale di Netsa:
6. What else is required that I might be forgetting?

I recommend this instead, because you'll get better price-to-performance and a more solid build. 9700K is overpriced if you aren't overclocking it through the roof with a good cooler so it actually has a significant difference.

Ryzen destroys Intel's value, as the R5 3600 is not far behind the 9700K at stock, but costs half as much. It's a better value chip for gamers.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jPCkCb

You'll have extra headroom to change other components to your liking, and afford 144 Hz monitor.
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
I'd just like to mention, that the x series for AMD CPUs is pointless, it's going to perform nearly exactly the same as the non-x. It's just going to cost more.

And, that SSD is pretty bad, you can get the 660p for less, and it's faster.

But you did something I forgot to do, swap to the 2070 SUPER, or 2080 SUPER; I just left the GPU as it was by accident.

3600X has better Wraith Spire cooler in the box and they generally come from the better batch of silicon lottery.

One thing to note about X570 is that It`s only chipset that is currently guaranteed to work with new AMD 3000 series Ryzen CPUs right out of the box without BIOS update, other chipsets like B450 and X470 may require BIOS update first and that`s not something that beginner builder usually wants to mess with.

Crucial MX 500 series is decent and reliable SSD with 5 year warranty, I use one myself and had no complaints for performance or reliability.
Intel 660p is considered quite slow for NVM, if you go for NVM then might as well go Samsung.
Ultima modifica da Rumpelcrutchskin; 5 ago 2019, ore 15:54
Messaggio originale di Rumpelcrutchskin:
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
I'd just like to mention, that the x series for AMD CPUs is pointless, it's going to perform nearly exactly the same as the non-x. It's just going to cost more.

And, that SSD is pretty bad, you can get the 660p for less, and it's faster.

But you did something I forgot to do, swap to the 2070 SUPER, or 2080 SUPER; I just left the GPU as it was by accident.

One thing to note about X570 is that It`s only chipset that is currently guaranteed to work with new AMD 3000 series Ryzen CPUs right out of the box without BIOS update, other chipsets like B450 and X470 may require BIOS update first and that`s not something that beginner builder usually wants to mess with.

Crucial MX 500 series is decent and reliable SSD with 5 year warranty, I use one myself and had no complaints for performance or reliability.
Intel 660p is considered quite slow for NVM, if you go for NVM then might as well go Samsung.
I wasn't talking about the chipset, I was talking about the CPU. (3600 vs 3600x)
You shouldn't get the 3600x, 50 dollars more for 100mhz more. It'll make nearly no difference in games.

Why pay more for a slower drive?
The 660p also has a 5 year warranty iirc.
And, the 660p is a slower drive, but it's not going to matter much in games, when compared to other games, you're talking milliseconds longer loading times. It doesn't even matter. Why pay more for a drive like that?
Samsung are good, and I own a 860 EVO myself, but there really isn't a point to getting something like the 970 EVO, it costs 80% more ~20% faster loading times.
It's not worth it; to me at least.
Messaggio originale di Rumpelcrutchskin:
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
I'd just like to mention, that the x series for AMD CPUs is pointless, it's going to perform nearly exactly the same as the non-x. It's just going to cost more.

And, that SSD is pretty bad, you can get the 660p for less, and it's faster.

But you did something I forgot to do, swap to the 2070 SUPER, or 2080 SUPER; I just left the GPU as it was by accident.

3600X has better Wraith Spire cooler in the box and they generally come from the better batch of silicon lottery.

One thing to note about X570 is that It`s only chipset that is currently guaranteed to work with new AMD 3000 series Ryzen CPUs right out of the box without BIOS update, other chipsets like B450 and X470 may require BIOS update first and that`s not something that beginner builder usually wants to mess with.

Crucial MX 500 series is decent and reliable SSD with 5 year warranty, I use one myself and had no complaints for performance or reliability.
Intel 660p is considered quite slow for NVM, if you go for NVM then might as well go Samsung.

Go ahead and pay way more than you should for a minor increase in performance, but don't tell others to do the same, because it's a waste of OP's budget. The 3600 is the best value CPU on the market right now, hands down. It's not worth paying more for the 3600X when the only difference is 100 MHz, which the 3600 can still do.
Ultima modifica da r.linder; 5 ago 2019, ore 16:01
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
Also, have you put any thought into the monitor you want?

Was getting input first. Pretty much sold on the 144 display.

Okay, taking in all the suggestions and including a monitor, how about this:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6BDNXP

The memory was a bit confusing since everyone seemed to pick a random brand on every suggestion.

Two more questions:
7. Do I need a sound card?
8. Any suggestions on wi-fi adapters? And do they cover bluetooth?
Messaggio originale di Netsa:
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
Also, have you put any thought into the monitor you want?

Was getting input first. Pretty much sold on the 144 display.

Okay, taking in all the suggestions and including a monitor, how about this:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6BDNXP

The memory was a bit confusing since everyone seemed to pick a random brand on every suggestion.

Two more questions:
7. Do I need a sound card?
8. Any suggestions on wi-fi adapters? And do they cover bluetooth?

Well, before you pick just 'any old monitor' I'm gonna ask, what do you want in a monitor?
Fast response time, with slightly worse colours, with no ghosting? (TN panel)
Pretty colours, minimal ghosting? (But more expensive, IPS panel)
Pretty colours, deeper blacks, and maybe some ghosting? (VA panel)

You're gonna want Adaptive sync on it as well. (Makes the monitor run at the same hz as your FPS, so you don't get any stutter, or tearing.)

Well, RAM brand doesn't really matter, it's all the same ♥♥♥♥ pretty much, the only difference is one type of the chips used on it overclocks better than the other, but if you're running it at rated speeds, it's all the same.

Except, you're gonna want faster RAM, 3,000 to 3,600 (not higher than that)
I recommend going with 3,200mhzCL15/16.

You don't need a sound card, motherboard audio is more than fine for most people.
You'd only need a soundcard or AMP/DAC if you were going high end audio, which is very expensive.

I don't know anything about Wifi adaptors, or bluetooth, so I can't comment, sorry.

Now, for the build;
I would get the faster RAM.
Grab a cheaper SeaSonic PSU (Corsair just rebrands their ♥♥♥♥ anyway)
And maybe grab a hard drive, if you're willing to.
(Ignoring the monitor, because of the questions above.)
Other than that, it looks pretty good.
Messaggio originale di Netsa:
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
Also, have you put any thought into the monitor you want?

Was getting input first. Pretty much sold on the 144 display.

Okay, taking in all the suggestions and including a monitor, how about this:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6BDNXP

The memory was a bit confusing since everyone seemed to pick a random brand on every suggestion.

Two more questions:
7. Do I need a sound card?
8. Any suggestions on wi-fi adapters? And do they cover bluetooth?

Go for 3600 CL16 RAM for optimal performance. 3200 CL14 can still do fine though for only 30$ more than that 3000 kit if you get Flare X.

You could also find a cheaper and better PSU from SeaSonic. Corsair's good models are just rebranded SeaSonics.
Ultima modifica da r.linder; 5 ago 2019, ore 17:30
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
Well, before you pick just 'any old monitor' I'm gonna ask, what do you want in a monitor?

Now, for the build;
I would get the faster RAM.
Grab a cheaper SeaSonic PSU (Corsair just rebrands their ♥♥♥♥ anyway)
And maybe grab a hard drive, if you're willing to.
(Ignoring the monitor, because of the questions above.)
Other than that, it looks pretty good.

I didn't pick any old monitor. I went with VA because it was cheaper than IPS but better quality than TN, 1080p because it's at a good price point, and 24" because a Google search said it was more comfortable for 1080p than 27". I have no idea if it has adaptive sync, though. I thought that was a software thing. :P

Is the better RAM worth it? I may need to shave some dollars, since I still need a network adapter and keyboard, so I don't want to add any expenses that aren't necessary. Looking it up, the difference in performance doesn't seem that drastic between 3000 and 3200.
Messaggio originale di Netsa:
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
Well, before you pick just 'any old monitor' I'm gonna ask, what do you want in a monitor?

Now, for the build;
I would get the faster RAM.
Grab a cheaper SeaSonic PSU (Corsair just rebrands their ♥♥♥♥ anyway)
And maybe grab a hard drive, if you're willing to.
(Ignoring the monitor, because of the questions above.)
Other than that, it looks pretty good.

I didn't pick any old monitor. I went with VA because it was cheaper than IPS but better quality than TN, 1080p because it's at a good price point, and 24" because a Google search said it was more comfortable for 1080p than 27". I have no idea if it has adaptive sync, though. I thought that was a software thing. :P

Is the better RAM worth it? I may need to shave some dollars, since I still need a network adapter and keyboard, so I don't want to add any expenses that aren't necessary. Looking it up, the difference in performance doesn't seem that drastic between 3000 and 3200.
You know about all the drawbacks to VA panels, and choose it over a TN/IPS?
If so, then you've made an informed choice, and I can't fault that.

It does have Freesync (Adaptive sync), from 48-144hz, meaning if your FPS drops below that, it will stutter and tear.
And Freesync is software based, and Gsync is hardware based. Gsync is better (And only works with Nvidia GPUs), but it comes at a price premium.

Yes, faster RAM is worth it, imo. Especially when (DDR4) RAM has never been cheaper.
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
You know about all the drawbacks to VA panels, and choose it over a TN/IPS?
If so, then you've made an informed choice, and I can't fault that.

It does have Freesync (Adaptive sync), from 48-144hz, meaning if your FPS drops below that, it will stutter and tear.
And Freesync is software based, and Gsync is hardware based. Gsync is better (And only works with Nvidia GPUs), but it comes at a price premium.

Yes, faster RAM is worth it, imo. Especially when (DDR4) RAM has never been cheaper.

Is ghosting independent of the response time? It's not exactly an easy choice between ghosting and bad viewing angles.
Messaggio originale di Netsa:
Messaggio originale di Autumn:
You know about all the drawbacks to VA panels, and choose it over a TN/IPS?
If so, then you've made an informed choice, and I can't fault that.

It does have Freesync (Adaptive sync), from 48-144hz, meaning if your FPS drops below that, it will stutter and tear.
And Freesync is software based, and Gsync is hardware based. Gsync is better (And only works with Nvidia GPUs), but it comes at a price premium.

Yes, faster RAM is worth it, imo. Especially when (DDR4) RAM has never been cheaper.

Is ghosting independent of the response time? It's not exactly an easy choice between ghosting and bad viewing angles.
No, response time is how long it takes for a pixel to change colour, longer means slow transition, and that's what ghosting is.
With response time, ignore what the manufacturer say, the '1ms' (GTG or MRPT) rating is just their fastest responding pixel time recorded, you want to look at the average.
And, you also what to make sure the average response time is faster than it takes for a new frame to be displayed, so for 144hz a frame is updated every 6.9ms, you'd want something that responds faster than that, other wise there could be some ghosting. So you're gonna want a <7ms average pixel response time.

And, viewing angles aren't going to be a problem with a decent TN panel, on my (somewhat high end) Dell S2417DG, I can get to about 85 degrees, and still see with decent colours and no warping or anything. And, you're not looking at your monitor at 45 degrees all the time are you? You're gonna look at it straight on, it won't be a problem if you do.
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Data di pubblicazione: 5 ago 2019, ore 14:30
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