PC Sherdog PC Build/Buy Thread, v6: My Power Supply Burned Down My House

[Madmick]

You might want to spring quickly to capitalize on that R5-1600 ($130) sale. I doubt you will see a lower price on a CPU offering that class of performance.

You could save money on buying only 1x8GB of RAM now, but the problem is the price per GB floor tends to be much lower for a pair of sticks. Right now the rate for a pair is $6.25/GB (Team Vulcan DDR4-3000 CAS16) vs. $7.75/GB for a lone stick (G. Skill Aegis DDR4-3000 CAS16). That results in a $24 premium on 16GB RAM buying individually. Just something to bear in mind.


I just noticed this sale on Slickdeals for a pre-build. I doubt you will be able to beat this value building. I would strongly recommend considering this if you can swing it. It will need a WiFi Adapter. I'd replace the RAM with a pair of DDR4-3000 sticks, or just add another 1x8GB stick of DDR-2400 RAM later. Also add an HDD for additional storage down the road (or score the 2TB Seagate Constellation sale ASAP; you won't beat $40 for 2TB of 7200RPM storage):
https://slickdeals.net/f/12233158-s...aming-pc-for-899-99-walmart-com?src=catpagev2
https://www.walmart.com/ip/SkyTech-...30246018430581915961&affillinktype=10&veh=aff

• R5-2600
• GTX 1070 Ti
• 8GB DDR4-2400
• 500GB SSD
• 650W PSU
• Thermaltake Versa N21 Snow Window Mid-tower Case
• Windows 10 Home

Spoiler: Motherboard Ports

• Front
  • 1x USB 3.0
  • 2x USB 2.0
  • 1x HD Audio
• Rear
  • 2x PS/2
  • 2x USB 2.0
  • 4x USB 3.0
  • 1x Gigabit Ethernet
  • 3x Audio Jacks
  • 1x DVI-D
  • 1x HDMI
  • 1x DisplayPort

$899

*Edit*
Upon closer inspection it looks like we can come pretty close, and even beat it if we select the R5-1600 deal + Rosewill Challenger case instead, so it's still a fantastic value:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/T9CcFt

 

[JaviBrewski]

I'm planning on building a budget PC. I've already decided on the CPU (Ryzen 5 2600) I'm just torn if I should get a b450 Mobo or a x470.

 

[ironkhan57]

Ok I'll buy them this week.

 

[reveler]

how about this

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16883102456

or this

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16883102500

these seem comparable to the black friday deal you posted.

@Madmick

i pulled the trigger on this @$1199; had an additional $50 off coupon that newegg sent me that would have expired. should be good, will let everyone know how it turns out. looks like the only real complaint is the stock cooling (1x120mm fan included), which should be easily modded if necessary.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16883102456

 

[Madmick]

@ironkhan57
Here is another option from Microcenter that just popped up-- I believe we have a winner. Jump on this. It even has WiFi capability already, too:
https://slickdeals.net/f/12212242-p...ne-1tb-hdd-in-store-only-799-99?src=catpagev2

• i5-8400
• MSI B360-A Pro ATX Motherboard
  
• NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5
• 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM
• 250GB SSD + 1TB HDD
• 16GB Intel Optane Memory
• DVD-RW Drive
• 600W PSU
• 802.11ac Wireless + Bluetooth 4.2
  
• Powerspec Black ATX Tower Case
• Microsoft Windows 10 Home
• Keyboard + Mouse included

$799

Best I could do building was $924 (after $60 in rebates are collected):
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/r9R9Bb
Substituting the [R5-1600 + Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming 3] for the [i5-8400 + MSI B360-Pro] shaves $89 off the cost (for a total of $835)

I'm planning on building a budget PC. I've already decided on the CPU (Ryzen 5 2600) I'm just torn if I should get a b450 Mobo or a x470.

If you're building on a budget the B450 motherboards are targeted at you. The MSI B450-A PRO motherboard we've been discussing is a very attractive option for a regular sized ATX build. The ASRock B450M Pro4 is great for a Micro ATX build.

i pulled the trigger on this @$1199; had an additional $50 off coupon that newegg sent me that would have expired. should be good, will let everyone know how it turns out. looks like the only real complaint is the stock cooling (1x120mm fan included), which should be easily modded if necessary.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16883102456

For $1149 that is a solid value. I'm a bit more wary of ABS's brand reputation, but a build is a build. It's a pretty basic concept, and the hardware value is strong.


*Edit*
I should also probably flag this sale:
($170) ASUS Radeon RX 580 O4G Dual-fan OC Edition GDDR5 DP HDMI DVI VR Ready AMD Graphics Card (DUAL-RX580-O4G)

 

[reveler]

@ironkhan57

*Edit*
I should also probably flag this sale:
($170) ASUS Radeon RX 580 O4G Dual-fan OC Edition GDDR5 DP HDMI DVI VR Ready AMD Graphics Card (DUAL-RX580-O4G)

great comments on that item

"
Cons: yes the cooler is complete garbage!

Other Thoughts: I never use stock coolers=get serious they all are garbage!
Use better cooling system remove the stupid cover off you case!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you cannot heat an oven with the friggen door OPEN! no idea why Newbes buy 8 fans = just stupid!"

i tend to agree; ive always taken the side panel off every computer ive ever owned. blow the dust out with canned air, move on.

anyone else?

 

[jefferz]

great comments on that item

"
Cons: yes the cooler is complete garbage!

Other Thoughts: I never use stock coolers=get serious they all are garbage!
Use better cooling system remove the stupid cover off you case!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you cannot heat an oven with the friggen door OPEN! no idea why Newbes buy 8 fans = just stupid!"

i tend to agree; ive always taken the side panel off every computer ive ever owned. blow the dust out with canned air, move on.

anyone else?

You can use the stock cooler that comes with AMD processors if they come with the Wraith Max, Wraith Prism, or Wraith Spire.
The Wraith Prism and Max are darn near equal to a cooler master Hyper 212.
The Spire is more than enough on first generation Ryzen. I never went over 82 degrees with the Spire on a Ryzen 7 1700 3.9ghz 1.3v. With the Wraith Prism on the same chip I don’t go over 73 degrees.

 

[Madmick]

Microcenter is getting aggressive with the sales. The R7-1700X is up now for $149:
https://www.microcenter.com/product/485473/ryzen-7-1700x-34-ghz-8-core-am4-boxed-processor

Spoiler: $840 Core Hardware Build

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TBZ3Bb

• R7-1700X
• Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming 3 ATX Motherboard
• GTX 1070 Ti 8GB (MSI Duke)
• 16GB DDR4-3000 MHZ RAM (Team Vulcan)
• 500GB Samsung 860 EVO
• 2TB Seagate Constellation 7200RPM
• Corsair CX750M V2
• Rosewill Challenger
  $842 (after $65 in rebates)

 

[jefferz]

Microcenter is getting aggressive with the sales. The R7-1700X is up now for $149:
https://www.microcenter.com/product/485473/ryzen-7-1700x-34-ghz-8-core-am4-boxed-processor

Spoiler: $840 Core Hardware Build

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TBZ3Bb

• R7-1700X
• Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming 3 ATX Motherboard
• GTX 1070 Ti 8GB (MSI Duke)
• 16GB DDR4-3000 MHZ RAM (Team Vulcan)
• 500GB Samsung 860 EVO
• 2TB Seagate Constellation 7200RPM
• Corsair CX750M V2
• Rosewill Challenger
  $842 (after $65 in rebates)

1700x doesn't come with a cooler. Deepcool Gammax 400 is on sale for $17 and performs as well as a hyper 212

Newegg daily sale is a Ryzen 5 1600 & a GIGABYTE GA-AX370-Gaming mobo for $200 no rebates and doesn't require living near a Microcenter.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.3877120

 

[Madmick]

He's about 20 miles from that Paterson Microcenter, but the R5-1600 + X370 ATX MoBo combo is going to be tough to beat.

I think that Corsair PSU sale runs until the end of the day.

Meanwhile, there's a 25% off sale sitewide (up to $25 off) on eBay-- ONLY VALID FOR NOVEMBER 12TH & 13TH-- for using a credit card or Apple Pay. This is a really flexible sale which is great because you can apply it to whatever component isn't already a sale, and eBay offer competitive values for every component across top-rated sellers:


BRAND NEW, RX 580 8GB (price after the above discount shown)

Untracked Top-Rated eBay Sellers​

• ($165) PowerColor Red Dragon Radeon™ RX 580 8GB Gaming Graphics Card
• ($175) MSI Radeon ARMOR RX 580 DirectX 12 OC 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI-E x16 Video Card
  [sold by la.tronics = 100% with 22,145 sales]

UserBenchmark Tracked eBay Sellers​

• ($195) Gigabyte Radeon RX 580 Gaming 8GB Graphic Cards GV-RX580GAMING-8GD
  [sold by tradingpost01]
• ($200) MSI Radeon RX 580 DirectX 12 RX 580 ARMOR 8G OC 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express x1
  [sold by Newegg]

$669 Build Total after the 802.11ac 600Mpbs WiFi Adapter is added (though technically $689 before the PSU rebate is collected):
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fF3DKB
*Note this doesn't include Windows 10 Home yet in case you wanted to consider alternative avenues like Kingguin + Kingguin Buyer's Protection ($33.34 total), or something similar to shave more off the cost since the $99 retail makes it almost as much as the PowerSpec prebuilt.
*This also doesn't include a keyboard + mouse or DVD-RW drive because those might not be necessary. You can still nerf the SSD to 256GB to shave cost, but I think this $68 Google Express sale on the Samsung 860 EVO 500GB is easily the best value on the market if you are eligible.

@ironkhan57
You have two dynamite options, here, between this build and the $799 Powerspec prebuild in post #2045 above.

 

[JaviBrewski]

What's your thoughts on replacing the cooler that comes with the r5 2600 with the one that comes with the 2600x? The cooler is going on eBay for an affordable price and am considering it. Or is it a bit overkill?

 

[Madmick]

What's your thoughts on replacing the cooler that comes with the r5 2600 with the one that comes with the 2600x? The cooler is going on eBay for an affordable price and am considering it. Or is it a bit overkill?

It isn't overkill, but it probably isn't the cooler you want if you're buying an aftermarket cooler. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO outperforms the Wraith Max cooler by a tiny bit, and only costs $25 right now:
http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/amd/wraith-max-and-wraith-spire-cooler/2

Deepcool Gammaxx 400 is another option for even cheaper that roughly matches the EVO 212. If you are seeing a price below $20 the Wraith Max is probably worth it over these other options. It is quieter than the EVO 212 in that test.

 

[jefferz]

I don't know where this should go, so *shrug*
NZXT has a beta version of their Cam software. They added a lot more monitoring and the specs tab tells you the model numbers of the parts you have.

 

[90 50]

I don't know where this should go, so *shrug*
NZXT has a beta version of their Cam software. They added a lot more monitoring and the specs tab tells you the model numbers of the parts you have.

I normally run cam, haven’t ran it in like two weeks I think.

Need to load it up and check the update.

 

[90 50]

Microcenter is getting aggressive with the sales. The R7-1700X is up now for $149:
https://www.microcenter.com/product/485473/ryzen-7-1700x-34-ghz-8-core-am4-boxed-processor

Spoiler: $840 Core Hardware Build

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TBZ3Bb

• R7-1700X
• Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming 3 ATX Motherboard
• GTX 1070 Ti 8GB (MSI Duke)
• 16GB DDR4-3000 MHZ RAM (Team Vulcan)
• 500GB Samsung 860 EVO
• 2TB Seagate Constellation 7200RPM
• Corsair CX750M V2
• Rosewill Challenger
  $842 (after $65 in rebates)

I need to get a new cpu but the drops in price keep having me changing my mind and waiting. Was about to get an r51600, then a 2600 and now the 1700x prices are making me think r7 again.

Really not in too much of a hurry, but want to upgrade before doom eternal comes out

And waiting on new amd gpu also since historically doom seems to run better on amd gpu’s.

My current system is still hanging in there but it’s not as fast as I would like.
R3 1200/970 gtx
16gb 3200
Etc

 

[reveler]

@ironkhan57


For $1149 that is a solid value. I'm a bit more wary of ABS's brand reputation, but a build is a build. It's a pretty basic concept, and the hardware value is strong.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16883102456

just arrived and might be DOA.

LEDs and fans turn on but it doesn't boot, seemingly no signal to monitor (blank screen). I have my old monitor plugged into the 15-pin VGA port, not the DVI I port which is on the card, not sure that is the issue. I don't currently have a DVI I adaptor.

I tried mashing some keys to see if I could get a beep, but nothing.

any easy fixes to check off before submitting to customer service?

edit: nevermind, it was the monitor. i found an old dvi hdmi plug and its working now.

 

[NoSmilez]

I am pretty retarded when it comes to computers. Anyone here knows about monitors? I am currently using a LCD TV for my screen and I believe I deserve more clarity....

 

[reveler]

any have advice on moving files from old PC to new PC? just connecting them with a cat 5 and expecting both computers to talk to each other is apparently too much to ask.

 

[90 50]

I am pretty retarded when it comes to computers. Anyone here knows about monitors? I am currently using a LCD TV for my screen and I believe I deserve more clarity....

I just looked at a bunch and looked for good deals on them

First things first is determining what you need.

Resolution , speed (hrz )
There’s a few different display types for color options etc etc

I got a good deal on a couple 27” MsI curved 1080p 144hz monitors and have been very happy with them. I do however wish i had spent a little extra and got one of them 1440p.

I wanted a high refresh rate and 144hrz was fast enough for me.
Can’t go 4K at high refresh rate like that at the time(or if you could it wouldn’t have been anywhere near my budget)

After rebate they were 200.00, on sale and with an msi rebate at microcenter.

Each not both.

 

[Madmick]

I need to get a new cpu but the drops in price keep having me changing my mind and waiting. Was about to get an r51600, then a 2600 and now the 1700x prices are making me think r7 again.

Really not in too much of a hurry, but want to upgrade before doom eternal comes out

And waiting on new amd gpu also since historically doom seems to run better on amd gpu’s.

My current system is still hanging in there but it’s not as fast as I would like.
R3 1200/970 gtx
16gb 3200
Etc

You're at 1080p, right?
https://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=35637&game=Doom Eternal
Looks to me like you're okay.

The RX 590's are already out and on sale, but your GPU is fine at 1080p, and that wouldn't be much of an upgrade:
https://www.newegg.com/Video-Card/EventSaleStore/ID-452?

If you do buy, I don't think the right move is to wait past Black Friday, and probably not even until then. The PC component sales posted so far are a joke-- just garbage. On the other hand, sales from the past few weeks have been freaking exceptional. We didn't get anything like this last November. The two options we forwarded to IronKhan (the build blueprint and the PowerSpec prebuild) are ungodly. Haven't been able to assemble a blueprint system like that for a price that low, ever, and easily the best values we've seen in two years-- probably since the late summer of 2016. IIRC, prices that holiday season weren't great, and then the cryptosurge ballooned just before Ryzen was released in Feb-2017; kept GPU prices ridiculous since then. Before Ryzen you simply didn't see that kind of CPU value because of the core-shift. SSD prices plummeted, but Case and PSU prices have been inflated, and RAM prices have been godawful due to the global shortage.

Everything seems to have collapsed in price, here, at the beginning of November. Perfect storm. Unfortunately, that eBay sale on the R7-1700X for $150 (without the CPU cooler) just lapsed earlier today. Fortunately, Platinum Micro is still selling it through eBay for $170 (and this seller has a better reputation than Newegg, anyway). Doubt you will see a price much better than this for the rest of the year:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/312266834512

Best options for a CPU cooler right now are either the aforementioned Deepcool GAMMAX 400 ($17 after the $10 rebate from OutletPC) or the Hyper 212 LED ($25 from either Newegg Business or Amazon; this is just the Hyper 212 EVO with an LED fan).

any have advice on moving files from old PC to new PC? just connecting them with a cat 5 and expecting both computers to talk to each other is apparently too much to ask.

You can't connect them directly with a Cat5. Use the router to mediate. If you can hook both of them into a router using ethernet you're golden. Just set up a Home Network (Google will teach you the steps), and once you do, it's a drag-n-drop copy operation. It will transfer the files from the old PC to the new PC over the LAN. It copies at SATA speeds. It will transfer the entire PC's contents in a matter of hours, or overnight if it's really big.