Hi all-
Thanks in advance for any help.
I initially posted looking for recs for a pre-built computer, and a very helpful moderator introduced me to pcpartpicker.com, which helped make the process of component selection a little less overwhelming, so I thought I might shift to recruiting a local shop to help me assemble a custom config. This is copied with edits from the other forum:
I'm looking to assemble a machine that is likely to last a long while (my previous build lasted 10+ years, albeit it started showing its age!) for both work and play.
For gaming, my favorite games are generally fairly processor/memory-intensive strategy games (Civilization, Europa Universalis, those sorts of games) and some graphically intensive RPGs/action games. I do play shooters occasionally, but not competitively. I play a lot of console games, so often the most graphically intense games wind up being console-bound. Being able to set the graphics on the highest settings is fun, and all things being equal I'd like to be able to do that, but not absolutely mandatory and I don't want to be gouged for the absolute best graphics card. I'm comfortable buying a new card a few years down the road if necessary. Hey, maybe prices will even be less ridiculous.
For work, I mostly do a lot of word processing, Excel spreadsheets, and video streaming. Can be processor/memory intensive. My hope is to include a high-end, large display and webcam that are good for both uses. Could be included or bought separately, though.
I haven't generally used it for streaming other media, although it's possible that could change.
I prefer Windows for my desktop. I would like the computer to be relatively easily upgradeable in the future. Ideally there would be some extra bays for the old drives from my defunct desktop.
I'd prefer for budget to be around $2000 or under for the tower, but I'm OK going above, capping at around $3000 for everything, monitor included. If someone told me the builds on pcpartpicker were generally pretty good, Ii'd probably just go with this one https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/v9dnTW/enthusiast-intel-gamingstreaming-build.
That said, I took a stab at picking components based primarily on online reviews.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($374.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($109.95 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste ($6.45 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($239.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB PULSE Video Card ($983.09 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H510 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Corsair SF 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($173.91 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($22.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM 64-bit ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar SE 24-bit 192 kHz Sound Card ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC88 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCIe x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Case Fan: Corsair LL120 43.25 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($95.99 @ Best Buy)
Monitor: Gigabyte G27F 27.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($299.99 @ B&H)
Webcam: Logitech C920s HD Pro Webcam ($59.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $3014.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-10 13:54 EDT-0400
It's pricier than I want to pay, really, so I'm considering scaling back on the GPU to a $500-$600 card, and looking for anywhere else I can get better bang for my buck.
It looks like the case can't support a full-size optical drive - which I don't use often but seems like might occasionally be necessary, so that might need to change.
I'd like for the computer to run quietly - fan noise tends to bother me a lot.
I appreciate any help and tips. Thank you!
Thanks in advance for any help.
I initially posted looking for recs for a pre-built computer, and a very helpful moderator introduced me to pcpartpicker.com, which helped make the process of component selection a little less overwhelming, so I thought I might shift to recruiting a local shop to help me assemble a custom config. This is copied with edits from the other forum:
I'm looking to assemble a machine that is likely to last a long while (my previous build lasted 10+ years, albeit it started showing its age!) for both work and play.
For gaming, my favorite games are generally fairly processor/memory-intensive strategy games (Civilization, Europa Universalis, those sorts of games) and some graphically intensive RPGs/action games. I do play shooters occasionally, but not competitively. I play a lot of console games, so often the most graphically intense games wind up being console-bound. Being able to set the graphics on the highest settings is fun, and all things being equal I'd like to be able to do that, but not absolutely mandatory and I don't want to be gouged for the absolute best graphics card. I'm comfortable buying a new card a few years down the road if necessary. Hey, maybe prices will even be less ridiculous.
For work, I mostly do a lot of word processing, Excel spreadsheets, and video streaming. Can be processor/memory intensive. My hope is to include a high-end, large display and webcam that are good for both uses. Could be included or bought separately, though.
I haven't generally used it for streaming other media, although it's possible that could change.
I prefer Windows for my desktop. I would like the computer to be relatively easily upgradeable in the future. Ideally there would be some extra bays for the old drives from my defunct desktop.
I'd prefer for budget to be around $2000 or under for the tower, but I'm OK going above, capping at around $3000 for everything, monitor included. If someone told me the builds on pcpartpicker were generally pretty good, Ii'd probably just go with this one https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/v9dnTW/enthusiast-intel-gamingstreaming-build.
That said, I took a stab at picking components based primarily on online reviews.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($374.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($109.95 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste ($6.45 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($239.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB PULSE Video Card ($983.09 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H510 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Corsair SF 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($173.91 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($22.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM 64-bit ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar SE 24-bit 192 kHz Sound Card ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC88 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCIe x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Case Fan: Corsair LL120 43.25 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($95.99 @ Best Buy)
Monitor: Gigabyte G27F 27.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($299.99 @ B&H)
Webcam: Logitech C920s HD Pro Webcam ($59.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $3014.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-10 13:54 EDT-0400
It's pricier than I want to pay, really, so I'm considering scaling back on the GPU to a $500-$600 card, and looking for anywhere else I can get better bang for my buck.
It looks like the case can't support a full-size optical drive - which I don't use often but seems like might occasionally be necessary, so that might need to change.
I'd like for the computer to run quietly - fan noise tends to bother me a lot.
I appreciate any help and tips. Thank you!