PC Tech Bacon's "Help me build a PC" thread

[Bacon]

What the fuck should I even get?

Do I really need to make the switch to water cooling?

Are there modern CPUs that are fine with Air cooling?

Should I avoid intel because of whatever the fuck the issues are?

 

I do have a list of random parts. I don't have a GPU because I'm holding out for @stepee's 4090. Tho, I am considering getting a temporary 3070. It seems to be one of the cheapest upgrades I can make via eBay. I currently have a 1070. The case I picked is compatible with all 3 GPUs.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor	$330.70 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler	$36.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard	$152.97 @ Amazon
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory	$209.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	$169.00 @ B&H
Case	NZXT H9 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case	$158.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$159.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1218.54
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-07-30 12:48 EDT-0400

[AbsolutSurgen]

7 minutes ago, Bacon said:

What the fuck should I even get?

Lots of personal preference here.

 

7 minutes ago, Bacon said:

Do I really need to make the switch to water cooling?

I found that getting an AIO for the CPU was not materially different in cost from getting case fans (the cases I've purchased have had very few) and a CPU cooler.  I personally prefer the look of a computer with an AIO over a big air cooler.  That will, of course, depend on any sales that are going on when you buy.

7 minutes ago, Bacon said:

Are there modern CPUs that are fine with Air cooling?

Should I avoid intel because of whatever the fuck the issues are?

Water cooling will get you lower temps, in general.  IMHO, most of us don't need to worry about overclocking all that much with modern CPUs.  For most use cases, air should be fine.

You'll probably hear different advice from different folks on whether to avoid Intel.  My guess is it should be fine.

 

7 minutes ago, Bacon said:

I do have a list of random parts. I don't have a GPU because I'm holding out for @stepee's 4090. Tho, I am considering getting a temporary 3070. It seems to be one of the cheapest upgrades I can make via eBay. I currently have a 1070. The case I picked is compatible with all 3 GPUs.

 

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor	$383.54 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler	Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler	$36.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI PRO B650M-P Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard	$119.99 @ MSI
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory	$209.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	$169.00 @ B&H
Case	NZXT H9 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case	$158.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$159.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1238.40
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-07-30 10:29 EDT-0400

Why are you getting an mATX MB?  I would recommend getting a normal ATX sized one.  The one you selected only has 2 slots for m.2 drives.

[Bacon]

56 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

I found that getting an AIO for the CPU was not materially different in cost from getting case fans (the cases I've purchased have had very few) and a CPU cooler.  I personally prefer the look of a computer with an AIO over a big air cooler.  That will, of course, depend on any sales that are going on when you buy.

I really don't care about what the inside of my PC looks like as long as it runs well. I'm fine with the guts looking like a grungy city skyline.

 

56 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Water cooling will get you lower temps, in general.  IMHO, most of us don't need to worry about overclocking all that much with modern CPUs.  For most use cases, air should be fine.

You'll probably hear different advice from different folks on whether to avoid Intel.  My guess is it should be fine.

56 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Lots of personal preference here.

 

For these two quotes, I don't have a personal preference if it wasn't obvious. I mean, I am partial to intel and nividia simply because in my only two builds, that is what I had. For GPUs I've only ever owned EVGA, but that's not what stepee will give me and EVGA has left the market so I no longer have brand preference. Just want whatever's good. I'm mostly of the same mind when it comes to CPUs as well. Intel is just what I'm familiar with, but I'm really not "familiar" with it at all. I have never overclocked anything in my life. Everything is at stock with updated drivers. I currently have a budget of 1290 for everything that isn't a GPU. I'm am more than fine if an enthusiast comes in and makes a master class rig for me. My only real preference is that I like simplicity and Air Cooling is simple. I kinda just pop it in and it works. I've never meddled with water cooling and i'm not too interested. Too worried I'll fuck something up. I already have a hard time putting a PC together as it is with my clumsy hands that are also fat. If I had the money, I'd only ever buy prebuilt, including prebuilds with water cooling.

 

If possible, I'd like a PC that plays FFXIV at 1440p 144fps at max settings while in a city with over 100 players. Or as close to it. FFXIV is a CPU heavy game. I need a good one. Maybe not the best, but pretty good. The recent graphical update has really lowered my QoL. Talkin' sub 30fps in cities unless I lower the amount of characters and npcs. And even then I'm no longer hitting 60fps. I'd also like to be able to play something like CP2077, Dragon's Dogma 2, and Baldur's Gate 3, at 1440p 90-120 fps at max settings. Whenever the new Gears of War comes out  I'd like to play that at 1440p 60fps at high-max settings. I'd like to play at 1440p 90-120fps at max settings.

 

56 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Why are you getting an mATX MB?  I would recommend getting a normal ATX sized one.  The one you selected only has 2 slots for m.2 drives.

cuz I'm dumb, and didn't realize it was micro, i just picked one without wifi

no clue what kind of mobo to get

[Bacon]

I changed the mobo something else in the top post

 

And I'm not gonna buy these parts today or tomorrow so 1290 isn't just some forever limit. Like if someone comes in with a 1500 build that's fine. But now that I have the money to actually start looking at parts, I'd like to get a build ready.

[AbsolutSurgen]

4 minutes ago, Bacon said:

I really don't care about what the inside of my PC looks like as long as it runs well. I'm fine with the guts looking like a grungy city skyline.

 

 

For these two quotes, I don't have a personal preference if it wasn't obvious. I mean, I am partial to intel and nividia simply because in my only two builds, that is what I had. For GPUs I've only ever owned EVGA, but that's not what stepee will give me and EVGA has left the market so I no longer have brand preference. Just want whatever's good. I'm mostly of the same mind when it comes to CPUs as well. Intel is just what I'm familiar with, but I'm really not "familiar" with it at all. I have never overclocked anything in my life. Everything is at stock with updated drivers. I currently have a budget of 1290 for everything that isn't a GPU. I'm am more than fine if an enthusiast comes in and makes a master class rig for me. My only real preference is that I like simplicity and Air Cooling is simple. I kinda just pop it in and it works. I've never meddled with water cooling and i'm not too interested. Too worried I'll fuck something up. I already have a hard time putting a PC together as it is with my clumsy hands that are also fat. If I had the money, I'd only ever buy prebuilt, including prebuilds with water cooling.

 

If possible, I'd like a PC that plays FFXIV at 1440p 144fps at max settings while in a city with over 100 players. Or as close to it. FFXIV is a CPU heavy game. I need a good one. Maybe not the best, but pretty good. The recent graphical update has really lowered my QoL. Talkin' sub 30fps in cities unless I lower the amount of characters and npcs. And even then I'm no longer hitting 60fps. I'd also like to be able to play something like CP2077, Dragon's Dogma 2, and Baldur's Gate 3, at 1440p 90-120 fps at max settings. Whenever the new Gears of War comes out  I'd like to play that at 1440p 60fps at high-max settings. I'd like to play at 1440p 90-120fps at max settings.

 

cuz I'm dumb, and didn't realize it was micro, i just picked one without wifi

IMHO, an AIO is relatively easy to install (I've done 2 in the last 18 months).  A 240 non-RGB one is actually pretty cheap in my experience.

 

My understanding is that Intel is better for FFXIV. YMMV.

 

[Bacon]

24 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

IMHO, an AIO is relatively easy to install (I've done 2 in the last 18 months).  A 240 non-RGB one is actually pretty cheap in my experience.

 

My understanding is that Intel is better for FFXIV. YMMV.

 

Based off that video, for games like BG3, CP2077, and FFXIV, it would seem like Intel Core i7-13700K or the Intel Core i7-14700K are what I am looking for based on the average FPS without going top of the line. AMD seems to be much better for CP2077 but I'm not actually interested in re-playing it, just want a PC that could run it well. I think the 13700k is maybe what I should be going for.

[Bacon]

Changed the top post again to reflect my changes. Still haven't changed to AIO, but maybe I should.

 

[AbsolutSurgen]

Do you have a Microcenter near you?

[Bacon]

2 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Do you have a Microcenter near you?

I live in WV, so no.

[Spork3245]

Do you need it ASAP? New CPU generations are dropping in the fall for both AMD and Intel. Plus, Intel is kinda broken at the moment (a fix is coming in a couple weeks). Current Intel socket is done and 15th gen starts a new socket type, this means by waiting you'd be able to upgrade your CPU down the road without a new motherboard if there's a big jump with 17th gen (if you prefer Intel over AMD).

 

[Bacon]

3 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

Do you need it ASAP? New CPU generations are dropping in the fall for both AMD and Intel. Plus, Intel is kinda broken at the moment (a fix is coming in a couple weeks). Current Intel socket is done and 16th gen starts a new socket type, this means by waiting you'd be able to upgrade your CPU down the road if there's a big jump with 17th gen (if you prefer Intel over AMD).

I don't need it asap, but I also won't be able to afford the best of the best.

 

Like, I built my current PC in 2016 with money that I got from my grandma dying. Zero upgrades.

[Spork3245]

2 minutes ago, Bacon said:

I don't need it asap, but I also won't be able to afford the best of the best.

 

Like, I built my current PC in 2016 with money that I got from my grandma dying.

 

I get that, but I expect price drops on AMD 7xxx series AM5 CPUs when the 9xxx series drops, so you'd probably be able to get a 7800x3D for closer to $300. For Intel, I'd also expect a 15600k to outperform a 13700k (but that's a "who knows?" thing  )

[Bacon]

Yeah, I'm def getting intel since it's best for FFXIV. I don't mind waiting, but I won't wait too long. Like assuming the 5000 series doesn't come out this year, I won't be waiting that long to start getting parts. It sucks cock to have performance issues in my main game. I will wait for a while, but not half a year+.

[Spork3245]

1 hour ago, Bacon said:

Yeah, I'm def getting intel since it's best for FFXIV. I don't mind waiting, but I won't wait too long. Like assuming the 5000 series doesn't come out this year, I won't be waiting that long to start getting parts. It sucks cock to have performance issues in my main game. I will wait for a while, but not half a year+.

October/November is the expected release for the new CPUs.

 

It seems like the 13xxx+ Intel CPUs were better for FFXIV than the initial 7xxx AMD CPUs, but the x3Ds may be better due to the 3D cache: 

 

[Bacon]

5 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

October/November is the expected release for the new CPUs.

I don't mind waiting that long. I think the longest I'll wait will be around my birthday in december.

[Spork3245]

14 hours ago, Bacon said:

I don't mind waiting that long. I think the longest I'll wait will be around my birthday in december.

Yea, I just think that’s the best idea. I’m not typically one of those “wait for the next releases!” people because that can be a stupid “always waiting” game, but when it’s expected within 3-4 months (and is a new socket type like Intel) it’s hard to recommend not waiting unless you’re in a hurry and cannot wait due to current hardware or what have you. Even if the new CPU gens are out of reach, the 13th/14th gen Intels + 7000-series Ryzens will have fire sales (as well as the generation of motherboard for each).

[cusideabelincoln]

It's best to not only wait for the new CPUs coming out - AMD in 1-2 weeks and Intel in 2-3 months - but also to see what the real issue is with Intel processors are. They are going to release a "fix" for it in a few weeks which might make them slower, but we won't know if the "fix" works until it's tested by third parties.

[Bacon]

22 hours ago, cusideabelincoln said:

It's best to not only wait for the new CPUs coming out - AMD in 1-2 weeks and Intel in 2-3 months - but also to see what the real issue is with Intel processors are. They are going to release a "fix" for it in a few weeks which might make them slower, but we won't know if the "fix" works until it's tested by third parties.

Yeah. I waiting now for sure.