AdviceInput on First PC Build
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AdviceInput on First PC BuildPosted:

rfranda
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Hi all,

I would love any feedback you have on [Minimum post requirement for links] ! This is my first time building a PC. I'll mostly be using it for work and Starcraft 2, but also for some more casual games like Civ, Minecraft, and GMOD. My budget is definitely flexible, but I'm not looking for anything too fancy.

Some specific questions I have are:

  • Would it make a big difference to go with 2x16 instead of 2x8 RAM?
  • I was planning on sticking with the 500GB SSD and adding some HDD later if I need more storage - would you recommend just going with a larger SSD from the get-go?
  • Any other thoughts on my components?


I'm very new to all of this so any help is appreciated! Thanks!!
#2. Posted:
21
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rfranda wrote Would it make a big difference to go with 2x16 instead of 2x8 RAM?

Yes. It's a pretty considerable difference going from 16GB to 32GB of RAM. 16GB is the minimum I would put in a system these days, and I'd be personally aiming for 32GB. That said, 16GB is still perfectly sufficient for the vast majority of users, and it's easy enough to upgrade later.

rfranda wrote I was planning on sticking with the 500GB SSD and adding some HDD later if I need more storage - would you recommend just going with a larger SSD from the get-go?

Yes. That's what I'd do. I'd be going with a 1TB SSD, most likely NVMe at this point. Especially when you're paying $75 for a 500GB SSD anyway- you can easily find a decent 1TB NVMe SSD for $100-110.

rfranda wrote Any other thoughts on my components?

I'd change the case to something with better airflow tbh. Phanteks P400A, P500A, Cooler Master TD500 or NR600, Fractal Meshify C(bit over-priced now though), Lian-Li PC-O11 Dynamic(need to buy case fans separately) are all good options. P400A or P500A would be my personal choice.
If you really like the look of the NZXT H510 and/or just really want that case, it'll be fine, but I wouldn't recommend it these days.

Don't pay $100+ for your OS. Then take that $100+ you save on the OS, and put it towards a nice 1440p144Hz monitor instead of paying $220 for a 1080p monitor in 2020. Something like this would be nice;
bhphotovideo.com/c/product/150152...144hz.html
and the RX 5700XT is perfectly capable of driving a 1440p144Hz monitor anyway.

Other than case+monitor, that system looks pretty solid to me though. Only other thing I'd maybe personally change is motherboard to one of these;
pcpartpicker.com/product/TR848d/a...-b550-plus
pcpartpicker.com/product/whMTwP/a...-x570-plus
but only because I prefer Asus' BIOS to MSI. The B450 Tomahawk is a great board for the price, and if you'd rather save the $20-40, it'll do absolutely fine.
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Arlaya
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Don't pay $100+ for your OS. Then take that $100+ you save on the OS, and put it towards a nice 1440p144Hz monitor instead of paying $220 for a 1080p monitor in 2020. Something like this would be nice;


How do you not pay $100 for the o/s? Or do you mean only look for where it is priced under $100? Or did i miss my coffee and read that entirely wrong, lol.
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Tasty
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Arlaya wrote
Don't pay $100+ for your OS. Then take that $100+ you save on the OS, and put it towards a nice 1440p144Hz monitor instead of paying $220 for a 1080p monitor in 2020. Something like this would be nice;


How do you not pay $100 for the o/s? Or do you mean only look for where it is priced under $100? Or did i miss my coffee and read that entirely wrong, lol.

21 could answer this better than I could lol. But basically, you can get windows activation keys for super cheap. Or you could even chose to hold off on activating windows. Your PC would be fully functional, there would just be a watermark in the corner.
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Adam
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Arlaya wrote
How do you not pay $100 for the o/s? Or do you mean only look for where it is priced under $100? Or did i miss my coffee and read that entirely wrong, lol.


You can purchase a Windows 10 licence from Ebay for as little as £10£/$ but know that you're not getting it from a legitimate source. Keep an eye out for OEM keys which are a 1 time use key for builders who may ship their PC's out. As soon as you re install Windows, you'll need to input a new key whereas a cheap 10£/$ key will be from a Volume licence which is against the licensing terms of Microsoft.
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