New PC builder here, need help.

[Unic0rn]

is the focus plus series from seasonic ok?
i have been using their 750watt 80+ gold psu since 2018

 

[easyxiaobin]

is the focus plus series from seasonic ok?
i have been using their 750watt 80+ gold psu since 2018

Never heard any issue though im not the user, but some of my friends do own seasonic focus plus. Wat is your concerns?

 

[zleipnir]

I recommended my friend the below mid range gaming rig. For your reference. I base the price off PC Themes pricelist last week. Might not be accurate now.

CPU - Ryzen 5600X + Mobo - MSI B550 Gaming Edge Wifi - S$758
GPU - ZOTAC RTX 3070 8GB TWIN EDGE OC - S$829
Ram - G.Skill Flare X 3200MHz CL 16, 16GB - S$112
Boot Drive 1 - Samsung (NVME M.2) 970 EVO Plus 500GB - S$159
BackUp Drive - Crucial MX/BX500 1TB - S$173
PSU - CM Masterwatt 650W 80+ Bronze S/M - S$100
Case - CM E500L - S$69
OS - Windows Home - S$145

Hi, I'm new to PC building, and I'm kinda clueless on what to do here.
I have the basic specs of the PC that I want, but I don't know how to hone in on a specific part and where to get them.
Currently this is my list:

Ryzen 5 5600X
RTX 3070
16GB ram
500GB SSD
2TB HDD

anything else such as the motherboard and PSU I don't mind. The specifics for those parts (like RAM clock speed etc.) I don't have planned out either.
I have currently checked the pricelists for the 10 shops in Sim Lim that sell PC parts, but I have no idea which ones to take.
Also, yes I am aware of the AMD CPU and NVIDIA 3000 Part shortage. I want to have a solid plan on what parts I need so I can head down and get them as soon as they are in stock.
My budget is quite low at 2k, and I don't care about RGB lighting/looks, so I tend to cut corners with the PC case.
I have asked around on the web, but most of the advice doesn't really work here as the prices/supply is completely different, so I'm gonna try asking here.

If anyone can give me pointers on what to do, that would be great.
Currently I'm considering 3 options: building the PC myself, going to a company to do it for me (aftershock) or getting a 3rd party to build it (commissioning someone on carousell, etc.)

 

[Unic0rn]

worry whether next time has bandwidth to support an upgrade in graphics card

Never heard any issue though im not the user, but some of my friends do own seasonic focus plus. Wat is your concerns?

 

[FreSch]

I recommended my friend the below mid range gaming rig. For your reference. I base the price off PC Themes pricelist last week. Might not be accurate now.

CPU - Ryzen 5600X + Mobo - MSI B550 Gaming Edge Wifi - S$758
GPU - ZOTAC RTX 3070 8GB TWIN EDGE OC - S$829
Ram - G.Skill Flare X 3200MHz CL 16, 16GB - S$112
Boot Drive 1 - Samsung (NVME M.2) 970 EVO Plus 500GB - S$159
BackUp Drive - Crucial MX/BX500 1TB - S$173
PSU - CM Masterwatt 650W 80+ Bronze S/M - S$100
Case - CM E500L - S$69
OS - Windows Home - S$145

This looks like a great build, i think I could use this as a starting point and reference this, thanks so much!

 

[NightRaven49]

I recommended my friend the below mid range gaming rig. For your reference. I base the price off PC Themes pricelist last week. Might not be accurate now.

CPU - Ryzen 5600X + Mobo - MSI B550 Gaming Edge Wifi - S$758
GPU - ZOTAC RTX 3070 8GB TWIN EDGE OC - S$829
Ram - G.Skill Flare X 3200MHz CL 16, 16GB - S$112
Boot Drive 1 - Samsung (NVME M.2) 970 EVO Plus 500GB - S$159
BackUp Drive - Crucial MX/BX500 1TB - S$173
PSU - CM Masterwatt 650W 80+ Bronze S/M - S$100
Case - CM E500L - S$69
OS - Windows Home - S$145

the horse has probably been beaten to death at this point but @ts u can save a lot on the ssds and ram if u get them from amazon. the 970 evo 500gb is under $90, the mx500 1tb is $130 and u can get an equally good kit of 2x8gb crucial ballistix 3200mhz ram for $95, all with shipping included. i would also suggest just running inactivated windows, personal license is way too pricey for what its worth, otherwise u can get keys for way cheaper elsewhere. with the money saved u could look to upgrading ur psu to a seasonic/superflower unit.

one more thing i suggest u look at is getting b450 boards. most brands that local distros bring in like msi, asrock, asus, gigabyte etc already have support for vermeer on their b450 lineup. so i think it is now viable to get a b450 board, flash the latest bios and drop the 5600x inside. by going this route, u can save quite a fair bit by going for b450 vs b550, and if u are comfortable with it, u can obtain a 5600x for about $430 off taobao (with international warranty) and save even more. as far as i understand local sls shops dont offer any b450 + zen 3 combos as yet, but u must also choose boards that have a bios flashback button.

 

[clay9477]

Yes, that's what I was asking for here. I'm not in that big a hurry, so I wanted to know how I could pick out the best parts before going to buy them.

Think the issue with new builders is that many are just jumping in on the hype of the Ryzen trend or PC building trend.

Before even going the DIY route, one should be answering a few questions first.

1) How tech savvy are you at troubleshooting? DIY means you have to handle the drivers yourself, meaning overseeing updates instead of relying on auto updates as there are instances when auto updates deliver unstable updates. Windows auto driver updates are not always a good call. How frustrated will you be with troubleshooting if such instance occurs?

If any part of the PC break down, are you able to diagnose it? Are you willing to pay to service it if you can't resolve it on your own?

2) How ready are you in to commit in the maintenance of the PC? Dust builds up over time, fan performance is affected, might have to clean the PC 2 years from the day you build, will you clean it?

3) There is no tech support for any issues with your PC, all answers have to be sourced on your own, visiting forums, googling etc. Can you deal with it?

In general if you can handle 1 & 3, you should be fine with DIY route. 2 is just an extra deal

 

[FreSch]

the horse has probably been beaten to death at this point but @ts u can save a lot on the ssds and ram if u get them from amazon. the 970 evo 500gb is under $90, the mx500 1tb is $130 and u can get an equally good kit of 2x8gb crucial ballistix 3200mhz ram for $95, all with shipping included. i would also suggest just running inactivated windows, personal license is way too pricey for what its worth, otherwise u can get keys for way cheaper elsewhere. with the money saved u could look to upgrading ur psu to a seasonic/superflower unit.

one more thing i suggest u look at is getting b450 boards. most brands that local distros bring in like msi, asrock, asus, gigabyte etc already have support for vermeer on their b450 lineup. so i think it is now viable to get a b450 board, flash the latest bios and drop the 5600x inside. by going this route, u can save quite a fair bit by going for b450 vs b550, and if u are comfortable with it, u can obtain a 5600x for about $430 off taobao (with international warranty) and save even more. as far as i understand local sls shops dont offer any b450 + zen 3 combos as yet, but u must also choose boards that have a bios flashback button.

About the amazon ordering. Is it still cheaper when you add shipping? I don't use Amazon or have prime, and I have no idea how the system works.

 

[FreSch]

Think the issue with new builders is that many are just jumping in on the hype of the Ryzen trend or PC building trend.

Before even going the DIY route, one should be answering a few questions first.

1) How tech savvy are you at troubleshooting? DIY means you have to handle the drivers yourself, meaning overseeing updates instead of relying on auto updates as there are instances when auto updates deliver unstable updates. Windows auto driver updates are not always a good call. How frustrated will you be with troubleshooting if such instance occurs?

If any part of the PC break down, are you able to diagnose it? Are you willing to pay to service it if you can't resolve it on your own?

2) How ready are you in to commit in the maintenance of the PC? Dust builds up over time, fan performance is affected, might have to clean the PC 2 years from the day you build, will you clean it?

3) There is no tech support for any issues with your PC, all answers have to be sourced on your own, visiting forums, googling etc. Can you deal with it?

In general if you can handle 1 & 3, you should be fine with DIY route. 2 is just an extra deal

I troubleshoot a lot of tech. I don't have much knowledge, but I am not new to using Google to resolve tech issues.
For 2, I don't do PC maintenance. I have a PC that was upgraded from stock many years back, and haven't touched it to clean it. But sure, it shouldn't be that bad to clean it every now and then.

 

[clay9477]

I recommended my friend the below mid range gaming rig. For your reference. I base the price off PC Themes pricelist last week. Might not be accurate now.

CPU - Ryzen 5600X + Mobo - MSI B550 Gaming Edge Wifi - S$758
GPU - ZOTAC RTX 3070 8GB TWIN EDGE OC - S$829
Ram - G.Skill Flare X 3200MHz CL 16, 16GB - S$112
Boot Drive 1 - Samsung (NVME M.2) 970 EVO Plus 500GB - S$159
BackUp Drive - Crucial MX/BX500 1TB - S$173
PSU - CM Masterwatt 650W 80+ Bronze S/M - S$100
Case - CM E500L - S$69
OS - Windows Home - S$145

Avoid BX500, MX500 > BX500 anytime since BX500 is DRAM less. Performance is severely hit in comparison to MX500. And as others have pointed out before, don't skimp on the PSU, try to get a gold rated one. If buying bronze its like buying a Lamborghini to have it fitted with Cherry QQ seats right?

 

[zleipnir]

Ai yo... lambo and Cherry QQ dun scare people lah... lol last time build PCs without 80plus guide also like that. Dun be too obsessed with it. It depends on your budget. It's not going to blow up or what... just your efficiency nia... those 20% or what lost as heat loh.

Avoid BX500, MX500 > BX500 anytime since BX500 is DRAM less. Performance is severely hit in comparison to MX500. And as others have pointed out before, don't skimp on the PSU, try to get a gold rated one. If buying bronze its like buying a Lamborghini to have it fitted with Cherry QQ seats right?

 

[FreSch]

Ai yo... lambo and Cherry QQ dun scare people lah... lol last time build PCs without 80plus guide also like that. Dun be too obsessed with it. It depends on your budget. It's not going to blow up or what... just your efficiency nia... those 20% or what lost as heat loh.

Ya I was aiming for an 80+ bronze because it's cheaper, does efficiency really matter that much? Like after the energy market opened up electricity became cheaper right

 

[zleipnir]

Maybe if u get different types of PSUs and use them equally over 1 year, you can check your electricity bills to compare the real efficiencies. Unless u like to micro manage your bills. haha... I think u can also google up what it actually means.

Last time before the 80+ guide came in 2004, my friends and I use the PSU weight to judge it haha... the heavier the better. Now easier. Just avoid those weird never hear b4 brands can liao. Safe choice is minimum Bronze+

Btw, PSU degrades overtime so usually I like to get higher power Rating and also take advantage of the zero rpm fan thingy. reduce noise pollution at home lol..

Ya I was aiming for an 80+ bronze because it's cheaper, does efficiency really matter that much? Like after the energy market opened up electricity became cheaper right

 

[skrekro]

Ya I was aiming for an 80+ bronze because it's cheaper, does efficiency really matter that much? Like after the energy market opened up electricity became cheaper right

Electricity savings are like 10$ per year. People suggest gold rated ones because of longer warranty and better components. There's a psu tier list on LTT forums. Use that as reference. Bronze psu are 3-5 years usually, gold are always 7-10.

Amazon has free shipping above 60$ for prime. You can just sign up for a month (2.99$ nia) use the shipping then cancel. It's way cheaper on amazon.sg vs local except harddisk. Hdd almost same price.

 

[FreSch]

Electricity savings are like 10$ per year. People suggest gold rated ones because of longer warranty and better components. There's a psu tier list on LTT forums. Use that as reference. Bronze psu are 3-5 years usually, gold are always 7-10.

Amazon has free shipping above 60$ for prime. You can just sign up for a month (2.99$ nia) use the shipping then cancel. It's way cheaper on amazon.sg vs local except harddisk. Hdd almost same price.

So I can get prime, buy the components and then cancel the subscription?
Interesting method...
So then storage, ram and PSU were cheapest on Amazon then?

 

[zleipnir]

yup been there done that but only for first time and 1 month. Remember to go to settings and set not to auto renew haha..

So I can get prime, buy the components and then cancel the subscription?
Interesting method...
So then storage, ram and PSU were cheapest on Amazon then?

 

[FreSch]

yup been there done that but only for first time and 1 month. Remember to go to settings and set not to auto renew haha..

Sounds like you speak from experience lol

 

[zleipnir]

haha ya bought a PCI-E 4.0 riser cable from amazon.sg using that

Sounds like you speak from experience lol

 

[NightRaven49]

So I can get prime, buy the components and then cancel the subscription?
Interesting method...
So then storage, ram and PSU were cheapest on Amazon then?

storage and ram yes. please dont get psus from online, the local warranty will be worth it.

 

[skrekro]

Storage and Ram get from amazon. PSU get locally. If your balls big, get mobo on amazon for even better pricing. For eg asus strix b550-f 287$ on amazon vs 389 locally. If your balls even bigger, get gpu there also. 3070 msi trio x 740$ vs 969$