New build

[lunatic59]

My old desktop (from 2013 ) was feeling a little long in the tooth, even though it had a few upgrades.

I thought it was time to build a new PC before this one crapped out on me. While I do have comprehensive backups, it's a pain to have to start from scratch when a box goes belly-up.

Here's the spec's.

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700F 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($269.99 @ Adorama)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake UX200 ARGB 43.34 CFM CPU Cooler ($40.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B365M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2400 CL16 Memory ($175.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB GAMING X Video Card ($699.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($48.49 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cooler Master MWE Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1484.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-03-24 13:04 EDT-0400

Before you get all "wow, you got wrapped helically around a central axis" one me, I know this is a very bad time to get certain components. That video card is really worth only about $175.00, definitely not $700.00. But that's what they are selling for new retail -- if you can find one. It's the perfect storm of COVID and Bitcoin.

I only listed in Part Picker because that's what I already had here and will be waiting to get a better card once prices and supply normalize. Or, maybe not. After all, I'm not a gamer (unless you count scrabble ). My needs are more in line with Photoshop, web development and some 3D modelling. Maybe the odd video or animation.

So after a few snags -- namely an EVGA 650W 80+ gold power supply that showed up DOA, and doing my mother-in-laws taxes -- I was able to finish it up.

Photos for your critical review.

 

[rootabaga]

Nice build with quality stuff.

Just curious if you considered buying a second HD and then using disk mirroring for some solid redundancy? Like you I hate rebuilding and for $75 that’s cheap insurance.

 

[lunatic59]

Nice build with quality stuff.

Just curious if you considered buying a second HD and then using disk mirroring for some solid redundancy? Like you I hate rebuilding and for $75 that’s cheap insurance.

I daily backup files and routinely mirror my drives to a NAS and the NAS is setup as RAID 1, so I think I'm covered in the event of a failure. Every now and then I will completely reinstall Windows and apps which proves to be easier than simply going through the file system and deleting or uninstalling stuff.

EDIT: I just realized that I left off the Crucial 1 TB SATA SSD that's mounted in the case. That's files storage wile the M.2 NvME is for the OS and apps.

 

[ozonetrooper]

Almost ready to put my new build online, currently using a Win 7 machine I build a few years ago, new build is a Win 10 machine.

Win 10 OS
2- M.2 hard drives (one NVME one SSD)
Sata back up drive
Asus wireless mobo
Asus video card
Ripjaw RAM (maxed out all slots filled)


I decided to use the led color fan on the processor instead of the Cooler Master one in the image. I will be using my 27" monitor and the 5 speaker + subwoofer sound system from the Win 7 rig.

I just need to install some apps and protection on it and it is ready to go !

 

[rootabaga]

I daily backup files and routinely mirror my drives to a NAS and the NAS is setup as RAID 1, so I think I'm covered in the event of a failure. Every now and then I will completely reinstall Windows and apps which proves to be easier than simply going through the file system and deleting or uninstalling stuff.

EDIT: I just realized that I left off the Crucial 1 TB SATA SSD that's mounted in the case. That's files storage wile the M.2 NvME is for the OS and apps.

I was wondering how you were going to manage all of that data with only a half TB. (My desktop has a smaller Crucial drive for the OS/apps (256) but I have three 2TB drives (platters) for data; two of those are mirrored for the most important stuff...I hate rebuilding so I have a spare MB and PS so if either of those die I'm back in business without pissing off the OS nanny. )

Sounds like you have things well in hand. One of the best things about the windows reinstall is it clears out that side-by-side folder which otherwise gets kind of crazy.

Enjoy the new box.

 

[lunatic59]

I decided to use the led color fan on the processor instead of the Cooler Master one in the image.

That "upside down" cooler master really triggered my OCD. I have a coworker who's a bit of a gamer and was using a pre-built rig from Best Buy for several years. At lunch sometimes he'd stop in my office and we'd talk tech. He decided to rebuild and got all the components, but when it came time to put them together, he choked, so he brought all the parts to work and asked me to help him. He had that exact same CPU cooler.

Anyway, I installed everything I could on the motherboard before putting in the case only to realize that I had the cooler master logo inverted, too. I think it's the way they ship the fan clipped to the wrong side (at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it ). He said he didn't care, but I had to "fix" it before I would let it out of my office.

As long as you're not going to overclock the CPU, the stock cooler should be just fine. My "upstairs" PC runs an i7-4790 with the stock cooler and it's just as happy as a clam and cool as a cucumber.

I hate rebuilding

You and me both. At work I have a stock image of a user workstation that I clone to an SSD when a new computer arrives. EVERY user gets nightly backups of their desktop, documents, appData and Outlook files, so a quick copy from the file server can get a user's machine swapped out in about a 1/2 hour.

 

[Davdi]

OS Nanny = Windows Activation? Sorry, We're all Linux here (Much like Moody).

 

[lunatic59]

OS Nanny = Windows Activation? Sorry, We're all Linux here (Much like Moody).

I'm still mourning my beloved CentOS.

I need a valid Windows 10 Pro install for work, but that's only around $30 if you know where to get it.

 

[palmtree5]

Really hope GPU prices come down eventually and that the one in my prebuilt (that I've ultimately added some upgrades to) doesn't die at any point. Darn Intel F suffix processors not having integrated graphics as a backup...

 

[lunatic59]

I usually have a couple of GPU's sitting around that I can swap one out if the primary dies. It really doesn't make sense to me to power an iGPU if you are going to install a better one. The i7-9700F is rated at 65W while the K variant is 30W higher.

When the 3070 was released msrp was around $300. Now retail outlets say if it becomes available at the end of the year it will retail for $499. The 3080 will retail for $1k, but if you're impatient you might be able to snag one on eBay for $2k (assuming it's not counterfeit.)

 

[palmtree5]

yeah, fair point. I guess I'm just used to laptops where they always have an iGPU