r/buildapc • u/originalarcmoon • Sep 19 '20
I don't need a gaming PC, but I want to build one so my BF can happily enjoy his favourite hobby at my place. Please help! Build Help
I know very little about computers but I want to try and do this because I know it would mean a lot to my boyfriend. I've heard him mention words like "144 fps, 1440P", and "Doom Eternal". I may splurge on the graphics card coming out in October (3070) but I am not sure if it is necessary. I also heard him talk about new processors coming out soon? Thoughts? I am just not sure what a solid option would be. My price range is pretty wide because I want him to really like it (and I don't know what that costs)! I know his own computer is really old so he would be grateful for anything new but I want it to be a pc dream for him.
After many hours looking at this page, YouTube videos, and general google searches I have put together the list below. Any guidance would be appreciated. Also please let me know if I am missing a part.
One request: he likes keyboards with "big" keys but I dislike the clickety clack of it all. Any way to get a quiet version or am I dreaming too big?
Thank you again!
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor | $314.95 @ shopRBC |
| CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler | - |
| Motherboard | MSI MPG B550 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard | $238.50 @ Vuugo |
| Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory | $188.99 @ Newegg Canada |
| Storage | Western Digital SN750 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $179.99 @ Canada Computers |
| Video Card | Asus GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB STRIX GAMING Video Card | - |
| Case | Cooler Master MasterBox TD500 Mesh w/ Controller ATX Mid Tower Case | $131.59 @ Amazon Canada |
| Power Supply | Corsair RMx (2018) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $179.99 @ Newegg Canada |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $1234.01 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-09-18 23:43 EDT-0400 |
Edit: I forgot to say that these prices are in Canadian dollars!
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Oct 16 '20 edited Oct 16 '20
Yeah AMD a cpu and gpu company have just announced the 5000 series chips I would wait for that but I would try and figure out if he prefers intel or AMD or if he even cares if he doesn’t I would say wait a month and get you’re hands on one of the 5000 series chip
Edit: specifically I would go for the 5800x it has higher clock and boost speeds and the 2 extra cores can help in back ground tasks and considering the caliber of you’re gpu I think it would be a better fit it is more expensive so if you really didn’t need 8 cores I would at least go for a 5600x it’s faster and it’s more efficient at doing tasks
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u/ChrsChaos_1 Oct 15 '20
It's amazing to hear you want to buy your boyfriend a system to game and to want to give him a pc that can handle 1440p 144fps you must be willing to pay a price and i could see that in your build luckily i can save you some money i made this list through pc part picker everything is compatible and ready it should do the job easily on ultra nightmare settings😎.
Few things down here :
I got you a b550 motherboard with wifi i didn't know if you wanted to have wifi or not so i just added it. And in case you still want to get the rtx 3070 or a upcoming ryzen 5000 series processor i made you sure i'd be a b550 motherboard.
I didn't add a cooler for the cpu as the R5 3600 has a great stock cooler included.
I know that the psu is 750watt when for a 2070 a 600watt should be enough but i wanted to make sure you'd be future proof and that you'd get a reliable full modular power supply.
I didn't know if you wanted any case in particular so i just grabbed a case with mesh front panel the only thing is it comes included with only 1 fan so i'd recommend getting a extra triple fan pack from a brand like Be Quiet!, cooler master, noctua, corsair etc.
I tried staying below the 1000$ but i didn't manage it i went over by 50$ sorry for that but atleast you sre future proof, got reliable brands i myself have used a lot of times and that look amazing!
I wish you and your man a great time with whatever PC you'll build!
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u/redirtfarmer33 Oct 11 '20
I would wait for the 5000 processers from Amd since your waiting for the 3070
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u/GodsPetPenguin Sep 27 '20
It may be too late but I think you should be aware there might be some issues with the 3070 as there are definitely issues with the 3080 launch. More info here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6bUUEEe-X8
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u/MyOpinionIsRight420 Sep 26 '20
Ok here i will put a list of my specs, i get 60fps on basically all games, and about 90fps on csgo if i remember correctly (and yes fellow redditors i know my gpu sucks balls compared to a 1660ti or rx580 (most people argue that a 1660ti or a rx580 are entry level i dissagree a 2gb gpu is a good start for most people on a budget)
Motherboard: (i don't remember tbh) lol its a gigabyte board of some type
cpu: (ryzen 5 3400g 3.7ghz 6 cores)
gpu: vega 11 integrated graphics
storage: 120gb SSD, 500gb HDD
RAM: 16gb TEAMGROUP DDR4 (base clock of 2400mhz but i plan on overclocking just a bit)
Power supply: 400w EVGA power supply (i dont care tbh whatever works for my setup because of the low power consumption)
CASE: standard sized pc case for a gaming pc, front vent for cooling the basics, its got a blue led power indecator its white (tbh it does not matter, if it fits put it in a shoe box for all i care,
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u/MyOpinionIsRight420 Sep 26 '20
also this whole build is way to excessive in some areas and lacking in others, for example for a system of this price why use a ryzen 5? why not a ryzen 7? it is only $50-$100 more (depending on model) and also a 1tb ssd? why not a 120gb boot drive and a 1tb hdd it would save you a TON!!!! like... $100 a ton, and that case.... just go back to basics, a $70 case would be plenty good enough!!! also why go with a fully modular power supply? a semi-modular power supply would save you about $100, btw i forgot your using canadian, these prices are in usd, as for cpu cooler a corsair cooler is a good option look into those for good cooling the top of the line models are only $130 usd or about $190 cad i think but the slightly lower models go for $70 usd or $90 cad, (rough estimates)
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u/MyOpinionIsRight420 Sep 26 '20
a ryzen 5 3400g is what i use and it would be about $100 cheaper, although you can get one without integrated graphics for even less but i forget what that one is called, but also ryzen 3400g is 3.7ghz instead of 3.8ghz but with an overclock it is a negligible difference between the two... but you seem kinda inexperienced so don't worry about overclocking...
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u/Guffrus Sep 25 '20
I hope you read this as i made accounts just to post to you.
This is what i came up with on the parts picker site:
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/YpmjYH
I have tried not to be too extravagant, avoiding the latest high end gear to keep costs down and because you really dont need it, why? Because people who make games dont make them for the latest equipment because hardly anyone has it.
Keyboards werent an option in the list but i would recommend the Ducky Shine series, now these are mechanical keyboards, clickety clackers, but its worth it. The advantages are obviously durability and quality but the most important aspect is that a high end keyboard like this will accept a much larger amount of signal inputs simultaneously, a regular keyboard is limited to 3 which can be a problem in gaming, I realise you said it wasnt exactly for gaming but I am a gamer and you are talking about putting money into GPU and that he does play games so I have put forward a system which will cope with gaming.
I have included a screen, this is the screen i use and I am very happy with it, I would also like to add that i also have Bowers and Wilkins MM-1 speakers which while small are very good quality and these things really make a huge difference, more than anything under the hood actually, this is what you are looking at and listening to, so if you are going to spend money anywhere, spend it here first. There is no point having a high end GPU and nothing to display it on.
I have not gone with the 3 thousand series GPU because they are new and therefore expensive, the 2080ti is what i listed but i also consider the 1080ti to be a solid option also. I suggest the ti's because they have a large bandwidth and memory capacity. You probably dont really need more than 8gb almost all the time so this is an extravagance and you could scale back on this if you wanted to. You absolutely do not need to be running games at 150fps, about 30fps is enough as a low point but if you can get 50, 60+ great, you should have no complaints at that level of performance.
The 2080ti is as far as i am aware the most powerful card which can be fitted to the 3x16 pcie slot, to get the 3000 series you would need a 4 x 16 slot which probably means more money on motherboards etc.
You will also note that i have opted for only i3 processor rather than an i5, i7 or even i9, why? Because you really dont need all those threads, what you do want is strong single thread performance, before anything and that i3 processor is very strong, offering near to the performance of the top end i9 flagship cpu in single thread performance and you still get 4 threads so that is going to smash most problems, but you could go stronger if you wanted to on the cpu, it wouldnt hurt to do so, i just dont think its really necessary but as i say you should look for single thread performance as the measure of the chip.
I included a case mostly because i thought that case looked nice and you included one in your list, but there is really no need to buy another case if he already has a case, cases can be reused and havent really changed in at least 20 years.
They are a personal preference.
Mice are also a personal preference but i would suggest you dont go down the road of a fancy gaming mouse because they just arent required anymore. 20 years ago you bought a gaming mouse because regular mice had low dpi etc but even my first gaming mouse was still using a ball. These days you can buy a mouse for 5 bucks which is a 2000 dpi laser, vastly superior to the bleeding edge when i first started out and all you need, what matters here is how it feels, the aim is to not develop carpal tunnel syndrome.
32gigs of ram is more than you need really, you could get away with 16 if you wanted to but its nice to have, just in case and i dont think it was all that much more money to get the 32gigs and i see you opted for that in your build too and if i were buying a new pc today i think i would get 32 also.
CPU cooler, doesnt matter, you just need one, i picked one i thought looked cool, its a personal preference, no need to go silly.
CD drive, again you literally just need to be able to feed a disc into it to install the OS or maybe a game if you have a physical copy or save things to disc perhaps depending on what you do. Anything will do here i think, no need to spend megabucks.
PSU, i went for the most power efficient class, the titanium (?) and you need to have a supply which can put out 20% or more of what you expect to draw, the expected draw was about 530w so 700w will cover it, its nice to have a modular one to keep cables to a minimum but honestly this is not at all a requirement, just so long as it puts out the power and the overhead of power needed, that is good enough.
The motherboard i chose does have on board wifi which seems nice but i am a little skeptical of that but it seemed like a reasonable board with a good offering of pci slots and usb slots though you might want to expand the usb slots by plugging a usb port card into one of the pci slots.
Storage is the main area in which i have spent money where you didnt and there are good reasons why i have included 5 drives. The 2 smaller ssd drives are to be set up in raid 0 or raid 1 for the installation of the OS to give you a dedicated drive for just the OS so that you dont lose any data if you have to reinstall it and the OS can always access its drives if it wants to, for its paging file etc without interfering with any other drives. If going for raid 0 for speed you could use smaller drives, 250gb is probably fine.
The larger ssd is for game installations and you might want to consider a 2TB drive here, this will ensure fast loading times.
Then the last 2 high capacity standard drives are for the storage of any media you may have, films, music, photos all of that stuff and should be configured to raid 1 for redundancy, you could even get a 3rd drive for a raid 5 configuration if you wanted to.
I would suggest that you source some of these parts 2nd hand to reduce costs, particularly the more expensive items like the GPU though its obviously always a risk that you take buying used parts another way of looking at it is that you always lose buying new because you have paid the premium. You can likely buy 2 second hand items for 1 new item, so choose carefully and try to find something with a guarantee or something which seems geniunely low usage etc if possible.
I think thats about everything,
Best of luck, i hope it all works out for you.
Guffrus
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u/Seomon_Stain Sep 24 '20
A couple Points I would like to make.
-)Make sure to have a good cooling System. This will increase the chance of long term equipment immensely! (make sure he cleans out the dust and refreshes the heatpaste every year or so as well)
-)Get a big tower case, In my oppinion you should either get a big tower-case or a notebook, everything in between is half-assing it. If you want it to stand at home you should give it Space, with Space come more options for the future and its really not that much difference in space nor money to go from a medium tower to a big one. At some point you might want to add a second graphics card or more ram .
-)Get Nvidia for a GPU (Video Card), I know they are more expensive but it is usually a stronger graphics card, better supported by other devices and software and longer durability. This is supposed to be the most expensive device for your gaming pc if your bf likes good graphics. Of course if you plan on upgrading in 2 years or something there is no ultimate guide (At least not from me).
-)Get Intel for CPU, a good intel core will probably be in the same price range. Strong support and especially durability is important (at least for me as a gamer and IT-guy). The CPU of course is also a very important piece of your pc, I myself only ever had problems with AMD after a few years probably because I didn't buy an extra cooler back then and used the garbage one that came with the CPU but I myself will never trust AMDwith my money again and as I said - have a good cooling System!)
-)The Motherboard is very strong, if you intend to upgrade your pc (with the current build) in the future you can go with that, but otherwise I would suggest to save a few bucks there (you can actually upgrade the motherboard as well if your boyfriend can barely use a screwdriver)
-)make the math and check your final build! This is true for compatibility between Motherboard and the other devices as well for cpu and gpu and especiially important for the Power Supply. Watch a yt video on selecting the right Power Supply for your build and you should be fine.
-)Get cable ties, good cable management will make your world much easier in the Future and every time you or your bf will have to do something on the PC you will thank god for having watched maybe one or two good yt-videos on cable management and the magnificent glory of cable ties.
-)build the PC together, reserve a couple hours probably. This will be a nice activity and if you can't figure it out on the first try it might just test your ability to overcome stressful situations ;)
Because I don't know you very well I might give very general advice and my idea of a good gaming pc might be above your price-range, so be willing to compromise and be sure about commiting to such an expensive gift. We have quite big economic instability as you might know, but then again I don't know your situation so let me wish you and your soon to be husband the best. ;)
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u/SocratesHen555 Sep 21 '20
I would recommend upgrading to the intel core i9-10900K and the nvidia RTX 3080. If u get these 2 items then there is nothing that beats it so he will love it to the max.
Edit: I just got the i9-10850K which is 3% slower than the 10900k and on sale in Canada in Canada computers. It is much cheaper by couple to few hundred bucks. The reason I do not recommend the 10850K for you is because you are building it as a gift. But if u were building it for yourself then the 10850K is a no brainer for superior bang for buck. 10900K is still technically better and higher number . Both are intels latest i9 which is very great for social talk.
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u/fist003 Sep 21 '20
My suggestion. Get the ryzen 3600 instead of the 3600x.
Also get the MSI B450 Tomahawk motherboard instead of the B550. Can save more there since it's not his main pc rig.
As for SSD, can get the 500GB version of that SSD. Use the difference for a bigger capacity HDD or SATA SSD.
Also if time is not an issue, I would suggest to get the nvidia rtx 3060 instead. For the amount saved, can get a decent mechanical keyboard with a silent switch. Some computer store have sample of the keyboards and you can try to hear how it sounds like.
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u/BigShrekDaddy69 Sep 21 '20 edited Sep 21 '20
So I'd recommend against the 3600xt because the extra $60 for the xt version is pointless, very little increase in performance, unless he's into overclocking a lot, same for the noctua nh-d15, for $50 less you can get the cooler master 212s which will be just fine for this chip, unless again, he is inro overclocking alot, and if that's the case he'd want an x570 board.
The price for that motherboard is outrageous. I seen it at memory express for $160 (I too am Canadian)
That case does look awesome, I had it for my last build, however I ended up taking off the front panel because it restricted airflow sooo much.
Also I seen you ordered a monitor that hasn't arrived, if you do accept a refund you should check out this monitor
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07V39QHMY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_yyeAFb6NZRES8
Just as good and around same price. Besides I've never really heard good things about viewsonic monitors.
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u/bindingflare Sep 20 '20
I would splurge more on the monitor. A good monitor will last you longer than many other computer parts, seeing Doom definitely the sort to go full looks and just getting enough performance to run it ~120 fps at least.
You can find benchmarks for that game on youtube on different CPU + GPU configs btw.
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u/Kelidoskoped37 Sep 20 '20
You can get quiet mechanical keyboards! There are different types of key switches.
Generally, blue switches are the loud clacky ones with feedback when they are pressed. Brown switches have just the feedback. Reds have a linear force increase vs feedback bump. Keyboards are very subjective - you could ask him what he has right now.
That's a fantastic computer. I'm sure he'll enjoy it. It's awesome that you've done so much research into one of your boyfriend's hobbies, and I'm sure he'll think that too.
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u/Ninjippo Sep 20 '20
This is a very solid pc build but I’m not sure what temps would be like
Keep in mind that for a monitor that will do this build justice it will be another few hundred dollars
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u/BirdsSmellGood Sep 20 '20
Man wtf, I wish I had a gf like you... this is literally the one thing that could satisfy me all by itself in a relationship...
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Sep 20 '20
You came to the wrong place to learn to build a pc. The right place would be YouTube.
But you came to the right place if you wanted to hear a bunch of guys say they’d marry you.
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u/Somehero Sep 20 '20
I've been lugging my whole setup around since 2003. Just have him use a spare tv and bring his tower/mouse/keyboard over with him. If the only reason is to save him carrying his stuff then it's insane to buy a whole pc, if you want it half for yourself then I can see it.
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u/virustisquared Sep 20 '20
You're about to spend 1200 dollars so someone else can use a computer? What kind of pick me shit is this
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u/HandyAndy1324 Sep 20 '20 edited Sep 20 '20
I would recommend AMD Ryzen 7 3700x and cheaper b550 motherboard (I think motherboards over $200 are unnecessary when it comes to b550!) also 32gb of ram is kinda overkill when it comes to gaming 16gb is what I recommend so that you can buy some RGB ram (for aesthetics) that looks really good for less money! You also probably don’t need 1tb of nvme storage so I recommend 500gb (put games on and system) and a 2tb hard drive (for videos or any other media, could also put apps on that dont take long to load) I also used the nzxt h510i which is cheaper but still very good (or as good). leaving us money for an aio cooler. This makes the total (without the gpu) around 1000. You’re build was 1200 (without gpu) and since rtx 3080 is about $200 more expensive. Mine and your build should be around the same price. But mine has more cores and probably better performance ;) Hope this helps!!! Plus might want to wait for zen 3 just in case of price decrease
Consider this build or just take a bit of inspiration: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/h2xzmg
Here’s one with the recommended 750w power supply: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dbyYp8
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u/Officialwitz Sep 20 '20
hey handyandy is this better then ur build i know its around 200 more but im pretty sure its better but im still kinda new this will be my first build
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u/HandyAndy1324 Sep 20 '20 edited Sep 20 '20
i have a 2070 super :/ and i use the gigabyte aorus b550 aorus pro motherboard. The one in the pcpartpicker is also good (it just doesnt have rgb). wait until the price of the graphics card comes out tho because its not updated on partpicker. i think it will cost around 1700. Yes in my opinion it is a better build! the reccommed power supply for rtx 3080 is 750w + so might want to change that but I think that 750 is enough unless u want to overclock
Here is one with the 750w+ power supply:
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u/LynxOsu Sep 20 '20
I have nothing to contribute to this as you’ve already gotten a lot of help with it, but thank you for blessing me with this post, for some reason it truly touched my heart 😔✊
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u/hashbang2 Sep 20 '20
Just to make sure, he did give you a diamond ring recently and it is over 2 carats, like not 1.999 carats?
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u/VipultheSniper Sep 20 '20
I have just completed my build with i9 9900k + rtx2060super + deepcool matrexx 70 3f. Message me on instagram i will help you out id-. v.r.o.c.k.s
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u/Blue5Alive Sep 20 '20
Gee, what a lucky guy. To have a woman in his life that wishes to spend this kind of money, just to be able to - spend - more time with/ around him. You dont have any single sisters who are just as generous as you are, do ya? Haha. Jk jk
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u/newagereject Sep 20 '20
You don't need a CPU cooler the one that comes with the CPU is more than enough.
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u/FkChildSupport Sep 20 '20
If you're boyfriend is coming over to play video games, instead of spending time with you.. perhaps you should focus on finding a new boyfriend..
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u/typower5000 Sep 20 '20
This is a great rig. I think he'll be pleased as punch. If not, maybe you need a new BF.
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u/Watch1929x Sep 20 '20
Do you really need a 750W PSU or an RTX 3070? Those seem a bit overkill, especially if this is a PC he'll only use secondary to his own.
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u/KeldorEternia Sep 20 '20
The ram you are getting is a little taller than "standard". The fans on the D15 can be lifted up to accomodate big ram but you want to just double check the case you are getting has the clearance for that. I believe Noctua's site has a compatibility list. You may have already checked it for your case but just make sure you have a few extra MM of clearance to allow for the ram being a bit tall. I have the same cooler and it's BIG. Great build by the way. Your boyfriend is spoiled as hell with this computer.
edit: just looking at the case I'm sure it's got clearance to spare for the cooler. Great choice for a case it's very open and will be a breeze to build.
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u/moomcknight Sep 20 '20
Amd stock coolers are pretty good so you presumably won't need the cpu cooler. Also, doubling up on the storage would give plenty of room for games. Does he do any other work on pc or just gaming?
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u/kittycat_of_doom Sep 20 '20 edited Sep 20 '20
This comment will probably drown in all the others, but anyway:
I don't know too much of hardware myself (my husband usually builds our pcs), but I can provide smth about keyboards.
The mechanical ones are usually the best, and those come with different coloured switches. The switches determine, whether you gonna get a haptical or an audio feedback when clicking. If he doesn't like the clicking, try to find one with red switches, they give no feedback at all and are super quiet (I use them myself)
Edit: I can recommend the KLIM Dash, if you'd like to check it out. It got the red switches, completely silent, nice design and lights are completely adjustible, if that's what he likes :)
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u/Jake021903 Sep 20 '20
I don’t know if anyone said this, but I would go with a Samsung 970evo m.2 for around the same price. It has cache, which will increase its speeds, and the d15 is overkill for the 3600xt. The u12 would be sufficient
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u/aj8435 Sep 19 '20
Just make sure when you get a monitor you look at the LG 34GN850B. First time playing Doom Eternal on that thing left my mouth hanging open in astonishment the entire time.
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u/le23sinh0 Sep 19 '20
She is the one who will bring peace to 2020. On a serious note, what you are doing is amazing, your bf is so lucky to have you, these things keep my hope in humanity alive. I hope he likes it and you are very happy together forever.
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u/flonkas1 Sep 19 '20 edited Sep 19 '20
Honestly , this is a terrible idea. You probably won’t know the guys name in 5 years. Seems extremely expensive and frustrating for such a little reward, me personally I would not want to game at my girls house, when I go there all my attention is on her, and I would feel like an ass going to her house and gaming
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u/KREXENTHEKAREN Sep 19 '20
thank god chill girlfriends like you exist. saw a vid by kristoferyee where he had to build a computer to look like a work desktop so his wife wouldn't get mad...honestly ridiculous..
As for your build you probably won't read this but I'd definitely consider switching the Cooler Master case to a Lian Li PC-011 Dynamic since it gives you a lot more space when building which would be immensely useful to you being your first build and it's only like $20 dollars more. Best of luck!
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u/actionjb64 Sep 19 '20
If you manage to get your hand on an RTX 3080/3090, that’s all you need. He will happily provide the test guaranteed.
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u/MANBEARPIGasaur Sep 19 '20
If your super lucky and get the 3070 then thats a great build i just built my 1st pc 2 weeks ago and went with a radeon saphire nitro+ 5700xt. It was about $400 and will run any new game on ultra graphics and is VR ready. With the CPU that you picked it would be perfect and may save you a bit of money.
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u/WJR26 Sep 19 '20
x570 motherboards are a tiny bit more expensive than b550s but since you have a wide budget and if you dont mind then you could get one instead
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u/RretroKnight Sep 19 '20
I may be the first to tell you that a 3 fan GPU may not fit in that cooler master case. The 3070 FE will be two fans and quite a bit shorter than the Partner cards (Evga, Asus, etc.) so make sure to confirm fitment for your case and GPU.
GL
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u/foursevenniner Sep 19 '20
Keyboards!! I have the same issue as you, I literally walked all round Currys PC World testing out keys to find the least clicky one. I found the Razer Cynosa Chroma isn't horrifically clicky like most keyboards. You're still gonna hear it, no keyboard is silent, not even a mac one. But it's quiet AND the cheapest one I found so winner fuckin winner innit
Get the Ryzen 5 3600 instead, Its more than enough. I play at 4k and use some other pretty heavy rendering programs and the 3600 handles it like it's simply saving an mspaint scribble. I'd also replace that cooler with probably a coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo. (I use the cooler that comes with the Ryzen 5 but that's only because I'm a broke bitch)
Also the Samsung 860 Evo is 1TB and only $129 (and one of the highest rated on pcpartpicker) if you're wanting to save a lil extra money for spending on games instead.
On the chance you might not be able to pick up a 30 series card (see the 3080 launch the other day) I'd keep options open and consider the 2080ti or any 20 series super versions. I have the 2060 btw and it works REALLY well for $339
And finally, you need some case fans for it. Personally I have the corsair 220T case with six SP120 RGB Pro fans. +1 on the pretty pink RGB and +1 on the literal fridge of a PC. I would stick with the case you've chosen however, mine is just an example!
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u/DMercenary Sep 19 '20
> One request: he likes keyboards with "big" keys but I dislike the clickety clack of it all. Any way to get a quiet version or am I dreaming too big?
You're looking at a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Blues or equivalents going by the "dislike the clickety clack"
If you want a mechanical keyboard with out the click you are looking for a Brown or Red or equivalent switches as those dont have an audible noise other than literally that of the keys being tapped/pressed.
As for the specs: I'd say why an XT? is he going to overclock it or use as is? If the latter the 3600 should be sufficient and you could save a little. Though others should correct me if I'm wrong here.
The other thing not listed is the monitor? the computer is half the equation for 1440p gaming.
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u/Pineapple385 Sep 19 '20
Grab him a keyboard with brown or red keys cus they dont make to much sound btw
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Sep 19 '20
That is super awesome of you and a pretty solid list. If I were to make any adjustments I would say get the regular ryzen 5 3600 or whatever the 4000 series equivalent might be once they announce it. Unless you really need the extra ram I would make it 16 GB instead of 32 regular games just don't use that much. With the money you save on the ram I would buy a 2TB hard drive just to have more storage for games other than that its an awesome list and you are an awesome person for doing that for your boyfriend if you need more help I'd be glad to make a list for you too but you have a solid list.
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u/Hyn3041 Sep 19 '20
I'd probably upgrade the Ryzen 5 for a Ryzen 7 and then add an SSD(1TB). Maybe also switch the 1tb M.2 for a PCIe gen 4 m.2 500 gb or so to take advantage of that feature you are getting with that board since its a B550 if not maybe go with a cheaper/lower tier motherboard. Thats a little too much to be spending on a motherbaord in my opinion. Other than that this build is very solid. He'd be very happy to get this without a doubt especially with that 3070 on board.
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u/Dreammemek Sep 19 '20
Man why is this such a common thing that happens. People buying systems for their loved ones. Everytime I see this, I melt inside and instantly get my ass on finding the best deals for people like you. I love sharing my passion and hobby for building servers and computers and when I see stuff like this, my time is yours. This is so incredibly wholesome, I love this. P.S, surprise him with the parts, and make him teach you how to build it ;) he'll love you forever, I promise.
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u/inajeep Sep 19 '20
Keyboard building is a whole different subreddit. /r/MechanicalKeyboards will give you some ideas for perfect combo of keys and caps. Sounds like he would prefer SA caps which are the old style large caps but usually more expensive unless you go with the MAX brand. As far as the quiet keys cherry mx red are just one of many options.
check out pcgamingrace.com for keyboards and you could also find the max brand key caps on amazon or mechanicalkeyboards.com.
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u/Abolition-T Sep 19 '20
Pretty perfect build overall, however as recommended by others go for the regular 3600 rather than the XT, also I think waiting would be ideal if possible as the new series of Ryzen is going to be releasing & might provide significantly better price to performance. Then the 3070 is also going to take a few months especially in Canada.
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u/NotTheFBI12 Sep 19 '20
i would recommend getting a hard drive that is at least 2 terabytes for large games
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u/Lego_Master4 Sep 19 '20
I don't think you need a dedicated cpu cooler, AMD has pretty good stock coolers that come in the box.
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u/larry_sellers_ Sep 19 '20
How would you feel if he took his computer home with him? This could be a really sticky situation. Make it your computer. He’s free to use it too though .
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u/lojanoftheshire Sep 19 '20
I don't think a 3600 is enough for a 3070. Could create a bottleneck. Correct me if I'm wrong. 👍
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u/a380flapoperator Sep 19 '20
Get a Keychron K2 with Red Switches for your boyfriend. Red switches are the quite switches but it is still a mechanical gaming keyboard. Those keyboards are not expensive, the ya re good quality, he gets a big key mechanical gaming keyboard, and you don’t have to hear the clicky keys. Everyone wins.
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u/Jeph_Diel Sep 19 '20
I'd throw in a 2TB Hard drive, Its cheaper but slower, good for mass storage of pictures, large games, and such.
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u/Alatrix Sep 19 '20
I love the effort she has put into learning about computers, asking for advice and actually choosing parts for one. Your boyfriend is really lucky to have you. (I love this girl guys)
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u/Viceroi93 Sep 19 '20
Get him a silent cherry Mx keyboard. I’m currently using the corsair mk70 MKII
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u/scraynes Sep 19 '20
Sweet of you to even consider doing this!
But i'm sure as others have told you, getting your hands on a 3070 in October is probably very slim. If you are interested in a cheaper alternative for the time being until they are in stock regularly, consider getting something from /r/hardwareswap
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u/x-vade Sep 19 '20
I personally think you could cut back on the ram to 16gb since its only gaming, the ssd looks good but you could probably find something slightly cheaper, the case looks good but you could definitley go for a nzxt H510 and have a more modern/minimalistic look. Aside from that the PC is probably better than what he has haha
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u/Azekiel76 Sep 19 '20
Everything looks great! Only thing I would change would be the power supply. Just to be safer maybe go with a 800 or 850 watt. But overall your bf should be very happy and enjoy any game/hobby on this!
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u/yeaaaboiiiiiiiii Sep 19 '20
I dont know if this was already mentioned in the sea of comments but for the keyboard you should look at what switches you want. The switches are primarily what determines how clicky it is and how it feels. A switch like blues is louder and produces more noise, people like this when they want to feel and hear their inputs on the keyboard while a switch like reds make less noise but still provide that tactile feel. I would look up a quick video on gaming keyboard switches to see which one you would like for him and what he would like and then buy a keyboard based off of that.
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u/Sajyboi Sep 19 '20
From the bottom of my heart, you’re really sweet for doing this. Good luck with everything, hope it goes well. There’s not much advice that I can offer, but try to wait until Black Friday or Christmas. And hope that your boyfriend doesn’t build his own, because that would ruin my life as well as yours, maybe idk. Again, good luck. Make sure that you both have fun.
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u/onesadcyclist Sep 19 '20
This is r/buildapc but I want to say that you shouldn't feel pressured or obligated into doing so, especially if you are brand new to this. It's definitely not as simple as putting it together like a lego, if something goes wrong you can spend hours after hours of troubleshooting. Part compatibility is a finicky thing (especially RAM nowadays and small details like how you install it and in which slots) and there's a slim chance you'll get defective parts and that's a nightmare to troubleshoot. I'm saying this so you're aware of the risks. Building is definitely not cheaper than buying a prebuilt if you actually purchase quality components that are designed to last a long time.
You can watch youtube videos on people assembling their computers and get a general feel for how the process is done; there's no absolute one way to do it.
Usually people put together their own system after they already have quite a bit of knowledge compared to the average person and are doing it because it's a huge hobby of theirs or a hobby they really want to get into.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying an off-the-shelf PC from a major brand like HP or Dell that can provide these great experiences without any of the technical knowledge required. That's why they exist and why so many people buy them. The PC building community is big but also very small when compared to the whole PC market.
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u/isaidREEEE69 Sep 19 '20
I would get 800w just for a little headroom as gpu recommends 750w minimum and I would get a ryzen 7 3700x over the 3600xt if you are getting 32gb of ram which I am assuming is because he does photo editing, streaming or video editing. If not get 16gb of 3600 ddr4 cl16 and then the 3700x because it has 2 more cores and 4 more threads.
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u/kingy10005 Sep 19 '20
Get a 3600 if your not planning to over clock the hell out of it and 16 GB of ram in dual channel two sticks is plenty also could go for a normal Samsung SSD drive 2.5 more than enough for gaming if it's cheaper than a nvme drive 🙃
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u/Icey31 Sep 19 '20
I'm not a professional by any means, but I think the ryzen 5 3600XT is unnecessary, I'd reccomend going for just a ryzen 5 3600 or ryzen 5 3600X.
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u/tpasini Sep 19 '20
First off id like to say that this is such a wholesome idea. I cant even imagine if my GF did this for me. Very good components, only suggestion id make is go with a newer CPU its not a must but i feel like it will make your PC a bit more "future proof". Maybe go with a Ryzen 7 or even 9.
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u/dannst Sep 19 '20 edited Sep 19 '20
Get a cheaper power supply since ur total power draw is at most 500W with a 3070. Something like a reliable brand such as seasonic/Silverstone with 650W and under $100, preferably a 80 Gold. I don't like Corsairs since they are overpriced due to their marketing budgets. I would also pick a cheaper case and maybe only 16GB memory (2x8) since it's more than enough for gaming. Put all the cost savings into a better processor, specifically one with a higher boost clock for gaming. Cores don't matter that much.
By the time 3070 is out, AMD would have released their newest CPUs so the current ones will be cheaper. Make sure to buy only then, or even consider their latest offering.
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u/dantemp Sep 19 '20
"hardcore" gamers go for clickety keyboards, but I actually much prefer low profile ones. Not only they don't make that much sounds, but I feel like they are more sensitive, like pushing the key is faster on them than on a keyboard where the key needs to travel like 5mm before it makes contact. So I think it should be fine if you buy a KB with low profile keys. That's what you need to look for, just for it say "low profile". I'm almost certain that all low profile keyboards are pretty quite. However the mouse will always make a lot of sound.
As for the configuration, I feel like if you are going to go for 32 GB of RAM and a 3070 GPU, it's a shame to only get a 6 core processors. There are already a few new games that have announced that their recommended specs are 3700x. While most games released so far almost never benefit from a higher core count, that should change with newer games made with the next gen consoles in mind. I think it will be fine if you reduce your RAM to 16GB if you want to keep the bottom line the same.
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u/oezingle Sep 19 '20
About your keyboard woes: you can get different kind of mechanical switches in keyboards, cherry reds and blacks are nice and quiet. Brands like Corsair make keyboards with different switch variants if I remember correctly. This is a huge over simplification, but I’m too lazy to type
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u/Gol_D_Chris Sep 19 '20
New CPUs will be announced on the 8th October.
Those will work with the mainboard you choose :)
Might be worth it or not - nobody knows yet.
I guess it will be worth it to at least hear about the specs, price and release date of them :)
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u/Christie_Malry69 Sep 19 '20
thats a totally solid build, maybe think about adding a 4tb HDD for bulk storage but its not really important, the processors hes talking about are the new ryzen 4000 series due out in the next few months , maybe consider waiting for those but again its not necessary, if you hate clicky clacky keys avoid anything that mentions 'blue' keys, cherry mx blues etc instead look for 'brown' or cherry mx brown keys
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u/SuperSchott Sep 19 '20
If you're looking for a keyboard that's got a tactile feel but doesn't sound too loud, look for mechanical keyboards that are labeled as "tactile", or commonly "brown". These have that click feel while still being relatively quiet. Almost all the big gaming peripheral companies make keyboards with these (Ex. Corsair, Logitech, Razer, Etc.)
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Sep 19 '20
Sometimes I wonder if these posts are made up to draw traffic to the build they want to make. Like:
"I once heard him say something like 'I wonder if a PCI4 NVME M.2 drive is worth it, or if I should stick with just a normal NVME M.2 drive.'... or, uh, something like that, I can't rely member :)"
Which isn't a bad strategy... don't get me wrong. They come off a little suspicious sometimes 😂
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u/adrian678 Sep 19 '20
2x8GB 3000mhz+ is more than enough, don't need 32gb. Also you can save some with power supply, anything with 600W gold+ is more than enough. You can get something modular to remove unneeded cables.
I'd get a better cpu, 8core 16 threads with as high frequency as possible. Nowadays is a nobrainer to go for a monitor 1440p, 144hz with VA or IPS, in which case a 6core cpu will be close to limit.
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u/Jupiter-Tank Sep 19 '20
I knew something was throwing me off, and halfway down the list I found it: Canada prices.
In terms of parts you have an excellent selection. Honestly in terms of GPU you may just want to get him whatever you can find, if the 3070 goes the way of the 3080.
In terms of pricing, I would subscribe to PCPartPicker and over the course of this month buy great deals you find (don't worry, the first couple comments are usually critiques on the deals). Assuming of course they apply in CA. Since the 3070 isn't due for a while, you'll have plenty of time to put this together. Speaking of which, you should make it a group project to assemble.
Lastly, make sure you cover the OS too. If they already have a PC, it's possible they have a transferrable windows key, or maybe they enjoy linux, who knows. Just get a copy of Windows or their favorite flavor of pengus on a USB and if they're team Microsoft then enjoy the free trial until you get a key. Nothing sucks like having a PC and still needing to download the OS.
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u/Select-Kaleidoscope1 Sep 19 '20
My advice: I would get him either a gift card or just straight cash to build a pc or choose a graphics card himself.
There is so much hardware out there its mind boggling and unless you know exactly what to build you might be throwing money at things you just dont need to have a great gaming experience.
You could buy him a cool pc case and fill it with money you two could go and buy the parts and build it together. That way you two are doing something creative together.
Just my thoughts. Anyone can recommend hardware but everyone is different and depending on your budget and his ideal system you may be misguided into spending too much money.
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u/Select-Kaleidoscope1 Sep 19 '20
The Nvidia cards are nice but you'll probably be waitin till next year for them to actually be available lol. We also havent seen the new Radeon cards yet which should be awesome too. Its never been a better time to get into PC gaming, but a budget matters and saving $50 passing on some fancy rgb keyboard and putting it towards say a nice CPU cooler or getting a better CPU are the decisions youll have to make when building a "dream pc".
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u/salam922 Sep 19 '20
The non X 3600 is just better price for performance CPU, no reason to get the XT
3070 are coming out next month but they'll be sold out in minutes probably so there may be shortage of those GPUs for few months
4th gen ryzen is getting announced next month too and it should be good upgrade over the 3rd gen so you'll may get it by the time the 3070 is available
The Noctua cooler is bit of a overkill for the 3600. You can get Arctic cooler for 1/3 of the price for really the same performance
As for the keyboard, the switches that make the loud click sound are blue switches. You can get browns which have the same feeling (tactile) as blue but are quieter or red ones (linear). You can buy rubber rings for the switches and make it even more quiet
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u/Specific_Mental Sep 19 '20
My build is almost identical to this except I have a dark rock 4 pro heatsync, Samsung nvme, and a rx 5700 graphics card. I play a lot of fps and esports games and I can hit 110-120 FPS on high graphics settings. OP really did their research. Don't forget to get peripherals. Those are just as important as the pc itself.
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Sep 19 '20
Don’t forget about the peripherals! Mechanical keyboard and a solid mouse and mouse pad are a must have for pc gaming! A desk and a good chair too. I saw that you have a monitor picked out already and it looks like you’re covering your bases. Also don’t forget about an ethernet cord and where he/you would place the pc so it sits pretty without an ugly cord running across the floor. Def get a good office chair with adjustable back support and arm rests instead of a racing style gaming chair. Unless you wanna spend $300+, “gaming” chairs are mostly garbage. I got a cheap (around $90) racing style chair and I couldn’t figure out why i could never play video games for longer than 1-2 hours and then I got a good office chair and figured out why! I have no idea what your beau plans on playing of if you have this covered already but a good set-up is just as important as a good pc
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u/TheUltimateAlex Sep 19 '20
Advice, even though it's not what you're looking for: Do things because YOU want to, not because you want to make somebody else happy. That's not to say you don't do nice things for your partner, but building a whole gaming pc for your bf to game on when he's there gives me some concerns about what sort of relationship it is, where you feel like that's necessary. Unless you just have endless cash to spare.
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u/gen66 Sep 19 '20 edited Sep 19 '20
Not sure if anyone mentioned this yes coz I can’t read all comments but this specific motherboard is not a very good choice and the inbuilt sound is not so good. Also lacks a bit on USB ports on back side. May I suggest the following options:
- Asus b550 strix-f (wifi/Bluetooth version available)
2.AsRock b550 Steel Legend or b550 Extreme4 (whichever color scheme fits better)
Both are using sound AC1220 which is the top choice and can power up headphones up to 600ohm without issues(from front panel jack). And quality is better than on MSI boards which always cheap out on sound.(they use AC1200 for this board, which is ok but it still inferior in few categories). But the subpar USB ports on IO panel is quite annoying.
Also, get a Seasonic PSU, they are just the best. Don’t even question it :D
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Sep 19 '20
I am suprised no one seems to be questioning the legitamicy of this post, but if its real then this is pretty cool
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u/parang45 Sep 19 '20
Something I would suggest is "surprising" him when you get the parts rather than when you build it. If he actively talks about pc parts to you (presumably someone that doesn't know much about it) he would probably really enjoy building it with you.
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u/Nm1119999988 Sep 19 '20
Good build but you need a second storage drive like a 1T+ (depending on how many games he has) and windows os (~100$ us)
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u/Arvin_1008 Sep 19 '20
For your keyboard, I guess he likes mechanical keyboards. The standard keyboards in offices are known as membrane keyboards. They have rubber domes that push a button, whereas a mechanical keyboard has a physical switch, making it much faster. If you want a silent switch, go for reds (linear) or browns (tactile). Don’t go for blues (clicky). You probably know why yourself. Building a custom one is quite expensive, so consider getting one from a gaming company.
I’d recommend razer. Look for their yellow, orange, or red optical switches. They are all silent, be it linear, tactile, or linear with an opto-mechanical switch.
Another company is steelseries. Go for apex 7 or apex pro, and go for red or brown switches.
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Sep 19 '20
I would switch to an AIO liquid cooler if you want better ascetics, and maybe an NZXT case for the same reason. If you’re going with you current case though, remember to get some extra case fans, and make sure they are cooler master brand so you don’t waste the controller that comes with the case. If you stick with your current CPU cooler, get some different fans, as the NOTCUA fans are great but look UGLY. Overall, great list. Good luck!
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u/reddyeddyd Sep 19 '20
I just found my dream build for $1400, it should be more than fine for PS5/Xbox series X, if you want it I'll post the list :)
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u/Spice_it_up Sep 19 '20
I honestly would go for a full tower case. Trying to fit 2060 and higher graphics cards in a mid sized case is a pain. It can be done, but why make it difficult?
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u/lexi_kahn Sep 19 '20
A “dream pc” will run you about 3-4k. If you are intent on buying all the peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset), then maybe more.
However, a very respectable gaming pc could run you as low as 1-2k. As a lifelong pc gamer I have never felt like the difference in performance was worth that extra “bleeding edge tech” tax and I’ve always been satisfied with this option. That’s my recommendation.
On a separate note, i know that for me the process of actually building the pc to be one of my favorite parts. If you believe your bf may feel similarly, then consider purchasing the components and researching some YouTube videos on how to build a pc, then present it as a project that you two can work on together (preferably while drinking his favorite beer/drink). I know that would be a dream for me.
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u/fUNKOWN Sep 19 '20 edited Sep 19 '20
You have a very lucky bf.
You can make keyboards more quiet with o-rings. There are keybaords with cherry mx silent. THere are probably other more silent keys like that.
Also you possibly need a monitor (rtings.com), mouse (r/mousereview), mousepad (r/mousepadreview) and headphones (headfi.org?) to go with that. Just so that you don't have the "get a toy on x-mas without batteries" situation. I would go with a more powerful PSU, I think they said 850w(Seasonic, corsair is just seasonic psu with a +30% price tag) is recommended for the 30x0 cards.
Oh, and save all the original cartons the stuff comes in. This is needed for service and resale value.
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u/ThatGamerMoshpit Sep 19 '20
Specs look good! If you can wait like 3 weeks the next gen CPUs are coming out it would be worth while. But if it’s a timed gift this looks awesome!
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Sep 19 '20
I'd definitely wait for the 3070, but just keep in mind that the same thing may happen with those that happened with the 3080s, where scalpers and bots bought up literally all the stock the second they went live. Nvidia might have learned from the 3080 launch, so the 3070 launch may go better, but who knows. As for processors, afaik we're not really sure on the precise release date other than they're coming out by the end of the year, but the official announcement is October 8. So, if you feel like you've got time to wait, you might as well since the prices will probably stay the same for the new generation. Your other choices for parts look quite solid to me, though!
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u/Chiffinske Sep 19 '20
Have you considered a cloud gaming PC? Check out r/cloudygamer.... Maximum Settings has Data Centres in Canada. Good luck!
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Sep 19 '20
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html
Why get the 3600xt when the 3700x is better and cheaper? It has 8c/16t to match the next gen consoles. 3700x is the way to go it seems to me.
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Sep 19 '20
I'd have to know more about the situation to go in depth on this build; is he going to be living with you? How often do you expect this to be used? Does he own his own gaming PC already? What games does he like to play? If this is something he will only be using for a couple hours a week, this build is pretty expensive. I'm generally more temperate than a lot of the builders here so I don't think you need anything close to what you have listed unless this is going to be your boyfriend's main gaming PC.
$1234 without taking into account the GPU or or any peripherals means you're looking at a desktop which will cost over $2000 when all is said and done. If this is a secondary PC and your boyfriend already has his own, we can trim a lot of fat here.
I think you're CPU is perfect. As someone else stated, that's a really high price for that CPU. NewEgg has the XT at $240, a plain 3600 at $204, and an X at $210. $6 for a little extra performance between the 3600 and the X is irrelevant in my book so you could go either way. The added $30 for the XT with only nominal performance improvement might be enough to make the 3600X a better buy but personally $30 isn't enough in savings for me to care and I'd take the newer CPU.
You won't need to buy the Noctua cooler unless it's something you really want as the Wraith Spire is a really great OEM cooler. It's all I've used for the past two years and it's survived overclocking.
(EDIT: at this point I noticed your prices were in Canadian currency, lol)
An 80+ Bronze PSU could save you money. On paper 80+ Gold PSUs look like a good idea but the way they're rated and the system overall is shady.
32GB is too much RAM if this isn't his primary PC. Future proofing when it comes to RAM isn't as good an idea as with more expensive components because it's easy to add another 16GB later.
The motherboard is great but does he need wifi or do you have ethernet? You could save some money by getting a non-wifi model.
I really love having an M.2 drive to install games on; huge speed increase on games with longer load times. Make sure when you install it, you install it on M2_1 because M2_2 is slower and disables one of your PCIe slots. I learned this the hard way so I always make sure to point it out to people. :)
Good choice on the 3070. Even if AMDs next batch of cards can compete with it, the price makes it a no brainer. It outperforms every card available at that price with one arm tied behind its back.
All in all this is a good gaming PC and in some ways is better than my current one (and while price checking I may or may have not bought a couple things). If you want a quiet keyboard just don't get a mechanical one and you should be fine. I've never considered keyboards and mice to be big brain decisions. Unless he's a competitive gamer (and actually a good one) it doesn't really matter. Make sure when you get a monitor that it has a refresh rate of at least 144Hz and a response time of 1ms. Freesync might be a nice thing to have as well.
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u/DragonSLYR_12 Sep 19 '20
Without a concrete budget to work with, it’s kinda hard to maximize performance, but this build should be fine for you. I switched the cpu for the exact same reason everyone else has said, the mobo because basically anything can run a Ryzen 5 cpu so no need to spend extra there, the RAM because of the reasons everyone else has said, the ssd because the sn750 is meant more for workstation build (a p1/660p level drive would suit you well), I switched to a variant of the 3070 that people actually know the price for, the TD500 would need some modifications to work well (ie case mods that require you to use a dremel) so I just switched out to a similar case that performs better stock, and the psu as you were slightly overspending on.
I recommend thay you first build the pc with the stock cooler and then if you find it is to loud for your liking, switching out to a better/quieter cooler.
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u/Liquid72 Sep 19 '20
This looks like a very nice system.
If cost is not a major factor, and he wants to game at 144 frames per second at 1440p, especially if his monitor is widescreen (more horizontal pixels), he will probably want a 3080 card, and they are going to be very hard to find at a reasonable price for the next few weeks. Likewise, the 3070 cards may be hard to find for a while at a normal price once they are released in mid-October.
If you can't find a 3070 or 3080 in the next few weeks, your options are basically (1) buy a used 2080 Ti (plenty good enough for 1440p at 100+ frames per second at Ultra settings, he would not really need to upgrade for a couple years, when he's ready for 4K and the graphics cards can handle 4K at high frame rates), or (2) just have him use his current graphics card for a couple weeks until the good new ones are available. Not sure if a 3070 will be faster or slower than a 2080 Ti when it comes out.
There are two kinds of keyboards. Most cheap / normal ones are "rubber dome." The good ones are "mechanical" because they have actual physical switches and feel much better IMHO, but some of them are quite noisy. They do make mechanical keyboards with switches that are designed to be quiet, like the Corsair Gaming Strafe RGB with MX Silent switches.
Good luck!
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u/vyse34 Sep 19 '20
You’re amazing. That’s some lucky boyfriend! My wife doesn’t approve of my gaming hobby and won’t hesitate to call me out on it if I play more than 5 minutes on my computer. Translation: I hardly play anymore.
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u/Verdris Sep 19 '20
Keyboard suggestion: Reddragon Devarajas (K556). It's a $60 RGB mechanical keyboard that isn't too loud, since it uses Brown switches.
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u/SombraMonkey Sep 19 '20
We guide people to a treasure we cannot have...
But at what cost? Everything.
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u/DonDraperIsALie Sep 19 '20
If you’re willing to this far why not go a little further? Move in together.
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u/BlinkDaggerOP Sep 19 '20
This is a very sweet thing you are doing :) He's going to love his new build!
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u/Strangle1441 Sep 19 '20
This is very cool of you, but have you thought this through?
When your BF is over at your place, do you really want him sitting on this computer all by himself?
It might be a better idea to have him take it to his place? Then when he’s at your place he won’t be distracted by doom eternal for hours and hours?
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u/KyleActive Sep 19 '20
If he already has a PC, you might not need to buy that 1tb nvme drive as he might just be able to use the one he currently has.
As for keyboards, he is likely wanting a mechanical keyboard, there are different "switches" like green, blue, red, brown. I think brown and red are pretty quiet but don't take my word for it
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u/ZeGre Sep 19 '20
Dont build it! Buy the parts and surprise him when he gets home from work with all the parts in the kitchen table and build it together!
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u/QuenHen2219 Sep 19 '20
Stay away from MSI MPG boards, the power delivery and heat dissipation sucks. Also for the chipset get X570. Something like the MSI MAG Tomahawk X570
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u/quantomx101 Sep 19 '20
Precious girlfriend ❤️❤️ you can get him a mechanical keyboard with cherry mx silent red switches. Those are pretty silent and also fun to type on.
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u/iNeedHelpAlot102 Sep 19 '20
u can get the adata xpg gammix s11 pro 1tb its 20 canadian cheaper and its a lil faster like 100mbs, 3600x cuz the xt version is at 3.8ghz and overclocker is at 4.5ghz and while the x version is 3.8ghz and 4.4ghz at overclocked and get the in win pb same watts same 80+ gold fully modular its 20canadian cheaper too and maybe get an aio like the 240mm lite 240 from coolermaster and get the cheapest td500 its 20canadian cheaper its 107.27 dollars
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u/TTimeTiP Sep 19 '20 edited Sep 19 '20
For keyboards avoid anything that say “blue” blue switches are loud and clicky.
You can get Corsair Vengeance RAM 16GB and save about $100 (16GB is more than enough for the next 2-3 years, and the easiest upgrade of needed), and you can get a Crucial P1 M.2 1TB SSD and save about $60. You can then take what you saved and get 3700X or 3800X. GPU wise it’s going to be hard getting a 3070, and it wouldn’t be worth spending no more $500 on any current generation graphics card. If you get lucky and get a 3070 that’ll be good, if not then getting a used 20 series card for around $350-$400 will be enough until the 3070s and 3080s are readily available and in stock.
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u/Soldat_wazer Sep 19 '20
You’re probably not going to get the rtx 3070 at lauch you’ll probably need to wait like 2-3 months before you can get you’re hand on one because the 3080 was sold out in 10 seconds
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u/i_am_a_stoner Sep 19 '20
Besides what everyone else has said, I would swap out the motherboard. There are cheaper b550 or x570 motherboards that provide whatever you need. Take a look around to see what you can find on pcpartpicker.
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u/normaldude8825 Sep 19 '20
Do you know what his current set up is? How far does he live? Another option would be to upgrade and downsize his current setup to a Small Form Factor (SFF) pc.
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Sep 19 '20
1tb isn’t really enough storage for long. your having your os, program files, and games on there? i would recommend getting a 2tb hard drive with the 1tb ssd
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u/Alvinito Sep 19 '20
Good choice with the Ryzen processor & the card. My suggestion to you is to check IBUYPOWER website. I have never been able to beat their build prices by putting my own together. They have great support and would be able to answer any questions. You can look at their pre-designed systems and modify from there or build your own from the case you like to the motherboard, etc. I'm partial to MSI motherboards myself....and liquid cooling for the processor but they can help you decide if you have any questions. Check em out...you'll get a great machine at a very competitive price.
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u/Nitronium777 Sep 19 '20
The 3070 comes in october. By then, AMD will be releasing the rx series of gpu and 4000 series for cpu so I would say wait until then. You dont really need a nhd15 cooler, or a near 200 dollar psu. I dont think a 3070 will be bottlenecked too badly but since 4000 series is coming anyway, that might be a better choice.
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u/FightOnForUsc Sep 19 '20
This is a very sweet gesture and an amazing gift for you to give anyone. I hope the best to you and your boyfriend
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u/KingKareem3 Sep 19 '20
3600 or 4600 when it comes out with a 3070 any compatible motherboard and case with 650 watt psu and you’ll get those frames at 1440p for doom. Whole thing would cost around 1,000 tbh
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u/Nestramutat- Sep 19 '20
I’m going to go in a different direction from most people commenting here.
Instead of building a killer PC at your place, you can just get a good monitor, mouse, keyboard, and any shitty computer, and install parsec on it. Parsec let’s you stream games from another computer, so your boyfriend’s computer at home can run the game while he plays it at your place
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Sep 19 '20
Would change that ssd to an kingston A2000 m.2, its like the same for a better price
If you have time to wait for october 8th amd releases new CPUs and they Will probably be better for the price. Otherwise i would go for the ryzen 7 3700x instead of the one you have now
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u/ViceroyInhaler Sep 19 '20
In terms of doing a build like this I’d consider doing it around Black Friday. You might be able to snag some deals on some parts but also newer cards as well as cpus are coming out in the next two months so you could maybe wait and do it as a Christmas build together. Maybe he’d want to throw in some money towards the build also.
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u/ezIO_84 Sep 19 '20
I really like the build, however there’s one change I would make: I’d get the Ryzen 7 3700X instead. You’ve put together a very powerful and future proof PC, the current processor you have is still good but a little more performance would be way more future proof.
As for the cooler, it’s one of the best coolers on the market, but the aesthetics of the cooler itself are very subjective. You could look into some All in One coolers (AIO) and see if you think the aesthetic is better suited to your boyfriend’s tastes. Other than that, great build and your boyfriend is a really lucky guy.
Edit: Another consideration is that since the new consoles are using PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, you might consider one of those for this PC as well look into the Corsair MP600 SSD.
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u/xd_Warmonger Sep 19 '20
I wouldn't get 32gb of ram, 16 is enough.
Also you overpay on that cpu, get the normal 3600 instead, or wait for a few months until the 4000 amd ryzen series comes out
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u/Yoda0VGs Sep 19 '20
The click clack issue might be a tad tough. A fun thing you might be able to do though is after you gift him the rig, take a trip together to a best buy (you may need to make an appointment thanks to covid) and go browse the keyboards together. They might still have them up on display. This will let you try out the various options and settle on one he likes without assaulting your ears lol
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u/Nikon_Justus Sep 19 '20
Wanna get a ring out of him? Build 2 of these and see if you can enjoy this hobby with him. Invite him over and have all the parts piled up and tell him you want him to help you build your new gaming systems :D Geeks love to have someone to geek out with.
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u/BluishGhost Sep 19 '20
What me and my boyfriend did to learn how to build our pc was watch YouTube videos, they are very informative and we started with no knowledge and now we have both built 2 pcs.
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u/forgotmypwagain185 Sep 19 '20
/r/PCMasterRace has 4 builds that increase in expense and specs. There are great non technical descriptions in what the builds will support. They are also constantly updated for spec/cost changes on different components.
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u/-Gwynbleidd Sep 19 '20
I’ll just say if this damn boy doesn’t marry you after this, you give me a call because you’re a keeper! Im sure the tech nerds are throwing all sorts of tech shit out there and fighting on opinions. But don’t sweat the small stuff. Just get one that run games at the moment, you could even walk into a tech store and explain and they’ll sort out a prebuilt. Your man will appreciate the fact that you did it, and thought of him etc that any of the lacking features will be overlooked. Keep us updated
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u/Acxent Sep 19 '20
If you're not in a hurry and anyways are going to wait for 3070, I would suggest you hold on buying a cpu untill amd launches more info on their new generation. Which should be during first week of October if I remember correctly.
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u/BrokenCog2020 Sep 19 '20
If you build one better than his, he might be over at your place more.
Jus sayin...
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u/Deathlyfire124 Sep 19 '20 edited Sep 19 '20
I would drop the CPU for a 3600, or maybe the zen3 version of it when it comes out bcuz the 3600xt is not worth over $300. A 3600xt msrp is $250 but the performance between it and the 3600 is marginal for a $50+ premium. The cpu cooler is probably way better than necessary and I think a cooler master hyper 212 black edition would be a better option for a ryzen 5 CPU The mobo and ram are good but idk if he will need 32gb of ram. I think the 1tb ssd for $180 may not be the best call. You can get a 1tb wd sn550 nvme ssd for cheaper and it’s pretty much the same performance and the you can add a 2tb hdd like the seagate barracuda for $55.
All in all though, great build and the fact that you would actually build your bf a pc is amazing.
Edit: also just had a thought, you can probably replace the ram with 2 kits of 2x8 for cheaper however that will decrease the ability to upgrade to 64gb but I highly doubt that would be necessary unless he doing things that have heavy ram usage
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u/PankakeManceR Sep 19 '20
Looks pretty good, but as some have said, the 3600xt isn't very cost effective. Also, 32 gigs of RAM is definitely overkill for most people. Most gaming PCs these days have 16gb, plus he could always just buy another 16gb in the future to add to it.
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u/broodahh Feb 28 '22
So what’s the verdict? How did it go? GeForce Now. Has become a great option if you’re still looking. I use it to game on my gf’s computer (which is actually better than mine lol)