PC Building Guide and Discussion #13

[Osprey]

That whole part of the article in which the author comes up with $1500 sounds firmly tongue in cheek. Does anyone, including him, really think that the monthly mortgage on a house on Zillow is a clue as to the MSRP of a GPU that won't be out for at least 4 months?

 

[Papa Francouz]

That whole part of the article in which the author comes up with $1500 sounds firmly tongue in cheek. Does anyone, including him, really think that the monthly mortgage on a house on Zillow is a clue as to the MSRP of GPU that won't be out for at least 4 months?

I read it as being tongue in cheek, as well, but given the 2080 Ti is $1200+, it wouldn't surprise me to see Nvidia price their highest-end 3000 series card even higher than the 2080 Ti.

I do recall some mention of the 3000 series being cheaper than the 2000 series, so I could be totally off-base on this (and I really hope I am). I'm just preparing myself and my wallet for the possibility that the 3080 Ti is more expensive than the 2080 Ti, in which case I'll probably spring for a 2080 Ti since I know it will be good for at least the next 5 years or so.

 

[aleshemsky83]

I'm thinking about upgrading my GPU to the 2070 Super so I can comfortably play COD at 1440P. Would that make sense with my current setup?

CPU: Intel Core i5-9400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI B360I GAMING PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory
Storage: SanDisk SSD PLUS 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card
Case: Silverstone SG13 Mini ITX Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair SF 450 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Custom: SilverStone Technology Universal ATX to SFX Power Supply Bracket RL-PP08B

Checked psu calculator and it recommended a 450 W psu, so it should be fine.

As for the CPU, more than enough for 60 fps.

 

[Osprey]

Since no one else has mentioned it yet, what the Nvidia guy was taking out of the oven was, indeed, Ampere based, but it was not their next desktop GPU. It was a workstation beast that included many cards and 128-core Intel CPUs. Apparently, they've already donated one to coronavirus research and the estimated price tag is about $200,000 (and you thought that $1500 seemed expensive).

 

[Ricelund]

This is my gaming setup:

CPU: Intel Core i5-9400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI B360I GAMING PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory
Storage: SanDisk SSD PLUS 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card
Case: Silverstone SG13 Mini ITX Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair SF 450 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Custom: SilverStone Technology Universal ATX to SFX Power Supply Bracket RL-PP08B

Checked psu calculator and it recommended a 450 W psu, so it should be fine.

As for the CPU, more than enough for 60 fps.

Weird question here... I ended up buying the 2070 Super but don't have the 6-pin PCIe cable I need to connect it to my PSU. I'm having a strangely hard time finding it online. Can someone help?

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

Weird question here... I ended up buying the 2070 Super but don't have a the 6-pin PCIe cable I need to connect it to my PSU. I'm having a strangely hard time finding it online. Can someone help?

You use the 6+2 PCI connector cable from your PSU, it splits at the end between with a 6 pin and a '+2' pin. Together they are used for GPUs that need 8-pin connectors but in your case you just need to use the 6-pin portion.

 

[Ricelund]

You use the 6+2 PCI connector cable from your PSU, it splits at the end between with a 6 pin and a '+2' pin. Together they are used for GPUs that need 8-pin connectors but in your case you just need to use the 6-pin portion.

Awesome, thanks. Will this one work?

I'm out of town now and the extra cables are at my apartment (the PSU is modular).

 

[SniperHF]

I'm out of town now and the extra cables are at my apartment (the PSU is modular).

It looks right, but I'd prefer a part that's genuine if it were my comp.

 

[Osprey]

It looks right, but I'd prefer a part that's genuine if it were my comp.

Pfft. Where's the fun in that? Where's the joy in ordering a knockoff for a fraction of the cost that ends up working just fine or the excitement that comes from noticing that your case is smoking? If you want genuine (genuinely boring), buy a pre-built Dell.

 

[Ricelund]

Message received... I’ll order from Corsair.

 

[Papa Francouz]

I’m building my first desktop, and I’ve been looking for the PSU and mobo for my build for over a month now and they’re never in stock anywhere. Is this commonplace, or is right now just the worst possible time to be building a PC?

 

[LT]

I’m building my first desktop, and I’ve been looking for the PSU and mobo for my build for over a month now and they’re never in stock anywhere. Is this commonplace, or is right now just the worst possible time to be building a PC?

I am having the same issues. Have only found very shitty or horribly expensive options available at any online retailer.

I’d imagine it’s just a bad time, maybe production stopped for a while due to the virus. But it seems like these are issues that have existed for a couple years, supposedly due to demand in China?

 

[Papa Francouz]

I am having the same issues. Have only found very shitty or horribly expensive options available at any online retailer.

I’d imagine it’s just a bad time, maybe production stopped for a while due to the virus. But it seems like these are issues that have existed for a couple years, supposedly due to demand in China?

Well, that sucks. I was hoping it was a temporary issue due to the pandemic, but if it's something that's been happening for a while then I imagine I'll be playing the waiting game for quite some time.

I know most PSUs are manufactured in China and their production took a big hit at the start of all of this, but I was under the impression things were back to normal for their manufacturing over there. Are motherboards also manufactured in China? I wonder where my issue with finding that component is coming from.

 

[Commander Clueless]

It's definitely gotten much worse during the pandemic, but you did have to watch prices closely even before that.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

 

[Osprey]

This is definitely not a good time to build a system because parts, especially power supplies, are so hard to find in stock. That said, next month could be worse if what's in stock eventually runs out, so you may care to try to get the parts that you want ASAP.

Message received... I’ll order from Corsair.

FYI, I wasn't sending a message. I was joking about the smoking. I buy no-names and knockoffs whenever I can and rarely have problems.

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

Yeah, I definitely got lucky when I did my new build in late January when parts were available and shipping time was normal.
Although I got bit hard on a new monitor I ordered from Dell, (S3220DGF -- 32" 1440p). Ordered late Feb and it only just shipped last week, hopefully getting it in a few days.

 

[LT]

Should I be hesitant to buy a Used/Like New motherboard on Amazon? Seems like it’s from a reputable seller.

 

[SniperHF]

Should I be hesitant to buy a Used/Like New motherboard on Amazon? Seems like it’s from a reputable seller.

You can link it and I'll take a gander.

Used mobos are risky of course, but sometimes the only realistic option to replace something older.

I've bought at least a dozen used boards over the years and only ended up with one dud.

 

[LT]

You can link it and I'll take a gander.

Used mobos are risky of course, but sometimes the only realistic option to replace something older.

I've bought at least a dozen used boards over the years and only ended up with one dud.

ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, Dual M.2, 12+2 with Dr. MOS Power Stage, HDMI, DP, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Aura Sync RGB Lighting
It’s the only X570 in my price range I’ve seen in stock since I started looking. All the rest I’ve looked at seem to be out of stock everywhere until July.

 

[SniperHF]

ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, Dual M.2, 12+2 with Dr. MOS Power Stage, HDMI, DP, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Aura Sync RGB Lighting

If the price is right I'd roll the dice. Though I will say most people buy more motherboard than they really need so you could probably get something cheaper at least from a performance perspective.

 

[Osprey]

Speaking of buying more than you need and getting something cheaper, AMD reversed their decision about supporting upcoming Zen 3 CPUs on B450 motherboards a few days ago. They'll now allow motherboard manufacturers to offer BIOSes to B450 owners to support Zen 3. That eliminates one of the two reasons that I mentioned last week to choose X570 over B450, leaving only PCIe 4.0 vs 3.0. Considering that a B450 can be bought for under $100, though, going with one could save you almost $100, which could be worth it to you, LatvianTwist. It's an option, at least, especially if stocks are low.

 

[LT]

Speaking of buying more than you need and getting something cheaper, AMD reversed their decision about supporting upcoming Zen 3 CPUs on B450 motherboards a few days ago. They'll now allow motherboard manufacturers to offer BIOSes to B450 owners to support Zen 3. That eliminates one of the two reasons that I mentioned last week to choose X570 over B450, leaving only PCIe 4.0 vs 3.0. Considering that a B450 can be bought for under $100, though, going with one could save you almost $100, which could be worth it to you, LatvianTwist. It's an option, at least, especially if stocks are low.

Actually exactly what I was thinking after seeing that recent post. The new AMD CPUs seem backordered already too. I’m used to gaming exclusively on a Mac so I really don’t need anything terribly new or fancy, hence me leaning toward the B450 and a now slightly outdated processor.

 

[Osprey]

Actually exactly what I was thinking after seeing that recent post. The new AMD CPUs seem backordered already too. I’m used to gaming exclusively on a Mac so I really don’t need anything terribly new or fancy, hence me leaning toward the B450 and a now slightly outdated processor.

In that case, yeah, don't worry about getting the best or what's slightly more upgradeable in the future. A B450 and a Ryzen 3600 (no reason to go with 2600, since it's only $14 cheaper) would be a fine combination, especially for around $250.

 

[Ricelund]

Shot in the dark here.... anyone selling a DAN Case A4 or know where I can buy one? There's one on eBay I have my eye on but it's pretty expensive.