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New Build - Cheap Entry-Level Gaming/Productivity PC

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383 (0.10/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Electra III
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 4.40 GHz (1.3 V)
Motherboard ASUS PRIME X570-PRO with BIOS 5003
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V1
Memory 32 GiB Kingston FURY Renegade RGB (DDR4-3600 16-20-20-39)
Video Card(s) PowerColor Fighter RX 6700 XT with Adrenalin 24.2.1
Storage 1 TiB Samsung 970 EVO Plus + 4 TB WD Red Pro
Display(s) Samsung U28R550Q + HP 22w
Case Fractal Design Focus G (Black)
Audio Device(s) Realtek HD Audio S1220A
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 W
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard MSI VIGOR GK71 SONIC Blue
Software Windows 10 21H2 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores CPU-Z = 542/4,479 — R15 = 212/1,741 — R20 = 510/3,980 — PM 10 = 2,784/19,911 — GB 5 = 1,316/7,564
Yes that is correct.

Keep in mind the TL-WN8200ND is designed to sit on the desk, so it might be uncomfortable to use on the sofa or on your lap as the cable will be dangling.

That's not a problem. I plan on using it with my desktop build, and so it'll most likely be put onto my desk. The fact that it's USB with a cable means that I can use it for both machines, as well as maneuver the adapter around to get the best signal. I was just unsure if external adapters had any disadvantages over internal cards, that's all. :)

Thanks!
 

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman
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Akasa 200Mbps Pluglinks with management for powerline internet/ethernet
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2013
Messages
383 (0.10/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Electra III
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 4.40 GHz (1.3 V)
Motherboard ASUS PRIME X570-PRO with BIOS 5003
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V1
Memory 32 GiB Kingston FURY Renegade RGB (DDR4-3600 16-20-20-39)
Video Card(s) PowerColor Fighter RX 6700 XT with Adrenalin 24.2.1
Storage 1 TiB Samsung 970 EVO Plus + 4 TB WD Red Pro
Display(s) Samsung U28R550Q + HP 22w
Case Fractal Design Focus G (Black)
Audio Device(s) Realtek HD Audio S1220A
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 W
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard MSI VIGOR GK71 SONIC Blue
Software Windows 10 21H2 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores CPU-Z = 542/4,479 — R15 = 212/1,741 — R20 = 510/3,980 — PM 10 = 2,784/19,911 — GB 5 = 1,316/7,564
I'm waiting for my TP-Link TL-8200ND to be delivered. According to Amazon, it should be here later today.
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2013
Messages
383 (0.10/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Electra III
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 4.40 GHz (1.3 V)
Motherboard ASUS PRIME X570-PRO with BIOS 5003
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V1
Memory 32 GiB Kingston FURY Renegade RGB (DDR4-3600 16-20-20-39)
Video Card(s) PowerColor Fighter RX 6700 XT with Adrenalin 24.2.1
Storage 1 TiB Samsung 970 EVO Plus + 4 TB WD Red Pro
Display(s) Samsung U28R550Q + HP 22w
Case Fractal Design Focus G (Black)
Audio Device(s) Realtek HD Audio S1220A
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 W
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard MSI VIGOR GK71 SONIC Blue
Software Windows 10 21H2 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores CPU-Z = 542/4,479 — R15 = 212/1,741 — R20 = 510/3,980 — PM 10 = 2,784/19,911 — GB 5 = 1,316/7,564
I've been meaning to post here for a while; whoops!

Okay, well the adapter did come and I've been using it for at least 2-3 weeks now, without any problems. What was once 2-3 bars most of the time, is now constantly 5 bars. I have the antennas pointing down (as I'm upstairs, while the router is downstairs), but its orientation doesn't really seem to impact the signal.

It was purchased for a smudge off of £12, so I'd say it was definitely worth it.


-----------

On another note, I've been thinking about my build recently and I've read up that the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO isn't that great? Are sleeve bearings louder or quieter than ball bearings?

Since the case is optimized for silent operation, and since I'm using Fractal's own fans for minimal noise, I think it's only right that I get a quiet but reputable processor cooler as well, without resorting to expensive water cooling.

Aside from the 212 EVO, I was also looking at the Enermax ETS-T40-TB with its "Twister bearing" (whatever that is) and the Be Quiet Shadow Rock 2 with a rifle bearing. I did look into Noctua fans but the color is hideous and I'm not too keen on their prices, so it's between these three.

I am aware that the Fractal Silent R2 fans use hydraulic bearings (which if I'm not mistaken are just fluid dynamic bearings?

I don't really want a sleeve bearing cooler if the noise level is going to be high, but the cheap price and the many, many positive reviews are persuading me to do so (although I know they aren't reviewing my specific needs). If it helps any, the ETS-T40-TB is only £5 more expensive than the 212 EVO, while the Shadow Rock 2 is £10 more expensive.

Many thanks, yet again!
 
Last edited:
Joined
May 18, 2010
Messages
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System Name My baby
Processor Athlon II X4 620 @ 3.5GHz, 1.45v, NB @ 2700Mhz, HT @ 2700Mhz - 24hr prime95 stable
Motherboard Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Cooling Sonic Tower Rev 2 with 120mm Akasa attached, Akasa @ Front, Xilence Red Wing 120mm @ Rear
Memory 8 GB G.Skills 1600Mhz
Video Card(s) ATI ASUS Crossfire 5850
Storage Crucial MX100 SATA 2.5 SSD
Display(s) Lenovo ThinkVision 27" (LEN P27h-10)
Case Antec VSK 2000 Black Tower Case
Audio Device(s) Onkyo TX-SR309 Receiver, 2x Kef Cresta 1, 1x Kef Center 20c
Power Supply OCZ StealthXstream II 600w, 4x12v/18A, 80% efficiency.
Software Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
I've been meaning to post here for a while; whoops!

Okay, well the adapter did come and I've been using it for at least 2-3 weeks now, without any problems. What was once 2-3 bars most of the time, is now constantly 5 bars. I have the antennas pointing down (as I'm upstairs, while the router is downstairs), but its orientation doesn't really seem to impact the signal.

It was purchased for a smudge off of £12, so I'd say it was definitely worth it.


-----------

On another note, I've been thinking about my build recently and I've read up that the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO isn't that great? Are sleeve bearings louder or quieter than ball bearings?

Since the case is optimized for silent operation, and since I'm using Fractal's own fans for minimal noise, I think it's only right that I get a quiet but reputable processor cooler as well, without resorting to expensive water cooling.

Aside from the 212 EVO, I was also looking at the Enermax ETS-T40-TB with its "Twister bearing" (whatever that is) and the Be Quiet Shadow Rock 2 with a rifle bearing. I did look into Noctua fans but the color is hideous and I'm not too keen on their prices, so it's between these three.

I am aware that the Fractal Silent R2 fans use hydraulic bearings (which if I'm not mistaken are just fluid dynamic bearings?

I don't really want a sleeve bearing cooler if the noise level is going to be high, but the cheap price and the many, many positive reviews are persuading me to do so (although I know they aren't reviewing my specific needs). If it helps any, the ETS-T40-TB is only £5 more expensive than the 212 EVO, while the Shadow Rock 2 is £10 more expensive.

Many thanks, yet again!

I don't know much about these specific coolers so it's probably best to look at individual reviews. If noise is your biggest concern I would go with the quietest. The Cooler Master Hyper noise level goes upto 36.0 dbA and pushes the least amount of airflow so I would avoid that. The Enermax is the quietest and cheapest and pushes virtually the same amount of airflow as the Be Quiet Shadow Rock 2. I'm looking at manufacturer specification which is under best conditions so look at independent reviews too.

Alternatively, you can buy a a passive heatsink like the Zalman FX70 and mount two of your own low decibel fans. The biggest noise from your PC will be the GPU whilst at 100% load when gaming. You should look into a passive heatsink for that too.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-097-ZA
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2013
Messages
383 (0.10/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Electra III
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 4.40 GHz (1.3 V)
Motherboard ASUS PRIME X570-PRO with BIOS 5003
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V1
Memory 32 GiB Kingston FURY Renegade RGB (DDR4-3600 16-20-20-39)
Video Card(s) PowerColor Fighter RX 6700 XT with Adrenalin 24.2.1
Storage 1 TiB Samsung 970 EVO Plus + 4 TB WD Red Pro
Display(s) Samsung U28R550Q + HP 22w
Case Fractal Design Focus G (Black)
Audio Device(s) Realtek HD Audio S1220A
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 W
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard MSI VIGOR GK71 SONIC Blue
Software Windows 10 21H2 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores CPU-Z = 542/4,479 — R15 = 212/1,741 — R20 = 510/3,980 — PM 10 = 2,784/19,911 — GB 5 = 1,316/7,564
I don't know much about these specific coolers so it's probably best to look at individual reviews. If noise is your biggest concern I would go with the quietest. The Cooler Master Hyper noise level goes upto 36.0 dbA and pushes the least amount of airflow so I would avoid that. The Enermax is the quietest and cheapest and pushes virtually the same amount of airflow as the Be Quiet Shadow Rock 2. I'm looking at manufacturer specification which is under best conditions so look at independent reviews too.

Alternatively, you can buy a a passive heatsink like the Zalman FX70 and mount two of your own low decibel fans. The biggest noise from your PC will be the GPU whilst at 100% load when gaming. You should look into a passive heatsink for that too.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-097-ZA

The Enermax cooler sounds like it's too good to be true. Is Enermax a reputable brand? I've never heard of it before. Here is a spreadsheet that I compiled together with all three of my choices, alongside my case fans (blue).

And according to this article, the GPU's noise level reaches 47.7 dBA at full load. Full load will probably be highly unlikely for the tasks I want to do, and when I am gaming, I think only GTA V will tax the GPU enough to require such a high fan RPM.
 
Joined
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Messages
3,427 (0.68/day)
System Name My baby
Processor Athlon II X4 620 @ 3.5GHz, 1.45v, NB @ 2700Mhz, HT @ 2700Mhz - 24hr prime95 stable
Motherboard Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Cooling Sonic Tower Rev 2 with 120mm Akasa attached, Akasa @ Front, Xilence Red Wing 120mm @ Rear
Memory 8 GB G.Skills 1600Mhz
Video Card(s) ATI ASUS Crossfire 5850
Storage Crucial MX100 SATA 2.5 SSD
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Case Antec VSK 2000 Black Tower Case
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Power Supply OCZ StealthXstream II 600w, 4x12v/18A, 80% efficiency.
Software Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
The Enermax cooler sounds like it's too good to be true. Is Enermax a reputable brand? I've never heard of it before. Here is a spreadsheet that I compiled together with all three of my choices, alongside my case fans (blue).


Enermax I know from PSUs, its reputable brand. Overclockers Club reviewed it and had only good words about it.

It scored OK in Hardware Secrets.


Overclock 3D gave it a good review too, said its toastier than others but it is certainly one of the quieter ones. They said " full speed of 1800rpm the fan was outputting it's maximum 26dBA". Which is within the manufacturers claims of 16BA to 26BA.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/enermax_ets_t40/5.htm
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Enermax-ETS-T40-White-Cluster-CPU-Cooler-Review/1783/8
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/enermax_ets-t40_cpu_cooler/4

Saying that if you buy a passive heatsink like the Zalman FX70 or my Sonic Tower Rev 2 and you can certainly attach a better fan that will be quieter than 26BA at load.

And according to this article, the GPU's noise level reaches 47.7 dBA at full load. Full load will probably be highly unlikely for the tasks I want to do, and when I am gaming, I think only GTA V will tax the GPU enough to require such a high fan RPM.

Going by that review the GPU will always be noisy whilst gaming.

30% fan is it's slowest perameter and its already @ 31dBA. That is heading towards loud already.

GPU coolers are not built as well as CPU coolers. A decent CPU cooler at 100% fan is still tolerable. A GPU stock fan at 60% is like a jet engine. The difference between a GPU at 60% and 100% isn't much it will sound loud either way. Notice how its 41.3 dbA at 60% fan and 47dBA at 100% fan.

Also the sensor in the GPU is often programmed to control the fan in ten percent increments. 20%, 30%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 90%, 100%. So the wind up isn't always gradual. It can go from 20% fan whilst idle on the desktop to 60% jet engine in a few minutes of launching any semi intensive game.

The GPU's fan sensor is often determined by the temperature not only the GPUs usage (although usage will determine the temperature to some degree). At idle your GPU will be around 40-60c before you even launch any games. Realistically even the most moderately intensive game will send it to over 80c. Most games will bring it to 90c - 110c after a session at that temperature your fan will be loud. Often its programmed something like: If 3D application launched < 50c = 30%; >50c = 50%; >60c<80c = 60%; >80c =100%.

Right now my GPUs at 50c idle.

Edit: Keep in mind a GPU can operate at much higher temperatures than a CPU, so there is little incentive for the manufacturers to equip it with anything half decent.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 26, 2013
Messages
383 (0.10/day)
Location
Midlands, UK
System Name Electra III
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 4.40 GHz (1.3 V)
Motherboard ASUS PRIME X570-PRO with BIOS 5003
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V1
Memory 32 GiB Kingston FURY Renegade RGB (DDR4-3600 16-20-20-39)
Video Card(s) PowerColor Fighter RX 6700 XT with Adrenalin 24.2.1
Storage 1 TiB Samsung 970 EVO Plus + 4 TB WD Red Pro
Display(s) Samsung U28R550Q + HP 22w
Case Fractal Design Focus G (Black)
Audio Device(s) Realtek HD Audio S1220A
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 W
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2S
Keyboard MSI VIGOR GK71 SONIC Blue
Software Windows 10 21H2 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores CPU-Z = 542/4,479 — R15 = 212/1,741 — R20 = 510/3,980 — PM 10 = 2,784/19,911 — GB 5 = 1,316/7,564
Enermax I know from PSUs, its reputable brand. Overclockers Club reviewed it and had only good words about it.

It scored OK in Hardware Secrets.


Overclock 3D gave it a good review too, said its toastier than other but it is certainly one of the quieter ones. They said " full speed of 1800rpm the fan was outputting it's maximum 26dBA". Which is within the manufacturers claims of 16BA to 26BA.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/enermax_ets_t40/5.htm
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Enermax-ETS-T40-White-Cluster-CPU-Cooler-Review/1783/8
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/enermax_ets-t40_cpu_cooler/4

Saying that if you buy a passive heatsink like the Zalman FX70 or my Sonic Tower Rev 2 and you can certainly attach a better fan that will be quieter than 26BA at load.



Going by that review the GPU will always be noisy whilst gaming.

30% fan is it's slowest perameter and its already @ 31dBA. That is heading towards loud already.

GPU coolers are not built as well as CPU coolers. A decent CPU cooler at 100% fan is still tolerable. A GPU stock fan at 60% is like a jet engine. The difference between a GPU at 60% and 100% isn't much it will sound loud either way. Notice how its 41.3 dbA at 60% fan and 47dBA at 100% fan.

Also the sensor in the GPU is often programmed to control the fan in ten percent increments. 20%, 30%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 90%, 100%. So the wind up isn't always gradual. It can go from 20% fan whilst idle on the desktop to 60% jet engine in a few minutes of launching any semi intensive game.

The GPU's fan sensor is often determined by the temperature not only the GPUs usage (although usage will determine the temperature to some degree). At idle your GPU will be around 40-60c before you even launch any games. Realistically even the most moderately intensive game will send it to over 80c. Most games will bring it to 90c - 110c after a session at that temperature your fan will be loud. Often its programmed something like: If 3D application launched < 50c = 30%; >50c = 50%; >60c<80c = 60%; >60c =100%


That would make sense. Thanks for the insight!

I'm happy with the noise levels of the selected hardware and I don't particularly feel comfortable going into liquid cooling. I might buy a better CPU cooler in the future, but I think I can live with 40 dBA. The house environment will most likely be louder than that, anyway. :p

As long as the parts I've chosen are reputable, I'm happy. Out of interest, would you be able to help me with this thread? :)

Many thanks!

Corrected spreadsheet CFM figures for Enermax cooler; I used the wrong formula!
 
Last edited:
Joined
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Messages
3,427 (0.68/day)
System Name My baby
Processor Athlon II X4 620 @ 3.5GHz, 1.45v, NB @ 2700Mhz, HT @ 2700Mhz - 24hr prime95 stable
Motherboard Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Cooling Sonic Tower Rev 2 with 120mm Akasa attached, Akasa @ Front, Xilence Red Wing 120mm @ Rear
Memory 8 GB G.Skills 1600Mhz
Video Card(s) ATI ASUS Crossfire 5850
Storage Crucial MX100 SATA 2.5 SSD
Display(s) Lenovo ThinkVision 27" (LEN P27h-10)
Case Antec VSK 2000 Black Tower Case
Audio Device(s) Onkyo TX-SR309 Receiver, 2x Kef Cresta 1, 1x Kef Center 20c
Power Supply OCZ StealthXstream II 600w, 4x12v/18A, 80% efficiency.
Software Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
That would make sense. Thanks for the insight!

I'm happy with the noise levels of the selected hardware and I don't particularly feel comfortable going into liquid cooling. I might buy a better CPU cooler in the future, but I think I can live with 40 dBA. The house environment will most likely be louder than that, anyway. :p

As long as the parts I've chosen are reputable, I'm happy. Out of interest, would you be able to help me with this thread? :)

Many thanks!

40dBA at peak isn't bad, it isn't silent but its definitely audible, you only hear the loudest component. So you won't hear the CPU cooler over the much louder GPU cooler. The best way to test it is to run a benchmark like 3D Mark on high detail. Loop it for 3 rounds. Then ask yourself can I game in this environment

Ok sure.
 
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