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Thoughts and/or changes

Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
2,084 (1.28/day)
Location
Alaska USA
I was going to do a build this month and now it's looking like an April or even a May build due to the video card shortage. I haven't gamed in years but I came across a youtube video of a game called CoD Warzone and that game looked like a blast.

Windows 10 Home 64 Bit USB $120

https://www.newegg.com/black-corsair-carbide-series-175r-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811139141
CORSAIR Carbide Series 175R RGB Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case, Black $67.75

https://www.newegg.com/seasonic-core-series-core-gm-550-550w/p/N82E16817151243
Seasonic CORE GM-550, 550W 80+ Gold, Semi-Modular, Fan Control in Silent and Cooling Mode $79.99

https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z590 Pro4/index.asp
ASRock Z590 Pro4 $150 - $160 if I had to guess.

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-10400f-core-i5-10th-gen/p/N82E16819118132
Intel Core i5-10400F $164.99

https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-hyper-212-black-edition-rr-212s-20pk-r1/p/N82E16835103278
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition CPU Air Cooler $39.99

https://www.newegg.com/ballistix-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820164176
Crucial Ballistix 3200 MHz DDR4 DRAM Desktop Memory Kit 16GB (8GBx2) CL16 BL2K8G32C16U4B $76.99

https://www.newegg.com/mushkin-enhanced-raw-series-1tb/p/N82E16820226908
Mushkin Enhanced RAW Series 2.5" 1TB SATA III 3D TLC Internal SSD MKNSSDRW1TB $81.99

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Wi-Fi-Gig-Desktop-AX200-NGWG-NV/dp/B085M7VPDP
Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) Desktop Kit, AX200, 2230, 2x2 AX+BT, vPro $24.99

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/30-series/rtx-3060-3060ti/
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 $329.00 (RTX 3060 Coming Late February)

 
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Gray market window keys will save you $100.
 
Put that $100 into a better psu.

750w modular gold if you can.

Seasonic focus+/Prime GX/PX/TX are the ones to go for.
 
Put that $100 into a better psu.

750w modular gold if you can.

Seasonic focus+/Prime GX/PX/TX are the ones to go for.
That's a Seasonic semi modular 80+ gold in the OP. Nvidia recommends a 550w psu for the 3060 and a 600w psu for the 3060 Ti (system included).
 
Also, if I may chime in here? If you need wi-fi, either get a board that comes with it (antenna, etc.) or buy a PCIe x1 card. I can tell you this from experience, that Intel wi-fi kit blows. Short of having to super glue the microscopic pins to the card itself, you can't go two seconds without the damn things popping out of the connector points on the card. That, and the wires for the antenna ports are stupid thin (flimsy garbage). After fighting with the wires (see above) for 20 minutes, I packed the damn thing up and sent it back to Amazon. Ended up exchanging it for a PCIe x1 wifi card from TPLink and couldn't be happier with it.
 
Also, if I may chime in here? If you need wi-fi, either get a board that comes with it (antenna, etc.) or buy a PCIe x1 card. I can tell you this from experience, that Intel wi-fi kit blows. Short of having to super glue the microscopic pins to the card itself, you can't go two seconds without the damn things popping out of the connector points on the card. That, and the wires for the antenna ports are stupid thin (flimsy garbage). After fighting with the wires (see above) for 20 minutes, I packed the damn thing up and sent it back to Amazon. Ended up exchanging it for a PCIe x1 wifi card from TPLink and couldn't be happier with it.
Something like this then? btw thanks for the heads up.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Bluetooth-Ultra-Low-Archer-TX3000E/dp/B07ZV2CJL2/ref=sr_1_8
TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 PCIe WiFi Card $49.99
 
That's a Seasonic semi modular 80+ gold in the OP. Nvidia recommends a 550w psu for the 3060 and a 600w psu for the 3060 Ti (system included).
That's nice. And as everyone knows, people never update their GPUs.

The point of a PC is modularity and an upgrade path.

Buying a 550w PSU is anathema to that.

A good quality 750w PSU will last 5-10 years of hardware upgrade cycles reliably.

Something like this then? btw thanks for the heads up.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Bluetooth-Ultra-Low-Archer-TX3000E/dp/B07ZV2CJL2/ref=sr_1_8
TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 PCIe WiFi Card $49.99
Do not spend $50 on a wifi card. Spend $50 on a better motherboard which comes with wifi, and also lots of other improvements.
 
You better have a backup plan for GPU the likelihood of you getting a 3060 around MSRP are slim to none. The cards will likely last less than 5 seconds. Regardless of what Nvidia sets the price at expect AIB to cost 400 ish.

As you can see even though the MSRP for the 3060 ti is 399 there is nothing cheaper than 460....





This monitor is better for around the same money.
 
That's nice. And as everyone knows, people never update their GPUs.

The point of a PC is modularity and an upgrade path.

Buying a 550w PSU is anathema to that.

A good quality 750w PSU will last 5-10 years of hardware upgrade cycles reliably.
tbh I haven't done any gaming in about 12 years. I don't see myself going the 1440 rout anytime soon (I'm cheap). That monitor in the OP will be my very first so called 'gaming monitor' and I'll be content if I average 100 fps with that CoD Warzone. If the reviews suck for the 3060 then I'll size up to a 650w psu and a 3060 Ti.
 
If you can wait until September-December, then Intel's Alder Lake will be a big performance jump. Also, it will feature DDR5, PCIe5 and be built on the 10nm process.

I've got this ancient 2700K (see specs) that I want to upgrade, but I think it's worth waiting.

Just my 2 cents, no absolute right or wrong here.
 
You better have a backup plan for GPU the likelihood of you getting a 3060 around MSRP are slim to none. The cards will likely last less than 5 seconds. Regardless of what Nvidia sets the price at expect AIB to cost 400 ish.

As you can see even though the MSRP for the 3060 ti is 399 there is nothing cheaper than 460....


Bestbuy sticks to the MSRP for the FE cards and they have a decent system in order to keep the bots out .. but you're right about the pricing on the non FE cards .. those things go up in price every time I check .. which is about once a week for this past month. =/
 
Bestbuy sticks to the MSRP for the FE cards and they have a decent system in order to keep the bots out .. but you're right about the pricing on the non FE cards .. those things go up in price every time I check .. which is about once a week for this past month. =/


I could be wrong but I don't think there will be an FE Variant of the 3060.... and all gpu got a price hike due to tariffs.


if you care about cooling performance whatsoever this is a much better case as well for less money.

 
You better have a backup plan for GPU the likelihood of you getting a 3060 around MSRP are slim to none. The cards will likely last less than 5 seconds. Regardless of what Nvidia sets the price at expect AIB to cost 400 ish.

As you can see even though the MSRP for the 3060 ti is 399 there is nothing cheaper than 460....





This monitor is better for around the same money.
I like the stand on that monitor you linked. The one I was looking at (in the OP) doesn't have height adjustment.
 
tbh I haven't done any gaming in about 12 years. I don't see myself going the 1440 rout anytime soon (I'm cheap). That monitor in the OP will be my very first so called 'gaming monitor' and I'll be content if I average 100 fps with that CoD Warzone. If the reviews suck for the 3060 then I'll size up to a 650w psu and a 3060 Ti.
Just because you don't want to upgrade now, doesn't mean it's a bad idea to not have the option in future.
 
I like the stand on that monitor you linked. The one I was looking at (in the OP) doesn't have height adjustment.

Yeah that is worth the extra 10 bucks alone imho but honestly its just a better monitor period....




I agree with @Toothless @dgianstefani ditch the 120 windows key and get yourself a 10 usd oem pro key and use the rest on the build. A solid 650w+ psu gives you much better piece of mind @Why_Me
 
I could be wrong but I don't think there will be an FE Variant of the 3060.... and all gpu got a price hike due to tariffs.


if you care about cooling performance whatsoever this is a much better case as well for less money.

Plus 100 for the fan speed controller on that case you linked. :)

You better have a backup plan for GPU the likelihood of you getting a 3060 around MSRP are slim to none. The cards will likely last less than 5 seconds. Regardless of what Nvidia sets the price at expect AIB to cost 400 ish.

As you can see even though the MSRP for the 3060 ti is 399 there is nothing cheaper than 460....





This monitor is better for around the same money.
If those cards go for $400+ I'm thinking I'd be better off going with the 3060 Ti and a 650w psu.

If you can wait until September-December, then Intel's Alder Lake will be a big performance jump. Also, it will feature DDR5, PCIe5 and be built on the 10nm process.

I've got this ancient 2700K (see specs) that I want to upgrade, but I think it's worth waiting.

Just my 2 cents, no absolute right or wrong here.
I might end up going that route if these RTX 30XX cards don't become available any time soon. I live in Alaska and the only time I have for gaming is during the winter months due to my work schedule. The first time in 12 years I decide to give PC gaming a shot and low and behold there's no video cards to be had.

Also, if I may chime in here? If you need wi-fi, either get a board that comes with it (antenna, etc.) or buy a PCIe x1 card. I can tell you this from experience, that Intel wi-fi kit blows. Short of having to super glue the microscopic pins to the card itself, you can't go two seconds without the damn things popping out of the connector points on the card. That, and the wires for the antenna ports are stupid thin (flimsy garbage). After fighting with the wires (see above) for 20 minutes, I packed the damn thing up and sent it back to Amazon. Ended up exchanging it for a PCIe x1 wifi card from TPLink and couldn't be happier with it.
Did you screw your wi fi card in? After reading the Amazon reviews that kit doesn't always come with a screw (small laptop screw works) and because of that they had problems with the card wanting to pop out of the slot.

Both of these vids show them screwing that card in.


 
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I might end up going that route if these RTX 30XX cards don't become available any time soon. I live in Alaska and the only time I have for gaming is during the winter months due to my work schedule. The first time in 12 years I decide to give PC gaming a shot and low and behold there's no video cards to be had.
lol that's irony writ large. Hope you manage to get your upgrade.
 
Changes to that build in the OP and a big thanks to everyone for the help. After reading a few reviews and watching those youtube vids I think I'm going to stick with that Intel wi fi 6 kit. I have a few old laptops lying around that I can borrow a screw out of if that kit doesn't come with one.

https://www.newegg.com/black-phanteks-eclipse-p400a-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811854085
Phanteks Eclipse P400A PH-EC400ATG_BK01 Black Steel / Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $69.99

https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z590 Pro4/index.asp
ASRock Z590 Pro4 $150 - $160 if I had to guess.

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-10400f-core-i5-10th-gen/p/N82E16819118132
Intel Core i5-10400F $164.99

https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-hyper-212-black-edition-rr-212s-20pk-r1/p/N82E16835103278
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition CPU Air Cooler $39.99

https://www.newegg.com/ballistix-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820164176
Crucial Ballistix 3200 MHz DDR4 DRAM Desktop Memory Kit 16GB (8GBx2) CL16 BL2K8G32C16U4B $76.99

https://www.newegg.com/mushkin-enhanced-raw-series-1tb/p/N82E16820226908
Mushkin Enhanced RAW Series 2.5" 1TB SATA III 3D TLC Internal SSD MKNSSDRW1TB $81.99

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Wi-Fi-Gig-Desktop-AX200-NGWG-NV/dp/B085M7VPDP
Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) Desktop Kit, AX200, 2230, 2x2 AX+BT, vPro $24.99

https://www.amazon.com/AOC-24G2-Frameless-Adjustable-Guarantee/dp/B07WVN6CWT/ref=sr_1_2
AOC 24G2 24" Frameless Gaming IPS Monitor, FHD 1080P, 1ms 144Hz, Freesync, HDMI/DP/VGA, Height Adjustable $179.99


If the RTX 3060 turns out to be a hose job .. either price wise and/or performance wise then I'll go with something like this with the psu & gpu.

https://www.newegg.com/seasonic-core-series-core-gm-650-650w/p/N82E16817151244
Seasonic CORE GM-650, 650W 80+ Gold, Semi-Modular, Fan Control in Silent and Cooling Mode $89.99

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/nvidia...-card-steel-and-black/6439402.p?skuId=6439402
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card $399.99
 
I would wait for reviews on that board... Asrocks budget z490 boards where the worse in the general price range of 150-200 usd. I'm guessing after they were trashed they will improve the z590 boards but you never know.

 
Most of these changes are compromises between what you originally had and what we're actually suggesting.

Unless you believe you are better at interpreting reviews and such, it's a little unwise IMO to make compromise choices that people on this forum aren't directly recommending.

My advice, put a pcpartpicker list with manual prices, and we can show you what you can get for the same price.

Otherwise people will quickly lose interest in giving advice if you do not take it.
 
I would wait for reviews on that board... Asrocks budget z490 boards where the worse in the general price range of 150-200 usd. I'm guessing after they were trashed they will improve the z590 boards but you never know.

That's not good. =/

Any thoughts on this board? It has the M.2 Key E slot for that intel wi fi 6 kit. I'm thinking its going to go for somewhere around $220 if I had to guess. More than what I was planning on spending for a board but if it doesn't suck its worth the extra cost imo.

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z590 Extreme/index.us.asp

https://www.anandtech.com/show/16347/the-intel-z590-overview/6


Most of these changes are compromises between what you originally had and what we're actually suggesting.

Unless you believe you are better at interpreting reviews and such, it's a little unwise IMO to make compromise choices that people on this forum aren't directly recommending.

My advice, put a pcpartpicker list with manual prices, and we can show you what you can get for the same price.

Otherwise people will quickly lose interest in giving advice if you do not take it.
I must have missed something. Not sure why the need for PC part picker when I posted my intended build in the OP. I got some good advice imo for a case, monitor along with possible changes to my intended psu, and gpu hence the changes in my build.
 
That's not good. =/

Any thoughts on this board? It has the M.2 Key E slot for that intel wi fi 6 kit. I'm thinking its going to go for somewhere around $220 if I had to guess. More than what I was planning on spending for a board but if it doesn't suck its worth the extra cost imo.

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z590 Extreme/index.us.asp

https://www.anandtech.com/show/16347/the-intel-z590-overview/6



I must have missed something. Not sure why the need for PC part picker when I posted my intended build in the OP. I got some good advice imo for a case, monitor along with possible changes to my intended psu, and gpu hence the changes in my build.
It's very simple, we can use pcpartpicker to rapidly throw together a list, instead of spending 20 minutes manually typing out everything.

Wifi 6/6e is integral part of any decent motherboard, so you're still going your own way and buying separate motherboard/wifi.

You've upped the wattage of the PSU, but it's still entry level, and are still spending more money on aftermarket wifi, instead of saving money by just buying a motherboard which has what you need, and putting those dollars into a higher tier PSU.

You aren't really getting the spirit of what we are saying.

Also $82 for a B tier sata 1TB SSD is a total rip off. You can get a good NVMe drive for that price.
So much easier to fix with just comparing two lists on PCPP.

3200/16 ram is a joke for $75, 3600/16 or 3200/14 kits can be had for that price.

I can continue to waste my time picking holes in each part of your build, and you can continue to make silly compromises one at a time, or you could try listening to what I'm saying.
 
It's very simple, we can use pcpartpicker to rapidly throw together a list, instead of spending 20 minutes manually typing out everything.

Wifi 6/6e is integral part of any decent motherboard, so you're still going your own way and buying separate motherboard/wifi.

You've upped the wattage of the PSU, but it's still entry level, and are still spending more money on aftermarket wifi, instead of saving money by just buying a motherboard which has what you need, and putting those dollars into a higher tier PSU.

You aren't really getting the spirit of what we are saying.

Also $82 for a B tier sata 1TB SSD is a total rip off. You can get a good NVMe drive for that price.
So much easier to fix with just comparing two lists on PCPP.

3200/16 ram is a joke for $75, 3600/16 or 3200/14 kits can be had for that price.

I can continue to waste my time picking holes in each part of your build, and you can continue to make silly compromises one at a time, or you could try listening to what I'm saying.
MSI boards come with wi fi 5 and I want wi fi 6. Asus boards have their own version of wi fi 6 as do the Asrock boards that come with wi fi installed. I'd rather go with the intel wi fi instead of an aftermarket one such as Asus and Asrock seeing how you never know what you're getting. As far as the psu goes ... 650w for a 3060 Ti, 750w for the 3070 (1440), and 750w for the 3080 and 3090 (4K resolution). I have no intentions of gaming with anything above 1080P. btw if you can find a set of 16GB 3200 CL16 for cheaper than that set of Balistix I posted then go for it. The only decent set of RAM that is cheaper (not some off the wall brand) is the G.Skill Aegis and its only $2 cheaper and it doesn't come with heatsinks. I came to this board because I wanted some outside feedback and I got some good advice imo on the case, monitor and possible video card+ gpu change if the 3060 is a hose job. As far as PC partpicker goes .. I don't plan on ordering from a half dozen outlets. I live in Alaska so I usually use Newegg to piece together a build and then I search for it on Amazon for the free shipping to here.

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i5-10400f/15.html <--- this review. The green highlight was done with 16GB of 3200MHz CL16 RAM and stock multiplier for the block. If this was an AMD build then for sure I'd be looking at 3600Mhz RAM.
 
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Something like this then? btw thanks for the heads up.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Bluetooth-Ultra-Low-Archer-TX3000E/dp/B07ZV2CJL2/ref=sr_1_8
TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 PCIe WiFi Card $49.99

That would work just fine! :D

Also, a bit more advice, avoid ASRock's so-called Z490 Phantom Gaming boards (excluding the PG Velocita) because, as Hardware Unboxed (and anyone with even a lick of PC sense) notes, they're complete trash and a Z490 board in NOTHING but name. And their Z590 boards in this line up look just as pitiful. Only ASRock boards I'd consider are the Extreme, Taichi, and PG Velocita lines.

Another thing, there's nothing to worry about if going with wi-fi from ASUS or any of the other companies. Besides that, if you get a board with wi-fi included, all the work has already been done for you -- all you need to do is screw in the wi-fi caps to the board and you're good to go!
 
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