Building custom PCs.

Talk about anything that's not gloves here

Moderators: Jake, mrs uni

User avatar
Carrie Karkus
Glovely Diva
Posts: 323
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2016 4:13 am
Location: WA State.
Has thanked: 87 times
Been thanked: 116 times
Contact:

Building custom PCs.

Post by Carrie Karkus »

One of the biggest reasons I'm not as active as I'd like to be both here and on other sites--and especially with my artwork--is because of my computer.

I've been using a Dell Inspiron laptop for the past 7 years, and it's seen and been through Hell and back. Since February, I've been buying components to build a rig of my own. It's a dream I've had since my early teens and I'm finally making it come true. I've been pretty excited! I've not had the funds to add to my glove collection, unfortunately, but believe me: my hiatus will pay off. I'm even buying a pair of white cotton gloves to handle the motherboard, RAM, processor, and GPU with! :D

I should have my computer running as early as July. These are my components:

-DIYPC Solo-T1-R chassis (Will upgrade to this eventually)
-Raidmax Vampire 700W modular PSU
-Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD
-Intel Core i5-6500 Skylake CPU

I still have yet to get my motherboard, RAM, and my GPU. Mobo is coming next month, then the RAM in July. Then in August I'm finishing it off with the GPU, and my flatscreen will be my monitor. It's been a huge learning experience in more ways than one.

How many of you have built your own custom rigs? Have you paid someone to build your own custom PC? And do you think that I've got a good first-time build? I'd LOVE feedback on the last question. :)
violet666
Regular poster
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 7:20 pm
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: Building custom PCs.

Post by violet666 »

Add non -ferential cooling to the processor and SSD to the system, better HDD to Tischiba or WD.
chanelbleu
Regular poster
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2015 5:52 pm
Location: Austria

Re: Building custom PCs.

Post by chanelbleu »

I do have quite a bit of experience with building custom rigs and I'd be happy to share some of my views. :)

The build looks fine though I'd substitute the i5 for a current AMD Ryzen CPU since you'd be able to get much better multi-core performance (and future-proofing) for roughly the same price.
I myself also prefer Seagate or Toshiba HDDs over WD's offerings. Seagate had a bad streak with their 3TB Barracudas some years ago but they have fully recovered and I find them quite reliable currently.
As for the GPU, that really depends on which games you'd like to play. I myself prefer AMD GPUs since they offer more bang for the buck (and more raw power for the price) most of the time. Nvidia's lineup is better optimised for some games but ages less gracefully than AMD's, also NV often forces you into a hefty price premium.
User avatar
Carrie Karkus
Glovely Diva
Posts: 323
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2016 4:13 am
Location: WA State.
Has thanked: 87 times
Been thanked: 116 times
Contact:

Re: Building custom PCs.

Post by Carrie Karkus »

violet666 wrote:Add non -ferential cooling to the processor and SSD to the system, better HDD to Tischiba or WD.
Ah, yes. I'm totally investing in a SSD once I get all my main components. Would love to have my OS on a SSD and all my files on the HDD. What's a good SSD brand?
User avatar
Rommeltje
The man in charge
Posts: 13020
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:14 pm
Location: Amsterdam
Has thanked: 1343 times
Been thanked: 803 times
Contact:

Re: Building custom PCs.

Post by Rommeltje »

I built my own too! :D (I actually used yellow rubber gloves to handle the components. :mrgreen:)

Yes, definitely get an SSD. And the sooner the better, because you'll want to install your OS on it. Samsung and Crucial are both good brands, but I'd recommend the latter. I first bought a Samsung EVO, which was slightly better than the Crucial, but didn't have power loss protection. I figured I'd have to be really unlucky to need that, but sure enough, a couple of months in, there was a glitch in the power, and it broke. Bought a Crucial MX100 next, and I'm still very happy with it a couple of years later. They're at MX300 by now (275 GB should be enough if you've got a big HDD to go with it). I'm also very happy with my 3TB Seagate Barracuda, btw. I can't see how fast yours is, though. Mine is 7200 rpm, which is a nice speed.

I'm an Nvidia fan, so I wouldn't go for an AMD GPU, but that's mostly just personal preference. And how powerful it should be depends on the games you want to play, of course.

All in all, it really depends what you want to do with it. If you want to use it for video editing (which I assume you don't), it'd be better to get an i7 instead of an i5, for example.

As for the PSU: don't cheap out on that. I did, and I just ended up having to buy another one when the first one broke down, thus spending a lot more than I would've if I'd just bought a good one in the first place. Make sure you get a really reliable brand (Seasonic, for example). And don't get too much wattage. List all your components (don't forget your cooler!) to see how much you need, and just go a little above that, but not too much. Pcpartpicker.com has a good tool for that. It also shows you whether or not all your components are compatible, which is very important as well.

16GB of RAM is a lot, you could probably save some money by getting a little less. I've got 16, but I do a lot of video editing and play heavy games. And even then, 12 would probably have been enough for me as well.

Also make sure you know the differences between different kinds of mobo's, and which is compatible with your wishes.

Loving the pink case btw! It wouldn't be for me, but it's definitely a statement. :D

Either way, it's a lot of fun putting together your own rig. I'm guessing your final build will look quite different from what you've got listed now - unless you've already done a lot of research. I know mine looks nothing like my initial idea. Each time I investigated a component, I found out there was a better part, or one more suited to my needs. Just Google everything until you know exactly which component is best and why. Keep at it, and you'll have a great machine!

Enjoy!
violet666
Regular poster
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 7:20 pm
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: Building custom PCs.

Post by violet666 »

Rommeltje is good for you. I personally prefer Nvidia and Intel. Building a personal computer is a cool thing, and in fact, something will always be different.
chanelbleu
Regular poster
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2015 5:52 pm
Location: Austria

Re: Building custom PCs.

Post by chanelbleu »

Rommeltje wrote:
Yes, definitely get an SSD. And the sooner the better, because you'll want to install your OS on it. Samsung and Crucial are both good brands, but I'd recommend the latter.
+1 for that, Crucial SSDs are rock solid!
All in all, it really depends what you want to do with it. If you want to use it for video editing (which I assume you don't), it'd be better to get an i7 instead of an i5, for example.
+1 for that as well, even though the higher-powered i7s can eat into your budget quite a bit. If you need more cores without emptying your wallet the Ryzen 5 1600 might be a good bet. For $20 more than the 6500 you'd be able to get a hexa-core CPU should the need arise.
As for the PSU: don't cheap out on that. Make sure you get a really reliable brand (Seasonic, for example). And don't get too much wattage. List all your components (don't forget your cooler!) to see how much you need, and just go a little above that, but not too much. Pcpartpicker.com has a good tool for that. It also shows you whether or not all your components are compatible, which is very important as well.
Yup, great advice! Seasonic, beQuiet and Corsair are among some really trusted trusted PSU brands.

I'm really excited for your build and wish you the best of luck. Maybe you could do an assembly video in gloves, now that would be a sight to behold! :)
Ceramic
WWGFA donor
Posts: 2678
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2011 10:54 am
Location: Israel
Has thanked: 82 times
Been thanked: 311 times

Re: Building custom PCs.

Post by Ceramic »

sry for thread-kidnapping,but can't shake the fantasy of building a pc in ur home when your gloved :D

sounds like a dream.
User avatar
Carrie Karkus
Glovely Diva
Posts: 323
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2016 4:13 am
Location: WA State.
Has thanked: 87 times
Been thanked: 116 times
Contact:

Re: Building custom PCs.

Post by Carrie Karkus »

I actually plan to use my new build for both video editing and gaming on the side. And for coloring artwork, of course! I've got a Core i7-6700 bookmarked that I'll eventually upgrade to. I'd love a 6-core Intel CPU, but I'm pretty low-income right now and it would take a while to save for it. I'll have to look into an AMD processor, for sure. This is the SSD I'm going to get. And instead of the AMD GPU I was looking at before, I've found this GeForce 750Ti that I think I'll get instead. :D Still trying to look for some 4GB RAM modules in sets of 3 that are DDR4 and not DDR3... my motherboard is only compatible with DDR4 memory.

And I'd love to do a video where I put the components together in gloves! I've got some white cotton gloves on the way that Imma wear. 8D
User avatar
Carrie Karkus
Glovely Diva
Posts: 323
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2016 4:13 am
Location: WA State.
Has thanked: 87 times
Been thanked: 116 times
Contact:

Re: Building custom PCs.

Post by Carrie Karkus »

Ceramic wrote:sry for thread-kidnapping,but can't shake the fantasy of building a pc in ur home when your gloved :D

sounds like a dream.
It's been a big dream of mine to build my own computer, and in gloves, too! Totally feels like a dream come true. I literally dream about building it every night, lol!
Post Reply

Return to “Talk Forum”