Question New Build (way over due)

[cesto]

What's up gang? Here we are again...trying to get the new build underway. I think it's finally time for my old machine to get replaced.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for: mostly office work with many applications opened at once. i also do some video editing which my current pc seems to be struggling a little bit, so it should have enough horsepower to not be bogged down when im surfing the web and editing videos while listening to music.

2. What YOUR budget is. around 1,500-2,000.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from: USA

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.: no preference

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are: i was thinking about using an old lian-li case but i think i'm better off getting all new stuff.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.: no plans to overclock

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?: no requirement. im debating a dual monitor instead of one large wide screen.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?: ASAP

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?: i'll need windows and office

thanks in advance!

 

[Tech Junky]

Could make things really simple and get a laptop and external monitor and have dual screens. On my work setup I was using a surface tablet and a USB dock that had two monitors hooked up. Now though use a real laptop instead of tablet but, the same idea still works.

Clevo Barebone Laptop Series - R&J Technology, Clevo Barebone Notebook kits, Laptop and desktop system builder

your Memory hard drives build your laptop based this Clevo Barebone Series select from options provided build

rjtech.com

These are geared from light use to heavy demanding games. They ship fast and don't charge sales tax. That's a savings alone. Barebones is considerably cheaper as you add your own drive and RAM without the markup.

If you want to build though I use pcpartpicker.com to get ideas and it checks for compatibility issues between parts and cases Right now I would go with an ADL CPU and z790 board as you avoid the costs of rpl that doesn't really offer much in terms of performance upgrades. I'm actually rebuilding right now to convert from HDD to nvme storage and picked up a MSI z790 DDR 4 for under $200 on Amazon. In terms of cases though I tend to stick with fractal design as they're sturdy and easy to work with yet have decent aesthetics to them..

So, there's a couple of options to start out with.

 

[cesto]

Could make things really simple and get a laptop and external monitor and have dual screens. On my work setup I was using a surface tablet and a USB dock that had two monitors hooked up. Now though use a real laptop instead of tablet but, the same idea still works.

Clevo Barebone Laptop Series - R&J Technology, Clevo Barebone Notebook kits, Laptop and desktop system builder

your Memory hard drives build your laptop based this Clevo Barebone Series select from options provided build

rjtech.com

These are geared from light use to heavy demanding games. They ship fast and don't charge sales tax. That's a savings alone. Barebones is considerably cheaper as you add your own drive and RAM without the markup.

If you want to build though I use pcpartpicker.com to get ideas and it checks for compatibility issues between parts and cases Right now I would go with an ADL CPU and z790 board as you avoid the costs of rpl that doesn't really offer much in terms of performance upgrades. I'm actually rebuilding right now to convert from HDD to nvme storage and picked up a MSI z790 DDR 4 for under $200 on Amazon. In terms of cases though I tend to stick with fractal design as they're sturdy and easy to work with yet have decent aesthetics to them..

So, there's a couple of options to start out with.

i appreciate the recommendation. i just picked up a surface pro 9. i'm pretty set on doing a new build


its been ages since ive built a new pc so i'm just getting back up to speed with the hardware

 

[Tech Junky]

Well, the majority of your budget goes to the mobo, CPU and GPU. Without a GPU you're already at about $1k. So, the quandary would be GPU for video editing and how much you're willing to pay for saving time and reducing heat from it?

 

[cesto]

Well, the majority of your budget goes to the mobo, CPU and GPU. Without a GPU you're already at about $1k. So, the quandary would be GPU for video editing and how much you're willing to pay for saving time and reducing heat from it?

if im being honest, i dont plan on getting too deep into video editing. as a matter of fact, i'm probably going to outsource more and more of it, however, i want the machine to be able to handle video editing if it called for it.

most of my work is multitasking in my business where we need to do some photoshop or video editing here and there. most of the other work is other applications, excel, etc.

 

[cesto]

@Tech Junky for fun, i passed my requirements to claude.ai here's what it came back with. what are your thoughts on claude's suggesstions?
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X - $299

The Ryzen 7 5800X is a great 8-core/16-thread CPU for productivity, multi-tasking and video editing workloads. It offers excellent performance for the price.

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 - $89

A high quality and quiet air cooler that can handle the power of the 5800X.

Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk - $164

A well-rounded B550 motherboard with good VRMs and connectivity.

RAM: 32GB (2 x 16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 - $124

32GB of fast DDR4 RAM will allow you to multi-task smoothly and handle video editing.

Storage: Western Digital SN750 1TB NVMe SSD - $109

A fast 1TB NVMe SSD for your OS, applications and games.

Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti - $399

Excellent mid-range GPU that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming well. Also has NVENC encoder for improved video editing performance.

Case: Fractal Design Meshify C - $99

High airflow mid-tower case with clean aesthetics.

Power Supply: Corsair RM650x 650W 80+ Gold - $99

High quality fully modular PSU from a top brand. 650W is perfect for these components.

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home - $139

Total: $1521

This leaves room in your budget for a monitor or any other accessories you may need. Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[Tech Junky]

Personally I wouldn't do AMD because it turns into a troubleshooting cycle. Sticking with Intel tends to yield stable results. Also, if you need more room lexar has 4tb drives under $200 on Amazon.

 

[cesto]

Personally I wouldn't do AMD because it turns into a troubleshooting cycle. Sticking with Intel tends to yield stable results. Also, if you need more room lexar has 4tb drives under $200 on Amazon.

much appreciated for your feedback

 

[Tech Junky]

much appreciated for your feedback

I've built one AMD system as my first diy and it was fine but, it seems like the newer CPU/mobo options tend to have gremlins. Sometimes taking years before a BIOS fix is released for some things. Other people though seem to have little problem with a build.

I just got my system running with my new MSI board though it had some issues with things being enabled that caused it not to boot and the ram slots are jacked so it's going back for a replacement from Amazon. For some reason it only boots from one slot. I tired a single stick in each slot and only slot 2 works. Putting in the second stick errors and the led lights up for ram failed / not found. I did get it working though for the time being.

This little rebuild is becoming a real pita though. They sent me a used case for the new price but, actually just issued a full refund which frees up some cash for something else. Now to battle with them on the mobo swap. Takes quite a bit of time to finagle all the wiring into place when swapping things. Would be nice to have a simpler way of doing things like pop it into a slot like a cartridge prewired form the backside.

 

[OlyAR15]

None of the uses you listed require much of a computer, other than the video editing. And since you don't list what you currently have, it's difficult to give you effective advice. You can obviously go crazy and get near-top of line components, but that would likely be a waste of money. (Unless, of course, you are ok with that.)

Any current CPU should be able to handle office-type tasks. My 6-yo Surface Book 2 runs Office and web browsers just fine. It can probably handle light video editing as well. And that runs a mobile chip.

Something like a 12400 or 13400 on a cheap H-series motherboard should be enough. Since you don't list games, you don't need much of a GPU. Just get enough memory (32GB or so) and enoough storage, and you should be set.

 

[In2Photos]

I have 3 AMD systems (one AM4 and two AM5) built within the last 20 months running in my home right now. They are not "troubleshooting cycles". 🙄 And all 3 of them would handle the office tasks and video editing just fine. Don't be afraid to go AMD. And yes Intel would be fine too.

 

[mikeymikec]

I've built many AMD (and Intel) systems. None in the Ryzen era have been problematic.

Historically I've had trouble with AMD desktop RAID on a few occasions, so if I was considering a build that included that, I'd do some research first to find out if the RAID issues have continued into the Ryzen era.

 

[mxnerd]

Should be good enough for occasional video editing. You can use extra money to buy NAS unit for backup

Amazon.com

• Mini PC AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS Window 11 Pro(8C/ 16T up to 5.1Ghz), 64GB DDR5 1TB PCIe4.0, Zen 4 Radeon 780M, 6*USD, 1 x Thunderbolt 3(40Gbps), 1xHDMI, 1xDP, 2* 2.5G LAN, Gaming Computer, WiFi6 BT5.2

There are several dual 2.5Gbe models from Asustor.

 

[cesto]

None of the uses you listed require much of a computer, other than the video editing. And since you don't list what you currently have, it's difficult to give you effective advice. You can obviously go crazy and get near-top of line components, but that would likely be a waste of money. (Unless, of course, you are ok with that.)

Any current CPU should be able to handle office-type tasks. My 6-yo Surface Book 2 runs Office and web browsers just fine. It can probably handle light video editing as well. And that runs a mobile chip.

Something like a 12400 or 13400 on a cheap H-series motherboard should be enough. Since you don't list games, you don't need much of a GPU. Just get enough memory (32GB or so) and enoough storage, and you should be set.

ty for your reply. i'm not a gamer but i do like to have many applications at once. ie/ youtube playing music, while doing photoshop editing...with other various applications open (outlook, excel, our cloud based & local based applications). i would like it to have plenty of horsepower so that it's not feeling too slow after 2 years.

 

[cesto]

I've built one AMD system as my first diy and it was fine but, it seems like the newer CPU/mobo options tend to have gremlins. Sometimes taking years before a BIOS fix is released for some things. Other people though seem to have little problem with a build.

I just got my system running with my new MSI board though it had some issues with things being enabled that caused it not to boot and the ram slots are jacked so it's going back for a replacement from Amazon. For some reason it only boots from one slot. I tired a single stick in each slot and only slot 2 works. Putting in the second stick errors and the led lights up for ram failed / not found. I did get it working though for the time being.

This little rebuild is becoming a real pita though. They sent me a used case for the new price but, actually just issued a full refund which frees up some cash for something else. Now to battle with them on the mobo swap. Takes quite a bit of time to finagle all the wiring into place when swapping things. Would be nice to have a simpler way of doing things like pop it into a slot like a cartridge prewired form the backside.

ive done amd for 2 of my builds and intel for 1. i'm ok with either but i appreciate the feedback.

 

[cesto]

I've built many AMD (and Intel) systems. None in the Ryzen era have been problematic.

Historically I've had trouble with AMD desktop RAID on a few occasions, so if I was considering a build that included that, I'd do some research first to find out if the RAID issues have continued into the Ryzen era.

that's a first time i'm seeing these types of computers. looks like some of the cons would be expandability?

 

[Tech Junky]

i'm not a gamer but i do like to have many applications at once. ie/ youtube playing music, while doing photoshop editing...with other various applications open (outlook, excel, our cloud based & local based applications). i would like it to have plenty of horsepower so that it's not feeling too slow after 2 years.

Most of this will be covered by RAM. Chrome for me w/ a few open tabs adds up to 4GB and in the past used to balloon to over 10-15GB before they fixed their memory leaks. 32GB for a daily driver system would be the safe bet. Things will zip along and not be crashing / competing for resources.

The newer ADL/RPL CPUs on the laptop side though use the new Iris GPU for the CPU output and they're an improvement over the old UHD versions. It's a hard sport to be in though for a build right now w/ new releases coming in ~2 months from both Red / Blue which means new features to play with.

side note: I picked a GB mobo and DDR5 RAM for my project and as much as I resisted the DDR5 option it just made sense to bite the bullet for ~$37 for 16GB as it opened a couple of more options for the MOBO. Also, switching to GB allows for my TB4 card to be put inside again vs MSI needing a different card / cables. Should have a fully functioning system tomorrow when they show up. Running on 8GB right now with the RAM issue with the slots. My drives showed up though and already setup the new raid and syncing the data over from the HDDs.

 

[OlyAR15]

ty for your reply. i'm not a gamer but i do like to have many applications at once. ie/ youtube playing music, while doing photoshop editing...with other various applications open (outlook, excel, our cloud based & local based applications). i would like it to have plenty of horsepower so that it's not feeling too slow after 2 years.

Having programs in the background don't take up much CPU power. Playing music can be done on a potato, so something like can be disregarded. Unless you are calculating massive Excel files in the background, most of your apps are just going to sit in memory, and not tax the CPU. You really should try using Resource Monitor to monitor which of your resources on your current PC is actually limiting you.

As it stands, it just sounds like you want a new computer, and you are just trying to justify it to yourself. Nothing wrong with that. You might as well just bite the bullet and get a top of the line system and be done with it. I recommend an Intel CPU, something like a 13700k, since Intel CPUs tend to be a bit more energy efficient at idle, which I suspect your system will be spending most of its time. Go with a decent motherboard and DDR5, at least 32GB, and a 2TB or larger NVMe SSD.

 

[mikeymikec]

that's a first time i'm seeing these types of computers. looks like some of the cons would be expandability?

When you say "these types of computers", do you mean computers with RAID configurations? It's not relevant at all to the vast majority of computer users, therefore most computers don't come with any kind of RAID configuration. The only reason I use RAID would be if a customer has a usage scenario where they want to minimise downtime through a disk failure, so I would set up a RAID1 configuration which has two identical storage devices that mirror each other's information in real time, therefore if one drive fails, the system carries on working.

Expanding a RAID configuration would require more care and attention than expanding the storage of a non-RAID system if you wanted to maintain the OS configuration in the process, though on the few occasions I've done it I just wiped the RAID config and clean-installed the OS.

 

[cesto]

Having programs in the background don't take up much CPU power. Playing music can be done on a potato, so something like can be disregarded. Unless you are calculating massive Excel files in the background, most of your apps are just going to sit in memory, and not tax the CPU. You really should try using Resource Monitor to monitor which of your resources on your current PC is actually limiting you.

As it stands, it just sounds like you want a new computer, and you are just trying to justify it to yourself. Nothing wrong with that. You might as well just bite the bullet and get a top of the line system and be done with it. I recommend an Intel CPU, something like a 13700k, since Intel CPUs tend to be a bit more energy efficient at idle, which I suspect your system will be spending most of its time. Go with a decent motherboard and DDR5, at least 32GB, and a 2TB or larger NVMe SSD.

my current computer is pretty slow right now. probably approaching 8 years give or take. it's my understanding that as applications become more complex (ie/ newer applications) they require more cpu power. in which case, i figured i could extend the life of this build by "future proofing" it.

 

[cesto]

When you say "these types of computers", do you mean computers with RAID configurations? It's not relevant at all to the vast majority of computer users, therefore most computers don't come with any kind of RAID configuration. The only reason I use RAID would be if a customer has a usage scenario where they want to minimise downtime through a disk failure, so I would set up a RAID1 configuration which has two identical storage devices that mirror each other's information in real time, therefore if one drive fails, the system carries on working.

Expanding a RAID configuration would require more care and attention than expanding the storage of a non-RAID system if you wanted to maintain the OS configuration in the process, though on the few occasions I've done it I just wiped the RAID config and clean-installed the OS.

i meant the mini pc's. i like how they are compact but im wondering if that be a good solution for me.