discussion Could really use some help with a new build

[Nodscene]

So I've been out of the loop for a few years and my how things have changed.

I'm doing this for a friend so any and all advice is appreciated.

Max limit for the computer is $1800 including taxes and assembly.
Will hopefully keep the old Corair PSU if possible. Not sure if it's got all the necessary cables for the latest hardware. I can get the model number in the next day or two. Also keeping peripherals and monitors.
Since she'd not a gamer I'm going to reuse the 8800 GT (same one in my sig). I know it's old but anything more powerful would be a waste plus take away money from the other parts.
Either going to use her soundcard or just the onboard audio

I've been doing some research but between the latest from Intel and AMD plus DDR4 and the tons of motherboard options and different generations it's going to take me ages to sort it all out. Would like to get the latest Mobo which is the X470 or something like that.

Definitely going for an NVME m.2 drive for booting, preferably 256gb

The case I was looking at is the R5 if I remember as it supports 6-8 internal hard drive, got good reviews, and is around the $100-$150 range. If anyone has a better suggestion for a case that can hold 8 hard drives (6 min) and isnt too expensive that would be great.

She's mainly going to be using it as a Plex server, photo editing, and she needs tons of storage. I also need to buy everything from the same store and they must be able to build the system.

As for the cpu im leaning heavily towards an AMD Ryzen 5 2600x. The price is good and that should last her a long time. I know it's overkill but that's the point. The better components I can get her now the longer it should hold it's relevancy. Any reason why I should consider something else? Once everything has been figured out I can always pick a better processor if there is money left over.

My biggest stumbling block is choosing a motherboard that can support 8-ish internal hard drives (not including the m.2 drive), tons of USB (3.1 not critical but would be nice to have) ports the and picking the right memory (16gb) as I understand that not only do you have to pay attention to things like dual channel but there seems to be another variable that seems to be exclusive to DDR4.

So basically I need help with the best bang for your buck motherboard, ram that works properly with the Ryzen CPU and mobo. Plus a recommendation on which NVME m.2 drive. I have a Samsung 960 i believe in my 3 year old laptop so I'm sure there is better and faster for the same price. Not to mention a different case as mentioned previously. I'm going to keep reading but I have to travel to Toronto tomorrow and she wants this computer sooner rather than later. I convinced her to wait for the new Intel cpu's to see what they are going to offer and hopefully drive prices down at the same time.

I know I'm asking a lot but I know I can trust your recommendations. There is a great community here and I know you have kept up with all the latest tech. I did have some items already chosen from Memory Express but when I logged back on everything was gone.

With any luck I can reuse the PSU and gpu which would save a bit of money that can go towards better parts. Once again, please keep in mind that all parts need to come from the same store (Memory Express, Canada Computers, and wherever else in the GTA (Scarborough) and they must be able to assemble everything. I was going g to get Win 10 Pro from eBay as it's about $20 but if someone has another option I'd be interested in hearing about that as well.

Sorry for the long post, I always write way more than I need to haha.

Can't thank you guys enough for any and all help. I'll keep trying to educate myself and try to come up with some of my own ideas (that I'm sure will get shot down because I'll only know enough to be dangerous haha) but I'll do what I can.

 

[moocow]

Newegg showing X370 or X470 boards for AMD with 8 SATA ports. Can't recommend a NVME since I never had one so a bit of reading ahead of you. The PSU should be good if you're not having problems now, assuming it got the correct plugs like 24 pin main power and 8 pin EPS 12V.

 

[AkG]

I would recommend 500-512GB capacity drives for the OS. The extra room means larger pseudo-slc write buffer. Right now Intel 760p 512GB is 180 at the egg. WD Black is 190. Hard to go wrong with either choice.

If you are sticking EIGHT hard drives in a case you want to go bigger than mid-tower R5/R6. They will block the front intake fans and make internal air temps rise faster than with a bigger case. Go big. Go full tower.

For AMD you are looking for single rank DDR4 sticks. Preferably samsung b-dies. These are the least issue causing type of DDR4 you can get for Ryzen/Ryzen2/TR/TR4. Gingerbee has a thread with a nice finder on selecting ram for ryzen.

If she is using Photoshop and the like I would probably go 32GB over 16GB. Really depends on usage as 16GB is not small... but is not big these days either. For most pro-sumer builds I spec 32GB. For "I do phots inbetween playing candy crush" I spec 16GB.... YMMV as only you have talked to her and know what she is really doing with the rig. Gut says 32. For amd that means 2 sticks of 16GB. Not impossible but not as easy as with Intel where it can be 4x8 w/ few issues. Mainly depends on SPEED you are looking for. eg 3400... nope. 2666... easy.

Honestly... are you sure the build NEEDS 8 sata ports? That is theoretically 120TB worth of storage (8x14TB)! You aint getting even 8 4TB'ers on your budget (as even 150 per 4TB drive is $1.2K). FOr hdds I like the IronWolf Pro and RED Pros. The Cuda Pro is also VERY good kit and doesnt have any TLER issues. YMMV as most hdds are decent these days. Would just receomend 7200 over 5K rpm'ers if performance matters.

Most AMD boards are coming with six these days. REALLY limits your options once you try and go above 6. If you are thinking long term build I usually spec Asus TUF mobos. 5yr vs 3yr warranty and reliable. Not 'gamer' or 'overclocker' boards... but usually rock solid. HOWEVER, for NVME I would look for a heatsink for the drive. The Pro is not a TUF board but does come with a big heatsink for the NVMe so it will be happier in the long term. Horizontal M.2 port is another alternative as they get cooled via case internal air flow.

Food for thought. Both are decent boards. Just need more data on how many SATA you really need before making more than vague recommendations on AMD vs Intel

How old is the PSU? If this is a 5yr build and the PSU is 3 years old. That is right at the edge of my comfort level - unless its a 10yr warranty PSU like the Seasonic. More details please!

 

[nToxik]

Correct me if I'm wrong but DDR4 memory sticks over 16GB are only dual rank, right?

 

[AkG]

Its harder to find 16GB SR ddr4 sticks (kingston and crucial for instance make them), but not impossible. It is dam near impossible to find fast SR 16GB sticks. Thus the question on capacity and AMD vs Intel. If he was dead set on AMD and fast... GSkill AMD certified/optimzed kits are the only real optimal options. Their 32GB kits are possible... expensive... but possible.

 

[Nodscene]

Sorry for the late response, I had to go to Toronto for a few days.

Actually I'm not set on either AMD or Intel. I just figured I'd get more bang for your buck with AMD. Since I'm more concerned with stability I think I'll stick to 6 sata ports instead of 8. I know she has a lot of smaller drives right now but she can always get some bigger externals. If AMD is still recommended for bang for your buck and longevity (want this to be as useful as possible for as long as possible) I definitely think I'll go Asus as mentioned. With my little bit of research I've read they are the most stable. As for ram speed isn't a priority and 16gb should be fine. It's mostly a Plex server with torrents and Lightroom. Nothing too CPU intensive but I'd still like to get the 2600x or the equivalent Intel cpu so her computer is still legitimate (so to speak) after 4+ years while keeping the whole build under $1800 including taxes so it could get tight. Depends if I keep the PSU and GPU.

Actually I could probably get by with an AMD APU (or Intel) if the CPU part is up to par. Like I said, it's been 3+ years since I've paid attention to anything computer related and I know Intel just released their 8th or 9th gen processors. PSU wise you are probably right and it should be replaced. It's a decent psu but at this point it's got to be 5 years old give or take. With the budget being so tight I'm concerned about having to buy everything but it would be smarter to buy everything new and possibly go the APU route so I don't need to buy a video card. Her idea of gaming is Yoville on Facebook so that's definitely some place I can save money Well that and a soundcard.

Thanks for everything and I'll take as many suggestions (including specific models) as I can so I do this right the first time and not have to spend the next month researching. I need to get all the parts picked out within the week so now ive got a time crunch as well.

Edit: I also need to buy Windows 10 as well as have them build the PC and make sure everything is working so that will be around $250 for just those two items. I have a feeling this is going to be fun haha

Its harder to find 16GB SR ddr4 sticks (kingston and crucial for instance make them), but not impossible. It is dam near impossible to find fast SR 16GB sticks. Thus the question on capacity and AMD vs Intel. If he was dead set on AMD and fast... GSkill AMD certified/optimzed kits are the only real optimal options. Their 32GB kits are possible... expensive... but possible.

 

[Nodscene]

Looks like the timeline has been moved forward drastically. Essentially I need everything picked out by tomorrow from a place that does the build on-site (I think memory Express or Canada computers with Canada Computers being preferable as she pick up the computer from the Kennedy location) you. Since I'm so far out of touch I'd go so far as to pay someone to pick the parts for me. In a nutshell here is what I need. Budget is $1800 including all taxes plus build.

AMD 2600x or Intel I5 (latest gen)
16gb of ram
256gb m.2 nvme
No video card so motherboard and processor needs to have onboard video (might consider a video card but only if it's cheap and makes it so I can get a better CPU)
6 sata ports
As many USB ports as possible 6+
PSU that's solid but good on price
Full size case that holds 6 3.5" drives
Motherboard that's stable first and foremost. Can hold 6 3.5" drives plus m.2 nvme
Windows 10 Pro
And of course they fully build and test the computer.

You can use my email address: nodscene at Gmail dot com and use whatever password you want as you can send that to me later.

I know a price range of $1800 for everything is a bit tight but I'm hoping this will be possible. Otherwise she is going to buy a Dell which is not a good route imo. The closest one I could find only has m.2 SSD so I don't even think it supports nvme.

I'm begging at this point as I can't get all the research in in time to be confident I'm getting the best bang for your buck computer and I'm getting the right parts.

As I said, I'll pay $40 for someone to setup an account at either of those stores, put everything in the cart and the I'll send her the login information so she can place the order and enter her address etc.

Please and thank you to whomever can come through and please let me know if you are interested so I don't have a bunch of people working on the same thing as I can only afford to pay 1 person.

David

 

[Dwayne]

Here is, what I think, is a solid list of parts under $1800 with a video card.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/ZMjpWD

I think any Memory Express could put this together, or something comparable.

*Edit - if you can fit it in the budget I would look at a large hard drive too. Not sure why you would need so many sata connections and bays, but consolidation of a couple of drives might be an idea.

 

[AkG]

Stupid question time. Do you really need a win 10 key? IE is the old system being junked? If so... follow this guide
https://forums.mydigitallife.net/th...g-through-the-complete-upgrade-process.64770/
Will be a few hoops to jump through (like first installing and activating win 7 on the new rig) but may just save yourself a good chunk of your budget.

 

[Bond007]

Here is, what I think, is a solid list of parts under $1800 with a video card.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/ZMjpWD

I think any Memory Express could put this together, or something comparable.

*Edit - if you can fit it in the budget I would look at a large hard drive too. Not sure why you would need so many sata connections and bays, but consolidation of a couple of drives might be an idea.

Solid starting point. For my options for this build I started with yours and did the following.

Ditched the aftermarket cooler (use stock)
Swapped the power supply to a higher quality full modular (evga g3...same price)
Ditched the graphics card (for these uses integrated should be more than fine)
Swapped ssd to a 512gb nvme intel
Swapped case as it wasn't available at ME

~1100+tax. Room to go to an i7 if you want. Room for a graphics card if you want, but I don't think it's required. Check that the motherboard features are what you want. I think it is all available at memory express. Add HDD as required. Should be fine for the uses you are building for.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/mZwcV6

Note....I didn't look into the motherboard or case specifically.