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My first Pc build, any recommendation?


theholytech

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Everything has been standardized. So, it's easy. Here're my guidelines:

  • Here's the Pc build guide in 2019 I followed theholytech.com Start with CPU. Depending on your performance need (while keeping budget in mind), choose CPU.
    • Go to Intel or AMD website and check their product lineups and generations.
    • Primary specs you'll be interested in will be number of cores, speed of each core and cache size.
  • Note down CPU's socket name from product specification page. e.g. AMD Ryzen 3000/2000 series uses AM4 socket. Intel 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th generation Core i3/i5/i7 CPUs use LGA1151 socket (aka H4).
  • Now, search for a motherboard which has this socket.
    • Asus and Gigabyte are world's leading motherboard manufacturers. Other notable brands are MSI, ASRock.
    • Chipset: When adding a socket, motherboard manufacturers actually need to implement chipset specifications of socket standard creator. Different chipsets provide different functionalities. Some supports CPU overclocking, others don't. Some support double graphics card and others don't. And, so. e.g. Here's list of AM4 chipsets and their comparisons:  Choose chipset wisely. You can often find chipset's name in motherboard's product name.
    • Expansion Slots and ports: Before choosing a motherboard, you wanna know how many expansion slots and ports motherboard provide. e.g. Using PCIe x16 slot, you can connect graphics card. Using DIMM slot, you can connect RAM. Using SATA connector, you can connect HDD. Using PCIe x4 slot, you can connect SSD or Wi-Fi card. Using RGB pin head, you can connect fans with colorful lights (if you care about looks). Using USB pin head, you can connect a USB port on cabinet. etc. You wanna know number and generation of each slot and ports. Large number means you can attach more components, devices. e.g. Using multiple HDMI ports, you can connect multiple monitors and multiple SATA 3 ports means multiple HDD and so. Recent generation means better performance. e.g. USB 3.1 gen2 is way faster than USB 2.0. But, you might not always need latest generation. Based on budget, you can choose PCIe 3.0 over PCIe 4.0, for example.
    • Other features: In-built Gigabit LAN? In-built Wi-Fi? Ability to flash BIOS without attaching CPU (yes, some provides this feature)? Energy efficient? Power surge protection?
    • Choosing motherboard is most important decision. Choose wisely.
  • Choose a graphics card. If the CPU you chose in the first step doesn't have in-build GPU, this will be required. Otherwise, you can leave it (for future) if you don't need it.
    • Go to AMD or NVIDIA website and see their product lineups and generations.
    • Base you buying decision on your monitor(s) (4K resolution, 1ms response time etc) and your application (high-end gaming, entry-level gaming, CAD application, machine learning etc).
    • Make sure that your motherboard has the connector which a particular graphics card uses. Such problems don’t happen, but make sure PCIe versions and slots are same.
    • Other than checking available cores, core speed and cache, make sure to check performance benchmark of graphics cards for your application (particular game or machine learning application).
  • Choose RAM. Make sure it's compatible with motherboard. DDR4 slots aren't backward compatible with DDR3 slots. Also, a motherboard chipset may not support overclocked RAM.
    • Corsair makes good RAMs. These are cheap, but important modules. So, go for high capacity RAM in your budget. And, go for DDR4 ones which most modern motherboards support.
  • Choose SSD, HDD, ODD. Make sure they are compatible with your motherboard (its all about slots which I talked about earlier).
    • PCIe connected SSDs are fastest. Also, beware that m.2 doesn't necessarily mean PCIe. m.2 SSDs can use old SATA. Samsung EVO 970 is the fastest SSD in the world. Choose capacity (available upto 1TB) based on budget. Based on budget, you can also go for cheaper SSDs of other brands. Make sure to check their benchmarks on YouTube or other sites. Marketing people can be misleading.
    • As for HDD, they offer huge storage at low cost. Based on your storage requirement, you can go for multiple HDDs. All motherboards have multiple SATA 3 ports. As for performance, 7200 RPM HDDs are fast. Never go for 10000 RPM HDDs. They are expensive and if your budget allows it, simply go for SSDs. Even SATA connected SSDs are faster than 10000 RPM HDD.
  • Choose cooling system. Fan. Liquid Cooling. This is no brainer. This is a must if you have graphics card. Make sure that speed of fan can be controlled. Most motherboards have temperature sensors and can control speed of fans.
  • Choose PSU (Power Supply Unit). You can calculate wattage by adding power consumption of all major components like CPU, GPU, Motherboard and Cooling System. Always add at least 100 W more to be on the safe side.
    • Corsair makes good PSU. Most systems will be okay with 500W unless you want to do overclocking or your system has super high-end CPU or multiple graphics card and so. It's always good practice to calculate. There are lots of calculators online in case you don't want to do this manually.
  • Choose Cabinet. All cabinets and motherboards adhere to the Intel's ATX standard. So, again, this is no brainer. Check size of motherboard like micro ATX, ATX, mini ATX. Buy Cabinet of same or bigger size. Ports on cabinet (USB, Audio etc) can be connected with header pins on the motherboard.
  • Buy other external devices like Mouse, Keyboard, VR headset, Monitor, Soundbar, Headphone, Printer etc. I can't list them all. And, each one's buying guide can be big.
  • Assemble all components which is agian no brainer. Everything is pluggable. Some components need to be tightened with screw. All components come with manuals, screws and wires if required.
  • Buy/download an operating system. Make a USB stick bootable with it. Plug into your newly assembled PC. Plug PSU's cable to a power socket. Turn on the PC. On first start, BIOS settings will open (everything will be preconfigured which should be okay to you unless you want overclocking; set voltage to CPU cores etc). Choose USB stick as bootable device. Install the OS into SSD or HDD. Download and install drivers of all components which require it.
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