Building a new system, after some input.

Hey all,

I'm in the progress of choosing new components for my new PC which will be used primarily for gaming and general work stuff, Word and web browsing. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated. I've spent the last month or so chopping and changing my mind about the CPU and MOBO. I think I'm set with the CPU for the time being, but I just don't know if I should go with an x470 or a b450 MOBO. I had considered going Intel, but after some reading, I felt that AM4 had a little more life left in it, in terms of not having to upgrade the MOBO for a while but being able to upgrade the CPU.

My current set up is doing fine (apart from my Mobo which I recently broke), but I want to upgrade. A lot of the components are nearing 10 years old, the MOBO and case are around 8 years old, as is the PSU. The GPU and CPU are the newest components.

Current Specs:
Case: Thermaltake Spedo Advance
CPU: AMD FX-6300
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H70
MOBO: MSI 890FXA-GD70
RAM: 4x4GB G Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9-4GBRL DDR3-1600 DDR3
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower 850w (w0131)
GPU: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Tri-X OC 4GB
HDD: 1x 120GB SanDisk SSD, 2x WD SATA (these drives are pretty old and starting to fail)

What I'm thinking about getting:
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P350X Tempered Glass D-RGB Black/White
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X with Wraith Spire
CPU Cooler: I'd love to get the NZXT Kraken X52 240mm AIO Liquid CPU Cooler cos the pump looks super cool. However, I'll probably stick with the H70 if it fits and AM4 Socket. Does any one know if it will?
MOBO: MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
RAM: 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LED CMU16GX4M2C3000C15B 16GB DDR4
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 Modular 750W
GPU: stick with the Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Tri-X OC 4GB for the time being. Eventually I would like to get a GTX 1070 depending on what the 11 series GPUs look like.
HDD: Stick with the SanDisk SSD and get a Seagate Barracuda 4TB ST4000DM004

Thanks heaps, I appreciate the help.

 

Do understand, contrary to what many want us to believe, OEM coolers are quite good at properly cooling the CPUs they come with. Remember, it is the case's responsibility to provide a sufficient supply of cool air flowing through the case. The CPU cooler need only toss the CPU's heat into that flow. As for the Wraith Spire specifically, see this review and note,

While that case does not appear to come with enough fans (seems only 1 x 120mm is included) it provides excellent fan options,

I would certainly take advantage of the 140mm options. 140mm fans move massive amounts of air, but typically at a slower RPM - thus much more quietly. Always a good thing.

Also remember a new motherboard constitutes a new computer. And new computers typically require new Windows licenses. If your current Windows license is an OEM/System Builders license (as most are) and/or is an upgrade based on an OEM license, you can not "legally" transfer that license to a new computer under any circumstance. And note this is a term of the license agreement we, as users, agreed to abide by when we first decided to use that license on the old computer. And that makes it legally binding.

I like EVGA power supplies!

 

I had read a little bit about the AMD coolers being pretty good. I don't plan to overclock so I will probably stick with the H70, if it fits an AM4 socket. I would love to get the NZXT AIO purely for aesthetics, but I can't justify the $220AUD price tag.

I will definitely be getting some more fans. What do you recommend? I was looking at the Corsiar ML140 140mm Premium Magnetic Levitation Fans.

You and I were discussing this on another thread recently, unfortunately I will have to get a new licence as I am using an OEM version.

As do I They seem to have great reviews

 

I've been using Fractal Design cases in all our recent builds. One thing I really like about them is the included fans. They are extremely quiet. So for add-on fans, I started buying them. Not only are they very quiet, they are very reasonably priced as seen here.

That does not make sense to me. If you don't plan to overclock, then you definitely don't need to spend money on an aftermarket cooler. But that's up to you.

I understand aesthetics. I want my computers to look nice too. That's one main reason I spend extra time on cable management. But beyond that, I don't want my cases to become distractions. In fact, I expect them to sit quietly and discreetly off to the side and NOT draw attention to themselves. After all, its what's on my monitors that's important. So I don't go for fancy facades or flashy lights with my cases. Once the novelty wears off in a day or two, they just become ho-hum. At least IMHO.

 

I've already got an H70 cooler on my current system, it still runs fine. I will trial the stock AMD cooler and if that does the job (which I think it will) I will use that instead. The last thing I want is my old AIO cooler to break and destroy my new setup

Thanks for that, I will have a look at them

 

Sounds like a plan.

 

Hey Digerati,

So I've bought a new system.

I got the Phanteks Eclipse P350x case, MSI x470 Gaming M7 AC Motherboard, a Deepcool Gammaxx GT CPU Cooler and 4 Cooler Master MasterFan MF140R.

I'm having some trouble connecting everything to the MOBO and getting the RGB working. The lights on the front of the case are working, however the light under the side windows doesn't work. I've emailed the place I bought it from to see if it was defective, but I though I'd get some advice here too.

There is a SATA power cable and 3 pin connector (Image 1) coming from the case that I've plugged into the MOBO. If I unplug the SATA cable the case lights lose power. However, there are also the connectors included in the Image 2 that I've no idea where to connect. Disconnecting the 3 pin from the mobo doesn't change the lighting on the front of the case, it just allows me to control the lighting using the buttons on top of the case. I know that is vague, but is there something I'm missing?

Also, I have realised that I'm unable to connect all the addressable RGB fans to the MOBO. Would a hub like this allow me to use them?

Thanks in advance.
Dan

 

I don't do lighting - I expect my cases to sit quietly and discreetly off to the side and NOT distract me from what is happening on my monitors. So I have no experience there. I would visit the controller's website and see if there are any instructions there. It didn't come with any?

Those male connectors in image two look like they might connect directly to the power supply.

 

Thats fair enough. I'd never built a system with lighting before, the novelty seems to wear off quite quickly. The next one I build will be more discreet.

The case did come with instructions, VERY vague though and not helpful.

I've had a look at the PSU and the cables that come with it, nothing seems to fit.

Thanks for your help, Digerati. I'll wait and see when the company I bought them off say.

 

Okay, keep us posted.

 

I have received a reply from the company I purchased the parts from, they think the RGB strip may be faulty and are going to send me another one. I'll let you know if it works. Thanks for your help Digerati

 

Good luck.