New PC build - advice needed

Ah I see, sorry - misunderstood your statement :)

I am using a PCIe SSD (the Adata XPG SX8200 Pro 512GB) which I upgraded to from my Samsung 850 EVO SATA SSD, and yes, it is definitely faster in benchmarks!

1589044220355.png

However, in real life I can't say I've really noticed that much of a difference. Apps are perhaps slightly more responsive, it boots up a few seconds faster and Visual Studio does seem to start up and work a bit quicker, but it really wasn't the difference I would have expected based on the benchmarks and specs.

If you can get an NVME drive for about the same price, then sure - more speed is better. But for general use, and gaming, a SATA SSD still feels plenty quick enough.

This video shows similar findings- they did a blind test between SATA SSDs, "slow" NVME drives and "fast" NVME drives. The results? They couldn't tell the difference reliably, and often were completely wrong on which system they thought had which drive in:
 
jcgriff2 said:
Why an AMD CPU instead of an Intel?

Same with video - is the Gigabyte GeForce compatible with Intel or ATI?

I prefer Intel-everything because I see AMD and ATI show up in BSODs much more frequently than Intel.

Does he need wifi or is he plugging into Ethernet directly from the modem using the onboard Ethernet capability?

If no wifi, he'll have to be able to run the Ethernet cable to the modem, so the modem should be close to the system.

John
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I prefer Intel as well. I had an AMD system at work around 2006 and will never ever have one again. Now, that's only one experience out of millions. That experience plus advice from a trusted Software Engineer at General Motors, a long time friend of mine, changed my perspective.

The Catalyst video drivers are horrible. Nvidia is the way to go for video.

When budget is a concern, regarding the CPU, I'll say again, you get more bang for the buck with AMD.
 
@Tekno Venus : The vendors numbers are the max speed in optimal conditions and in most cases the motherboards probably can't achieve that! also if the interface is used for something else at the same time it could affect the results...

I have a Lenovo Laptop that come with a M.2 NVme 256GB from Lenovo and replaced with a bigger one faster drive of 500GB and I really notice the difference, the difference on boot isn't particularly different but when doing several things at the same time is noticeable that the system is more responsive.

The one I bought was a PNY XLR8 CS3030 because at the time it wasn't expensive and I read good comments from users about it. The drive performs nice and doesn't get hot.
 
xrobwx71 said:
I had an AMD system at work around 2006 and will never ever have one again.
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That's a long time to hold a grudge. A CPU from 2006 should not be compared to one from 2020. I build lots of computers using both. And both make great and reliable computers.
 
Intel alternative:

£66 - Corsair Carbide 275R Mid-Tower (ATX)
£60 - Seasonic CORE-GM-500 500W 80+ GOLD (semi-modular - ATX)
(OR £75 - Seasonic CORE-GM-650 650W 80+ GOLD (semi-modular - ATX))
£104 - MSI Z390-A PRO (ATX)
£111 - SanDisk SSD PLUS 1 TB Sata III 2.5 Inch Internal SSD, Up to 535 MB/s
£120 - windows 10 home (from microsoft.com - Buy windows 10 home)
£126 - Crucial BL2K16G26C16U4-W (white) Ballistix 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-2666 Desktop (W/B/R) (directly from crucial website, using their compatibility list)
£143 - Zotac ZT-T16520F-10L GAMING GeForce GTX1650 OC 4GB GDDR6
(OR £240 - ASUS PH-GTX1660S-O6G Phoenix GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER OC Edition 6GB GDDR6)
£204 - Intel CORE I5-9600K

Total:
£934 with GTX1650 (£15 more with CORE-GM-650 psu: £949)
£1031 with GTX1660 (£15 more with CORE-GM-650 psu: £1046)
 
Digerati said:
That's a long time to hold a grudge. A CPU from 2006 should not be compared to one from 2020. I build lots of computers using both. And both make great and reliable computers.
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It's not a grudge but an experience I will not repeat. I'm not speaking for anyone but myself. For instance, if someone asked me to build a computer with an AMD CPU, I get the best one (AMD), based on research, for their budget.
 
xrobwx71 said:
It's not a grudge but an experience I will not repeat.
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I get that. And absolutely personal experiences matter. I, for example, will never ever buy Duracell batteries any more. I'll buy Energizer, Rayovac, or a store brand before Duracell. Why? Because over the years I have had dozens of Duracell AAA, AA, and 9V leak. And for sure, I thought things would get better but as recently as earlier this year, a brand new wireless mouse came with new Duracell AA batteries that just last month, died. When I opened the compartment, sure enough, the Duracells leaked. :mad: But that's with dozens of experiences, not one.

I am the same way with Corsair computer cases. I probably will never buy one again because I have had 3 different Corsairs come with factory defects. Two were not "true" - that is, the bends in the sheet metal were not exactly 90.0°. Consequently, the cases would only sit on 3 of the 4 feet and would wobble. This problem was immediately apparent as soon as the cases were taken out of the box and set on the workbench. And even though all 4 feet did touch the floor once the case was loaded up with components, the side panels never aligned properly so it was always a struggle to remove them and a real challenge to install them. And there remained the worry there was undue/uneven stress on the motherboard mounting points.

With another Corsair case, some of the sheet metal edges were not "finished" properly. That is, the edges were not either rolled or burnished/smoothed properly. Unfortunately, that was not noticed until knuckles were shredded. :(

I'm just saying I may hold a grudge against a company for long time - but not their products unless I keep having repeat problems with their products. But that's me.

And for sure, it works both ways. I'm a big fan of Gigabyte motherboards. Why? Because ~10 years ago when motherboards across the industry from all brands were being plagued with bulging and leaky capacitors, I had a 4 year old Gigabyte motherboard that developed bulging and leaky caps. I contacted Gigabyte and they immediately RMA'd that board without question.:) Note that board came with a 3 year warranty but Gigabyte replaced it for free anyway. I only had to pay the standard return shipping - after I received the new board. So the way Gigabyte treated me after the sale (and after the warranty ran out) made me a fan for life.

if someone asked me to build a computer with an AMD CPU, I get the best one (AMD), based on research, for their budget.
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I hear you on that too and I do the same. However, I may question their motives to make sure they are choosing a particular brand, or a particular model for valid reasons. For example, if a client wants a computer for MS Office tasks, watching YouTube, updating social media, email, and web-surfing, they are not a hard-core gamer or overclocker, yet they tell me they want spend another $80 on a Noctua NH-D15 cooler when the CPU comes with a OEM cooler, and his or her reason is, "I heard OEM coolers are rubbish", I will give them the facts about today's OEM coolers and encourage them to give the OEM cooler a try first.
 
@Digerati Funny you mention Duracell, I've noticed their leakyness over the years as well. Matter of fact, I have active pickups in my guitars and will not use Duracell in them as one leaked so bad and I had to replace the electronics in the plug,volume pot cavity because of it.

Sorry @Will Watts for hijacking your thread! Don't ban me. :)
 
The last AMD system that I bought was [apparently] custom made for a big box store. The on-board video went out on it, so I thought I'd buy a new video card.

I could not find one to fit it. I tried at least 5 different ATI cards.

This occurred just 2-3 years ago.

It was branded under HP, but made for Walmart. The cost was ~600-$700 (desktop obviously).
 
jcgriff2 said:
I could not find one to fit it. I tried at least 5 different ATI cards.
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Would not fit, how? There are some monster cards that are two long. Is that what you mean? I note also that many low cost computers are housed in slim cases. These cases often do not accept standard height cards and instead, require a low profile graphics card. My guess is this was what you needed.
 
I'm sure that you're right, Bill.

I just remember that I could not get the card to plug into the PCIe slot and align with the cable/connector hole in the back.
 
Well, low profile cards still use the same PCIe slot but sometimes you have to swap the riser/retention bracket on the card with a shorter one. See the extra one shown with this card. The shorter bracket should have come with the card.
 
Yeah, that looks like a full height bracket. Low profile brackets are just over 3 inches long. Standard are just under 4 3/4 inches.
 
Another configuration (if not specified, components are/were available on amazon):

£37 - Aero Cool Split Mid Tower Gaming Case (ebay - cclcomputers - or 36 on their website)
£60 - Seasonic CORE-GM-500 500W 80+ GOLD (semi-modular - ATX)
£60 - Ballistix Sport LT Red 16GB (1 module) DDR4-2400 UDIMM (BLS16G4D240FSE - directly on crucial.com)
£80 - ASRock B450 PRO4 (ATX)
£111 - SanDisk SSD PLUS 1 TB Sata III 2.5 Inch Internal SSD, Up to 535 MB/s
£120 - windows 10 home (from microsoft.com - Buy windows 10 home)
£143 - Zotac ZT-T16520F-10L GAMING GeForce GTX1650 OC 4GB GDDR6
£154 - AMD Ryzen 5 3600

Total: £765

(£69 - ASUS Prime B450-PLUS ATX Motherboard)

(£75 - Seasonic CORE-GM-650 650W 80+ GOLD (semi-modular - ATX) --> total £780)
(£178 - Ryzen 5 3600X --> total £789)
(CORE-GM-650 + Ryzen 5 3600X --> total £804)
(£240 - ASUS PH-GTX1660S-O6G Phoenix GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER OC Edition 6GB GDDR6 High --> total £862)
(£256 - Ryzen 7 3700X --> total £867)
(CORE-GM-650 + Ryzen 7 3700X --> total £882)
(CORE-GM-650 + Ryzen 5 3600X + PH-GTX1660S-O6G --> total £901)
(CORE-GM-650 + Ryzen 7 3700X + PH-GTX1660S-O6G --> total £979)

(£78 - Ballistix 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Desktop Gaming - Red - white is also available - BL2K8G32C16U4R)
 
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Digerati said:
Yeah, that looks like a full height bracket. Low profile brackets are just over 3 inches long. Standard are just under 4 3/4 inches.
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That's a secondary full height bracket, principally to enable dual monitor capabilities for older SVGA-connected monitors when connected to the primary GPU card (alt. (more recent?) versions could use the blank DVI/HDMI blank slots), for single monitor use, they're not needed anyway.

The detachable cable(s) could sometimes be connected directly to suitable PC case slots, bypassing the need for any secondary bracket.
 
satrow said:
That's a secondary full height bracket, principally to enable dual monitor capabilities
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Yeah, I saw that too. But the point was it's a full height and likely won't fit in a "slim" or mini case to requires a low-profile card and bracket.
 
Hey JC I realize this post is old but if you give us the make and model of PC, I am sure we can find you a card that will fit it.
Also many boards have video ports that are strictly processor video vs onboard video and processor video can be flaky to
get going. Many video cards used to come with standard bracket as you are showing in picture and also low profile brackets
so again if we knew make and model of pc we could find you a card. Here is what the bracket looks like and you just change it:
HDMI+DVI Expansion Low-Profile Bracket for nVIDIA AMD ATI Video Graphics Card | eBay
 

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