Budget build PC with some recycled elements

Jubblywubbly · 4 Mar 2018 at 12:35

Im going to build a new PC as my motherboard has compatibility issues with the latest version of Windows 10. I will use probably 2/3 new components with the rest recycled from my current box.
What I plan to retain are the following:

A 500GB SSD drive for the OS (can’t seem to locate the model details right now)
EVGA - GeForce GTX 950 SC Graphics Card
Antec TruePower New 650W Modular PSU
Antec Six Hundred Case (Original Version)
BD-R

What I need to buy:

Motherboard
CPU
8GB RAM (probably add another 8GB later when the price of RAM falls)
3 x 4TB SATA HDD to run in a RAID 5 configuration (obviously mobo must support this)

My basic needs are a lot of storage, reliability, and ability to occasionally play games. I have 8TB of data accumulated over decades and an external disk based backiup system which I will use with the new build. I am not really a gamer, but have accumulated quite a few games over the years that I play occasionally. Despite the age of my system (I built it in 2010 originally, although the graphics card is only a couple of years old), I can play Battlefront, Elite: Dangerous and the latest Mortal Kombat on high settings with no problems. Don’t really want to replace my GPU at this stage because at two years old it is quite new tech for me (I’m sure some will be choking on their Red Bull when reading this, but as I said I am not really a gamer) and I don’t really feel I have used it enough. Maybe when some time passes I could buy another GTX 950 and upgrade by using them both in a Crossfire setup – talking out of near complete ignorance here.
I often see good deals on HotUKDeals.com for mobos, CPU, and RAM but I have not taken the plunge as I need to know everything will work together at the best bang for buck e.g. I saw a good Ryzen / RAM deal but did not buy it as I heard you should not buy RAM less than 3000 for Ryzen. Similarly I have skipped other deals because people said you should avoid generation 6 or 7 processors. I am hoping by laying my cards on the table, someone much more knowledgeable than me can steer me on the right course.

Many thanks.

tamzzy · 4 Mar 2018 at 13:26

Budget?

Jubblywubbly · 4 Mar 2018 at 16:15

Low budget-ish. Im already recycling quite a bit. Maybe a ceiling of £400 for CPU, MOBO and RAM but if something less will suffice, then that will be just fine.

tamzzy · 4 Mar 2018 at 16:25

will last you for a good few years...

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 Six Core 1600 3.60GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £158.99
1 x Gigabyte GA-AB350M-Gaming 3 AMD B350 (Socket AM4) DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard= £72.95
1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TLGD4= £99.95

Total: £342.39 (includes shipping: £10.50)

Danny75 · 4 Mar 2018 at 17:06

Will the mobo support RAID 5 though?

Internal Connectors:
6x SATA 6G (RAID 0, 1, 10)

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...am4-ddr4-micro-atx-motherboard-mb-559-gi.html

Apparently no Ryzen board does.

Do you actually need RAID 5 or could there be a better alternative like Windows Storage Spaces' Parity Mode? Convo about it here - https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/706hta/amd_dropped_raid_5_support_with_am4_whats_the/

Some members who post in the Storage forum here at OcUK really know their stuff too and might recommend something if you ask there.

tamzzy · 4 Mar 2018 at 17:13

Danny75 said:
Will the mobo support RAID 5 though?

Well spotted. Missed that bit

Jubblywubbly · 4 Mar 2018 at 17:37

Actually I was going to ask that myself about the RAID, so glad someone already raised it. My existing disks are in a non RAID configuration, but as I have a backup in place, I guess I can just recycle these for the time being.

Elsewhere the following mobo / CPU combination was suggested to me:

Asus ROG STRIX B350-F
AMD Ryzen 5 1600X Desktop

Is there much benefit to be had in going for the 1600x model instead? Also I wonder if anyone can comment on the ASUS mobo compared to the Gigabyte GA-AB350M?

Thanks for all the help so far.

tamzzy · 4 Mar 2018 at 18:34

Jubblywubbly said:
1600x model instead

not really, all amd processors are multiplier unlocked (unlike intel) so you'd still be able to overclock the 1600.
also the 1600x doesn't come with the stock cooler, so you'd have to spend more on top of the premium already to buy an aftermarket cooler

Jubblywubbly said:
ASUS mobo compared to the Gigabyte GA-AB350M

asus is ATX form factor, ab350m is MATX.
asus has better sound (1220 vs 887) and arguably better NIC (intel vs realtek)
over all, much of a muchness, is that worth an extra £35? not sure
also need to take into account warranty, gigabyte far outshines asus - basically SOL if your asus mobo breaks, asus customer services are basically non-existent in uk

orbitalwalsh · 4 Mar 2018 at 19:04

Intel flip side that does support Raid 5 . Though wait till H370 in April , Gigabytes version is designed better then z370 low end and mid range . To be honest all h370 from vendors are better the .80% of their current board
Also comes with a price tag , should be roughly above

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TLGD4= £99.95
1 x Intel Core i5-8400 2.8GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - OEM= £179.99
1 x Gigabyte Z370-HD3 Intel Z370 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £109.99

Total: £400.43 (includes shipping: £10.50)

Ryzen is better value for money, Def their B350 chipset Vs Intel's H370

Quartz · 4 Mar 2018 at 19:09

Don't bother with RAID 5. Rebuild times can be significant and if something goes wrong you'll be restoring from backup. RAID 1 - mirroring is the simplest and best for small numbers of disks.

Jubblywubbly · 4 Mar 2018 at 20:04

Quartz said:
Don't bother with RAID 5. Rebuild times can be significant and if something goes wrong you'll be restoring from backup. RAID 1 - mirroring is the simplest and best for small numbers of disks.

I currently have 6 hard disks! Like I say I have a whole lot of data from decades due to my audio / video interests. My storage requirement is not negotiable, although I am willing to forgo RAID.

Jubblywubbly · 4 Mar 2018 at 20:12

tamzzy said:
not really, all amd processors are multiplier unlocked (unlike intel) so you'd still be able to overclock the 1600.
also the 1600x doesn't come with the stock cooler, so you'd have to spend more on top of the premium already to buy an aftermarket cooler

/

Good points. Silly question now, how easy it is to overclock a Ryzen? Never done anything like that in my life before. Also, does it halve its lifespan?

Click to expand...

tamzzy · 4 Mar 2018 at 20:31

Jubblywubbly said:
how easy it is to overclock a Ryzen? Never done anything like that in my life before.

easy, lots of step-by-step guides if you google

Jubblywubbly said:
Also, does it halve its lifespan?

no, if voltages are sensible. the guides will tell you how much is sensible

tamzzy · 4 Mar 2018 at 20:33

Jubblywubbly said:
I currently have 6 hard disks!

you might be better off going with x370 board instead as it supports up to 8sata

Jubblywubbly · 4 Mar 2018 at 22:44

tamzzy said:
you might be better off going with x370 board instead as it supports up to 8sata

What would be your recommendation? I'd also like plenty of USB 3 as well as obviously as much bang per buck as possible. Probably stick with the Ryzen setup though....

tamzzy · 4 Mar 2018 at 23:47

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 Six Core 1600 3.60GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £158.99
1 x Asus Prime X370-Pro AMD X370 (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £139.99
1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TLGD4= £99.95

Total: £409.43 (includes shipping: £10.50)

ExoMale · 5 Mar 2018 at 10:01

An idea from intel side.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Intel Core i3-8350K 4.0GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail= £158.99
1 x Asrock Z370 Killer SLI Intel Z370 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £128.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Predator 8GB (1x8GB) DDR4 PPC4-24000C15 3000MHz Single Channel Module (HX430C15PB3/8= £98.99

Total: £397.47 (includes shipping: £10.50)

Jubblywubbly · 5 Mar 2018 at 22:19

Thanks to all that answered. You were all extremely helpful.