I think I'm going to build a computer...

Like the title says, I think I want to build a desktop computer.  The reason being, my 10-year-old Dell laptop ('ol Trusty) is getting a bit slow.  I could upgrade the hard drive to something solid state but I'd still be stuck with the old (dual core?) processor, and... well... I think it's just time to put the old guy down.

Moving forward, I'd like something we can grow into.  Mrs. Hungary is going to start working from home, the eldest Hungarling is wanting to learn to code (Scratch), and I'm furthering my education online.  We need something that can support 2-monitors, streaming (netflix), video conferencing, a bit of gaming (but nothing more than say, minecraft), video editing, and general multitasking.  This will be my first build.

Window's 10 will more than likely be the operating system, and we're trying to keep it around $2000 (all in, to include MS office, etc).  If I could have my cake and eat it too, we'd like to have something "modular" to upgrade as necessary 10 years from now.

This is what my shopping cart looks like so far:

I went with the "Fractal design case" based off of interweb recommendations (we have 2 huskies, and this case has air filters).  Otherwise I was "WAG"ing it as far as what I might need for the above stated purposes.  Would you guys mind looking at the list and adding/subtracting things or giving advice where you think it's needed?

Thanks!

You are probably going to want some sort of backup drive (I suspect you already have one) to put in there. You will love that M2 drive.  I think you have the right one, the "high performance" version is not worth the additional cost. 

This is a great sight (but may not be as useful since I notice those silly little symbols before the prices  ):

https://pcpartpicker.com/

A good parts review site you probably already know about:

https://www.tomshardware.com/

Building computers is super easy these days.

Just a few notes off the top of my head:

10-year old computer hardware is pretty dang old.  Don't go in planning to use much of this stuff in your next build .  Maybe the case.

CPU is old Skylake.  Discontinued.  Nothing wrong with it.  Shop around.  Consider AMD Ryzen and a corresponding motherboard.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-retires-6th-generation-skylake-cpus-processors,38751.html 

Be sure the CPU comes with a "cooling solution" i.e. fan and heatsink.  The i3 I bought last year had a crappy one that shipped with it.  It was so noisy I couldn't use it.

32 GB RAM should be plenty.

I don't know that video card, but is probable weak link in the build.

I'd say trade some RAM (16GB is still PLENTY) for a better video card and get a backup drive (HDD for safety), other than that, it's lookin' good.

Typically when you upgrade a desktop, you change the mobo+CPU+RAM (sometimes you might get lucky and be able to use the same RAM) and video card (these are the tires of your computer's gaming performance and become obsolete quickly). You can use the old parts to build other computers to use or sell.

When I was doing tech full time, I encouraged my school sites to build/buy the very best system within the budget target, dispite their temptation to build/buy the cheapest system they could.  A better system was always usuable for several years after the cheap one went to surplus. 

That being said, it was often less expensive to buy from one of the big vendors.

If you are set on building your system, try to get on a site like newegg.com and see what the reviews for the parts you are looking at are and if you can live with the negatives if you haven't already. 

It will be to your advantage to optimize things like memory speed to the MB you have selected - see if there are recomendations for memory brands in MB manual.  Failing that, buying memory that is the same brand as the OS can be helpful (I have ignored that advice and been OK also).

Finally, you didn't mention what OS you are going with.  Installing Windows has costs for licensing above those for your hardware, but it usually easier to find widely-supported applications to install.  Linux is free.

Regardless, make absolutely sure that whatever hardware you select is clearly supported by your OS.

Given all of that, it looks like you have assembled a decent mid-range system.

That CPU to GPU ratio is pretty nuts.  

Everything you want to do can be supported by a 10 year old mid-level machine easily.  What needs do you anticipate in the future?  Because that's what you will need to build for.

I'm not sure what these prices look like overseas, but even a 'fair' machine here is probably going to outperform the one you specced out for gaming, and have equivalent performance elsewhere for multitasking.

https://www.logicalincrements.com/

1988RedT2 said:

...Be sure the CPU comes with a "cooling solution" i.e. fan and heatsink.  The i3 I bought last year had a crappy one that shipped with it.  It was so noisy I couldn't use it....

I think all the Intel ones do.  But as noted, they are noisy.  If you are anywhere near the computer when using it, you might consider a much quieter one. Mine is almost entirely quiet.  This is what I have used twice, very quite:

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM

https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-hyper-212-evo-rr-212e-20pk-r2/p/N82E16835103099

You guys are awesome.  I got a bit sidetracked with the builds in Aircoold's link.   There's a lot in my pricepoint on that site, but still looking.

RedT2:  I had no idea that was discontinued, thanks!  I originally had an Intel Core i9 in the cart (with associated motherboard) but they added a lot of cost, and I wasn't sure if it was really needed (an article I found from 2018, said it wasnt so it got the axe).  I'll check out AMD Ryzen

CJ:  Yeah, I wasnt sure if this was a case of "I'd do a lot, and save a little" but I'm pretty set on building one.  It's an education I've wanted for a long time, and it'd be cool to have the Hungarlings get involved.

Pro-Darwin:  Your link had a UK option!   So far the prices for a "fair" are better than what I was able to do when I was going at it alone.  I get the feeling I'm going to be spending some time on this site.

Thanks everyone.   A quick question before I go (that very well may show you all exactly how much more I have to learn on the subject):  When you say "backup hardrive"...  Are you talking about this 1Tb Toshiba SSD I have sitting next to me, or are you talking about a drive that goes in the case?

Good times

When I last built a PC I made sure it had a large fan opening in the front, and a large one in the rear, I think they were 120mm and 140mm respectively.  I used a fanless CPU cooler and a fanless power supply in a case that mounts the power supply at the bottom rear of the case.  Heat rising would get pulled out the rear fan.  Temps have been great and the only fans are the thermally controlled units on the video card.  I was striving to build a very quiet PC and I believe I was successful; most of the time you can't hear it at all.  The fans I got were Noctura (spelling?) units that are also self-throttling based on temperature.

I agree that going back to 16gb of ram and using a more powerful video card might make more sense.  I'm not sure what to suggest right now but these are lots of rankings of such things out there online via websites like Tom's Hardware.

Given your requirements, I'd possibly go with a Ryzen 5 3400G with an appropriate motherboard and RAM (16GB) and skip the video card.  The onboard graphics of the Ryzen 3400G is already pretty decent. I like your SSD, PSU and case selections. 

If you find that you need more video horsepower and/or more CPU power, you should be able to upgrade that motherboard to a 8-12 core CPU and add a discrete video card.  If what you're saying about games is understated, then you might want to look at a Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti or AMD 5700 card. 

What's crazy is that Intel currently has what, five? generations of the i7 on the market right now. 

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/processors/core/i7-processors.html

If you're trying to keep the cost down, there's nothing wrong with selecting an older generation, just be sure to get a compatible motherboard, and be aware that the newer CPU's may offer a hedge against obsolescence.

Hungary Bill said:

... A quick question before I go (that very well may show you all exactly how much more I have to learn on the subject):  When you say "backup hardrive"...  Are you talking about this 1Tb Toshiba SSD I have sitting next to me, or are you talking about a drive that goes in the case?...

You can do either, but having one in the case (you can use a cheaper spinning drive, HUGE ones are very cheap) allows for automatic backup.

Theoretically (depending on how valuable you consider your data) you should have a third location that should be separate from the computer (and the house, best case).  This can be cloud backup or just a drive you bring by occasionally to do a backup.  One common idea is to keep the second backup drive at work.

RE: Backup drives, *most* users don't generate enough of their own data to need a backup drive.  All of my spreadsheets, word docs, even my cad files, will all fit in my 15 gig google drive which is free.  All my phone photos and videos are automatically backed up via google also.

Only my SLR photos are actually backed up onto a hard drive.

1. Have you built a computer before Bill?
2. Do you know of the "Build a PC sales" subreddit? 

From what you're describing, a tower like that can be built for as little as $600-$700 bucks depending on deals you find and what you're wanting. I can tell you right now- you WILL want a motherboard that runs M.2 SSD for a main drive, and you will also likely want to run Ryzen. The reason being, Ryzen chips all run the "AM4" socket meaning a Ryzen motherboard can run any Ryzen CPU, which come with their own CPU fans which have been found to be remarkably stout and capable. You likely don't need anything more than say, a 1700X or a 2600 (the latter is what I have for a basic gaming rig).

Also, you only really need 16GB of ram unless you're coding software says otherwise, OR youre doing 3D modeling.

Hungary Bill said:

Thanks everyone.   A quick question before I go (that very well may show you all exactly how much more I have to learn on the subject):  When you say "backup hardrive"...  Are you talking about this 1Tb Toshiba SSD I have sitting next to me, or are you talking about a drive that goes in the case?

A backup drive should ideally be external and normally off or umounted, this keeps it safe from power surges and malware.

88T2:  Yeah, I'm kind of thinking along the same lines "hedge against obsolescence".  No point building for the future if you're going to buy something already "obsolete".

Girthquake:
1) Nope, never. 
2) I have not.  But I can check it out :)  If it's what it sounds like, though, I may not be able to partake (unless it's in the EU).  Shipping and taxes here will easily add 50% to the price.

I probably wont be 3-d modeling.  Honestly, I was just trying to buy heavy at the start, and see where I could trim fat as I went.

Based off ProDarwins "Logical Increments" link, it looks like I can build a lot more bang for my buck by following a "recipe".  For my price point, I could be in the "Superb" category.  Right now, I'm still looking at reviews but this definitely was helpful:

Aircooled:  I think I like the "One in the case, one at work" idea.  I'm a sucker for multiple points of failure.

Good times, and thanks everyone.  The buying starts at the end of this month

Ah, you're in the EU? It'll make using PC Part Picker sales a little harder but plenty of deals come from Amazon and Newegg.

You're completely correct about that "Recipe" to follow. When I built mine, I didn't say I was gonna buy X-part for X-price and such; I instead made a range for each and a price point i'd like to hit. Really made things easy. Just looking at that list, the "Good" segment is definetly one to look at. Ryzen 5 2600X CPUs are what I run and they can push a ton of Ghz straight out of the box, and the RX580 is a really good beginner card that now is being aggressively bundled with games.

Also, the MSI B450 M (Mortar) Motherboard appears in the list a lot, and for good reason- while it's built-in red LGBs are kinda Eh, It's a damn solid MoBo with 2 M.2 slots and several expansion ports and USB3s despite it's small size. You can pick them up for a song too- Build a PC sales has one on sale for like 60 bucks.

All I can contribute is that the cooler that came with my i5 6500 of that generation is dead quiet and seems to work very well. No idea if the i7 coolers are any different. But that's easy enough to change after the fact that I'd give whatever comes with the chip a shot and see what it does. The stock cooler will almost certainly be effective enough for what you're looking to do with it.

If you want to look at tested "safe" builds, Toms has some good example (with US priced of course).  Good for ideas if nothing else:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-pc-builds,4390.html

E.g. How To Build A $1,000 Gaming PC  (which will likely be your budget zone)

You may have to adjust a bit since you are not looking specifically for a gaming PC.  I think the main adjustments might be less RAM and video card requirements.  One thing to consider with the video card, for future proofing, is to make sure it supports at least 4K (having a 4K monitor is nice BTW).

Also, based on personal experience the stock intel cooler barely keeps up with... pretty much anything to be honest. There's no directing brackets or parts to pull/move cool air from specific directions, so it end up sucking ambient air in the case onto the CPU and surrounding board- It literally just sucks straight down and over everything and is part of the reason why everyone gets coolers like the Hyper 212 EVO.

The size of the 212 makes it easier to blow dust out of it, which is nice.

Looking forward to seeing the results, you really can't build a computer "wrong" unless you're the Verge.

Biggest regret I have is spending too much of my budget on the case and not using a smaller form factor like microATX. Those things just come down to preference.