this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
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submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by berryjam to c/buildapc
 

Hi, I am looking to build my first PC. It will be for general use (web browsing, programming, office work; no gaming).

Here is my part list: PCPartPicker

I based it on the Logical Increments minimum tier. I will be using Arch Linux for the OS.

Some questions...

  1. How painful is it to update the motherboard BIOS?
  2. Am I missing anything obvious? I'm unsure if I need a sound card, for example. Newegg says this motherboard has a wifi and bluetooth module. Is there anything else I should consider getting?
  3. Is there a way to check if any of the parts will not work/be incompatible with my chosen OS? I've never had a problem with Linux drivers on any of my laptops, so I'm fairly confident it will be fine, but I still want to make sure.

Thanks :)

Edit: ~~I made an updated list based on your suggestions~~ New updated link

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[–] Contramuffin 8 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Good start. Here's the things I noticed:

  1. You don't have a GPU. The CPU you selected doesn't have an iGPU, so you'll need to have a dedicated GPU for the computer to work. Otherwise, you'll want a CPU with an iGPU. I believe you can get a 5600G for roughly the same price. Its CPU power will be slightly weaker than a 5600, but it'll come with an iGPU, and for $20 less cost. And it should be compatible with the rest of your build.
  2. BIOS shouldn't be an issue. Older models of motherboards come pre-flashed with the compatible BIOS now. You only have to worry about flashing the BIOS if your particular motherboard was manufactured before the CPU came out (since the manufacturer obviously wouldn't have been able to flash the BIOS for a then-nonexistent CPU). The actual process of flashing a BIOS is really easy, but you'll need to install a compatible CPU first to flash the BIOS. Just follow the instructions on the motherboard manufacturer's website (or manual). It's pretty idiot-proofed
  3. You'll want to buy speakers or headphones. Modern computers don't really need sound cards unless you're doing audio work, but you'll still need a way to hear the audio. (You'll also want a mouse, if you don't already have one)
  4. 8 GB RAM is really not enough these days, even if you're using Linux. 16 GB is really the lowest acceptable amount nowadays. Doubly so because DDR4 RAM nowadays is really cheap. For just 20 dollars more, you should get 16 GB, DDR4-3200. It'll save you a ton of headache later.
  5. You should get an SSD. SSD's are getting cheaper. Granted, hard drives are still cheaper, but it's getting to the point where the increased speed of an SSD easily offsets the increased cost of an SSD. SSD's significantly improve things like time it takes to boot up, time to open video or picture files, time to open programs, etc. It's really kind of a no-brainer nowadays, even if you don't game. I would not recommend a hard drive-only build nowadays, simply because the performance-per-cost is no longer viable. You should either do a full SSD build (more expensive) or an SSD+HDD combo (less expensive, but requires you to know where to put files). I would probably recommend getting a 1 TB SATA SSD (Samsung 870 EVO, $40) and a 1 TB HDD (WD Blue 3.5" 1 TB 7200 rpm, $30). This combo should get you the same total storage space, but it'll be much faster, and for just $10 more. Alternatively, you can consider if you even need 2 TB in total, and just get a 1 TB SSD. A solid 1 TB NVMe SSD goes for $60 nowadays.
  6. Have you tried using that keyboard before? My personal experience with membrane keyboards has been generally negative. They feel really mushy and they cause a lot of typos because you need to press all the way down for an input to register. Perhaps it's not an issue at your current price tier, but I would recommend at least considering a mechanical keyboard. Despite all the stereotypes about mechanical keyboards being loud, there are many types that are designed to be quiet, and many more that are designed to do all sorts of things. I personally can't stand the clacking, so I use a mechanical keyboard with red switches (quiet). Keychron sells high-quality mechanical keyboards for relatively cheap. I would recommending giving their catalogue a browse.
[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Really nice catch! I didn't notice the lack of iGPU. This person definitely needs to fix that issue.

[–] berryjam 2 points 9 months ago
  1. That's interesting, it is the 5600G on logical increments but it says 5600 on PCPartPicker. Good catch
  2. I will check this on the manufacturer's website
  3. I have headphones and a cheap usb speaker that I will use for audio
  4. Will do
  5. The SSD+HDD combo appeals to me. I will definitely think about this more
  6. I only added it for a price estimate - I plan to check it out in person first, but good points

Thanks for the detailed feedback!

[–] edgemaster72 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

If you're going for an iGPU like the 5600g as mentioned in another comment, you're going to want dual channel RAM. That'll add $11 to your total. The 5600g actually appears to be $9 cheaper than the 5600 so that's only a net increase of $2.

For about $10 more you can get a 1 TB NVMe drive instead of an old spinning drive. Kingston NV2, Solidigm P41 Plus, TeamGroup MP44L should all be fine options. It makes such a huge difference and is absolutely worth it.

Unless you're married to that size of monitor there's a fair few high refresh rate 1080p monitors with VRR support at or below the price of the one you have spec'd out. While you may not take full advantage with the build you have now, it gives the monitor the ability to grow a bit with upgrades you may do in the short to mid term. If you go with the cheapest one on that list, the MSI, that gives you $30 that I personally would put towards a more robust PSU, either this EVGA 600W 80+ Gold or this Silverstone 550W 80+ Gold.

As for your case, that one appears to only have 1 included rear exhaust fan, so you'd need to pick up some more like the Arctic P12 Max (9.99 single or 35.99 for a 5 pack). If you want to save a little you could consider the regular P12 (non Max, 8.99 single/34.97 5-pack) or the ThermalRight TL-C12C (6.59 single/11.90 3 pack). 2 intake fans with 1 exhaust would probably be sufficient. To offset the cost of added fans you could switch to this Cooler Master case.

Alternatively you could go with another case with more included fans, such as this Zalman case. Or if you're feeling adventurous enough to try RGB on your first build you could consider either these options from Deepcool and Sama.

Here's the full list with my recommended adjustments, only $7 more than yours but you gain:

  • the iGPU of the 5600G
  • another 8 GB of RAM in dual channel running at slightly higher frequency (remember to enable this in BIOS once you get everything set up)
  • a 1 TB gen 4 NVMe SSD instead of a slower but more spacious hard drive (again absolutely worth the trade off)
  • a case with a side panel (acrylic not glass but better imo than the cougar one) and 2 more fans
  • an extra 50W in the PSU and bumped up to a gold rated unit
  • a 24" 170Hz monitor with VRR
[–] berryjam 4 points 9 months ago

Wow, you made a whole new list -- thank you!

The monitor is quite honestly a random one that I picked from PCPartPicker's recommendations. I def want it to be bigger than 17" but I have no hard requirements beyond that. Similarly for the case, it's just the one recommended on Logical Increments -- I am not set on it, and I will def consider your other options.

Thanks again for the detailed feedback!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Mobo BIOS upgrades are usually really easy. You can typically connect an Ethernet cable and simply instruct the BIOS to update itself on many recent models and this has been my experience with that brand.

I haven't heard anyone needing a dedicated sound card unless you're specifically doing audio workstation type stuff.

I'm not qualified to answer your other questions IMHO.

You should consider more than 8GB of RAM. I think you'll have a better experience with 16GB on a new build because office apps can be surprisingly chunky. It's a cheap upgrade that I feel would pay dividends. Also, not having a pair of RAM sticks means your memory won't operate in dual channel mode, cutting your potential memory bandwidth in half.

[–] berryjam 2 points 9 months ago

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I will double the RAM.

[–] grue 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)
  1. The tricky thing about updating the motherboard BIOS to support a new CPU is that the computer has to be running, which means you have to have an older, supported CPU installed to do it. If this is your only Ryzen computer, you'll have to borrow an older Ryzen CPU from a friend or something to do the flashing.
  2. You do not need a sound card these days unless you are doing something unusual (pro-audio, retro gaming while being a purist on getting the MIDI synthesis exactly right, etc.)
  3. I don't know about a way to check ahead of time, but I'm 99.9% sure those parts will work in Linux. In fact, it wouldn't even cross my mind to worry about such a thing unless I was picking out something much more exotic.

By the way, ditch the hard drive for an SSD, even if you have to settle for less capacity to meet your budget. Spinning-disk drives murder performance these days.

I also concur with the other reply about the RAM.

I think you could probably shave a bit of cost off your monitor and keyboard to compensate (a 1080p ~20" monitor can be had for $100 or less, and I wouldn't pay more than $10-$15 for a membrane keyboard, wireless or not). Also, did you forget the mouse or do you already have one?

[–] berryjam 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Thank you! I will double the RAM and look into SSD options.

Yeah, I already have a mouse, and the keyboard/monitor are not set in stone. I just picked those based on the options available in PCPartPicker for a price estimate. I will be buying the keyboard after testing a few in person.

Also thanks for the info about needing a spare CPU - I don't have a way to borrow one at the moment.

[–] grue 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Regarding your updated list:

  • @Contramuffin made a good catch on the lack of GPU; I concur with his 5600G recommendation.

  • I noticed you switched the motherboard from the ASRock B450M/ac R2.0 to the Gigabyte B550 UD AC for +$10. It's got a newer chipset (B550 instead of B450) and more connectivity (PCIe 4.0 instead of 3.0 and more of them, a second M.2 slot, and USB3.2 including type-C connectors) so it's definitely "worth" the extra 10 bucks, but based on your list you wouldn't actually be using any of the stuff that makes it better, at least not initially. Also, it's a physically bigger card (ATX vs. Micro-ATX for the ASRock), so you'd really need that whole ATX mid-tower case you picked out instead of being able to use a smaller one with the other motherboard. Don't get me wrong: I think it was a good change, but it's just stuff to keep in mind.

  • Frankly, if you're sure you're just doing "general use" -- or even if you're not, but you're sure you won't need more than 1 PCI card, 2 sticks of RAM and 1 M.2 slot -- you might consider a Mini-ITX board like this, which would let you use a much smaller case. There are even some cases half the size of that, like this one, but if you go that small you might need to spend extra on a CPU cooler because the stock one that comes with the CPU might be too tall to fit. (OTOH, if you don't care about size then keep the big stuff to maximize future expandability.)

  • I don't know if the supposed performance/reliability/compatibility benefits of matched RAM are real, but the price benefits certainly are. Switch to a 2x8GB matched dual-channel "kit" instead of 2 8GB sticks of RAM purchased separately and save about $10.

  • Your storage budget apparently went up by a lot: $54 for the 2TB HDD you started with vs. $40+$90=$130 for the 1TB HDD + 1TB 2.5" SSD you have spec'd now. That's more than enough budget to get you into a 2TB NVME M.2 SSD. Regardless, that Samsung 870 Evo is not what you want: a 1TB SSD -- whether 2.5" SATA or M.2 NVME -- should be more like $60, not $90.

  • I've tried a vertical mouse before and didn't like it at all, but YMMV.

[–] berryjam 1 points 9 months ago

Yes, I switched out the motherboard because I do not have another CPU to use for updating the BIOS. I don't really care about the form factor tbh; I might upgrade the build in the future. (I do think the small case is pretty cute...)

I don’t know if the supposed performance/reliability/compatibility benefits of matched RAM are real, but the price benefits certainly are. Switch to 2x8GB matched dual-channel “kit” instead of 2 8GB sticks of RAM purchased separately and save about $10.

For sure, thanks for pointing that out! I did notice that on Amazon they had separate options for "1x8GB" and "2x8GB".

As for storage, I will probably just buy a 1TB SSD first and then consider buying more. Budget is not a major concern, I just want to keep it under $1k with peripherals + taxes.

I use a vertical mouse at work and quite like it :)

[–] grue 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] berryjam 2 points 9 months ago

Thank you! I really appreciate your feedback :)