Current Events > So building a gaming PC seems to be more involved than I thought

(+) Yeah! (+)

I decided to build a new gaming PC (my current one is a hand me down from my uncle)

I've ordered parts and they should arrive within the next two weeks or so. Now I'm watching videos on how to build PCs, and there are a lot more steps than I thought there would be <_<

Also, since I know it's gonna get asked, here's what my setup will be:

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X 6x 3.60GHz
• 6GB MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER
• 16 GB RAM
• 1TB SSD
• Mobo, Case, PSU etc...

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It's really easy, just make sure you use the right power cables for your graphics card and don't put too much thermal paste on the CPU. Everything else is plug-and-play. The hardest part is ultimately cable management if you care about making everything look fancy (well, and improving airflow a little).

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Just take your time. It's really not that hard. Most difficult part imo is putting the right amount of thermal paste

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Hexenherz posted...

The hardest part is ultimately cable management if you care about making everything look fancy (well, and improving airflow a little).

My gas dynamics prof will feel let down if I act like I don't care about airflow
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Your gas dynamics prof doesn't have to know >_>.

Also just make sure you use some diagnostic tools to track temperatures after you have everything set up; it's good to make sure the CPU/GPU aren't reaching too high a heat.

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I've never built one on my own until about 1 month ago. It took an entire day and the hardest part was definitely cable management. Looking up youtube videos beforehand definitely helped. Just make sure you watch not only how to assemble, but how to mess with the BIOS and get pertinent drivers.

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If you follow a guide, you really can't mess it up. These pieces are designed so they can only plug into one place. I think the only thing you can plug in wrong is if you have RAM that is split into two chips, you have to plug it into complementary slots on the mobo, but your mobo's user guide should explain that.

Also, like mentioned above, take your time with it. It took me five hours to assemble my first PC just because I read everything and kept touching a doorknob obsessively, lol.

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For me the trickiest part was getting everything hooked up to the MB.

I also ran into a hiccup that ended up being the RAM wasnt pushed in all the way. I didnt realize how much pressure I needed to get them to seat properly.

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Hexenherz posted...

Also just make sure you use some diagnostic tools to track temperatures after you have everything set up; it's good to make sure the CPU/GPU aren't reaching too high a heat.

Anything you'd recommend?

MrPeppers posted...

Looking up youtube videos beforehand definitely helped.

I'm doing this obsessively lol
MrPeppers posted...

Just make sure you watch not only how to assemble, but how to mess with the BIOS and get pertinent drivers.

I've done this for laptops I've bought but had to set up the OS myself, so that shouldn't be much of an issue
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Yeah the motherboard's instruction manual makes it easy. The hardest part in my opinion is figuring out what parts you want to get. You've got that out of the way, so everything from here on out shouldn't be too bad.

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GeneralKenobi85 posted...

Yeah the motherboard's instruction manual makes it easy. The hardest part in my opinion is figuring out what parts you want to get. You've got that out of the way, so everything from here on out shouldn't be too bad.

I literally just found a list in my price range loool
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Hexenherz posted...

It's really easy,

Until something goes wrong. I remember my first build where I spent hours doing everything right, pushing the power button, and then the PC refusing to post. There's nothing worse than that sinking feeling you get when you know something has gone wrong. Ultimately it was some kind of memory error that somehow fixed itself.

PIITB415 posted...

Most difficult part imo is putting the right amount of thermal paste

Eh... even then you can fuck up pretty bad and it'll still work. If you're not overclocking then you'd need a pretty drastic fuck up for it to matter. I bet even that Verge PC where the guy doubled up the thermal paste probably would have run for years. They tell you not to pick it back up after you first put it down because you'll form air pockets, but the pro-builders over at Tom's Hardware are like, "nah, just stick it back down. It's fine." A lot of the things we obsess about only really matter if you're pushing the hardware to the extreme.

Hexenherz posted...

ultimately cable management if you care about making everything look fancy (well, and improving airflow a little).

A very little. Didn't Luke over at LinusTechTips stuff a PC full of junk and he still couldn't get the temps to change very much?

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teepan95 posted...

I literally just found a list in my price range loool

I found it to be very difficult, and it was the only step in the process that made me put off doing it for so long. Ultimately, I made the wrong decisions. I probably spent too much for what I put together. I'm still satisfied with my PC though, and I think building it myself is definitely a big part of why that is. But I could have done better.

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There are a lot of options for monitoring software. I liked HWMonitor - it's free and easy to read, and it logs the minimum and maximum temperatures. So I'd just run that in the background, boot up a game (think it was BF4 back then) and play for a half hour or so and see what was going on.

@BeyondWalls That's why I included the bit about using the right power cable for the GPU >_>. I used one that *fit* my GPU just fine but it wasn't the right one, and I just kept getting a white screen constantly on the display.

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And remember, as long as you're not this guy, you'll be fine...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vmQOO4WLI4

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Hexenherz posted...

That's why I included the bit about using the right power cable for the GPU >_>. I used one that *fit* my GPU just fine but it wasn't the right one, and I just kept getting a white screen constantly on the display.

Wait... what? You used a power cable from another PSU? Those aren't interchangeable. The pins aren't standardized and the pin layout in the cable can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. You can fry your hardware like that.

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Connecting the front panel takes most of the time. The rest goes together in minutes. As far as cable management, it's a bit counter-intuitive, but the longer the cables are the easier it is. Gives you more slack to route them out of the way better.

The first PC I built was a 200mhz Pentium MMX, 32 mb RAM, 1 mb ATI Rage video card. It was a bleeding edge system at the time.

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BeyondWalls posted...

Wait... what? You used a power cable from another PSU? Those aren't interchangeable. The pins aren't standardized and the pin layout in the cable can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. You can fry your hardware like that.

Nope, it was from the same PSU. But it was an 8-pin cable instead of a 6+2 or something like that.

And yes I feel extremely lucky that everything worked just fine after that -_-

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I put together a PC for the first time last year and it worked out pretty fine. I'll echo what someone else said about connecting the front panel being tricky, I had some trouble plugging that stuff in cause I left it for last.

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Don't be afraid to use some force. The scariest part for me was thinking I was going to break something. But you won't

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BeyondWalls posted...

And remember, as long as you're not this guy, you'll be fine...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vmQOO4WLI4

MrK3V posted...

Don't be afraid to use some force. The scariest part for me was thinking I was going to break something. But you won't

*pulls out hammer*
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BeyondWalls posted...

And remember, as long as you're not this guy, you'll be fine...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vmQOO4WLI4

Bruh I was fucking dying at the tweezers part

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PIITB415 posted...

Just take your time. It's really not that hard. Most difficult part imo is putting the right amount of thermal paste

What if the thermal paste is already applied beforehand?

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Vita_Aeterna posted...

What if the thermal paste is already applied beforehand?

Then just sit it on the CPU?

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Also, huge time saver was making sure that you have a magnetic-tipped Phillips head

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MrPeppers posted...

Also, huge time saver was making sure that you have a magnetic-tipped Phillips head

YES.

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So does it make a difference if I install my ram into slots 1 and 3 as opposed to 2 and 4?
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teepan95 posted...

So does it make a difference if I install my ram into slots 1 and 3 as opposed to 2 and 4?

the motherboard manual should say, for my MSI B450 Gaming Carbon Pro it said 2/4 for the first set of two sticks, then 1/3.

one rookie mistake is not giving the manual a quick once over before building

I built a computer in september ( Ryzen 3600 + 5700 XT, so same gen as you) so lmk if you have questions

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teepan95 posted...

So does it make a difference if I install my ram into slots 1 and 3 as opposed to 2 and 4?

YES. You're motherboard manual with tell you the primary slots.

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teepan95 posted...

6GB MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

get a 1660 ti instead.

specs are high enough to warrant the few extra dollars.

https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-super-review/

super is good but you'd be better future-proofed with the ti
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The BIGGEST issue I had was having a place to put it together. You need a fairly decent table. I didn't have one and tried to put it together on the fuckin floor. Sucked ass.

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Floor is good if its hardwood. You should insert the parts into the mobo on top of the box the mobo came in (not the floor to avoid any dust/other dirt getting on it.) if you can get an anti static wrist strap Id get one for peace of mind, but its not super necessary

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I assembled my PC on my bed >_>

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MrPeppers posted...

Also, huge time saver was making sure that you have a magnetic-tipped Phillips head

My god this

ive had to take my mobo back out during builds before because a screw fell in a spot I couldnt get it

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spudger posted...

teepan95 posted...

6GB MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

get a 1660 ti instead.

specs are high enough to warrant the few extra dollars.

https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-super-review/

super is good but you'd be better future-proofed with the ti

Too late, already ordered the card
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sauceje posted...

I assembled my PC on my bed >_>

I pretty much always do it on my carpeted floor. Just ground yourself on the case every now and then and it's fine.
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Rain_Dust posted...

The BIGGEST issue I had was having a place to put it together.

I put mine together on my desk.

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nowadays things are a lot more simple and streamlined with less parts to worry about when building a pc. most of the parts only fit in one way so its hard to mess anything up. the most time consuming aspect is either cable management (which can be optional if youre lazy) and the header plug in's (case usb's, LED lights, power switch ect.) which will require taking a thorough look at your motherboards manual.

outside of those you just screw your motherboard in. put your cpu, thermal paste on and then the cpu fan, make sure to plug the fan in. from there plug in your RAM, graphics card (make sure to screw it in), hard drives and hook them all to the motherboard. then put in your power supply and hook that to all the case fans, gpu and motherboard.

modern motherboards eliminated a lot of the other crap you had to worry about like sound cards and ethernet cards along with hdd's getting smaller and being able to plug directly into the motherboard eliminating space and psu cables for them. optical drives are also getting phased out in favor of usb and digital usage. pc building is as easy as ever really.

Master_Bass posted...

I pretty much always do it on my carpeted floor. Just ground yourself on the case every now and then and it's fine.

Eh...... well..... That's more lucky than fine. But I think most higher end components are build well enough so they can take a lick or two and keep on ticking. I think most static hits probably just wear down electronics more than cause outright failures. But I'm not a static expert.

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BeyondWalls posted...

Then just sit it on the CPU?

Okay I guess I meant to ask, don't most CPUs come with thermal paste applied now?

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teepan95 posted...

Too late, already ordered the card

I just rebuilt mine last weekend and got the gtx 1660 super as well (upgraded from a gtx 970), I looked at the 1660 Ti but it was like a $50 difference for maybe a few more FPS

https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1660S-Super-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1660-Ti/4056vs4037

Though I consider it more of a stopgap to hold me over for a couple years or so until Nvidia realizes the crypto fad is over and brings their prices back down to earth maybe with the rtx 3000 series cards (not counting on it too much)


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teepan95 posted...

Too late, already ordered the card

bummer. performance should still be decent. if you aren't itching to game you may want to see if they will return it and just order a ti instead.
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I'm not gonna go above 1080p in the foreseeable future so the super should be enough
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teepan95 posted...

I'm not gonna go above 1080p in the foreseeable future so the super should be enough

PS5 and XBOX One Series X will make 4K gaming more mainstream. You're gonna be left in the dust with that 1080p peasant shit bro.

I'd have waited for the 3000 line cards rumored to be out midway this year. Pick up the 2070 Super on sale or get the RTX 3070.


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Eh

I live like 3 generations in the past when it comes to gaming anyway, so
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BeyondWalls posted...

Wait... what? You used a power cable from another PSU? Those aren't interchangeable. The pins aren't standardized and the pin layout in the cable can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. You can fry your hardware like that.

can confirm after two electrical fires on my desk

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Vita_Aeterna posted...

PS5 and XBOX One Series X will make 4K gaming more mainstream. You're gonna be left in the dust with that 1080p peasant shit bro.

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BeyondWalls posted...

Vita_Aeterna posted...

PS5 and XBOX One Series X will make 4K gaming more mainstream. You're gonna be left in the dust with that 1080p peasant shit bro.

Loool
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All three packages have arrived

I hope to start building it this evening
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Good luck to you! Take photos!

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