Building a new PC

[K1Machine 10]

Ive always built my PC's myself but its been a while

My current rig is around 8 years old and its socket 775 (remember those?)

I need an upgrade......

Im not bothered if its second hand, in fact second hand may be better in terms of price but I need to edit and process videos, not play games so I am  after recommendations of the best bang for buck pc components i can get that wont break the bank. Cutting edge is not in my budget but I am looking for a workhorse that will last a while and do what I need.

What should I be looking for?

Thanks

[zach 234]

 I do quite a lot of video editing/encoding and have found the Ryzen 7 a good CPU. I have both the 1st and 2nd generation and both are good CPUs but the 2nd gen plays much better with RAM. To save a bit of cash, go for the none "X" versions... 1700 or 2700. Both these CPUs are 8 Core/16 Thread.

 

A minimum of 16GB of decent speed DDR4 RAM would also need to be on the list with the above CPUs. I never got the Ryzen 1700 to run stable at anything above 3000, the Ryzen 2700 seems ok with higher speeds. You'll need to check which CPU and motherboard before buying RAM.

 

Other good workhorse CPUs I've owned are the Intel X79 and X99 chipset ones. I keep seeing these pop up on Gumtree from time to time at the right money. These are usually 6 Core/12 Thread CPUs like the 3930k

 

Although workload can be passed on to graphics cards, I'll not go into those as they tend to add big numbers to any build. If you let us know your budget, it might help in picking the best new/used parts.

Edited February 21, 2019 by zach

[K1Machine 10]

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate all the info youve given me.

I dont think I will be able to stretch to DDR4 if im honest so Ill be looking for DDR3 and find a mobo that I can stick loads into but here is a bit more info,,,

I will be re-using my current GPU (780TI) for now

Same with my PSU (EVGA Supernova 750 B2)

My Hard Drives and my case. Ill upgrade those too over time so for now Ill be looking to replace the Mobo, Ram and CPU

Looking at the Ryzen 7 I think thats a bit out of my budget for now unless I can see one second hand somewhere. I had a look today but not had much luck but Ill keep looking

[Ghozer 112]

honestly, I would wait a bit, it's a bad time to build anything at the moments, prices are fluctuating like crazy, the new stuff will be due soon (Q2 stuff) and SSD prices will be plummeting...

Also, I wouldn't bother with DDR3, it's old and slow, and can actually cost more new than DDR4 at present, and most 'new' boards/CPU's you'd pick wouldn't work with DDR3 any way,  you would be looking at old(er) generations and more than likely Second hand...

It's easier to tell us your budget, And then can go from there... 

[K1Machine 10]

Hi

Its really a case of finding what I need to spend on the parts that will do what I need.

As im only needing the mobo, ram and cpu  I would like to spend no more than £300 (hence being prepared to buy second hand for the cpu and ram but really want the motherboard to be new) but that's just a rough guess,

If i could get the parts for less then great stuff but if i need to spend a little more then I could do that. The number one thing for me is plenty of fast ram and a minimum of 6 cores on the cpu.

Regarding the ram, the motherboard must be able to take a lot but I wouldnt necessarily max it out from the start. Example being if the board can take 32gig, to save on cost I could get away with 16 then max it our at a later date. Im happy to stick with my current psu and gpu for now but they will be upgraded as and when I can afford it. My current PC being skt 775 is really showing its age now but hey, I built it almost 10 years ago now and the only things Ive ever upgraded are the psu, gpu and added more ram so I cant complain really.

[apelike 10]

Have a look in the classifieds as there is a RYZEN 5 1600 PC for sale with 8GB 3000 mhz ram. Just add some more ram and you are set to go.

[Magic_18 10]

hope you enjoy with your new Machine and nice to meet you. Great Lad.

[K1Machine 10]

20 minutes ago, Magic_18 said:

hope you enjoy with your new Machine and nice to meet you. Great Lad.

Cheers matey.

Youre a good un 👍

[apelike 10]

4 hours ago, Magic_18 said:

hope you enjoy with your new Machine and nice to meet you. Great Lad.

Can I claim some commission.... 😀 Na only joking, twas a bargain though.

[K1Machine 10]

2 hours ago, apelike said:

Can I claim some commission.... 😀 Na only joking, twas a bargain though.

Yup Im happy with the system and I feel I got a decent deal.

One Issue Ive run into when Installing Win7 though (I know I know I really should upgrade to win10 lol )

I could do with a PS2 keyboard for the install as there is some compatibility issue with my usb keyboard and mouse.

If anyone has one they could loan me for the day or sell me rather cheap Id be very grateful.

[apelike 10]

I have 2 USB to PS2 adaptors that may work, one for a mouse and one for the kbd. 

 

PM me if you need to borrow them.

[tzijlstra 11]

For anybody interested in this topic in the near future: AMD Ryzen is by far the best value for money chip going at the moment. As Zach pointed out - don't go for the X versions (unless you are a whizzkid overclocker with watercooling).

 

In terms of graphics cards things are very murky at the moment. I've been looking to upgrade from a GTX1060 but genuinely see no point as the market is all over the place now.