PC Sherdog PC Build/Buy Thread, v6: My Power Supply Burned Down My House

A back-to-the-basics build video by LTT that focuses on value via Ryzen (which is king of value), so this is one that should interest any prospective builder:

 
Madmick said:
A back-to-the-basics build video by LTT that focuses on value via Ryzen (which is king of value), so this is one that should interest any prospective builder:

Click to expand...


Did you see the video collaboration with Scotty from Strange Parts passed the firetruck video?
 
Migelle said:
Wooow, $ 900 is a very big price for such a kit, I think it could be a lot cheaper then that..
Click to expand...
How so?

PCPartPicker Part List
Total: $1007.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available [California]
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-17 07:13 EST-0500

Right now this build is $964 before tax, just over $1K after where I am, and of course the lack of an operating system still has to be addressed. I'm assuming they aren't counting that 24" Dell Monitor towards the total. You could get cheaper non-RGB RAM of the same speed; you could skimp on the Case, PSU, storage, and also the motherboard if you're willing to wait on flash kits. There's no real money to be spared here in any slot except the GPU if you sprung for a cheap reference, blower-style RX 5700 instead of the much quieter RTX 2060.

At which point I begin to wonder why someone is building at all, and not just buying something like this (it drops to $499 on sale):
https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Pavil...-1660Ti-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-690-0073w/902037635
 
Ok long question for you guys. I have a 5 year old Dell XPS with I-7 2600k, 16gb ram, 2 tb HD, 450w PSU, 1 GB video card. Its been a great computer and has handled most of the light photo editing, gaming, and general use I throw at it. Recently the computer stopped powering on, and an alarm would sound, giving off 3 beeps, until I unpower the system. I had some decent dust build-up, so after a thorough cleaning, the computer started working again. About a month later, the same problem. I assumed it was either the PSU or motherboard dying, and a friend agreed that without looking at it in person, it would likely be one of those. He had some brand new parts laying around from a mining project he abandoned and offered the parts to me for free. I didn't really want to build a full computer so I took the 750w PSU and 1060 6gb video card from him.

I took my computer apart, removing the PSU, and video card, but soon realized the new components won't fit properly within the dell case, and I assume cooling could like be an issue, with everything so packed in. So my question is, is it fairly easy, to take the rest of the components out of my computer, then put them in a new larger case? And issues I will run into to, or supplies I should get? I am also not positive that if it wasn't my motherboard that is damaged. He also has a new Motherboard I can have, but would it be worth it to transfer my I-7 2600k to it. Its an older chip, but from my research, it actually still holds up well today, performance-wise. I'm not looking to build a high-end gaming computer, that plays everything on max, but I would probably play more games on this. Is this something I should attempt, or should I just start over and trash everything?
 
sverre054 said:
Ok long question for you guys. I have a 5 year old Dell XPS with I-7 2600k, 16gb ram, 2 tb HD, 450w PSU, 1 GB video card. Its been a great computer and has handled most of the light photo editing, gaming, and general use I throw at it. Recently the computer stopped powering on, and an alarm would sound, giving off 3 beeps, until I unpower the system. I had some decent dust build-up, so after a thorough cleaning, the computer started working again. About a month later, the same problem. I assumed it was either the PSU or motherboard dying, and a friend agreed that without looking at it in person, it would likely be one of those. He had some brand new parts laying around from a mining project he abandoned and offered the parts to me for free. I didn't really want to build a full computer so I took the 750w PSU and 1060 6gb video card from him.

I took my computer apart, removing the PSU, and video card, but soon realized the new components won't fit properly within the dell case, and I assume cooling could like be an issue, with everything so packed in. So my question is, is it fairly easy, to take the rest of the components out of my computer, then put them in a new larger case? And issues I will run into to, or supplies I should get? I am also not positive that if it wasn't my motherboard that is damaged. He also has a new Motherboard I can have, but would it be worth it to transfer my I-7 2600k to it. Its an older chip, but from my research, it actually still holds up well today, performance-wise. I'm not looking to build a high-end gaming computer, that plays everything on max, but I would probably play more games on this. Is this something I should attempt, or should I just start over and trash everything?
Click to expand...
The answer is probably not the motherboard, no. This is what it lame about office prebuilds (unlike the gaming prebuilds you see alongside them on the bestseller charts on Amazon). They aren't built on the universal ATX form factor. For this reason the motherboard likely won't mount properly in a new case you buy. There's not really anything magical about mounting. The idea is simply to fasten the motherboard as securely in place as possible, and depending on how the motherboard is configured, it's usually ideal to orient it in a certain way (so that some ports are nearest to the front, and so that the CPU fan blows from front to back). For this reason, some DIYer's who are comfortable using power tools will measure the non-universal motherboard, drill holes into some cheap case that's big enough to house recycle components, and install their own standoffs to mount the motherboard. That's quite a hassle, and probably not the best or easiest strategy for you moving forward.

Now the good news. Everything else can easily be switched into a new case once you purchase a new motherboard on a universal form factor, or at least establish that the one you have already is. The only downside, here, is that the LGA 1155 motherboards you need for that CPU are out of production, and tend to come at steeper premiums from the traditional retailers in brand new condition. You can see here if you first hit "Edit This Part List" and then go to "Choose a motherboard" what the compatible options are (the cheapest starts at $157):
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DpH9TW

Your best bet is to scour eBay, where a lot of older hardware sells, which isn't tracked by PC Part Picker, or go look for guys selling/trading LGA 1155 motherboards here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/

Once you have a new motherboard the most delicate operation you'll encounter is extracting your CPU & CPU Cooler from your old motherboard without damaging them. Either find a friend who knows how to do that, or watch YouTube tutorials. Everything else will be a simple transfer. Your hard drive might have a plastic shell or some other mounting fixture in the Dell case that you must shed for your new case, but that will be pretty straightforward. The GPU will run just fine in an LGA 1155 motherboard, the RAM can be easily transplanted, and the new PSU will fit in an ATX case pretty much no matter what it is (but I suspect it's an ATX).
 
Madmick said:
The answer is probably not the motherboard, no. This is what it lame about office prebuilds (unlike the gaming prebuilds you see alongside them on the bestseller charts on Amazon). They aren't built on the universal ATX form factor. For this reason the motherboard likely won't mount properly in a new case you buy. There's not really anything magical about mounting. The idea is simply to fasten the motherboard as securely in place as possible, and depending on how the motherboard is configured, it's usually ideal to orient it in a certain way (so that some ports are nearest to the front, and so that the CPU fan blows from front to back). For this reason, some DIYer's who are comfortable using power tools will measure the non-universal motherboard, drill holes into some cheap case that's big enough to house recycle components, and install their own standoffs to mount the motherboard. That's quite a hassle, and probably not the best or easiest strategy for you moving forward.

Now the good news. Everything else can easily be switched into a new case once you purchase a new motherboard on a universal form factor, or at least establish that the one you have already is. The only downside, here, is that the LGA 1155 motherboards you need for that CPU are out of production, and tend to come at steeper premiums from the traditional retailers in brand new condition. You can see here if you first hit "Edit This Part List" and then go to "Choose a motherboard" what the compatible options are (the cheapest starts at $157):
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DpH9TW

Your best bet is to scour eBay, where a lot of older hardware sells, which isn't tracked by PC Part Picker, or go look for guys selling/trading LGA 1155 motherboards here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/

Once you have a new motherboard the most delicate operation you'll encounter is extracting your CPU & CPU Cooler from your old motherboard without damaging them. Either find a friend who knows how to do that, or watch YouTube tutorials. Everything else will be a simple transfer. Your hard drive might have a plastic shell or some other mounting fixture in the Dell case that you must shed for your new case, but that will be pretty straightforward. The GPU will run just fine in an LGA 1155 motherboard, the RAM can be easily transplanted, and the new PSU will fit in an ATX case pretty much no matter what it is (but I suspect it's an ATX).
Click to expand...

Well, the part about the motherboard not mounting to a new case all depends on which model he has. If it's an Optiplex 7010 MT, they can be mounted in a new case, they use the standard mounting holes. Power delivery on that motherboard is also standard.
 
sverre054 said:
Ok long question for you guys. I have a 5 year old Dell XPS
Click to expand...
Madmick said:
Everything else can easily be switched into a new case once you purchase a new motherboard on a universal form factor, or at least establish that the one you have already is.
Click to expand...
tenor.gif
 
Madmick said:
The answer is probably not the motherboard, no. This is what it lame about office prebuilds (unlike the gaming prebuilds you see alongside them on the bestseller charts on Amazon). They aren't built on the universal ATX form factor. For this reason the motherboard likely won't mount properly in a new case you buy. There's not really anything magical about mounting. The idea is simply to fasten the motherboard as securely in place as possible, and depending on how the motherboard is configured, it's usually ideal to orient it in a certain way (so that some ports are nearest to the front, and so that the CPU fan blows from front to back). For this reason, some DIYer's who are comfortable using power tools will measure the non-universal motherboard, drill holes into some cheap case that's big enough to house recycle components, and install their own standoffs to mount the motherboard. That's quite a hassle, and probably not the best or easiest strategy for you moving forward.

Now the good news. Everything else can easily be switched into a new case once you purchase a new motherboard on a universal form factor, or at least establish that the one you have already is. The only downside, here, is that the LGA 1155 motherboards you need for that CPU are out of production, and tend to come at steeper premiums from the traditional retailers in brand new condition. You can see here if you first hit "Edit This Part List" and then go to "Choose a motherboard" what the compatible options are (the cheapest starts at $157):
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DpH9TW

Your best bet is to scour eBay, where a lot of older hardware sells, which isn't tracked by PC Part Picker, or go look for guys selling/trading LGA 1155 motherboards here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/

Once you have a new motherboard the most delicate operation you'll encounter is extracting your CPU & CPU Cooler from your old motherboard without damaging them. Either find a friend who knows how to do that, or watch YouTube tutorials. Everything else will be a simple transfer. Your hard drive might have a plastic shell or some other mounting fixture in the Dell case that you must shed for your new case, but that will be pretty straightforward. The GPU will run just fine in an LGA 1155 motherboard, the RAM can be easily transplanted, and the new PSU will fit in an ATX case pretty much no matter what it is (but I suspect it's an ATX).
Click to expand...
Thank you very much. Very helpful. In your opinion, Is the I7 2600k still worth salvaging, or should I just but the bullet and get a new processor. Also any computer cases you recommend?
 
sverre054 said:
Thank you very much. Very helpful. In your opinion, Is the I7 2600k still worth salvaging, or should I just but the bullet and get a new processor. Also any computer cases you recommend?
Click to expand...
It's finally on the bubble, but yes, I think it's worth salvaging as long as you don't have to replace the motherboard, or if you can find a suitable motherboard for under $100. After all, if you bought a new CPU, you'd still be transplanting DDR3 RAM which wouldn't benefit from the CPU's new potential, anyway. If you do buy a new motherboard, though, know that you'll have to freshly install Windows-- however you do it. Your current installation is anchored to that motherboard.

I haven't looked extensively at CPU tests lately pairing older CPUs with the most recent game releases, but I think you'd run into an incredibly small number of games where the 2600K is a chokepoint for the GTX 1060 such that the framerate becomes identical with other lesser CPUs that can't meet a minimum threshold to keep up with the GPU. Game Debate keeps a list of the most demanding games where you can see official Minimum / Recommended hardware requirements. The top of the list is dominated by yet-to-be-released games, but you can also search the site for games that you play specifically to see if the 2600K is sufficient. The thing is 9 years old, now, but it almost never fails to meet the "Recommended" requirements which is what you want-- above the "Minimum" which in my experience yields an intolerable gaming experience:
https://www.game-debate.com/games/most-demanding

If you do have to install Windows anew, I don't think the 2600K supports or plays well with most NVMe drives, but I'd strongly suggest seizing the opportunity to purchase a 2.5" SATA SSD. You will be astonished at the difference this brings you. They are light years faster for everything, not just games, and these days they're quite affordable. Also, once the 2600K no longer suits you, you can bring the SSD to a new build (and since your next build will almost certainly have a NVMe SSD for the OS, a 2.5" SATA SSD will make the perfect dedicated game drive for more storage).

Prices on 2.5" SSDs are a bit disappointing. They've gotten more expensive than the NVMe units, now, but I'd recommend this one:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/W3Jtt6/tcsunbow-x3-1-tb-25-solid-state-drive-x3-480gb-1

For cases, there's a ton. More valid choices here than any other component with a larger subjective element to choosing. This is a rabbit hole of shopping fun. I'm sure others on here will chime in.

The Corsair Carbide 270R or 275R are fantastic, and most agree the Carbide series are friendly to new builders (presuming you are). Testament to how well these hold up? The old entry battleship of the line, the Corsair Carbide 200R, currently sells for $15 more than it did in 2013, LOL. Wow. That's value retention. Partly this has to do with tariffs, I'm told, but it was like that before Trump. The prices on them never dropped. Meanwhile, the Cooler Master Masterbox NR600 won the Gamers Nexus 2019 Budget Case of the Year. The founder of Gamers Nexus is affectionately referred to as "Tech Jesus" by the PC building community. No better reviewer to reference. Not sure if you need a DVD-ROM drive for what you do, but there is a variant of this case with an ODD aka External 5.25" Bay, though it is hard to find:
GN Awards Show: Best & Worst PC Cases of 2019 (Thermals, Quality, Noise)

Personally, if buying today, not that faster USB ports seem to be super relevant these days for anyone who isn't a professional moving massive amounts of data between machines all the time, since just about everything works wirelessly via the router, I'd still personally look for a case with a USB 3.2 Type-C front port for convenience since any cables you buy for your phones/tablets will work with your PC. You can charge your phone as fast as the wall with it, too. Since I'm also recommending a 2.5" SATA SSD I'd look for cases that also have at least one 2.5" drive bay internally at stock (though so you know there are cheap kits that can easily adapt 3.5" bays or cages to 2.5" holders, so it isn't essential). I'm also assuming we're after a Mid ATX Tower size. Here's a list via PC Part Picker with those filters, and as you can see, one of Corsair's newest budget offerings, the Corsair Carbide 110R, is the cheapest on the list. Beautiful, minimalist design:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#t=3&D=4&K=1,17&sort=price&page=1

Stick to one of these manufacturers:
  • Be Quiet!
  • Cooler Master
  • Corsair
  • Fractal Design
  • InWin
  • NZXT
  • Lian-Li
  • Phanteks
  • Silverstone
  • Thermaltake

*Edit*
Oh, finally, I might suggest that you move quickly on purchases. I fear the Coronavirus will spike prices on just about everything for a temporary period beginning shortly.
 
Last edited:
Madmick said:
It's finally on the bubble, but yes, I think it's worth salvaging as long as you don't have to replace the motherboard, or if you can find a suitable motherboard for under $100. After all, if you bought a new CPU, you'd still be transplanting DDR3 RAM which wouldn't benefit from the CPU's new potential, anyway. If you do buy a new motherboard, though, know that you'll have to freshly install Windows-- however you do it. Your current installation is anchored to that motherboard.

I haven't looked extensively at CPU tests lately pairing older CPUs with the most recent game releases, but I think you'd run into an incredibly small number of games where the 2600K is a chokepoint for the GTX 1060 such that the framerate becomes identical with other lesser CPUs that can't meet a minimum threshold to keep up with the GPU. Game Debate keeps a list of the most demanding games where you can see official Minimum / Recommended hardware requirements. The top of the list is dominated by yet-to-be-released games, but you can also search the site for games that you play specifically to see if the 2600K is sufficient. The thing is 9 years old, now, but it almost never fails to meet the "Recommended" requirements which is what you want-- above the "Minimum" which in my experience yields an intolerable gaming experience:
https://www.game-debate.com/games/most-demanding

If you do have to install Windows anew, I don't think the 2600K supports or plays well with most NVMe drives, but I'd strongly suggest seizing the opportunity to purchase a 2.5" SATA SSD. You will be astonished at the difference this brings you. They are light years faster for everything, not just games, and these days they're quite affordable. Also, once the 2600K no longer suits you, you can bring the SSD to a new build (and since your next build will almost certainly have a NVMe SSD for the OS, a 2.5" SATA SSD will make the perfect dedicated game drive for more storage).

Prices on 2.5" SSDs are a bit disappointing. They've gotten more expensive than the NVMe units, now, but I'd recommend this one:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/W3Jtt6/tcsunbow-x3-1-tb-25-solid-state-drive-x3-480gb-1

For cases, there's a ton. More valid choices here than any other component with a larger subjective element to choosing. This is a rabbit hole of shopping fun. I'm sure others on here will chime in.

The Corsair Carbide 270R or 275R are fantastic, and most agree the Carbide series are friendly to new builders (presuming you are). Testament to how well these hold up? The old entry battleship of the line, the Corsair Carbide 200R, currently sells for $15 more than it did in 2013, LOL. Wow. That's value retention. Partly this has to do with tariffs, I'm told, but it was like that before Trump. The prices on them never dropped. Meanwhile, the Cooler Master Masterbox NR600 won the Gamers Nexus 2019 Budget Case of the Year. The founder of Gamers Nexus is affectionately referred to as "Tech Jesus" by the PC building community. No better reviewer to reference. Not sure if you need a DVD-ROM drive for what you do, but there is a variant of this case with an ODD aka External 5.25" Bay, though it is hard to find:
GN Awards Show: Best & Worst PC Cases of 2019 (Thermals, Quality, Noise)

Personally, if buying today, not that faster USB ports seem to be super relevant these days for anyone who isn't a professional moving massive amounts of data between machines all the time, since just about everything works wirelessly via the router, I'd still personally look for a case with a USB 3.2 Type-C front port for convenience since any cables you buy for your phones/tablets will work with your PC. You can charge your phone as fast as the wall with it, too. Since I'm also recommending a 2.5" SATA SSD I'd look for cases that also have at least one 2.5" drive bay internally at stock (though so you know there are cheap kits that can easily adapt 3.5" bays or cages to 2.5" holders, so it isn't essential). I'm also assuming we're after a Mid ATX Tower size. Here's a list via PC Part Picker with those filters, and as you can see, one of Corsair's newest budget offerings, the Corsair Carbide 110R, is the cheapest on the list. Beautiful, minimalist design:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#t=3&D=4&K=1,17&sort=price&page=1

Stick to one of these manufacturers:
  • Be Quiet!
  • Cooler Master
  • Corsair
  • Fractal Design
  • InWin
  • NZXT
  • Lian-Li
  • Phanteks
  • Silverstone
  • Thermaltake

*Edit*
Oh, finally, I might suggest that you move quickly on purchases. I fear the Coronavirus will spike prices on just about everything for a temporary period beginning shortly.
Click to expand...


I'd pass on TCSunbow. I presume their 2.5s would be better than their m.2s, but a LOT of those Chinese brands are very disappointing. the TCs would often lead to BSODs during the long haul when I tested them out way back when.
 
22k said:
I'd pass on TCSunbow. I presume their 2.5s would be better than their m.2s, but a LOT of those Chinese brands are very disappointing. the TCs would often lead to BSODs during the long haul when I tested them out way back when.
Click to expand...
On paper the Sunbow X3 is excellent. Newer unit.
  • SMI SM2258G Controller. The same you see in some Mushkin, HP, Kingston, Crucial, and ADATA units.
  • Single-Core, Quad-Channel, Dual Bank Channels.
  • 3D TLC NAND manufactured by Intel (either 32/64 layer, not sure which for this 480GB size)
  • Contains DRAM cache
  • Non-sequential read/write speeds near the zenith of the SATA threshold
Beyond specs, I haven't seen reliability issues reported for this unit, and the Amazon review average also appears to be excellent:
TC SUNBOW New 480GB SSD 2.5 Inch SATAIII 6GB/s Internal Solid State Hard Drive with 512M Cache for Notebook Tablet Desktop PC(X3 480GB)

I'm being pretty picky to offer that one in the first place, but the next cheapest of the same class would be the ADATA SU800:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/V3...0-512gb-25-solid-state-drive-asu800ss-512gt-c

If he's willing to go up to 1TB there is the Crucial MX500 for $115 via Adorama, and there's a chance he won't pay sales tax on that:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/h3tQzy/crucial-mx500-1tb-25-solid-state-drive-ct1000mx500ssd1

These states don't pay sales tax to Adorama, still:
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Kansas
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • New Mexico
  • Oregon
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia
 
Madmick said:
On paper the Sunbow X3 is excellent. Newer unit.
  • SMI SM2258G Controller. The same you see in some Mushkin, HP, Kingston, Crucial, and ADATA units.
  • Single-Core, Quad-Channel, Dual Bank Channels.
  • 3D TLC NAND manufactured by Intel (either 32/64 layer, not sure which for this 480GB size)
  • Contains DRAM cache
  • Non-sequential read/write speeds near the zenith of the SATA threshold
Beyond specs, I haven't seen reliability issues reported for this unit, and the Amazon review average also appears to be excellent:
TC SUNBOW New 480GB SSD 2.5 Inch SATAIII 6GB/s Internal Solid State Hard Drive with 512M Cache for Notebook Tablet Desktop PC(X3 480GB)

I'm being pretty picky to offer that one in the first place, but the next cheapest of the same class would be the ADATA SU800:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/V3...0-512gb-25-solid-state-drive-asu800ss-512gt-c

If he's willing to go up to 1TB there is the Crucial MX500 for $115 via Adorama, and there's a chance he won't pay sales tax on that:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/h3tQzy/crucial-mx500-1tb-25-solid-state-drive-ct1000mx500ssd1

These states don't pay sales tax to Adorama, still:
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Kansas
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • New Mexico
  • Oregon
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia
Click to expand...

now you've got my curiosity boner popping. think I might revisit TCSunbow then.

Mushkins & Kingstons are always on the hot items list.

I haven't delved into the Mush territory yet. but these are next on the chopping block for me:

s1s8mTw.jpg
mTZRvdj.jpg


I think they're old. the SK being the newest out of the bunch.

btw, if anyone's looking for parts, I don't mind hooking you guys up.
 
Madmick said:
It's finally on the bubble, but yes, I think it's worth salvaging as long as you don't have to replace the motherboard, or if you can find a suitable motherboard for under $100. After all, if you bought a new CPU, you'd still be transplanting DDR3 RAM which wouldn't benefit from the CPU's new potential, anyway. If you do buy a new motherboard, though, know that you'll have to freshly install Windows-- however you do it. Your current installation is anchored to that motherboard.

I haven't looked extensively at CPU tests lately pairing older CPUs with the most recent game releases, but I think you'd run into an incredibly small number of games where the 2600K is a chokepoint for the GTX 1060 such that the framerate becomes identical with other lesser CPUs that can't meet a minimum threshold to keep up with the GPU. Game Debate keeps a list of the most demanding games where you can see official Minimum / Recommended hardware requirements. The top of the list is dominated by yet-to-be-released games, but you can also search the site for games that you play specifically to see if the 2600K is sufficient. The thing is 9 years old, now, but it almost never fails to meet the "Recommended" requirements which is what you want-- above the "Minimum" which in my experience yields an intolerable gaming experience:
https://www.game-debate.com/games/most-demanding

If you do have to install Windows anew, I don't think the 2600K supports or plays well with most NVMe drives, but I'd strongly suggest seizing the opportunity to purchase a 2.5" SATA SSD. You will be astonished at the difference this brings you. They are light years faster for everything, not just games, and these days they're quite affordable. Also, once the 2600K no longer suits you, you can bring the SSD to a new build (and since your next build will almost certainly have a NVMe SSD for the OS, a 2.5" SATA SSD will make the perfect dedicated game drive for more storage).

Prices on 2.5" SSDs are a bit disappointing. They've gotten more expensive than the NVMe units, now, but I'd recommend this one:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/W3Jtt6/tcsunbow-x3-1-tb-25-solid-state-drive-x3-480gb-1

For cases, there's a ton. More valid choices here than any other component with a larger subjective element to choosing. This is a rabbit hole of shopping fun. I'm sure others on here will chime in.

The Corsair Carbide 270R or 275R are fantastic, and most agree the Carbide series are friendly to new builders (presuming you are). Testament to how well these hold up? The old entry battleship of the line, the Corsair Carbide 200R, currently sells for $15 more than it did in 2013, LOL. Wow. That's value retention. Partly this has to do with tariffs, I'm told, but it was like that before Trump. The prices on them never dropped. Meanwhile, the Cooler Master Masterbox NR600 won the Gamers Nexus 2019 Budget Case of the Year. The founder of Gamers Nexus is affectionately referred to as "Tech Jesus" by the PC building community. No better reviewer to reference. Not sure if you need a DVD-ROM drive for what you do, but there is a variant of this case with an ODD aka External 5.25" Bay, though it is hard to find:
GN Awards Show: Best & Worst PC Cases of 2019 (Thermals, Quality, Noise)

Personally, if buying today, not that faster USB ports seem to be super relevant these days for anyone who isn't a professional moving massive amounts of data between machines all the time, since just about everything works wirelessly via the router, I'd still personally look for a case with a USB 3.2 Type-C front port for convenience since any cables you buy for your phones/tablets will work with your PC. You can charge your phone as fast as the wall with it, too. Since I'm also recommending a 2.5" SATA SSD I'd look for cases that also have at least one 2.5" drive bay internally at stock (though so you know there are cheap kits that can easily adapt 3.5" bays or cages to 2.5" holders, so it isn't essential). I'm also assuming we're after a Mid ATX Tower size. Here's a list via PC Part Picker with those filters, and as you can see, one of Corsair's newest budget offerings, the Corsair Carbide 110R, is the cheapest on the list. Beautiful, minimalist design:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#t=3&D=4&K=1,17&sort=price&page=1

Stick to one of these manufacturers:
  • Be Quiet!
  • Cooler Master
  • Corsair
  • Fractal Design
  • InWin
  • NZXT
  • Lian-Li
  • Phanteks
  • Silverstone
  • Thermaltake

*Edit*
Oh, finally, I might suggest that you move quickly on purchases. I fear the Coronavirus will spike prices on just about everything for a temporary period beginning shortly.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I really appreciate the the advice. Gonna make the process much easier for me. Definetly going to get a SSD. I upgrade my laptop with a Samsung Evo, and it's shocking how much faster it is.
 
Madmick said:
specifically to see if the 2600K is sufficient. The thing is 9 years old, now, but it almost never fails to meet the "Recommended" requirements which is what you want
Click to expand...
It's crazy how advanced the first 2 gens of i7s where for there time.

My brother in law still games on an overclocked i7 920 that he bought at the end of 2008 and has it paired with an almost 7 year old 290x.

He's literally playing games on high settings on a CPU that he bought when George Bush was still in office :eek::eek::eek:
 
Can someone post a vid of some good examples of good raytracing in a a game ?
I'm not sure if it's as cool as I thought.
 
Joe_Armstrong said:
Can someone post a vid of some good examples of good raytracing in a a game ?
I'm not sure if it's as cool as I thought.
Click to expand...
Digital Foundry does a good breakdown of what it does for Control. I think they also did a video on its contribution to Metro: Exodus.
 
Yeah any Digital Foundry video on Ray Tracing is worth a watch




Some more in the spoiler so i don't clog it up




 
22k said:
I'd pass on TCSunbow. I presume their 2.5s would be better than their m.2s, but a LOT of those Chinese brands are very disappointing. the TCs would often lead to BSODs during the long haul when I tested them out way back when.
Click to expand...
I'd rather spend the little extra money on a reputable drive.

Madmick said:
Stick to one of these manufacturers:
  • Be Quiet!
  • Cooler Master
  • Corsair
  • Fractal Design
  • InWin
  • NZXT
  • Lian-Li
  • Phanteks
  • Silverstone
  • Thermaltake*

*Edit*
Oh, finally, I might suggest that you move quickly on purchases. I fear the Coronavirus will spike prices on just about everything for a temporary period beginning shortly.
Click to expand...

An asterisk is needed on Thermaltake, they do make some good things but they make a lot of garbage.
 
The top respected Redditor authority on SSDs has himself fingered the TC Sunbow X3 as a "reputable drive". Tune out dilettantes.
560ti said:
It's crazy how advanced the first 2 gens of i7s where for there time.

My brother in law still games on an overclocked i7 920 that he bought at the end of 2008 and has it paired with an almost 7 year old 290x.

He's literally playing games on high settings on a CPU that he bought when George Bush was still in office :eek::eek::eek:
Click to expand...
No kidding. Right now the closest analogue on the AMD side is the R5-1500X which released in March 2017 (6yrs and 2mo later) at an MSRP of $189 (vs. $316 for the 2600K).
 
Madmick said:
The top respected Redditor authority on SSDs has himself fingered the TC Sunbow X3 as a "reputable drive". Tune out dilettantes.

No kidding. Right now the closest analogue on the AMD side is the R5-1500X which released in March 2017 (6yrs and 2mo later) at an MSRP of $189 (vs. $316 for the 2600K).
Click to expand...

And if you need to make a warranty claim, whom do you contact? I looked at their website and there's nothing other than basic contact info in Shenzen.
 
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