Computers Gaming Computer Build - Page 7

As mentioned in the video card thread, my son is getting ready to build his first computer. He has an online buddy that he games with that builds his own PC's and he has given him a list of components that he recommended he use. He's spending his own money on this and I wanted to make sure he gets good components and that they're compatible.

Component List:
Ryzen 5 5600
MSI Geforce 3060 TI TRIO 8GB
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus ATX AM4 motherboard
G SKill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2x8GB) DDR 3600 CL18 memory
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal HD
Samsung 970 EVO 500 GB M.2-2280 EVME SSD
Fractal Design Ion+ 560W 80+ ATX Power Supply

Does this look like a good setup? Any concerns or ideas? He mostly plays CS:GO and I realize this gaming card is probably overkill for that game, but he also plays wants to play games that require a better GPU. He basically wants to build a system that will play any game that's currently out there. He also wants something that can be easily upgraded in the future, when needed.

We haven't begun to look at cases or monitors. I think the case will depend on which graphics card we end up finding. I know the MSI Trio that was suggested is huge, but we can get a smaller case if we get a 2 fan version. Any suggestions on monitors as far as hertz and resolution? He doesn't need anything very big, he's going to be sitting right in front of it.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by mac459:
You really can’t go wrong with Noctua, great coolers and great case fans. You should be very happy with that build

Thanks, Mac!

I'm a bit fuzzy on the Thunderbolt protocol because even though the Gigabyte board has two TB ports, I needed to purchase a Thunderbolt 3 to 2 box and a bi-directional cable that supports TB 1, 2 and 3. I was advised on a pro audio forum that this was the way to go, so I'm just crossing my fingers that it'll work.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
Thanks, Mac!

I'm a bit fuzzy on the Thunderbolt protocol because even though the Gigabyte board has two TB ports, I needed to purchase a Thunderbolt 3 to 2 box and a bi-directional cable that supports TB 1, 2 and 3. I was advised on a pro audio forum that this was the way to go, so I'm just crossing my fingers that it'll work.

you mean you admit to something that you didn't know. If only you had asked me, I could have helped? smh :-)
[Reply]

Originally Posted by vailpass:
I finished my son's build over the weekend. Tried to go the aftermarket route for the first time on a Windows 10 code. Bought one off Kinguin. It was bogus, message came up "code has already been used". Pisses me off but it's my own fault.

Did you try calling the Microsoft support number? You can call in and they will usually fix that for you. Might have to give them a line about how your old motherboard went bad or something but they don't really care all that much.
[Reply]

Just FYI, Microsoft gives zero shits about Windows licensing. Technically, you don't even really need to license Windows to use it. You can install it and use it for a decade at 100% functionality without ever licensing it. It's kind of a dirty secret. If you want to quickly license it, you can always just use this: https://www.getkmspico.com/

It actually is legal. For testing purposes of course.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by Fish:
Just FYI, Microsoft gives zero shits about Windows licensing. Technically, you don't even really need to license Windows to use it. You can install it and use it for a decade at 100% functionality without ever licensing it. It's kind of a dirty secret. If you want to quickly license it, you can always just use this: https://www.getkmspico.com/

It actually is legal. For testing purposes of course.

Thanks Fish. On one of my son's last builds I got one of those stupid MS Windows keys where you scratch off the shiny stuff to reveal the code. My boy used a coin and scratched too hard, wiped off part of the code. That was like four years ago and he's been using Windows with no code ever since (even though I paid $100 for the code, trying to get M$ to give me that code proved impossible).

But, I like to be registered for things that require a license. I'm an ass for sending money to a shady site like Kinguin but I'd heard others here say they used it. My bad. I'm looking into the link you list here.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by vailpass:
But, I like to be registered for things that require a license. I'm an ass for sending money to a shady site like Kinguin but I'd heard others here say they used it. My bad. I'm looking into the link you list here.

Man, what a bummer. On my last PC build, I installed Windows Pro, only to find out that the version I purchased was Windows Home. I didn't want to spend 8 hours re-installing Windows Home and the other software I'd already loaded to that point so found a site in which I purchased a code for $9.99 dollars.

I wasn't sure if it was legit or not but since I used Paypal linked to by Business Amex, I figured it was worth a shot. Fortunately, it worked and I've never had an issue since.

I'd call the credit card company to reverse the charges because clearly, it was fraud.
[Reply]

Ebay has been very good to me on Windows codes.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
Man, what a bummer. On my last PC build, I installed Windows Pro, only to find out that the version I purchased was Windows Home. I didn't want to spend 8 hours re-installing Windows Home and the other software I'd already loaded to that point so found a site in which I purchased a code for $9.99 dollars.

I wasn't sure if it was legit or not but since I used Paypal linked to by Business Amex, I figured it was worth a shot. Fortunately, it worked and I've never had an issue since.

I'd call the credit card company to reverse the charges because clearly, it was fraud.

Thanks man. I knowingly took a chance and it didn't pay off. My dad would tell me the fault-finding on this one would end in the mirror.
[Reply]

Ok, we finally received a new GPU back from NZXT. This one is a PNY XLR8 3070 instead of the Gigabyte 3070. Any difference there?
He's been playing it for a couple of hours now and all seems to be fixed. It's screaming. His old computer would only run 60 FPS on a certain map in CS:GO and this computer was running 399 FPS on that map.
I do have a question, though. A couple of weeks ago, when the tech asked us to install a fresh copy of Windows on the PC, thinking that may be the problem. It wouldn't allow us to install Windows without getting rid of an MBR partition, whatever that is. It had like 3 or 4 different partitions on the computer. We ended up having to youtube the issue and when we did what they asked, there was only 1 partition remaining. Do we need to do anything to correct this? Do we need an "MBR partition"?
[Reply]

Originally Posted by Rukdafaidas:
Ok, we finally received a new GPU back from NZXT. This one is a PNY XLR8 3070 instead of the Gigabyte 3070. Any difference there?
He's been playing it for a couple of hours now and all seems to be fixed. It's screaming. His old computer would only run 60 FPS on a certain map in CS:GO and this computer was running 399 FPS on that map.
I do have a question, though. A couple of weeks ago, when the tech asked us to install a fresh copy of Windows on the PC, thinking that may be the problem. It wouldn't allow us to install Windows without getting rid of an MBR partition, whatever that is. It had like 3 or 4 different partitions on the computer. We ended up having to youtube the issue and when we did what they asked, there was only 1 partition remaining. Do we need to do anything to correct this? Do we need an "MBR partition"?

Strange that they choose to replace. When you order a build from then don't you pick from a list of components? Did they just switch and not let you know? I don't know PNY may be great I've only used their memory and was fine never had a GPU of theirs.
[Reply]