First build since 2008; feeling a bit lost! Goal: (Quiet) Mixed office/gaming, 1440p 75Hz + 75 (?) fps screen recording
###Build Help/Ready:
What is your intended use for this build? The more details the better.
My heaviest use would be screen recording tutorial videos for students in Minecraft Education edition.
Most of my use will be using web apps (LMS) with many tabs open (I frequently have 60+ browser tabs).
I am also a patient gamer; I don't really care about running the latest & greatest games at high specs, but I would like to run games at 1440p 75Hz (to match my monitor). My son likes cars, so running racing sims would be a cool bonus, but not essential.
What is your budget (ballpark is okay)?
I was hoping to keep it to ~$1070 CAD ($1200 CAD with tax), but I have some flexibility.
I opted for more RAM and more storage to go slightly over this limit already to allow for screen recording to work better. If another $100 or so would make a difference, then I'm game.
In what country are you purchasing your parts?
I am in rural Canada, so no local access to any discount computer shops. Online only or big-box in-store pickup. (Best Buy, I guess?)
Draft build, closely based on PC Part Picker's Modest Build Guide:
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/blindsight51/saved/#view=vhb8ZL
Questions/Other considerations:
I would like a build that is as quiet as reasonably possible. It will be in my family's common area, so I also want no RGB/lights that can't be disabled.
I notice that the suggested AMD build from PC Part Picker has lower power usage, so perhaps I should do an AMD build instead to reduce total thermal generation?
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/blindsight51/saved/#view=rBk6Bm
But it looks like the AMD card isn't as powerful as the i5, and the proposed build uses a bronze-rated instead of gold-rated PSU and requires a more expensive motherboard. So, this seems like a worse computer aside from total power usage.
I've chosen the Fractal Design Pop Silent ATX Mid Tower Case since it's the cheapest Pop case (which other posters here says is the best mid-range quiet case), but I'm open to any other quiet suggestions! I want a muted look: RGB that can be turned off. Black/white/grey.
Can either/both of these builds reasonably screen record 1440p at a stable framerate? (And do I want to record at 75fps to match my monitor, or just 60fps since that's "the standard"?) Or at least 1080p 60fps? Most of my lessons are just in OneNote, but it would be nice to be able to record Minecraft Education Edition, too.
Do I care about DLSS or ray tracing or other NVidea-only technology? (I think not because I don't need to play the newest games, but I could be convinced.) My monitor has Radeon FreeSync, so I assume I want a Radeon card.
Thank you for reading this far! I haven't been in the loop on computer hardware in a decade, so I'm feeling a bit lost, lol!
TL;DR: Am I good to go with the i5 build above?
Posted Feb 21, 2023, 12:41 AM UTC · edited
Update, if anyone sees this:
Intel is the clear winner due to Quick Sync.
I completely forgot about WiFi and Bluetooth; looking at adding an adapter for that (which looks like another $60-70 CAD for a reputable manufacturer.) I assume I'll want one with an external/moveable antenna in case I need to move it for a better signal.
Or I'll need to run a bunch of ethernet cable; I don't think I need gigabit speeds, so wireless will likely be easier and cheaper.
Still not sure about that case. Reviews say the Pop Silent can run hot. My next steps are going to be looking at completed builds with the case and check power usage to try to figure out if my lower-power build will work.
Also still trying to figure out the PSU. Getting a platinum-rated PSU would result in significantly lower heat in the PSU which might mean quieter operation. Not sure if it's worth ~$40 more, though.
Update 2:
Here is the build I ordered, with explanations:
PCPartPicker Part List
The i5-12400 non-F version for four reasons:
ASRock B660 Pro is just the cheapest available board with full compatibility. No WiFi/Bluetooth, though so I needed to get...
Asus PCE-AX58BT seems to be the best, most reliable, and economical option for adding WiFi & Bluetooth to a desktop at present. It has the option of wiring the antennas directly into the board or use the cables to put the antennas on the desk, so I can experiment to see if it makes a difference in my home and make a decision post build if I want antennas on or under my desk.
Memory was just the cheapest DDR4-3200 CL16 available at the time. 32GB should be enough for heavy multitasking, screen recording, and memory-heavy games.
The Kingston M.2 SSD is a reputable entry-level SSD and 2TB should give plenty of space for screen recordings and games. It should have sufficient speed for my needs.
The 6600XT was not available at a reasonable price in Canada, so I was able to get the 6650XT for cheaper. It uses slightly more power than the 6600XT, but it's something like 20% more powerful (or so I've read), so it was a nice upgrade to stumble upon.
Fractal Design Pop Silent case. It's the quietest case at its price point, according to what I could find. And it doesn't have gaudy RGB. I would have preferred no side window, but it's more expensive right now. Not a big deal. I'm liking the idea of a white case, too; it should hide better against the wall than a big black box. My total build is only an estimated 411W, so it should be fine for heat, even with its limited intake.
PSU: 411W is the estimated draw of the current build. If I add two 3.5" drives in a RAID at some point in the future, I'll max out at an estimated 451W. To capture peak performance, it's safer to multiply that by 1.25 to give 564W. Conveniently, the Fractal Design Ion+ PSU is one of the quietest PSUs available, is platinum rated, fully modular, and (coincidentally) the cheapest platinum-rated 550W+ PSU available at the time. Nice.
Edit: I went over budget for three reasons: #1 was PCPartPicker not including shipping prices on many components (~$100). In the case of the mobo, in particular, this was a huge difference, so spending an extra ~$50 on the mobo was cheaper than the $60+ shipping it was asking for the original option. I forgot to include a wireless card ($90). Upgrading the PSU to a higher-rated (lower-heat) and quieter model was another ~$50.