New build - opinions?

natnifnolnacs

This is my first proper build...I'm re-using some parts that I have lying around, but mostly new.It won't be used for gaming much, but running audio recording and music notation software.

Case - fractal design r3

Motherboard - MSI B350 PC mate - https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-B350-Ryzen-Audio-Motherboard/dp/B06XNPW8JC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515327259&sr=8-1&keywords=b350+pc+mate

Processor - Ryzen 5 1400 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-Ryzen-1400-Desktop-CPU/dp/B06XKWT8J4/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1515327319&sr=1-1&keywords=ryzen+5+1400

RAM - Crucial 8GB DDR4 2400 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BIWK9OK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

PSU - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01D0B5I16/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hard drives - I have a 120GB SSD and a 1TB SATA which will be getting re-used, along with the GPU which is an Asus Nvidia GeForce GT 640 (2GB)

It's a bit of a budget build, but I'm hoping it will give decent performance. Any comments or advise?

edit - I'll be adding a sound card at a later date, and probably changing to a different case as the one I have isn't set up for USB 3.0 on the front, but I'll get it all together first as is and see how it's working before making any other purchases.

K.O.Kiki

I'd recommend saving up another 1-2 weeks & upgrade the CPU to Ryzen 5-1600 (£167.99) and the PSU to Corsair CX450M (£49.99)(modular), or CX450 (£40.97).

Motherboard is good, although Asus Prime B350-Plus & ASRock AB350 Pro4 are only a few quid more & better regarded.

natnifnolnacs

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

I'd recommend saving up another 1-2 weeks & upgrade the CPU to Ryzen 5-1600 (£167.99) and the PSU to Corsair CX450M (£49.99)(modular), or CX450 (£40.97).

Motherboard is good, although Asus Prime B350-Plus & ASRock AB350 Pro4 are only a few quid more & better regarded.

Thanks for that.

I'm currently running a 7 year old i3 which is handling the load I throw at it with no real issues...most of the time! I figured the Ryzen 5 1400 would be massive jump forward, if not the best available.

I'm curious what advantages you think I would see in one vs the other. The same with the PSU, apart from the modular benefit?

K.O.Kiki

Ryzen 1600 is just the best-value CPU around. Compared to the 1400, it gives around 50% more performance (4 vs 6 core).
But 1400 is fine too.

However, I would now advise to wait until mid-February for Ryzen 2200G/2400G, which will have an on-board GPU for around the same price.
(new APUs on 12. February) / (leaked pricemaps)

PSU: CiT are not good, Corsair are.
Don't skimp on the PSU if you can avoid it!

natnifnolnacs

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Ryzen 1600 is just the best-value CPU around. Compared to the 1400, it gives around 50% more performance (4 vs 6 core).
But 1400 is fine too.

However, I would now advise to wait until mid-February for Ryzen 2200G/2400G, which will have an on-board GPU for around the same price.
(new APUs on 12. February) / (leaked pricemaps)

PSU: CiT are not good, Corsair are.
Don't skimp on the PSU if you can avoid it!

Typical eh? Well I suppose there will always be new tech in the pipeline, so that's the way it goes. I'm under pressure to get some work finished that my current pc is struggling with, so can't really hold off until February unfortunately! I appreciate the links though.

As for the PSU, I'll upgrade in a few months and this PSU can go into my other media pc whcih is far less critical. the one in that pc sounds like a let engine, so I'm sure this will be some sort of upgrade!!

TerrorFirmer

The other thing is that your current i3 is probably 2nd gen, you could upgrade to an i7-2600 for €100-130 and it's still a pretty powerful processor, a quad Ryzen wouldn't have much on it if anything.

Even a first gen i3 can be upgraded to an i7-860/870 for about €40, and also still remarkably decent considering the age. I've played stuff like Battlefield 1 64 player online on an i7-870 and it ran pretty well considering its a CPU killer. (50-60fps at all times)

natnifnolnacs

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

The other thing is that your current i3 is probably 2nd gen, you could upgrade to an i7-2600 for €100-130 and it's still a pretty powerful processor, a quad Ryzen wouldn't have much on it if anything.

Even a first gen i3 can be upgraded to an i7-860/870 for about €40, and also still remarkably decent considering the age. I've played stuff like Battlefield 1 64 player online on an i7-870 and it ran pretty well considering its a CPU killer. (50-60fps at all times)

I did consider that alright, but i didn't want to be putting money into a fairly old machine...i've been limping on with this for quite a while so it was time to start from scratch!

Current is a core i3 2100 3.1

natnifnolnacs

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

PSU: CiT are not good, Corsair are.
Don't skimp on the PSU if you can avoid it!

You live and learn. I went ahead with the CiT PSU. It died 3 weeks in. Amazon have refunded, so I'm now on the hunt for a budget PSU 450W that is quiet and that I can get my hands on pretty quickly.... I use the pc for music recording so quiet really is the order of the day. Any suggestions?

K.O.Kiki

https://www.quietpc.com/powersupplies

Any of these models.