Hi, I am looking to build my first PC. It will be for general use (web browsing, programming, office work; no gaming).

Here is my part list: PCPartPicker

I based it on the Logical Increments minimum tier. I will be using Arch Linux for the OS.

Some questions…

  1. How painful is it to update the motherboard BIOS?
  2. Am I missing anything obvious? I’m unsure if I need a sound card, for example. Newegg says this motherboard has a wifi and bluetooth module. Is there anything else I should consider getting?
  3. Is there a way to check if any of the parts will not work/be incompatible with my chosen OS? I’ve never had a problem with Linux drivers on any of my laptops, so I’m fairly confident it will be fine, but I still want to make sure.

Thanks :)

Edit: I made an updated list based on your suggestions New updated link

  • @berryjamOP
    1•9 months ago

    Yes, I switched out the motherboard because I do not have another CPU to use for updating the BIOS. I don’t really care about the form factor tbh; I might upgrade the build in the future. (I do think the small case is pretty cute…)

    I don’t know if the supposed performance/reliability/compatibility benefits of matched RAM are real, but the price benefits certainly are. Switch to 2x8GB matched dual-channel “kit” instead of 2 8GB sticks of RAM purchased separately and save about $10.

    For sure, thanks for pointing that out! I did notice that on Amazon they had separate options for “1x8GB” and “2x8GB”.

    As for storage, I will probably just buy a 1TB SSD first and then consider buying more. Budget is not a major concern, I just want to keep it under $1k with peripherals + taxes.

    I use a vertical mouse at work and quite like it :)