So, as the title says, I am going to build my first desktop pc this year and I need help choosing the right components for my budget, it’s not a very strict budget but I would prefer to stay under 1400€. I’ve already read some info around the internet and would like to get an Intel Core i5-12600, An Nvidia RTX 3060 12gb VRAM, and 16 gb of DDR5 RAM. Is this a good combination or should I get different components? Will 16gb RAM be enough? And also, does the thing to mount the CPU cooler on the LGA1700 socket come together with the CPU cooler or do I have to buy it separately? For the CPU cooler I think I will get a thermalright peerless assassin 120 SE, since I heard it is a good cooler for the price. For the motherboard I was thinking a TUF B760-PLUS WIFI. For building the pc I already know someone who can do it for me. If you can recommend a case, preferably with steel or mesh side panel, I would appreciate it.
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I agree with the other poster to go for 32gb RAM over 16, especially when the RAM prices are quite low right now. Any particular reason you’d like to go with ddr5 over ddr4? You can get a lot cheaper components going for a previous year ddr4 motherboard and ram and not really lose out on any performance, and I’d definitely suggest looking over it :]
And as for graphics card, with the way modern games are heading GPU VRAM is turning into a more important spec every year. So a 12gb 3060 or a 6700XT is not a bad choice. I can imagine you’d get better blender performance and compatibility with an Nvidia GPU though (haven’t checked but usually the way it goes with professional applications.) With this said any other card with over 10gb that you can find I’m sure you’ll be happy with, even better if you can find one used and save a bit.
Check the CPU cooler for compatibility in the specifications, and basically if it’s listed then it’s compatible and it’ll have the necessary brackets and things to install it.
Other general suggestions:
- pcpartpicker is a really great site to list, compare, find other builds and put together lists of components.
- I’m a big fan of Fractal Design cases, they’re fairly affordable, clean design and easy to build in and have some mesh/steel options like the Meshify.
Happy building, let us know how it goes!
i looked at some fractal design cases and i like both the meshify 2 and the focus 2. the focus 2 seems to heat up slightly more from what I have read tho. I will probably get a meshify 2, thanks for the advice! the computer should be done before august, since I should get the components around the 24th of july. and another question: is it really important to keep cpu and gpu temperatures as low as possible? or is there a certain temperature I should try not to reach?
Great choice! It’s not as crucial as one might think to keep temperatures low, and while gaming you’re not very likely to see max temperatures. There’s a fail safe on intel CPUs at 100c (sometimes 105c), at which point they will turn themselves off to prevent damage. But really unless it makes your room uncomfortably warm, all the temperature between your current and the max of 100c can be seen as performance headroom where there’s space to squeeze out higher clock speeds. Though you won’t be getting into overlocking so not really anything you can squeeze yourself, but with “K” branded intel processors like 12600K you could.
I would however guess that you’ll be gaming comfortably around 60-80c, and mostly only see 90c+ temperatures while rendering or doing any extended high CPU workload.
Highly suggest Fan Control and Open Hardware Monitor, for controlling fans and monitoring sensors respectively :]
Don’t use it as a bible but as a tool with suggestions.
Definitely don’t use it as a bible - they’re good in general, but some of their SSD recommendations make zero sense. Intel 660p on a $3000 machine…
Are you trying to game in 1080p or 1440p? Personally if I was going for 1440p I would opt for a 3070. Otherwise what you have is going to do just fine. Just don’t bottleneck your rig with a crappy monitor!
1080p
- Your Cooler should come with the mounting hardware you need for the CPU.
- Get 32GB of RAM if you’re doing CAD/Blender.
- If you can put the square peg into the square hole, and the circle peg in the circle hole, you can build a computer. Having someone who’s done it before will be helpful, but you’d be surprised how simple it is.
- Get a small air duster, and clean the fans every month or so.
- Video Cards aren’t nearly as important as people make them seem. I’m still running a 1660 Super and can run most games at 1080p 60fps without issue.
I’d probably up the GPU to a 3060 Ti or even 3070 as prices have been pretty low compared to the shortage period.
And for CAD or Blender it’s probably not a bad idea to go with 32 gigs of ram right away. I started with 16 and upgraded it to 32 a few months later.
A couple of questions:
- Does the <1400€ target budget need to include a screen, keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc? If so, you’ll probably want to set aside 3-400€ for those.
- Do you think you’ll prefer smoother gameplay (high refresh rate) or better graphics? (Higher resolution, ray tracing.)
As others have said, https://www.logicalincrements.com/ and https://pcpartpicker.com/ are both great sites for helping you pick out what parts to get. I also wanted to mention that logical increments has guides for screens, keyboards, mice, etc.
I already have the peripherals. I prefer smooth gameplay over good graphics. My monitor is a 1080p 144hz 23" monitor.
PS. I mainly play videogames, but sometimes compile code or use a CAD or blender.
Some things to consider for your build:
- The Core i5-13400 is probably cheaper than existing 12600 stock in your area, and faster overall. The Core i5-13500 is absolutely stupid given how cheap it is.
- Settle on a 32GB (2x16) DDR5-5600 CL36 memory kit instead. It’s cheap now, and games are going to make use of it.
- Weigh up the options between the Radeon RX 6700 12GB and the RTX 3060 12GB. The RX 6700 is probably cheaper in your area, and will be faster.
- You absolutely do not need the Peerless Assassin, but the choice is up to you if you want to pick it up.
- Motherboard choice is fine, but you would do well to shop around for deals.
- If you switch to a Micro-ATX motherboard, you have the option of using the ASUS Prime AP201 chassis.
