Custom PC Building(components choosing guides for new builders)

In my last post, I wrote some tips for gaming PC buying. But I didn't write anything very specific about choosing the right components. That's because writing an in-depth components guide would've made the post too long and you'd feel like you're reading an encyclopedia, not a blog. So in this post, I'll try to cover as much as I can while keeping it as short as possible(but I know it will end up being longest post on my blog 😂). 

Custom PC vs Pre-builds : what to choose? 

If you don't trust yourself, not even 1% that you can build a PC yourself then buy a pre-build PC. But do remember, the price difference between a pre-build and a custom build could be ₹5000-30,000 depending on where you buy them from. If you're okay with paying someone that much then go ahead, buy a pre-build for the peace of your mind. But do keep it in mind that the price gap is enough to get you slightly more powerful PC.

So, let's begin with components. It doesn't matter if you choose to get a pre-build of custom build yourself, there's something for you in this post.

1. Processor

Here comes the biggest debate: team red vs team blue, Intel vs AMD. Many of you might have heard that AMD overheats and uses too much power(wattage). It was true some 20 years ago, but now things have changed. Infact latest AMD processors are way more efficient than Intel. I'm not saying you SHOULD get AMD now, but considering current market situation, AMD has much better value for money. So if you're trying to get most out of your budget, then AMD seems to be more fitting choice.

Anyways, I'll write considering most recent generations from both brands. So in AMD’s case Ryzen 2nd gen(or Ryzen 2000 series) & Ryzen 3rd gen(Ryzen 3000 series). And for Intel, Core i lineup from 9th Gen(core i* 9000 series) and upcoming 10th gen.

Question: how much horsepower do you need?

• Gamers: atleast 4 cores with hyperthreading(or like AMD calls it, Simultaneous Multi Threading) is recommended. But just to be future proof, get 6 core processors if you can.
• Video editors: depends on the software you're using and resolution of your projects. But 6 core processors have become the bare minimum these days.
• 3d modeling/animators: as many cores as possible.
• Graphics designers/photoshop artists: highest IPC is preferred. Or in simpler terms, highest clock speed(GHz).
• Programmers and developers: again high IPC is preferred but the impact is not that high. If it has atleast 4 cores, it is sufficient.
• Data scientist/Machine learning: again, more cores is better. But as a college student/beginner, 4 cores is also enough.

So carefully and honestly assess what you'll be doing with your computer pick as following

• Ryzen 3 and Core i3: suitable for low budget gamers, programmers and photo editors. Best picks in this category: Ryzen 3 3100, Ryzen 3 3300X and Core i3-10100
• Ryzen 5 and Core i5(the budget allrounder category): suitable for all sorts of users without breaking the bank. Best picks of this category : Ryzen 5 3600, Core i5-10600K and if these two are out of your budget then considerable options are Ryzen 5 2600, Ryzen 5 3500, i5-9600KF, i5-9400F.
• Ryzen 7 and Core i7: suitable for serious users of all sorts and serious streamers. Best picks: Ryzen 7 3700X and Core i7-10700k. If these two are out of your budget then get Ryzen 7 2700 or 2700X and if you're gamer then get i7-9700K.
• Ryzen 9 and Core i9: suitable for enthusiasts and professionals. If you can't compromise a single bit of performance or make money using your computer then these are for you. Best pick: Ryzen 9 for content creators and for productivity tasks, Core i9 for super serious gamers.

2. Motherboard 

Most people overlook motherboards because you can save a lot of money on them. Motherboard prices start from ₹4,000-5,000 and can go as high as ₹40,000-50,000. I know most of you might think "if a ₹4-5,000 motherboard will work for my processor then why should I spend ₹10-20,000 on it?"

Well I don't blame you thinking that way, but you're not just saving money, you're losing features. In the world of computers, there's a point of diminishing returns. When talking about diminishing returns, people generally assume we're talking about expensive stuffs. But there's a point of diminishing return for cheaper components as well. If you try to save too much, you're literally throwing away your money. So here are the scenarios to consider motherboards

A320, A520, H310 an H410 motherboards: my recommendation is to stay away from them if possible. These are meant for entry level processors like AMD Athlon and Intel Pentium Gold. Buy these if and only if you can't afford anything better.

B450, B550, B365 and B460 Motherboards: budget models are suitable for Ryzen 3 and Core i3. With more expensive models, you get better feature sets like 4 RAM slots, better RGB support, more internal connectors, etc. Intel boards(B365 and B460) don't support overclocking but a high quality B450 motherboard is great for overclocking a Ryzen 5 can are capable of running even the Ryzen 9 at stock speeds. Notable Boards: MSI B450 Tomahawk and no noteworthy motherboard for intel because they're more or less same(no overclocking, max RAM speed 2666mhz) and at best you'll get few extra ports and connectors.

X570, Z390 and Z490 motherboards: best that you can get for your AMD and Intel processors. Specially made for overclocking, best feature sets and even the collection of best looks. Notable models

AMD

• Best budget allrounder: Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus
• Best of the lot: Asus Crosshair VIII Formula, Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master

Intel

• Best of the best: MSI MEG Z390 Godlike, Asus ROG Maximus XI Code
• Best budget allrounder: Gigabyte Z390 UD

3. RAM

Well it should be one of the easiest components to pick. Faster the RAM, better the performance. But don't forget to check the fastest RAM supported by your motherboard. Faster RAM can still work with your motherboard but the speed would be limited so no point in spending extra for faster RAM. 

3000mHz and 3200mhz RAM are found to be the sweet spot for both Intel and AMD processors. So if your motherboard supports it, get one of these speeds. Brand doesn't really matter but most popular RAM manufacturers are Corsair and G.Skill, if you buy their product and you'll be less likely to encounter compatibility issues. And if you're sure about compatibility then you can also get Adata, Thermaltake, Team Group, Antec, etc brands if they're more affordable to you. Best picks: Corsair Vengeance LPX if you want low profile RAM for CPU cooler clearance(or if you don't like RGB) and G.Skill TridentZ series for RGB builds.

4. CPU Cooler 

Since it came up in RAM discussion, I thought I should write about it next. Stock coolers, specially the ones that come with AMD are often enough. But we live in India, our temperatures cross 40°C each summer. Not everywhere but if you live at such place, your CPU temperature can easily cross 70-80°C performing relatively easier tasks. And if you do some long hours of gaming or rendering, you might encounter thermal throttling. What is thermal throttling you might ask, if you search any processor on Google, you'll see a base frequency and a boost/max frequency. The processor will boost to those max frequencies and sustain it when required if they're not overheating. Other advantage is fan noise, if your processor is cool, your cooler fans won't require to run at max speeds, thus lower fan noises.

Now the next question : Air vs Liquid cooler

Air coolers are more than enough for entry to mid range processors, ie Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Core i3 and Core i5. If you pick the right processor, you can overclock even Ryzen 7 and i7 with them. Notable air coolers: Cooler Master Hyper 212(pocket friendly), Noctua NH-D15(awarded No.1 title by many), Cooler Master MASTERAIR MA620M(looks great, decent cooling)

Liquid coolers or AIO are great option if you're trying to build a low noise PC. Some people are afraid of Liquid Cooling thinking it might leak on your components but All-in-one liquid coolers are built carefully, they won't leak unless you miraculously managed to strain the pipes to the extent that joints start to fail. Notable liquid coolers : Deepcool GamerStorm Castle 240(pocket friendly and works great), Cooler Master MaterLiquid ML360R, Corsair Hydro H100i, NZXT Kraken X72

Third option is custom liquid cooling. Not recommend for beginners unless you're good at plumbing and carpentry.

5. Graphics card 

If you got a processor with integrated graphics card and you're not planning to do anything graphics intensive then you don't need a dedicated GPU. But generally when someone opts for custom build, they usually plan to do something graphically demanding as well. So here are some tips for picking right graphics card

Gaming: usually a graphics card with 4GB GDDR5 memory or more is recommended, but just having graphics memory or VRAM is not enough. Take GT 730 4GB for example. Many people shamelessly trick people into buying a mediocre PC with GT 730 4GB installed in them. Many people assume that if has 4GB Graphics card, it should be enough for gaming. But in fact it is worse than integrated Vega 11 graphics of Ryzen 5 3400G. Then there's another example of GTX 1650, there are two versions of it, one with 4GB GDDR5 and one with 4GB of GDDR6. Both of them failed to surpass 3 years old RX 570 4GB which is often found for cheaper than these two. 

Video editing: again atleast 4GB is recommended. Usually most people prefer Nvidia because many softwares are more optimized for Nvidia GPU than AMD Radeon. 

Machine learning and Rendering : once again Nvidia GPU are supported in more softwares compared to AMD. So usually Nvidia GPU are recommended. 

Rest of the workloads will work on any graphics card. So pick according to your budget. 

Here are the list of graphics cards available for various budget. Sorted in lowest to highest performance as well

• Under ₹15,000 : RX 570 4GB, GTX 1650 Super and RX 580 8GB(anything below RX 570 is not recommend unless you're building a PC specifically for programming and photo editing) 
• ₹15,000-25,000 : RX 5500 XT, GTX 1660, GTX 1660 Super, GTX 1660 Ti and if you're lucky, RTX 2060
• ₹25,000-35,000 : RTX 2060, RX 5600 XT, RTX 2060 Super, RX 5700.
• Above ₹3500: RX 5700 XT, RTX 2070 Super, RTX 2080 Super, RTX 2080 Ti

6. Storage 

Whatever your requirements are, you need some sord of storage. Since SSD are much more cheaper than they used to be few years ago, having a SSD is recommended. But they're still not as cheap as Mechanical HDD when it comes to mass storage. For example, for the price of 1TB SSD, you can buy 3-4TB HDD. So if you're on limited budget, combining SSD and HDD is recommended. Best budget combo is 240GB SATA SSD with 1TB 7200rpm HDD. However if your budget allows, you should opt for Nvme PCIe SSD instead. Now you might ask, what is Nvme SSD? What's the difference between Nvme SSD and SATA SSD?

Key differences between the two is mainly the speed. Your average SATA SSD gives the write speeds in the range of 300-600MBps. And Nvme SSD can reach upto 5GBps(most expensive ones, still on average the give 2-3GBps). The important thing to keep in mind that M.2 is just the form factor, many people think M.2 means Nvme, but no. There are SATA III SSDs available with M.2 form factor. Always check full specs before buying M.2 SSD. 

7. Power supply

Another overlooked component. Always buy PSU from reputed brand and some sort of efficiency rating. Don't buy something just because it's cheaper. Most common efficiency ratings are

• 80+ White : Recommend for low budget PC builds, ie those ₹30,000-45,000 builds
• 80+ Bronze : most popular category, better assurity than 80+ White and not so expensive.
• 80+ Gold : ideal for midrange builds. You don't really need to go higher, but if you have the budget then you can consider next two as well. 
• 80+ Platinum
• 80+ Titanium

That covers rating, but what about capacity? My simple formula for calculation PSU capacity is

PSU >= Processor TDP(wattage) + GPU TDP + 150

You can google the TDP of your processor and GPU. If you're using everything stock then this formula is enough. But if you're planning to overclock then keep extra 150 to 200w headroom.

8. Cabinet 

Here you're free to pick anything. The main thing to keep in mind is the motherboard size. Common motherboard sizes are ITX, M-ATX and ATX. And common cabinet sizes are 

• Lan box/mini tower: ideal for ITX and M-ATX
• Mid Tower : supports usually all three of them so it is the most popular size.
• Full tower : also often supports all three sizes but usually recommended for custom liquid cooling builds. Because they're so big that it looks pretty empty without custom loops.

And if you consider the design as well, then high airflow cabinets can help keeping your system cool. You can cheap out a little but don't do it to the extent that you loose quality. I'll strongly recommend getting from Corsair, Cooler Master, NZXT, Deepcool or Phanteks. You can get Antec or Cylon as well but dont pick something too cheap.

I'll end this post right here because it is getting too long. In my next post, I'll give you some example builds over various budgets. 

Thanks for reading, leave suggestions for next post in the comments. And kindly point out any mistakes that you see.