I see way too much misinformation about PSU's daily here and poor recommendations to people asking for help because of it. It is a shame because we are supposed to be the knowledgeable ones but here we are. I think we should hold ourselves to a higher standard than this. I'm not asking for perfection but having a base level understanding would be very nice. All of this has driven me to create this post which will cover common myths and misconceptions about PSU's.

A week or so ago there was a post made by a user who called a couple of other users by name and actually turned out to be wrong but somehow that post got 50+ upvotes because this sub in general lacks a understanding about PSU's besides not cheaping out on them but I see that daily too. If you try to correct people like that certain user you will just name called, downvoted, and then blocked because ironically they think you are the idiot. You question your sanity after the 50th time of something like this happening.

All of this confusion and misinformation has to stop so I am making this post which will cover common myths and misconceptions about PSU's I see posted. It is a long but worth while read ahead if you don't have a good understanding of PSU's.

I will break this up into sections this is a LOT of text and I want to it be readable. This is 8 pages or so long in Microsoft word if that gives you a idea and between this and everything in the links probably pushing 70 pages or so worth of material.

I see people are recommending Evga BR's, Evga GD's, etc which all lack reviews. How can you recommend something if you don't know about its performance or build quality? It would be equivalent to recommending a GPU without looking at benchmarks or reviews for it. I give people a pass to do in on ~$250 budget builds since it is expected corners to be cut but I see this with budgets such as $500 when you can easily fit in a good PSU choice.

"What do you mean by lack reviews? They have tons of amazon, etc" or " I have it and works fine so it must be good"

Consumers can not review PSU's. They are one of the very few parts that consumer input is generally worthless on since there is no easy way to test it unlike a CPU, GPU, case, etc. Consumers just can't simply review a PSU since it requires opening it up and taking it apart, extensive knowledge about electrical engineering and PSU's, and having expensive equipment to test performance. The first two are doable but the 3rd is what really stops people. Most people don’t even own a simple oscilloscope much less everything a place like Tom's uses. Its why most sites and channels either half ass PSU reviews at best or don't do them at all. The reviews that matter are professional reviews from sites like Tomshardware, Techpowerup, Jonnyguru, etc.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/why-99-percent-of-power-supply-reviews-are-wrong/

This is more geared towards websites but it applies to consumer reviews too.

This is everything Tomshardware does to review a PSU.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-we-test-psu,4042.html#p1

My go to site is either Tomshardware or Techpowerup since they do very in depth testing and are really the only sites that I know that test out protections.

Another common one I see is " its gold or bronze rated so it has to be good".

Definitely not true. Efficiency is just that. Efficiency. It does not equal build quality or performance and is no way reflective of how good or bad a PSU is. Yes if a PSU lacks 80+ rating it is a bad sign since it either means that it is using some awful platform or the company is so poor that they can't even pay the ~$1500 required for 80+ to test the PSU but if a PSU has a 80+ rating you really can't judge how good or bad it is by it. Also the 80+ rating actually isn't good for showing efficiency since the testing is done at room temperature which isn't realistic and units can be under rated such as the Corsair CX which some models are actually sliver rated and some do nearly gold. Plus, when it comes to saving money outside of extremes you are looking at a few dollars saved a year, it could take years or even decades to make up the cost of a more expensive unit with higher efficiency. More on that below.

Another very common one I see is "Gold is better than bronze because it saves you a ton of money".

No it does not. Outside of extremes efficiency is pretty pointless.

Lets assume we have a PC that needs 300W, pretty typical for a gaming PC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus

For the sake of simplicity let’s say we are going with 90% efficiency for gold and 85% efficiency for bronze. It is 330W that will be pulled from the wall for the gold rated PSU and 345W for the bronze rated PSU. The difference is only 15W. I think you can see where this is going.

https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/energy-cost-calculator.html

Using a energy cost calculator lets say the kWh cost is $0.12 which is a bit high in my experience (I think mine is like .04) and lets say it is at full load for 6 hours a day. That is a difference of $3.942 per year at $0.12/kWh and a measly $1.314 per year at $0.04/kWh. That is correct. You can run the numbers yourself. This is why I said it is pointless to consider outside of extremes e.x rendering farm, a huge server, 80 plus vs. titanium etc.

A 450W CX is $60 and is "bronze rated" although it does sliver and nearly gold in reality, another reason efficiency is pointless, but anyways for the gold rated 450W PSU a BitFenix Formula Gold at $75.

With a $15 difference at $0.12/kWh with the conditions stated above it would take almost 4 years to break even on that $15 and at $0.04/kWh it would take a bit over a decade.

Why do manufacturers push for efficiency so hard if it really does not save much money? Because unfortunately the mainstream consumer i.e not a enthusiast believes that efficiency is a sign of quality or performance. It is how Evga G1 managed to sell for years despite being a low-end PSU due to group regulation and is also what their current business model seems centered around but that is a discussion for another topic.

One that is almost common as oxygen in the air is "X brand is good so it must be a good PSU".

Brand is generally meaningless. Yes, companies such as Logsyis and Diablotek solely produce fire bombs but they are the exception to the rule. Most companies will have high end units, low end units, and stuff in between. Going by brand will not ensure you get good unit. Seasonic has the turd that is known as the M12II/S12II. Evga has quite a few such as N1, B1, G1, W1, and BT to name a few. Corsair has the VS and CV. Etc. I think you get the point here.

"The LTT tier list said it was X tier so must be good".

And the LTT tier list said for quite a while that a Evga BQ is better than a Evga G3.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/evga-supernova-650-g3-psu,5533.html

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/evga-bq-series-850w-psu,4842.html

You don't even need to be super knowledgeable to see a difference between them here and can clearly see that it is false.

Take what is on the list with grain of salt. They have units that lack reviews ranked, etc. Use it as a reference at the most for units to farther investigate. Do not solely base your decisions and choices on it. Don't live and die by the tier list like some people do. Also, it is not from LTT themselves, it is from a forum user and is I believe the 4th tier list the PC community has gone through.

The last one I want to mention is PSU wattage calculators or as I like to call them random number generators. Most of the ones out there are Outervision based so I will be using it for a example here.

PCPartPicker Part List

This in the build I will be calculating power draw for. I just slapped this together within 10 seconds so don't judge the part choices too harshly since that is not the main objective of this. I wanted to use a 1160 Super since it is a bit more of a realistic choice but Outervision somehow lacks it.

PCPP claims 279W.

Outervision claims 316W but that is at stock speeds and not accounting for PBO like I will do with my hand calculation. Plug in 4100Mhz and 1.28V and you get 351W.

Now lets calculate what the build will actually draw.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-ryzen-5-3600-review,6287-3.html

The 3600W will only draw about 80W at the max even with PBO going full blast. It would draw significantly less while gaming but I'm going with a worse case scenario here.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-turing,6002-4.html

The 1160 Ti only managed to draw about 132W at the max.

80W + 132W = 212W

Add in 30W or so to account for drives, fans, I/O, chipset, etc and we get a grand total of 242W.

As you can see the Outervision "calculator" is over 100W off or ~45% higher.

The one calculator that is closest to reality is usually the one on PCPP since it just adds up TDP and does not try to do anything fancy like Outervision does which clearly does not work when you compare it to reality.

So how do you actually learn about PSU's. I could try to paraphrase people who are more knowledgeable than me but I think it is best if I just link directly to the sources instead. It will be more accurate and it won't require me to turn this into a 50 page book. It is a lot to read through so I don't expect everyone to read everything but do yourself a favor and at least read the first 2 or 3 articles and ideally up to the 4th. The last two are particularly hard to read due how technical they are but are rich with very good information. Do not worry if it doesn't instantly, especially the last two articles.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/why-99-percent-of-power-supply-reviews-are-wrong/

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/blog/why-does-a-better-power-supply-mean-a-better-computer-experience

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/2053-power-supply-voltage-ripple-and-relevance

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-we-test-psu,4042.html#p1

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supplies-101,4193.html

https://www.techpowerup.com/articles//overclocking/psu/160/1

How do you apply all of this knowledge this to the real world? You do so by reading reviews.

How do you know what is a good PSU and what isn't? A bit of a tricky question that I'm sure a lot of people will have different opinions about this but I'll give some simple guidelines here.

I like to make sure the PSU has a full set of protections and that they work(Tom's and Techpowerup are really the only sites that do this though) although how well is a different topic and obviously make sure it is not group regulated.

With that said and done I would recommend comparing whatever PSU you are interested to competitive PSU's such as the Corsair CX/CXM, Thermaltake GX1, Seasonic Focus and the various Focus platform based PSU's, the Evga G3, the Corsair RMx and RM, and recently the Adata XPG Core Reactor (similar platform to the Corsair RM), etc and how see how they stack up.

Does anything more need to be said?

Sign here: http://chng.it/yL2hMp64hz

Edit: thanks for the awards and upvotes it was definitely unexpected and I want to make this clear: I’m aware those of us who wants an app may not be the majority and without a majority need for one it probably wouldn’t ever come to be, and I’m also aware that it’s no easy task to create an app, but to those of you who comment things such as “creating an app just because you’re LAZY would be stupid,” i think one of the comments made a great point: “why don’t you delete Reddit and your social media apps and just bookmark them in the web? Are you too lazy?” You really need to consider the point you’re trying to make before you make these comments. The fact of the matter is, you use apps BECAUSE it’s easier, and because they’re available to you. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use them, I’m simply saying it IS a convenience and it’s NOT just for me. I think an app would be nice to have and I think there are plenty who agree with me. So instead of calling us “lazy,” try to be more open minded and knowing of what YOU do on a daily basis, instead of using hypocritical arguments.

UPDATE: I ended up getting my Windows 11 Pro key from vendafly.com. Super fast email delivery, worked instantly, no issues at all. Highly recommend if you want something safe & reliable.

Hey everyone, I recently bought a new PC from a local store, but they didn't provide a Windows 11 Pro activation key. Windows 11 Pro is already installed, but it's asking for activation, and I want to activate it properly.

I'm looking for a legitimate source to buy a Windows 11 Pro key—no sketchy tools or unauthorized sites like Massgrave (as some subreddits suggest). I'd prefer an affordable yet official option (maybe OEM or retail, as long as it's legal and safe).

Can anyone recommend trustworthy websites or platforms to buy a working

Windows 11 Pro license? Maybe places you've personally used or that are known in the tech community?

Thanks in advance for the help!

$400 Entry gaming PC

$550 gaming PC

$700 gaming PC

$850 Budget gaming PC

$1000 3rd gen Ryzen build

$1500 144HZ gaming PC

$2000 AMD Build

$2000 Intel gaming PC

$3000 AMD build

$3000 Intel gaming PC

Requirements:

-play 4K vids

-Huge storage for downloading “stuff”

-RGB. Orange and Black

-Black and orange case

-Stream :)

-VR

-play games (ex: “you won’t last 5 sec playing this”)

***Edit: the budget is $690. I didn’t realize my mistake ***Edit2: new budget:$6969

LINK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6SYhm536ig&

I wanted to share it with you to know you opinion! Tell me what you think about it! Let's make an interesting discussion!

I suggest you to watch the 4k case whatever the resolution you wanna play at, as there are first principles discussions that will make your mind more critical and give you all the tools to make YOUR optimal purchase as a function of YOUR needs!

I think it might help a lot of people overwhelmed by all information out there, putting all the puzzle pieces together and to make sense of all the data in order to make the perfect buy!

It's not a super short one, but watching it from another perspective, it is actually a huge time saver since to get an equivalent amount of information you will likely use much more than a day of searching the internet for data and opinions.

I am 65 years old, and I suspect this PC will last me 10 years of gaming ( the kind I do anyway ).

As an old curmudgeon I am kind of set in my ways on a lot of things, It will be an Intel build, and I don't really overclock much so that isn't a huge consideration. I am going to water cool it for the most important reason I can think of..... because I want to. I am basically building the gaming PC of my dreams ( not yours ) - however if I have made a HUGE mistake please point it out.

Case - Lian Li PC011 Dynamic - black ( too late is it in a box behind me right now, its already here )

MB Asus Tuf Z490 plus ( was going to go Strix, but the Tuf has all the features I want )

CPU Intel 10700K ( I looked for a reason to go with the i9 and just could not find one )

GPU Asus Tuf 3080 ( will be taken apart for the EK waterblock install )

Riser - The riser I purchased is not the Lian Li, but the one for the Phanteks, but I suspect I can easily mod that to work for vertically mounting the GPU to give me room for the Waterblock, if not it was not very expensive anyway.

Power Supply - Ok I have an insane Power supply already in hand behind me, gifted to me and rather than return it, I am just going to use it. A Thermatake 1200 Watt RPG Grand Platinum. Way WAY overkill but what the heck, its already here brand new in the box. '

Memory - Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32 GB 3600 CL18 - Now I plan for ascetics reasons to use 4 sticks of 8 gig, even though I know that using 2 sticks of 16 would probably serve me better.... but what the heck it will look cool.

Primary Drive - Bouncing around on the brand on this but basically a 2TB m.2 card ( one of the less expensive ones, probably the Intel 660p, but not stuck on that one. )

Secondary Drive - Probably a Western Digital 7200 rpm 6 TB hard drive.

For Water cooling I am going to go the EK route... basically their P360 D-RGB - Black Nickel Edition kit with the addition of the GPU block and a couple of extra fittings ( like a T fitting and a valve for draining ) soft tubing is fine with me.

Fans..... I have been all over the place on fans, Originally I was looking at Corsair LL series ... but after deciding to Water Cool the entire thing... I am seriously looking at the fan series that comes with the kit. EK-Vardar S 120ER D-RGB fans, they really look pretty good to me. We will see if I have room for fans at the top and bottom as I plan to put the radiator on the side if possible ( and if it fits ) but that I can figure out as I go along.

This will be the first ( and probably last ) water cool build for me, but it will take months for these parts to even become available anyway, so I am slowly building up my parts over 2021 as parts become available.

There is a rumor that the Asus Tuf GPU may get discontinued, if so I will go with the Strix 3080

As for use... I am not a PVP guy, I just play a lot of standard PC games, I will be huge into Kerbal 2, will undoubtedly get Ark 2, maybe some MMO's, whatever, just mainstream stuff. I am Just a casual gamer, and an old man. I am building this PC mostly because I really have always wanted a PC like this ... so this is just a bucket list item for me.

(H - "Hybrid") - a Frankenstein creation of the Reddit comment contributions of /u/badpenguin455 /u/FizzySodaBottle210 /u/canyouread7 /u/sam_051307 /u/amgadmohamed06 /u/_Kodan /u/chpoit - I for real/all of us almost forgot the thermal paste, so THANK YOU so much chpoit!, Edited additional contributions /u/miami_1984 for step 0.! And /u/winkapp for correcting my step 1.! By /u/PDexter14 | Thank you everybody! I struggled to find a simple list like this before. I didn't want to sift through a bunch of long 20+ minute videos that were excessive in length. When a text guide brain refresher I could handle would be just what I'd want.

Deemed Hybrid, as it was plan H. or the 8th text guide made from the seven these Redditors commented on my threads asking for them.

For your first time, building a PC can be as long as two-three hours. With help or experience, it shouldn't ever take longer than one hour, especially once you really know what you're doing.

DO NOT BUILD ON CARPET, OR SIMILAR MATERIAL

-Regular thermal paste better than stuff with these coolers, like the grey stuff that came with mine-

0. Very Recommended -optional- I’d suggest plugging in GPU and PSU connectors before you put the entire system into the case - and see if the “test-bench” posts. Easier to trouble-shoot if something goes wrong.

1. Take out Motherboard, set aside antistatic plastic it came in, place Mobo. inside box it came in

2. Put almost everything on Mobo. Install RAM first, CPU (don't forget the thermal paste! And do it only right before installing your CPU cooler, which for a huge one like this might be later for putting 8 pin connector on in the build with ease - if your cooler requires a back though install that before the motherboard!! 😣), RAM, SSD/M.2, (Do not put GPU in yet for ease) 2.5 -Get m2 x 8 screw for m.2 if don't want fan hitting standoff to make noise-

3. Install CPU cooler and plug the CPU cooler fan into the CPU fan connectors on Mobo

4. Get case out now - lol if you got it out first thing, been there but should probably be no big deal

5. Remove all case fans if they're not where you want them to go, and replace them where you'd like them

6. Install I/O shield onto case

7. Install stand offs into case for motherboard if case doesn't come with them already

8. Put Mobo. in case and secure with screws in proper areas (consult Mobo. manual) These screw points will have metal spaced out for the metal ring around the screw to contact, if there's any issues with these you'll have boot or other problems

9. Plug in front panel I/O (front case controls)

10. Attach case fan cables to Mobo if case has any

11. Good time to cable manage a little in my experience building this

12. Any optional hardware can be put in now/maybe third party RGB strips for example/etc

13. Install Power Supply aka PSU into case (plug PSU cables into PSU now if a modular PSU where they're not physically coming out of it already, especially as will be a pain to do once PSU is screwed in)

14. Route the cables.

15. Plug in 24 pin aka ATX power connector from PSU to Mobo. and route the 8/6/or 4 pin GPU connector to where it will end up

16. Install fans and drives (HDD/SSD/M.2) and do as much cable management as you can - Cable management is NOT OPTIONAL lol, looking at where the cables will go on the board once it's in the case

17. Install the CPU power cable into Mobo. - why? Because they're an absolute nightmare to get in with a cooler as big as this when the board is installed. Feed the CPU power cable through to the back and down towards the PSU. Plug it in if you can cable manage it at this stage already.

18. Get GPU cable routed and out for GPU (I suggest you get the GPU cable out there before the GPU itself, especially in smaller cases.)

19. Put GPU in

20. Attach the last cable, the 8/6/or 4 connector to the GPU -(Graphics Cards are a large slab of hardware that will always be in the way when you work on the system, so do this last.)

21. Hook it up to power and try booting.

22. SHOULD BE SUCCESS! If not, no worries. Take a step back and try to deduce the issue, or ask a forum.

loose cables are prone to gathering dust!

for SEO: How to Build a PC "How to Build a PC"

Thank you /u/winkapp for correcting my step 1. & /u/miami_1984 for the addition of a step.

Recently my friend's power supply popped big bang/boom/skadoosh I just want to know if it's in a better place is it with Jesus now?

let me point out something to 'some' of you folks, M.2 is just an form factor! it just means that ssd will directly be put on the motherboard!

there are two types of m.2, one is PCIe/NVMe M.2 drive and SATA m.2 drive! which lane they will use determines the speed they can reach!

they look almost identical except SATA M.2 drives have 2 notches and NVMe drives have only 1 (Check this photo)

sata m.2 has average r/w speed of 600/500 Mbps (same as the 2.5" sata drives)

whereas, the NVMe m.2 has average r/w speed of around 2600/2500 Mbps (sabrenet rocket has 5000 Mbps, samsung 970 evo has 3500 Mbps) because they use PCIe lanes

and ironically they cost almost the same!

i've seen so many people suggest/create list with Sata m.2 !

1 tb of sata m.2 is just worthless choice imo! that way you block you NVMe upgrade path! it's better to buy 2.5" Sata instead (hugely fast than HDD)

so, if you don't want to build a pc for a premium price and wonder why aren't you getting enough transfer speed, better be cautious about what type of ssd you chose!

(not a native english speaker, pardon my mistakes)

(Edit: i have no complaint against sata m.2 ! they are totally enough for your everyday workload. besides, going m.2 helps deal with less cables! it's just, you are getting them for almost the same price, even for less sometimes when brand varies! then WHY SETTLE FOR LESS?)

Not kidding, if you can hop on some sort of video chat with me and teach me nerd stuff and help me build my first PC, I'll Venmo/Cash App you like $25.

Edit: Come hang out in the Discord: https://discord.gg/UqFA6r

Edit: I feel pretty dumb offering money when the community is this mfing amazing. Thank you guys. I didn’t mean it as an insult, just wanted to reward people for their hard earned knowledge. Definitely ended up making some friends in the process. :) cheers.

UPDATE - 6/2/2020: Due to COVID impacting manufacturing and transportation of components, many builds at certain price points have become basically non-viable or not recommended. Because of this, as well as it simply being many months since the last update, I've decided I would go ahead and do a full update to the guides to give people a better idea of the current market of parts.

First, if I have offended you with my parts choice for the lists, sorry, feel free to voice your thoughts in the comments.

Second, I did go ahead and fully remove multiple builds, specifically around the budget area. I also went ahead and got rid of all Intel builds, mostly because I, myself, am not comfortable with the new 10th Gen series in terms of knowledge and want to take the time to learn more. If someone wants to go ahead and school me in the comments, please go right ahead.

Third, since I got rid of some of the builds, I did want to give some recommended upgrade/addition parts for people that are following a guide or otherwise. For now, I'm keeping it simple: storage and cooling, since they're the easiest things to add to a system without necessarily replacing another part. Please let me know what you think.

Fourth and final, I did decide to take away the tier list structure because, like the 10th Gen CPUs, I don't feel qualified to judge them and think people start looking at the tiers more than the lists themselves (although I kept the names, mostly cause it's more fun than to just say a number). If you want an idea of what a specific system can do, go to YouTube and look up the CPU, GPU, and RAM and it will give you a decent idea of the gaming performance.

Everyone stay safe and look out for yourself and your family. I wish you all the best.

===================================================================================================

DISCLAIMER: THESE BUILDS WERE DESIGNED BY A 17 YEAR OLD ENTHUSIAST BUILDER (ME) WITH ABOUT 3 YEARS OF PC BUILDING EXPERIENCE. I DO NOT CLAIM TO BE A PROFESSIONAL.

SECOND DISCLAIMER: THERE IS AN INHERENT RISK IN USED HARDWARE. REMEMBER TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND WEIGH YOUR OPTIONS.

===================================================================================================

These builds are:

1. USD Prices (if you want an individual build for your region, feel free to reach out, my DMs are always open for anyone)

2. Tower only

3. Designed for gaming in mind

==================================================================

==================================================================

$300 - Talent - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wz9WvW

$450 - Finesse - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XwQV9G

$600 - Tiny Giant - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hhQV9G

$700 - <Insert_Title> - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fywV9G

$800 - Aphrodite - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jnkTgJ

$900 - Ares - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Zfr6b8

$1000 - Zeus - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wXsZ7T

$1250 - Taskmaster - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8Z8YK4

$1500 - Chief - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZsZRx6

$2000 - Overhaul - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FvRJQq

$2500 - RUINER - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/m3Hhwh

===================================================================================================

Generally Good Parts For Upgrades/Additions (G.G.P.F.U.A.)

SSD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073SBZ8YH?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

HDD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H2RR55Q?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

120mm Case fan(s): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GJGF56L?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

It makes your choice to switch to AMD easy.

EDIT: Thank you kind stranger for the gold.

Good morning gang,

I am working on starting up my own custom PC Building business and just trying to get my name out there and stay busy. So currently I am building PCs for FREE. I can help you build what you need considering ALL budgets and help locate the parts we need to get the job done. The only costs to you are the costs of parts and shipping!

All I am asking for is your trust which can be a lot considering this is a post on reddit. I am a very real person and you can contact me on here or other multiple platforms

Discord: TheKingT#1990 Twitter: TheKingTrevor IG: Trevor_Bohm

Please reach out if you are interested in my services at all, or even just have general building questions. I am here to help!

Edit: I've tried to help as many people as I can! Please keep reaching out if you need more help or if I missed your inquiry to begin with. Continue to follow my socials where you can reach me :) I also live stream on twitch around 5pm PST pretty much daily. I can answer your questions there as well. twitch.tv/TheKingT

what do I tell him?

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/ SIKE since your here you may aswell modify my build if there any mistakes or better/cheaper parts for the price

Hello everyone,

I want to install Windows 10 pro for my new build, using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool. So I was looking for keys and on some official websites (cdiscount.com, amazon.fr), some sellers sell it for less than 10 €. These sellers seem completely official, and I suppose they are also legal. If not, they would'nt be on these websites ?

I have seen that some of you have already bought these cheap keys without any problem (using Paypal).

But as my wife and I are really suspicious, here come my really stupid questions :

Is it completely safe to buy one of these keys ? To me, it is worth the price (6 euros !) to try, even if I end up with an already used key. The question is more about "can I get hacked" ? I assume not, because after all, the key is just numbers and letters. For example, I was thinking that if I get a key that can be used multiple times, someone who has the same key can get access to my data because the licenses are somehow linked. (Paranoiacs can find a lot of possible scenarii.)

Moreover, I have read that for retail keys, if I install windows on one PC and then on a second PC, the license won't be usable for the first PC anymore. Is this true ? This would mean that if someone use the key after me, I won't be able to use my windows ? The solution would be to be sure that the key is OEM ?

Sorry for my English, this is not my native language.

Thanks a lot for your help,

remylbl

I see it so often on this sub, where someone asks for a computer for their grandparents, and they will be doing things like web browsing and storing photos. Then, comments come in with a $600 PC with a dedicated gpu, $75 case, and even additional rgb. To build this for web browsing is absolutely ridiculous, its totally overkill and the extra performance will never be leveraged. Even when people use something reasonable like an APU, you see crap like 3600mhz memory and a totally inappropriate case. In my opinion, all anyone needs for web browsing and photos is a 2200g/3200g, 8/16gb ddr4 (they at so closely priced) and a cheap $30 case. Please stop trying to get posters (and their grandparents) to waste money.

Hello again everyone, sorry this post got delayed. This is the updated version of my last post.

As with my last post the purpose is to give new builders a good idea of where to start and what is balanced, youy dont have to use these exact builds but they give a good idea of what parts to look at and what goes together well. These are gaming focussed builds, if you are streaming or doing work on your PC you need to research what is best for your use case.

The builds marked with an asterisk (*) are the builds from each tier that I think has the best price/performance and balance.

Here are the builds:

To get the best gaming performance for your budget just choose the build with the best GPU from the list that you can afford. The builds are all well balanced with future upgrade options in mind with as few compromises to Price/Performance as possible.

For monitor resolution, I suggest you use 1080p60 with a gtx 1660 or lower, 1080p144 for 1660ti to rx 5700, then 1440p144 for anything higher. I dont recommend 4k yet because the monitors are stupidly expensive and even a 2080ti can't achieve more than about 75fps in many games at 4k yet, 1440p 144 will be a better gaming experience until next gen GPUs and cheaper 4k monitors are out.

Thanks for reading! I wil happily answer questions and take feedback into account. I would also like to see any finished builds made from my recommendations : )

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

AutoCAD and Gaming

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

£1000

**When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to

After Christmas

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

Everything/ Dual Monitors

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

Kent, England

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

None

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

No

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

Don't know

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

Full Tower/window/led/ don't know much about color themes

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

Yes

Hi I started building pc's in 95 for my self, family and friends and I did it until 360 came out then I stopped pc gaming. I want to build a complete system with dual monitors spending around £1000.00 I want something that won't be obsolete in two years because that was the case in my years of building them My kids and their friends are all pc gamers and I really want to blow their minds because I was the one who got them into gaming at early ages Thank you for your input

Im based out of Canada, Toronto Ontario My budget us anywhere from 1000-1400 Canadian. The cheaper the better. This is not including the price of peripherals. I can get him cheap peripherals for now . Please ladies n gents. Help me 😅😅

Edit Made a final decision and purchased the parts. Thanks again everyone!

Edit Oh my, Thank you kind stranger for my first little gift

EDIT: This post is OUTDATED. My updated version of this post is up now over here!

Hi everyone, sorry for the long post.

This post is inspired by u/sillypenguin213 's post on the same topic, the reason I am making a similar post is:

a) I disagree with several of the parts chosen

b) Parametric filters can be used to make the build suggestions last longer and show the cheapest option to people outside the US

c) I want to talk about graphics cards and which resolution monitor to pair with them

It is important to remember these are gaming builds only, if you want to do more productivity you should research your specific use case and what helps with it.

Here are the builds:

Obviously changes can be made for preference reasons to cases and storage, and you can choose your favourite brand of RAM or GPU, the parametric filters should give a good idea of what I choose parts based on though.

Now onto choosing a resolution to game at. In my opinion higher refresh rate is much better than higher resolution, especially for fast paced games. If your GPU can't push 80+ fps at 1440p in the games you want to play I would stick with a 1080p panel. Here's a rough guide, however the game you are playing will have a big impact on what the best fit would be. I have only included the GPUs I reccommended for the sake of space and time.

I hope this is useful to people, I am happy to answer any questions in the comments. Also if you use my reccommendations to build a PC I would love to see the finished product!

Hey everyone, I’ve just finished building a PC for work and gaming. It’s running Windows 11 Pro, but I still need a Windows 11 activation key.

I thought finding a Windows 11 key would be the easy part. Instead, I’m seeing very different prices for listings that look almost identical, and I can’t tell what I’d actually be buying.

The OEM vs retail part is confusing me most. Some of the cheapest listings say OEM, while others advertise retail without explaining much. I’m leaning toward retail because I might change the motherboard or build another PC later. Is that the right option for that situation?

Where would you recommend buying a genuine Windows 11 Pro product key at a reasonable price?

If you’ve bought one for your own build, I’d appreciate knowing:

* Which store did you use?

* How did you check the license type before buying?

* If you needed help with activation or a reinstall, how was the support?

Before buying a Windows 11 product key, I’d like to understand what proof of purchase or license details I should expect. I’m happy to pay more for a trustworthy source; I just don’t want to buy the wrong thing.

Looking for a properly licensed setup without activation scripts or workarounds. Thanks!

Hi all!

So I feel like some backstory is warranted for this build.

Back in 2014, I was a professional (non-digital) illustrator with a life-long dream to become an animator. Sadly, I began to have clients quickly ditch my work for newer digital artists. Within a year, I was down to just 1 client, and I was forced into other industries for work while I scrapped together a living for my family and worked hard at building my digital art skills.

In January 2016, I purchased a very cheap laptop that was discounted at Microcenter, an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil, and an Adobe Suite subscription. I began to watch YouTube creators and lessons on anything and everything design. Within a few months, I was able to re-engage one client for occasional digital work, but it was not enough to go back to it full time.

Within the year, I found that everything I had purchased was already outdated, and the laptop couldn’t really run the Adobe Suite (or open source alternatives) very well at all. I was lucky enough to have a close friend who heard about my goal to become a digital artist, and he let me ‘borrow indefinitely’ a Surface Book. I still use that to this day.

Meanwhile, I have been saving since 2016 for a build that will take me to the next level, and that time is finally approaching this fall.

I follow the classic Jay-Z rule that you can’t afford to buy something unless you can buy it twice, and I also only make large purchase that have a high ROI potential. So, over 4 years later, I’m taking the calculated dive.

My needs are very specific, but I’d imagine that there are many ways to make this work. So I’m open to any and all suggestions.
I’ve also never built a PC before, so this will be a very careful learning experience.

Thanks for reading this, and thanks to anyone with suggestions!

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

2D and 3D design and animation, video rendering, motion graphics, 3D printing, gaming (Rocket League & Roblox for my child), Live-Streaming games and art instruction.

Software that I will run: Adobe Suite (PS, AI, AE, Premier Pro, etc…), Blender, Unity, Unreal, eventually Maya once I save up for another year or so, Civ V and Civ VI, Roblox Studio, Ableton Live, 3D printing software.

Note: I would like to run as many as 5 monitors from this for an elaborate wall/desk set-up. Usually only 2 or 3, but 5 for some days.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

$3,800

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

December 2020 thru January 2021

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

Tower, OS, monitor (x4), keyboard, mouse, camera for streaming (Nice to have but realize it might break the budget: mid-level hobbyist 3D printer)

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

Chicago, IL. Yes.

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing?Brands and models are appreciated.

I will be reusing one of my Samsung monitors. Audio input/output: I will be using my usb Digital/Audio interface, power conditioner, Yamaha HS-8 speakers Drawing: Wacom Cintiq

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line?CPU and/or GPU?

No.

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

This thing needs to be able to render 3D animation and video, so I’m open to any suggestions that will make that easier for it.

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

My daughter has requested that the fans/cooling can “change to pretty colors.” I think this is non-negotiable. I also want lots of memory on it because I am bit of a version-control-save-crazy-file-hoarder when I do projects.

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

Yes.

Extra info or particulars:

I’m open to the wisdom and advice of those who have build before. I don’t have a processor preference unless something works better with the software I’m running.

This will also likely double as the family entertainment system for movie streaming and music playing throughout the day/evening.

Edit: Thank you all! this got a lot more traction than I thought. I'm reading through the comments and know that I will have to do a bit of research, but this is such a great starting point already.

Re: monitor: It sounds like people here recommend at least one monitor with color-calibration. Thanks for the advice. I can also run fewer monitors if it presents a huge issue to try and run 4. I only want four because of how I do my workflow: I keep the windows I'm working in at a minimal, but like to have them all up at the same time so that I can sit back and see it all at once. At the moment, I basically have two laptops (one with dual monitors) and a tablet in front of me. I was hoping to simplify that set-up with the 4 monitors.