Please let me know if there’s a better place to seek information /answers.
I’m planning on finally jumping away from Windows altogether and I’ve needed to build a new PC for awhile so I’ve put together a potential Linux build here: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fhYvQP
I’m planning on running Nobara and using this as a daily driver with a focus on gaming and some future proofing for down the road as well.
I’m mainly curious if there’s any glaring issues (besides updating the mobo) with the build, and if there’s any more efficient parts I’ve overlooked. The storage are just placeholders for drives I already have. I was kinda aiming for a budget build ish, but future proofing bumped it up a bit.
PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fhYvQP
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($391.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black 55 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($199.00 @ MSI)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($106.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 4 TB 3.5" 5400 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Speedster SWFT 309 Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Cooler Master MWE Gold 850 - V2 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1542.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-03 21:12 EDT-0400
The Noctua NH-U12S is a classic and there is nothing wrong with it, but if you are wanting a more budget option the Thermalright Peerless Assassin can get you better performance for less than half the cost $34. for performance comparison I referred to the gamersnexus cpu cooler chart
For basic gaming you can probably just use your current drives but you will want to upgrade if you plan on playing newer games since they can be 50GB+ now. Modern games really want an SSD and I would strongly recommend an NVMe drive. For reference the 850 evo has a sequential read speed of 500MB/s and the SK Hynix Platinum P41 NVMe drive I recently upgraded to is 7000MB/s or 14x faster read speed. This can make a difference in loading speeds and also with pop-in during gaming. The SK Hynix Platinum P41 is $83 for the 500GB model on amazon. Most of the newer NVMe drives will have similar read performance, but some drives have issues with cache saturation when reading larger files that you should research before making a decision.
The RX 6700 XT is a strong choice for the $330 level. The RX 6750 XT is a bit more performance for a bit more money but both are great value. For comparison the performance is somewhere between a 3070 and a 3070Ti according to Tom’s Hardware
I’m not as familiar with AMD + Linux so I will let those more familiar with that combination weigh in.
I have a hangup with your drive recommendation… That’s considered a high end drive and, while I have one, it is DEFINITELY not needed. Something with 5000 r/w is plenty fast enough and costs less.
The catch about cache is spot on though. I can’t remember the current technologies, but it does matter.
I agree you don’t need a high end NVMe and most modern NVMe drives will be sufficient. I was more so trying to point out that drives have gotten a lot faster than sata ssd speeds. I don’t have strong recommendations for a specific drive but from a quick look at budget drives the Team Group MP44L 500GB is about 5000MB/s and about half the price at $44. It is still a 10x speed increase over the 850 evo. Some upgrade to NVMe would be highly worthwhile for gaming.
I was a bit mistaken the cache issue is for sustained writes not on sustained reading as I previously mentioned. The MP44L cache is large enough that you would probably never run into an issue with it unless you are re-imaging an entire disk. For drive performance I rely on Tom’s Hardware. For cache issues I specifically refer to their sustained write tests. The main thing to avoid is drives with a small cache as shown by the severe throttling of the Solidigm P41 Plus on that sustained write chart.
Amd and linux compatibility is the best in the market IIRC.
Honestly, ditch the spinning disks, and get as much SSD as you can for the money, preferably NVME. The performance increase will be huge. If you need a big bucket for eg. videos then fine, but for gaming you want SSD, and 250GB is not going to cut it.
What kind of games would you be playing and what monitor do you have?
