My Computer Build - So Far

[BrettGC]

Well, here's the bits and the pricing in both USD and PHP.  Why USD if I'm an Aussie?  Mainly due to most of the sites and YT channels I've been doing my research on speak in USD and my brain now recognises what's good value or not in those terms.  The exchange rate used is around 57.5php/usd. 

I've gone with the Ryzen 7 for the extra cores (8) for video editing over the 6 core Ryzen 5 series.  If it was purely gaming, I'd use a Ryzen 5 and save myself around 10kPHP.  

Expensive AM5 B850 motherboard as it supports PCIe 5, so faster transfers.  It's also going to be able to take upgrades for at least the next 5 years. 

The CPU cooler could probably be significantly downgraded to something around 5kPHP, but cooler is better for gaming and the one I want is dual fan.  I thought about an AIO, but the water pumps in my budget range can get a little noisy. 

The AMD RX 9070 XT 16 GB is around a level above entry level of the current generation of GPUs.  The Nvidia RTX 5060Ti 16 GB is the equivalent competition and is significantly more expensive with half the PCIe lanes.  The Nvidia card does do upscaling a little better in games though (DLSS).  AMDs FSR4, is just about there, but not quite yet. 

The case could be cheaper, but it has 4 fans pre-installed, which if bought individually would cost around 1500-2000kPHP each.  It also has an RGB hub and plenty of room for cable management, even if the PSU I want wasn't modular.  The case has quick clip system, so easy to access.  Also plenty of airflow. 

The PSU is about 200W above what the build needs, so more overhead than required, but allows room for powerful GPU in the future. 

Edit:  This doesn't include monitor, keyboard or mouse.  I already have a decent mouse and keyboard, but I'll be forking out for a 1440p 144hz 27" monitor.  Prices vary wildly.  

 

Edited October 5 by BrettGC

[Mike J]

10 hours ago, BrettGC said:

The CPU cooler could probably be significantly downgraded to something around 5kPHP, but cooler is better for gaming and the one I want is dual fan.  I thought about an AIO, but the water pumps in my budget range can get a little noisy. 

You could always use some of the excess heat to warm up the shower. 

[Old55]

7 minutes ago, Mike J said:

You could always use some of the excess heat to warm up the shower. 

Shockingly good idea Mike.   

[JJReyes]

My two sons loved building their own computers.  I finally put a stop to the hobby after stepping on a couple of transistors embedded in the living room carpet.  Also, the home build version costs more than buying off the shelf.  

[BrettGC]

46 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

Also, the home build version costs more than buying off the shelf.  

JJ, this has never been the case. 

The fact that it's so much cheaper is why those that do DIY, do so.  It can be up to 25% cheaper than a new pre-built setup..

Try this for fun — pick any prebuilt gaming desktop and list out the components inside. Sure, some of the parts are OEM-only (stuff you can’t always buy individually), but it’s usually easy enough to find retail equivalents. Then price those parts out one by one.

I’d bet good money the total cost of the individual parts will come out way cheaper than what that prebuilt is selling for. The only time that’s not true is when there’s some kind of crazy clearance or fire sale — the “manufacturer’s taking a loss to move stock” kind of deal. And that’s pretty rare.

There was an exception around 2021–2022, though — during the GPU shortage thanks to the crypto farming craze. Back then, prebuilts were sometimes the only way to get a graphics card at a halfway decent price because OEMs got bulk deals while retail prices were through the roof. But those days are (thankfully) behind us.

A lot of gamers just grab a prebuilt because they see “ooooh, XXX GPU, must be good!” without really knowing what’s under the hood or how those parts actually play together. And sometimes… they don’t play together that well.

Granted, with a prebuilt you’re getting a full system warranty — sometimes even an extended one if you pay extra — but you get the same warranty coverage on each individual part if you build it yourself. The only real difference is who’s handling the claim if something breaks.

Nothing wrong with buying prebuilt at all — not everyone has the time or interest to build or research every part. But that lack of knowledge is exactly what system integrators bank on to make those big markups.

Barring any unexpected issue, it’ll probably take me around 30 minutes to put my own setup together — which is still less time than it took me to figure out the menus on our new TV - they really should standardise those bloody things!

Edited October 5 by BrettGC

[JJReyes]

8 minutes ago, BrettGC said:

Try this for fun — pick any prebuilt gaming desktop and list out the components inside. Sure, some of the parts are OEM-only (stuff you can’t always buy individually), but it’s usually easy enough to find retail equivalents. Then price those parts out one by one.

I’d bet good money the total cost of the individual parts will come out way cheaper than what that prebuilt is selling for. The only time that’s not true is when there’s some kind of crazy clearance or fire sale — the “manufacturer’s taking a loss to move stock” kind of deal. And that’s pretty rare.

All I can remember were paying for their parts purchases.  I could have gotten them Apple computers at a huge discount through the University of Hawaii (they were students at the University Lab School).  Apple was trying to capture the academic market, and I recall the discount at more than 40%.  

 

 

[BrettGC]

2 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

All I can remember were paying for their parts purchases.  I could have gotten them Apple computers at a huge discount through the University of Hawaii (they were students at the University Lab School).  Apple was trying to capture the academic market, and I recall the discount at more than 40%.  

 

 

Ah ok, I'm talking us "normal Joe's" here.  You've cited a very niche example, but yes, those type of are available to some. It is still worth researching the builds though. 

When I first got into computing in the very early 80s, that was around the time my father pointed me in the direction of the local newsagent (Aussie newspaper and magazine store) and stuck a box holder for the papers on the handlebars of my bike.  That was back when Tandy (Australian arm of Radio Shack) actually sold electronics components down to the board component level. I remember learning so much from a Christmas gift from my weird, nerdy uncle: 

I'd take it to the local library and "build" stuff with electronic theory books, calculator and pen and paper next to me.  

[Mike J]

5 minutes ago, BrettGC said:

I'd take it to the local library and "build" stuff with electronic theory books, calculator and pen and paper next to me.  

Is that a can opener on the right side of the picture.  A bit of adult beverage while deciding how electricity works?  

[BrettGC]

9 minutes ago, Mike J said:

Is that a can opener on the right side of the picture.  A bit of adult beverage while deciding how electricity works?  

No you Luddite!  It's a Morse key!!

[Old55]

Brett, if you need an extra hand (paw) our little girl loves helping with electronic projects.