# Need help with pc configuration



## NeedToKnow (Aug 1, 2018)

My 8 year old pc is officially in its last days ... so in desperate need of advice for upgrade

*1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Stupid answers like 'gaming' or 'office work' will not work. Be exact. Which games? Which applications? Avoid the word 'et cetera.')*
Ans: casual gaming , online gaming - at mid to high settings , movies , surfing all limited to 1080p

*2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.*
Ans: Around 30-35,000 

*3. Planning to overclock?*
Ans: No , I prefer reliability above all , planning to use it for the next 7 years .

*4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?*
Ans: win 10

*5. How much hard drive space is needed?*
Ans: 1 tb

*6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.*
Ans: No , I already have a 22" fhd monitor

*7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?*
Ans:I just need the following
cpu
motherboard
ram
hdd/sshd/hdd + m.2 ( m.2 option can be deffered if it does not fit within budget .)

*8. When are you planning to buy the system?*
Ans: within coming 3 weeks

*9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?*
Ans: Assembler option preffered 

*10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?*
Ans:Will be buying from Kolkata , open to online options

*11. Anything else which you would like to say?*
Ans:  Planning to use it for the next 7 years , so reliability of components and ASS gets top most priority .


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## nac (Aug 1, 2018)

Add PSU in the list as well if the one you have been using is also 8yrs old.

These two are common regardless of the options you pick
WD Blue 1TB 7200rpm
Bronze rated ~450w PSU

Ryzen 2400G + Asus Prime B450M A + Corsair Vengeance 3000mhz 8GB DDR4 >>> ~35k | Powerful CPU, decent enough for casual gaming and multi tasking.
Pentium G5400 + Asus Prime B360M A + Corsair Vengeance 2400mhz 8GB DDR4 + 1050Ti 4GB >>> ~38k | Much better GPU by sacrificing significant amount CPU power
Ryzen 1200 + Gigabyte B350M Gaming 3 + Corsair Vengeance 2400mhz 8GB DDR4 + 1050Ti 4GB >>> ~ 39k | Balance of both


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 2, 2018)

PSU , not needed would be reusing rm 750 , that is still under warranty ...

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Would be reusing my current gpu as well ..



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## nac (Aug 2, 2018)

In that case,

These two are common
WD Blue 1TB 7200rpm
Samsung 860 EVO 250GB SSD *

Ryzen 2600 + Asus Prime B450M A + Corsair Vengeance 3000mhz 8GB DDR4 ^ >>> ~39k
i5 8400 + Asus Prime B360M A + Corsair Vengeance 3000mhz 8GB DDR4 ^ >>> ~36k

* If you're tight on budget, you can skip this now and buy later
^ Price difference isn't much between 2666 vs 3000mhz, so get 3000mhz


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## Minion (Aug 2, 2018)

nac said:


> i5 8400 + Asus Prime B360M A + Corsair Vengeance 3000mhz 8GB DDR4 ^ >>> ~36k
> 
> * If you're tight on budget, you can skip this now and buy later
> ^ Price difference isn't much between 2666 vs 3000mhz, so get 3000mhz



B360 doesn't support more than 2666Mhz


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## Minion (Aug 2, 2018)

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Desktop Processor-13,000
ASROCK AB350 PRO4-7,300
CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 8GB (1X8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHZ C16-6,700
SAMSUNG 860 EVO 250GB-6,000
WESTERN DIGITAL DESKTOP HARD DRIVE 1TB BLUE (WD10EZEX)-2,800


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 2, 2018)

Isn't 1600 a bit dated?? I was thinking more like 2600 & b450

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## Minion (Aug 2, 2018)

NeedToKnow said:


> Isn't 1600 a bit dated?? I was thinking more like 2600 & b450
> 
> Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk



Performance difference between 1600 and 2600 is not much also 1600 comes with better CPU cooler.

But if you want 2600 then
AMD RYZEN 5 2600 Desktop Processor-15,600
MSI B450M MORTAR-8,500


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 2, 2018)

Don't get me wrong , i was just asking ... Afaik the later the model the longer it receives support .... What are my options on the mb end .... How good is msi in terms of reliability ? Forgive my ignorance in these matters .... 

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## nac (Aug 2, 2018)

Minion said:


> B360 doesn't support more than 2666Mhz


Yes, that's the reason for special mention. Price difference isn't much. In fact, many sellers selling both at the same price.


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 3, 2018)

Ok , new update , was able to bring my current hdd back to life , abeit had to format my system drive (for some reason my c drive developed ntfs file system error).... But nontheless its up n running . So i wont be needing the hdd / hdd n ssd as of now . Maybe something at a later stage . This frees up some funds ... Does it change the skenario significantly ?? Or do the recomendations stand ?

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## nac (Aug 3, 2018)

Doesn't sound good. If your HDD is showing it's age, better use it as a secondary drive.
Configuration isn't going to change because of this reason. You can skip HDD for now, but get SSD instead for OS and other apps.


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 3, 2018)

Ok before I finalise , ssd or m.2 , i have come to believe the later is more fast , what about mtf / longevity ? Is there any real life difference ? Is the price difference in case of 250 gb worth it ? & One noob question : what's nvme ?

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## Minion (Aug 3, 2018)

NeedToKnow said:


> Don't get me wrong , i was just asking ... Afaik the later the model the longer it receives support .... What are my options on the mb end .... How good is msi in terms of reliability ? Forgive my ignorance in these matters ....
> 
> Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk



Processor is not like GPU which requires constant updates.The reason why I suggest a Ryzen 1600 is it is 2k cheaper than 2600.
Yes,MSI mobo are good


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## Minion (Aug 3, 2018)

NeedToKnow said:


> Isn't 1600 a bit dated?? I was thinking more like 2600 & b450
> 
> Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk



AMD RYZEN 5 2600 Desktop Processor-15,600
ASUS ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING MOTHERBOARD-11,000
ADATA XPG SPECTRIX D40 DDR4 RGB 3000 8GB RAM-7,300 
Kingston A400 120GB-2100


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 6, 2018)

Just a short question , why is no one suggesting barracuda hdd these days ? Have their quality dropped ?

I have made up a summary of all suggestions
1 A   RYZEN 1600                     13200
   B   RYZEN 2600                     15640

2 A   ASROCK AB350 PRO4     7300
   B   Asus Prime B450M A        8050
   C   MSI B450M MORTAR      8550
   D   ASUS ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING              11300

3 A CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 8GB (1X8GB) 
       DDR4 DRAM 3000MHZ C16                                7000        

4 A SEGATE BARRACUDA 1 TB 7200                     2990
   B WD BLUE 1 TB 7200                                             3040
   C SEGATE BARRACUDA 2 TB 7200                     4640
   D WD BLUE 2 TB 7200                                            4650

of the mobos suggested  excluding the first 2(a) , two are matx while the last is atx , whats the diffence other than size and the lighting gimmick ?
have to put off the ssd buy for now - the samsung 960/970 are still rare and overpriced.
Please help me in zeroing on the mobo


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 6, 2018)

and what of the 8400 , its got the crown for the best vfm in the mid - range processor segment
Best Gaming CPUs


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## whitestar_999 (Aug 7, 2018)

Intel change its socket type almost every year so forget about getting a similar/decent quality replacement mobo after 3 years(standard mobo warranty) & definitely forget about any mobo lasting more than 4-5 years unless lucky.

matx or atx,what matters is that atx usually have better placements of slots & enough space between them to actually be able to use them.e.g.on most matx mobo it is not possible to use 1st pcie x1 slot directly beneath gfx card slot & 2nd pcie x1 slot may be too close to gfx card & may block airflow of gfx card fan(e.g.Asus prime b450m-a,1 pcie x1 slot blocked & other seems too close to gfx card fan). Another point to note is on many amd B350/450 mobo installing a NVMe ssd will disable 2 sata ports so read specifications on official product page to clarify.Seems like newer B450 mobo sacrifice a pcie slot instead of sata ports(like msi B450m mortar).

NVMe runs hotter than usual 2.5" sata ssd & because of that avoid any mobo which has NVMe slot directly beneath gfx card slot(again many mobos have this bad design). Also NVMe offers no significant improvement over a good ssd(like samsung 860 evo) unless your workload is server like with very high iops &/or you have 32gb(or more) ram with a fast processor(aka costing ~15k or above).

P.S. m2 ssd has 2 types: sata & NVMe. m2 sata ssd is basically just 2.5" sata ssd without the outer cover & its only advantage is no cables(sata & power). m2 NVMe ssd looks like m2 sata ssd but it uses pcie lanes on mobo & that is why it has better performance. m2 slot can be sata or NVMe or both.Usually it is both(if mobo has only 1 m2 port) but in mobos with 2 m2 ports one is both while other is only m2 sata port. Expensive mobos have 2 m2 ports supporting both m2 NVMe & m2 sata.


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 7, 2018)

whitestar_999 said:


> Intel change its socket type almost every year so forget about getting a similar/decent quality replacement mobo after 3 years(standard mobo warranty) & definitely forget about any mobo lasting more than 4-5 years unless lucky.


I had first hand experience with this senario when my gigabyte h55m-s2 went kaput after 3.5 years of usage and i could not find a replacement because the great Intel was in their 4th or 5th gen. circus then . 
Atleast AMD has shown hope till 2020 . If they were to introduce a new lga in 2020 how long can am4 mobos be predicted to be available , based on historical patterns ?



whitestar_999 said:


> NVMe runs hotter than usual 2.5" sata ssd & because of that avoid any mobo which has NVMe slot directly beneath gfx card slot(again many mobos have this bad design). Also NVMe offers no significant improvement over a good ssd(like samsung 860 evo) unless your workload is server like with very high iops &/or you have 32gb(or more) ram with a fast processor(aka costing ~15k or above).


Are you implying that there is no real world benefits of nvme over regular sata based ssd , in context of my use case senario ?


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## whitestar_999 (Aug 7, 2018)

In your usage scenario only way I can see real world improvement of NVMe is when playing a game that involves loading a few GB map contained in a single file.NVme have much better sequential read write speeds after all(but only if you use a good NVMe like samsung 970 & not those cheap adata ones).

In kolkata one can always go to mdcomputers/vedantcomputers/overclockerszone in that order for buying pc components.


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 8, 2018)

whitestar_999 said:


> In your usage scenario only way I can see real world improvement of NVMe is when playing a game that involves loading a few GB map contained in a single file.NVme have much better sequential read write speeds after all(but only if you use a good NVMe like samsung 970 & not those cheap adata ones).
> 
> In kolkata one can always go to mdcomputers/vedantcomputers/overclockerszone in that order for buying pc components.


Maybe i will visit md , previous exp is they give a better deal than vedant


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 10, 2018)

made the following selection



 

are the components and prices ok ?


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 10, 2018)

alternately also considering the msi b450 tomahawk


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## Nerevarine (Aug 10, 2018)

No go with the ASUS mobo, seems fine


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## rijinpk1 (Aug 10, 2018)

i will choose this seagate 2TB over that WD 2TB
SEAGATE DESKTOP HARD DRIVE 2TB BARRACUDA (ST2000DM006) .
WD has been rebranding their green series to blue series(2TB+) and they are slower at 5400 rpm. I will choose a 7200 rpm drive for a desktop anyday.


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## whitestar_999 (Aug 10, 2018)

^^He will be using samsung ssd for OS drive & for storage drive green/blue doesn't matter much. Btw there was never a 2TB wd blue 7200rpm drive,all blue drives over 1TB were always 5400rpm.


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 11, 2018)

Afaik the slower the drive the longer it lasts  , well that just me , maybe I m wrong or my knowledge is outdated . Was looking at the tomahawk because of some reviews on  youtube . 

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## NeedToKnow (Aug 11, 2018)

Top 5 AMD B450 Motherboards

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## Skillz (Aug 11, 2018)

NeedToKnow said:


> Top 5 AMD B450 Motherboards
> 
> Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk


i am also in a same spot with motherboard.. i like Asus, but with b450 they are falling behind of MSI. Asus have better bios which msi doesn't but their boards are sweet with good vrm compared to Asus.  My favourite are Tomahawk and Carbon Pro AC ..


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## Minion (Aug 11, 2018)

NeedToKnow said:


> alternately also considering the msi b450 tomahawk



Yes,MSI B450 TOMAHAWK is better


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## Minion (Aug 11, 2018)

whitestar_999 said:


> ^^He will be using samsung ssd for OS drive & for storage drive green/blue doesn't matter much. Btw there was never a 2TB wd blue 7200rpm drive,all blue drives over 1TB were always 5400rpm.



My seagate drive which I brought in 2006 is a 7200rpm drive


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## whitestar_999 (Aug 12, 2018)

More rpm also means more heat & WD after sales support is better than seagate. For storage drives speed does not matter as much unless you regularly copy 100's of GB of data frequently. If somebody is more comfortable with WD(reliability as well as after sales support) then only speed is not big enough criterion to change choice for a storage drive.


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 12, 2018)

ok forget ass , because a rma ed hdd is a lost case for the data in it , is segate 2 tb 7200 a better choice performance wise vis wd 2 tb blue (5200) ? Frankly i have never used wd , and have been a segate user starting with my 40 gb ide in 2004.


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## whitestar_999 (Aug 12, 2018)

Then why did you even consider WD in the first place,people usually stick with one hdd brand as long as it works fine for them. Of course performance wise too a 7200rmp 2TB hdd will be better than a 5400rpm hdd.


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 13, 2018)

whitestar_999 said:


> Then why did you even consider WD in the first place,people usually stick with one hdd brand as long as it works fine for them. Of course performance wise too a 7200rmp 2TB hdd will be better than a 5400rpm hdd.


Because of a Seagate expansion 2 tb that I bought about 5 ago ... It's not actually dead , it shows up , shows all files , but when I try to transfer a large file , or even run a movie , it keeps on seeking eternally ( blue blinking light) , and after some time the entire drive goes off the radar
... Actually I too was confused because everyone around was seemingly recommending wd , that kind of gave the impression that it's build quality was much superior to that of Seagate

ohh and 1 more thing , wd blue comes with a 3 yr warranty against seagte's 2 yrs

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## whitestar_999 (Aug 13, 2018)

^^It all depends on your luck,some people swear by seagate & some swear by WD. From my experience I prefer seagate for desktop internal hdd & WD for external portable & laptop hdd. As for warranty I don't care much because if data is more important to you then hdd cost doesn't matter(aka warranty doesn't matter because that will not cover data loss) & if data is not that important to you then again warranty is not of much importance(almost all hdd have 2 years warranty by the end of which you can probably buy a bigger hdd or faster ssd for same amount).


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 14, 2018)

also , how are ryzen - b450 combo's compatibility issues being handled . I heard that a 3000 mhz ram would run on 2666 mhz is not on qvl list of the mobo manufacturer , which itself is  a  . Also which mobo should i go with the prime or tomahawk ?


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## whitestar_999 (Aug 14, 2018)

QVL list is more of a guideline & not some standard list of must buy ram models.Btw msi B450 boards seems to be overall better option.
r/Amd - MSI B450 Tomahawk Socket AM4 Motherboard Review + Linux Test
A comment from above thread links to this interesting video:


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## NeedToKnow (Aug 27, 2018)

ok , have started the purchase ,
got the segate 2 tb for 4776/- ,
next


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 4, 2018)

Firstly , I am extremely sorry for the late post .... had to defer my purchase , meanwhile got a real sweet deal on 860 evo .... now finally the big three ... cpu , mb , ram ..... n a budget is now 35 k .... does the above recommendations hold ? looking to take the plunge in a week ....


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## Minion (Oct 4, 2018)

NeedToKnow said:


> also , how are ryzen - b450 combo's compatibility issues being handled . I heard that a 3000 mhz ram would run on 2666 mhz is not on qvl list of the mobo manufacturer , which itself is  a  . Also which mobo should i go with the prime or tomahawk ?



all those RAM with 3000Mhz or more actually support this speed with XMP profile so I suggest to get 2666 Mhz RAM also get tomahawk


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## whitestar_999 (Oct 4, 2018)

^^Why?there is no significant saving between getting a 2400/2666/3000 mhz ram so why not get 3000 mhz one.Also MSI gaming carbon pro is a much better mobo then tomahawk so increased budget definitely justify getting it.


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 5, 2018)

True the carbon pro ac is loaded to the brim ... But features like wifi n rbg are really not needed ... And in India it's pricing is so ridiculous that u can almost get a x470 for that price

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## whitestar_999 (Oct 5, 2018)

^^carbon pro is not recommended for its "features & rgb",it is recommended because it has the best VRMs among all B350/450 mobos & just for future reference no X470 mobo that cost 12-13k is worth buying(because those who buy X470 are looking for heavy OC which these cheap X470 mobos can't handle anyway). For those who do some serious ryzen OC only Taichi & asus crosshair series is worth buying.


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 5, 2018)

The vrm of this " gaming pro carbon ac " are really good , as per reviews , but still is it really worth a 28 % markup of prices ? Ok will look into it it the total bill comes within 35k . As per enquiry 
ryzen 2600 @ 16800
Tomahawk @ 10300
Carbon @ 13100
Corsair 3000 MHz c16 @ 6000
Or 
G.Skill ripjaws f4 3000 MHz @ 6000

Btw corsair n g.skill both are good right ?

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## whitestar_999 (Oct 5, 2018)

It is your choice but I personally would get the best VRM mobo in budget when using a processor like 2600 with plans of OC in future.Both corsair & gskill are good but I think corsair after sales support in India is much better than gskill.


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 5, 2018)

whitestar_999 said:


> It is your choice but I personally would get the best VRM mobo in budget when using a processor like 2600 with plans of OC in future.Both corsair & gskill are good but I think corsair after sales support in India is much better than gskill.


Does better vrm mean more mtf ? Better longevity of mb ?

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## whitestar_999 (Oct 5, 2018)

Yes(but no objective relationship between mtf & temps though physics say high temps are not good for electronics),if you plan on OC or using your pc on high cpu load for long duration daily.Better VRMs mean lesser temps during OC/high cpu usage for long duration which is definitely better than mobo with high VRMs temps if seen in view of longevity/reliability of mobo.


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 5, 2018)

unfortunately the carbon ac seems to be out of stock at md computers , called them up , they are not sure that it will be available before the end of October , thinking of primeabgb , they have it in stock... is it safe to order ?


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## whitestar_999 (Oct 6, 2018)

It is safe,primeabgb,vedantcomputers,mdcomputers,theitdepot they are all good.


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 6, 2018)

Done with the shopping , abeit with some changes .... Fingers crossed
Got asus x470 pro + 2600 + 8 gb within 36k ....
Is it a blunder or bargain ?


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## whitestar_999 (Oct 6, 2018)

Should be fine for a 2600 but why this instead of carbon pro even though it is costlier than carbon pro.
ASUS Prime X470-Pro IN THE BOX(case) VRM temperatures : Amd


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 6, 2018)

I thought it's a bargain

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Plus no one's actually sure about msi's ass in kolkata

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## nac (Oct 7, 2018)

In my view, for someone who wants reliability and good ASS Asus is the way to go, 
but for someone who is not gonna overclock, X470 is way too much and you have overspent for the intended use.
BTW, what about gpu? You already have one or you have separate budget for that?


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 7, 2018)

prepping for installation


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 7, 2018)

Work in progress*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/d62b2d91f875e0d528c4037b61b4c380.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/7fd29ef174ef401f3cb88e466af0bdc9.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/0c49ff9e8a47e6c842054081f49b696f.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/d47f2c4d183afeef07b38b22379e1ef2.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/c124f8c4c8b2ab681ae41aa5a636aeda.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/99540b14f9ccdb1b8b72e1c0ee8b68ed.jpg*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/6985f8ea2be2f96a40aa091380fd6868.jpg

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## NeedToKnow (Oct 7, 2018)

Through cleaning in progress*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/8d32d6bc4421085ccde6626750baa404.jpg

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## NeedToKnow (Oct 7, 2018)

Putting it back together*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/8f5f4d602f6fb379aab4cc128c55fee3.jpg

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## Minion (Oct 7, 2018)

NeedToKnow said:


> Putting it back together*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/8f5f4d602f6fb379aab4cc128c55fee3.jpg
> 
> Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk



Congrats. Do proper cable management looks messy


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## NeedToKnow (Oct 7, 2018)

Where do this one fit ?*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/d1e342baaac418b2c8a6b72b8161e7c7.jpg

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## NeedToKnow (Oct 7, 2018)

How does the cabling look ?*uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181007/0e8c2a7b0b929a05e37bba46e72b4efc.jpg

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