Hey Josh. Each section below goes over a particular topic. I have tried to put them in the order that I think makes the most sense. Building a computer requires a bit of learning, but it's definitely something your Andress brain can handle. I know I'm a few weeks late getting this to you, but I hope it helps. Hit me up with any questions or anything.
It's a lot, so buckle up.
This is the easy stuff. So let's get it out of the way. Plus, looking at these first should help you visualize what your new set up is going to look like and get you a little more excited about it. You only have to build the computer once, but everytime you use the computer, you'll be using these peripherals every time. It's important that they don't suck.
I'm putting this first because they're the easiest. I have large hands, and you probably do too. Since you plan on gaming, you're gonna want a "gaming" mouse and keyboard. To my knowledge (as someone who only plays video games casually), the only real difference between a gaming k/m and regular k/m is that the gaming variety typically have extras keys/buttons, extra lights, and the keyboards are mechanical.
For gaming peripherals in general, Razer makes quality stuff:
Here is the keyboard I have - https://mysupport.razer.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3612/
Here is the comparable modern version of that - https://www.razer.com/gaming-keyboards/Razer-BlackWidow-V3/RZ03-03540100-R3M1
If you want a quick run-down of the different switches that Razer manufactures, here's a decent video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om8Lp4v56q0
From what I understand, most gamers (and programmers) prefer mechanical keyboards since they give you tactile feedback as you type. Totally personal preference though. If you already have a keyboard you like, just use that. Keyboards are easy to purchase and replace.
As for the mouse, I use the Razer Naga - https://www.razer.com/gaming-mice/Razer-Naga-Trinity/RZ01-02410100-R3U1
The Naga is pretty good, and has an extra attachment for larger hands. Looks like they specifically market the Basilisk for larger hands though - https://www.razer.com/gaming-mice/Razer-Basilisk-Ultimate/RZ01-03170100-R3U1
I recommend you watch some reviews on youtube and pick the one you think you'll like the best. If you can't decide, get the Naga.
Again, Razer makes good stuff, so here's the headset I recommend:
https://www.razer.com/gaming-headsets/Razer-BlackShark-V2/RZ04-03230200-R3M1
Like everything else, personal preference plays a huge role. Here is the headset I use - https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Virtual-Channel-Gaming-Headset/dp/B0073QDDEE - but they don't make or really sell them any more. Plus they don't have noise cancellation, which is a pretty standard feature these days.
For whatever headset you end up choosing, I recommend the following features:
- long-ish mic
- foam mic cover
- noise cancellation
- detachable / retractable mic
- on-headset volume controls
- usb connectivity
- 7.1 surround or THX spacial audio
Additionally, depending on your budget, this is a useful accessory - https://www.razer.com/gaming-headsets-and-audio-accessories/Razer-Base-Station-Chroma/RC21-01190400-R3U1
I don't have a whole lot of insight into speakers, so these are what I have and what I recommend for you:
- https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0791H74NT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0885WGX89/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm going to recommend for the time being that you just use one monitor, unless you have a larger budget. Start with one monitor, and when you get to the point where you think you need more, then spend the extra money for the extra monitor.
So I'll be up front - there are specialized gaming monitors out there, and I know NOTHING about them. You'll have to research those on your own. If you haven't ever heard of Linus Tech Tips, they have a few good channels about tech stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/user/LinusTechTips
Here is the "Gaming Monitor" section of Newegg, which is the site I use to buy almost all of my hardware:
https://www.newegg.com/Gaming-Monitors/SubCategory/ID-3743?Tid=898493
Pay attention to the specifications / categories on the left - those are the specs you'll care about if you want to get a specialized gaming monitor.
If I had to purchase one of these for myself, I would buy this one:
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16824025512
The price is unbeatable, and it's 4k. If you don't know what 4k is, look up monitor resolutions. 1080p is bare minimum, 4k is recommended now (by me). As far as I'm concerned, the only thing that LG monitor doesn't have is a greater-than-60 fps refresh rate - look up the relationship between refresh rate and FPS. As I understand it, your monitor can only display 1 frame per Hz, so if you want 60 FPS, the monitor has to be at least 60 Hz. All the monitors over 60 Hz are quite expensive (over $1k). My opinion is that you should start with that LG monitor.
4k will also be good with your young eyes for doing 3d modeling in blender. You'll have 4 times the screen real estate compared to 1080p.
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So the peripherals are easy. The computer is too, once you've done it a few times. But you will definitely need to get familiar with what you're going to have to do before you even start thinking about getting parts and assembling them.
So to get started, here is the list of important parts of the computer that you will need to purchase:
- CPU + heatsink
- Motherboard
- Memory / RAM
- Power Supply
- Video Card
- Hard Drive
- Case
If you don't know what any of those things are, look them up. They are the largest individual components that you'll need to buy to build a computer.
To my knowledge, this is the best video tutorial for building a computer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7MYOpFONCU
Definitely watch that at least once all the way through before you start putting your purchase list together, and certainly before you start assembling the computer.
Here are some things I liked about that video:
- he stresses the importance of the anti-static strap - you can ruin your components if you don't discharge the static charges that will accumulate on/in your body
- he builds this on an elevated bench - do not try to build your first computer on a floor, and never on carpet
- he shows you the build from start to finish
- he demonstrates cable management
- it's a modern build
- he even goes through getting an OS installed (though he skips the actual install steps)
Things I don't like about that video
- he doesn't talk enough about thermal paste
- he has his fingers all over the motherboard, though he SAYS to only touch it on edges, plastic, and the metal heatsinks - that is incredibly important!
- he doesn't go into enough detail about cooling and airflow inside the case
Now without further ado, here's the hardware breakdown:
The CPU will drive the heatsink and the motherboard, which will drive the ram and the case you have to buy. My recommendation is to choose your CPU first, then worry about the other components.
For gaming, you'll need a processor with multiple cores with a high single-thread clock speed. Look those terms up. Clock speed is "can do things fast", and multiple cores means "can do multiple things at once".
For 3d modeling, and more importantly rendering, you'll NEED multiple cores. High single-thread clock speed is a nice-to-have.
With those 2 parameters in mind, I recommend the Intel i9 10900k - https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i9-10900k-core-i9-10th-gen/p/N82E16819118122?Description=i9%2010900k&cm_re=i9_10900k-_-19-118-122-_-Product&quicklink=true
That has EASILY the highest clock speed for the best price, and has a resonable number of cores. AMD (which is a competitor to Intel) is going to come out with some good chips pretty soon, but for now, that processor is the best value for the money, and will be an excellent start for your gaming and modeling hobbies.
As for the heatsink, this is what I recommend:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07Y3CTQNT/ref=emc_b_5_t
It is MASSIVE, but you have to buy one, and that one will allow you to do some insane overclocking if you choose to.
A quick word about overclocking - I know NOTHING about it in practice. You'll have to do your own research.
The motherboard is, in my opinion, the most complicated piece you'll purchase for any PC build. You can easily pick one out that will work with your CPU, but to truly understand all of it's features and to make a decision based on that knowledge takes a decent amount of research and knowledge. There are many specifications to consider, and if you are doing serious cutting-edge stuff (which you're not, so you don't have to worry about this), it is imperative that you scrutinize all specifications and READ THE MOTHERBOARD MANUAL. Modern hardware, specifically the cpu and motherboard, take certain shortcuts to improve performance for most users. A notable example of this is if you want to run 2 video cards at full speed, you must confirm that your motherboard actually supports 2 16x PCIE slots (which my most recent build does NOT), and you have to make sure that the CPU and RAM in tandem with the motherboard are capable of supporting the workload you expect to use the video cards for. Anyway, you don't have to worry about that right now, but if you decide to build another computer in the future, one that is even further specialized for games and modeling, you'll HAVE to dig deep enough to understand what the motherboard's limitations are.
So with that out of the way... The first specification you have to consider for your motherboard is what CPU socket you need. There are only 2 players in the CPU market - AMD and Intel. AMD will likely overtake Intel in the next 2 years as the CPU manufacturer with the highest-spec consumer products. But for now, assuming you go with the i9 CPU I recommended above, you'll be getting the best CPU for the money.
So, if you go with the i9, that has a Socket LGA 1200. So you'll have to start by looking for a motherboard with an LGA 1200 socket.
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007627%20601352138
When it comes to buying computer components, I am HEAVILY biased towards certain manufacturers. I have built a few dozen computers for myself and others, and I have had success with some brands and catastrophic failures with others, even though they had the same published specifications.
In my opinion, the best motherboard brands are Asus and Gigabyte. I will be recommending a Gigabyte board to you, because it's what I use. I don't buy Asus anymore, but there's nothing wrong with them. I used them for years when I was first starting.
After filtering on manufacturer, the next thing I'm going to look at is the chipset. To me, the newer the chipset, the better. It will almost always be faster, support more stuff, and be supported by Intel for longer than older chipsets. Right now, the most recent chipset for Intel CPUs is the Z490 chipset:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/chipsets/desktop-chipsets/z490.html
You can research what a chipset is yourself. It's the orchestrator of all the hardware on the motherboard.
Next I pick the fastest memory standard and the highest maximum memory from the list on the left.
That is usually enough to get me to the point where there are a small enough number of boards that I can choose one that I want at a price that fits my budget. In this case, I am going to go to the manufacturers website to get more context about the difference between the boards:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Comparison/Motherboard
https://www.gigabyte.com/Comparison/Result/2?pids=7250,7251,7253,7254,7255
Based on that comparison chart, the Xtreme is the best, but the Master has all of the features you need. This is the motherboard I recommend based on specs and features and price:
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145196
The Xtreme, which is "better" is double the price - you don't need that. The Master is fine.
Now that you know what CPU and motherboard you're going to get, you can pick out RAM that is compatible with your motherboard. If you choose the Gigabyte Aorus Master motherboard that I recommended, you will need DDR4 288 pin RAM.
Once again, I am partial to manufacturers. There are apparently many RAM manufacturers, but the only ones I trust are GSkill and Corsair.
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007611%20600521523%2050008476%2050001459
We're going to max out your RAM to the max your motherboard supports - 128 GB
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007611%20600521523%2050008476%2050001459%20600418367
For the money, my opinion is that this is your best option:
https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-128gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232992?&quicklink=true
The full 128 GB, from a manufacturer I trust, and at a speed of 3600. Note that if you want to do overclocking, you'll need to do your own research. You may have different specification needs if you want to overclock.
Ive said before that I am partial to manufacturers, and that is especially true for the power supply. It is the only component that has the power to totally kill every component in the machine, including itself. It is directly wired to everything. If it fails, you risk damaging every other component. Do not cheap out on this component, or any other, but especially not this one.
The only 2 brands I trust are EVGA and Corsair. There isn't much to go over since you're not doing a crazy custom build. You just need a power supply that is modern and middle of the road. Here is what I recommend:
The video card, along with the CPU, is going to be the most relevant to what you want to do - gaming and modeling. This is a decent representation of performance:
https://techgage.com/article/blender-2-90-best-cpus-gpus-for-rendering-viewport/
Note that you'll see better performing hardware on those charts - you would have to spend significantly more money to get hardware like that. Trust me when I say that if you go with my recommendations, or something close to them, you'll be just fine.
Unfortunately, every single Nvidia RTX 30XX card is currently sold out everywhere:
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007709%20601357282
Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about that. In the mean time, you could get a really cheap card, and wait for the 3070 to come back in stock. Alternatively, if you don't want to wait, you could get the previous generation 2070, which is what I have:
The choice is yours. My suggestion is to purchase your video card LAST. Get everything else, build the computer, install windows, make sure everything works. Then see if you can get your hands on a 3070.
The hard drive is my favorite part of the computer. It is the only part of the computer that contains things that are irreplaceable. Your pictures, movies, saved games, homework assignments, journal - everything is on the hard drive. If it fails, and you don't have proper backups, you have just lost everything you've ever worked on that was on a computer.
So on that note, the manufacturer of the hard drive is the MOST important part, and the parts to which I am most loyal to manufacturers.
There are 2 main types of hard drives - SSDs, which stands for Solid State Drive, and then whatever the other normal hard drive is called. SSDs use chips (like RAM) to store data. They are MUCH faster, and in my experience, last longer. They use less power, are smaller, and have NO moving parts. They are in every way superior. Except that they don't currently come in sizes as large as traditional hard drives - the ones with spinning platters in them.
For your purposes, you may not ever need to use a spinning hard drive. If for some reason you find that you need more than 10 TB of storage at some point - ONLY EVER BUY WESTERN DIGITAL. Every other hard drive manufacturer I have ever used has given me hard drive failures. If the time comes where you need storage that large, talk to me. Data preservation is one of my hobbies.
But you only need an SSD. In that case, the manufacturers you need to care about are Western Digital, Samsung, and Intel. Don't buy from any other manufacturer - it isn't worth losing all your data.
https://www.newegg.com/western-digital-black-sn750-nvme-2tb/p/N82E16820250114
That isn't the cheapest, but it is the best, in my opinion.
The most important things to keep in mind for the case, other than an overall aesthetic that you like, is CPU cooler clearance and motherboard size. If you get a case that doesn't fit either the motherboard on the X and Y axes, or one that doesn't fit the CPU cooler on the Z axis, you have wasted $100 or so.
The form factor of the motherboard I recommended to you is ATX, and the cooler I recommended needs 165mm of clearance. The motherboard size is standard, the cooler size is large. So not just any case will do.
Here is the one I recommend, since it looks good enough, has great cooling, has handles, and has all the features you will need: