Buy or build PC for hobby use

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28fe6
Posts: 762
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 8:01 am

Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by 28fe6 »

I want an upgraded Linux PC for 3D printing, CAD, and editing GoPro videos. I don't do gaming and I don't have high standards if I did do gaming. I just want something quiet and preferably not gigantic.

My current system is an Intel NUC small-form-factor PC with a dual-core Celeron processor. I've been able to limp along with it, but large CAD tasks or 3D print jobs bring it to a crawl. Now that I bought a GoPro camera and will soon have 4k video to deal with, I think I need to upgrade.

It used to be, building a PC was the best value, but I don't know if it's still true and I don't know what sockets/dram/hdd busses/coolers/cases are compatible nowadays and I don't really want to learn. Is there any way to spec out a basic decent PC that's quiet, and not too big, but would have some decent horsepower for CAD and so on?

I was looking at pre-built home theater PCs, which would be small and quiet, but expensive and they seem to be weak on the CPU. Similarly, gaming PCs tend to contain $1000 worth of rare video card that I probably don't need.

I can build a PC I just don't know how you choose parts without re-learning everything to make sure everything is compatible. I tried a PC configurator tool online, but even after filtering by 65W TDP and $200 max, there were like 175 CPUs to choose from...
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mrmass
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Location: MA

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by mrmass »

If you go on Woot they have many refurbs to choose from. For example something like this

https://computers.woot.com/offers/dell- ... at_pc_3_27
Volando
Posts: 188
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 6:52 pm

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by Volando »

28fe6 wrote: Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:29 am I can build a PC I just don't know how you choose parts without re-learning everything to make sure everything is compatible. I tried a PC configurator tool online, but even after filtering by 65W TDP and $200 max, there were like 175 CPUs to choose from...
Not that much has changed if you’ve built one before. Certainly technology has progressed but your dealing with a similar bucket of parts. Spending a little bit of time reading will get you up to speed fairly quickly if you already have some knowledge to start with. My recommendation would be to start with a top parts list such as those that sites like tomshardware or pcworld put out and then narrow it down based on your budget and use case. When you narrow down what cpu you want you then have a smaller pool of parts like the motherboard to choose from. Then you can narrow down what features you want in a motherboard and so on and so forth. Going this route may be more manageable and help break it into smaller pieces. Then you can use a site like pcpartpicker which will give you decent info in terms of compatibility. If it flags something then you can investigate alternatives. For example, in the $200 price range for CPU your best bet is probably something like AMDs 3600 which is currently on Amazon for $241 but it does it go on sale for lower. From here you can choose a b450 or b550 motherboard and go from there.

Reddit also has a decent subreddit r/buildapc that has users that can help you narrow things down further or point you in the right direction if you get stuck. You can post your use case there and see if someone can provide you with a template of parts to start with and go from there.

Even with the price inflation of certain parts I still find that building yourself is the way to go. Prebuilt systems can sometimes be cheaper but they often skimp out on important components (like power supply) or cut corners in other ways which you may end up paying for in the long run. The main component that you might have a hard time finding is a gpu(depending somewhat on what you’re looking for). However, buying a prebuilt system with the gpu you want may result in worse parts in other areas that are relevant to you. So… either way (prebuilt or self built) it would be wise to do your research and become familiar with what you’re buying.
Last edited by Volando on Fri Nov 26, 2021 8:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
stan1
Posts: 14246
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 4:35 pm

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by stan1 »

I've used PCPartPicker. There are other similar sites, too.
https://pcpartpicker.com/

Just watch supply chain issues especially video cards. If you don't want to deal with part sourcing that might give you a tilt towards buying something off the shelf.
sureshoe
Posts: 2165
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2019 3:26 pm

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by sureshoe »

28fe6 wrote: Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:29 am It used to be, building a PC was the best value, but I don't know if it's still true and I don't know what sockets/dram/hdd busses/coolers/cases are compatible nowadays and I don't really want to learn. Is there any way to spec out a basic decent PC that's quiet, and not too big, but would have some decent horsepower for CAD and so on?

I was looking at pre-built home theater PCs, which would be small and quiet, but expensive and they seem to be weak on the CPU. Similarly, gaming PCs tend to contain $1000 worth of rare video card that I probably don't need.

I can build a PC I just don't know how you choose parts without re-learning everything to make sure everything is compatible. I tried a PC configurator tool online, but even after filtering by 65W TDP and $200 max, there were like 175 CPUs to choose from...
On this specific statement, it's something I learned awhile ago, and has held true: Pre-built PCs are cheaper than custom built.

Building a PC only makes sense if:
1) You are doing it for fun
2) You want higher end, or upgraded components

For example, if you get a barebones PC, you can upgrade the video card, hard drives, ram, etc. for MUCH cheaper than the resellers usually charge. You do have to be careful on things like the power supply, because the pre-built usually have small/weak supplies. If you're running Linux, this is less of a concern, but just the cost of Windows is an issue.

I would never consider building a PC worth less than $1000. Unless you're good at it, you're going to spend hours to maybe break even or save $100 (as you mentioned your heartache). If I wanted a high end gaming machine, I'd buy shell and upgrade. For your use case, a $1000 PC would be overpowered, so I'd stay at that price point and save yourself the headache.
02nz
Posts: 10508
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:17 pm

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by 02nz »

28fe6 wrote: Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:29 am I want an upgraded Linux PC for 3D printing, CAD, and editing GoPro videos. I don't do gaming and I don't have high standards if I did do gaming. I just want something quiet and preferably not gigantic.

My current system is an Intel NUC small-form-factor PC with a dual-core Celeron processor. I've been able to limp along with it, but large CAD tasks or 3D print jobs bring it to a crawl. Now that I bought a GoPro camera and will soon have 4k video to deal with, I think I need to upgrade.

It used to be, building a PC was the best value, but I don't know if it's still true and I don't know what sockets/dram/hdd busses/coolers/cases are compatible nowadays and I don't really want to learn. Is there any way to spec out a basic decent PC that's quiet, and not too big, but would have some decent horsepower for CAD and so on?

I was looking at pre-built home theater PCs, which would be small and quiet, but expensive and they seem to be weak on the CPU. Similarly, gaming PCs tend to contain $1000 worth of rare video card that I probably don't need.

I can build a PC I just don't know how you choose parts without re-learning everything to make sure everything is compatible. I tried a PC configurator tool online, but even after filtering by 65W TDP and $200 max, there were like 175 CPUs to choose from...
If you want small and quiet, a ThinkCentre Tiny is the way to go. They can be had with Ryzen 5000 processors. Availability of AMD models is very spotty though, you may need to look on eBay, etc. An Intel model with 6-core processor should also be adequate.
Last edited by 02nz on Fri Nov 26, 2021 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Nekrotok
Posts: 214
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 3:44 pm

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by Nekrotok »

Do you live near a microcenter? :D

$170 asrock deskmini x300
$200 amd ryzen 5600g
$60 16gb ddr4 sodimm ram
$100 1tb nvme sad
$530 +tax total
tortoise84
Posts: 464
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:03 pm

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by tortoise84 »

If you don't need a discrete graphics card for gaming, then there are some good deals on CPUs with integrated graphics like the:

AMD Ryzen 7 5700G $290: https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-7-5700 ... 6819113682
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G $239: https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Ryzen-5600G- ... 092L9GF5N/

You can get a B550 or X570 motherboard for $100-180, but make sure the BIOS supports 'Cezanne' 5000G series processors with integrated graphics. Some boards may require a BIOS update, in which case, it will be a lot easier if the board has a 'BIOS flash-back' feature to update the BIOS from a USB drive without a CPU installed. Otherwise, you'll have to borrow a compatible CPU from somewhere (you can actually borrow one free from AMD) and then update the BIOS.

Intel CPUs without 'F' in the name have integrated graphics:

i7-11700K $300: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... 5_ghz.html
or https://www.ebay.com/itm/294100121726
i5-11600K $220: https://www.amazon.com/Intel-i5-11600K- ... 08X67YZBL/
i5-11400 $190: https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-11 ... 6819118241

These need a B560 or Z590 motherboard for $90-180, and you'll also need a CPU cooler because 'K' chips don't include one and even the one included with the 11400 is not good.

I'm actually building a basic web browsing and video PC myself with an 11400:

$189.98 i5-11400 with integrated graphics
$89.99 MSI B560M PRO-VDH Micro ATX motherboard https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144453
$49.50 G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x8 GB DDR4-3600 CL18 RAM https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-16gb-288 ... 6820232882 + 10% off w/ promo code NEBKTEN25
$25 CPU cooler
$60 SAMA IM01 case (one of the smallest Micro ATX cases)
$40 500-650W PSU
$43 500GB NVMe SSD
=====
$500 total system cost
Last edited by tortoise84 on Fri Nov 26, 2021 1:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Volando
Posts: 188
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 6:52 pm

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by Volando »

Just wanted to add, if you’re curious about how prebuilt systems cut corners, there’s a YouTube channel gamers nexus that has a recent series on a variety of builders. It ranges from proprietary parts in dells that prevent you from replacing parts to broken or mismatched components. Mainly oriented towards gaming builds but interesting to watch.
will823
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 11:36 pm

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by will823 »

Do you have to install Linux? If not mac mini seems to be a good choice. I love mini/sff pc as well (Also have an intel nuc), but heat dissipation could be a big issue, especially if you want to use with a third party case.
Independent George
Posts: 1592
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:13 am
Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by Independent George »

For the use case described, just buying a new NUC 11 or Mac Mini to replace the old one is probably the best option. It's not just a matter of price - form factor andnoise is really important here, and building in a tiny SFF case is generally not fun even for experienced PC builders. That Celeron is ancient, and is long overdue for an upgrade.
hudson
Posts: 7119
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:15 am

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by hudson »

28fe6 wrote: Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:29 am I want an upgraded Linux PC for 3D printing, CAD, and editing GoPro videos. I don't do gaming and I don't have high standards if I did do gaming. I just want something quiet and preferably not gigantic.

My current system is an Intel NUC small-form-factor PC with a dual-core Celeron processor. I've been able to limp along with it, but large CAD tasks or 3D print jobs bring it to a crawl. Now that I bought a GoPro camera and will soon have 4k video to deal with, I think I need to upgrade.

It used to be, building a PC was the best value, but I don't know if it's still true and I don't know what sockets/dram/hdd busses/coolers/cases are compatible nowadays and I don't really want to learn. Is there any way to spec out a basic decent PC that's quiet, and not too big, but would have some decent horsepower for CAD and so on?

I was looking at pre-built home theater PCs, which would be small and quiet, but expensive and they seem to be weak on the CPU. Similarly, gaming PCs tend to contain $1000 worth of rare video card that I probably don't need.

I can build a PC I just don't know how you choose parts without re-learning everything to make sure everything is compatible. I tried a PC configurator tool online, but even after filtering by 65W TDP and $200 max, there were like 175 CPUs to choose from...
I have built PCs in the past. Sometimes I go to those PC build websites and try to spec one out. That's as far as it goes. It's too much work. If I need a PC, I'll buy one from Dell or Apple and plan for it to last.

If you were a regular builder, you could probably save a little. Since you aren't and you don't seem to have the building fever, buy new.
mhalley
Posts: 10432
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:02 am

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by mhalley »

I don’t know how good a graphics card you need for cad, but if integrated is not good enough most videos I have seen lately recommend just buying a prebuilt as the graphics cards are hard to find/excessively priced but the pc cos can still get them at reasonable prices. So you actually can get a prebuilt cheaper than building your own.
cacophony
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:12 pm

Re: Buy or build PC for hobby use

Post by cacophony »

People don't build PCs themselves to save money. Prebuilt PCs from big manufacturers often use terrible quality components for all the stuff that isn't explicitly part of the marketing: motherboards, heat sinks, cases, fan configurations / airflow, power supplies, etc. These parts are often non-standard as well, which limits upgradability and reparability. People build their own PCs so that they can pick quality components for everything that's important to them.
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