Planning on building my first PC

[warped gorge]

Haven't build a pc before, so I'll probably be asking a few dumb questions. Sorry in advance about that.

Budget: Would like to stay under $2,500 for the PC and the monitors (I'll most likely get 2 (will worry about those later)), but if needed, I can go a little higher.

Usage: Extremely high CPU usage and low GPU usage gaming. Using my current laptop with a 12700h cpu and a 3060 gpu and integrated graphics, I use 100% cpu while using around 20% of both gpus. The faster the processing speed the better.

Preference: I don't really care much about aesthetics, my main concerns are raw processing speed, lowish power usage and good cooling (my current laptop cools horribly).

Power: I am on a power constraint, and must keep the PC running lower than 500W and preferrably closer to 300. I'm not sure how power usage works exactly. If I use an 800W power supply, will it draw 800W, or will it draw whatever is needed for the PC with a max of 800W allowed. If the latter, is lower gpu usage like I mentioned above going to result in less power usage?

I have multiple questions:

1. Here is my current part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZWknTY.
   Other than monitors and a keyboard (I have a mouse), am I missing anything that will be necessary?

2. Are there any recommended changes to my parts list?

3. Is a 3060 good enough for my usage or will it end up being the bottleneck instead of the processing speed?

4. Do I need to buy extra fans or are they built into the case or somewhere else?

5. Is the samsung 990 pro ssd better than the 980? (I don't care about the 3 dollar difference)

6. How important is thermal paste?

[stone current]

what laptop do u have rn?

[warped gorge]

Alienware 💀

[stone current]

rip

[warped gorge]

r7 m15 or whatever it's called

[stone current]

not the worst, just overpriced

[warped gorge]

yep

[stone current]

r u just gaming

no productivity?

[warped gorge]

maybe super low usage productivity like using Word or Excel

nothing that should affect anything

[stone current]

alr

aio required?

air cooling works just as well and way cheaper

[warped gorge]

what exactly does aio mean

[stone current]

the liquid cooler u put is an aio

[warped gorge]

im not familiar with coolers at all, I am very likely to change that

[stone current]

alr

[warped gorge]

what cooler would you recommend

[stone current]

phantom spirit 120 se

[warped gorge]

also, one thing to note is my room is generally pretty warm, around 80f/27c

not sure if this affects cooling really

[stone current]

it should still work

[warped gorge]

alr

[stone current]

80f is hot damn

[warped gorge]

Yep :\

[stone current]

because of the power limits u acc dont need a $2500 budget

near $1500 should be fine acc

[warped gorge]

fair

is an 800w power supply going to draw 800 watts of power or only what the pc needs at the time

[stone current]

itll draw up to 800 since thats the allowed

[warped gorge]

but, most of the time it won't need anywhere close to that since it's estimated at 455w, right?

[stone current]

yeah

u could undervolt ur cpu tbh

less power goes to the cpu

but better clocks

[warped gorge]

I assume that would affect the performance

[stone current]

nope not really

lots of laptop users do this asw

[warped gorge]

is it easy to do

[stone current]

yeah theres guides

[warped gorge]

and could it be done during the initial build

I assume so

[stone current]

its thru software so yes

[warped gorge]

I'll need to get some speakers for sound, right?

very used to laptops with built in speakers

[stone current]

yeah, also is 519w ok?

[warped gorge]

not sure, what would cause it to go up

[stone current]

gpu mainly

[warped gorge]

what gpu were you thinking

[stone current]

6950xt, purely cause better performance than the 4070 thats the same price

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8rVQz6

[warped gorge]

I'm not sure how much I would need a high performance GPU when my 3060 currently is only being used 20%

[stone current]

another option under 500w is unironically a laptop

legion 5 pro 13900hx/4080 is around $2100 rn

wayyyy better than alienware

[warped gorge]

Yeah I've thought about it, but I think I wanna commit to a desktop pc

[stone current]

alr

[warped gorge]

and since I don't need a very good gpu, I don't think power should be a huge problem

[stone current]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/scq2Fs

changed gpu, wattage went down instantly lmao

[warped gorge]

my main focus is just to get the fastest processing speed, along with high quality ram and ssd, a decent gpu, and a motherboard, case, and cooler that will last a long time

[stone current]

nvdia switching to tsmc fab was very smart acc

[stone current]

hmm alr

[warped gorge]

also, unrelated question, but does the motherboard affect performance in any way?

as long as it's like a totally horrible motherboard I mean

[stone current]

bad vrms might affect yeah

but gigabyte makes good stuff so

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rz7J7R

https://youtube.com/watch?v=78lp1TGFvKc (around 425w total power draw with a 4090; timestamp: 16:17)

the "estimated wattage" is peak power on pcpp

gamers nexus also has a review, check that out

[warped gorge]

so for the most part it'll be using a lot less power?

[stone current]

yeah this guy measured 420 watts (nice) with a 4090 so expect less

[warped gorge]

fair

if possible, I'd like to get the 7950x

[stone current]

any reason? if ur just gaming x3d is the way to go

performs better than 13900k and 7950x acc

productivity is another story

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DbKV34

7950x

[warped gorge]

do u think it's worth the extra 90 dollars?

[stone current]

for just gaming no

it also draws more power

[warped gorge]

fair

alr, well I gtg for now, thanks a lot for ur help

[warped gorge]

Another question: 7950x vs 13900k

20 dollars different, is one better than the other

is there a good website for comparing that isn't biased

[stone current]

gamersnexus, hardware unboxed, ltt

watch those videos

[warped gorge]

@warped gorge

https://youtu.be/8dsZgjeCr4E

[feral gull]

A good mousepad is a highly beneficial investment, provided you have the budget for that too

[agile citrus]

honestly isn't even great value for a custom built at $2000

[warped gorge]

Yeah I have one already that I use with my laptop

[warped gorge]

Does the CPU cooler always include thermal paste?

[west marten]

Not always

But most coolers will

[agile citrus]

stock cooler always will

[west marten]

Yes, I think it’s pre-applied though