Thinking about a new gaming pc

[TheHangedOne]

So I don't like liquid cooling, and it's hard to find a good, strong rig that still uses fans.  I'm also persnickety when I probably shouldn't be, and basically treat computers as magical objects, because no matter how many books, pamphlets, videos, or sit down and chat sessions I go through; I understand the words, but the concept just doesn't 'stick'. I don't get it.

So I'm going through a company to make a custom rig for me (I did this before, about six years ago; I like the company, and things worked out well then). I wanted to get some feedback from people here, though, and see if what I've chosen is actually a good idea or not.

specs

    Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
    Gaming Chassis: CyberPowerPC AURON Premium Gaming Case Mid-Tower w/ Tempered Glass Window Panel (Black Color)
    Extra Case Fans: 3X 120mm Case Fans for your selected case
    Noise Reduction Technology: Sound Absorbing Foam on Side, Top And Bottom panels
    CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz [3.6GHz Turbo] Six-Core 16MB L3 Cache 95W Processor
    Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
    CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: DeepCool GAMMAXX GT RGB CPU Air Cooler 4 Heatpipes 120mm RGB low-noise PWM Fan with vibration rubber pad
    Motherboard: ASRock X470 MASTER SLI/AC AM4 ATX w/ 802.11ac WiFi, RGB, USB 3.1, Intel LAN, 2 PCIe x16, 4 PCIe x1, 6 SATA3, 2 M.2 SATA/PCIe
    RAM / System Memory: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR4/3000MHz Dual Channel Memory (ADATA XPG Z1)
    Video Card: GeForce® GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 (Pascal)[VR Ready] (Single Card)
    Freebie of Video Card: None
    Sli Bridge: None
    EVGA Power: None
    Video Capture Card: None
    Power Supply: 600 Watts - Thermaltake SMART series 600Watts 80 Plus Gold high-efficient Power Supply
    Primary Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Drive)
    Freebie of Solid State Drive: None
    Secondary Hard Drive: None
    Hard Drive Cooling Fan: None
    External Storage: None
    Optical Drive: None
    External Optical Drive: None
    WiDi Router: None
    Internal Wireless Network Card: None
    Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
    Internal Network Card: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
    Internal USB Expansion Module: None
    USB Hub & Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
    External USB ADAPTER: None
    Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
    Professional Wiring: Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System
    Warranty: PREMIUM WARRANTY: Standard 1 Year Parts WARRANTY + ONE (1) YEAR SHIPPING
    Service: 3 Years FREE Service Plan (INCLUDES LABOR AND LIFETIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT)

In terms of graphics cards, I don't need to get ultra high quality; I'm usually content with medium-to-high. I'm also very much a fan of GeForce, because it's what I'm used to.  So, any thoughts, opinions, suggestions to make it better (hopefully without increasing the cost)?

[Vekseid]

8GB of RAM is really low for a modern gaming PC. You'll want 16, maybe 32.

Upgrading to an 8gb 1070 card might be cheap for the moment. That would be future proofing a bit, but if you don't like the idea of upgrading at all, it can help.

I can't recommend SSDs enough. I will never go back to platters, period.

Your motherboard comes with 2 M.2 slots, and those would be the most nervous things for you to self upgrade. You will not regret getting a 970 EVO in one or both of them.

[TheHangedOne]

I need to admit to total ignorance regarding hdd and sdd; again, it just... doesn't really click, but I'll take your advice. And yeah, 8 gigs is really gonna slow me down, but I'm considering pricing. I don't need the computer right away, so I can probably push it off another month or two, and maybe pull a few tricks and favors, to get up to 16.

What would the M.2 things do? More or better storage capacity?

[Vekseid]

Well, RAM prices are expected to go down.

Solid state disks are orders of magnitude faster and more reliable than platter drives (HDDs). The former has no moving parts, the latter is spinning a glass disc at 120 revolutions per second, using a reading mechanism described as flying a 747 over the rockies at hypersonic speeds while maintaining an altitude of one inch.

You can put SSD drives into those M.2 sockets. They look like tiny expansion cards.

It is more expensive, but the difference in speed is 90% of why modern PCs are faster than those of the pre-SSD era in the first place.

[TheHangedOne]

Thank you very much, Veks. I think, above all, the metaphor helps me understand it the most.

[Thete]

An SSD is life changing, seriously. I keep my OS and a few select games installed on mine and boot times are super quick and it is amazing.

I run 8GB of DDR4 as a stop-gap (prices were absurd when I bought) but I run a select few games (WoW, Runescape), nothing too modern. It does me fine, but 16GB really is what you should be looking for. Also agreeing a 1070 would be good for future proofing. Not that there's anything wrong with a 1060 (I have one) but yeah, I don't play many things on PC.

I have a NZXT H400 case which is really, really good for cooling. 3x front fans, 1x back fan and optional tops. I've had to replace the back fan as it broke in six months, but I think it was just bad luck. Really good for keeping things tidy and looks stylish.

Edit: In terms of heatsink for CPU cooling, I also really recommend the Coolermaster 212 EVO which is compatible with Ryzens. Looks very similar to the one you've chosen, but just to give you another great option. :>

[AmberStarfire]

I'd probably go for higher RAM and a larger hard drive if I could. It's very easy to fill up 1TB, especially if you're installing a lot of games (and over a period of time).

[TheHangedOne]

Sorry I didn't reply earlier--think I lost the thread in my shuffling about. Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm going out on a limb and imagining that an OS on the SSD makes things boot up ridiculously fast? Or does it merely function at a greater capacity in its basic routines and stuff? Or both..?

[Sara Nilsson]

Sorry I didn't reply earlier--think I lost the thread in my shuffling about. Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm going out on a limb and imagining that an OS on the SSD makes things boot up ridiculously fast? Or does it merely function at a greater capacity in its basic routines and stuff? Or both..?

I run win 10 on an SSD these days, and its a matter of seconds to boot up. It really is  HUUUUUGE upgrade. Before I went to make coffee when booting up windows.

[Inkidu]

Sorry I didn't reply earlier--think I lost the thread in my shuffling about. Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm going out on a limb and imagining that an OS on the SSD makes things boot up ridiculously fast? Or does it merely function at a greater capacity in its basic routines and stuff? Or both..?

Greater capacity comes more from processor, but yes overall SSD running your OS is super quick, most computers with a SSD and a HDD run the OS on the former too for that reason. My laptop boots up in three seconds.

[TheHangedOne]

Nifty. Thanks, everyone. 

[Life in Color]

You also wanna make sure that if you're putting your OS on an SSD that you just keep your OS there.

The more you fill that SSD, the slower your OS is gonna boot.

[Nowherewoman]

I run win 10 on an SSD these days, and its a matter of seconds to boot up. It really is  HUUUUUGE upgrade. Before I went to make coffee when booting up windows.

This.  I also have a second SSD I use for seriously large or GFX-intensive games- though my vid hardware is outdated enough to make this of dubious utility.