Description
Built 3/30/2018 - Reposted for New Account
I really liked the final product of this build, everything looked nice and clean. Decided to go with AMD Ryzen because the Ryzen 5 1600 went on sale for $129.99 AR USD briefly. It's not really flipping a PC because most of these parts are brand new (except the GPU) but I'm still making profit selling it.
Part Reviews
Motherboard
--Pros: - Affordable price ($54.99 USD AR) Great affordable board that will fit all your needs and look great in your case. I have received each rebate I submitted for MSI.
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Red color scheme w/ LED The board pairs very well with a red themed build. The LEDs shine a bright red.
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Reinforced PCIE for GPU Extra security for your GPU's pcie.
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Customized MSI Backplate This board comes with a customized Red/Black MSI Backplate that beats the generic silver Backplate.
Cons: - (3) Three Fan Headers including CPU; no Headers on right side of Board Your average PC Build will need (4) Four Fan Headers (1 Outtake, CPU, 2 Intake) which Makes a Fan Splitter necessary here. All Fan Headers located on the right side of the board making cable management in some circumstances difficult.
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M.2 Slot placed underneath GPU Users that have an M.2 Drive installed will notice much higher temperatures for the Drive.
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HDMI and Ethernet have Metal Prongs from Backplate blocking them (Can Remove) I'm not sure if this is a problem with all Boards because I've only been buying MSI lately, but Metal Prongs exist on the Backplate that will block certain ports unless you remember to move them out of the way before installing. If you notice the port is blocked after installing, you will need to uninstall the motherboard and move these Prongs.
Other Thoughts: MSI is my choice for PC Motherboards. Easily Installed, read RAM Speed after XMP, easy to use BIOS. Made with sturdy Materials, DOES NOT feel cheap. Shares some of the same problems as most other Boards in this category, these can be fixed in future Boards. I would purchase this board in a heartbeat if I found it between the $50-75 USD range. I recommend it!
Memory
Pros: - Red Heatspreader/Cooler Bright Red color that fits nicely with a color themed build.
- Sturdy Build The Heatspreader/Cooler has a sturdy build making it difficult for it to fall apart in the future.
Cons: - None
Other Thoughts: Not much to review, it's good RAM! Advertised speed worked after applying XMP profi
Storage
Rating Patriot Burst
Pros: - Red Heatspreader/Cooler Bright Red color that fits nicely with a color themed build.
- Sturdy Build The Heatspreader/Cooler has a sturdy build making it difficult for it to fall apart in the future.
Cons: - None
Other Thoughts: Not much to review, it's good RAM! Advertised speed worked after applying XMP profi
Case
Pros: - Affordable Price At $27.99 USD AR, this is one of the best cases at this price point.
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Good Build Quality Case feels and looks very premium, screws and standoffs are strong, dark mirror is nice to look through.
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Customization The custom Red/Black/White Trim colors give the builder more control over their computers theme.
Cons: - Dust Magnet Apart from the hairline scratches that come with the DarkMirror, the DarkMirror is a huge dust magnet. I'm not sure if it's due to the static that the DarkMirror has, but dust and pieces of hair will fly right on it and stick to it until you wipe it off.
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Cable Management Cable Management was not pleasant at all in this case. Even after managing the cables for an hour or two, tying every single wire & cable down and out of the way, the door panel still had trouble closing correctly. The door has far too little space, it needs to be a little larger.
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Only one 2.5" Drive The Case only has proper room for only one 2.5" Drive.
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USB 2.0 & 3.0 What's the point of (1) One USB 2.0 and (1) One USB 3.0? Just more cables to work with.
Other Thoughts: For this price I can't complain too much, but I expected more from a company such as Cooler Master. This case has been a lot better to build in compared to other cheaper Rosewill/DIYPC cases, however some of the cons really need to be looked at by Cooler Master and improved.
Power Supply
It's EVGA. Cheap price, 24/7 Support, Sleeved Cables.
Case Fan
Pros: - Affordable Price
$20 USD for three High-Quality fans is a great price for Builders who need an inexpensive option and want their build to look fantastic.
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Bright LEDs These LEDs are unbelievable! Super bright and a nice shade of Red. You need to see it in person for the full experience!
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Silent Very quiet fan(s) so that you can concentrate on your work/gaming.
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Anti-Vibration Smooth, Red Anti-Vibration Pads to help the fans from vibrating the case.
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Included Screws Comes with (4) Four Screws for each fan, a total of (12) Twelve.
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Minimal Packaging The Fans come in a small box with no extra papers to waste.
Cons: - Fan Header/ Molex The Fan(s) come with both connectors. Your fan will be a little less brighter and spin a little slower when plugged into the motherboard via Fan Header. Your fan will glow it's fullest potential and spin as fast as possible when plugged into PSU via Molex. Unfortunately I had to use a fan header for cable management for my outtake fan. However there isn't a huge difference. Brightness of color and Fan speed is not that noticeable by eye.
Other Thoughts: I will start buying APEVIA fans from now on for my future builds. The inexpensive price coupled with the great lights and build quality makes this purchase a no-brainer over other brands like Cooler Master or Corsair. Although these fans probably don't push as much air as Cooler Master or Corsair fans, the mix of great color, cheaper price, and good airflow makes this the better purchase.
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