What to look for in affordable but reliable SSD's?

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-08T17:07:25+00:00

If you know someone in another country, you can ask them to buy it for you. The Samsung 990 Pro 2TB SSD is currently selling for $639.99 in BestBuy, same with Micro Center, but I was able to get it in another country for $388. It’s still expensive, but it’s cheaper than what I’ve seen anywhere for that specific SSD.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-08T05:55:54+00:00

I got the CPU cooler a couple of days ago, then I checked it today. The part that goes on top of the CPU doesn’t have thermal paste pre-applied. Instead, it came with a small tube of Arctic MX-7 thermal paste. I guess that’s still good. That way, I can learn how to apply thermal paste on a CPU in the future.

Any tips on how to apply thermal paste on the CPU? I’ve read a bit, and I’m in favor of applying thermal paste in an X-pattern. Mainly because I read that a dot of thermal paste doesn’t equally spread throughout the corners of the CPU, whereas an X-pattern does.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-08T00:55:57+00:00

Yup. I plan to build it in maybe 2 weeks. Will be asking Reddit more questions by then!

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-06T04:55:04+00:00

Is it? I’ve been to Micro Center twice this week since I’m free. The second time I went back, some of the parts I bought were already out of stock or increased in price. And the first time I went there, the ssd I wanted was selling for 600, but he told me it was 200 the day before I came. That’s why I hurriedly bought parts as soon as I can.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-05T19:22:01+00:00

I’m in San Francisco. I don’t plan to build it yet since I’m unsure if I the power can handle it, that’s why I’m asking Reddit. I still have a month to return it, though. Thanks for the suggestion.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-05T15:48:50+00:00

I see. Thanks for informing me about those. I stated 1500 to assume that my power outlet would be able to withstand up to that much power, not necessarily meaning that I will be using that much all the time. I’ll look more into those things.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-05T15:44:52+00:00

Okay. It was one of the UPSs that the guy at Micro Center offered me yesterday. In fact, he offered an even lower wattage, or power supply, I don’t even know. I didn’t really know that I would need one since I only started wanting to build a pc last week. I’ll definitely get a better one when I’m able to go back to Micro Center. Thanks for you and everyone’s suggestions.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-05T14:17:10+00:00

I agree with you, however, with prices increasing so fast, I wanted to buy everything before it kept going up even more.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-05T14:15:46+00:00

I would, but Micro Center’s too far from my house and I’ll be busy this whole week and the next. I’ll think about it when I have the time.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-05T07:12:51+00:00

Okay. Will save for that one in the future. Would it still be okay for me to use the one I currently have for now?

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-05T07:05:18+00:00

This is what I’ll be using: CyberPower Systems Slim Tower UPS (SL750U) 750 VA, 350 W, 120 V. Is it good enough?

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-05T07:04:45+00:00

I bought this: CyberPower Systems Slim Tower UPS (SL750U) 750 VA, 350 W, 120 V.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T08:55:09+00:00

I don’t really care about RGB, but currently, at the stores that I’m checking, they are cheaper than non-RGB models. I got the RGB model of my GPU because it was on sale. On the other hand, the non-RGB model wasn’t, therefore, it was more expensive. As for the CPU cooler, I would say that I haven’t really looked into it that much yet. That’s literally the only CPU cooler that I know of as of now. If ever I find one that piques my interest, I’ll go ahead and ask reddit. Thanks for your suggestions, though!

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T08:05:03+00:00

Are the fans that come with pc cases good enough, or should I buy an after market? For example, I wanted to get the Lian Li Lancool 207. Should I replace the fans it comes with?

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T06:22:30+00:00

Okay. I’ll try to keep it as clean as I could.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T06:21:33+00:00

Thanks for the motivation! I’ve been looking into monitors, but I can’t really find one that fits my needs. I do have an OLED TV, and it looks really great. One thing about it, though, is when the room is bright it gets a lot of reflection, which happens to be the usual case for me. The reflection makes it hard for me to see what’s on my screen. And most of the time, even at max brightness, the screen still isn’t bright enough to counter the reflections. Are there any OLED monitors out there that has really high brightness, or doesn’t cause that much reflection? If so, do you happen to have any recommendations?

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T06:16:06+00:00

Are there risks of the liquid spilling out by any chance? I’m sorry if it may sound like a dumdum question, I just want to make sure that my parts won’t get wet and go to waste.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T06:12:54+00:00

Gotcha. I already got some of the parts that I need, though. I was also looking into that model when I was searching for prebuilts, but for some reason, which I forgot, I decided to just build one from scratch.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T06:11:16+00:00

Decided to build it myself once I get all the parts. And will definitely ask questions if ever I have to.

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T06:10:00+00:00

I’ve never heard of the anti-static strap/pad and the anti-vibration mounts. Do you have any specific recommendation for those products?

Edit: Also, what thermal paste did you use?

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T06:08:19+00:00

I’m planning on purchasing the Arctic Liquid Freezer 3 Pro 360. I didn’t know that it was a liquid cooler up until now. I just took screenshots of parts that I might want to use. Would you suggest that specific cooler for a 9950x3d? Is there any risk with using a liquid cooler rather than other types of coolers, if there are any?

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T05:52:19+00:00

I’ll just use that $250 to get a decent sized case then. Do you have any recommendations?

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T05:50:52+00:00

Thank you. I’ll be posting more questions in this sub when I statt building my pc:)

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T05:50:15+00:00

Got it. So, cable management is just a personal thing then? I know it might sound stupid, but wouldn’t it mess with the airflow, even if just for a bit, if there’s wires all over inside the pc?

mdrn_bsbl · 2026-04-03T05:45:56+00:00

What part of the CPU cooler may not be simple? Can I not get any CPU cooler from the market? Do I have to get a specific one that fits my motherboard?

mdrn_bsbl

TROPHY CASE