Mainstream builds have different priorities than entry-level ones, but as you can see, a lot of components that don’t cost a fortune can and have indeed been carried over. Take, for example, the B8X0 mITX motherboard. On the surface, why would you want to go with a B-chipset over a Z or X-chipset based motherboard? The reality is that few people outside of hardcore gamers, content creators, or CAD/CAM designers need the extra features of the premium X/Z chipsets. This isn’t because they’re not great, but rather because the newer generation B-chipsets are just that good. They are darn decent and packed with everything you need, with very little of the MSRP-inflating features you probably won’t even miss.
Thus, the inclusion of a full-sized B8x0 Tomahawk as an alternative, and not, say, an X or Z Tomahawk. Even then, it is not the blowout one would expect from an mITX versus ATX comparison. Different? Sure. Some extra features? Absolutely! But not the blowout one would think in terms of VRM, PCB stiffness, or even the on-board features most likely to be used. This is impressive and just underscores how far the Edge Ti mITX boards have come over the past couple of years.
Moving on, as with the “entry-level” build, the case options are pretty much the same. Sure, we have upsized the Gungnir to the 300R version (so as to get top-mounted 360mm AIO compatibility), but don’t think for a second that you have to. You can still opt for the 100 version if you want to go more old-school (we still prefer the Velox PZ, as it offers more features and yet is the less costly option)…, but for a back-to-school build, all options on all the various example builds’ cases are more than up to the task in both the features and aesthetics departments. So much so, we doubt few will consider them the weak link of any mainstream build one cares to assemble. This goes double for the keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Re-read our thought process from the entry-level build and apply the same thinking and philosophy to the mainstream.
What has changed is the RAM capacity, the GPU of choice, the storage… and PSU.
Let’s start with the PSU. The 750Watt variant of MSI’s MPG AxxxxG/GS series is perfectly fine. But if you want a bit more wiggle room for future development (as let’s face it GPUs are not lowering their power consumption any time soon) the ~165 CAD (when on sale… which is often) MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 (850Watts… obviously) will give you a bit more wiggle room and yet not really take a noticeable hit in overall AC/DC conversion efficiency department. So if the budget can stretch, it might be a wise decision. Especially with a couple of the other options we will go over in a second.
Before that, let’s quickly go over the change in SSD. With mainstream builds, we would start with a 2TB M580 and, if necessary, add in a secondary “low” performance 2TB’er drive for additional capacity. Typically, that secondary would take the form of a P510, but the MSI M4xx options are all solid and will provide better performance than the DRAM-less Crucial P510. Thus, if secondary storage is required, it really would boil down to price, and we would have zero issue with stepping down to the slightly older M570 Pro in order to fit a secondary SSD into the build, as the M570 Pro is no joke and still a potent powerhouse powering many a custom build!
The same thought process of “similar but more of it” equally applies to the RAM. These days, 48GB is a good starting point for mainstream builds, and while an extra 16GB doesn’t sound like much, it does once you start getting into serious work-related tasks. These are tasks that many a college, university, and even high school student (taking advanced “university/college credit” or “AP” courses) will have, and they will stress the system enough to make it a worthwhile upgrade. Of course, if you are talking more along the lines of a Junior High “Back to School” build, you can “round” this corner and drop back to 32GB with little worry. Once again, it all comes down to what the build will actually be used for and then tweaking the blueprint to optimize it for that specific purpose.
This brings us to the real crux of speccing out a mainstream build: the CPU and GPU. Let’s start with the easier of the two, the CPU choice. On one hand, the Intel Core Ultra 7, with its 8 ‘big’ / “performance” cores backstopped by a whopping 12 energy-efficient ‘e-cores’, is a beast. We seriously doubt there will be many average users who will bemoan a lack of processing power when using this CPU.
With that said, AMD does have more options with a more viable upgrade path. We say that as AMD typically worries more about baking in “backwards compatibility” into their Ryzen CPUs for longer than Intel does with their Core processors. Basically, the Ryzen 7 9000 is a step down in power, but the 9800X3D, with its 12 cores plus a ton of extra level 3.5 cache (if you know, you know), is as good and sometimes superior to Intel for most people’s real-world needs. It’s superior often enough that we would be talking about the pros and cons of the Ryzen 9 9800X3D versus the Core Ultra 7 265 with our clients, and talking about the chances of them reusing the motherboard with a newer CPU in a couple of years versus a new board to go with the new CPU.
With that said… motherboards are not cases. Tech is moving so fast over the past couple of years that we typically recommend going for a new board for every upgrade… but can see the logic behind the argument for reusing a motherboard for a full/semi/full/semi upgrade cycle (or two). Either way, the Ryzen 9 9800X3D and Core Ultra 7 265 are processing powerhouses that few will be in a hurry to replace in even three years. They are just that good and that overkill for mainstream buyers and their needs.
This brings us to the GPU, which for many builds, is the very first thing we recommend you decide upon. For work-related tasks, the 5060Ti is more than enough for typical Photoshop/DaVinci, and other random A/V editing work. It is even arguably enough for SolidWorks CAD/CAM, as long as you’re not doing much (or better still, any) fluid modeling, which, thankfully, few educational streams demand. The same is true for lower-resolution gaming; as long as you don’t take gaming too seriously and don’t mind DLSS faux frame generation, the x60Ti is once again a solid way to save some money on a build. As such, going down a step in the NVIDIA lineup is a pretty easy way to save a few dollars for most average buyers.
Equally important is that for not much more than the cost of an x70 class card, and as long as you are willing to go with an ATX-sized motherboard, the combo of a 5060Ti + Intel ARC B570/B580 will net you a much more capable system. One that can power through transcoding and other content creation tasks like nobody’s business… or at least, nobody’s business this side of a 5090Ti. Needless to say, don’t be afraid to think outside the box, as the NVIDIA + Intel combination has a lot going for it beyond the asking price.
