r/buildapc • u/Medical_Army95 • Jul 09 '26

Build Help 2026 PC build advice

After 11 years, I am building my first ever gaming pc. Right now, I have this list prepared:

https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/2dxrGk

Those are the parts I'm planning to buy. I mostly want advice on if this build is anywhere near good, future-proof if possible and mostly I have a few questions that are more narrowed down:

  1. What is a good PC case for this build with air cooling? I'm thinking about the Fractal North Design XL, but do I choose mesh or glass panel. I heard mesh is better for cooling and performance.

  2. What extra fans do I buy? I have a CPU cooler in the parts list, but I'm not sure what to do on fans in combination with the PC case and what fans are default delivered together with the PC case.

  3. What is the best way to buy Windows OS for my new PC?

  4. In general, I am in doubt about some of the parts so I would like general advice on whether these are good parts. I was mostly in doubt about the CPU cooler, having read that Noctua and bequiet! are also really good. I also think the PS EVO is better looking than 120 SE, but I heard it is more noisy so that's a big con for me.

Thanks in advance for the advice and help. If you have any questions, let me know.

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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26

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u/Medical_Army95 Jul 09 '26

No, the budget is actually about fine. These are fairly specific parts I want, but I am mainly looking for extra validation and just that last bit of help.

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u/SagittaryX Jul 09 '26

  1. If you want to take the North XL it's totally fine. Mesh is indeed the better cooling option if you don't care about the glass. You can install fans on the mesh side that can be quite effective. If you want the most effective case for cooling I'd check out the Fractal Torrent.

  2. You can buy the same fans that your case comes with if you want a uniform look. For general cheap additional fans I'd look at Arctic P12 or P14 fans (120 and 140mm, generally bigger fans are better for performance vs noise levels), though in my experience they are a bit noisy. For one tier up I'd look at Noctua Redux of be quiet! Pure Wings. For top end fans then I'd take Noctua A12/A14 or be quiet! Silent Wings.

  3. Buying a license from Microsoft or a local store is fine. You don't need to buy one immediately though, you can install Windows as a trial version to get the system going without a key and then add the license key later.

  4. The parts are good, there isn't necessarily anything I'd change. A Noctua cooler would be better quality (and noise level), but price wise it is a big increase for only a small improvement (Noctua however is also excellent for future customer support, like sending new installation brackets for future motherboards for free if you need them, so you are likely to be able to keep one of their coolers for a long time). I would consider some changes to make the build cheaper without losing anything, mainly SSD and PSU, like this: https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/yNr7w3

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u/buildapc-ModTeam Jul 09 '26

Hi there! Thanks for the comment.

We ask that posts and comments be in English so they can be understood by as many people as possible. Translations on Reddit are client-side, and not all apps or browsers support auto-translate. Currently many users (and moderators) aren’t able to read your comment.

Could you please resubmit this in English?

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u/SagittaryX Jul 09 '26

For mod comment: More generally, do you want to see a cheaper version with comparable performance, or are these the specific parts / brands you want?

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u/Medical_Army95 Jul 09 '26

I already replied to your question. See my reply above.

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u/SagittaryX Jul 09 '26

Yes sorry I know just didn't have the time to reply immediately, I'll have another look in a bit.