Build from the bottom up with the NZXT Starter Pro BLD Bộ

With access to a wealth of information, video tutorials, and live streams dedicated to the craft, building a PC isn’t as intimidating as you might think. However, there is one big problem for those looking to overcome fear: getting your hands on the right parts, namely modern GPUs. While the options for pre-built systems are numerous, this path detracts from the original goal: building your own combat abilities… or at least learning how to do it by implementing it!

Enter NZXT.

Now, you might be asking yourself: “Wait a minute. Are we still talking about building our own PC or is this idiot suggesting that we build first? “If that’s you, let me untangle it.

Yes, NZXT has their BLD program, but what we won’t cover today. Although it is contiguous BLD by name, we will talk about something a bit more involved. While their BLD program exists for semi-custom and pre-built systems, the PC components company has introduced an interesting entry to their catalog: the BLD Kit. Here is a “requires some assembly” solution for those curious to try their hand at PC building… and I, for one of them, am here for it!

NZXT offers two BLD toolkits at the moment – Intel-based Starter Pro and AMD-based Streaming Plus option. Both have comparable components with the main difference off the platform being that the Streaming Plus kit includes a 120mm AiO closed-loop water cooler for the CPU while the Starter Pro offers an aftermarket air cooler. Each BLD kit comes with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, but the manufacturer of the accompanying GPU may vary. At $1399 USD and $1599 USD respectively, the NZXT BLD kits might be worth keeping an eye on.

For review, we were sent the Starter Pro BLD Kit. Here’s what’s in the box:

• CPU: Intel Core i5 11400F 6-Core Processor 2.6 GHz
• CPU cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX GTE V2
• Motherboard: ASRock B560 Pro4 ATX (LGA1200)
• GPUs: ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB KO (OC Edition)
• RAM: Group T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) @ 3200 MHz – CL16
• Warehouse: Western Digital WD_Blue SN550 1 TB NMVe . SSD
• PSU: SeaSonic S12III 550W 80+ Bronze
• WIFI: MSI MS-B905C
• Case: NZXT H510
• Operating system: Windows 10 Home Edition
• Manufacturer’s Warranty (Parts) – 2 years
• Other items: NZXT BLD Toolkit, Adventures Map to PC Build, and an actual map and legend

If you’re interested in the unboxing and my initial reaction to the parts, you can find it here:

Along with the parts, NZXT includes a very thick and well designed instruction manual (aka Explorer’s Map for PC Building) to make the process as uncanny and light as possible. maybe. The illustrations and themes provide a bit of a diversion from the fact that you’re actually building a gaming PC. It is exquisitely crafted with a high-quality design intended to be preserved for future use. However, if you are more of a visual learner, NZXT has created a series of videos to follow step-by-step instructions. If you’re curious, you can check it out here.

Once the box opens and the guide flips through, you have only one thing left to do: get some help and move on to the map.

A quest begins! – Our BLD Process

Since I know my way around a computer case and have built quite a few, I enlisted the help of a friend who wanted to build, but the current shortage of parts doesn’t allow him to. during the time when he needed a machine. Feeling like I was robbed of my experience, I invited Ben to join me. And by “join me,” I mean I sent him on a grand mission… while I recorded the whole thing and evaluated it along the way.

What you have available to you here is that video. Before you hit that play button, though, grab a coffee and some snacks as this is the whole process, start to finish, with just a few moments of the process sped up or cut.

(If you want to know what was cut out: that’s about 30 minutes of cable management. You’re welcome.)

The build, which included some early-timer browsers and taggers for support, took us about 2 and a half hours to complete. He had a bit of a hard time with fitting the CPU cooler the first time, so I gave him the best instruction I could before he asked me to mine. Problem? He was very worried about crushing the CPU or bending the pins. This is a healthy fear!

While I’m a bit biased, I think Ben did a great job building a PC for the first time. He even applied some of the tricks he learned from his experience working on a Mustang or two!

Performance and Value

After sharing the unboxing video shortly after receiving the set, I received two main questions: “how well does it work” and “is it worth it?”

When it comes to value, the NZXT stands out for its cost. I ran the numbers at PC part selector, select each item from their library. Without a GPU and without any discounts or rebates it costs up to $778.12 USD. While writing this review, I tracked down a few comparable versions of the RTX 3060 Ti that appeared in several popular retail magazines. The prices of the few I’ve seen are between $579.99 and $609.99 for the low-end versions of the GPU.

At its lowest, that leaves only about a $40 difference between the cost of the kit and the cost of purchasing the individual parts. This figure doesn’t even include the cost of the kit. That cost feels pretty small considering the quality of what was managed for our box. The only small caveat I have with this statement is that some parts (such as the motherboard and GPU) may vary depending on what’s available, so your mileage may vary. a little bit.

In terms of performance, this is a low-end gaming PC. After turning on the system, fully updated Windows 10, and installed the appropriate drivers, we ran some synthetic benchmarks to give us baseline performance numbers. The results are astounding for a PC of this caliber. 3DMark charted its performance in the RTX/DLSS tests at 1440p and 1080p at between ~72 and ~105 fps in Performance mode during pure grading in games like Apex Legends, Battlefield DRAW and Fortnite keep stable above 100 FPS at both resolutions. If you are interested in other stats from the RTX 3060 Ti, you can check out our review of it here.

Epilogue

At $1399 USD, this is a pretty good starter rig, especially when you consider its potential as a platform to upgrade. Is it the ultimate experience? No, but that’s not what you’re buying with the Starter Pro BLD Kit; you’re buying a PC building experience that gives you everything you need to succeed, including a PC at the end.

In a strange way, NZXT has encapsulated a bit similar in the magic of experience of building a lightsaber at Walt Disney World. Is it the best collection of curated parts? Are not. Are they still good? Most. Will they work? Ours did. Does it cost some extra money? You then. Was it a memorable experience? Sure.

And that’s very special with BLD Kits. Whether you’re a gamer looking for a new experience or a parent and child looking to share quality time together, NZXT has provided a means of transport for those curious about building the first PC. their first – without the fear of picking incompatible parts or fighting the Newegg Shuffle boss for someone who can’t be found!

For me, it was neat to watch Ben build. To see him look at each division for the first time from a more vantage point and to see him gain a new respect for what he is looking at as he looks at his own system is a really hard to put into words. In a post-recording chat, Ben shared that having illustrated instructions and guided steps helped demystify the process. Although he admits that he is still slightly terrified of breaking something, he will definitely rebuild if given the chance.

For me, that’s a big win. Why?

Because I want the same for you. I want you to be comfortable enough, if you haven’t already, to build a PC of your own. I want that for anyone interested in learning how – young, old and everyone in between. Why? Because it’s fun. Because it’s a skill that can be useful in surprising ways. Because it can both take away the mystery in the process and save you money in the long run.

In my book, all of these are good things.

The product discussed in this article is provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.