Better CPU? Or more RAM?

[thebox458]

Hey guys,
I am building a budget gaming computer for myself, and i'm getting all of the parts by the end of December. Recently, I bought the MSI RX 570 8GB, and need to buy a budget entry cpu. I can either buy the Ryzen 3 2200G with 16GB of ram or any processor up until Ryzen 5 1600/x / 2400g with 8GB of ram. I play very light games such as GTA 5, League of Legends, Fortnite, Rocket League, Watch Dogs 2 and etc. Im planning to buy more games such as Need for Speed and other games with this computer. I want to be able to play these games on 1080P max (if i can). Im fine with cranking my settings down just a bit but want to be able to get atleast 50 fps depending on the game. I also want to be able to play triple A games as time progresses. (can lower settings). Please help me

 

[alkatraz333.jh]

Hey guys,
I am building a budget gaming computer for myself, and i'm getting all of the parts by the end of December. Recently, I bought the MSI RX 570 8GB, and need to buy a budget entry cpu. I can either buy the Ryzen 3 2200G with 16GB of ram or any processor up until Ryzen 5 1600/x / 2400g with 8GB of ram. I play very light games such as GTA 5, League of Legends, Fortnite, Rocket League, Watch Dogs 2 and etc. Im planning to buy more games such as Need for Speed and other games with this computer. I want to be able to play these games on 1080P max (if i can). Im fine with cranking my settings down just a bit but want to be able to get atleast 50 fps depending on the game. I also want to be able to play triple A games as time progresses. (can lower settings). Please help me

Go for the more expensive ryzen CPU and upgrade ram later. A 2200g will bottleneck on pretty much every game.

 

[Darkbreeze]

So what is your actual budget for the CPU and memory, and motherboard if you haven't purchased that yet, and what country are you in?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Upgrading the RAM later, on Ryzen, that is fickle as hell about memory even beyond what a normal platform might be, is a bad idea. If using unmatched memory on other platforms is a bad idea and a crapshoot, and it is, it is doubly so on Ryzen. Hard enough to get memory to run properly using matched modules purchased together much less trying to add in disparate modules later on.

I would buy ALL of the memory you ever plan to need for this platform, now, at one time, in a matched set.

Please don't jump in making recommendations on memory that are in direct contrast to the known and accepted practices of the builder and enthusiast community, unless you have a provable and really good reason for doing so, and can back it up with facts.

 

[thebox458]

I have maximum $225 CAD for a cpu and $150 CAD for 16GB of ram. Im only using this pc for the games i stated, school work, daily browsing and maybe some very light video editting. I also saw an Asrock B450 motherboard for $55 CAD on Newegg, which allows me to upgrade other components on my list (which is why im asking whether to upgrade ram or cpu).

 

[Darkbreeze]

That price of 55 dollars is AFTER a 30 dollar mail in rebate. If you are ok with that, then that's great. Otherwise, you might want to rethink that strategy.

Plus, that is a very low end board.

This is probably the least expensive, for your region anyhow, built that makes any sense.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($131.75 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($92.99 @ PC-Canada)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($168.49 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $393.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-17 00:16 EST-0500



Honestly, it would be HIGHLY recommendable to simply save your money a little bit longer if necessary, and get both a slightly higher end motherboard and move up to a Ryzen 5 2600. But the above build will get you by if it's the best you can do. I'd wait and be patient though if it were me. Being impatient and having to have it sooner when you can't get what you actually want to get, usually results in you kicking yourself in the arse down the road.

 

[alkatraz333.jh]

That price of 55 dollars is AFTER a 30 dollar mail in rebate. If you are ok with that, then that's great. Otherwise, you might want to rethink that strategy.

Plus, that is a very low end board.

This is probably the least expensive, for your region anyhow, built that makes any sense.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($131.75 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($92.99 @ PC-Canada)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($168.49 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $393.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-17 00:16 EST-0500



Honestly, it would be HIGHLY recommendable to simply save your money a little bit longer if necessary, and get both a slightly higher end motherboard and move up to a Ryzen 5 2600. But the above build will get you by if it's the best you can do. I'd wait and be patient though if it were me. Being impatient and having to have it sooner when you can't get what you actually want to get, usually results in you kicking yourself in the arse down the road.

I 100 percent agree with everything he just said. Save up for the better hardware.

 

[thebox458]

What do you mean by low end mobo? Is it that it wont support higher ram speeds?

Also, you guys are recommending that its better to get 16gb ram? If so, i saw a deal on Newegg for 16gb ram, for $130. Its 2x8GB sticks but have a clock speed of 2400 mhz. Is that good enough or should i go for higher clock speeds? If so, what speed do y'all recommend?

 

[Darkbreeze]

For Ryzen you want modules that are either 3000 or 3200mhz, if you want good performance from the configuration. Slower memory speed is painfully obvious on Ryzen. Will it work with 2400mhz modules, yes, of course. But there is not a big difference in price between those and memory that is fast enough to be recommendable. Also, 16GB is starting to become a lot more popular as the minimum recommendation, rather than the recommended amount, for a lot of games and is even more so if you have any plans to record, stream, run overlays, or any other moderate demanding multitasking processes while you are gaming.

It is not that it won't support fast memory. It is that that ASRock board you are looking at, if it's the same one I think it is, is not great quality which is what you'd expect from the least expensive motherboard listed for a given chipset.

 

[alkatraz333.jh]

For Ryzen you want modules that are either 3000 or 3200mhz, if you want good performance from the configuration. Slower memory speed is painfully obvious on Ryzen. Will it work with 2400mhz modules, yes, of course. But there is not a big difference in price between those and memory that is fast enough to be recommendable. Also, 16GB is starting to become a lot more popular as the minimum recommendation, rather than the recommended amount, for a lot of games and is even more so if you have any plans to record, stream, run overlays, or any other moderate demanding multitasking processes while you are gaming.

It is not that it won't support fast memory. It is that that ASRock board you are looking at, if it's the same one I think it is, is not great quality which is what you'd expect from the least expensive motherboard listed for a given chipset.

I would have to disagree with you there. It might not be the best quality, but he shouldn't worry about it for an entry level board and with his current specs. Odds are he'll have to upgrade in the next 3 years anyways with the specs listed.

 

[thebox458]

Im still two sided. I feel like the ryzen 5 1400 or 2400g is more worth because of the extra 4 threads. Also, i feel that for the games I play, 8gb of ram is fine. But again, I may be totally wrong here. Is Ryzen 3 2200g really a bottleneck for the games i play,and is 8gb not enough. This is my first pc build and have to complete it by january. Again, im only an entry gamer and dont play games that require high specs.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Glad you disagree, but it doesn't make what I said any less relevant.

 

[nobspls]

I have no idea why the rip-off sellers are getting people. Because this here :
https://www.microcenter.com/product/478826/ryzen-5-1600-32ghz-6-core-am4-boxed-processor-with-wraith-spire-cooler

Is basically a R5 1600 for $100. This is your best value.

 

[alkatraz333.jh]

Im still two sided. I feel like the ryzen 5 1400 or 2400g is more worth because of the extra 4 threads. Also, i feel that for the games I play, 8gb of ram is fine. But again, I may be totally wrong here. Is Ryzen 3 2200g really a bottleneck for the games i play,and is 8gb not enough. This is my first pc build and have to complete it by january. Again, im only an entry gamer and dont play games that require high specs.

I wouldnt worry about cheaping out on the motherboard, especially if you're really strict on your budget. I would go for literally any ryzen 5 2nd gen chip, 16 gb 3000mhz memory. If you cant afford 16gb, get 8gb (still 3000mhz) but make sure in the future when you upgrade that you get the same set.

 

[thebox458]

Thank you guys so much for the answers! Im finally deciding on getting 8gb of 3000mhz ram and either a ryzen 5 1400 or ryzen 5 2400g (prolly the second one cuz its only 5 dollars more here).

 

[Darkbreeze]

I have no idea why the rip-off sellers are getting people. Because this here :
https://www.microcenter.com/product/478826/ryzen-5-1600-32ghz-6-core-am4-boxed-processor-with-wraith-spire-cooler

Is basically a R5 1600 for $100. This is your best value.

He's in Canada. That deal isn't viable for him, and wouldn't even be viable for me where I live in the US as there are no Micro centers anywhere near me. Usually those Micro center deals are in store only anyhow.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I wouldnt worry about cheaping out on the motherboard, especially if you're really strict on your budget. I would go for literally any ryzen 5 2nd gen chip, 16 gb 3000mhz memory. If you cant afford 16gb, get 8gb (still 3000mhz) but make sure in the future when you upgrade that you get the same set.

Funny, but I've dealt with probably 500 or more threads this year alone where somebody thought exactly as you've stated here, only to later discover they had motherboard issues and had to be out of a system while they RMA'd the board because it was so low quality it wouldn't hold up to the rigors of demanding gaming usage.

Or could never find memory later on that would work with the module they initially bought because the manufacturer changed everything about the design but kept the same part number. Believe me, it's not rare, it's incredibly common these days.

And this is just ONE reason why that happens.

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3610013/amd-ram-compatibility.html#20562100


But it's not my money or my time, so hopefully the OP isn't back here in three months wanting to know why your advice didn't turn out the way he thought it would.

 

[alkatraz333.jh]

I wouldnt worry about cheaping out on the motherboard, especially if you're really strict on your budget. I would go for literally any ryzen 5 2nd gen chip, 16 gb 3000mhz memory. If you cant afford 16gb, get 8gb (still 3000mhz) but make sure in the future when you upgrade that you get the same set.

Funny, but I've dealt with probably 500 or more threads this year alone where somebody thought exactly as you've stated here, only to later discover they had motherboard issues and had to be out of a system while they RMA'd the board because it was so low quality it wouldn't hold up to the rigors of demanding gaming usage.

Or could never find memory later on that would work with the module they initially bought because the manufacturer changed everything about the design but kept the same part number. Believe me, it's not rare, it's incredibly common these days.

And this is just ONE reason why that happens.

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3610013/amd-ram-compatibility.html#20562100


But it's not my money or my time, so hopefully the OP isn't back here in three months wanting to know why your advice didn't turn out the way he thought it would.

Hey man, its just my opinion, like i stated. I just know from experience. Ive built hundreds of PC's, as thats my job. Ive put plenty of these boards in with a years warranty and very few have came back and complained. Not saying it doesnt happen, but its not as common as you're making it out to be. He came here for opinions, and i gave him mine, and you gave him yours. We're all players in the same game here. No need to chop at each others throats.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I understand that. I also understand that the majority of those builds were probably NOT gaming machines. There are totally different variables involved with a business or mainstream PC than there is when talking about a motherboard holding up under the demanding conditions presented to it, usually at a much higher usage rate, for a gaming system than there is for other types of machines.

Short of a high caliber scientific, CAD or graphics machine, there are few systems that will experience the rigorous demands that a gaming system has to deal with. Boards that hold up well for very light gaming type environments or mainstream machines are not nearly as likely to live very long once you install a high consumption gaming card and start running that machine vigorously for hours on end. That too, is MY opinion.

 

[alkatraz333.jh]

I understand that. I also understand that the majority of those builds were probably NOT gaming machines. There are totally different variables involved with a business or mainstream PC than there is when talking about a motherboard holding up under the demanding conditions presented to it, usually at a much higher usage rate, for a gaming system than there is for other types of machines.

Short of a high caliber scientific, CAD or graphics machine, there are few systems that will experience the rigorous demands that a gaming system has to deal with. Boards that hold up well for very light gaming type environments or mainstream machines are not nearly as likely to live very long once you install a high consumption gaming card and start running that machine vigorously for hours on end. That too, is MY opinion.

Well, then you would be understanding wrong, because I DO market my PC's as gaming PC's. Most of them anyways. What you dont seem to understand, is that cutting corners on something thats not that much of a risk to cut a corner on is good business, and healthy for the consumers wallet. Some people CANT afford an extra 100 dollars on an asus STRIX board, and even if they can, they can use that money else where if their specs arent optimal . How do you think companies that prebuild their computers do it? I can almost guarantee you that the boards they use are much worse than this one, yet they still manage 2-3-4 years of use with a warranty.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Companies that prebuild gaming systems generally don't offer anywhere near the quality or performance, at the same price point, or even NEAR the same price point, as you can build one for yourself. Prebuilt systems almost universally suck by comparison.

But whatever. Not worth my time to argue since you are obviously not going to understand that the differences that make one motherboard worth paying more for than another are not the bells and whistles you find on ROG and similar boards, but the quality of the chokes and caps, the thickness and quality of the traces, the thickness of the PCB and so on. So, whatever. You believe what you want, I really couldn't care what you believe. End of story.

Edit: You are certainly entitled to your opinion, I just don't happen to agree with it and I personally feel like telling somebody to cut corners on the component with probably the second highest failure rate next to power supplies is a bad idea. But if you really do feel that's an ok place to skimp, then that's certainly your choice.