[SOLVED] Budget AMD Build Advice request

CamDrake

Reputable
Sep 3, 2019
1
0
4,510
Looking to build my first gaming rig. It'll be modest but hoping I can play most games at least on slightly reduced settings.

I plan to reuse a gifted EATX case and a Corsair TX750W PS. Otherwise, all will be new.

Approximate Purchase Date: this week or next

Budget Range: $500-$650 after shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (not super competitive), photo editing, light video editing (not much coloring or other effects), very light 2d animation

Are you buying a monitor: Maaaybe. That partially depends on how much I spend on this build. I am definitely interested in suggestions of budget-conscious monitors that punch above their weight.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, planning to do this through a site like kinguin.net - any experience with this or similar sites?

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Open to whatever

Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Parts Preferences: Leaning towards AMD for perceived value. I could be talked out of this but not looking to start an AMD/Intel flame war thread...

Overclocking: I'd like to try this. Not sure what the downsides are but if I can get more out of the gear by tweaking some settings, this would be great.

SLI or Crossfire: Wasn't planning on it

Your Monitor Resolution: At least 1920x1080 but would be open to going a bit above that if reasonable. Definitely not looking to go all the way to 4k for gaming. 4k would be nice for video and photo editing.

Additional Comments: I don't care at all about case lighting or aesthetics for this.

Here's the preliminary build list (mostly taken from pc parts picker:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.30 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: *GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg) - Might like to go to 32GB unless you tell me that's dumb :)
Storage: *Team GX2 512 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($46.99 @ Newegg) - Is M.2 worth a few extra bucks?
Storage: *Hitachi Ultrastar 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($33.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $620.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Thank you all, in advance, for your awesome insight and advice!!
 
Solution
Looks like a good system for a heck of a lot more than "play(ing) most games at least on slightly reduced settings. "
You can do max (ultra) @1080p with that rig.

The more RAM the better. But once you have at least 16GB, you may want to spend you money on other improvements.
IMO, NVMe PCIe x4 M.2 drives are the way to go. The better ones are much quicker than SATA, plus you don't have the extra power cable and data cable to deal with (cable management). I'm slowly switching all my machines over to M.2 if there's slot for them on the board.
Your preliminary system doesn't look too bad. It looks like you tailored it to your needs pretty well. I wouldn't go up to 32GB of RAM unless you are editing some mighty large videos. Your SSD could use an upgrade to something more... reputable?... take a look at the Intel 660p drives, they are NVME. They will be much faster and Intel is pretty darn good for reliability. Otherwise it seems pretty solid.
 

clutchc

Titan
Ambassador
Looks like a good system for a heck of a lot more than "play(ing) most games at least on slightly reduced settings. "
You can do max (ultra) @1080p with that rig.

The more RAM the better. But once you have at least 16GB, you may want to spend you money on other improvements.
IMO, NVMe PCIe x4 M.2 drives are the way to go. The better ones are much quicker than SATA, plus you don't have the extra power cable and data cable to deal with (cable management). I'm slowly switching all my machines over to M.2 if there's slot for them on the board.
 
Solution
PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor | $129.30 @ Amazon
Motherboard | ASRock B450M-HDV Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $69.46 @ OutletPC
Memory | GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $59.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $31.97 @ Amazon
Video Card | Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB GAMING Video Card | $219.99 @ Amazon
Case | HEC HX210 MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $29.99 @ Newegg Business
Power Supply | Corsair CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $59.99 @ Amazon
Monitor | AOC E2260SWDN 21.5" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor | $69.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $690.68
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $670.68
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-03 20:20 EDT-0400 |
 
PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor | $129.30 @ Amazon
Motherboard | ASRock B450M-HDV Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $69.46 @ OutletPC
Memory | GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $59.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $31.97 @ Amazon
Video Card | Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB GAMING Video Card | $219.99 @ Amazon
Case | HEC HX210 MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $29.99 @ Newegg Business
Power Supply | Corsair CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $59.99 @ Amazon
Monitor | AOC E2260SWDN 21.5" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor | $69.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $690.68
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $670.68
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-03 20:20 EDT-0400 |
He said he has a case and power supply. They are specified up near the top of his post. So, he can use that money towards a better SSD and/or the original 1660 Ti.
 

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