[SOLVED] Budget Core Upgrade

[mmatejka]

Looking to upgrade to decent spec for gaming & VR. Have extended the life of my i5 2500k build as long as I possibly can. Budget conscious in terms of max value/$ versus max performance. Already have an RTX 2060, a decent case, 850W PS, and various backup drives - just need to update core components. Would love any thoughts/feedback on what I have so far:

CPU: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117959
MOBO: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813144115
SSD: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249114
COOLER: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIABW985Z3663
RAM: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233852

 

[Barty1884]

Are you dead set on Intel? For the money, Ryzen may be a better choice here.

Example:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($73.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: GeIL - EVO SPEAR 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel - 660p Series 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $443.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-01 16:22 EST-0500

Also, a Z370 board will almost certainly need a BIOS update to support the 9th Gen 9600K - Z390 would be a smarter option, if you go the Intel route.

 

[gasaraki]

Those parts look fine to me. Should work well with the parts you already have.

 

[mmatejka]

Are you dead set on Intel? For the money, Ryzen may be a better choice here.

Example:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($73.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: GeIL - EVO SPEAR 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel - 660p Series 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $443.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-01 16:22 EST-0500

Also, a Z370 board will almost certainly need a BIOS update to support the 9th Gen 9600K - Z390 would be a smarter option, if you go the Intel route.

Great feedback, thank you. My only question - is there any reason not to step up to the X, other than cost? I'm seeing that the 2600 can match the 2600X with OC, but I don't really want to OC, and I like the better cooler on the X too. Seems worth it for $30.

 

[Barty1884]

Great feedback, thank you. My only question - is there any reason not to step up to the X, other than cost? I'm seeing that the 2600 can match the 2600X with OC, but I don't really want to OC, and I like the better cooler on the X too. Seems worth it for $30.

Simply cost. Honestly, 2nd Gen Ryzen boosts pretty well automatically - to the point there's very little noticeable different between it & a manual OC.
If you have no desire to Oc or manually tune AND want to better cooler from the X, the +$30 may well be worth it.