[SOLVED] Budget Photoshop/Gaming Build for Nephew

[TimH77]

My nephew, who is 13, is currently learning coding and next school year Photoshop..and he's looking to start playing Fortnite (possiblly other games once he gets started).

I was going to put my old PC back together for him because I basically built one with all new parts, but I remembered I was having issues where it kept crashing and I wasn't able to narrow it down before tearing it apart, although I think it was either the SSD or the RAM. It is an (originally an HP) AMD Phenom ii x6, so it would have been maxed out and was barely the minimum system requirements for Fortnite.

I'm looking to put together a PC for him, a starter system, using some of the parts I have lying around after my current build, which are like new, and new mobo/processor/RAM.

Parts I already have-

• WD Green 1.5 TB
• Samsung 500 SSD
• Corsair CX750m
• PNY 1050ti
• 3 Corsair SP120 RGB Fans

New Parts to Order

• Corsair 220t Airflow (has 3 SP120 fans)
• Intel 660p M.2 SSD

I'm looking for processor/cooler, motherboard* and RAM combo suggestions. It doesn't have to be Ryzen but the PC I just build has a 2700x and I'm looking to upgrade in the near future to a 3950x or 3900x and i could give him the 2700x.

I asked him to pick what's more important or what he thinks he would be doing more on the PC, Photoshop or tasks like it or gaming, and he said gaming.

I was looking to stay around the $500 range in total, which includes the 220T case ($95) and the Intel 660P SSD ($70).

*I used the MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon in my build and was considering using it.

 

[jojesa]

Maybe you should give him the 2700x and paired with a GeForce RTX 2070 (or RTX 2060 Super).
G.SKILL Flare X (for AMD) 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3200MHz

 

[TimH77]

My brother (his dad) said not to go crazy, don't spend a lot. I figured I would give him both when I upgrade, not knowing how much he'll use it. I'll upgrade him with a better processor and a better video card once I know he's actually using it.

 

[maxamillionfeettall]

What monitor will he be using, if it's just a 60hz, the 1050ti will be enough as an intro as he will likely just play e-sport titles in the beginning.

The pro carbon is a fine board, but if the built in wifi isn't needed, you could look into a msi tomahawk to save some bucks.

Pick some 2x8gb ddr4, and a quality psu for future upgrades.

If you don't plan to upgrade your 2700x soon, you can pick up a ryzen 5 1600af, it's a slightly underclocked r5 2600 for a steal. Stock cooler should do for the interim.

 

[TimH77]

Yes, it a 60hz 32" screen and he'll be using the wireless.

 

[Flayed]

I was trying to do a list and stick to the $335 budget but it's tough as it seems prices have gone up in the last few weeks.
This is what I've come up with pretty basic for gaming until you put in your 2700x and a graphics card. Still should be good for 720p low/med gaming:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.93 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($83.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.34 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC55BT B1 PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($32.75 @ Amazon)
Total: $347.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-07 17:37 EST-0500

 

[maxamillionfeettall]

Yes, it a 60hz 32" screen and he'll be using the wireless.

Since it's a 60hz screen, a 1050ti will be ample at 1080p. You can also get the pro-carbon ac then. The additional cost of a good wifi adapter will remove most cost savings from an inexpensive board.

 

[Flayed]

Since it's a 60hz screen, a 1050ti will be ample at 1080p. You can also get the pro-carbon ac then. The additional cost of a good wifi adapter will remove most cost savings from an inexpensive board.

I thought that would be the case too but when I checked the MSI pro carbon AC runs $150 now.

 

[Flayed]

I really should read peoples posts more carefully heh
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($83.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 750 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($0.00)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($0.00)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB Video Card ($0.00)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM V2 (2017) 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($0.00)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC55BT B1 PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($32.75 @ Amazon)
Total: $311.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-08 06:55 EDT-0400

 

[TimH77]

What monitor will he be using, if it's just a 60hz, the 1050ti will be enough as an intro as he will likely just play e-sport titles in the beginning.

The pro carbon is a fine board, but if the built in wifi isn't needed, you could look into a msi tomahawk to save some bucks.

Pick some 2x8gb ddr4, and a quality psu for future upgrades.

If you don't plan to upgrade your 2700x soon, you can pick up a ryzen 5 1600af, it's a slightly underclocked r5 2600 for a steal. Stock cooler should do for the interim.

I'm trying to figure out if that memory you listed is compatible with the Ryzen 5 1600 af (I'm assuming it is being you mentioned them together).

I ended up getting me a massage I before 50 gaming pro carbon because he needed WiFi

 

[USAFRet]

Moving on past the hardware:

and next school year Photoshop

Does it need to be actual Adobe Photoshop? That is rather expensive.
The current Creative Cloud suite is $50USD per month.

I ask, because the word 'Photoshop' is tossed about randomly. In reality, there are a number of free or low cost applications that would serve 98% of that functionality.

 

[maxamillionfeettall]

I'm trying to figure out if that memory you listed is compatible with the Ryzen 5 1600 af (I'm assuming it is being you mentioned them together).

Your concerns are correct, the pro carbon ac qvl shows support for it, but only under ryzen 3xxx. The 1600af is a ryzen 2xxx part despite the name. So, the ram isn't on the supported list, it should work regardless, but if you want something on the qvl, the adata z1 is a popular and supported option.