[SOLVED] Entry/Modest level AMD Gaming PC build, need advice before committing

[tgagliardone]

Hello I am very new to building a PC and would like some advice on compatibility. I aimed to keep this build $800 or less which I achieved by substituting better parts into an 'Entry Level AMD Gaming Build' from pcpartpicker. My list said there are no compatibility issues however I have a few concerns, the first being case size. Can I fit all my components in, especially my graphics card? I would also like to salvage some parts I have on my current PC such as fans and two storage drives: (samsung ssd 860 EVO 500GB ATA device) (st500dm002-1bd142 ATA device). Will these fit in aswell? The last question I have is about cables and accessories. What will I need to buy and what will come with the parts? I already added thermal paste to my list, but what else should I include?

please take a look at my list that I hopefully inserted correctly below. Thank you <3
(EDIT: I updated my original posted list to some of the suggestions below. Also my power supply is approx. $124)



https://pcpartpicker.com/user/tgagliardone/saved/zz4Gqs

 

[tennis2]

The Ryzen 1600AF (12nm) = $85 is a much better choice than the original 1600.
Gigabyte RX5600XT = $260 + Resident Evil 3 & XBox Game Pass would be something to consider since the 5600XT = RTX2060 performance-wise.
WD Blue SN550 500GB NVMe SSD = $65
What are you paying for that CM PSU?

 

[Shektron]

Hello I am very new to building a PC and would like some advice on compatibility. I aimed to keep this build $800 or less which I achieved by substituting better parts into an 'Entry Level AMD Gaming Build' from pcpartpicker. My list said there are no compatibility issues however I have a few concerns, the first being case size. Can I fit all my components in, especially my graphics card? I would also like to salvage some parts I have on my current PC such as fans and two storage drives: (samsung ssd 860 EVO 500GB ATA device) (st500dm002-1bd142 ATA device). Will these fit in aswell? The last question I have is about cables and accessories. What will I need to buy and what will come with the parts? I already added thermal paste to my list, but what else should I include?

please take a look at my list that I hopefully inserted correctly below. Thank you <3

System Builder

pcpartpicker.com

First and foremost, I would change the power supply to a Corsair CX550 or better. The Mastwerwatt series from Cooler Master is meant for entry level gaming systems, and an RTX 2060 is not entry level.

Other than that, your GPU and storage devices will all fit inside the case, but you'll be maxing out the storage capability of the case - it has 2 3.5" bays for hard drives, and 2 2.5" bays for SSD's - and you have 2 HDD's and 2 SSD's. So you won't be able to add any more than this. As for the cables, pretty much everything comes with the parts, you might need a cable to connect your monitor to the GPU, like HDMI or DisplayPort. Other than that, I don't think you need anything else. Of course an Ethernet cable for internet if you'll be using wired connection.

Any cable that needs to be installed inside the case is usually included with some part or the other. Also, you only need thermal paste if you will remove the cooler from the CPU after installing it the first time. The stock cooler comes with pre-applied paste that is one-time use. If you're going to install the stock cooler and never touch it again, no need for the paste.

 

[tgagliardone]

The Ryzen 1600AF (12nm) = $85 is a much better choice than the original 1600.
Gigabyte RX5600XT = $260 + Resident Evil 3 & XBox Game Pass would be something to consider since the 5600XT = RTX2060 performance-wise.
WD Blue SN550 500GB NVMe SSD = $65
What are you paying for that CM PSU?

Thank you for your quick response!

• I'm using PC Part Picker to put together and organize my parts list as I said, but I could not find the Ryzen 1600AF (12nm), can you confirm it is still compatible with my setup?
• The included additional gifts with the Gigabyte RX5600XT are intriguing, but I am familiar with Geforce and had thought to stick with that. Would you suggest otherwise not taking into account the additional gifts
• I was also interested in using an M.2 ssd but I know very little about them so I decided to stick with their original build suggestion. I'll change that on my list, thank you.
• I was paying around $70-$80 for the CM PSU but I had considered changing to the CORSAIR RMx Series RM550x CP-9020177-NA 550W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply for about $20 more dollars.

Thank you

 

[tennis2]

The focus + gold is a HUGE step up. DO THAT.

No reason not to get the M.2 SSD.

AMD vs Nvidia. That's your prerogative. AMD has lower prices mainly because Nvidia has more market traction.

 

[tgagliardone]

First and foremost, I would change the power supply to a Corsair CX550 or better. The Mastwerwatt series from Cooler Master is meant for entry level gaming systems, and an RTX 2060 is not entry level.

Other than that, your GPU and storage devices will all fit inside the case, but you'll be maxing out the storage capability of the case - it has 2 3.5" bays for hard drives, and 2 2.5" bays for SSD's - and you have 2 HDD's and 2 SSD's. So you won't be able to add any more than this. As for the cables, pretty much everything comes with the parts, you might need a cable to connect your monitor to the GPU, like HDMI or DisplayPort. Other than that, I don't think you need anything else. Of course an Ethernet cable for internet if you'll be using wired connection.

Any cable that needs to be installed inside the case is usually included with some part or the other. Also, you only need thermal paste if you will remove the cooler from the CPU after installing it the first time. The stock cooler comes with pre-applied paste that is one-time use. If you're going to install the stock cooler and never touch it again, no need for the paste.

Thank you for your quick response!

- The other power supply I had in mind was the CORSAIR RMx Series RM550x CP-9020177-NA 550W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply for about $20 more dollars, is this better considering it is +80 gold and only slightly more expensive? And would it still work?

- Right thank you for the compatability advice, I've decided to change the Silicon Power A55 512 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive for the WD Blue SN550 500GB NVMe SSD, so I'll actually be opening up one of my SSD bays, not that I need it.

- I have a current PC set up that I can salvage Ethernet/HDMI cables etc and I removed the thermal paste from my list

Thank you!

 

[tgagliardone]

The focus + gold is a HUGE step up. DO THAT.

No reason not to get the M.2 SSD.

AMD vs Nvidia. That's your prerogative. AMD has lower prices mainly because Nvidia has more market traction.

Sorry i had a small mix up with what PS I said and changed it after you responded. I had mistakenly put in a Seasonic something (Idk what it was and not sure how i found it). I meant this: CORSAIR RMx Series RM550x CP-9020177-NA 550W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply. Is that still a good option?

 

[tennis2]

Yup, the Corsair RMx PSUs are high quality also!

 

[Flashgo1]

was wondering why a micro ATX MOBO in a standard atx case.
the ram is up to you. but these have had no issue.
the mobo i put on the list is a good solid board and can handle 3000s out of the box if you ever want to upgrade.
your case review was saying the cable management might be a little tight. if you have the extra budget, meshify c is more but every reviewer has loved it for its price.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor ($85.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $406.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-18 13:53 EDT-0400

 

[tgagliardone]

was wondering why a micro ATX MOBO in a standard atx case.
the ram is up to you. but these have had no issue.
the mobo i put on the list is a good solid board and can handle 3000s out of the box if you ever want to upgrade.
your case review was saying the cable management might be a little tight. if you have the extra budget, meshify c is more but every reviewer has loved it for its price.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor ($85.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $406.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-18 13:53 EDT-0400

Thanks for the response, but I'm having some trouble understanding what you are getting at. Do you mean the case I have on my list is too big, im not sure what the meshify c is? What case do you reccomend I use?

Also is this list every part swap you suggest I do despite them costing a bit more? I had stuck with the Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard because it was much cheaper

 

[Flashgo1]

the motherboard you picked out is a mirco atx board. the case you have is a standard atx. just means your putting a very small board into a standard case. some people like doing it.
also read the reviews here https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-b450m-ds3h/p/N82E16813145083 might not be the best board. just the reviews i skimed through said the sata ports are hit or miss doa. the sata placement is terrible. and stock cooler seems to impede the ram slots.

the msi motherboard is a few dollars more but there is no issues with it and will fit your case better. also you can keep it if you ever want to upgrade your processor by a lot. people are running that board with the ryzen 9s with no issues.

the case is up to you. but read the reviews on amazon and newegg to see if they have any major flaws.

you can reuse your 2.5ssd from old build, but it will use a sata port and that micro board is not something i would mix.

with the list i gave you. you can someday swap the 1600af for a 3000s ryzen 5-9 and keep every other part.

 

[tgagliardone]

the motherboard you picked out is a mirco atx board. the case you have is a standard atx. just means your putting a very small board into a standard case. some people like doing it.
also read the reviews here https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-b450m-ds3h/p/N82E16813145083 might not be the best board. just the reviews i skimed through said the sata ports are hit or miss doa. the sata placement is terrible. and stock cooler seems to impede the ram slots.

the msi motherboard is a few dollars more but there is no issues with it and will fit your case better. also you can keep it if you ever want to upgrade your processor by a lot. people are running that board with the ryzen 9s with no issues.

the case is up to you. but read the reviews on amazon and newegg to see if they have any major flaws.

you can reuse your 2.5ssd from old build, but it will use a sata port and that micro board is not something i would mix.

with the list i gave you. you can someday swap the 1600af for a 3000s ryzen 5-9 and keep every other part.

Got it, thank you so much

 

[tgagliardone]

the motherboard you picked out is a mirco atx board. the case you have is a standard atx. just means your putting a very small board into a standard case. some people like doing it.
also read the reviews here https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-b450m-ds3h/p/N82E16813145083 might not be the best board. just the reviews i skimed through said the sata ports are hit or miss doa. the sata placement is terrible. and stock cooler seems to impede the ram slots.

the msi motherboard is a few dollars more but there is no issues with it and will fit your case better. also you can keep it if you ever want to upgrade your processor by a lot. people are running that board with the ryzen 9s with no issues.

the case is up to you. but read the reviews on amazon and newegg to see if they have any major flaws.

you can reuse your 2.5ssd from old build, but it will use a sata port and that micro board is not something i would mix.

with the list i gave you. you can someday swap the 1600af for a 3000s ryzen 5-9 and keep every other part.

After changing the motherboard to your suggestion I was shown this message, what does this mean? And is it a problem?

 

[Flashgo1]

its saying with that m.2 port populated, it shares with the sata so you lose that sata port. they all do that. its just a warning if you are trying to use the m.2 and all the sata ports.

 

[tgagliardone]

its saying with that m.2 port populated, it shares with the sata so you lose that sata port. they all do that. its just a warning if you are trying to use the m.2 and all the sata ports.

I'm not sure what the sata ports are for, would I need them?

 

[Flashgo1]

https://forums.lenovo.com/old_attach/137830iFAE417B3AEFABCCF.jpg

HDD or other non m.2 ssd

 

[tgagliardone]

https://forums.lenovo.com/old_attach/137830iFAE417B3AEFABCCF.jpg

HDD or other non m.2 ssd

So if I use an M.2 then I cannot use any other drives?

 

[Flashgo1]

you can use your other drives. you just wont have as many sata ports available. it should not be an issue unless you are a data horder. and try to use all the sata ports.

 

[tgagliardone]

you can use your other drives. you just wont have as many sata ports available. it should not be an issue unless you are a data horder. and try to use all the sata ports.

Haha got it thank you, I genuinely appreciate your advice and expertise

 

[Flashgo1]

welcome

 

[tennis2]

The B450 Tomahawk Max has 6 SATA ports (used for internal storage drives and optical drives). Installing an M.2 SSD renders 2 inactive (just like your message states)

6-2 = 4 SATA ports still usable.

It's pretty much ubiquitous on most/ all mobos that an M.2 NVMe SSD will cause 2 SATA ports to turn off.

 

[tgagliardone]

The B450 Tomahawk Max has 6 SATA ports (used for internal storage drives and optical drives). Installing an M.2 SSD renders 2 inactive (just like your message states)

6-2 = 4 SATA ports still usable.

It's pretty much ubiquitous on most/ all mobos that an M.2 NVMe SSD will cause 2 SATA ports to turn off.

Okay that great to know. I was also wondering if you had any cheaper suggestions for a PS that would work for my set up, its one area that looks like I can cut back slightly on costs

 

[Flashgo1]

due to the virus, prices are fluctuating all over the place. some power supplies that were 60-70 are now 140. so its one of those things were you have to troll the places you will buy it and find a good priced one from a trusted brand.

 

[tennis2]

Sign up for newegg.com promo emails. They come out daily.

 

[tgagliardone]

due to the virus, prices are fluctuating all over the place. some power supplies that were 60-70 are now 140. so its one of those things were you have to troll the places you will buy it and find a good priced one from a trusted brand.

okay good to know!