Question Gaming Build (1st) (Ryzen)

[terrascape]

Hi! I hope this is not in the wrong place, but I didn't see a build section. I am a first time builder with no experience what so ever. I am on a 12 year old Gateway and am looking to build something I can do moderate gaming on with a budget and the ability to upgrade some. Again, I have no experience and am doing this completely on my own so the task feels a little overwhelming. Even on a budget, I don't want to throw away 500 ish dollars and end up with a paperweight I can't put together.

That said I have picked a mobo and cpu combo that I want that I really liked after doing some reading and reviews. This will be a Ryzen build using the Ryzen 5600x. Please note that the build is missing a GPU because I already have one though it is old. It's a GTX 1050 Ti. Yes I am aware it's going to bottleneck and is very underpowered compared to the CPU, but it's what I have and I do plan on getting something better down the line. I know this is a great community for getting help and I appreciate in advanced the feedback I get.

I will list a link to the pcpartpicker list so you can look at what I have lined up.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6HhZdH

** I didn't pick a cooler because I read that the wraith that comes with the 5600x was enough for it. Is this wrong?
** The PSU I picked I looked up on the tier list and is listed at C Tier which I also read for most low-mid range rigs should be fine
** Via PP it seems I will need a flash for the 5600x which is fine given it seems to be easy to do on this mobo.

I can't think of any other side notes on this build. I did some light research/reading when trying to put this together. I am computer literate, I just have not built anything (I have always ended up buying prebuilds) However, prebuilds seem to be more expensive AND they are so proprietary that you can never really do much with them after you get them. So, thanks again for your feedback and I would also appreciate if I could get a few tips on some other things I might need prior to building all of this cables. cords, extra screws, brackets (good place to get these?)

Thank you and please move this to an appropriate forum if I placed this wrong!

 

[Lafong]

What in particular attracted you to that case?

You might get some frowning about that power supply.

Have you gone over the motherboard spec sheet with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that it has the features you need today or will likely need over the next few years?

Your parts list totals $506 for those 6 pieces. At what point would you say"absolutely not, that's too much"? 507? 550? 600? There are all sorts of suggestions that might be better, but they'd be pointless if you are already at top dollar.

Wraith cooler.....I wouldn't be concerned about it at the moment. Build with it. If you don't like its performance (temperature anxiety), you can always upgrade it later.......when you may have more to spend.

 

[terrascape]

What in particular attracted you to that case?

You might get some frowning about that power supply.

Have you gone over the motherboard spec sheet with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that it has the features you need today or will likely need over the next few years?

Your parts list totals $506 for those 6 pieces. At what point would you say"absolutely not, that's too much"? 507? 550? 600? There are all sorts of suggestions that might be better, but they'd be pointless if you are already at top dollar.

Wraith cooler.....I wouldn't be concerned about it at the moment. Build with it. If you don't like its performance (temperature anxiety), you can always upgrade it later.......when you may have more to spend.

The cost plus reviews. Seem to fit a lot of first build needs from what I read from other folks. The price was fine for me and I generally liked the look. This is 500-530 dollar budget build, so I am not really going for flash. I had in mind 1-2K dollar budgeted build a while back, but with life costs I just can't do that right now (though one day) So, I just want something reliable, with moderate performance that can meet my gaming needs (which are not super high).

As for the mobo I have gone over it.. generally speaking. I really like what I read and it seems to have a pretty decent reputation for being a solid board. At least going by reviews from different sites, forums, etc. Reviews are kind of wonky in a way though, as you can have a piece of hardware that you find 10s of great reviews... until you hit a place where you see that handful that put it down.

I love the mobo, and I love the cpu, and prettty much love the case... everything else is can be swapped out if needed and I feel it's a smarter choice to do. I don't really want to go over 500, but can stretch to 530-540 if I realllllllyyyyy need to. But, I have to really need to.

As for the cooler yeah that's what I see other people saying as well.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[USAFRet]

Also, start here:

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[helper800]

The cost plus reviews. Seem to fit a lot of first build needs from what I read from other folks. The price was fine for me and I generally liked the look. This is 500-530 dollar budget build, so I am not really going for flash. I had in mind 1-2K dollar budgeted build a while back, but with life costs I just can't do that right now (though one day) So, I just want something reliable, with moderate performance that can meet my gaming needs (which are not super high).

As for the mobo I have gone over it.. generally speaking. I really like what I read and it seems to have a pretty decent reputation for being a solid board. At least going by reviews from different sites, forums, etc. Reviews are kind of wonky in a way though, as you can have a piece of hardware that you find 10s of great reviews... until you hit a place where you see that handful that put it down.

I love the mobo, and I love the cpu, and prettty much love the case... everything else is can be swapped out if needed and I feel it's a smarter choice to do. I don't really want to go over 500, but can stretch to 530-540 if I realllllllyyyyy need to. But, I have to really need to.

As for the cooler yeah that's what I see other people saying as well.

Thanks for your reply!

I would consider the following if you plan to keep using this gaming PC for more than a few years. 32gb of RAM will give this PC a lot more longevity, and the Corsair RM 750e comes with a 12-pin graphics card power connector for more powerful graphics card options later along with more wattage capacity for more power hungry cards.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($144.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Solidigm P41 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Case: GAMDIAS AURA GC1 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.43 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $537.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-22 11:49 EDT-0400

 

[artk2219]

The only change i really recommend is the same as Helper800, upgrade the RAM to a decent 32GB kit and you should be alright. Getting a decent 750+ power supply isn't a bad option, but it depends on if you see yourself buying something higher than a 7800xt or rtx 4070 sometime in the future. Having a builtin high power connector is nice, but personally I wouldn't really worry about jumping on that train for another couple of years.

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4NCvFs)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/g94BD3/amd-ryzen-5-5600x-37-ghz-6-core-processor-100-100000065box) | $144.00 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Vb3mP6/gigabyte-b550-aorus-elite-ax-v2-atx-am4-motherboard-b550aorus-elite-axv2) | $129.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [Crucial Pro 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL22 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FRKscf/crucial-pro-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3200-cl22-memory-cp2k16g4dfra32a) | $62.00 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/chzhP6/crucial-p3-plus-1-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ct1000p3pssd8) | $69.98 @ Amazon
**Case** | [GAMDIAS AURA GC1 ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9M6NnQ/gamdias-aura-gc1-atx-mid-tower-case-aura-gc1) | $55.43 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/x96p99/corsair-cx650m-2021-650-w-80-bronze-certified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-cp-9020221-na) | $64.99 @ Best Buy
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$526.39**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2024-03-22 12:14 EDT-0400 |

 

[logainofhades]

I wouldn't build a brand new machine with only 6 cores today. A 5700x isn't much more than a 5600x. Definitely want a better quality PSU. SSD, iirc is a slower, dramless, QLC drive. You definitely want 32gb ram these days.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($167.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP44 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Case: GAMDIAS AURA GC1 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.43 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $548.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-22 12:25 EDT-0400


I would actually consider a 12th gen system instead.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 Extreme ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($130.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP44 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Case: GAMDIAS AURA GC1 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.43 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $552.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-22 12:27 EDT-0400

 

[helper800]

I would actually consider a 12th gen system instead.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 Extreme ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($130.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP44 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Case: GAMDIAS AURA GC1 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.43 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $552.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-22 12:27 EDT-0400

If we are considering Intel builds, in my opinion, something like this is more optimized for price to performance. You need a better than stock cooler for this intel CPU and there is an extremely good one for 33 dollars that can be fit in. You lose an iGPU but to stay closer to the budget there is no choice. Same with the SSD, and motherboard. The Asrock riptide motherboard is cheaper and has pretty much all of the same features as the extreme as well.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 PG Riptide ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Solidigm P41 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Case: GAMDIAS AURA GC1 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.43 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GT 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $547.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-22 13:16 EDT-0400

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($135.56 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Assassin X Refined SE ARGB V2 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *ASRock Z690 Pro RS ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($122.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: *TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: *ADATA Legend 800 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Case: GAMDIAS AURA GC1 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.43 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $518.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-22 14:42 EDT-0400

 

[terrascape]

Thank you all for the feedback! Let me address some things to give a clearer picture perhaps.

So far as CPUs I would like to build an AMD machine. Partially because of bang for your buck (though I know that can be debatable from both sides), and partially because it's something different from what I have always tinkered around with hardware wise.

As for future proofing, I am not really looking past the next 3-4 years or maybe less. It is entirely possible I build something else years from now so I am not worried about going but so far out with this build. I originally had a 1500 dollar budget YEARS ago when I initially looked for starting a build BUT life kind of squished that for now. Given that I am on a stock Gateway with an old i3, no working card, and 8 GB of RAM (look up DX4870 that's my pc at the moment lol) I am just looking to be able to actually enjoy gaming again at my budgeted pricing.

PSU.. this something I can upgrade down the line right with relative ease for along with a better card? Is that why you guys feel I should maybe change my selection? My idea was just getting a solid psu that won't destroy my hardware that I could upgrade later along with a better card.

I am curious what is the highest I could go with (down the road) with a 5600x? Nvidia & AMD. I would select a card, but I have a GTX 1050 Ti and cards are sooo expensive right now so that's why I am thinking down the road. The bottlenecking worries me a bit, but the 5600x really seems like a solid cpu and it seems silly to downgrade cpu for a 5-6 year old card.

logain what did you mean about the ssd drive? I didn't follow that.

So there is a little more from me. artk2219, helper800, logainofhades thank you so much for your feedback and help. It is much appreciated!

 

[helper800]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($135.56 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Assassin X Refined SE ARGB V2 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *ASRock Z690 Pro RS ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($122.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: *TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: *ADATA Legend 800 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Case: GAMDIAS AURA GC1 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.43 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $518.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-22 14:42 EDT-0400

Personally i think the extra 30 dollars for the 12600k/peerless assassin cooler is worth it, but the budget is very tight so any reduction can help get a decent PC to the OP. If the budget were like 700 you could get so much more performance for a future drop in graphics card upgrade...

 

[helper800]

Thank you all for the feedback! Let me address some things to give a clearer picture perhaps.

So far as CPUs I would like to build an AMD machine. Partially because of bang for your buck (though I know that can be debatable from both sides), and partially because it's something different from what I have always tinkered around with hardware wise.

As for future proofing, I am not really looking past the next 3-4 years or maybe less. It is entirely possible I build something else years from now so I am not worried about going but so far out with this build. I originally had a 1500 dollar budget YEARS ago when I initially looked for starting a build BUT life kind of squished that for now. Given that I am on a stock Gateway with an old i3, no working card, and 8 GB of RAM (look up DX4870 that's my pc at the moment lol) I am just looking to be able to actually enjoy gaming again at my budgeted pricing.

PSU.. this something I can upgrade down the line right with relative ease for along with a better card? Is that why you guys feel I should maybe change my selection? My idea was just getting a solid psu that won't destroy my hardware that I could upgrade later along with a better card.

I am curious what is the highest I could go with (down the road) with a 5600x? Nvidia & AMD. I would select a card, but I have a GTX 1050 Ti and cards are sooo expensive right now so that's why I am thinking down the road. The bottlenecking worries me a bit, but the 5600x really seems like a solid cpu and it seems silly to downgrade cpu for a 5-6 year old card.

logain what did you mean about the ssd drive? I didn't follow that.

So there is a little more from me. artk2219, helper800, logainofhades thank you so much for your feedback and help. It is much appreciated!

Just to be clear, the 12600kf is a faster CPU than the 5600x from AMD. With your budget you would be getting a slower(5-15%) CPU solution for the same price or very close to it. If you personally dont mind because you want a still decent enough AMD CPU to play around with, then by all means.

The reasoning to getting a slightly more expensive PSU now is that it gives you more budget later for a graphics card upgrade by an amount equal to the cost of the first PSU that will be replaced. Getting either that AMD or Intel base for a build can let you game for at least 4 years without missing out on too much performance.

Because the LGA 1700 platform is a bit newer and faster than the AM4 platform it would be better to go with intel in this budget range especially considering its platform could give you good enough framerate's for years. The only CPUs on the AM4 platform that are comparable to the Intel CPUs is the X3D chips, but those are much more expensive. If you do go with the AM4 platform a very worthy upgrade down the line would be getting a 5700X3D or a 5800X3D.

Personally I would go with a the Intel build I posted if you can afford it, though it is above budget. I would consider the 5600x build I posted if I were to upgrade to an X3D chip later. Either of those builds I posted can drop in something as powerful as a 4070 super and not have to worry about bottlenecks too much. Though you will get a bit more bottlenecking with the 5600x until you get an X3D chip later down the line.

At the end of the day all the builds here are viable and are a massive upgrade. Get whatever you are more comfortable paying for.

 

[terrascape]

Personally i think the extra 30 dollars for the 12600k/peerless assassin cooler is worth it, but the budget is very tight so any reduction can help get a decent PC to the OP. If the budget were like 700 you could get so many more performance for a future drop in graphics card upgrade...

Yeah I hear ya'. I wish I could budge too bit more. I'm curious was there a reason for teamgroup ram wise over say corsair or crucial or was that just a solid budget option for 32 gb kit?

Also the ssd you suggested I was curious the reason and do you think I should really get a 750w psu now instead of waiting?

I apologize I did not see your last post. I think you posted it while I was replying.

 

[helper800]

Yeah I hear ya'. I wish I could budge too bit more. I'm curious was there a reason for teamgroup ram wise over say corsair or crucial or was that just a solid budget option for 32 gb kit?

Also the ssd you suggested I was curious the reason and do you think I should really get a 750w psu now instead of waiting?

I chose the teamgroup RAM because I have had decent experiences with them in the past and it was the cheapest available 2x16 3200mt/s cl16 kit. That SSD is good enough and gets a little bit more budget to get some slightly more expensive parts elsewhere. That 750w PSU, as I explain in my longer post above allows for you to not have to spend more later for a graphics card upgrade. That PSU is also better built and Gold rated for higher efficiency, saving you some money on the electrical bill.

 

[terrascape]

Thanks helper. I saved that updated build with your substitutions. $540 works for me and looking back I agree with you and the others about the 32 GB for RAM.

Let me ask you right quick, is the wraith stealth im your opinion okay for now until perhaps swap out for your suggested cooler down the line? Vids and reading seem to suggest it does alright for this CPU, though I have seen a few people say they got some high idle temps (stock not overclocked) when using this bundled cooler. I don't want to throw away a few hundred down the road due to component damage due to being cooked.

 

[helper800]

Thanks helper. I saved that updated build with your substitutions. $540 works for me and looking back I agree with you and the others about the 32 GB for RAM.

Let me ask you right quick, is the wraith stealth im your opinion okay for now until perhaps swap out for your suggested cooler down the line? Vids and reading seem to suggest it does alright for this CPU, though I have seen a few people say they got some high idle temps (stock not overclocked) when using this bundled cooler. I don't want to throw away a few hundred down the road due to component damage due to being cooked.

The cooler should be fine for the purposes of keeping the CPU cool enough to perform the vast majority of tasks. The reason why getting a better cooler is so pertinent is that clock speeds are directly tied to temperature for boosting. The better the cooler the lower the temperatures, the higher the CPU clocks, the more performance you get.