[SOLVED] I need help with a PC build, $1500 budget

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fatalshot808

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Feb 5, 2010
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I need assistance in picking out some parts for my Friend's Girlfriends PC.

Approximate Purchase Date: In a few weeks.

Budget Range: $1500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: It's a split between photo editing(graphic designs for websites , and gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, or Newegg.(Shipping will be to Hawaii, Zipcode 96826)

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Honolulu, Hawaii/ United States

Parts Preferences: No Preference

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080, possibly in the future I might upgrade to a 1440P monitor

Additional Comments: N/A

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Dated PC
 
Solution
logainofhades
I agree that waiting on B550, is probably the better option, but the B450 Tomahawk max is still a very solid choice. I went with more storage, and better cooling. The stock cooler is ok, but it can get loud.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($274.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 Direct 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ 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 CL16 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate...
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Since you have a few weeks I'd wait for more reviews on the B550 motherboards. They do have benefits over the older B450's. Wait till the pricing settles down and the reviews come in. Some of the B550 boards will run into x570 pricing territory, but the B550's may have better Wifi, LAN and sound than some of the x570's at a similar cost.

You have a healthy budget and best to invest for the long term.

If you go with the NZXT 500 series case (the H has no internal NZXT lighting node, the i version does). This case can use an AIO on the front but not the top. If using an AIO then this placement will interupt the negative pressure flow and cause the gpu to run a few degrees warmer. You don't have to buy fans as it comes with 2.

You don't need an AIO except for a 3900x, an air cooler would be fine as well.

If you want to use the RGB functions, read up on what's compatible with what. A unified RGB controller is currently not available.

Go 1440p as soon as you can, it's worth it.
 
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TheoJames18 said:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/KqV3Dx
(and buy 5x cheap case fan for airflow)
Click to expand...
i would avoid Ryzen 7 on B450 boards.
X570 is the sweet spot for ryzen 7 and ryzen 9,it has more features and its better for compatabily.
B450 tomahawks are perfect for ryzen 1600/AF,2600/x,3600/x,but not for ryzen 7.
I think 3600mhz is a sweet spot for ryzen 7
3200mhz belongs to ryzen 5
the gpu is a pretty good,i dont see a reason why not go with it,its amazing.
i would get a 750W psu just because of the future upgrades
i dunno about the case,never heard of it+it looks like something with not much airflow,so i would go with it since this build needs as much airflow as it can get.
 
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fatalshot808 said:
Solid build, pretty similar to my current system(this build i'm for help isn't for me) except more RAM and a faster GPU. Are those fans to replace the stock fans, or is it for intake? Do you know the difference between the H500 and the H500i, i currently have the h500.
Click to expand...
the fans are intake,but you can replace stock fans for the fractal ones if u want.
H500i includes rgb and it has a controller for fan rpm and rgb
H500 doesnt have neither of those things

i updated the build a little bit:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YsvVzN
 
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GarrettL said:
Since you have a few weeks I'd wait for more reviews on the B550 motherboards. They do have benefits over the older B450's. Wait till the pricing settles down and the reviews come in. Some of the B550 boards will run into x570 pricing territory, but the B550's may have better Wifi, LAN and sound than some of the x570's at a similar cost.

You have a healthy budget and best to invest for the long term.

If you go with the NZXT 500 series case (the H has no internal NZXT lighting node, the i version does). This case can use an AIO on the front but not the top. If using an AIO then this placement will interupt the negative pressure flow and cause the gpu to run a few degrees warmer. You don't have to buy fans as it comes with 2.

You don't need an AIO except for a 3900x, an air cooler would be fine as well.

If you want to use the RGB functions, read up on what's compatible with what. A unified RGB controller is currently not available.

Go 1440p as soon as you can, it's worth it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your response. Do you know if the B550 boards if you need to upgrade the firmware to work on Zen 2? I built a Ryzen 3700x system last year and I didn't get the B450s because most of them all of those boards, or at least the ones that were in stock didn't have a USB flash update with a 1 touch button to upgrade the firmware to work on the 3700x.

For the AIO I don't we'll pass, she's not really tech savvy and I'm not sure if she would even want one, I'll talk to her about it. RGB functions I'll ask her about it too, I actually bought the H500 for myself instead of the H500i, worth the price difference if she wanted that feature though.

It might be longer than a few weeks I'm not too sure yet, I'll be able to talk to them more this weekend. She's been actually waiting since December and I was thinking maybe she could wait a bit longer for the newer Ryzen CPUs, RTX 3000, and or AMD 6000XT series.

For the Monitor I don't think she'll upgrade it anytime soon, maybe it would help for her work too. For myself I wanted to kick myself for not getting 1440p monitor, I decided to just get a 1080P to save money.
 
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I agree that waiting on B550, is probably the better option, but the B450 Tomahawk max is still a very solid choice. I went with more storage, and better cooling. The stock cooler is ok, but it can get loud.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($274.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 Direct 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ 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 CL16 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: RIOTORO CR480 ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.76 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1248.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-16 15:08 EDT-0400
 
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Solution
Djoza said:
i would avoid Ryzen 7 on B450 boards.
X570 is the sweet spot for ryzen 7 and ryzen 9,it has more features and its better for compatabily.
B450 tomahawks are perfect for ryzen 1600/AF,2600/x,3600/x,but not for ryzen 7.
I think 3600mhz is a sweet spot for ryzen 7
3200mhz belongs to ryzen 5
the gpu is a pretty good,i dont see a reason why not go with it,its amazing.
i would get a 750W psu just because of the future upgrades
i dunno about the case,never heard of it+it looks like something with not much airflow,so i would go with it since this build needs as much airflow as it can get.
Click to expand...
Ya I agree with you, x570 seems where it's at. I know you can use an older board but I would rather have something newer especially given the price range. I don't think the older boards usually support 3600 mhz RAM too. Is the RTX 2070 better than the 5700xt? I think the cooler is better because idk if they would do AIO, I've never tried it myself too. Thank you.
 
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fatalshot808 said:
Ya I agree with you, x570 seems where it's at. I know you can use an older board but I would rather have something newer especially given the price range. I don't think the older boards usually support 3600 mhz RAM too. Is the RTX 2070 better than the 5700xt? I think the cooler is better because idk if they would do AIO, I've never tried it myself too. Thank you.
Click to expand...
or you can wait for B550. I think she doesn't need benefit from x570 (If B550 cheaper than x570)
 
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logainofhades said:
I agree that waiting on B550, is probably the better option, but the B450 Tomahawk max is still a very solid choice. I went with more storage, and better cooling. The stock cooler is ok, but it can get loud.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($274.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 Direct 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ 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 CL16 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: RIOTORO CR480 ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.76 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1248.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-16 15:08 EDT-0400
Click to expand...
Is the B550 coming out shortly? I was actually going to get the B450 last year for my build with the 3700x but they were out of stock for a long time and I couldn't find any good boards at the time so I went with x570. Isn't ryzen 4000 coming out shortly after too? I forgot about storage 2 TB sounds good because she does editing and web design.
 
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I should add, that the vendors 'over-engineered' these boards, so the end user pays more up front. Plus, there's the inflation from COVID and other crap.
B550 is doing something it shouldn't be doing; rivaling X570 in pricing.

This is not AMD's fault.

TheoJames18 said:
I forgot we're in different country. In here I can get B450 Tomahawk MAX and Gigabyte B550m in about same price
Click to expand...
A Micro-ATX, non-Aorus motherboard costing as much as an ATX, and what is is probably Msi's signature B450 model. I've got mixed feelings about that...
It appears to have quite the package, though the smaller board might look off in a mid or full tower chassis - if one cares about looks - I don't.
 
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fatalshot808 said:
Ya I agree with you, x570 seems where it's at. I know you can use an older board but I would rather have something newer especially given the price range. I don't think the older boards usually support 3600 mhz RAM too. Is the RTX 2070 better than the 5700xt? I think the cooler is better because idk if they would do AIO, I've never tried it myself too. Thank you.
Click to expand...
5700xt and 2070 are pretty similar in performance.
But 5700xt is cheaper than 2070 so i would go for the 5700xt if i were you.
 
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