[SOLVED] I will be building my next system within a few months, and I'm wondering what parts some "experts" out there think I should aim for?

Kristofer_2

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Title is pretty self-explanatory, but I'll expand: needs to have AMD parts. I have been loyal to Intel/Nvidia for ALL of my previous builds; however, let's be real. AMD is clearly becoming the better choice. They're being creative, inventive. Before Ryzen, Intel was the clear choice for CPU's. Since Ryzen, Intel is sort of slacking, wouldn't you agree? Not that they don't produce awesome CPU's, of course they do... but honestly, AMD is the clear choice nowadays, at least in my opinion. That said, I am looking at building a new personal gaming PC within the next few months. I am definitely wanting an AMD CPU AND most likely and AMD GPU, as well. Basically just go all out AMD. If an Nvidia GPU is truly better, in any experts' opinions, then I will go for it. Other than that though, I am definitely going for AMD. The only restriction you have is the following: I am dead-set on the tower/case and the CPU cooler (NZXT H510 & Corsair H100i, respectively). I have specific preferences to these and probably won't change my mind on them. As far as RAM goes, I want a minimum of 16GB, and I'll let you go from there. Whatever speed for gaming you suggest, just throw it in. Motherboard manufacturer isn't a huge deal to me, but I strongly prefer Asus (good experience with one RMA and zero bad experience with customer service); absolutely NO AsRock or Gigabyte motherboards, though (very bad experience with them, in the past, so I may be a little biased). PSU is not important, as long as it's fully modular and has wiggle room for upgrades (more wattage than the system requires). As for storage, I was thinking NVME, maybe Samsung 970 Evo? I've had good luck with them in the past, but honestly haven't kept up with NVME drives, lately. If there's something far superior for not ridiculously expensive, feel free to throw a suggestion. Also, 250 GB is plenty, I will add a larger SSD down the road for general storage, as necessary. RGB is not necessary, at all. If a top-notch, decent-priced product just-so happens to come with RGB, that's completely fine: but it's not a priority.

Thank you all, so very much. I genuinely appreciate it. Also, it is well worth noting the semiconductor shortage and near impossibility of getting ahold of some of the top-line GPU's on the market, at the moment. Still throw in a recommendation, waiting a month or more is not much of an issue for me.

Budget should line up around $800-$1000 at most. Sacrifices can be made: for instance, 8GB RAM instead of 16GB to save some money, as another 8GB stick can be added at any point, later.

Thank you, all!

Also worth noting, a PC Part Picker link is completely acceptable. Or you can lay out a detailed list in a comment reply!


First and foremost: wow! Great responses from so many of you. What are some of your thoughts on pre-built? Maybe something like iBuyPower? Normally I would go the build it myself route 100% of the time, but given the fact that a lot of the pre-built companies are able to secure GPU's for MSRP value, and have a better chance of getting a GPU RMA fast and easier than the consumer, it may be worth it, no? I am hesitant in pre-builts, but it may be worth it just to get back into PC gaming ASAP...

Also, I agree with the comment about AMD seriously needs to get 5000 series APU's available to consumers. That's one thing that Intel still does better than AMD, more availability for integrated graphics. That's what my original thought was: CPU with integrated graphics to ride out the shortage. I mostly play things like Minecraft and simulators (not talking about MSFS), so discrete graphics not really a priority until later down, where I would start playing more intensive games). I was really hoping to go for AMD, but it is seeming that Intel may just be the better budget option, at the moment.
 
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He even made out like PC gamers are too stupid to turn the PL off or on in said bios.

The vast majority of PC users don't even know how to get into the bios. We here are the minority, in that regard. It's not that they are stupid, they are just ignorant about it. I am sure there are some that are stupid, but the vast majority I would hope is just a lack of information, on how to do it. Quite often I see questions of people asking why their ram speed isn't running at rated, and need to be shown how to enable XMP. You expect these same people to know how to go in and change power limit settings?

Eximo

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Not enough money I think.

Even for something mid-range, you would be looking at $500 just for CPU/Motherboard/RAM, you start adding in things like a H100i and an NVMe drive you don't have enough for even the cheapest of the new GPUs. (Also don't recommend any 256GB drive, usually not much more expensive to get 512GB) Fully modular power supplies are also around $100 to start.
 

Eximo

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PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Walmart)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100x 57.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 256 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($67.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Super Flower Leadex III Super Pro 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($80.00 @ Newegg Sellers)
Total: $754.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-24 13:35 EDT-0400
 
I am about to burst your bubble with an intel build because for your price point its better than AMD right now given AMDs lack of a competitive sub-300 dollar CPU. A couple things to note about the other parts you seem a bit dead set on; The NZXT 510 is a furnace for your parts, practically no airflow. Side vents only for front fans = severely diminished intake for airflow. The h100 from corsair (all variants) are not as good as comparable coolers performance wise and are just as reliable. Also the PSU is probably the most important part in a PC.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-11400F 2.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B560-A GAMING WIFI ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case ($97.89 @ B&H)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $861.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-24 13:27 EDT-0400


Build more in line with what you wanted originally;

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Walmart)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100x 57.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard ($167.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($93.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($67.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $928.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-24 13:36 EDT-0400

This would be close to the minimum cost while still keeping parts at a decent standard of quality with some room for a GPU if you can hit the lotto and get one for MSRP.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-11400 2.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($188.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports CPU Cooler ($38.40 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B560-A GAMING WIFI ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 256 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($75.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $656.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-24 13:48 EDT-0400
 
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Kristofer_2

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Not enough money I think.

Even for something mid-range, you would be looking at $500 just for CPU/Motherboard/RAM, you start adding in things like a H100i and an NVMe drive you don't have enough for even the cheapest of the new GPUs. (Also don't recommend any 256GB drive, usually not much more expensive to get 512GB) Fully modular power supplies are also around $100 to start.
Fair enough. The parts list you provided looks pretty good, though. Budget friendly gaming is near impossible, nowadays. Suggest a good GPU? Ignore budget. GPU budget alone, let's say $600.
 

Eximo

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Can't really go into specifics on a GPU, basically whatever you can try to get. RTX3060, any model, RTX3060Ti any model, RTX3070 any model. 6700XT, any model, 6800, any model. The big cards are WAY outside of your budget, $800-1000 at MSRP, and the biggest are your entire budget at retail, not street prices.

I've been casually trying to buy an RTX3070 for the past few weeks through Newegg Shuffle, but chances are low, and I don't really want an RTX3070. I like to water cool and no one seems to be making 3070 waterblocks. RTX3080 are a little expensive, though today's listing did have some loose cards rather than bundles, so finger's crossed. Don't really want a FTW3 card either, but if it happens it happens, FTW3 is the ugliest of the cards this cycle I think.
 
RTX3080 are a little expensive, though today's listing did have some loose cards rather than bundles, so finger's crossed. Don't really want a FTW3 card either, but if it happens it happens, FTW3 is the ugliest of the cards this cycle I think.
But you are water cooling it anyway, so why does the heatsink / fan setup matter looks wise if you are putting it on a block? I personally like the way the my EVGA card looks when I got rid of those terrible red accents.
 

Eximo

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But you are water cooling it anyway, so why does the heatsink / fan setup matter looks wise if you are putting it on a block? I personally like the way the my EVGA card looks when I got rid of those terrible red accents.

Just later when I re-sell it, it doesn't match anything. I don't know what they were thinking with the red plastic on top of the RGB ludicrous bar.

Also don't like that that fans aren't in a line...

Just too big for my tastes as well, would rather have one of the gigabytes since they used that funky connector adapter, once that is off the card is tiny. Or even the FE, which is quite small once the cooler is off. Not that I plan to do a smaller build anytime soon, but the option is cool.
 

logainofhades

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Frankly your gigabyte bias is a bit off. For B550/x570 theirs are some of the best boards out there. I have 2 of them myself, and have used them in other builds as well. That said, $1k without including the GPU, is quite easy. Just with AMD, unless you have an old card lying around, to use, your system will just be a giant paperweight. They really need to get Ryzen 5000 APU's to retail. I also would recommend a better case, airflow wise.



PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Walmart)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100x 57.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($93.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Team T-Force Cardea Zero Z330 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($84.67 @ Amazon)
Total: $898.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-24 14:11 EDT-0400
 
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Eximo

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Lots of people like RGB, I find it distracting. My old motherboard had it, and I was actually really annoyed that the colors didn't quite match between the edge lighting and the other lighting they used. The different diffusion types made the edge always more blue than the rest, and white was a purple color.
 
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-focus-g-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352069
Fractal Design Focus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $55.99

https://www.newegg.com/evga-550-b5-220-b5-0550-v1-550w/p/N82E16817438167
EVGA 550 B5, 80 Plus BRONZE 550W, Modular $54.99

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119385
ASUS PRIME B560M-A $109.99

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...8070110400f_core_i5_10400f_processor_12m.html
Intel Core i5-10400F $154.00

https://www.amazon.com/DEEP-COOL-GAMMAXX400V2-GAMMAXX-400/dp/B085G8WJCC
DEEP COOL GAMMAXX400 V2 Blue CPU Air Cooler $24.99

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T62Y4YN/
TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 3200MHz CL16 $77.99

https://www.newegg.com/mushkin-enhanced-helix-l-1tb/p/N82E16820226899
Mushkin Enhanced Helix-L M.2 2280 1TB PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe 1.3 3D TLC Internal SSD $99.99

https://www.ebay.com/itm/393343469897
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 OC Edition 4GB GDDR6 Video Card $288.55

Total: $866

 
Lots of people like RGB, I find it distracting. My old motherboard had it, and I was actually really annoyed that the colors didn't quite match between the edge lighting and the other lighting they used. The different diffusion types made the edge always more blue than the rest, and white was a purple color.
Because they are addressable RGB you can tune the color to match the other fans and motherboard / RAM if you got all that RGB. I personally have it either a static color, or slowly cycle through colors so its less distracting.
 
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-focus-g-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352069
Fractal Design Focus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $55.99

https://www.newegg.com/evga-550-b5-220-b5-0550-v1-550w/p/N82E16817438167
EVGA 550 B5, 80 Plus BRONZE 550W, Modular $54.99

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119385
ASUS PRIME B560M-A $109.99

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...8070110400f_core_i5_10400f_processor_12m.html
Intel Core i5-10400F $154.00

https://www.amazon.com/DEEP-COOL-GAMMAXX400V2-GAMMAXX-400/dp/B085G8WJCC
DEEP COOL GAMMAXX400 V2 Blue CPU Air Cooler $24.99

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T62Y4YN/
TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 3200MHz CL16 $77.99

https://www.newegg.com/mushkin-enhanced-helix-l-1tb/p/N82E16820226899
Mushkin Enhanced Helix-L M.2 2280 1TB PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe 1.3 3D TLC Internal SSD $99.99

https://www.ebay.com/itm/393343469897
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 OC Edition 4GB GDDR6 Video Card $288.55

Total: $866

Good build, I would however swap the PSU to that 550w antec earthwats I linked above. Mind as well put in an 11400f because it still falls into the budget of 800-1000 and the extra 20 dollars is justified over the 10400f. As for the other parts I personally don't go that low even with a budget build. Would consider a better MOBO as well because the VRMs on the sub 150 dollar boards are so atrocious you can lose 10-20% performance are bad.
 
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Good build, I would however swap the PSU to that 550w antec earthwats I linked above. Mind as well put in an 11400f because it still falls into the budget of 800-1000 and the extra 20 dollars is justified over the 10400f. As for the other parts I personally don't go that low even with a budget build. Would consider a better MOBO as well because the VRMs on the sub 150 dollar boards are so atrocious you can lose 10-20% performance because the VRMs are peaking over 110c
If you're going by the Hardware Unboxed review .. that guy is an AMD shill.

https://overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/intel_core_i5_11400f_and_asus_b560_plus_prime_review/1

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119384
ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS $119.99
 

Eximo

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Because they are addressable RGB you can tune the color to match the other fans and motherboard / RAM if you got all that RGB. I personally have it either a static color, or slowly cycle through colors so its less distracting.

Just the motherboard, two different shades no matter what you did. I eventually just settled on a slightly green color to mask the difference a little. The different areas could not be independently controlled. Didn't have RGB memory, CPU was a static white LED with a changeable filter, white, red or blue. And I used white bladed fans. Never hooked up the edge lighting on the GPU, couldn't find any 3mm RGB LEDs anywhere, and I didn't want to glue a strip to the back of the card.

New motherboard has a very small RGB strip, mostly covered by my rear case fan (not sure what they were thinking there, haven't had time to mess with it much, just put it together last Saturday, still need to take pictures and update my profile signature)
 
HUB is not an AMD shill. They tell it like it is. They have bashed AMD boards, for poor VRM's just the same, as they have for Intel. Motherboard makers have more or less phoned it in, for Intel chipsets, the past couple gens, much like they did for AMD, prior to B450/X470.
I've watched enough of his vids to know what he's all about. That review he did on B560 boards was about as slanted as it gets.
 
I've watched enough of his vids to know what he's all about. That review he did on B560 boards was about as slanted as it gets.
Come on man, you know me, I always push intel when it makes sense to. I would not be using HUB if knew he was some paid AMD actor. Do you think GN is shilling for AMD too? If so maybe you have some brand loyalty bias, which is fine, we all do. Just got to check yourself every once and a while.
 
If he is a shill, he is a shill with the benchmarks to prove him point.
Really? Watch the video closely. He didn't go into the bios and set the power limits. He even made out like PC gamers are too stupid to turn the PL off or on in said bios. I watched that vid, and unlike his followers I actually listened and saw what he did. You don't use a sub $120 board to run the 11400F with the PL turned off. He knows that, most all of us know that ... but he knows his crowd won't actually think about that.

If you want a board that will run the 11400F with the PL turned off in the bios then you start with a board such as this one down below and you don't use the stock Intel HS when doing so.

This board paired with the right cpu cooler will allow you to run that 11400/11400F 24/7 with the power limits turned off in the bios. It's a round a about way of OC those locked Intel cpu's.

ASUS TUF Gaming B560M-PLUS WiFi $149.99


I'll use these two cpu coolers for example.

https://www.amazon.com/Mugen-Rev-CPU-Cooler-Support/dp/B06ZYB8K77/
Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.B CPU Air Cooler $49.99

or ...

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Design-Towers-Cooler-SCFM-2000/dp/B07QMK5R45/
Scythe Fuma 2 CPU Air Cooler $59.99


Look for: Core i5 11400F + Opt on the gaming benchmarks in that link down below.

https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/intel_core_i5_11400f_processor_review,1.html

 
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