[SOLVED] Is the ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard good for this budget gaming PC build?

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

Hello! I am starting to close in on the parts I want for my budget gaming PC build (which I will be using to record and stream Minecraft in 1080p60, nothing much more intensive), and this list is close to final (other than a different gpu (RX 570) and possibly some different storage devices). Is the ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard a good fit for this build, or is there a different board I should choose that is more future-proof/better performing/better value/something else I don't know? I do not need a WiFi motherboard, if I end up needing to use WiFi at some point in the far future I can get an adapter or a dongle.

I already have a 1080p monitor with HDMI ports, a 128GB USB Drive, peripherals, and a Thermaltake Smart 500w 80 Plus PSU, and I am planning to wait for some prices to drop to buy these parts. My budget is around $500 - $550 or less.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($182.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($69.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB Phoenix Video Card ($153.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool MATREXX 30 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $611.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-07 19:33 EST-0500

Edit: Many people have recommended against the ASRock A520M/ac Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard, so I have switched it to an ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard

 

[logainofhades]

What is the PC budget? Personally, I would go with a B550 board, over an A520, especially that board, that has 0 heatsinks for the VRM's. Also go at least 1080p, for the monitor.

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

What is the PC budget? Personally, I would go with a B550 board, over an A520, especially that board, that has 0 heatsinks for the VRM's.

I would like to keep the PC budget somewhere close to $500-$550 or hopefully less. I know component parts are crazy right now, so I would of course buy the CPU and GPU at MSRP or less, maybe used, so the price given by PCPartPicker is at least $125 overpriced. I also already have a viable monitor and a 500w bronze standard power supply so I don't need those either.

 

[logainofhades]

With prices the way they are, you may want to consider an i3 10100. 4c/8t, just like the 3100, and plenty fast enough to drive the class of gpu you intend to run. Changes made to what you posted, with a different monitor and an intel config.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-10100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($114.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock H470M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 CL19 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team MP33 256 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB Phoenix Video Card ($153.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool MATREXX 30 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: ViewSonic VS2210-h 21.5" 1920x1080 75 Hz Monitor ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $649.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-07 16:34 EST-0500

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

With prices the way they are, you may want to consider an i3 10100. 4c/8t, just like the 3100, and plenty fast enough to drive the class of gpu you intend to run.

Are intel processors normally(no COVID/cryptomining) cheaper than amd? also, are intel processor slots upgradable to the later generations? I know that you can upgrade from a ryzen 3 up to a ryzen 5 and more.

 

[logainofhades]

Typically AMD is cheaper, but shortages, and high demand have caused issues. Most are wanting AMD these days, over Intel, right now. That board should allow you to upgrade to an i5 or i7 later on. The current socket, that board uses, is supposed to support 11th gen, when it comes out via a bios update as well. Given the GPU you intend to use, you wouldn't tell the difference between the two, as either is more than enough to drive a GPU of that performance level. It wouldn't be until you get to higher price GPU's that you possibly would see a difference, due to the slower ram limitation of the i3, on a non Z chipset board.

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

Typically AMD is cheaper, but shortages, and high demand have caused issues. Most are wanting AMD these days, over Intel, right now. That board should allow you to upgrade to an i5 or i7 later on. The current socket, that board uses, is supposed to support 11th gen, when it comes out via a bios update as well. Given the GPU you intend to use, you wouldn't tell the difference between the two, as either is more than enough to drive a GPU of that performance level. It wouldn't be until you get to higher price GPU's that you possibly would see a difference, due to the slower ram limitation of the i3, on a non Z chipset board.

If I waited until "normal" times, would AMD probably be cheaper again?

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

Personally, I would go with a B550 board, over an A520, especially that board, that has 0 heatsinks for the VRM's. Also go at least 1080p, for the monitor.

Would the B450 Pro4 also be acceptable?

 

[logainofhades]

It would be an ok board. It should have the needed Bios update, for a Ryzen 3000 series chip. I seriously doubt there is any old stock left, out in the wild. Gigabyte has a B450 board out now, that even has Ryzen 5000 support. A520 would have been ok, if the build quality would have been better. Most have been pretty cheap about them, though.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wb...3h-v2-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-b450m-ds3h-v2

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

It would be an ok board. It should have the needed Bios update, for a Ryzen 3000 series chip. I seriously doubt there is any old stock left, out in the wild. Gigabyte has a B450 board out now, that even has Ryzen 5000 support. A520 would have been ok, if the build quality would have been better. Most have been pretty cheap about them, though.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wb...3h-v2-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-b450m-ds3h-v2

Ok, so are there good boards close to $60 and less than $70? Would the switch to Intel also result in cheaper/better value boards?

 

[Zerk2012]

If I waited until "normal" times, would AMD probably be cheaper again?

They might never be normal times again. What is going on now could be the new normal who knows.

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

They might never be normal times again. What is going on now could be the new normal who knows.

Okay. Right now, is buying an Intel board and CPU cheaper than buying a comparable Ryzen board and CPU?

 

[Zerk2012]

Okay. Right now, is buying an Intel board and CPU cheaper than buying a comparable Ryzen board and CPU?

No clue where your buying parts. Your PCpicker list is in the US, I would buy a 10400 (6 cores 12threds) before the AMD and not buy the cheapest crap board you can get.

I think the next generation of AMD processors will need a new board anyhow.

EDIT you never listed the PSU you have that needs to be stated, also if you already have a PC you could reuses a drive from it.

You said 500 to 550 but your parts list is well over that.

You also never stated what the PC would be used for.

EDIT is it a must that you have WIFI a direct connection is much better?

Do you have a PC right now if so list the parts!!!!!

The case you picked might look cool but only comes with a single rear fan none in the front for intake.

 

[Krotow]

If I waited until "normal" times, would AMD probably be cheaper again?

Forget about "normal" times. Inflation and hype already passed point of return. ASUS just announced nearly doubled MSRP prices for their production. And I believe they only was first from the rest.

Would the B450 Pro4 also be acceptable?

For Ryzen CPU line up to Zen2 (3xxx series) this board is just fine. Would be wise to update BIOS when you will get it - then it will cope with 5xxx ryzens as well. Until RTX IO release you really don't need PCIe 4.0 in gaming anyway.

I seriously doubt there is any old stock left, out in the wild.

Depends from location. Here in Latvia local shops still have some good B450 boards for like peanuts.

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

No clue where your buying parts. Your PCpicker list is in the US, I would buy a 10400 (6 cores 12threds) before the AMD and not buy the cheapest crap board you can get.

I think the next generation of AMD processors will need a new board anyhow.

EDIT you never listed the PSU you have that needs to be stated, also if you already have a PC you could reuses a drive from it.

You said 500 to 550 but your parts list is well over that.

You also never stated what the PC would be used for.

-I have a Thermaltake Smart 500w 80 Plus PSU that I already bought which I am not including in my budget, and a monitor as well.
-I mentioned that I would be buying most of everything when component prices drop again, and just the reduction on the graphics card and the CPU would bring me down to my budget.
-I don't have another drive I can use, only a USB drive or two. I have peripherals already as well.
-I will be using this PC for recording and streaming Minecraft, and editing together the videos. I won't be playing anything particularly intensive, but I would like to play and record in 1080p60.

I will update the original post. Thanks for asking!

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

Forget about "normal" times. Inflation and hype already passed point of return. ASUS just announced nearly doubled MSRP prices for their production. And I believe they only was first from the rest.



For Ryzen CPU line up to Zen2 (3xxx series) this board is just fine. Would be wise to update BIOS when you will get it - then it will cope with 5xxx ryzens as well. Until RTX IO release you really don't need PCIe 4.0 in gaming anyway.



Depends from location. Here in Latvia local shops still have some good B450 boards for like peanuts.

Does doubled MSRP for ASUS mean that the MSRP will never drop below that again? Does the doubled MSRP also apply to older/budget parts like the Ryzen 3 series and older components?

What is RTX IO and PCIe 4.0?

I am finding B450 boards on Amazon for $65, compared to the $120 boards on that website. Are these not good boards?

 

[Zerk2012]

-I have a Thermaltake Smart 500w 80 Plus PSU that I already bought which I am not including in my budget, and a monitor as well.
-I mentioned that I would be buying most of everything when component prices drop again, and just the reduction on the graphics card and the CPU would bring me down to my budget.
-I don't have another drive I can use, only a USB drive or two. I have peripherals already as well.
-I will be using this PC for recording and streaming Minecraft, and editing together the videos. I won't be playing anything particularly intensive, but I would like to play and record in 1080p60.

I will update the original post. Thanks for asking!

OK prices might not go down for all we know this could be the new normal.
For recording game play you need the game on one drive and record to another drive. Streaming adds more demand on some of the parts.

USB drive as in what a link to the drive would help.

Also link the monitor you need a video card that has the proper outputs if it's a old VGA monitor that changes a lot as most modern cards don't have the output for that so a adapter would be needed potentially a active adapter.

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

OK prices might not go down for all we know this could be the new normal.
For recording game play you need the game on one drive and record to another drive. Streaming adds more demand on some of the parts.

USB drive as in what a link to the drive would help.

Also link the monitor you need a video card that has the proper outputs if it's a old VGA monitor that changes a lot as most modern cards don't have the output for that so a adapter would be needed potentially a active adapter.

It is a basic 128 GB USB drive. Kingston DataTraveler 100 G3 I think.

I know I need 2 drives, that's why I have the SSD and the HDD in my parts list.

I have a monitor with HDMI ports.

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

No clue where your buying parts. Your PCpicker list is in the US, I would buy a 10400 (6 cores 12threds) before the AMD and not buy the cheapest crap board you can get.

I think the next generation of AMD processors will need a new board anyhow.

EDIT you never listed the PSU you have that needs to be stated, also if you already have a PC you could reuses a drive from it.

You said 500 to 550 but your parts list is well over that.

You also never stated what the PC would be used for.

EDIT is it a must that you have WIFI a direct connection is much better?

Do you have a PC right now if so list the parts!!!!!

The case you picked might look cool but only comes with a single rear fan none in the front for intake.

I do not need to have WiFi. My current PC is not my own PC, it is my parent's PC. The PC I am building will be my first PC build ever. The PC I currently use is an HP All in One bought in ~2015

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

The case you picked might look cool but only comes with a single rear fan none in the front for intake.

Will I need anymore airflow for my setup? I don't plan on overclocking anything, or doing anything that will be too performance intensive. Do any of the part I have listed run hot?

 

[Krotow]

Does doubled MSRP for ASUS mean that the MSRP will never drop below that again? Does the doubled MSRP also apply to older/budget parts like the Ryzen 3 series and older components?

In ideal world prices would drop after hype. However we are living in world where money printing to cover anything and non-existing money lending is normal thing. So I doubt about noticeable price drop later. Existing stock probably will keep current prices until will become sold.

What is RTX IO and PCIe 4.0?

PCIe 4.0 is next PCIe bus generation with twice faster data throughput speed in comparing with PCIe 3.0. And some extra perks gained in result like power saving improvement for batch of short operations. RTX IO is a next cool thing for Turing and Ampere GPUs where large resources like textures and shaders will be loaded into GPU directly from NVMe drive via PCIe 4.0. Which promise to tremendously improve game level loading times like in less than second for loading a level which currently take 40-50 seconds. CUDA based software developers and cyptominers probably will appreciate RTX IO too.

I am finding B450 boards on Amazon for $65, compared to the $120 boards on that website. Are these not good boards?

I pointed on possibility to get still available top end B450 board for nice price in location where I live. Yes, that 65$ on Amazon is good budget deal, I don't deny that. It should be able to handle mild overclocking like 3200 CL14 RAM as well. Total price may be different for Amazon purchases though. That 120$ board I mentioned, already include shipping and taxes and is final price for me here. In contrary shipping cost from Amazon purchases here is mental.

Will I need anymore airflow for my setup? I don't plan on overclocking anything, or doing anything that will be too performance intensive. Do any of the part I have listed run hot?

Any system must have enough airflow to support adequate cold air influx and blow away heat, produced by hot hardware. Particular case from top post seems have a bit more than pathetic air influx and RX 570 is quite hot card in action AFAIK. You would require to cut extra holes at front side in real use. No kidding, already did that for cheap cases that my friend daughter and other friend have.

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

Any system must have enough airflow to support adequate cold air influx and blow away heat, produced by hot hardware. Particular case from top post seems have a bit more than pathetic air influx and RX 570 is quite hot card in action AFAIK. You would require to cut extra holes at front side in real use. No kidding, already did that for cheap cases that my friend daughter and other friend have.

I wouldn't use the RX 570 for my computer, my brother already has a 1050 ti, so I would give the RX 570 to him and exchange. Just talking about RX 570 for pricing

 

[Krotow]

1050 Ti is not less hot than RX 570. When you will put all stuff together, check temperatures and how warm is airflow from case. If air is very warm and CPU/GPU temps leap into ceiling, but decrease when case is opened, simply cut holes at front and bottom sides large enough to not obstruct air volume required for cooling.

 

[JoshTheDogBuildingNewPC]

1050 Ti is not less hot than RX 570. When you will put all stuff together, check temperatures and how warm is airflow from case. If air is very warm and CPU/GPU temps leap into ceiling, but decrease when case is opened, simply cut holes at front and bottom sides large enough to not obstruct air volume required for cooling.

But I should still get the budget case?

 

[Krotow]

Nothing about budget case, while it has enough holes for required airflow and enough mount places for external SSD/HDD used in particular computer.

Paragon mini tower for decent PC with mini-ATX MOBO seems are Fractal Design Meshify C. Obviously not cheap. But may serve as idea what to expect and from what choose in searching for good budget case. Some interesting cheaper options exist if you have nothing against 5" drive bay - like Silverstone SST-PS13B (have 2 front fans included) or Corsair Carbide 200R (have 1 front fan and 1 rear fan).