[SOLVED] Just made a build on PCpartpicker. How accurate is the compatibility analysis on this website?

[Faye Valentine]

Here is the build I am planning to buy: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/cKz9Vc

It says the only compatibility issue is having to update the BIOS, which I assume should be easy to do with the reflash button.

However, I am afraid to start buying the parts, since I am unsure if what I built has any compatibility issues that pcpartpicker doesn't show. Am I being paranoid and should I just go for it? Or, do you think it's necessary to ask someone qualified to double check?

Thanks for your time and support!

 

[larsv8]

Those parts will work fine together.

5600x and B550 is a great combo.

You might consider upping your RAM speed to DDR4-3600, CL 16. 3200 isnt bad, but not the perfect pairing.

Go to the support page on ASUS site and look up RAM compatibility, to double check that RAM will work with that board. It most likely will, but ASUS will have a list of tested RAM to make sure. (Likely okay even if not on the list)

You are missing a hard drive however.

Your PSU is overkill for your parts, but I assume this is a placeholder until you can get a new release.

 

[hotaru.hino]

A thing about RAM compatibility, what the manufacturer listed is simply only what they tested and "guarantees" works. It doesn't mean those RAM kits are the only ones that work.

If you're aiming for a certain RAM spec, you just have to make sure the motherboard supports it. That's it. Now I'm not saying using RAM outside of the manufacturer's list is guaranteed to work as long as the numbers match either, but speaking from experience I've never used RAM listed on the manufacturer's listings and I've been able to get them to their marketed specs.

 

[Faye Valentine]

Those parts will work fine together.

5600x and B550 is a great combo.

You might consider upping your RAM speed to DDR4-3600, CL 16. 3200 isnt bad, but not the perfect pairing.

Go to the support page on ASUS site and look up RAM compatibility, to double check that RAM will work with that board. It most likely will, but ASUS will have a list of tested RAM to make sure. (Likely okay even if not on the list)

You are missing a hard drive however.

I forgot the hard drive XD. I have so many lying at home that are all SATA, so I'm just going to go with that.

As for the memory, I checked the compatibility on Asus's site, and it looks good. I am curious though, do you think pcpartpicker might not show all memory compatibility issues? Is this a common issue with pcpartpicker that many people just check manually?

 

[DSzymborski]

Are any of those SATA drives SSDs? It would be a real waste to run your OS for this shiny new equipment off an old HDD. If money's an issue, there are great PSUs in the $100-$120 range that could give you some of that space; the RMx 850 is a wonderful PSU, but you don't need an 850W PSU for this build.

 

[hotaru.hino]

As for the memory, I checked the compatibility on Asus's site, and it looks good. I am curious though, do you think pcpartpicker might not show all memory compatibility issues? Is this a common issue with pcpartpicker that many people just check manually?

There's really only two things PC Partpicker can verify for compatibility:

• If the maximum speed the RAM can operate at is supported by the motherboard. Even then, if you get memory that's faster than what the motherboard can support, it just means you can't operate the memory at that speed. It'll still work at lower speeds.
• If there's a capacity limit. This isn't really much of an issue if you're getting the latest stuff, but some motherboards do have a RAM capacity limit for arbitrary reasons.

 

[Faye Valentine]

Are any of those SATA drives SSDs? It would be a real waste to run your OS for this shiny new equipment off an old HDD. If money's an issue, there are great PSUs in the $100-$120 range that could give you some of that space; the RMx 850 is a wonderful PSU, but you don't need an 850W PSU for this build.

Don't worry! My main is a Samsung 1TB SSD.

As for the PSU, I wanted one with high wattage so I could future proof this build in case I pick up a better graphics card when GPU prices go down, like an RTX 3080.

 

[Faye Valentine]

Just realized this motherboard doesn't have a TPM 2.0 module. Is that something I could attach to my motherboard? If so, how can I tell my motherboard could house a TPM module?

 

[hotaru.hino]

Just realized this motherboard doesn't have a TPM 2.0 module. Is that something I could attach to my motherboard? If so, how can I tell my motherboard could house a TPM module?

If you're getting an 8th gen Intel processor or a non APU Ryzen 3000 or a Ryzen 5000 the CPU implements TPM 2.0.

Supposedly for Intel it's really 6th gen and Ryzen should have it from the start, but it's a toss up at this point so I'm just giving you the safest options.

 

[punkncat]

It is always a good idea to do your own due diligence when selecting parts for a new build. I trust the PCP site for general compatibility, but further go on to check that your RAM is on the QVL for your selected motherboard. In some cases you may need to check M.2 compat. It's also always a good idea where GPU are involved to check recommends on the PSU output. Even further to research the PSU based on one of many hierarchy charts like Tom's, for instance.

By and large PCP has a large user based that also offer hands on feedback to their compat charts, so it's very likely to be correct.

 

[Eximo]

My swiftech 240-X (280mm radiator) is still listed as incompatible with my old BitFenix Ghost case. They work fine together (admittedly no good way to get to the fill port, but it still had 5 1/4 bays I just popped out to put the fill tube in during maintenance)

PCPartpicker is great for finding out things. You can use the completed builds section to input certain parts you plan to use, then look at pictures of people that have done it. There is some wiggle room in max CPU cooler height for example. 165mm tall with 165mm clearance gets filtered out, but some of those combos work. And radiator compatibility depends on harder to figure things like memory or motherboard VRM cooling height, which you can verify with images.