[SOLVED] My First AMD Build

[fccatuncan]

After a looooooong year, finally saved enough to build my first rig. Here's the list;

CPU: Ryzen 3 3100 (stock cooler)
MOBO: MSI B450M Mortar Max
PSU: Corsair CX550M
RAM: 16GB (dual) G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4 3200
HDD: 1tb Seagate Barracuda, 3.5, 7200rpm
SSD: 512GB ADATA SX6000 M.2 NVMe
CASE: ATX case, 6 x 120mm fans
GPU: MSI 1650S Super Gaming X
OTHERS:

• 800VA UPS
• ASUS PCI AX3000 WLAN card
• Asus 8x (ext. DVD-RW)

Now, since most of my games are total war (Rome I, II, Empires, Shogun 2), RDR2, Dead Island, and Far Cry series, would a 1650S suffice for 1080p gaming? Also saw a lot of forums recommending the 3300X over the 3100 but is the performance really that significant?

If it matters, my old computer (pre-assembled) had the ff. specs:
CPU: Intel i5-4590
MOBO: ASRock H81M-VG4
PSU: Generic 500W
RAM: 8GB Kingston 1600
HDD: 500GB Seagate Barracuda
SSD: None
GPU: 1050 Ti

Building a new one 'coz the GPU (for some reason) killed my old processor. Confirmed it when I tested it on my friend's motherboard.


Not planning to overclock though (not with the stock cooler) and no video editing, no streaming. Just plain gaming. Sticking to my old Samsung S19D300NY monitor (60hz) for now.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

 

[Dj0gany]

After a looooooong year, finally saved enough to build my first rig. Here's the list;

CPU: Ryzen 3 3100 (stock cooler)
MOBO: MSI B450M Mortar Max
PSU: Corsair CX550M
RAM: 16GB (dual) G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4 3200
HDD: 1tb Seagate Barracuda, 3.5, 7200rpm
SSD: 512GB ADATA SX6000 M.2 NVMe
CASE: ATX case, 6 x 120mm fans
GPU: MSI 1650S Super Gaming X
OTHERS:

• 800VA UPS
• ASUS PCI AX3000 WLAN card
• Asus 8x (ext. DVD-RW)

Now, since most of my games are total war (Rome I, II, Empires, Shogun 2), RDR2, Dead Island, and Far Cry series, would a 1650S suffice for 1080p gaming? Also saw a lot of forums recommending the 3300X over the 3100 but is the performance really that significant?

If it matters, my old computer (pre-assembled) had the ff. specs:
CPU: Intel i5-4590
MOBO: ASRock H81M-VG4
PSU: Generic 500W
RAM: 8GB Kingston 1600
HDD: 500GB Seagate Barracuda
SSD: None
GPU: 1050 Ti

Building a new one 'coz the GPU (for some reason) killed my old processor. Confirmed it when I tested it on my friend's motherboard.


Not planning to overclock though (not with the stock cooler) and no video editing, no streaming. Just plain gaming. Sticking to my old Samsung S19D300NY monitor (60hz) for now.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

yes there is a significant difference between 3100 and 3300x.3300x can compete with 1600AF and in some games its actually better,but 1600AF with 2 more cores,and 8 more threads,is still gonna dominate the budget scene.Try buying 1600AF,if its to expensive,then go for 3300x,if thats expensive,then 3100.And yes 1650 super wont fail you in 1080p.Nice build overall

 

[drea.drechsler]

...
Now, since most of my games are total war (Rome I, II, Empires, Shogun 2), RDR2, Dead Island, and Far Cry series, would a 1650S suffice for 1080p gaming? Also saw a lot of forums recommending the 3300X over the 3100 but is the performance really that significant?
...

Seeing as one of your game favorites is the Total War series I have to think that as much CPU as you can get will only be better as that game can put a beat-down on it.

Also of concern is the PSU; not necessarily for the current config but for future upgrades. The B450 Mortar Max is a great platform to upgrade on but 550 watts just won't do it when you go looking at power-hog GPU's of the current generation. It can be something to worry about then, just be sure to keep it in mind when you do.

 

[Dj0gany]

Seeing as one of your game favorites is the Total War series I have to think that as much CPU as you can get will only be better as that game can put a beat-down on it.

Also of concern is the PSU; not necessarily for the current config but for future upgrades. The B450 Mortar Max is a great platform to upgrade on but 550 watts just won't do it when you go looking at power-hog GPU's of the current generation.

I dont he has the money for those power-hogs of this generation.
Also he doesnt need any kind of gpu more powerfull than 1650 super for the games he plays,and for his monitor which is only 60Hz at 1920x1080.

 

[fccatuncan]

yes there is a significant difference between 3100 and 3300x.3300x can compete with 1600AF and in some games its actually better,but 1600AF with 2 more cores,and 8 more threads,is still gonna dominate the budget scene.Try buying 1600AF,if its to expensive,then go for 3300x,if thats expensive,then 3100.And yes 1650 super wont fail you in 1080p.Nice build overall

I'd get one but, unfortunately, pickings are pretty slim out here in SEA. The choices that fall within my budget are the 3100 ($113), 3300X ($154), and Ryzen 5 2600 ($164). Thank you so much for your input! Much appreciated.

 

[Dj0gany]

I'd get one but, unfortunately, pickings are pretty slim out here in SEA. The choices that fall within my budget are the 3100 ($113), 3300X ($154), and Ryzen 5 2600 ($164). Thank you so much for your input! Much appreciated.

Ryzen 5 2600 will work too.I thought ryzen 5 1600/af shortage is only happening in my country.Since the price of r5 1600/af is 210$ .Ryzen 5 1600AF and Ryzen 5 2600 are pretty much the same cpu's.

 

[drea.drechsler]

I'd get one but, unfortunately, pickings are pretty slim out here in SEA. The choices that fall within my budget are the 3100 ($113), 3300X ($154), and Ryzen 5 2600 ($164). Thank you so much for your input! Much appreciated.

If you need to save money you can compromise on the Mortar Max...there are plenty of cheaper B450 offerings that will more than adequately handle any of those processors.

 

[fccatuncan]

Seeing as one of your game favorites is the Total War series I have to think that as much CPU as you can get will only be better as that game can put a beat-down on it.

Also of concern is the PSU; not necessarily for the current config but for future upgrades. The B450 Mortar Max is a great platform to upgrade on but 550 watts just won't do it when you go looking at power-hog GPU's of the current generation. It can be something to worry about then, just be sure to keep it in mind when you do.

Definitely gonna upgrade my PSU when I get a new GPU (after another year I guess LOL). The CX650M ($105) is just out of my budget for this first project. At least I know I didn't go wrong with my choice of a motherboard. Thanks!

 

[Dj0gany]

Definitely gonna upgrade my PSU when I get a new GPU (after another year I guess LOL). The CX650M ($105) is just out of my budget for this first project. At least I know I didn't go wrong with my choice of a motherboard. Thanks!

U can even go with a A320 motherboard,but ur sacrificing overclocking potential,but that wont be a problem since u said u dont want to overclock.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Definitely gonna upgrade my PSU when I get a new GPU (after another year I guess LOL). The CX650M ($105) is just out of my budget for this first project. At least I know I didn't go wrong with my choice of a motherboard. Thanks!

it's just a pity to throw out a PSU that's not going to fit in the upgrade path. I always felt that when buying with upgrades in mind (my idea of future-proofing), always go large on motherboard and PSU, with the future state in mind since they're the most difficult to change out (the only time I've ever broken hardware is during a PSU swap). GPU's and drives are alway easy, CPU's and memory are usually pretty easy.

 

[fccatuncan]

U can even go with a A320 motherboard,but ur sacrificing overclocking potential,but that wont be a problem since u said u dont want to overclock.

Well, initially I went with an A320 but bumped it up to a B450 for the M.2 slots. But yeah, until I get a decent aftermarket CPU cooler, won't be overclocking anything.

 

[fccatuncan]

it's just a pity to throw out a PSU that's not going to fit in the upgrade path. I always felt that when buying with upgrades in mind (my idea of future-proofing), always go large on motherboard and PSU, with the future state in mind since they're the most difficult to change out (the only time I've ever broken hardware is during a PSU swap). GPU's and drives are alway easy, CPU's and memory are usually pretty easy.

Well, the shop I'm buying from DOES have 600-700W PSUs priced between $80-$90 but the problem is I can't seem to find any reviews on them. Corsair and Seasonic were the only reputable brands they sold that I could find some reviews on. I'll definitely keep this in mind though for succeeding builds

 

[drea.drechsler]

Well, the shop I'm buying from DOES have 600-700W PSUs priced between $80-$90 but the problem is I can't seem to find any reviews on them. Corsair and Seasonic were the only reputable brands they sold that I could find some reviews on. I'll definitely keep this in mind though for succeeding builds

What brand/models are they? someone here might have experience with one of them to help.

 

[fccatuncan]

What brand/models are they? someone here might have experience with one of them to help.

Cooler Master (V2 white and bronze PSUs, 550W models), FSP Hyper K models, Silver Stone Strider Essentials, Cougar, Raidmax, Dark Flash, Enermax, Gigabyte. Searched like forever for any reliable reviews on most of 'em to no avail

 

[Dj0gany]

Well, initially I went with an A320 but bumped it up to a B450 for the M.2 slots. But yeah, until I get a decent aftermarket CPU cooler, won't be overclocking anything.

A320 motherboards do have a m.2 slot.
I went with this motherboard for only 40$ https://www.asrock.com/mb/amd/a320m-hdv r4.0/index.asp

 

[Dj0gany]

Cooler Master (V2 white and bronze PSUs, 550W models), FSP Hyper K models, Silver Stone Strider Essentials, Cougar, Raidmax, Dark Flash, Enermax, Gigabyte. Searched like forever for any reliable reviews on most of 'em to no avail

You can trust in cooler master,my friend has fsp powersupplies running r5 3600 and rx 590 with no problem,i've never heard about silver stone,judging by people on this forum raidmax powersupplies are a death wish (they do have nice cases though),never heard of dark flash,gigabyte i suppose is good,also enermax is decent

 

[fccatuncan]

A320 motherboards do have a m.2 slot.
I went with this motherboard for only 40$ https://www.asrock.com/mb/amd/a320m-hdv r4.0/index.asp

Unfortunately, the shop's online market says they're sold out. Hmmmm A320Ms don't have any caps with regards to data transfer speeds for M.2 slots, do they? By downgrading the allotment for the motherboard I could go for a 1660S but I wonder if it's worth it. Only got two devices that use PCI slots anyway (GPU and WLAN card)

 

[Dj0gany]

Unfortunately, the shop's online market says they're sold out. Hmmmm A320Ms don't have any caps with regards to data transfer speeds for M.2 slots, do they? By downgrading the allotment for the motherboard I could go for a 1660S but I wonder if it's worth it. Only got two devices that use PCI slots anyway (GPU and WLAN card)

I dont know what caps for data transfering m.2 slot speeds are,but on the link i sent u says that m.2 pushes 32gb/s???
Also yeah 1660 super would be ideal

 

[drea.drechsler]

Unfortunately, the shop's online market says they're sold out. Hmmmm A320Ms don't have any caps with regards to data transfer speeds for M.2 slots, do they? By downgrading the allotment for the motherboard I could go for a 1660S but I wonder if it's worth it. Only got two devices that use PCI slots anyway (GPU and WLAN card)

The M.2 slot data will probably be related to the CPU and chipset...

So, for the B450 Mortar the FIRST M.2 would be limited to PCIe Gen3 bandwidth even for a 3000 series CPU. Any 300 or 400 series motherboard will be the same for the first M.2.

The 2nd NVME on the B450 Mortar is limited to PCIe Gen2 by the chipset. And be aware that when you populate it with one it will render the 2nd PCIe x16/4 slot useless as it takes it's lanes. Any other B450/A320 motherboard with a 2nd M.2 must be looked at the same way as it will 'steal' lanes from something else for that M.2 slot. Either that or the 2nd M.2 might be only SATA capable, in which case it will steal SATA port(s).

So you really have to look at the detailed specs for every motherboard as they shed lanes differently. That can become a problem for you since you're also planning on a PCIe expansion card already: that WiFi card. In the B450 mortar, with a GPU in the PCIex16 and an NVME in the 2nd M.2 there will be only one PCIe slot left functional for it.

EDIT add: and for the A320M...the first M.2 is going to be PCIe gen3, 4 lanes for any 3000 series CPU.

 

[Dj0gany]

The M.2 slot data will probably be related to the CPU and chipset...

So, for the B450 Mortar the FIRST M.2 would be limited to PCIe Gen3 bandwidth even for a 3000 series CPU. Any 300 or 400 series motherboard will be the same for the first M.2.

The 2nd NVME on the B450 Mortar is limited to PCIe Gen2 by the chipset. And be aware that when you populate it with one it will render the 2nd PCIe x16/4 slot useless as it takes it's lanes. Any other B450/A320 motherboard with a 2nd M.2 must be looked at the same way as it will 'steal' lanes from something else for that M.2 slot. Either that or the 2nd M.2 might be only SATA capable, in which case it will steal SATA port(s).

So you really have to look at the detailed specs for every motherboard as they shed lanes differently. That can become a problem for you since you're also planning on a PCIe expansion card already: that WiFi card. In the B450 mortar, with a GPU in the PCIex16 and an NVME in the 2nd M.2 there will be only one PCIe slot left functional for it.

or just get a normal SATA ssd.Nobody really cares of you boot in 5 seconds,or 8.Anything besides a hard drive is a major upgrade

 

[fccatuncan]

I dont know what caps for data transfering m.2 slot speeds are,but on the link i sent u says that m.2 pushes 32gb/s???
Also yeah 1660 super would be ideal

Hmmm I guess I'll stick to the B450M for now. At least I won't have to buy a new motherboard along with an aftermarket cooler when I get one. If they run out of Corsair and Seasonic PSUs in December, I'll definitely consider Cooler Master.

The M.2 slot data will probably be related to the CPU and chipset...

So, for the B450 Mortar the FIRST M.2 would be limited to PCIe Gen3 bandwidth even for a 3000 series CPU. Any 300 or 400 series motherboard will be the same for the first M.2.

The 2nd NVME on the B450 Mortar is limited to PCIe Gen2 by the chipset. And be aware that when you populate it with one it will render the 2nd PCIe x16/4 slot useless as it takes it's lanes. Any other B450/A320 motherboard with a 2nd M.2 must be looked at the same way as it will 'steal' lanes from something else for that M.2 slot. Either that or the 2nd M.2 might be only SATA capable, in which case it will steal SATA port(s).

So you really have to look at the detailed specs for every motherboard as they shed lanes differently. That can become a problem for you since you're also planning on a PCIe expansion card already: that WiFi card. In the B450 mortar, with a GPU in the PCIex16 and an NVME in the 2nd M.2 there will be only one PCIe slot left functional for it.

Looks like I'll be sticking to the B450M for good. Suddenly reminded of Ryzen 3000 support out of the box.

Also looked up the user manual for the Mortar Max and yes, you're right. I'll be left with only one PCI slot for the WLAN card. The B450M has more slots than any of the A320M boards the shop sells over here so that seals it for me. Thanks a bunch! Got ahead of myself computing prices and forgot to take a closer look at the manuals.

 

[drea.drechsler]

....
Looks like I'll be sticking to the B450M for good. Suddenly reminded of Ryzen 3000 support out of the box.
....

That's a plus for the Max boards. Although it's often pointed out that most all B450/A320/X470 boards coming through the supply chain by now should have Ryzen 3000-capable BIOS there's always the chance of getting 'new-old' stock.

 

[drea.drechsler]

or just get a normal SATA ssd.Nobody really cares of you boot in 5 seconds,or 8.Anything besides a hard drive is a major upgrade

that's true...but I'm pretty sure you can't fit a SATA SSD in the 2nd M.2 of a Mortar; it's NVME only for that slot. I have a B450 Mortar, BTW.

But a SATA SSD on one of the ports is no different. And honestly...I do not notice any difference with my NVME in the 2nd M.2 on my Mortar. Not compared to a conventional 2.5" SATA SSD on one of the SATA ports. We just don't make the huge sequential data reads often enough to make an NVME fly. Not in normal useage at least...maybe someone has an application that does use it though.

 

[Dj0gany]

that's true...but I'm pretty sure you can't fit a SATA SSD in the 2nd M.2 of a Mortar; it's NVME only for that slot. I have a B450 Mortar, BTW.

But a SATA SSD on one of the ports is no different. And honestly...I do not notice any difference with my NVME in the 2nd M.2 on my Mortar. Not compared to a conventional 2.5" SATA SSD on one of the SATA ports. We just don't make the huge sequential data reads often enough to make an NVME fly. Not in normal useage at least...maybe someone has an application that does use it though.

I meant to plug in a SSD in the SATA port,not m.2.
But yeah what things do u need to do to maximize the ussage of a m.2 drive.Either you are downloading10 different games simultaneusly or something crazy like that.

 

[drea.drechsler]

I meant to plug in a SSD in the SATA port,not m.2.
But yeah what things do u need to do to maximize the ussage of a m.2 drive.Either you are downloading10 different games simultaneusly or something crazy like that.

Even writes are limited by the buffer of the NVME: when that is saturated the speed drops like a rock. I got a fairly low-cost 1tb NVME for the 2nd M.2 on my Mortar, the buffer was where the compromise occurred as reads stay pretty typical for a gen 2 NVME.

So huge downloads and file transfers get limited by the buffer size, in my case. Better/more costly NVME's are the ones with better/larger buffers!