Build Advice My first gaming build.

[Smegul]

Hi all,

I'm putting together my first build and would really appreciate some feedback and advice on the overall setup. The main use will be gaming and general daily use. I'm not planning to overclock. Here's what I’ve picked so far:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
• Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE - white
• Motherboard: GigaByte B550M Aorus Elite AX
• RAM: Patriot Viper Elite II 32 GB (2×16 GB) DDR4-3600MHz
• Storage: Lexar NM620 2 TB, SSD (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.4, M.2 2280)
• GPU: Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7700 XT 12GB
• Case: DEEPCOOL CH510 - white with window
• PSU: Gigabyte P650SS 650W 80+ Silver

I’m not sure about the motherboard. I'm torn between going with a cheaper board to keep initial costs down and replace it in some years or investing in a more expensive one that I could keep for the long haul. And if I do go for a more expensive one, I don't know what to look for to make it future-proof. I don’t need insane VRMs or overclocking features. I'm also not sure whether it makes sense to go for integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Any specific sugesstions for the mobo would be appciated.

As for the rest of the components, is everything here compatible and balanced? Any bottlenecks?
Anything I’m overlooking or missing for a complete build?

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[Why_Me]

Hi all,

I'm putting together my first build and would really appreciate some feedback and advice on the overall setup. The main use will be gaming and general daily use. I'm not planning to overclock. Here's what I’ve picked so far:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
• Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE - white
• Motherboard: GigaByte B550M Aorus Elite AX
• RAM: Patriot Viper Elite II 32 GB (2×16 GB) DDR4-3600MHz
• Storage: Lexar NM620 2 TB, SSD (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.4, M.2 2280)
• GPU: Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7700 XT 12GB
• Case: DEEPCOOL CH510 - white with window
• PSU: Gigabyte P650SS 650W 80+ Silver

I’m not sure about the motherboard. I'm torn between going with a cheaper board to keep initial costs down and replace it in some years or investing in a more expensive one that I could keep for the long haul. And if I do go for a more expensive one, I don't know what to look for to make it future-proof. I don’t need insane VRMs or overclocking features. I'm also not sure whether it makes sense to go for integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Any specific sugesstions for the mobo would be appciated.

As for the rest of the components, is everything here compatible and balanced? Any bottlenecks?
Anything I’m overlooking or missing for a complete build?

Thanks in advance for your input!

You want a 750W psu for that 7700 XT just to be on the safe side. You can cut cost by going with the Ryzen 5 5600 (non X).

 

[Why_Me]

If you are located in the USA then I would look at something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($110.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *ID-COOLING SE-214-XT ARGB 68.2 CFM CPU Cooler ($18.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte Z790 S WIFI DDR4 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($124.16 @ Amazon)
Memory: *Klevv BOLT X 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: *MSI MAG A750BN PCIE5 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $368.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-04-24 07:41 EDT-0400

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-11-free-or-cheap

 

[Smegul]

You want a 750W psu for that 7700 XT just to be on the safe side. You can cut cost by going with the Ryzen 5 5600 (non X).

Thanks, I'll look for a more powerful PSU. The CPU is actually the only component which I already ordered 🙂

Any suggestion for the motherboard?

 

[logainofhades]

You want a 750W psu for that 7700 XT just to be on the safe side. You can cut cost by going with the Ryzen 5 5600 (non X).

Given how there is less than a $20 difference between the two, I would disagree with doing such a thing.

OP: please see link in my sig on how to ask for upgrade/build advice and report back here.

I would avoid Gigabyte PSU's. Keep in mind that AM4 has 0 upgrade path.

 

[geofelt]

Your build is reasonable.
A common upgrade is likely to be a stronger graphics card. For that, look to a 750w or 850w quality psu.
For quality, look for a 7 to 10 year warranty.
Seasonic focus and Corsair rm are good places to start.

As a first time builder,
MY build process:

Before anything, while waiting for your parts to be delivered, download
and read, cover to cover your case and motherboard manual.
Buy a long #2 magnetic tip philips screwdriver.
A small led flashlight is also useful.

I find it handy to buy a power switch like this for testing.
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E168121..._switch-_-12-119-009-_-Product&quicklink=true
1. I assemble the critical parts outside of the case.
That lets me test them for functionality easily.
A wood table or cardboard is fine.
2. Plug in only the necessary parts at first. Ram, cpu, cooler, psu.
Do not force anything. Parts fit only one way.
Attach a monitor to the integrated motherboard adapter if you have one, otherwise to the graphics card.
3. If your motherboard does not have a PWR button, momentarily touch the two pwr front panel pins with a flat blade screwdriver.
4. Repeatedly hit F2 or DEL, and that should get you into the bios display.
5. Boot from a cd or usb stick with memtest86 on it. memtest will exercise your ram and cpu functionality.
They boot from a usb stick and do not use windows.
You can download them here:

MemTest86 - Official Site of the x86 Memory Testing Tool

MemTest86 is the original self booting memory testing software for x86 and ARM computers. Supporting both BIOS and UEFI, with options to boot from USB.

www.memtest86.com

Memtest86+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool

Memtest86+ is an advanced, free, open-source, stand-alone memory tester for 32- and 64-bit computers (UEFI & BIOS supported)

www.memtest.org

If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

Running several more passes will sometimes uncover an issue, but it takes more time.

Probably not worth it unless you really suspect a ram issue.
Opinions vary on updating the bios.
Normally, one does not update a bios unless there is a fix for something that is impacting you. I violate this rule on a new build and will update to currency up front.
Use the usb option, not the windows option.
If there is a severe problem, the impact is small.


6. Install windows.
7. Install the motherboard cd drivers. Particularly the lan drivers so you can access the internet.
Do not select the easy install option, or you will get a bunch of utilities and trialware that you don't want. Drivers only.
7. Connect to the internet and install an antivirus program. Microsoft defender is free, easy, and unobtrusive.
8. Install your graphics card and driver if you tested with integrated graphics.
You will need to remove the graphics card later to install your motherboard in the case.
As a tip when screwing the motherboard into the posts, give the screw a small counterclockwise turn until you feel a click.
That lets you know that the screw will engage properly.
Make a note of how the graphics card latches into the pcie slot.
The mechanism will be hidden under the card and may be difficult to work if you have not previously checked how.
9. Update windows to currency.
10. Only now do I take apart what I need to and install it in the case.
11. Now is the time to reinstall your graphics card.

 

[Eximo]

You didn't list a country, I suspect it is not the US. I haven't seen a silver rated PSU in ages, I would be worried about how old it is before you even get it.

Since you seemed to be after a white build and the only reasonably priced B580 happens to be white. You can use this as a guide. RX 9070 AsRock Steel Legend would be a decent choice if not too expensive for you.

AM5 Platform is more future looking, upgrade to a 9000 series processor or whatever AMD launches after that.

Your choice of chassis had a solid front, not ideal for proper cooling, so I wouldn't stick with that.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 8400F 4.2 GHz 6-Core Processor ($148.95 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X 120 R Digital ARGB 70.84 CFM CPU Cooler ($24.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650M Pro RS WiFi Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Silicon Power UD90 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($104.97 @ Newegg Sellers)
Video Card: ONIX LUMI OC Arc B580 12 GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Montech AIR 100 ARGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($66.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($137.35 @ Amazon)
Total: $1073.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-04-24 10:18 EDT-0400

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks, I'll look for a more powerful PSU. The CPU is actually the only component which I already ordered 🙂

Any suggestion for the motherboard?

PCPartPicker Part List

Motherboard: *Gigabyte B550 EAGLE WIFI6 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $119.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-04-24 16:14 EDT-0400

 

[Flayed]

Any specific sugesstions for the mobo would be appciated.

This is my suggestion for the motherboard. I built a system using it and thought it was a solid choice for the cost.

PCPartPicker Part List

Motherboard: MSI B550-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $119.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-04-25 02:25 EDT-0400

 

[dark_globe]

i tried to max out on a video card so you can get the best immediate gaming experience
on the other hand the gpu is the easiest component to replace in the future
so you can go with arc b580 for now and get 2tb m.2 drive and better quality 850w power supply -
your budget will probably not allow you to get AM5 platform (with a decent cpu)
but that would be the best option
much better than AM4 or LGA1700 for future upgrades .
(if you can get 7500f for a good price that would be great , build from eximo is also decent)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE 58 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 S WIFI DDR4 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($124.16 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($67.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: PNY CS2241 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($58.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI VENTUS 2X PLUS OC GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB Video Card ($512.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Montech X3 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: ADATA XPG Core Reactor II VE 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1087.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-04-25 03:56 EDT-0400