Question Need Help With AMD Alternative To This Cheap Gaming Build

makemorelove

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Dec 26, 2019
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Hello, I'm not very good at building PCs and everything that comes around with it.
However, I tried to build the cheapest possible Intel based PC as mine is already 12 yo.
Here's the list:
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/makemoreloveTTV/saved/#view=t3RfdC

And this, just in case the above link gets removed.
- Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor
- ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO CPU Cooler
- ASRock B660M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (1 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory
- Kingston KC3000 1.024 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
- Deepcool CC560 ATX Mid Tower Case
- SeaSonic G12 GC 850 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply
Approximately : $587.57

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I would like to see an alternate AMD build that can match the pricing of the above and in the same time to outperform the above.
Now hear me, I'm not an Intel or an AMD guy, I don't really care, I just need help to get the most out of the money as life ain't easy.
The GPU for the build that I came up with, and the GPU for the build that I hope to see in the replies below will be the same : Palit 3060 Ti
 

Aeacus

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AMD build that can match the pricing of the above and in the same time to outperform the above.

What makes you think you get more performance with same amount of money spent? :unsure:

In any event, here's what i can do on AMD side:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($191.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 2 CPU Cooler ($26.90 @ Amazon) <- Same price in the Egg.
Motherboard: Gigabyte A520M S2H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($73.92 @ Amazon)
Memory: TEAMGROUP Elite 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL22 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 980 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool CC560 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.45)
Power Supply: Corsair RM650 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $565.23

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-12-30 16:35 EST-0500


Do note that R7 5700X is only slightly better than i3-12100F, while costing essentially double,
comparison: https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-Ryzen-7-5700X-vs-Intel-Core-i3-12100F/m1823386vs4125

Due to that, i had to switch almost all parts around, to make up for the far more expensive CPU, just to keep within your price range.
 
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https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16811553054
COUGAR MX330-G Air Mid Tower Computer Case $59.99

https://www.newegg.com/p/1HU-001J-000A6
NZXT C650 (2022) 650W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply $79.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NTMRRTL
MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 $129.99

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-12400f-core-i5-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118360
Intel Core i5-12400F $162.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S38FD1J
Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE CPU Cooler $19.90

https://www.newegg.com/silicon-power-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820301458
Silicon Power DDR4 3200 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 $40.97

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y5VDNT9
PNY CS900 1TB 2.5" SATA III Internal SSD $44.99

Total: $538.32
 
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I just built a cheap AMD gaming PC for my brother, he found a cheap used RTX 3060 Ti and I got the rest.
I went with the R5 5600 on a B550 motherboard (Gigabyte B500M DS3H AC mATX), with 16GB (2X8GB) 3200MHz CL16 RAM (always get 2 sticks of ram for dual channel, as it's much faster), and be sure to turn on XMP in the BIOS otherwise you'll only get 2133MHz.

The R5 5600 runs all modern games just fine and doesn't bottleneck with the 3060 Ti.

Other components are up to you and your budget.
 

Vic 40

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I made some diferent choices,

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($191.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING SE-224-XTS BLACK 70 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B550-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: TEAMGROUP Vulcan Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: PNY CS1030 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($51.99 @ B&H)
Case: Montech X3 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Enermax Revolution D.F. 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $600.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-12-30 18:31 EST-0500
 
As an am4 owner I can’t recommend going am4 on a new build. Here’s why. Yes performance is great. But am4 is a total dead end. What about in 2 years? Then you are stuck. At least with the i3 12100 you can drop a 13600k or 13700k in any time you choose. With am4 you are stuck. Now if you had a b350 board and an existing am4 system absolutely get the 5700x. But a new build on am4 seems shortsighted imo.
 

Aeacus

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The fact, that I'm not fully aware what I'm doing, e.g lack of knowledge. So I assume it is possible in some way. Thanks for the reply!

Overall, and if you go with Intel, you can get the build, except GPU, with less than 500 bucks. Like so:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($101.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte H610M S2H DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP Elite 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL22 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 980 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool CC560 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.45)
Power Supply: Corsair RM650 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Corsair)
Total: $474.40

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-12-31 09:40 EST-0500


100 bucks is saved from CPU. No aftermarket cooler is needed, since CPU already comes with Intel stock CPU cooler, which is enough to cool the CPU. Another 26 bucks saved. And MoBo is only 16 bucks more than AM4 variant.

Overall, AMD build costs far more while offering same performance, making Intel build Value King. Besides that, and compared what you initially posted, this build also has dual-channel RAM, better SSD and better PSU. Sure, PSU isn't 850W but for RTX 3060 Ti, 650W PSU will do fine. Oh, since PC case is personal choice, i didn't replace it with cheaper one.
 
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Also if you do want to spend the extra you could go with say a b660 board and an i5 12400. So don’t feel constrained to a 12100. My point simply is while am4 is good for what it is, is prefer in your case the Intel system just because you’ll have more upgrade options for installing a higher end 12 gen or 13th gen cpu later.
 

Karadjgne

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I just need help to get the most out of the money as life ain't easy.
There comes a point of diminishing returns, but that goes both ways. It's not that hard to just pick the absolute cheapest components and throw the build together, but then you have to figure you got the absolute cheapest parts China could supply. At what point does that become redundant.

The psu is a perfect example. A decent quality psu isn't all that much more expensive than cheap garbage, maybe $30-$50 more, which over the lifespan you keep pc's is pennies per day. Yet the difference between a quality psu and a cheaper psu shaped object is staggering. One will last and be good value overall, the other is likely to die quickly, possibly starting a fire, possibly burning out other components and forcing you to replace it, overall cost is more than a quality unit.

And then there's performance. There's a solid reason Samsung SSD's cost so much and you can get a similar size no-name SSD for half the price. Or less.

There's a saying. 'Only a Rich man can afford to buy cheap s*** because only a Rich man can afford to keep replacing it'.

A 12100 is great value for what it is, but it's relatively lousy for gaming, it's 4 cores are going to suffer hard on more demanding titles, especially multi-player with large amounts of Ai, like WoW. It's a 4/8 cpu at 4.3GHz, which with its higher IPC isn't all that much more than my old i7-3770K OC'd to 4.9GHz. Meaning your value isn't great, even if the cost is nice.
 
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Aeacus

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but it's relatively lousy for gaming, it's 4 cores are going to suffer hard on more demanding titles, especially multi-player with large amounts of Ai, like WoW. It's a 4/8 cpu at 4.3GHz, which with its higher IPC isn't all that much more than my old i7-3770K OC'd to 4.9GHz. Meaning your value isn't great, even if the cost is nice.

I'd like to add few points.

Just because i3-12100(F) has 4c/8t, doesn't make it lousy for gaming. It is actually quite good and fares better than my i5-6600K with 4c/4t. Is my i5-6600K "lousy" for gaming? Not by a mile. Despite being old, my CPU is still solid and can take everything i throw at it @1080p.

And another point as well.
For those who doesn't have much money to buy good PC, also means that they don't have money to buy expensive and demanding AAA titles. With this, options are either free to play games, or cheap games, which usually aren't demanding at all.

On the flip side, if one has money to buy RTX 3060 Ti (where GPU alone costs more than rest of the components combined, ~500 bucks), one also has money to buy proper PC (e.g latest Core i5) and money to buy/play AAA titles.
On budget side of things, i wouldn't look past GTX 1660 Ti, if even getting that. GTX 1650 is also sensible budget choice for gaming @1080p/720p.

Here, there's controversy: is OP really looking for budget build, or has OP plenty of money to buy proper PC (where as long as GPU is ~500 bucks RTX 3060 Ti, the rest of the components doesn't matter)? :unsure:
With small budget, i wouldn't even look towards 500 bucks GPU.
 
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Karadjgne

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Agreed. It's one of those things where everything needs to be taken into consideration. Such as I'd not now recommend or advise the purchase of a 6600k, that's a 4/4 cpu that since BF4 has been in trouble, along with every other 4/4 cpu. Skyrim is a relatively easy game, stock, uses 2 cores, but once you add mods, all that changes as the papyrus scripted mods get brutal on thread counts. My i5-3570k I was limited to @ 70mods, any more than that started costing me below 60fps. Ran the same mods, plus 100 more on i7-3770K and no issues.

Games heavy on thread counts like BF4 were a game changer. You know something is up when a FX-8350 was 2nd in fps, only beaten by Intel 4thgen i7's. With such high thread counts on cpus available today, modern games are following that trend. You get more work done, more instructions processed on 2 cores @ 3.2GHz than 1 core with remotely similar ipc at 5GHz. Which is somewhat important to games like Cyberpunk with its massive lighting and object collisions.

Right now, a 6/12 would be a minimum I'd advise, not just to handle older, simpler games like CSGO, but also tomorrow's games that'll be CSGO+ bloom+lighting affects+physX and even AVX etc. Fortnite on steroids. And yes, there are Skyrim mods using AVX and AVX2.
 
If I were to build on an extreme budget today for new I’d like to think I’d pick up

i3 12100
B660 board
16gb or more ddr4
Cheap ssd maybe a 240gb boot drive and whatever hard drive I could find for games until I could upgrade.
GPU I’d probably look at a used rx 6600, 6600xt, but I’d also look at a 5700xt. 159 bucks.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2755839267...1QoO_yZSxW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

PSU probably an EVGA psu, not sure on budget what units are out there since I’m using my rmx 850.

case I’d probably go with a budget mesh case and pick up a cheap pack of 120mm fans from eBay.

But at least on that you’d have something inexpensive that would be a good system at 1080p with an option to toss in a 13th gen cpu later. You could try to pick up a 1660 ti or 1660 super, but the 5700xt is closer to a 6600xt so I think is a faster card overall. Might look at the 5600xt and 2060 as well.
 
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