[SOLVED] Need help with my first budget gaming PC

[Ivan Karpan]

Hey guys,

Need some advice on a 1080p/60Hz gaming PC with some potential for future growth. Trying to keep the budget low because it's an impulse decision I dreamed of for a long-long time.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/IvanKarpan/saved/#view=nvL68d
(updated based on advice below)

I've built a parts list mostly based on Tom's Hardware guides and additional googling and since this is basically slapping a build together I really need some confirmation from people that know this stuff, namely:

• does it make sense overall?
• is the anything there that could be replaced by a cheaper part without noticeable performance loss?
• or replaced with a more expensive part with noticeable performance gain?
• does anything stick out as improper for what a budget PC should look like?
• I saw some info on bottle-necking between CPU and GPU and came to a conclusion that it's not really a problem I should be concerned with but - should I be?

Kind of answering my question - the best budget picks seem to not be compatible from the get-go... PCPartPicker tool gave me some notes but I am not sure how to deal with them... :-/ There's a gazillion of parts out there and I am not equipped with the expertise to make a correct choice.

The MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard has an additional 4-pin ATX power connector but the Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply does not. This connector is used to supply additional 12V current to the motherboard. While the system will likely still run without it, higher current demands such as extreme overclocking or large video card current draws may require it.

Any ideas on what I should use for PSU instead?

The Patriot Viper Steel 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-4400 CL19 Memory operating voltage of 1.45 V exceeds the AMD Zen 2 CPU recommended maximum of 1.35 V+7% (1.444 V). This memory module may run at a reduced clock rate to meet the 1.35 V voltage recommendation, or may require running at a voltage greater than the AMD recommended maximum.

Will this be an issue? Is this the case where I'm paying for performance potential that will never be utilized?

 

[Blaze Productionz]

Youve got lots of bottlenecking going on here. First of all, that RAM is overkill. 3200 MHz will perform just fine, especially with DDR5 coming out next year, its not a great idea. Second, I just did a Ryzen 3600 build and the 3600 has the tiniest performance difference than the 3600x. Save the 40$ and go for the 3600. The GTX 1660 is a great option. Runs 1080p perfectly stable at 75 FPS on maxed settings. I also used a EVGA 600 BR which is only 65$ atm. I can give you my full parts list if it will help. Its a great bang for the buck PC.

 

[Ivan Karpan]

@Blaze Productionz a part list would be super helpful! And your answer already is already super helpful.

The PSU is kind of a problem, I live in Ukraine and don’t want to wait for parts shipping from elsewhere (plus they don’t always survive) and I couldn’t find any EVGA PSUs out here... And as with everything it feels like one needs to be an expert in every type of PC parts to make that step away from guide posts...

 

[Phaaze88]

Need some advice on a 1080p/60Hz gaming PC with some potential for future growth. Trying to keep the budget low because it's an impulse decision I dreamed of for a long-long time.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/IvanKarpan/saved/#view=nvL68d

I'll fix this up a little:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor (£149.65 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO CPU Cooler (£37.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 GAMING X ATX AM4 Motherboard (£139.40 @ Alza)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL17 Memory (£73.44 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Kingston A2000 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (£61.45 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£53.90 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB GAMING OC Video Card (£234.72 @ Technextday)
Total: £750.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-07-12 07:42 BST+0100

Instead of including a psu in partpicker, I'm going to make a list of models - 550w or higher - below you should should check for availability:
Antec Neo Eco Zen Gold, Earthwatts Gold Pro, High Current Gamer Gold
be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10/11, Straight Power 11
Bitfenix Whisper M, Formula Gold
Cooler Master MWE Gold
Cooler Master MWE(non-Gold), but it has to be version 2.0 or later!
Corsair CX(all black lettering, and NOT the CXM version), TX, RM, RMX
Seasonic Focus, Core, Focus Gold, Focus Plus Gold
Superflower Leadex, Leadex 3
Thermaltake Toughpower

 

[Ivan Karpan]

@Phaaze88 thank you! Checked availability and everything is in local stores, the cost optimization allowed for the PSU you've mentioned first on the list.

Although now PCPartPicker gives this note:

The ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO CPU Cooler may require a separately available mounting adapter to fit the Gigabyte B550 GAMING X ATX AM4 Motherboard

Is this something I need to make sure to buy additionally?

 

[Phaaze88]

Is this something I need to make sure to buy additionally?

The Freezer 34 is a relatively new cooler - launched around summer of last year - so it should already include the AM4 mounting kit.

 

[Ivan Karpan]

The Freezer 34 is a relatively new cooler - launched around summer of last year - so it should already include the AM4 mounting kit.

Got it, thank you!

 

[Ivan Karpan]

@Phaaze88 I just realized the motherboard you suggested doesn't have wi-fi, would an MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI be a valid replacement if I want one? Or is it better to get a separate part instead?

 

[Ivan Karpan]

Or, I guess, if Gigabyte is important there - a version of GIGABYTE X570 AORUS... But it looks like a different model altogether. Good grief, I'm lost here...

 

[Phaaze88]

@Phaaze88 I just realized the motherboard you suggested doesn't have wi-fi, would an MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI be a valid replacement if I want one? Or is it better to get a separate part instead?

Well, the mobo you initially selected didn't have it either.
Yeah, that board would be a valid replacement.

 

[Ivan Karpan]

Well, the mobo you initially selected didn't have it either.
Yeah, that board would be a valid replacement.

Yes, my bad, I was just thinking I needed it, not using my words.

One last question, if I may:

The MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard has an additional 4-pin ATX power connector but the Antec High Current Gamer Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply does not. This connector is used to supply additional 12V current to the motherboard. While the system will likely still run without it, higher current demands such as extreme overclocking or large video card current draws may require it.

I've read about 12v supply and I believe it's something I'd rather have (futureproofing?). After I read up on this PSU it seems to have 20+4 pin connectors for motherboard, so is it something I should ignore, or does this mean that this mobo has an additional one? :-/

 

[Phaaze88]

I've read about 12v supply and I believe it's something I'd rather have (futureproofing?). After I read up on this PSU it seems to have 20+4 pin connectors for motherboard, so is it something I should ignore, or does this mean that this mobo has an additional one? :-/

I don't believe in the concept of futureproofing, so I can't say.

As for the rest: It's not the 20+4 part. The motherboard has an 8+4 cpu EPS ports. The HCG 650 has an 8pin cpu EPS connector.
The 4pin isn't needed, not even with a 3900X. < I remember that piece from an old Buildzoid video covering X570 motherboards - I forget which one though.
Not ok with it? Then you'll have to choose a different psu; one that has either 8+4 EPS or 8+8 EPS.

 

[Ivan Karpan]

I don't believe in the concept of futureproofing, so I can't say.

As for the rest: It's not the 20+4 part. The motherboard has an 8+4 cpu EPS ports. The HCG 650 has an 8pin cpu EPS connector.
The 4pin isn't needed, not even with a 3900X. < I remember that piece from an old Buildzoid video covering X570 motherboards - I forget which one though.
Not ok with it? Then you'll have to choose a different psu; one that has either 8+4 EPS or 8+8 EPS.

Got it, also read up on this, indeed this is not even futureproofing. It would only be that if I was planning to overclock (which I am not) or if the industry planned to make parts that require way more power from the mobo (which is not the case AFAIK).

Thank you so much, I'm gonna go shopping happily now. <3

 

[Phaaze88]

The trick to Ryzen 3000 performance tweaking does not lie with manual OC.
That method is inferior to the combination of having a good aftermarket cooler and dual channel memory with speed of up to 3733mhz CL16/17, and tightening the timings.
Look up Ryzen Dram Calculator guides when you have the chance.

 

[Ivan Karpan]

The trick to Ryzen 3000 performance tweaking does not lie with manual OC.
That method is inferior to the combination of having a good aftermarket cooler and dual channel memory with speed of up to 3733mhz CL16/17, and tightening the timings.
Look up Ryzen Dram Calculator guides when you have the chance.

Once again, thank you very much!