New Ryzen 5 mid-range build - feedback?

[thomasst]

Hello, I'm looking for feedback on the following build:

CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core / 12-Thread
Motherboard | ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 ATX AM4
RAM | Kingston HyperX Predator 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200
SSD | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" SATA
HDD | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
GPU | XFX Radeon RX 470 4GB Triple X
PSU | Antec TruePower Classic 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX
DVD | LG GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer
Case | Modecom MAG C5


What I expect from the PC:

- Casual 1080p / 60Hz gaming on highest settings when possible

- Generally smooth running while multitasking (Web surfing, downloading, gaming...)

- Relatively future-proof in the terms of performance


Any opinions or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Chugalug_]

Budget?
Should be a good fit for you, but improvements can be made.

 

[thomasst]

Budget?
Should be a good fit for you, but improvements can be made.

About $1150, but with VAT included, as I'm in the EU. Probably close to $900 in the terms of prices listed on most online vendors' websites.

 

[Chugalug_]

What's your budget in Euros and what are local retailers?
What country are you in?
Would you be open to shipping from Germany's Amazon?

 

[thomasst]

What's your budget in Euros and what are local retailers?
What country are you in?
Would you be open to shipping from Germany's Amazon?

1150 Euros. The budget is not fixed, but I'd prefer not to go over it unless absolutely necessary.

I'm from Croatia. This is my preferred retailer's website. While some product descriptions are in Croatian, menus and filters are mostly in English (on the left) so I think it's easy to find your way through it.

I always buy in brick and mortar stores, it's purely a personal preference.

 

[srimasis]

I have a better build that will give you much better performance than Ryzen 5 + Rx470. Don't get me wrong, Ryzen 5 is an excellent cpu, but to outperform Intel i5, it needs 3200mhz Ram. If you are spending that much money, you should buy a Gtx1070 instead of Rx470.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7400 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.59 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B250M PRO-VDH Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($69.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: ADATA XPG Z1 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($86.48 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($74.99 @ Jet)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Mini ITX OC Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cougar MX200 ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Rosewill 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $934.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-12 07:41 EDT-0400

 

[thomasst]

I have a better build that will give you much better performance than Ryzen 5 + Rx470. Don't get me wrong, Ryzen 5 is an excellent cpu, but to outperform Intel i5, it needs 3200mhz Ram. If you are spending that much money, you should buy a Gtx1070 instead of Rx470.

Thanks for your input.

3200MHz RAM could still be achieved with overclocking on this motherboard though. But I see what you mean - you've [strike]sacrificed the SSD[/strike] and chose a CPU and mobo that cost less, in favor of a stronger GPU. Still, I wonder if I need such a strong (and expensive) GPU only for casual 1080p gaming. My idea behind a 6-core Ryzen and an SSD was a smoother overall experience, in the terms of web browsing (multiple tabs), running multiple apps, file operation etc., which is just as important to me.

 

[neieus]

I don't see anything wrong with your build. The GPU is fine for casual gaming while the cpu allows strong flexibility with multitasking. While the Intel Quad core is a fine budget choice with good single thread performance you'll still be limited to 4 threads limiting your multitasking potential. As for the 1070 again an excellent choice but now you're looking at high end gaming or at least 2K capable card which is overkill for 1080p.

 

[Chugalug_]

Get this.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fx9y7h

 

[thomasst]

Get this.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fx9y7h

First of all, thanks for taking the time and effort to look up and consider my supplier's prices!

However, the same remark that I wrote to Srimasis stands here as well: Do I really need a GTX 1070? It's a high-end graphics card that costs twice as much as RX 470, which according to benchmarks, seems to offer a solid 1080p performance. To maintain the budget, I'd have to ditch the SSD and pick cheaper parts overall.

I'm inclined to agree with Neieus regarding the multitasking potential. Intel i5-7500 was my second option as well, as it costs about the same as Ryzen 1600. So, which is better? Personally, I don't think 12 threads compared to mere 4 threads offered by i5-7500 is something to be ignored. I value a smooth overall performance, where I can for example pause and minimize a game, do something else, and then continue playing without much waiting. Ryzen's multi-core performance leads me to believe that it would be more flexible in this regard. On the other hand, i5-7500's much hyped single-core performance doesn't seem to outperform Ryzen's by much - so far by mere 6%. What does worry me about Ryzens though, are motherboard issues like BIOS updates and RAM overclocking.

Finally, I see that you chose a power supply with more wattage. Do you think 550W wouldn't be enough for this build or...?

 

[neieus]

Get this.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fx9y7h

First of all, thanks for taking the time and effort to look up and consider my supplier's prices!

However, the same remark that I wrote to Srimasis stands here as well: Do I really need a GTX 1070? It's a high-end graphics card that costs twice as much as RX 470, which according to benchmarks, seems to offer a solid 1080p performance. To maintain the budget, I'd have to ditch the SSD and pick cheaper parts overall.

I'm inclined to agree with Neieus regarding the multitasking potential. Intel i5-7500 was my second option as well, as it costs about the same as Ryzen 1600. So, which is better? Personally, I don't think 12 threads compared to mere 4 threads offered by i5-7500 is something to be ignored. I value a smooth overall performance, where I can for example pause and minimize a game, do something else, and then continue playing without much waiting. Ryzen's multi-core performance leads me to believe that it would be more flexible in this regard. On the other hand, i5-7500's much hyped single-core performance doesn't seem to outperform Ryzen's by much - so far by mere 6%. What does worry me about Ryzens though, are motherboard issues like BIOS updates and RAM overclocking.

Finally, I see that you chose a power supply with more wattage. Do you think 550W wouldn't be enough for this build or...?

Unfortunately BIOS updates to fix a problem isn't something exclusive to AMD however I do understand your point and will always be part of the risk you take on any new platform the same goes with RAM overclocking. This is the reason both Intel and AMD board vendors provide a compatibility list either way your point is valid. Regardless of which platform you go with you'd want to do your research on parts before hand obviously.

 

[neieus]

You could use a PSU calculator to assist with your power needs.

http://www.coolermaster.com/power-supply-calculator/

 

[thomasst]

Unfortunately BIOS updates to fix a problem isn't something exclusive to AMD however I do understand your point and will always be part of the risk you take on any new platform the same goes with RAM overclocking. This is the reason both Intel and AMD board vendors provide a compatibility list either way your point is valid. Regardless of which platform you go with you'd want to do your research on parts before hand obviously.

Thankfully we have the Internet, as it helps so much with researching and seeking opinions, especially to a computing layman like myself. Yes, checking compatibility lists should be a must, and I only expect them to expand in the following weeks. Luckily I'm not in a hurry with buying, so I'll definitely see how Ryzen 5's are received before investing my money. Another question is whether the new Radeon 500 series GPUs will change anything.

You could use a PSU calculator to assist with your power needs.

It shows that the build would require about 300W. Wattage breakdown by Pcpartpicker agrees too. Still, some margin of safety is in order, that's why I was asking if 550W is enough.

 

[srimasis]

Hmm, I thought gaming was your main purpose for this PC. And you are right, for multitasking, more threads the better. I made a Ryzen 5 build for you

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($218.67 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-AB350M-D3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (1 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 480 4GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX200 ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Rosewill 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $902.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-12 13:18 EDT-0400

For 1080p gaming, this build should be more than sufficient.

 

[neieus]

Aren't the Radeon 500 series GPUs supposed to be re-branded 400 series? I'm pretty sure you could stick with the same 550w power supply otherwise going with 600w would give you wiggle room since we don't know what the power requirements will be.

 

[thomasst]

Hmm, I thought gaming was your main purpose for this PC. And you are right, for multitasking, more threads the better. I made a Ryzen 5 build for you

It's good, thanks for the effort. As for the GPU, yes, I'd love to take an RX 480. Due to budget limitations, though, I think I'll have to settle for a factory overclocked 470. As I wrote above in response to Chugalug, prices in my country are different (usually higher due to VAT) and for some reason 480s are significantly more expensive than 470s.

One note regarding SSD though: Are SanDisk SSDs good? This model benchmarks somewhat slower than Samsung 850 EVO. Yes, it has greater capacity, but I don't think I'll need more than 250GB anyway.

Aren't the Radeon 500 series GPUs supposed to be re-branded 400 series?

Allegedly they will have slightly higher clock speeds, but apparently not by much.

I'm pretty sure you could stick with the same 550w power supply otherwise going with 600w would give you wiggle room since we don't know what the power requirements will be.

I see, thanks.

 

[Chugalug_]

The i5 will offer a stronger, more optimized gaming experience, as the architecture of Ryzen puts its chips somewhat at a minor disadvantage in terms of gaming performance, although Ryzen 5 closes this gap somewhat vs Ryzen 7.
You can downgrade to a GTX 1060 6GB or RX 480 if you want, perfectly fine.

 

[thomasst]

One more question: Would my build be able to work just as well with only 8GB RAM, or are 16GB necessary/optimal?

 

[Chugalug_]

Yes it would be able to, but I recommend 16GB with a 1070 if you're going that route.
If you're going with the RX 480 or 1060 6GB 8GB is fine.

 

[thomasst]

Yes it would be able to, but I recommend 16GB with a 1070 if you're going that route.
If you're going with the RX 480 or 1060 6GB 8GB is fine.

I understand, that makes sense.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, they've been most helpful.