[SOLVED] PC Build advice for around £600

colbs2411

Prominent
Jul 25, 2018
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Hello all,

I am currently looking to upgrade my partner's gaming computer to let her play games on 1080p at decent frame rates and temps, as she is currently using an old HP pre-built from around 2010 (which, unsurprisingly, cant even manage sims 4 in laptop mode without reaching 70 degrees).

I have put together a parts list, however I would love any advice on what I could do to improve it - the only part I have been told she wants to keep unchanged are the case and the 1tb SSD (although a cheaper, non-nvme alternative would be fine.)
Parts:
AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor
Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Western Digital Blue 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
MSI GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card
Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case
Thermaltake Smart 700 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply

sorry I couldnt remember how to attatch a pcpartspicker list, and thanks in advance for any help!
 
Solution
Change the power supply from the Thermaltake and get the Crucial P1 SSD. The MSI MAX motherboards you are assured will work with Ryzen 3000 without any BIOS updates, I'm not sure with the Gigabyte B450s.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£95.99 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£73.79 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£55.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (£101.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card (£214.99 @ Box Limited)
Case:...
Change the power supply from the Thermaltake and get the Crucial P1 SSD. The MSI MAX motherboards you are assured will work with Ryzen 3000 without any BIOS updates, I'm not sure with the Gigabyte B450s.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£95.99 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£73.79 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£55.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (£101.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card (£214.99 @ Box Limited)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case (£46.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (£79.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £668.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-05 15:42 BST+0100
 
Solution

colbs2411

Prominent
Jul 25, 2018
57
2
535
Thank you so much for the advice! I wasn't sure about the gigabyte board myself and had originally gone with a b450 tomahawk instead but this is far better for our budget.
 

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
Something else to consider. Went with a better board, and while overkill, the higher wattage PSU, is the same price, as the lower wattage version.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£95.99 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: MSI B450M MORTAR MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£95.99 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£64.45 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 256 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (£47.94 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£35.97 @ Currys PC World Business)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB GAMING Twin Fan Video Card (£202.70 @ Technextday)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£40.47 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (£79.98 @ Currys PC World Business)
Total: £663.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-05 22:03 BST+0100
 

colbs2411

Prominent
Jul 25, 2018
57
2
535
Thanks for spotting that PSU - I could even use that in my system tbh and give my partner my 650 corsair instead (my 8700k would probably appreciate it)

Not sure about the rest though, as the only things I had to keep the same were the case and have a 1tb SSD, and the cost of this would be a bit too far over budget with those put back in.

Thanks for the great advice though!
 
Last edited:

Vic 40

Titan
Ambassador
Something close to budget,
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor (£109.97 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 AORUS M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£81.95 @ AWD-IT)
Memory: Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£64.45 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (£101.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 570 4 GB RS XXX Video Card (£128.83 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£41.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (£79.98 @ Currys PC World Business)
Total: £609.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-06 12:35 BST+0100
 
D

Deleted member 2720853

Guest
She wants to keep the case of a HP prebuilt with the components people are suggesting? Those are practically just baking ovens (and is the main reason I even built my "first" PC - to escape that prebuilt case). I'd suggest replacing it with a budget case that has a mesh front and top holes for airflow.
 

colbs2411

Prominent
Jul 25, 2018
57
2
535
I think the RX 570 is just that bit too underpowered for my partner's needs, so I will probably stick with the first suggestion - thank you for taking the time to help though, I really appreciate it!
 
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