[SOLVED] Rate this AM5 Build

[rwayne]

Tom's forum community,

I would appreciate it if you would please rate this build and provide recommendations on any components below which would serve as better replacements far as quality or price.

• Stronger CPU? 💪
• Stronger PSU? 💪
• Better frequency / timings on the Ram? ⏲
• Better native motherboard audio? 🎸
• Spot any potential compatibility issues? 🔥
• Cooling concerns? ❄

Looking for bang for the buck with out skimping on quality. Ideally want to avoid taking things over the $1,300 threshold but will flex if a solid upgrade justification can be made. Main focus for this build is general use and some occasional video editing and game play every now and then for RTS style games. But want a strong system which will preform well for years. My current build is approaching year 9 so I would like this one to last a while. Looking to buy in the next week.

I am not attached to any particular brand including AMD. Would switch to Intel if a case could be made for it.


MOTHERBOARD:
MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI AM5 AMD B650 SATA 6Gb/s DDR5 Ryzen 7000 ATX Motherboard
$239.99 -$25.00 CPU combo

CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X - 6-Core 4.7 GHz - Socket AM5 - 105W Desktop Processor (100-100000593WOF)
$243.99 -$30.00 Motherboard combo

CPU COOLER:
DeepCool AK620 High-Performance CPU Cooler, Dual-Tower Design, 2x 120mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fans, 6 Copper Heat Pipes, 260W Heat Dissipation, Black.
$64.99

DDR 5 RAM:
CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 5600 (PC5 44800) Desktop Memory Model CMK32GX5M2B5600C36
$124.99

STORAGE:
Crucial P5 Plus M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 NVMe 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) CT2000P5PSSD8
$131.99

CASE:
LIAN LI LANCOOL 216RX Black Steel / Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ,2x 16 cm ARGB Fans Included ----LANCOOL 216RX
$110.99

POWER SUPPLY:
CORSAIR RMx Series (2021) RM750x CP-9020199-NA 750 W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply
$119.99

OPERATING SYSTEM:
Microsoft Windows 11 Home (USB)
$139.99

Total Price before shipping: $1,152.07

Would like to shop through new egg. (However, open minded to other recommendations but.... would like to buy directly from a single vendor rather than multiple vendors or partner stores)
Will be reusing my current EVGA Nvidia GTX 1660 ti

1.) It has been great for me at 1080P resolution​

2.) (While vastly improved from the crypto days) the GPU market has not come back to MSRP and I am not going to overpay for a new card until things return to that level. Perhaps next year.​

Thank you for your time.

 

[Why_Me]

Look at sites such as this one for the pricing and reviews of the RTX 4070 and 4060 when those cards are released next month (April).

DDR5 6000 is the sweet spot for Zen5 and games benefit from lower latency.

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb/p/N82E16820374418
G.SKILL Flare X5 series AMD EXPO DDR5 6000 32GB (2x16GB) CL32 $134.99

This cooler is essentially the AK620 minus the top caps. With or without RGB.

https://pcpartpicker.com/search/?q=DeepCool+AG620

If you aren't into RGB then there's the non RGB version of that case.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qP2WGX/lian-li-lancool-216-atx-mid-tower-case-lancool-216x

Save a few dollars on the SSD.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4K...tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3x0e

 

[Lucky_SLS]

the corsair RMe is also a very good PSU and cheaper: Corsair RM750e 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (CP-9020248-NA) - PCPartPicker

Alternate case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case (FD-C-POR1A-06) - PCPartPicker

If these options save you some cash, might as well upgrade to 7700 for your video editing tasks...

 

[Maebius]

On first look, I would actually get a 7700 and remove the cooler from your list.
I don't see non-x AMD bundles on newegg , weird.

HOWEVER, this bundle looks even better 7700x+ddr+mobo for495! Whaaaaaaa? (Microcenter though)

Hmz, I hate my country's PC parts prices lol.

 

[helper800]

If you could put up with the multiple shops you can save quite a bit:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($328.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($45.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650M AORUS ELITE AX Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600 CL28 Memory ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($131.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus TUF Gaming EVO OC GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $991.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-03-08 13:47 EST-0500

 

[Avro Arrow]

I'd say that you've done exceptionally well. I think that you're overspending a bit on the CPU cooler and M.2 but it's be less than $100 so it's not a big deal. I can't see any real weaknesses here.

 

[pete_101]

$139.99 for Windows?
There are plenty of on-line places to buy Windows license keys for way less. Just about every Youtube PC reviewer advertises cheap Windows keys, and you can get cheaper again. I purchased Windows 10 pro for $5.99 and could upgrade to Windows 11 pro for free.....I don't know how they get the keys at such a low price, maybe left over OEM keys or 3rd world keys? I really don't care, all I know is it works.

 

[rwayne]

$139.99 for Windows?
There are plenty of on-line places to buy Windows license keys for way less. Just about every Youtube PC reviewer advertises cheap Windows keys, and you can get cheaper again. I purchased Windows 10 pro for $5.99 and could upgrade to Windows 11 pro for free.....I don't know how they get the keys at such a low price, maybe left over OEM keys or 3rd world keys? I really don't care, all I know is it works.

I have seen youtubers advertise those too but in the back of my mind I am operating off of the premise if something seems too good to be true it probably isn't. Why are these copies of windows so cheap? Where do they get them from? If they are selling them for like $15 they are probably only paying $5 for them or less. How are they legitimately getting them?

 

[rwayne]

I'd say that you've done exceptionally well. I think that you're overspending a bit on the CPU cooler and M.2 but it's be less than $100 so it's not a big deal. I can't see any real weaknesses here.

Arvo Arrow. I appreciate the feedback. I haven't done a build in like 9 years and it is reassuring to hear that. I used to be a wiz at this sort of thing but have stepped away for about a decade and am getting acclimated to the current day technology.

 

[rwayne]

On first look, I would actually get a 7700 and remove the cooler from your list.
I don't see non-x AMD bundles on newegg , weird.

HOWEVER, this bundle looks even better 7700x+ddr+mobo for495! Whaaaaaaa? (Microcenter though)

Hmz, I hate my country's PC parts prices lol.

Wow! That was an amazing deal you found. I went to their site and found a lot of other amazing combos. I live about 3.5 hours away from my closest microcenter. So I would lose about $60 in gas and a day of my time. Wanted to avoid a day trip but those are some great deals! Thank you so much for sharing Maebius

 

[DSzymborski]

I have seen youtubers advertise those too but in the back of my mind I am operating off of the premise if something seems too good to be true it probably isn't. Why are these copies of windows so cheap? Where do they get them from? If they are selling them for like $15 they are probably only paying $5 for them or less. How are they legitimately getting them?

They're not. Gray market keys come from a number of sources; at best, you're getting someone abusing a volume discount and selling unauthorized keys against their MS agreement, if you're not you're literally assisting criminals buying with stolen credit cards or worse.

Legitimate keys come from Microsoft and Microsoft authorized retailer (or with a prebuilt). If you don't get it that way, it's not legitimate, and Microsoft can blacklist your key at any time. You're free to do whatever you want, based on your ethics.

 

[pete_101]

I have seen youtubers advertise those too but in the back of my mind I am operating off of the premise if something seems too good to be true it probably isn't. Why are these copies of windows so cheap? Where do they get them from? If they are selling them for like $15 they are probably only paying $5 for them or less. How are they legitimately getting them?

You didn't need to downvote my comment just because you haven't used a cheap Windows key.
What do you care how they are legitimately getting them, I think Bill Gates is rich enough already. You're only buying a key, you still download and install straight from MS, it's not like you're putting yourself at risk of malware by entering a 25 letter key.
I bought my key 6 months ago and it's all working fine. If you're interest, it was from

 

[DSzymborski]

You didn't need to downvote my comment just because you haven't used a cheap Windows key.
What do you care how they are legitimately getting them, I think Bill Gates is rich enough already. You're only buying a key, you still download and install straight from MS, it's not like you're putting yourself at risk of malware by entering a 25 letter key.
I bought my key 6 months ago and it's all working fine. If you're interest, it was from

Thinking that's the objection definitely speaks volumes for your character.

 

[pete_101]

Thinking that's the objection definitely speaks volumes for your character.

My issue with Windows keys is MS sell OEMs keys in bulk and charges them a much lower price than those they sell in their store. Why should people who want to build their own PC pay so much more for an OS than someone who buys a prebuilt?

 

[DSzymborski]

My issue with Windows keys is MS sell OEMs keys in bulk and charges them a much lower price than those they sell in their store. Why should people who want to build their own PC pay so much more for an OS than someone who buys a prebuilt?

Umm...because it's a volume discount? It's a perfectly normal thing when you don't buy things off the back of a truck.

 

[pete_101]

Umm...because it's a volume discount? It's a perfectly normal thing when you don't buy things off the back of a truck.

I understand volume discounts, but when the product is digital, it doesn't cost them anything extra to sell it individually. They simply choose to charge private individuals more than OEMs...so I don't see anything wrong is buying cheap unallocated OEM keys.

 

[DSzymborski]

I understand volume discounts, but when the product is digital, it doesn't cost them anything extra to sell it individually. They simply choose to charge private individuals more than OEMs...so I don't see anything wrong is buying cheap unallocated OEM keys.

You can make excuses all you want, but we all see who you are now.

It took a lot of nerve to criticize the OP's build list for buying something legally.

 

[pete_101]

You can make excuses all you want, but we all see who you are now.

It took a lot of nerve to criticize the OP's build list for buying something legally.

So you have an issue with all the big Youtube PC hardware reviews who promote cheap Windows keys? I didn't criticize the OP or tell him not to pay an inflated price, I simply commented on the price and pointed out no-one need pay that much if they choose.

 

[bignastyid]

So you have an issue with all the big Youtube PC hardware reviews who promote cheap Windows keys? I didn't criticize the OP or tell him not to pay an inflated price, I simply commented on the price and pointed out no-one need pay that much if they choose.

I would consider them getting paid to promote them an issue.

 

[pete_101]

I would consider them getting paid to promote them an issue.

Ok, fair enough.

 

[pete_101]

Wow, everyone down voting the idea of getting Windows for cheap...do you all like paying full price? You might want to watch what the difference is between retail and OEM keys

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZcuRiZIIRY

 

[Gam3r01]

Retail vs OEM is nowhere near the same as retail vs grey market.
Ill buy OEM keys all day if its from a reputable, authorized dealer, where I know I actually own a legit key.
The issue is with grey market sellers selling stolen/illegitimate volume keys for cheap that usually end up getting revoked. All the "tech youtubers" that recommend them are typically on the payroll of the grey market retailers themselves. Sure it might work out for some people, but to answer your question, yes I do like paying full price for a reliable, working product that I know is legit. Why skimp on the windows key? Might as well go buy the GPU from AliExpress for 60 dollars too!

 

[Maebius]

Wow! That was an amazing deal you found. I went to their site and found a lot of other amazing combos. I live about 3.5 hours away from my closest microcenter. So I would lose about $60 in gas and a day of my time. Wanted to avoid a day trip but those are some great deals! Thank you so much for sharing Maebius

Glad to be of help as your thread has kind of been hijacked now

I'll also say again, the non-X 7700 Ryzens have a pretty adequate cooler bundled with them, so no real reason to get an extra one.
They run pretty cool, even overclocked/PBO'ed (which essentialy makes them a 7700X).

Hope you find the bundle that suits you well, I wouldn't go with less than 8 cores nowadays.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Arvo Arrow. I appreciate the feedback. I haven't done a build in like 9 years and it is reassuring to hear that. I used to be a wiz at this sort of thing but have stepped away for about a decade and am getting acclimated to the current day technology.

You're very welcome. I only tell the truth as I see it.

Nine years isn't all that long. My OCZ Z1000M PSU is like 12 years old and it still works!

In all seriousness though, not much has changed. Sure, video cards don't come with only 3 (or 4 for that matter) GB of VRAM anymore but the same important rule still applies when looking to maximise the impact of every dollar you spend:

Don't be too much of a brand-wh0re and choose mainly by spec.

For example:

Q: What is a Corsair PSU actually best at?
A: Using the logo of ship to entice people to pay more for said PSU.

Corsair RM1000x 1kW 80+Gold-Certified Modular ATX PSU: $235
SeaSonic FOCUS GX 1kW 80+Gold-Certified Modular ATX PSU: $206
EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 GT 1kW 80+Gold-Certified Modular ATX PSU: $170

That's not to say that Corsair's PSU's aren't fantastic because they are. Would I say that a 1kW 80+Gold Corsair PSU is better than a 1kW 80+Gold PSU from Seasonic or EVGA? Absolutely not.

Do I care if my motherboard is ASRock, ASUS, Biostar, EVGA, Gigabyte or MSi? Absolutely not. (Well, for me, actually yes, because MSi screwed me over once so I'll never buy anything with their name on it again but that has nothing to do with their quality level.)

That's all you need to maximise your spending power. It was true in 2014 and it'll always be true. There's nothing more valuable to a consumer than being able to see through the BS known as marketing.

BTW, what did you think of my suggested modification to your bill of materials? I do truly believe that you'd be WAY happier that way.

 

[helper800]

Several things here. Most keys about 30+ dollars are legitimately obtained (not all). The most important thing is where you are sourcing the Windows key from. @pete_101 is right that paying full price is not necessarily the right option for everybody as there are many ways of getting legit keys cheaper than full price or for free. I am not saying or how he got his key is "legit". Microsoft gives away their OS for free minus "personalization" options. That is the cheapest "legitimate" way of getting Windows. Another thing to note is that if you have any dead or unused laptops or PCs with a key, just reuse those for a new build. You already paid for that key in the cost of the laptop or PC when you originally purchased it.