Build Advice Sanity-check on new (light-moderate gaming) build please / $1,500

[azza-don]

Hi everyone,

We're upgrading our two i5 3570K builds from 2013, just looking for a sanity-check on the below list please.

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP (to ship before Christmas)
Budget Range: ~$1500 AUD per pc, ~$3000 total (excluding os) .
System Usage from Most to Least Important: 1080p gaming (mostly SWTOR for now), browsing etc. No video editing, but I may play with some entry-level music software e.g. Cakewalk by BandLab.
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: All, except cases. Our Coolermaster HAF XB Cases are still good!
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Please note that if you're using an OEM license of Windows, you will need a new one when buying a new motherboard.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: https://www.pccasegear.com
(will consider MWave or Scorptec for a great deal, but for the sake of a few dollars, I'd rather deal with PCCaseGear)
Location: Australia (regional NSW - we usually order from Melbourne).
Parts Preferences: n/a
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Additional Comments: SWTOR would be the most demanding game we play currently.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: current builds are just over 11 years old now, they've done us very well, but they're getting a bit tired, so we will retire one to be our htpc, and give the other to a family member.

Here is my current wishlist on PCCaseGear (the two cases on there are for the re-builds of the old parts): https://www.pccasegear.com/wish_lists/1363674/AMD Ryzen 5 7600XNov2024

• AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Processor $339
• Gigabyte B650 Ultra Durable WiFi MotherboardGigabyte B650 Ultra Durable WiFi Motherboard $229
• G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL30 DDR5G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL30 DDR5 $165
• Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 Gaming OC 8GBGigabyte Radeon RX 7600 Gaming OC 8GB $429
• Kingston KC3000 M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSD 1TBKingston KC3000 M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSD 1TB $99
• Seasonic Focus GX-750 Gold 750W Power SupplySeasonic Focus GX-750 Gold 750W Power Supply $215
• Thermalright Assassin Spirit 120 EVO Dark CPU Air CoolerThermalright Assassin Spirit 120 EVO Dark CPU Air Cooler $39
• LG GH24NSD1 24x SATA DVD-RW Drive OEMLG GH24NSD1 24x SATA DVD-RW Drive OEM $25
• Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM DVDMicrosoft Windows 11 Home OEM DVD $189

Any compatibility issues with any of those components?
Any better options out there for the same/similar price?
We only tend to upgrade every 10 years, so I want something that will last.

Thanks for taking the time to read. Look forward to any feedback.

Cheers
Anthony

 

[Lutfij]

The S5's are meant for Intel platform's, since they have X./M.P baked into them. Look for the Trident Z5 Neo/Ripjaws M5 Neo/Flare X5's or anything with AMD's E.X.P.O advertised on the package/listing.

I would add another smaller capacity, 500GB SSD for the OS, app's and launchers. I would up the other SSD's capacity to 2TB.

You forgot to mention where the case to house the PC parts went. Are you recycling an older case?

 

[azza-don]

The S5's are meant for Intel platform's, since they have X./M.P baked into them. Look for the Trident Z5 Neo/Ripjaws M5 Neo/Flare X5's or anything with AMD's E.X.P.O advertised on the package/listing.

I would add another smaller capacity, 500GB SSD for the OS, app's and launchers. I would up the other SSD's capacity to 2TB.

You forgot to mention where the case to house the PC parts went. Are you recycling an older case?

Thanks for your reply Lutfij,
I was originally looking at this one:
https://www.pccasegear.com/products/59534/kingston-fury-beast-32gb-2x16gb-6000mhz-cl36-ddr5
But swapped it out last minute since it's on pre-order until 29/11. I'll re-think that and either wait for the Kingstons, or find another with EXPO. Good call.

I have just a 500GB HDD currently, which is less than half utilised. Plus a 128GB SSD for SWTOR, and an external HDD for bulky storage (photo's and larger files). 1TB should be heaps, but I'll ponder your suggestion anyway.

We will be reusing our Coolermaster HAF XB Cases for this build - they are still good! https://www.pccasegear.com/products/22433/coolermaster-haf-xb-case

Thanks again,
Anthony

 

[azza-don]

One last question since I was on the fence about this one:
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB for $439, or
Radeon RX 7600 8GB for $429?
The extra 4GB of RAM has me re-thinking this choice in terms of longevity

 

[thestryker]

The 7600 isn't much slower than the 7600X, but it comes with a sufficient cooler which should work well in your case so this would be a good change period since it looks like you're trying to minimize cost.

The extra VRAM at the performance level of the 7600/3060 won't make any difference.

The motherboard you're looking at is very low end and not a particularly advisable choice. The cheapest decent board in ATX is around $300. It doesn't look like there are many good affordable options in ATX size in AU, but if you can drop to mATX this changes.

Motherboard comparison information:
https://www.techspot.com/bestof/amd-b650-motherboards/
https://www.techspot.com/review/2861-amd-b650-motherboards-part-3/

The following is an idea for a mATX system which should last you both a lot longer and cost ~$100 more than the parts you were already looking at. The motherboard isn't available at PCCaseGear and the DRAM is the cheapest DDR5-6000 CL30 on the motherboard QVL (PCCaseGear only has the Intel version of this DRAM kit).

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($288.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 1.024 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Asus DUAL OC Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($719.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1265.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-19 19:46 AEDT+1100

PCPartPicker Part List

Motherboard: MSI PRO B650M-A WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard ($188.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($179.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Total: $367.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-19 19:48 AEDT+1100