Suggestions on a budget gaming rig

[dahamsta]

Hi there. I already have an ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1060 Gaming OC GPU on my old rig (where it gets completely bottle-necked). On a 700 euro budget, I would like to fix this by basically making a new rig (besides the owned GPU). I live in a second tier European country, where the pricing for some items is different (not for the better) from something like newegg, so, if you have some suggestions, I will first have to look up what the price is here.

I intend to use the rig for gaming at 1080p 60 fps, while also keeping a couple Chrome tabs open. Currently I have a 1680x1050 display, but I intend to buy a 1080p 60Mhz monitor in the near future. I am probably going to use the old display as well, making for a two monitor setup. Time to time I am also going to use the PC for some light programming research, basically running some IDEs and test databases (shouldn't be anything too taxing).

Currently I have put together this rig as a baseline:
AMD RYZEN 5 1600 --- 165
ASROCK AB350M PRO4 --- 74
Seagate BarraCuda 7200 2TB --- 60
Kingston A400 240GB SATAIII 2.5 --- 53
KINGSTON 8GB 2400MHZ DDR4 CL15 HYPERX FURY --- 86
Corsair ATX 2.31 VS Series 550W CP-9020097-EU --- 46
SilentiumPC Regnum RG1W Pure Black SPC153 --- 35
Total --- 519

Currently didn't choose a Ryzen 2000 series processor as, without a B450 mobo, the overall cost increased sharply. For example, one of the cheapest options is MSI X470 GAMING PLUS, which costs roughly 150 here for some reason (108 on newegg, but the shipping costs would probably end up making up for it). On top of that, 60 euros more for 2600x. So the combined additional cost would be roughly 140 euros. Not sure, if the performance gain is worth it.

I am also looking into saving up and upgrading to the next Nvidia series card and either Ryzen 3000 or 4000 series CPU (whichever one ends up having the 7nm manufacturing process). Presumably I could use the same mobo, as with a Ryzen 1600 CPU I could flash it's BIOS, when the time comes.

What would you change about the current build?
Would you add another 8GB of RAM?
Would you upgrade to Ryzen 2000 series despite the cost?
Will the microATX mobo be able to comfortably hold the almost 30 cm (12 inch) GPU?
Are Corsair PSUs reliable enough for a budget build?
Would you just keep the change?

Thanks for any responses.

EDIT: Another option I came up with is maybe buying the 1080p monitor with the remaining money. Specifically Philips 241B7QPJKEB.

 

[Shektron]

I would change few things:

1. Maybe get the AB350 Pro4 ATX board. There's no performance difference, and frankly it's more of a personal preference of mine, that a nice build with this budget should have a proper ATX board.

2. Definitely get 16 GB RAM - despite the cost, it's worth it.

3. Don't bother with 2000 series if you aren't waiting for B450 boards, 1st gen is still fine.

4. Get higher speed RAM, at least 2666 MHz, if not higher.

5. DON'T buy the VS power supply - they are horrible units. Get a CX450, even with the lower wattage it is much better than that VS550. If budget allows, the CX550 would make a better choice, for the future GPU upgrade.

If there's still money left, you can go with the monitor as well.

 

[dahamsta]

I would change few things:

1. Maybe get the AB350 Pro4 ATX board. There's no performance difference, and frankly it's more of a personal preference of mine, that a nice build with this budget should have a proper ATX board.

2. Definitely get 16 GB RAM - despite the cost, it's worth it.

3. Don't bother with 2000 series if you aren't waiting for B450 boards, 1st gen is still fine.

4. Get higher speed RAM, at least 2666 MHz, if not higher.

5. DON'T buy the VS power supply - they are horrible units. Get a CX450, even with the lower wattage it is much better than that VS550. If budget allows, the CX550 would make a better choice, for the future GPU upgrade.

If there's still money left, you can go with the monitor as well.

1. In another post on the same issue it was pointed out that there have been a lot of defective AB350 pro4 units (freezing and crashes supposedly, also the person who said this had the issue) and I thought of switching to MSI Tomahawk. It is a bit more expensive than AB350M Pro4 (13 euros), but about the same as AB350 Pro4. Is it better to stick to AB350 Pro4?

2. and 4. The only thing I am worried about is that here it really does cost twice as much if not more for some reason. One slightly less expensive option I did find was G.SKILL Aegis 16GB 3000MHz CL16 DDR4 DIMM KIT OF 2 F4-3000C16D-16GISB for 160 euros. Comes with the 3000Mhz speed.

5. Changed VS550 to CX550, added 30 euros to the price, but, if it is a little bit more reliable, that's ok.

Current build for 625 euros:

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 16MB BOX w/Wraith Spire YD1600BBAEBOX
Corsair CX Series 550W CP-9020121-EU
G.SKILL Aegis 16GB 3000MHz CL16 DDR4 DIMM KIT OF 2 F4-3000C16D-16GISB
Kingston A400 240GB SATAIII 2.5" SA400S37/240G
MSI B350 TOMAHAWK
Seagate BarraCuda 7200 2TB SATAIII 64MB ST2000DM006
SilentiumPC Regnum RG1W Pure Black SPC153

 

[Shektron]

I would change few things:

1. Maybe get the AB350 Pro4 ATX board. There's no performance difference, and frankly it's more of a personal preference of mine, that a nice build with this budget should have a proper ATX board.

2. Definitely get 16 GB RAM - despite the cost, it's worth it.

3. Don't bother with 2000 series if you aren't waiting for B450 boards, 1st gen is still fine.

4. Get higher speed RAM, at least 2666 MHz, if not higher.

5. DON'T buy the VS power supply - they are horrible units. Get a CX450, even with the lower wattage it is much better than that VS550. If budget allows, the CX550 would make a better choice, for the future GPU upgrade.

If there's still money left, you can go with the monitor as well.

1. In another post on the same issue it was pointed out that there have been a lot of defective AB350 pro4 units (freezing and crashes supposedly, also the person who said this had the issue) and I thought of switching to MSI Tomahawk. It is a bit more expensive than AB350M Pro4 (13 euros), but about the same as AB350 Pro4. Is it better to stick to AB350 Pro4?

2. and 4. The only thing I am worried about is that here it really does cost twice as much if not more for some reason. One slightly less expensive option I did find was G.SKILL Aegis 16GB 3000MHz CL16 DDR4 DIMM KIT OF 2 F4-3000C16D-16GISB for 160 euros. Comes with the 3000Mhz speed.

5. Changed VS550 to CX550, added 30 euros to the price, but, if it is a little bit more reliable, that's ok.

Current build for 625 euros:

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 16MB BOX w/Wraith Spire YD1600BBAEBOX
Corsair CX Series 550W CP-9020121-EU
G.SKILL Aegis 16GB 3000MHz CL16 DDR4 DIMM KIT OF 2 F4-3000C16D-16GISB
Kingston A400 240GB SATAIII 2.5" SA400S37/240G
MSI B350 TOMAHAWK
Seagate BarraCuda 7200 2TB SATAIII 64MB ST2000DM006
SilentiumPC Regnum RG1W Pure Black SPC153

The Tomahawk isn't bad either, but generally the Pro4 is considered quite reliable. You can buy the Tomahawk too, there's no problem in that.

RAM pricing is just bad right now, nothing can be done about it. Twice as much sounds about right, and that kit you mentioned is fine, though you might want to check the motherboard QVL to make sure the RAM will run at 3000 MHz or not. Even if it runs a few steps lower, it's still worth it.

Build is starting to look good now, one more thing though - maybe get a different SSD. The A400 isn't the best quality. Try the Adata Ultimate SU800 or the Sandisk Ultra II or the MX500, they're all good drives.

 

[dahamsta]

I would change few things:

1. Maybe get the AB350 Pro4 ATX board. There's no performance difference, and frankly it's more of a personal preference of mine, that a nice build with this budget should have a proper ATX board.

2. Definitely get 16 GB RAM - despite the cost, it's worth it.

3. Don't bother with 2000 series if you aren't waiting for B450 boards, 1st gen is still fine.

4. Get higher speed RAM, at least 2666 MHz, if not higher.

5. DON'T buy the VS power supply - they are horrible units. Get a CX450, even with the lower wattage it is much better than that VS550. If budget allows, the CX550 would make a better choice, for the future GPU upgrade.

If there's still money left, you can go with the monitor as well.

1. In another post on the same issue it was pointed out that there have been a lot of defective AB350 pro4 units (freezing and crashes supposedly, also the person who said this had the issue) and I thought of switching to MSI Tomahawk. It is a bit more expensive than AB350M Pro4 (13 euros), but about the same as AB350 Pro4. Is it better to stick to AB350 Pro4?

2. and 4. The only thing I am worried about is that here it really does cost twice as much if not more for some reason. One slightly less expensive option I did find was G.SKILL Aegis 16GB 3000MHz CL16 DDR4 DIMM KIT OF 2 F4-3000C16D-16GISB for 160 euros. Comes with the 3000Mhz speed.

5. Changed VS550 to CX550, added 30 euros to the price, but, if it is a little bit more reliable, that's ok.

Current build for 625 euros:

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 16MB BOX w/Wraith Spire YD1600BBAEBOX
Corsair CX Series 550W CP-9020121-EU
G.SKILL Aegis 16GB 3000MHz CL16 DDR4 DIMM KIT OF 2 F4-3000C16D-16GISB
Kingston A400 240GB SATAIII 2.5" SA400S37/240G
MSI B350 TOMAHAWK
Seagate BarraCuda 7200 2TB SATAIII 64MB ST2000DM006
SilentiumPC Regnum RG1W Pure Black SPC153

The Tomahawk isn't bad either, but generally the Pro4 is considered quite reliable. You can buy the Tomahawk too, there's no problem in that.

RAM pricing is just bad right now, nothing can be done about it. Twice as much sounds about right, and that kit you mentioned is fine, though you might want to check the motherboard QVL to make sure the RAM will run at 3000 MHz or not. Even if it runs a few steps lower, it's still worth it.

Build is starting to look good now, one more thing though - maybe get a different SSD. The A400 isn't the best quality. Try the Adata Ultimate SU800 or the Sandisk Ultra II or the MX500, they're all good drives.

First of all, upon closer examination, I decided to go with as you said ASROCK AB350 PRO4. it is slightly cheaper (5 euros), and most of the negative freezing etc complaints seem to be about AB350M not AB350.

I don't know how problematic this is, but the RAM model number is not in the QVL list. Maybe it is a new set or something? There are similar models, which seem to be performing at 3000 though.

The link to the QVL list (memory model is F4-3000C16D-16GISB):
http://asrock.com/mb/AMD/AB350%20Pro4/index.us.asp#Memory

As for the SSD:
A-Data SSD Ultimate SU800 256GB SATAIII ASU800SS-256GT-C is 16 euros more expensive.
SanDisk Ultra II SSD 240GB SATA III SDSSDHII-240G-G25 is 38 euros more expensive
CRUCIAL MX500 250GB 2.5" SATAIII CT250MX500SSD1 is 19 euros more expensive

So I guess the choice would be between A-Data SSD Ultimate SU800 and CRUCIAL MX500. Which would be a better pick?

 

[Shektron]

First of all, upon closer examination, I decided to go with as you said ASROCK AB350 PRO4. it is slightly cheaper (5 euros), and most of the negative freezing etc complaints seem to be about AB350M not AB350.

I don't know how problematic this is, but the RAM model number is not in the QVL list. Maybe it is a new set or something? There are similar models, which seem to be performing at 3000 though.

The link to the QVL list (memory model is F4-3000C16D-16GISB):
http://asrock.com/mb/AMD/AB350%20Pro4/index.us.asp#Memory

As for the SSD:
A-Data SSD Ultimate SU800 256GB SATAIII ASU800SS-256GT-C is 16 euros more expensive.
SanDisk Ultra II SSD 240GB SATA III SDSSDHII-240G-G25 is 38 euros more expensive
CRUCIAL MX500 250GB 2.5" SATAIII CT250MX500SSD1 is 19 euros more expensive

So I guess the choice would be between A-Data SSD Ultimate SU800 and CRUCIAL MX500. Which would be a better pick?

You can go with any board, both are compatible, both are good boards, so buy what you feel is better. There's no other way to tell them apart. If you feel that the Pro4 is better, then that's the board for you.

That RAM will either work at 2933 MHz or 3000 MHz, either is fine, you can go with that kit. Just because it isn't listed in the QVL doesn't mean it's not compatible, it just means that ASRock didn't test that specific kit with the specific board.

You can go with the Ultimate SU800, it's still a better drive than the A400. All three of those are good drives, so the next best way to decide becomes which is the cheapest, hence the SU800 wins.

 

[dahamsta]

First of all, upon closer examination, I decided to go with as you said ASROCK AB350 PRO4. it is slightly cheaper (5 euros), and most of the negative freezing etc complaints seem to be about AB350M not AB350.

I don't know how problematic this is, but the RAM model number is not in the QVL list. Maybe it is a new set or something? There are similar models, which seem to be performing at 3000 though.

The link to the QVL list (memory model is F4-3000C16D-16GISB):
http://asrock.com/mb/AMD/AB350%20Pro4/index.us.asp#Memory

As for the SSD:
A-Data SSD Ultimate SU800 256GB SATAIII ASU800SS-256GT-C is 16 euros more expensive.
SanDisk Ultra II SSD 240GB SATA III SDSSDHII-240G-G25 is 38 euros more expensive
CRUCIAL MX500 250GB 2.5" SATAIII CT250MX500SSD1 is 19 euros more expensive

So I guess the choice would be between A-Data SSD Ultimate SU800 and CRUCIAL MX500. Which would be a better pick?

You can go with any board, both are compatible, both are good boards, so buy what you feel is better. There's no other way to tell them apart. If you feel that the Pro4 is better, then that's the board for you.

That RAM will either work at 2933 MHz or 3000 MHz, either is fine, you can go with that kit. Just because it isn't listed in the QVL doesn't mean it's not compatible, it just means that ASRock didn't test that specific kit with the specific board.

You can go with the Ultimate SU800, it's still a better drive than the A400. All three of those are good drives, so the next best way to decide becomes which is the cheapest, hence the SU800 wins.

Thank you for the help, I will go with this build then. For future reference, the overall price for this build is 635 euros (mostly for myself). Also the A-Data drive does have 10 MB/s higher write speed (read is the same).