JR_12

Hi All, I'm going to be teaching my nephew how to build a PC for the first time (and it's been along time since I've done a build) and was wondering if anyone has set up check list for good practices? I.e. after you've done the build + post anything you should do? I did see Paul's hardware first 5 things to do and that made me think if there's anything else. I used to do the basics like update drivers, create a recovery point, and install some anti-virus/spyware protection but I think there's probably more things you can/should do now a days. Thanks in advance for any references!

Price wise, Gigabyte & MSI are releasing most of their boards $160 - $200 price range. I figured B550 would offer better power delivery, thermals & upgrade longevity over B450 but at that range seems like I could just shop around for a x570. Obviously, I don't "need" these features now, but doing a new build and trying to make the parts last as long as possible for future upgrades.

Hi All, Given that the B550 board prices seem to be closer to x570 than b450, (so far) is there a reason to get B550 over X570? Other a few manufacturer specific features and 2.5 gbit Ethernet port - they seem to be pretty comparable. Any reason you all would wait to get B550 if you could find an x570 in stock? An example that comes to mind is asus tuf gaming x570 / MSI gaming plus x570 vs their B550 counterparts.

I just got the monitor in and been using it for a couple days. So far it's been great. I really like the think bezel and it's so much better than my previous monitor. I don't have a comparison between other monitors at this price, but I'm certainly happy with it. My only complaint is that the ports in the back are vertical so have to work a little to get the connectors in. I never thought about looking for used - but again I don't have any complaints with the current monitor. It met all my requirements and budget. I was hoping hardware unbox would do a comparison because they've been such big fans on the AOC 24g2 and would like to see the direct comparison.

I'm in the same situation and decided to wait because this is my first build in a LONG time and I wanted to have the largest window for upgrade opportunities down the road with my budget. I also don't mind waiting & don't need the system right now. I have all the parts sitting in my room outside of the Mobo but personally, think it's worth it. But I wouldn't fault anyone for getting a different board now.

Didn't have to wait long! MSI: https://www.msi.com/Landing/amd-ryzen-b550-motherboard Gigabyte: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Socket-AM4 ASUS: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/All-Series/ ASRock: https://www.asrock.com/mb/index.asp

Fingers crossed. Have most of my build sitting in a corner waiting for the new Mobo. Hoping to order on release date and trying to do some homework before hand as everything has been selling out so quick lately. Thanks for the reply!

I know the core specs have already been released by AMD, but I'm talking about the different vendors. I know MSI & Gigabyte, at least, will have several variants. I'm assuming ASUS & ASRock will also. Any idea when we'll start seeing the vendor specific details?

If anyone is interested. I decided on the AOC 24G2... but since that's pretty much out of stock everyone (or priced at double the original), I ended up getting the ASUS VP249QGR for $160 before it also promptly sold out. These 2 monitors seemed like the best value so I would pick up which ever is in stock.

Yeah, with the slight price drop on the 5600xt, i think Im going that way. It's a close call and if I had the extra $120 I'd get the 5700xt. But trying to save on the build to put towards a new monitor. Thanks again for the input!

Thanks for all the info everyone! Looks like I may have to make some slight adjustments in my build plan - but thanks again!

Hi All, Unfortunately, my current monitor is having some issue and it looks like I'll need to get a replacement. I'm looking for 24-26" 144hz monitor for both work & gaming. I definitely want good display for text as I edit both code and a lot of documentation. Here are my criteria: Price: $150-$250 (value oriented) Freq: 144hz Res: 1080p (1440p is fine, but not needed) Ports: at least 2x HDMI ports (1 for Desktop RX5000 series GPU & 1 for work laptop Menu Button: Menu button on bottom or side of the panel, NOT on the back (I'll have to switch between PC & Laptop input) VESA Mountable or an adapter available to mount I prefer thin bezels and IPS panel, but I know both of those will push the budget and I'd be willing to push a bit (~$300) if it checked all the boxes. Here are some that I've found that look appealing but not sure what else I should consider if I'm missing any big downsides. T/N isn't a deal breaker but these look to have Nixeus EDG 24: https://www.nixeus.com/gaming-monitors-shop/nixeus-edg-24-1920-x-1080-amd-radeon-freesync-certified-144hz-gaming-monitor AOC G1490FX: https://us.aoc.com/en/gaming-monitors/g2590fx AOC 24G2: https://us.aoc.com/en/gaming-monitors/24-g2 MSI Optix G241: https://www.msi.com/Monitor/Optix-G241

Hi All, I have a question about using a USB docking station & GPU usage. I have a docking station I use for my work latop (usb 3.0) and a USB 3.0 switch that I used to switch my set up (primary monitory, additional USB monitor, headset/mic, wireless keyboard, wireless mouse, DAC, External SDD, and ethernet line) over to my personal laptop. However, I'll be building out a casual gaming PC over the next couple of months and I was curious if using the USB 3.0 connection would use my GPU (likely an RX 5000 series) or If I could have to connect disconnect the HDMI cable from the docking station and connect it directly to the GPU whenever I want to switch between desktop & laptop. Has anyone done something like this before or have a recommendation how I could switch between the systems w/o having to disconnect anything? Thanks in advance for any input!

From what I've seen/read it seems to be the Sapphire Nitro+ has the best thermals/noise levels for the performance. ~$430 USD

Hi All, I'm working on building my first PC since like 2004. I'm looking to keep my budget under $1200 and wavering back and forth between the 5600xt & 5700xt. Obviously, I know the 5700 is the better card and I'm between the gigabyte OC & sapphire Nitro+ for the 5700xt. However, the nitro+ ends up coming to about $475 with tax & shipping. Which has made me reconsider if it's the best performance for price. I'm only looking for 1080p gaming (not interested in 4k,etc). I have a 120hz refresh monitor and just want to get solid performance. Not streaming, not recording, etc. Just personal use. Given the BIOS update for the 5600xt this year and that I can pick up the Sapphire Pulse 5600xt for ($311, including ship + tax). It seems like the better value. ~20% decrease in performance but ~35% savings seems like good choice, but am I missing something. Is there a downside to the 5600xt that I'm missing? Thank you all in advance for any input! Other System parts: CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 Ram: G-skill Ripsaw V (3600, cas 16) MoBo: waiting for new B550 SDD: 1TB 960 Evo (already had this, not calc in cost) PSU: Pending (a lot are sold out/expensive right now) Case: Fractal Meshify C + 3 additional pure wing 120mm fans