mgrinspan

Also of note is the EZ Debug light for the RAM isn't lighting up - even with no RAM installed.

She says the box was in great condition, no sign of damage. I packed it pretty well. The case came with a hard foam that holds it in place pretty well so i sent the built PC in that. The EPS/ATX cables are plugged in just fine, other cables I would imagine don't matter much since the thing turns on just no post (or no output, not sure which). We'll try the CMOS reset

Don't do SLI. Its a hit or miss, some games benefit from it, some will perform worse, some won't even support it.

Maybe not double but definitely at least a 50% increase. I might be wrong and you might be able to double it. Definitely do some research but I can tell you that it will make a huge difference.

If you have the money for a 1080Ti then get it. It will definitely boost performance.

Should have saved the paste for when you put a real cooler on it lol the paste is worth more than the stock cooler.

Your motherboard has no VRM heatsink on the SoC VRM, don't run stress tests anymore unless you put a fan over the top VRM

Also only a 2 phase looks like, really should have gotten an ASrock Pro 4 or MSI Tomahawk board for the APU
 
 

I think AIDA64 will be more representative of real world temps, Prime95 really pushes the CPU with AVX loads, which you'll rarely or even never see. My 2600k OC'd taps the 80C mark in Prime95, but runs 50-70C in games, which is just fine.

I don't pretend to know what I'm talking about but I'm building a similar PC right now. I went with the MSI B450M PRO-VDH due to other's recommendations. (Look at my topics)

@MandoPanda
 
Just checked PCPartPicker again and looks like NewEgg has the mobo you suggested for (slightly) cheaper than the one I got. So I've ordered that and will return the other one to Amazon. Thanks!

@Crunchy Dragon @Lurick Ok, thanks, I think I'll get 2x4 DDR4-2800

Alright, I'll splurge for the 3000 as the 2666 is US$0.90 cheaper - there is a 2666 that's US$8 cheaper with 19CL instead of 16, but I'm assuming the difference between 16 and 19CL is enough to warrant US$8. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
 
Here's the "final" build, note the SSD on the list is a spare I have, and the HDD is from the existing PC. (Best way to save on parts is to already have said parts.)
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($159.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($69.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($63.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Case: DIYPC - MA01-R MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($25.97 @ Newegg Business) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($32.98 @ Newegg) 
Other: Travelstar 5K1000 1TD 2.5" HDD (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $352.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-11 01:01 EDT-0400

@pinksnowbirdie
 
So from what I can tell from that video, RAM speeds matter more when using an APU. Good to know!
 
Last question (probably) - In this video he's using 2400Mhz RAM and using XMP/DOCP to overclock it to 3200Mhz, couldn't I stick with the 2133 and let XMP/DOCP make up the difference (rather than buying 3000Mhz)? Or were you suggesting I get the 3000 and add XMP/DOCP on top of that?
 
Thanks! ?

If we don't get one now we probably won't for years - I don't expect to upgrade this rig much if at all.
 
Is RAM speed that impactful?
 
Fair point, but even though the 2400G is about the same price as the 1600, I get to cut out $100+ on a GPU with the 2400G.

Thanks a ton @pinksnowbirdie and @Dan Castellaneta
 
I'm liking the 2200G idea - would it be worth it get the 2400G instead for the slightly higher clock speeds, multithreading, and Vega 11 instead of 8? I'm sure the clock speed difference is negligible and I can't speak of Vega 8 vs 11, but in my experience multithreading is day and night. Of course, this computer isn't for me and will have much less multitasking going on (think a couple YouTube tabs, Discord, and a game).
 
Again, thanks so much for your help!