Stilg7

NTFS?  reformat flash to Fat32 and stick bios back on flash once you've done that, rename the Bios file to "MSI.ROM" if you didn't already

 i don't believe you can update a bios if flash is formatted in NTFS, and file name needs to be correct

Perfect, you da man!

New, the cheapest chip would probably be the Ryzen 3 1200 at $59.37 or the Athlon 200GE at $56.99 (both on Amazon US.) 

If the motherboard's BIOS is not new enough (which can be confirmed by you attempting to boot it with the 3600 in), you will need a Ryzen 2000, Ryzen 1000 or an Athlon 200GE to POST the system, enter the BIOS and use the in-BIOS flashing utility. The board does not feature USB Flashback or any similar feature, so you will need a compatible CPU. I would not recommend using an AMD A-series APU, as they lose support in the Ryzen 3000 BIOS update.
 
AMD offers boot-kits to customers on their website, but you can also check with local PC shops to see if they can do the flash for you if you don't want to go through the hassle.

You can have double the capacity to 1TB with the 660p for the same pricepoint:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GCL6BR4/?tag=pcpapi-20
 
Or you can pay 30 dollars less for the same performance and reliability with the Sabrent Rocket at the same 500GB capacity:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KGMBCKD/?tag=pcpapi-20
 
It's up to you from here [:

Extra performance would mean faster read and writes for file transfers but that is mostly for content creators such as editors that need faster speeds. For gaming just get the cheapest one you can find, the difference will be a few seconds while loading maps or levels

Oh then it will be easy to find a good solution for you.
 
How much do you want to spend on? should we focus performance/reliability or raw storage quantity?

the Plus is newer but they're very similar, so feel free to go for the cheaper option. Also look at pricing for WD Black, Seagate Firecuda 510, Corsair MP510 and Intel 660p

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wjmLrH/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu12s

The 5700 XT is on the level of the 2070 Super and 1080 Ti so imo, maybe. Depends on how much you want to push the system and how long you want it to last before the next upgrade. 

No
 
MSI B450i Gaming Plus AC

Nope
 
The gigabyte board is not far behind hardware wise, but the MSI BIOS is far better to work with when it comes to overclocking and such.

You can save all that money for an even better GPU, or whatever else could use an upgrade in your rig.

The 9700K is Not worth 200$ more considering its barely 5% faster. Get the Ryzen 5

if you are saving $100 there is literally no question. get the ryzen. super obvious. use that money for a better gpu or just pocket the extra savings

Stock for stock the 9600k and the R5 3600 are basically on par in gaming performance. The 9600k is only really better for gaming when overclocked and in any task that takes advantage of multi threaded performance the 3600 smokes the 9600k. Just my 2c.

yes. they're on par in gaming, but SMT on the 3600 helps it perform better everywhere else and helps it last longer. you can use freesync with the 1070ti so grab a cheaper freesync monitor. if you're gonna get the 5700XT then wait for the pulse and evoke to be in stock if possible.

If you are going to save that much definitely (you will need a bios update for a 3600 on a b450 board). As for gpu wise the 1070ti is still a good card and going to the 5700xt will get you better performance but is of course going to cost more. Really it depends on the res that you plan on playing at. The 5700xt is currently only available in reference trim (blower style) but aib cards should be available soon.

Since I'm paying $200 for the 9600k, it's the same price as the 3600. From what I've read, the 9600k is just a better CPU for gaming. Also, from what I've read, the stock coolers on the AMDs are no bueno. Side note, all of my information is from hours of internet research. Rather than hands on or from personal experience lol