First PC build

[alaskablackbelt]

Hi all, 

I am in the process of building my first PC, and was looking for some feedback on my parts list. My total budget is $1200 (US) including peripherals, tax, and cables. Sales tax is ~10% where I live, so let's say a target of $1100. My goal is to replace an aging laptop using a Nexdock (https://nexdock.com/) while also being able to display to the TV. I also want to be able to play just about any game at 1080p 60Hz. Since it is going to be on display in my living room, I am trying to get some of the aesthetics and creature comforts of higher-end systems without totally breaking the bank.

After a lot of research, my current parts list is:

CPU: Ryzen 5 1600 (AF sku) - $85

Memory: 16GB Corsair vengance pro RGB 3200MHz - $95

Motherboard: Asus TUF B450M-Plus Gaming - $90

PSU: EVGA supernova 550W fully modular 80+ gold - $80

GPU: Asus TUF gaming GTX 1660 super - $230

Storage: WD blue 500GB M.2 NVME SSD - $65

Case: Cooler Master Q300L - $50

Peripherals/accessories:

Logitech MK345 wireless mouse/keyboard combo - $30

2 x Noctua NF-S12B redux - $30

Nexdock touch - $265

Silverstone fan controller - $15

Cables: $60

I have already purchased the case and SSD, but am open to suggestions on everything else. I am also planning on adding an additional 2TB HDD in the future for mass storage, but I don't think that I'll need it right away. Does this seem like a half-reasonable build? I welcome all feedback! 

Thanks!

AK

 

 

 

 

[MartinKweh]

For $1200, i think you should bump it up to atleast r5 3600m thats a large boost compared to the 1600AF. I think going for performance over the aesthetics is better. Though its up to you

[dizmo]

I wouldn't get such horrible peripherals. The fans aren't really needed, so kick them out and upgrade the stuff you'll be touching every time you use the PC.

[m777y]

r5 2600x/r5 3500x best budget cpu to combine with 1660 super

[boggy77]

Get the mai b450 vdh pro max instead. Cheaper and better mobo than the asus one.

Also, you're overspending on ram just for the rgb factor. You can find 16gb of 3200 ram for $70

[alaskablackbelt]

15 hours ago, dizmo said:

I wouldn't get such horrible peripherals. The fans aren't really needed, so kick them out and upgrade the stuff you'll be touching every time you use the PC.

Honestly that was going to be my first upgrade on the system lol. Do you know of a decent wireless keyboard/mouse that I could find for $75-100?

[dizmo]

2 minutes ago, alaskablackbelt said:

Honestly that was going to be my first upgrade on the system lol. Do you know of a decent wireless keyboard/mouse that I could find for $75-100?

I'd stretch your budget a little more. For $130ish you can get a K63 plus a decent wireless mouse like the G602.

[alaskablackbelt]

7 hours ago, boggy77 said:

Get the mai b450 vdh pro max instead. Cheaper and better mobo than the asus one.

Also, you're overspending on ram just for the rgb factor. You can find 16gb of 3200 ram for $70

Okay, I'm new here, so I'm curious as to what makes that board better? I looked it up and it doesn't seem much different other than a slightly higher supported RAM speed. Thanks!

[boggy77]

2 hours ago, alaskablackbelt said:

Okay, I'm new here, so I'm curious as to what makes that board better? I looked it up and it doesn't seem much different other than a slightly higher supported RAM speed. Thanks!

Most important things on a motherboard are vrms. They deliver power to the cpu. Most b450 boards (apart from the msi ones) have bad vrms that can't deliver enough power to a top of the line cpu like the 2700x. Furthermore, they don't have heatsinks on the vrms, so the heat up dangerously.

[alaskablackbelt]

5 hours ago, boggy77 said:

Most important things on a motherboard are vrms. They deliver power to the cpu. Most b450 boards (apart from the msi ones) have bad vrms that can't deliver enough power to a top of the line cpu like the 2700x. Furthermore, they don't have heatsinks on the vrms, so the heat up dangerously.

Okay cool. So basically the MSI boards will deliver power better to the cpu than one that I had picked out, and the vdh pro max will work well for me at a similar price point?

[ShinRamen]

Alright, I hope I didn't get confused with your budget. Here's a build:
 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$174.99 @ B&H
Motherboard	MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$79.99 @ B&H
Memory	G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$69.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Western Digital Blue 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	Purchased For $0.00
Video Card	EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB SC BLACK GAMING Video Card	$383.98 @ Newegg
Case	Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case	Purchased For $0.00
Power Supply	Corsair CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$68.98 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$797.93
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$777.93
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-29 23:15 EST-0500

Add your Nexdock for $265 and you end up at $1043 total. Add any peripherals you want for the rest of your budget - although as others have pointed out: invest in something solid, you'll be using it everyday. From what I've seen the Nexdock will be available in June/July, so maybe invest a bit in good peripherals and save some money until then.

[alaskablackbelt]

Okay, so after hearing the feedback I have retooled the list. I saw a rebate through EVGA for a $20 rebate on the psu, so I factored that in minus shipping cost.

CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 - $175

Mobo: MSI B450M Pro-Vdh max - $80

Memory: G.Skill ripjaws 16GB - $70

Storage: WD blue - $65

Psu: EVGA 550W - $65

Case: Q300L - $50

Monitor(?): Nexdock touch - $265

That puts me at $770. 

Keyboard: Corsair K63 wireless - $90

Since the keyboard has a USB passthrough I can actually use an okay but existing wired mouse and upgrade later.

Gpu: EVGA RTX 2060 - $320

That puts me at a total of $1180, so a little over budget. But hey, what isn't? I know that the Nexdock isn't shipping until summer, so I've got a little bit of time to save up on that one. What do you all think? Thanks!

 

[ShinRamen]

18 minutes ago, alaskablackbelt said:

Okay, so after hearing the feedback I have retooled the list. I saw a rebate through EVGA for a $20 rebate on the psu, so I factored that in minus shipping cost.

CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 - $175

Mobo: MSI B450M Pro-Vdh max - $80

Memory: G.Skill ripjaws 16GB - $70

Storage: WD blue - $65

Psu: EVGA 550W - $65

Case: Q300L - $50

Monitor(?): Nexdock touch - $265

That puts me at $770. 

Keyboard: Corsair K63 wireless - $90

Since the keyboard has a USB passthrough I can actually use an okay but existing wired mouse and upgrade later.

Gpu: EVGA RTX 2060 - $320

That puts me at a total of $1180, so a little over budget. But hey, what isn't? I know that the Nexdock isn't shipping until summer, so I've got a little bit of time to save up on that one. What do you all think? Thanks!

 

Which EVGA PSU is that exactly? Some are better, some are worse.
What GPU do you have there? EVGA 2060 Super or EVGA 2060 KO? The 2060 Super will perform better in games, the 2060 KO has an advantage in productivity tasks, since it uses the TU104 die that the 2070 Super and 2080 use.

Other than that: very, very good build, it'll perform much better than what you presented us at first!

[alaskablackbelt]

31 minutes ago, ShinRamen said:

Which EVGA PSU is that exactly? Some are better, some are worse.
What GPU do you have there? EVGA 2060 Super or EVGA 2060 KO? The 2060 Super will perform better in games, the 2060 KO has an advantage in productivity tasks, since it uses the TU104 die that the 2070 Super and 2080 use.

Other than that: very, very good build, it'll perform much better than what you presented us at first!

The PSU is the SuperNOVA 550 GA (220-GA-0550-X1). I figured that it had the features that I wanted from a reputable brand, and the price certainly was right with the rebate.

As for the GPU, I was looking at the EVGA 2060 KO Ultra Gaming (06G-P4-2068-KR). Is the performance difference between the two large enough to warrant the extra cost?