New into gaming on PC

[TheFishBucket]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WJ7n4q

 

 

I want to know if this is a good PCPP list. The price is $750USD, but I can get it all for $650 at MicroCenter. 

 

I plan on heavy gaming, no streaming or editing, just heavy gaming at 1080p 120hz or 4K 60.

 

Is this build worth it for $650? 

 

Does the the motherboard have enough fan headers? I heard something about RGB headers, does the motherboard have those and will it work? Also will I be able to overclock the GPU & CPU?

 

Please feel free to make some changes if you think it’ll be better! I already have a 1TB SSD hence why I didn’t add one in the list.

Thanks!! 

 

 

[Manderis]

Go for the 2600, it is just 8 $ more or smth like that. 4k 60 is probably not in your reach with that GPU if we are talking anything but esports games. To OC the CPU i would recommend throwing in a decent fan. The one in the box is not bad and can stay there for a light OC but if you want something more, go something better. 

 

It probably does have enough headers if you don't want to go full ham on fans and rgb 

Check here https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/Fatal1ty B450 Gaming K4/index.asp#Specification

and use ctrl+f to search "header"

 

You could try to get a better PSU

 

And the 290 $ for a 580 is a bit much. You should get one around 200 $ but i don't know your microcenter pricing.

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/79Jq29
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/79Jq29/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($164.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty B450 GAMING K4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($103.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($92.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 8 GB Gaming 8G Video Card  ($199.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 5 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.97 @ Newegg) 
Total: $691.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-21 08:15 EST-0500

[Taswell]

go for 120Hz. Higher refresh rate is so much more worth it than 4K 60Hz.

[Herman Mcpootis]

get a better PSU but otherwise it's fine

 

[NuclearPenske7]

If you don't mind used, you can have a GTX 1070 for $200-220 and it's much faster than RX580 for gaming. That said, RX580 is a fantastic card, but not for $290. They usually go for $180-190 brand new.

 

Here's one with a brand new 1070 coming to less money than your original list:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($164.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME B450M-A/CSM Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($79.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($92.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB Windforce OC Video Card  ($299.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($47.98 @ Newegg Business) 
Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.97 @ Newegg) 
Total: $744.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-21 11:20 EST-0500

[BelgianNoise]

you might wanna smack a small SSD in there.

[NuclearPenske7]

5 minutes ago, BelgianNoise said:

you might wanna smack a small SSD in there.

He mentioned he already has a 1TB SSD.

[BelgianNoise]

8 minutes ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

He mentioned he already has a 1TB SSD.

teach me how to read please, thought he said HDD.

[BelgianNoise]

9 minutes ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

He mentioned he already has a 1TB SSD.

my brain isnt used to reading "1TB" and "SSD" together. Only in my dreams it exists
 

[Guest]

42 minutes ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

If you don't mind used, you can have a GTX 1070 for $200-220 and it's much faster than RX580 for gaming. That said, RX580 is a fantastic card, but not for $290. They usually go for $180-190 brand new.

 

Here's one with a brand new 1070 coming to less money than your original list:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($164.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME B450M-A/CSM Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($79.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($92.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB Windforce OC Video Card  ($299.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($47.98 @ Newegg Business) 
Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.97 @ Newegg) 
Total: $744.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-21 11:20 EST-0500

I would get a better board though, as that one is terrible. 

[NuclearPenske7]

4 minutes ago, lee32uk said:

I would get a better board though, as that one is terrible. 

And it's terrible why?

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

And it's terrible why?

Crappy VRM.

[NuclearPenske7]

8 minutes ago, lee32uk said:

Crappy VRM.

Can you elaborate? Seems pretty standard for this level of board and certainly more than enough to support a Ryzen 5 2600 with a mild overclock. Even the Gigabyte Aorus M only uses 4+3 despite visually looking like a 8+3, with the most boards in this range sport a 4+2 setup. If anything, the ASP1106GGQW on the Asus is fully digital, unlike the ISL95712 found on the comparable Asrock and Gigabyte boards. The only real alternative would be the MSI B450M Mortar with RT8894A, but that seemed to have been discontinued.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

Can you elaborate? Seems pretty standard for this level of board and certainly more than enough to support a Ryzen 5 2600 with a mild overclock. Even the Gigabyte Aorus M only uses 4+3 despite visually looking like a 8+3, with the most boards in this range sport a 4+2 setup. If anything, the ASP1106GGQW on the Asus is fully digital, unlike the ISL95712 found on the comparable Asrock and Gigabyte boards. The only real alternative would be the MSI B450M Mortar with RT8894A, but that seemed to have been discontinued.

I wouldn't overclock on it just because it has no heatsinks on the VRM. Maybe it will cope ok with a slight overclock but you certainly wouldn't be able to put an 8 core in it so that limits your upgrade path.

 

If he is happy to go with ATX then something like the MSI B450 Tomahawk would be a better option, although of course it costs a bit more money. 

 

[NuclearPenske7]

1 minute ago, lee32uk said:

I wouldn't overclock on it just because it has no heatsinks on the VRM. Maybe it will cope ok with a slight overclock but you certainly wouldn't be able to put an 8 core in it so that limits your upgrade path.

 

If he is happy to go with ATX then something like the MSI B450 Tomahawk would be a better option, although of course it costs a bit more money. 

 

These boards run a 8c/16t 2700X @ 4.1 just fine. They aren't going to break any records but a mild OC on 8 cores isn't gonna break them either. Also, you realize the B450 Tomahawk uses the exact same VRMs as the B450M Mortar which is comparable to the Prime? They don't start using IR35201 until you get to X470 Carbon and M7.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

These boards run a 8c/16t 2700X @ 4.1 just fine. They aren't going to break any records but a mild OC on 8 cores isn't gonna break them either. Also, you realize the B450 Tomahawk uses the exact same VRMs as the B450M Mortar which is comparable to the Prime? They don't start using IR35201 until you get to X470 Carbon and M7.

That board in your spec doesn't have a chance of running an 8 core 2700X @ 4.1GHz. No idea why you think it would.

 

If you want an expert opinion then go watch buildzoid b450 board teardown. He describes that particular Asus board as garbage.

[NuclearPenske7]

9 hours ago, lee32uk said:

That board in your spec doesn't have a chance of running an 8 core 2700X @ 4.1GHz. No idea why you think it would.

 

If you want an expert opinion then go watch buildzoid b450 board teardown. He describes that particular Asus board as garbage.

I just watched it and it's hardly an expert opinion. He's determining if a board is garbage based on the visual layout of VRMs and the heatsinks. Lots of generalization and speculation on certain boards based on his knowledge on other, completely different boards spec-wise. There's zero testing involved and he based his analysis of all B450 products on stock pictures. He doesn't even know which VRM components the manufacturers used and resorted to counting the number of things he sees in the pictures. Anyone can do that. That's not an expert opinion.

 

I'm not defending any manufacturers since they all use same-tier components at this price range. Sure, you may squeeze out another 100-200 MHz with a $200+ board, but at that point you'd be much better off spending that extra money on a better GPU. Most of the criticism on cheap motherboards come from people trying to build high-end rigs around the cheapest boards, which this build clearly isn't. 

[Guest]

6 hours ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

I just watched it and it's hardly an expert opinion. He's determining if a board is garbage based on the visual layout of VRMs and the heatsinks. Lots of generalization and speculation on certain boards based on his knowledge on other, completely different boards spec-wise. There's zero testing involved and he based his analysis of all B450 products on stock pictures. He doesn't even know which VRM components the manufacturers used and resorted to counting the number of things he sees in the pictures. Anyone can do that. That's not an expert opinion.

 

I'm not defending any manufacturers since they all use same-tier components at this price range. Sure, you may squeeze out another 100-200 MHz with a $200+ board, but at that point you'd be much better off spending that extra money on a better GPU. Most of the criticism on cheap motherboards come from people trying to build high-end rigs around the cheapest boards, which this build clearly isn't. 

The Guy is a high end overclocker. He also does articles for Gamers Nexus. I would say he knows what he is talking about.

 

https://www.gamersnexus.net/tag/buildzoid

 

 

And of course you can get an idea of how it will perform just by looking at it. All components have a 'spec' sheet so you know the tolerances and what sort of voltages they can handle etc already. A 2700X when overclocked pulls a lot of juice. That is why you need a substantial VRM otherwise you are going to have issues such as throttling/system shutdown or worse. 

 

Of course every manufacturer has access to the same components. That doesn't mean all lower end boards are created equally. Just look at Gigabyte Z390 boards compared to Asus as a prime example. The Gigabyte boards stomp all over Asus on the VRM area. Sure they have some good boards such as the Gene and the Formula etc. For the most part they are very disappointing.

[NuclearPenske7]

1 minute ago, lee32uk said:

The Guy is a high end overclocker. He also does articles for Gamers Nexus. I would say he knows what he is talking about.

 

https://www.gamersnexus.net/tag/buildzoid

 

 

And of course you can get an idea of how it will perform just by looking at it. All components have a 'spec' sheet so you know the tolerances and what sort of voltages they can handle etc already. A 2700X when overclocked pulls a lot of juice. That is why you need a substantial VRM otherwise you are going to have issues such as throttling/system shutdown or worse. 

 

Of course every manufacturer has access to the same components. That doesn't mean all lower end boards are created equally. Just look at Gigabyte Z390 boards compared to Asus as a prime example. The Gigabyte boards stomp all over Asus on the VRM area. Sure they have some good boards such as the Gene and the Formula etc. For the most part they are very disappointing.

A doctor once said we should have a heavy breakfast, and bacon has become a breakfast food since. The Verge was only credible until their PC build video. Prior credibility doesn't mean he's automatically correct on everything. There's nothing solid on the video. His "analysis" was based on visual information only. Simple as that. If anything, it's disappointing to see someone who writes articles for GN engage in this kind of practice. 

 

If you read the customer reviews on the Gigabyte Aorus M on retail channels, a lot of the buyers were actually very unhappy about how Gigabyte made it look like a 8+3 when it's actually a 4+3. I won't argue with you that Gigabyte has others beat on the Z390 front as there's ample data supporting it, but things are different for B450 at the price range we're looking at. Read: https://www.hardwareluxx.de/community/f12/pga-am4-mainboard-vrm-liste-1155146.html

 

Understand that every manufacturers have products at different levels and they often do not carry the same design or philosophy of the halo products. Your argument against these boards is that they're not enough because they don't look like they're enough, and that they're garbage because someone looked at a few pictures and say they're garbage. Luckily, unlike politics, physics are pretty black and white. Given a set of conditions, they either work or they don't. Here's a review, with results, of the B450 Prime Plus, with the exact same VRM setup as the B450M-A: https://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/asus_b450_prime_plus_review/3

 

It's not the best performing board and it lacks manual overclocking options, but from what I'm seeing, it's pretty solid for a whopping $80. It also managed some of the coolest VRM temperatures they've recorded using a 2700X. With that said, I think I've made my case here, and it's up to OP to decide what he wants to buy. My suggestion to you would be to look at everything on a case-by-case basis. Generalization works well in the eyes of marketing and not the consumers. 

 

Nuclear out.

[Guest]

The Verge is not really a good comparison to make though is it ? They cover lots of different areas such as Science, Culture etc. I would say they are more of a 'Lifestyle' channel than a pc channel. Also it is clear that the Guy who did that pc build video had never built one before. He didn't even know the correct names for cable ties for starters. A blind one armed monkey could have built that better than he did. You can have whatever opinion you want of Buildzoid, it doesn't really matter. If he is as bad as you are making out then I am sure Steve from Gamers Nexus would welcome your input 

 

 

You look at reviews on retail channels ? That kind of sums it up then. People only tend to post when they have something negative to say most of the time. User reviews on the likes of Amazon or any other retailer are meaningless. You can find people giving bad ratings if something didn't arrive on time, or other crap that has no bearing on the actual quality of the product. I could buy some crappy £10 power supply and give it 5 stars just because it managed to power up my pc. That doesn't mean it will last the distance. 

 

Yes Gigabyte have been guilty of misleading VRM info in the past, just like every other manufacturer has. They have learnt from past mistakes though. Not sure you can say the same for Asus.

 

 

Also that OC3D review isn't the same board as the one you have in your spec list. You not notice that yours is lacking any sort of heatsinks ? The one in the review does at least have a couple of heatsinks. Even though they are not substantial they will remove some heat. Plus the cpu is running at stock. That makes a hell of a difference to temps.  

 

 

 

If you want to quote Hardwareluxx then there here is a different opinion. The board you chose is highlighted in red under garbage tier. The B450 Prime is slightly better.

 

 

 

I don't think there is any point in continuing this as you clearly have your opinion and I have mine. All I will say is if he cheaps out on the board now he might regret it down the line. That doesn't mean he has to spend $200 on one though. 

 

[NuclearPenske7]

[Guest]

Quoting that doesn't make the board any better. You can't polish a turd as the saying goes.