cheap~ish E-sports build

[The_Prycer]

So I haven't built a gaming PC in a hot minute (my personal rig uses a 9590FX because I just can't be arsed to upgrade since I get 60+FPS in everything I play and I don't get more than 6 hours of gaming in a week anyway) and a friend of mine was looking to get a PC for his living room to watch Netflix/YouTube and let his kids play things like Rocket League, Fortnite, Minecraft,League of Legends, etc. on. Since I am the resident IT guy of my friend group I was immediately roped in to helping him pick out a pre-built 

 

Because I am a decent human being, I put a crack build together that was cheaper than all the pre-builts we'd looked at and should deliver all the performance he needs. I'd just like a second or third opinion to make sure I've got this thing put together right. If it really needs a GPU I'll probably buy a used 660ti off ebay for <$40 because that thing is still usuable.

 

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2MXCBb)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/XP6qqs/amd-ryzen-5-3400g-37-ghz-quad-core-processor-yd3400c5fhbox) | $148.90 @ OutletPC 
**Motherboard** | [Asus PRIME A320M-K Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6FvZxr/asus-prime-a320m-k-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-prime-a320m-k) | $62.25 @ Amazon 
**Memory** | [Team Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wQmxFT/team-vulcan-8gb-2-x-4gb-ddr4-3000-memory-tlgd48g3000hc16cdc01) | $41.89 @ OutletPC 
**Storage** | [Crucial P1 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xpYLrH/crucial-p1-500gb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-ct500p1ssd8) | $66.85 @ OutletPC 
**Case** | [Rosewill FBM-06 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2w448d/rosewill-fbm-06-microatx-mini-tower-case-fbm-06) | $29.99 @ Newegg Business 
**Power Supply** | [EVGA BQ 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/DmWrxr/evga-bq-600w-80-bronze-certified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-110-bq-0600-k1) | $52.98 @ Newegg 
 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
 | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $417.86
 | Mail-in rebates | -$15.00
 | **Total** | **$402.86**
 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2019-08-22 12:53 EDT-0400 |

 

Reasoning for parts

 

CPU: Shiny new Ryzen 3 with Vega 11 iGPU. Quad core should be more than sufficient for the kinds of games that will be put on this system. I'd considered cheaping out and giving it an A-10 or A-12 chip and dropping a 570 or 1650 in, but the Vega 11 seems capable enough of running most casual titles and the extra CPU cost offsets not needing a GPU

 

MOBO: It was small, cheap, and had an M.2 slot. While I feel I could have gotten a higher end board here, I am trying to keep this thing closer to $400 than $450

 

RAM: 8 Gigs of DDR4 3000. This should be more than sufficient for casual gaming or watching Pewdiepie do whatever it is he does

 

Storage: NVME M.2 chip for the speediest boot times. I feel like having a slightly higher capacity chip might have been a better move, but costs needed to be cut somewhere and I like M.2 chips too much to make this an HDD. While I could have maybe used a regular SSD or even a Hybrid drive, this computer is going to be around children and a cat, so the fewer things that can get knocked out of place, the better.

 

Case: Small and cheap. 

 

PSU: I know what you're thinking "600W for this thing?! That's overkill" and you would be correct, but this gives plenty of room for a fat GPU upgrade in the future when his kids want to play more graphically demanding titles or they decide to do a full system upgrade.

 

 

[Jurrunio]

4 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

CPU: Shiny new Ryzen 3 with Vega 11 iGPU. Quad core should be more than sufficient for the kinds of games that will be put on this system. I'd considered cheaping out and giving it an A-10 or A-12 chip and dropping a 570 or 1650 in, but the Vega 11 seems capable enough of running most casual titles and the extra CPU cost offsets not needing a GPU

2200g will do for basic games

 

4 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

MOBO: It was small, cheap, and had an M.2 slot. While I feel I could have gotten a higher end board here, I am trying to keep this thing closer to $400 than $450

A320 boards are terrible, get a new B450 at least say the Asrock Pro4. Consider how cheaply made A320 boards need to be to even make sense to sell below the price point of B350 boards.

 

4 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

PSU: I know what you're thinking "600W for this thing?! That's overkill" and you would be correct, but this gives plenty of room for a fat GPU upgrade in the future when his kids want to play more graphically demanding titles or they decide to do a full system upgrade.

How fat of a GPU? Even R9 290X draws 300w stock, when the CPU barely does 100w.

[GoldenLag]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($59.35 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock B450M Pro4-F Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($71.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Team Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($41.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Silicon Power A55 512 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($51.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 570 4 GB PULSE Video Card  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($44.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Corsair) 
Total: $439.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-22 13:57 EDT-0400

 

way better for only a little more without the poor purschasing decisions of the build in the OP

[The_Prycer]

13 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

2200g will do for basic games

 

A320 boards are terrible, get a new B450 at least say the Asrock Pro4. Consider how cheaply made A320 boards need to be to even make sense to sell below the price point of B350 boards.

 

How fat of a GPU? Even R9 290X draws 300w stock, when the CPU barely does 100w.

The 450 would be more compatible with a 2200g and it would probably end up working, but Ryzen 3 is just so sexy.

 

Although I could probably just boot in to Puppy and grab the drivers for the 450 board if it doesn't want to play nice out of the box. 

 

I dunno, maybe they want to slap a RGB 2080ti in there for the full RTX Minecraft experience. for under $60 I think having a beefier PSU is something I can live with. 

[GoldenLag]

2 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

The 450 would be more compatible with a 2200g and it would probably end up working, but Ryzen 3 is just so sexy.

you mean 3rd gen?

 

why? its just Zen+ APU.......

3 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

I dunno, maybe they want to slap a RGB 2080ti in there for the full RTX Minecraft experience. for under $60 I think having a beefier PSU is something I can live with. 

you can kinda do that with a 450 watt PSU...........

[The_Prycer]

3 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

 

 

way better for only a little more without the poor purschasing decisions of the build in the OP

Aside from the mobo, I wouldn't really consider the original to have poor purchasing decisions. I tried to account for current wants as well as future upgrade paths.

[GoldenLag]

1 minute ago, The_Prycer said:

Aside from the mobo, I wouldn't really consider the original to have poor purchasing decisions. I tried to account for current wants as well as future upgrade paths.

the case is...... lets call it "meh" to work with. 

 

PSU isnt great. 

 

SSD is kinda costly considering we are squeezing budget. and the 3rd gen APU does not make a lot of sense since its a Zen+ part. 

[The_Prycer]

Just now, GoldenLag said:

why? its just Zen+ APU.......

you can kinda do that with a 450 watt PSU...........

Certain boards need a BIOS update before having a Zen 2 chip dropped in out of the box and off the top of my head I don't know which 450 boards do or don't require it.

 

I've always gone slightly overboard with PSUs. It is a staple of my builds as I believe going a bit over the top with them leads to longer system lifetime

[GoldenLag]

4 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

Certain boards need a BIOS update before having a Zen 2 chip dropped in out of the box and off the top of my head I don't know which 450 boards do or don't require it.

you also need a BIOS update to get a Zen+ APU in aswell iirc. 

5 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

I've always gone slightly overboard with PSUs. It is a staple of my builds as I believe going a bit over the top with them leads to longer system lifetime

1. yes its overkill
2. wattage does not lead to longer lifespan
3. the quality of the PSU is quite bad. 
4. 550 watts allows you to run any consumer configuration providing you have a good quality PSU, something you didnt pick

[The_Prycer]

Just now, GoldenLag said:

you also need a BIOS update to get a Zen+ APU in aswell iirc. 

1. yes its overkill
2. wattage does not lead to longer lifespan
3. the quality of the PSU is quite bad. 
4. 550 watts allows you to run any consumer configuration providing you have a good quality PSU, something you didnt pick

I feel we're going to have to agree to disagree on the PSU. It has positive reviews across multiple sites, offers a semi-modular design to make cable management a bit easier, and aside from your posts, I can't seem to find anyone outright calling it bad. Does it have inefficient power delivery? Is it prone to overheating? You haven't given me a reason beyond "Its bad" so I have nothing to go with.

 

as for point 2

 

I don't think wattage in and of itself increases lifespan, what I believe is that having a PSU that never approaches maximum draw or effort will cause it to last longer as the parts will never approach the heat or power levels they are built to withstand. In the same way a larger V8 engine will outlast an I4 if both are driven the same way. A 500+ Watt system will basically last forever in a sub 200W system and while a Corsair unit would be my choice for my personal build, I haven't had a bad experience with EVGA power supplies in my work as a repair tech.

[GoldenLag]

14 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

I feel we're going to have to agree to disagree on the PSU. It has positive reviews across multiple sites, offers a semi-modular design to make cable management a bit easier, and aside from your posts, I can't seem to find anyone outright calling it bad. Does it have inefficient power delivery? Is it prone to overheating? You haven't given me a reason beyond "Its bad" so I have nothing to go with.

its tier C on the tier list and ive yet to see a review suggesting its good. the 750watt and more version of it is good. the 650w and below is not. its not great. fine for office PC tasks. 

 

especially not high powerdraw hardware. 

16 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

I haven't had a bad experience with EVGA power supplies in my work as a repair tech.

EVGA does not make powersupplies. secondly dont trust brands with anything. 3 its usually superflower PSUs rebranded. 

18 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

I don't think wattage in and of itself increases lifespan, what I believe is that having a PSU that never approaches maximum draw or effort will cause it to last longer as the parts will never approach the heat or power levels they are built to withstand. In the same way a larger V8 engine will outlast an I4 if both are driven the same way. A 500+ Watt system will basically last forever in a sub 200W system

in other words........ no significance. a lower power good PSU will outlast a higher power "meh" PSU any day of the week. also the PSU doesnt really get affected by the ammount of load you put on it. what is 200w for a 550 watt PSU vs 600w PSU. or 450 watt PSU. its nothing. in fact 200w for a 550w PSU is better than 600w as its more effient at those lower power levels. less heat is generated. even tho it doesnt matter. 

[LukeSavenije]

1 hour ago, The_Prycer said:

haven't had a bad experience with EVGA power supplies

evga doesn't make anything you know

 

this is a superflower if i recall correctly, but not exactly a good one

[The_Prycer]

1 hour ago, GoldenLag said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($59.35 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock B450M Pro4-F Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($71.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Team Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($41.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Silicon Power A55 512 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($51.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 570 4 GB PULSE Video Card  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($44.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Corsair) 
Total: $439.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-22 13:57 EDT-0400

 

way better for only a little more without the poor purschasing decisions of the build in the OP

Also, I wouldn't call your build "way better" as there are some concerns this config raises.

 

First off, you chose the single cheapest 1st gen Ryzen chip in order to be able to afford a GPU and while the 570 is certainly not a bad budget card, there isn't really anywhere else this build can go from here. Maybe a 580 or 1060 for maximum performance, but this CPU choice locks this system in to being a low end system forever. I specifically chose to spend more to have a nice CPU now that can run the games with less frames (which on a 60hz tv doesn't really matter) with the choice of dropping a nice GPU in later should the people using it want to run some graphically heavier games or build a full battle-station. What you've done by spending $10 more is ensure this build only ever gets used for lower end games and can't grow to become something better.

 

I concede on the mobo as your choice is better and I'll probably end up going with it or a similar one once I put this together

 

We chose the same RAM so no complaints

 

Storage is where I was really scratching my head. On the one hand, M.2s are the best, but a touch more expensive, on the other hand a cheaper SSD or even HDD could offer more storage. For the $14 price difference with only a 12GB increase in storage I feel that savings are probably best achieved through a smaller m.2 for a boot drive with a hybrid or even full hdd for file storage.

 

You have a more expensive case that offers a bit more interior room. Considering I purposefully went with no GPU and a semi-moduar PSU to use this cheap ass metal box knowing it is a tight fit, I feel the best compromise case is probably the $40 Cougar MG110 (which is LMG reccomended)

 

I'm not touching the PSU because I feel enough has been said about it

[LukeSavenije]

1 minute ago, The_Prycer said:

I'm not touching the PSU because I feel enough has been said about it

dude, if you're so full of yourself, then don't ask for advice

 

we're trying to give you it, but if you're to stubborn to understand, we're just wasting your time, but more importantly, our time

[GoldenLag]

1 minute ago, The_Prycer said:

First off, you chose the single cheapest 1st gen Ryzen chip

Its a good chip. Why would that be a bad thing?

1 minute ago, The_Prycer said:

Maybe a 580 or 1060 for maximum performance,

These cards are irrelevant with the launch of the gtx 1660 kinda...... And performance wise the 570 is really close. 

2 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

I specifically chose to spend more to have a nice CPU now that can run the games with less frames (which on a 60hz tv doesn't really matter) with the choice of dropping a nice GPU in later should the people using it want to run some graphically heavier games or build a full battle-station

4c/8t isnt all that better. Also popping in a new GPU would cost the same as a new CPU, aswell you sacrifise performance overall during that period. And if you were gonna go for your approach. A 2200G in my build minus the GPU would be better.

4 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

What you've done by spending $10 more is ensure this build only ever gets used for lower end games and can't grow to become something better.

Upgradeable plattform: check

Upgradable GPU: check

Good enough PSU: check

Open ram slots: check

Workable CPU: check

 

Ive spent 10$ to make the system a better gaming machine......

6 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

You have a more expensive case that offers a bit more interior room. Considering I purposefully went with no GPU and a semi-moduar PSU to use this cheap ass metal box knowing it is a tight fit,

I meam sharp edges and overall buildquality and form is much lower aswell.....

7 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

I feel the best compromise case is probably the $40 Cougar MG110 (which is LMG reccomended)

LMG really isnt the best at recommending things. They have improved, but far from perfect. 

8 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

I'm not touching the PSU because I feel enough has been said about it

Ive yet to see a reasom to trust the tier C 600 watts PSU. And no reason to have that over a cx450.

9 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

$14 price difference

Its 14$ not spent on better other components in a budget build......

[hello_there_123]

16 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

evga doesn't make anything you know

 

this is a superflower if i recall correctly, but not exactly a good one

<=650w --> Andyson , 750w,850w --> HEc

[LukeSavenije]

14 minutes ago, hello_there_123 said:

<=650w --> Andyson , 750w,850w --> HEc

ah, okay

 

thanks

[The_Prycer]

56 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

 

 

Ive spent 10$ to make the system a better gaming machine......

 

Worse CPU that bottlenecks anything more powerful than a 1060

 

Better gaming machine

 

Pick one

 

 

[GoldenLag]

21 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

Worse CPU that bottlenecks anything more powerful than a 1060

 

Better gaming machine

 

Pick one

 

 

I take both. R3 1200 works fine. Its not great, but its better than running a worse APU system under the argument of "upgradability" when the starting build of a r3 1200 and rx 570 is not really more expencive, and almost the same performance as your build with a gtx 1060. 

 

While also having a good PSU. 

And a good case

And a good motherboard

[The_Prycer]

13 hours ago, GoldenLag said:

I take both. R3 1200 works fine. Its not great, but its better than running a worse APU system under the argument of "upgradability" when the starting build of a r3 1200 and rx 570 is not really more expencive, and almost the same performance as your build with a gtx 1060. 

 

While also having a good PSU. 

And a good case

And a good motherboard

Your build paints you in to a corner performance wise and will need both a CPU and GPU upgrade within 3-5 years. Thereby defeating the point of a budget build by having to put in more money over the years or build an entirely new system every 5 years. 

 

Just plopping the Ryzen 5 3000 series in adds years to this system’s lifespan as the higher tiers of GPU become available to keep it more competitive in the coming years. 

 

Your entire argument is “but I have a GPU that’s better than your integrated graphics”

 

guess what, in a year or two when the upgrade money comes in, my system will have a better GPU and money will have been saved from not having to upgrade both my CPU and GPU. 

 

I even agreed that my mobo choice was initially wrong because I’m unfamiliar with the AM4 chipset, but you apparently can’t read. 

 

youve done literally nothing to prove your PSU is better. The burden of proof falls on you, but please keep acting smug and offering nothing of value. 

 

Also the case is just fine. It holds parts inside of it and stays out of the way. If it’s got sharp edges I can just sand it down. 

 

So I’ll stick with my nicer CPU, better upgrade paths, and longer system relevancy. 

[GoldenLag]

5 hours ago, The_Prycer said:

Just plopping the Ryzen 5 3000 series in adds years to this system’s lifespan as the higher tiers of GPU become available to keep it more competitive in the coming years. 

Its a Zen+ part...... Its not good.

5 hours ago, The_Prycer said:

guess what, in a year or two when the upgrade money comes in, my system will have a better GPU and money will have been saved from not having to upgrade both my CPU and GPU. 

Except you can decide to upgrade one or the other...... You dont "need" to upgrade both.....

 

With your system you are forced to buy a GPU

 

5 hours ago, The_Prycer said:

youve done literally nothing to prove your PSU is better. The burden of proof falls on you, but please keep acting smug and offering nothing of value. 

So ignore the lack of reviews and its poor standing on the PSU list and 2 other people who are intemate with PSUs says its "meh"

 

Sadly i dont have any better, nor do you who blindly believes its good for some reason.

5 hours ago, The_Prycer said:

even agreed that my mobo choice was initially wrong because I’m unfamiliar with the AM4 chipset, but you apparently can’t read. 

 

You know that change will make you spend more lr the same for your worse performing system for my better performing system. Right?

5 hours ago, The_Prycer said:

Also the case is just fine. It holds parts inside of it and stays out of the way. If it’s got sharp edges I can just sand it down. 

Well, its you whos gonna build in it, so you have to siffer the consequenes i guess.

 

And you arent getting through yours that you are paying for a worse PSU, worse performance under the excuse of "upgradability" when you can upgrade the build i provided to the same extent. 

 

the better CPU isnt much better, and you can resale the rx 570 to recoup cost later. and you dont have to upgrade the PSU later when you realize its not good. 

 

 

edit: its also clear you dont want help........ ive given the reasons why you should change, but you cling on to "upgradability" for when your friend has another 50% to toss onto the budget. if you dont want my help, then ill leave, but dont blame me when the PSU isnt handling high powerdraw hardware and doesnt last as long as you expected. and that the experience is mediocre untill you can add another 50% to the budget to buy a GPU

[EL02]

29 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

Your entire argument is “but I have a GPU that’s better than your integrated graphics”

 

guess what, in a year or two when the upgrade money comes in, my system will have a better GPU and money will have been saved from not having to upgrade both my CPU and GPU. 

Ryzen 3 1200 is a good choice, almost half the price of 3rd gen and will still do fine in every game that you mentioned above.

 

Rx570 is relatively cheap right now and remains a solid gpu for 1080p mid-high settings.

If you are going to wait two more years to play games at 1080p, then good luck.

 

About the psu, just get the cx450 and you will be good.