$400 - $500 USD Budget for PC focused toward gaming!

[CSGOaddict]

1 minute ago, thx1138 said:

Bios flashback allows updating without a compatible cpu.

 

The MSI A-Pro is one

Can you explain to me how that works and how I'll have to do it? 

I dont really know what they're talking about.

[thx1138]

13 minutes ago, CSGOaddict said:

Can you explain to me how that works and how I'll have to do it? 

I dont really know what they're talking about.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$98.90 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	MSI B450-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard	$84.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory	$38.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Inland 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$32.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	Sapphire Radeon RX 570 4 GB PULSE Video Card	$119.99 @ Newegg
Case	Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case	$33.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$49.89 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$504.63
	Mail-in rebates	-$45.00
	Total	$459.63
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-24 17:06 EDT-0400

This would be best. price/perf without compromising on quality. (though...I did choose single channel RAM for future upgrade, longtime value, and for being almost 25% cheaper than 2x4gb) 

obviously if you want another case. get another one...but at this price bracket...costs skyrocketed from the ChineseUS tariffs.

 

also..if you are anywhere close to a microcenter..you can save enough money on deals that you could maybe swing for a r5 2600 for same cost. with their CPU/Motherboard Combos

 

BIOS Flashback allows you to update the BIOS version of a mb with a USB thumbdrive. 

using a computer.

You go to https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/B450-A-PRO

and read the BIOS versions...get any downloads required to update to a bios that is compatible with Ryzen 3

Get a USB thumbdrive and place the bios and other files onto it.

 

boot with the usb drive in the correct ubs slot.

 

go to bios update area of the UserInterface and you should be able to see your files and choose them.

 

 

[hello_there_123]

7 minutes ago, thx1138 said:

 

Storage	Inland 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$32.99 @ Amazon

tcsunbow X3 240gb is cheaper and better

[thx1138]

2 minutes ago, hello_there_123 said:

tcsunbow X3 240gb is cheaper and better

I trust the Inland brand through Microcenter and its deals with manufacturers like samsung.
 

and so I only recommend storage that I would trust with my own data.

I have not studied that brand nor its manufacturing...it could be great..but..this is my personal recommendation

[hello_there_123]

1 minute ago, thx1138 said:

I trust the Inland brand through Microcenter and its deals with manufacturers like samsung.
 

and so I only recommend storage that I would trust with my own data.

I have not studied that brand nor its manufacturing...it could be great..but..this is my personal recommendation

Well you should always try to be as objective as possible when you're making recommendations. The Tcsunbow X3 features an SMI SM2258 controller, the same found in reputable drives like the Crucial MX500 and Team L5 Lite 3D. However I believe that the only thing that makes the Tcsunbow X3 worse than the 2 aforementioned drives are worse binned nand, which should only affect sustained sequentials (not important for the average user). And of course Tcsunbow does not have a big presence in the US, unlike Team and Crucial, so getting an RMA might prove to be somewhat difficult. 

 

However the Inland sata drive comes with a Phison S11 controller, which is dramless, and 64L 3D Toshiba NAND. For reference the Phison S11 controller can also be found on the Kingston A400, which is known to have very low performance and lifetime for an SSD. However the A400 has 2D (not 3D) nand from Toshiba, with layers unknown. I'm not sure how much of a performance difference this makes on the Inland vs A400, but it does make a big enough difference to separate them by 1 tier on Aegis's tier list: https://imgur.com/a/sYmbnMr#2ya0Pt1 

 

Also, as you can see, the X3 on that tier list is placed 2 tiers above the Inland probably for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Thus my recommendation to OP would be to get the X3 over the Inland sata.

[thx1138]

18 minutes ago, hello_there_123 said:

Well you should always try to be as objective as possible when you're making recommendations. The Tcsunbow X3 features an SMI SM2258 controller, the same found in reputable drives like the Crucial MX500 and Team L5 Lite 3D. However I believe that the only thing that makes the Tcsunbow X3 worse than the 2 aforementioned drives are worse binned nand, which should only affect sustained sequentials (not important for the average user). And of course Tcsunbow does not have a big presence in the US, unlike Team and Crucial, so getting an RMA might prove to be somewhat difficult. 

 

However the Inland sata drive comes with a Phison S11 controller, which is dramless, and 64L 3D Toshiba NAND. For reference the Phison S11 controller can also be found on the Kingston A400, which is known to have very low performance and lifetime for an SSD. However the A400 has 2D (not 3D) nand from Toshiba, with layers unknown. I'm not sure how much of a performance difference this makes on the Inland vs A400, but it does make a big enough difference to separate them by 1 tier on Aegis's tier list: https://imgur.com/a/sYmbnMr#2ya0Pt1 

 

Also, as you can see, the X3 on that tier list is placed 2 tiers above the Inland probably for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Thus my recommendation to OP would be to get the X3 over the Inland sata.

Thank you for source.

 

Again, I have not spent the time studying that brand. Nor was it around when I bought my SSDs. Mine has operated well enough for what I use it for and for the costs. and has been reliable for years of hard use.

so...you may be right....but I haven't looked into that brand/model yet, again, thanks for your source.

1egg reviews on amazon show about 15% on both.

[hello_there_123]

46 minutes ago, thx1138 said:

Thank you for source.

 

Again, I have not spent the time studying that brand. Nor was it around when I bought my SSDs. Mine has operated well enough for what I use it for and for the costs. and has been reliable for years of hard use.

so...you may be right....but I haven't looked into that brand/model yet, again, thanks for your source.

1egg reviews on amazon show about 15% on both.

On that note, I just found out that the team l5 lite 3D 240gb on newegg is cheaper than the X3 now, because it's on sale: 

 

https://www.newegg.com/team-group-l5-lite-3d-240gb/p/N82E16820331048

[Herman Mcpootis]

5 hours ago, 5x5 said:

Exactly - you aren't reading it properly. The Tomahawk is tier C. The MSI A-Pro and Gigabyte DS3H are tier E - two tiers down. Same tier as a Pro4 but with worse firmware and BIOS implementations.

You aren't even looking at the list properly, the B450-A Pro is in the same tier C as the tomahawk.

[Dedayog]

6 hours ago, CSGOaddict said:

@5x5

I like your build, and im sure there will be some thanksgiving sales so the price drops below 500, the only thing is, is the CPU a little outdated?? Or should that be okay until I can upgrade in the future? Also, is a 450W powersupply should be enough?

 

 

If you're waiting on Thanksgiving to buy the components, come back then and things will be a little different.  No sense planning a bit at this point in time.

[VEXICUS]

My recommendation...

 

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: TCSunBow X3 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($48.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 570 4 GB PULSE Video Card  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: DIYPC MA01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.98 @ Newegg Business) 
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Acer SB220Q bi 21.5" 1920x1080 75 Hz Monitor  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $501.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-24 22:12 EDT-0400

[thx1138]

6 hours ago, hello_there_123 said:

On that note, I just found out that the team l5 lite 3D 240gb on newegg is cheaper than the X3 now, because it's on sale: 

 

https://www.newegg.com/team-group-l5-lite-3d-240gb/p/N82E16820331048

looks decent..but that 27% 1 egg reviews....

I have to admit...I really like a place I can go and complain in person if my storage is shit.....but I have a microcenter...so...I am extremely lucky to have the luxury of in-person customer service.