Components for a new build

[Marzchu]

I am planning to build my own PC using a Ryzen CPU, but I think there is too much variety in components. I'm trying to keep budget pretty low starting at 400 EUR all the way to 600 EUR, excluding Graphics Card (Which depends how long I'm willing to save money... and I'm sort of impatient person) Ultimate goal is to build some sort of light workstation / gaming rig. Workloads include PUBG, Rust, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, modern Tomb Raider, Battlefield and Call of Duty titles. Multitasking with Google Chrome and other programs is fairly common for my pastime. Starting from basic parts and upgrading down the line sounds really good on paper but does it work in practice?

 

Focusing on black, white and gray visuals for color neutrality. (Maybe some LED strips in the future?)

 

Following components and their prices are for new ones, not used. 

 

For CPU: Ryzen 3 2200G for 99 EUR, Ryzen 3 3200G for 105 EUR, Ryzen 5 1600 for 115 EUR, Ryzen 5 3600 for 200 EUR and Ryzen 5 2600 for 145 EUR. Comparing 2200G and 1600 prices make Ryzen 5 1600 a good value, but does it differ in everyday use when the extra threads are not taken into account? Sure, it makes multitasking a better experience with them and might be THE option but I'm not sure considering its age.

Possible coolers used for CPU are the included ones, Wraith Stealth and Spire. I'm not planning to do extreme overclocking, but might try something mild for the first time...

Does it make sense to go for Ryzen 3 2200G for its price, keep it for a few years and replace it with future Ryzen 5 4XXX, 5XXX or even 6XXX (if sockets are compatible). Simple upgrade path is a big thing for me, but future-proofing right away would also be nice (but not a must), if necessary. Or would it be just plain better to buy Ryzen 5 1600 for its core and thread count over any Ryzen 3? Ryzen 5s have such a wide price range, but have same amount of cores.

 

Graphics Card is MSI RX 570 Armor OC 4GB, which was already purchased last summer. Pairing it with Ryzen 3 would make more sense than with Ryzen 5, maybe? But wouldn't it be dumb to pair Ryzen APU with a GPU capable of running Battlefield 1 at basically max settings? Doesn't RX 570 bottleneck Six Core Ryzen 5s? Does it matter for CPU when I have like 10 Chrome tabs open while playing League?

 

Motherboard is kind of straightforward pick: ASRock B450M Pro4 seems to be nice value as it has 4 DIMM slots and costs 85 EUR, compared to a full-sized board like Asus PRIME B450 PLUS which costs 105 EUR but seems to have nothing relevant outside of looks and size. (I'm not sure about OC capabilites, durability etc.) There are cheaper options from MSI and Gigabyte but there are no 4 DIMM slot boards from them, so upgrade path for RAM is not possible...

 

System memory (RAM) made me suspicious about compatibility with Ryzen line CPUs. Does RAM speed matter when dedicated graphics card is used and primary workload is gaming at 1080p? I know that memory speed affects performance in APU integrated graphics such as 2200G.

I've been thinking at least 2666MHz 2x4GB kits, which should be sufficient for most workloads. Price for 2x4GB is 50 EUR in low end which increases as speed, latency and voltage do and 2x8GB is roughly 30 EUR more starting at 86 EUR. Cost difference between 2400MHz, 2666MHz and 3200MHz varies from brand and model to another greatly from 5 to 10 EUR. ASRock B450M Pro4 has those juicy additional memory slots so would it make sense to buy 2x4GB kit first and then upgrade later with an additional kit?  Sure, initial 8GB would not let me multitask as much or play certain games like Rust but that is fixable later on. As for brand? Kingston HyperX Fury seems nice at CL16 and 1.2V. If 2400MHz is cheaper than say, 2666MHz, should I just buy that? Also Crucial Ballistix Sport kits seem nice.

 

Storage gives me no issues: Crucial MX500 250GB costs 50 EUR which I know is ridiculous value. Other option would be something like PNY CS900 240GB at 40 EUR but MX500 seems to be reliable and popular pick; 500GB version of MX500 costs 30 EUR more. I WILL purchase a mechanical HDD for game storage. (WD Blue 1TB)

 

Then Power Supply... If Reddit can be trusted, 400W should be enough for RX 570 when paired with Ryzen 5 2600, which means that future upgrade would be better GPU.

be quiet! System Power 9 400W 80 Bronze Plus with black cables is the exact unit I've been looking for at 50 EUR. Additional 100W costs only 10 EUR more (500W for 60 EUR, 600W for 70 EUR etc.) so PSU headroom is a consideration for future upgrades and initial possibility.

 

As for Case: Kolink Stronghold and Citadel fit my personal taste and price range at 40 EUR, with variation of 2 EUR at maximum. Adding a couple Arctic F12s in addition to two included ones should make a decent cooling option, maybe? Fractal Design Focus G is also a nice option due to its included LED fans, though a bit bulkier one. Yes,

 

Does cheaping out CPU, RAM and SSD make sense when their "stronger" versions cost only 30 EUR more? I've been thinking of cutting corners and then upgrading later.

 

What do you think?

 

Marzchu

[Nocte]

Ryzen 5000, 6000 will 99% not be AM4 as they should be DDR5 CPUs. 
Ryzen 4000 is not confirmed but should be compatible. 

I would get a Ryzen 5 1600 AF (which is basically a cheaper 2600) with 2x8 GB 3000MHz or 3200MHz RAM. You can get 2x4GB 3000/3200, but it’s not worth it imho. 
 

The mobo and PSU you mentioned are fine, though I would consider a 450W / 500W PSU for a little bit extra headroom, but it’s not necessary. 
 

I’m not a fan of the GPU you got. The Armor series runs hot, but it’s too late now. 

[dizmo]

I wouldn't get first gen Ryzen, it was a nightmare to work with as far as compatibility goes. Either go with the 2600, or the 1600AF if it's available where you are.

As already stated, the socket will not support 5th or 6th gen Ryzen. I wouldn't get the Ryzen 3.

 

Yes, RAM speed matters with Ryzen. You ideally want at least 3000mhz, and something that's on the motherboards QVL list.

 

Look at pricing. It makes more sense to get a 1TB SSD if it's only a little more than a 250GB SSD and a 1TB HDD. You don't lose out on that much storage, but it's all significantly faster.

 

Don't get a 400W PSU, you're better off to have a little more headroom, especially if it's only 10 Euro.

 

I don't think you understand how bottlenecks work. You will always have a bottleneck somewhere. The Ryzen 5 doesn't really have any trouble using all of the RX 570.

You'll be fine with 10 tabs. I often have 40 - 50 open when I game.

 

Why would you pay for something twice when it's only a little more to do it right the first time? That makes absolutely no sense.

[Marzchu]

Thank you for answers!

So stretching the budget to 600 EUR would be better, which gets me the all the necessary stuff.

1600 AF is not available from primary hardware stores as far as I know. 2600 is an option and fits under 600 EUR total price.

2x8GB DDR4 3200MHz costs 100 EUR at minimum, while 2x8GB 2666MHz costs 86 EUR. I guess those extra MHz make up for its price?

1TB MX500 costs exactly 140 EUR. Buying 250GB model four times would cost 200 EUR so... yeah. saves 60 EUR for going straight to 1TB.

500W System Power 9 costs 61 EUR so going straight to that gives that mentioned headroom for GPU upgrade.

Is ASRock B450M Pro4 still viable option if ATX version of the same board costs only 15 EUR more? Larger case cost difference is so minimal at 1 EUR. (between Citadel and Stronghold, well except for white one which is 5 EUR more.) I think that extra expansion slots that ATX version has are not relevant for me.

 

Ryzen 5 2600 with Wraith Spire for 145

Kingston HyperX Fury 2x8GB DDR4 3200MHz CL16 1.35V for 100 EUR

Crucial MX500 1TB for 140 EUR

be quiet! System Power 9 500W 80 Bronze for 61 EUR (or 600W for 72 EUR)

ASrock B450M Pro4 for 85 EUR (or ATX variant for 100 EUR)

Kolink Citadel for 40 EUR (or Stronghold if going for ATX)

 

That would be close to or at maximum, 600 EUR.

[boggy77]

What's your country? You know pcpartpicker has country specific pages? 

I'd go for 

2600

B450m pro 4

2x8 3000 or 3200 no matter what brand

1tb ssd with dram cache no matter what brand - pny cs900 is as good as crucial mx500.

450-550w psu. Don't go for 400, will limit your future upgrades. Look at corsair cx prices as well, otherwise bequiet is good.

 

[BobbyPdue]

12 hours ago, Marzchu said:

Starting from basic parts and upgrading down the line sounds really good on paper but does it work in practice?

It's a waste of money.  If you saved for all the components and bought them all during the holiday sales season you would get more for your money than a temporary CPU and GPU.  

 

I think a Ryzen 5 3600, B450 motherboard, 16GB of 3600 RAM and a 1660 super or 5600XT is the way to go.  You'll have a computer that will last you years and should be able to support the next generation of GPU's unless they are much more advanced.