Budget Aesthetic Build (Looking for critique on parts selection)

[Hopperhopper124]

Budget (including currency): $600

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Esports titles & GTA RP....... All casual gaming (1080p) with maybe some light streaming or recording.

Other details: Built a couple really old budget systems for basic gaming but I'm wanting to upgrade. I already have peripherals and a WiFi card. I'll be purchasing in the next week or so...

 

Lower-powered system with a focus on aesthetics (Grey & White Theme, think Noctua Redux colors)...  Trying to decided between ASRock B450 Pro4 or ASRock Steel Legend. I might want to overclock but I'm unsure about the Pro4's VRMs... What do you guys recommend? Sticking with a B450 would be as well, correct? Or should I really be looking at B550 boards?

 

CPU: Ryzen 3 3100

RAM: Team T-Force 16GB 3200mhz CL16

GPU: Either a used GTX970 or RX570

MOBO: TBD......see underlined portion above...

SSD: Inexpensive 256 or 500GB option

HDD: I have a spare 1TB hard drive

PSU: Which is better for my system? A 500-550w 80+ Gold or a 600-650w 80+ Bronze?

CASE: DarkFlash DLM21 (The one with the contoured front panel) 

FANS: 3x Noctua Redux 120mm

 

[Oswin]

the pro4 and steel legend are pretty similar in terms of vrms, what are they priced at?

 

also which specific PSU units?

wattage, brand, efficiency has nothing to do with quality

[Hopperhopper124]

7 minutes ago, NZgamer said:

It depends on what model they are

Okay... I'll address what models in my reply to the other comment.

[Hopperhopper124]

6 minutes ago, Oswin said:

the pro4 and steel legend are pretty similar in terms of vrms, what are they priced at?

 

also which specific PSU units?

wattage, brand, efficiency has nothing to do with quality

Pro4: $82.99

Steel: $100.00

 

I was looking at the SeaSonic S12III 650 80+ Bronze ($64.99) and then probably the SeaSonic Focus Gold 550W 80+ Gold ($89.99). I'm just not really sure what wattage I should be looking at... I know that EVGA, SeaSonic, and Corsair are good brands so thats what I've been looking at mostly but I'm unsure about Thermaltake and Be Quiet's units. I don't really need a semi or fully modular unit as I am already planning on making my own extensions. I would only consider a full or semi unit if that was a better unit electrically and for the money.

[Chris Pratt]

17 minutes ago, Hopperhopper124 said:

Trying to decided between ASRock B450 Pro4 or ASRock Steel Legend. I might want to overclock

Frankly neither is great for overclocking. The Steel Legend at least has a beefy heatsink, but ASRock doesn't have the best VRMs. The Pro4 is a joke, though, so out of the two choices the Steel Legend is better.

[Hopperhopper124]

Just now, Chris Pratt said:

Frankly neither is great for overclocking. The Steel Legend at least has a beefy heatsink, but ASRock doesn't have the best VRMs. The Pro4 is a joke, though, so out of the two choices the Steel Legend is better.

Okay, I mean, I don't really have to overclock.... It's not a big deal for me. I'm just trying to keep the budget low because I don't game as often as most people. I would go up to a nicer board (strix, aorus, or tomahawk) but they are much more pricier...

[Oswin]

5 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

Frankly neither is great for overclocking. The Steel Legend at least has a beefy heatsink, but ASRock doesn't have the best VRMs. The Pro4 is a joke, though, so out of the two choices the Steel Legend is better.

wait what? have you seen this thread?

 

[Oswin]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$109.99 @ B&H
Motherboard	ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$82.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$57.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Crucial P1 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$59.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card	$169.99 @ B&H
Case	Cougar MX330-G ATX Mid Tower Case	$51.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 500 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$79.31 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$612.24
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-07-24 16:09 EDT-0400

 

[Oswin]

11 minutes ago, Hopperhopper124 said:

I was looking at the SeaSonic S12III 650 80+ Bronze ($64.99) and then probably the SeaSonic Focus Gold 550W 80+ Gold ($89.99).

is this the focus-GM? either way the focus is the better unit

[Hopperhopper124]

5 minutes ago, Oswin said:

wait what? have you seen this thread?

 

So according to that list the Pro4 is fine with the Steel Legend being slightly better (it wasn't orange like the Pro4)?

[Hopperhopper124]

1 minute ago, Oswin said:

is this the focus-GM? either way the focus is the better unit

It doesn't say... Well, yes. But is it worth the extra money? Would I be better off with a 450 or 500 80+ Gold? PSU's have always bothered me with how confusing it can be to pick a good one....

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/KmgzK8/seasonic-focus-gold-550w-80-gold-certified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-550fm

[Hopperhopper124]

7 minutes ago, Oswin said:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$109.99 @ B&H
Motherboard	ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$82.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$57.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Crucial P1 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$59.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card	$169.99 @ B&H
Case	Cougar MX330-G ATX Mid Tower Case	$51.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 500 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$79.31 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$612.24
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-07-24 16:09 EDT-0400

 

Okay....

GPU: I looked up benchmarks and the 970 is a better performer than the 1650 and I can get a 970 locally for about $110-120.

Case: I'm very set on the DarkFlash.

PSU: So you think I'd be fine with a 500W? Also this being a semi-modular unit would make making custom cables a lot harder, correct?

 

Also, I'm reserving about $100 in my budget for the noctua fans and a U12S.... Yes, I know that doesn't make sense, but that's who I am. Aesthetics mean a lot to me - sometimes even more than performance....

[Oswin]

9 minutes ago, Hopperhopper124 said:

So according to that list the Pro4 is fine with the Steel Legend being slightly better (it wasn't orange like the Pro4)?

dont recall the pro4 being labeled orange, but yes the steel legend has the edge

[Oswin]

8 minutes ago, Hopperhopper124 said:

It doesn't say... Well, yes. But is it worth the extra money? Would I be better off with a 450 or 500 80+ Gold? PSU's have always bothered me with how confusing it can be to pick a good one....

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/KmgzK8/seasonic-focus-gold-550w-80-gold-certified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-550fm

here is a PSU tier list to help

PSUs are more than just wattages and ratings

[Hopperhopper124]

2 minutes ago, Oswin said:

here is a PSU tier list to help

PSUs are more than just wattages and ratings

Would I fit in the B or B+ range? I've seen this list before but it's still overwhelming.... A lot of people have a hard time understanding why I'm wanting to build the PC the way I am and have bullied me a bit shutting me down for a couple months..... So I'm very apprehensive

[Oswin]

9 minutes ago, Hopperhopper124 said:

Okay....

GPU: I looked up benchmarks and the 970 is a better performer than the 1650 and I can get a 970 locally for about $110-120.

Case: I'm very set on the DarkFlash.

PSU: So you think I'd be fine with a 500W? Also this being a semi-modular unit would make making custom cables a lot harder, correct?

 

Also, I'm reserving about $100 in my budget for the noctua fans and a U12S.... Yes, I know that doesn't make sense, but that's who I am. Aesthetics mean a lot to me - sometimes even more than performance....

forgot to mention that this is what i came up with to give you an idea of what you can get within your budget.

 

if you are talking a bout the regular 1650 then yes, the 970 is a bit faster, but i did list a 1650s.

 

i dont see why you need to spend that much on a cooler... but even then a regular u12s cost like $55

[Oswin]

7 minutes ago, Hopperhopper124 said:

Would I fit in the B or B+ range? I've seen this list before but it's still overwhelming.... A lot of people have a hard time understanding why I'm wanting to build the PC the way I am and have bullied me a bit shutting me down for a couple months..... So I'm very apprehensive

to make it more simple, get the best PSU that is within your set budget

[Hopperhopper124]

6 minutes ago, Oswin said:

forgot to mention that this is what i came up with to give you an idea of what you can get within your budget.

 

if you are talking a bout the regular 1650 then yes, the 970 is a bit faster, but i did list a 1650s.

 

i dont see why you need to spend that much on a cooler... but even then a regular u12s cost like $55

Okay, thanks for doing that!

 

I didn't see that it was a Super.... My bad. Yeah I'm comfortable with either the 570 or the 970... They are readily available around where I live at good prices. It also saves about $50 which is worth it for me....

 

In essence I play games to hang out with my friends.... I'm not super duper into gaming but I enjoy the hardware side. I want a system to play on for the next year or so and then to use for CAD in college. I built a system back in 2016 that was best bang for buck and I deeply regretted it because I hated how it looked....... So to wrap this thought up, I want something powerful enough that I can play the games with my friends but won't be too underpowered and most importantly I want it to look really damn good.

 

The $100 is for the u12s and 3 case fans. Yes, I know I don't need that powerful of a cooler, but I really like the aesthetic of it.

[Hopperhopper124]

40 minutes ago, Oswin said:

to make it more simple, get the best PSU that is within your set budget

Okay! Thanks

 

That BeQuiet is a really great deal for what it is!!

[Hopperhopper124]

Okay! Thank you guys so much for your help. I've made out my part list and I'll be ordering the parts next week!!!