Dirty 30 Birthday Build

[zinger565]

So, I've been out of the scene since dual-core was new and ATI was still ATI. Last time I built a PC was a super budget rig in 2010 for college (just barely enough for LoL and TF2). Since then I've bounced from laptop to laptop, doing some very minor gaming in that time. Now I've got the time, space, and more importantly the budget, to finally build a decent gaming rig.

 

Budget (including currency): $1500 USD

Country: Wisconsin, United States. I have a microcenter within day-trip distance, so can get things there as well.

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Linux-based gaming (1080p), some photo editing and light video editing (1080p).

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): I currently don't have a system at all, so I'm setting aside $200 for a desk and chair. I do have a personal mouse and keyboard I own for work, but will still need a monitor. Here's my first go-around from PC Part Picker:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($209.09 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.95 @ Amazon) 
Thermal Compound: Noctua NT-H1 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($7.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus PRIME X570-P ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($149.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($57.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 5600 XT 6 GB TUF Gaming X3 EVO OC Video Card  ($319.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Lian Li Lancool II Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($115.00) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G1+ 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($134.99 @ B&H) 
Monitor: LG 24MP59G-P 23.8" 1920x1080 75 Hz Monitor  ($175.07 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1305.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-08-09 10:25 EDT-0400

 

Edited August 9, 2020 by zinger565
Adding details

[Nexolas]

I would get a 3600 over the 3600X since they give similar performance, I would also get a B550 board instead of the X570 since it is cheaper and might provide better cooling. With the money saved on the 3600 and B550, you could use the money on a better graphics card like the 5700 or XT

[kelvinhall05]

Looks great, but I'd swap the SSD with an NVMe one (potentially of lower capacity).

[Nexolas]

1 minute ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Looks great, but I'd swap the SSD with an NVMe one (potentially of lower capacity).

might get a kingston a2000 for similar price point

[Nexolas]

btw new AMD CPU and GPU are coming this year so you could wait if you want, though it would still be a great upgrade comparing to you current system

 

[zinger565]

3 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Looks great, but I'd swap the SSD with an NVMe one (potentially of lower capacity).

Thanks, still getting used to the whole M.2 spec and what's what. Blew my mind when I watched a few videos to get back into things and saw what's happened with storage.

3 minutes ago, Nexolas said:

I would get a 3600 over the 3600X since they give similar performance, I would also get a B550 board instead of the X570 since it is cheaper and might provide better cooling. With the money saved on the 3600 and B550, you could use the money on a better graphics card like the 5700 or XT

Would stepping down to the 3600 cause a potential bottleneck with a higher end GPU like the 5700? Any rec's on manufacturer/distributor for the GPU or does that not matter as much?

[gloop]

11 minutes ago, zinger565 said:

Would stepping down to the 3600 cause a potential bottleneck with a higher end GPU like the 5700? Any rec's on manufacturer/distributor for the GPU or does that not matter as much?

No, the only difference between the two is that the 3600x has a slightly better silicon bin. 
 

As for the GPU, the Gaming OC from Gigabyte is a good budget option, and the top end ones would be the Nitro+ and Red Devil. 

[Nexolas]

19 minutes ago, zinger565 said:

Thanks, still getting used to the whole M.2 spec and what's what. Blew my mind when I watched a few videos to get back into things and saw what's happened with storage.

Would stepping down to the 3600 cause a potential bottleneck with a higher end GPU like the 5700? Any rec's on manufacturer/distributor for the GPU or does that not matter as much?

3600 wouldn't even bottleneck a 2080 Ti in most possible means, you could even possibly use a 3300x with a 2080 Ti (though unsuggested)

I built my friend a 3600 with 2060 super and in and the cpu never bottlenecks the gpu

[Nexolas]

22 minutes ago, zinger565 said:

Thanks, still getting used to the whole M.2 spec and what's what. Blew my mind when I watched a few videos to get back into things and saw what's happened with storage.

Would stepping down to the 3600 cause a potential bottleneck with a higher end GPU like the 5700? Any rec's on manufacturer/distributor for the GPU or does that not matter as much?

https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3489-amd-ryzen-5-3600-cpu-review-benchmarks-vs-intel

[Avocheeseado]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$174.99 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4 CPU Cooler	$59.95
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard	$159.99 @ B&H
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$57.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$109.99 @ Western Digital
Video Card	XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Triple Dissipation Video Card	$379.99 @ B&H
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case	$94.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Cooler Master MWE Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$99.99 @ Best Buy
Monitor	LG 24GL600F-B 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor	$179.99 @ Best Buy
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1317.87
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-08-09 11:16 EDT-0400

 

[zinger565]

4 hours ago, Avocheeseado said:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$174.99 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4 CPU Cooler	$59.95
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard	$159.99 @ B&H
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$57.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$109.99 @ Western Digital
Video Card	XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Triple Dissipation Video Card	$379.99 @ B&H
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case	$94.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Cooler Master MWE Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$99.99 @ Best Buy
Monitor	LG 24GL600F-B 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor	$179.99 @ Best Buy
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1317.87
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-08-09 11:16 EDT-0400

 

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason to go with a single large drive vs a big/little drive set up, or just cost savings? I was thinking about using a smaller drive for boot, and storage on the larger drive.

 

Other than that, I like the other suggestions, thanks for the build rec's!

[Avocheeseado]

1 minute ago, zinger565 said:

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason to go with a single large drive vs a big/little drive set up, or just cost savings? I was thinking about using a smaller drive for boot, and storage on the larger drive.

 

Other than that, I like the other suggestions, thanks for the build rec's!

You could use your original storage setup but with an nvme drive instead of that wd one you put. I prefer just one drive as it is simpler and everything is on a fast ssd but it is up to you. You will have slightly more storage with your setup