My recommendations for new builds and build upgrades

[richodude]

Need a new PC or just a few parts? this is the post for you! I'm recommending a mix of new and used depending on your budget.

(lots of hidden content incoming)

 

These are my opinions and should be treated as your canvas for your own PC

 

 

Conversion rates. I am using USD in this post

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1000 US dollars 

1300 AU dollars

1275 CA dollars

1325 Singapore dollars

875 Francs

815 euros

740 British pounds

73000 Indian rupees

103000 yen

 

New Builds and Build Ideas (peripherals not included)

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Note: All modified prices are their used price (for older parts) or the MSRP (for newer parts)

 

Also, I only included one drive since that is more than what most people need. You may need more and I'll recommend some extra storage in upgrades < drives

 

$200

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The Build:

 

Go to facebook marketplace or ebay or somewhere and find someones old computer. You want something with a 4 (quad) core cpu, and 8gb of ram. Keep in mind these are older parts so upgrading in the future will make you ditch most of the stuff. Make sure the case will be big enough to house a gpu. (no slim models). Most people ask way more than theyre worth and I'd spend $150 maximum. Add a cheap ssd (make sure it has a dram cache) and a cheap gpu. The gpu you will definitely need to buy used.

 

Pre pc + 

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
Storage	Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$27.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	Gigabyte Radeon R7 250X 1 GB Video Card	$30.00
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$57.99
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 12:10 EST-0500

There is a 6 pin power connector on the gpu so make sure you have a cable for that

 

Upgradability:

 

Working towards the $500 build

 

Good for running:

 

games like among us, Dota 2, sims 4, Minecraft, csgo, Skyrim, and LoL

 

 

$500

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    The Build:

Same process asw the $200 except we're putting better stuff in it. Make sure the PSU is at least 400w or else you will need a new one (in parts list)

 

AMD pre-built

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD FX-6300 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor	$50.00
Thermal Compound	Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste	$6.90 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$39.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB MINI Video Card	$180.00
Power Supply	SeaSonic S12III 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$56.98 @ B&H
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$333.87
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 12:08 EST-0500

 

 

Intel pre-built - check what socket your motherboard has. I'm using LGA 1550 -

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i7-4770 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$100.00
Thermal Compound	Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste	$6.90 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$39.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB AERO ITX OC Video Card	$150.00
Power Supply	SeaSonic S12III 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$56.98 @ B&H
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$353.87
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 12:04 EST-0500

 

Upgradability:

 

A better GPU and power supply to go with it. Not too big as you don't want a bottleneck. If you need more you would want to keep your storage devices and GPU and get rid of the rest. Look in to what would be worth selling first. Start with modern socket and ram types as you'll see in the other builds.

 

Good for running:

 

Previous games, Valorant, Fortnite, and Rocket League

$800

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    The Build:

We are starting off new since the previous generation gives diminishing returns with better products.

 

Note: The GPU is based off of normal used prices

 

AMD

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$199.99 @ Newegg
Thermal Compound	Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste	$6.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$71.98 @ Amazon
Memory	Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$69.99 @ B&H
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$64.99 @ B&H
Video Card	Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB MINI Video Card	$250.00
Case	DIYPC J180 ATX Mid Tower Case	$43.96 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA BQ 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$78.98 @ Amazon
Wireless Network Adapter	TP-Link Archer T4E PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter	$23.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$810.78
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 11:52 EST-0500

 

 

Intel

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i3-10300 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$152.00 @ Walmart
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler	$39.00 @ Amazon
Thermal Compound	Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste	$6.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI B460M-A PRO Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard	$78.98 @ Newegg
Memory	OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$81.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$64.99 @ B&H
Video Card	Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB MINI Video Card	$250.00
Case	DIYPC J180 ATX Mid Tower Case	$43.96 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA BQ 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$78.98 @ Amazon
Wireless Network Adapter	TP-Link Archer T4E PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter	$23.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$820.79
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 11:54 EST-0500

 

 

Upgradability:

 

Most future cpu's will be compatible . The motherboard will need a bios update if you ever upgrade to the ryzen 5000 series. For intel, the motherboard does not support overclocking. I would go with the ryzen build at this price range. Any gpu ending in a 70 or less will work with this psu. Plan on upgrading that as well if you go for an 80 or 90.

 

Good for running:

 

previous games, apex, gtav, pubg, cyberpunk, battlefield 1, flight sim, and rainbow six siege

$1500

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The Build:

 

This is assuming you buy everything for msrp. If you absolutely need something now and cant wait for prices to drop, id go with the r5 3600/ 3600x (for amd and you will need a better cooler for the x if you wish to overclock) and the rtx 2060 / 2060 super (used)

 

AMD

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	$300.00
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler	$39.00 @ Amazon
Thermal Compound	Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste	$7.97 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 AORUS PRO AC ATX AM4 Motherboard	$189.00 @ Best Buy
Memory	Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$89.99 @ B&H
Storage	Sabrent Rocket Q 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$109.98 @ Amazon
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB Founders Edition Video Card	$500.00
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case	$89.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$119.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1445.92
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 11:37 EST-0500

 

 

Intel

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	$369.99 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler	$39.00 @ Amazon
Thermal Compound	Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste	$7.97 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Asus TUF Z390-PLUS GAMING (WI-FI) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$154.96 @ Amazon
Memory	Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$89.99 @ B&H
Storage	Sabrent Rocket Q 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$109.98 @ Amazon
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB Founders Edition Video Card	$500.00
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case	$89.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$119.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1481.87
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 11:45 EST-0500

 

 

Upgradability:

 

You can go to any of AMD's cpus for the next quite a few years, just make sure to get a good cooler for it if the tdp is 95w+ and you plan on overclocking

You can upgrade only to better 9th gen cpu models without a motherboard upgrade

Upgrading to a 3080 or 90 means you'll defninetly want a better PSU as well. Something at least 750w but 850w would be better.

If you wanted more ram you would need 2x16 sticks

 

Good for running:

 

Virtually any game at decent fps on decent quality

$2000

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    The Build:

 

This is assuming you buy everything for msrp. If you absolutely need something now and cant wait for prices to drop, id go with the 5700x (AMD) and the 3070.

 

AMD

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor	$450.00
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML240L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$69.98 @ Amazon
Thermal Compound	Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste	$7.97 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard	$189.00 @ Amazon
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$159.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$149.99 @ Adorama
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB Founders Edition Video Card	$700.00
Case	Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case	$132.02 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$139.99 @ Adorama
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1998.94
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 12:16 EST-0500

 

 

Intel

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i7-10700K 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor	$369.99 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML240L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$69.98 @ Amazon
Thermal Compound	Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste	$7.97 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX LGA1200 Motherboard	$199.99 @ Adorama
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$239.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$149.99 @ Adorama
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB Founders Edition Video Card	$700.00
Case	Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case	$132.02 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$139.99 @ Adorama
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$2009.92
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 12:21 EST-0500

 

 

Upgradability:

 

5000 series cpus and other future models

 

up to intel gen 13? you'll probably get support for a while

 

future gpus

 

4x16 ram

 

Good for running:

 

Editing 4k video. Top titles as 1080p @120fps on high settings or 4k @60fps 

 

 

Upgrades and Part Recommendations

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If you think it's time for an upgrade, make sure it's ACTUALLY time for an upgrade. Are you getting low fps because your gpu is running at 100%? time for an upgrade! Are you getting low fps because your psu can't supply enough power? Consider one of them first! When you do go for an upgrade, also make sure you're actually upgrading. compare benchmarks from places like userbenchmark.com. The bench% tells very little so make sure to look at all the details and see what fits you best.

 

GPU

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$30 - r7 250x (used) - This is what held me over when my 780ti broke. I was holding out for the 3070 but yall know how that went ;-; It got me decent fps is minecraft and ran 4k youtube at ~24fps 

$100- r9 290 (used) - at 100 bucks, its one of the best budget graphics cards out there. It should get you 60fps at medium settings on almost any game.

$180- gtx 1070 (used) - this marks the end of the AMD reign and puts what I believe the best valued card out there. This is what I currently have and its great. I don't play any big titles so I really don't need more.

$240 - gtx 1070ti (used) - a little harder to find at this price and what do you know, it's the more powerful version of the 1070. It has almost the exact value as the 1070 and should be plenty of power for most people.

$300 - rtx 2060 (used) - As of a few months ago, this was the best high tier budget card. I only recommend buying this if you absolutely cannot spend 400 bucks and you need the extra power over the 1070ti

$400 - rtx 3060ti - The lowest card in the 3000 series but still almost as good as the best card in the 2000s. This will run virtually any game at high settings on 1080p @120fps.

$500 - rtx 3070 - slightly less value than the 3060, but slightly more powerful too. If the 3060ti benchmarks look a bit lower than what you'd need, or you want super smooth 4k gaming, this is the one.

$800 -  rtx 3080 - to be honest, unless you're Linus, this will be overkill. The reason you would probably want this is to tell your friends, "Hey imagine not having the 3080 lmaoooooo."

 

CPU

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    AMD

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    am3 / am3+

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$50 - FX 6300 (used) - want more cores but are too stubborn to upgrade to am4? This will give you that boost while still staying pretty cheap

$200 - FX 8350 (used) - it has lots of cores but not lots of speed. You really should just get that new motherboard...

 

am4

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$120 - ryzen 5 1600 - 6 cores and 12 threads at a decently fast speed. For casual and mid-tier gaming, this is really all you need

$180 - ryzen 5 3600 - this processor is popular and for a good reason. Its a faster version of the 1600 and is all you need without going balls to the walls crazy

$300 - ryzen 7 3700x - this has got all the hype that the 3600 does, but this time with 2 more cores. At 65w tdp, this makes it super easy to overclock with just the stock cooler 

$300 - ryzen 5 5600x - A much better improvement over the 3700x. The only reason you would still want the 3700 is if your motherboard was a 300 series or below. 400 series motherboards will require a bios update.

$450  -ryzen 7 5800x - most likely overkill for most people but it gives amazing speeds and core counts. This cpu uses more power and does not come with a stock cooler so you will want something good.

 

 

Intel

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Intel has had many socket types over the years. The easiest way to figure out you current one is to either go to task manager or system information and google your cpu. You may already have one of the best processors for that socket in which case you will need a motherboard upgrade as well.

 

LGA 1155

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$90 - i7 3770 (used) - about the best you can get for this motherboard

$120 - i7 3770k (used) - now with overclocking!

 

LGA 1150

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$60 - i3 4370 (used) - slow and cheap. best if you want something usable. has 2 cores and 4 threads

$60 - i5 4670 (used) -  a bit slower than the i3 but with the ability to overclock. trades those threads in for cores.

$100 - i7 4770 (used) - double the threads and a bit faster than the i5

 

LGA 1151

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$100 - i5 6600 (used) - basically the 4670 but faster

$150 - i5 8500 (used) - can support 2400mhz ram and has 6 cores 6 threads

$200 - i5 9600k - something new! it's pretty fast as well but still with 6 threads. Should be a decent choice for gaming

$320 - i7 9700k - super fast and with 8 cores. A great choice for high-end gaming

 

LGA 1200

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$120 - i3 10100 - not a bad price with good speeds and 4 cores

$150 - i3 10300 - slightly faster than the 10100 if you want to spend a bit of extra money but not too much.

$250 - i5 10600k - probably the best choice for mid/high-end gamers. It has the highest core clocks and 6 cores which are enough for most things.

$350 - i7 10700k - 2 more cores than the i5 and a lower core clock. The boost clock is higher making this perfect if you like getting crazy with overclocking.

$500 - i9 10900k - probably overkill but if you really want to achieve that maximum 5.3 GHz, then go for it!

 

 

RAM

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Ram is the one of those things where the expensive and cheap versions of the same thing is gonna perform about the same. Just pick the amount of ram that would be best for you and find the cheapest price. When considering ram, there are 3 important numbers to consider, and 1 a bit less important. Make sure that if you are upgrading ram, you choose the socket that fits in your motherboard. If you are using an older cpu, go on the manufacturers website and make see what speed of ram your processor supports. If you already have one stick and have room for another, it's best to get the exact same stick that you already have.

 

1. Speed. If you just sort the list from cheapest to most expensive, the cheapest will say something like "DDR4-2133" where the 2133 is its speed in mhz. the number you want to aim for is 3200 but there usually isnt much performance dip.
2. Capacity. The more the better... until it's not. I'll go over what capacities are best for what scenarios below.
3. Channels. this is a fancy word for how many sticks you have. most common is single channel, dual channel, and quad channel. Dual channel is usually the most efficient so choose that if you can. You can tell with numbers lke (2x8) where the first number is usually the number of sticks.
4. Latency. Other than RGB, this is about the only other thing that seperates $60 ram from $160 ram. The lower latency is always better but performance-wise is marginal.

 

4GB - This is the bare minimum amount of ram you want. 3/4 of this will be used by your operating system alone. Doing anything willl feel slow.

 

8GB - A more managable amount. This is the least amount of ram you want if you want to have a good experience. You might be able to play a few games. This is how much you want if you plan on just using your computer without intensive task like gaming or editing.

 

16GB - The meta number. This is the perfect amount of ram for things from gaming to video editing to general use. 16gb is plenty for all of this and more wont improve much.

 

32GB+ - This is the amount of ram you want if you plan on 4k video editing. 32gb wont give you a performance boost when gaming.

 

Drive

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You may have heard that upgrading a hard drive to an SSD is the single best improvement you can make on an old PC and they're right. There are some things to look out for. You want one with a DRAM cache. This used to be a problem with older ssd's but is mostly a thing of the past. It is still a good thing to look out for though. There is a "new" type of ssd called m.2. All this is is a different shape for the 2.5" ssd that fits directly on your motherboard. The way this drive talks to your cpu is how it it better. Some use SATA (same as 2.5"), but the good ones use nvme or pcie. This way can transfer data a lot faster, but can really only be noticable in large file transfers. For example, I notice very little improvement with my 970 evo plus over my 860qvo. Make sure if you want an m.2 ssd, your motherboard has an m.2 slot. Anyways, heres what I recommend.

 

SSDs / Boot Drives

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
Storage	ADATA Ultimate SU800 128 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$24.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$54.99 @ Adorama
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$64.99 @ B&H
Storage	Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$109.99 @ Adorama
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$149.99 @ Adorama
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$404.95
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 12:28 EST-0500

ADATA Ultimate SU800 128 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | good for just a boot drive. not much storage on this so you will want to combine this with an additional hdd
Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | perfect entry-level ssd that will probably be enough storage
Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | a slightly faster drive to boost gaming performance
Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive | the entry-level ssd but with twice the storage to download the big titles like gtav and cod
Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | the perfect ssd for high-end systems that plan on installing lots of big games.

 

 

HDDs / Extra Storage

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PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
Storage	Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$39.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$57.98 @ Newegg
Storage	Western Digital Black 4 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$139.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$237.96
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 19:37 EST-0500

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($39.99 @ Amazon)  - cheap and effective. This is all you need if you want a little more space
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($57.98 @ Newegg) - it has a 256mb cache which is 4x the previous and at $20 more, they're basically giving a terrabyte away! This drive is known to be a lot slower when rewriting data. Good for storage, not for backups.
Storage: Western Digital Black 4 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.99 @ Newegg) - double the capacity in the same amount of space! That's gotta break some sort of law...

 

I'm not recommending and hdds above 7200 rpm because you might as well buy an ssd at that price. That's the main reason for hdds is cheap, bulk storage.

 

Motherboard

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Sort of like ram, a cheap and expensive motherbord of the same specs is about the same. The price difference really comes from added support like newer cpus, higher memory speed, higher usb speed, higher pcie speed, pcie slots, etc. For most people, a cheap 60 dollar board is all you need, but as the specs get higher, your motherboard will need to be more expensive. Make sure to look in the specification tab on the retailers website to make sure the board meets your needs.

 

    AMD

Spoiler

$70 asrock B450m hdv r4.0 this is the board I have now. It's cheap and it does everything I want. This will even work with 5000 series cpus with a bios update

$110 MSI B550M PRO-VDH (Wi-Fi) great for 3000 series gpus and 5000 series cpus. Comes with wifi and supports high speeds.

$190 Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) a better chipset for a bit better speeds. Comes with rgb and looks slick too

 

    Intel

Spoiler

* only motherboards with "Z" or "X" chipsets will allow overclocking *

 

LGA 1155

No recommendations here. Boards with this socket are 10 years old at this point. Anything brand new is very expensive. If you really need a replacement, look on ebay for the exact same one you have.

 

LGA 1150

 

$130 Asus B85M-G Micro An old board with what you'd expect from 8 years ago. 6 places for usb with 2 usb 3.0 slots. It supports a max of 1600mhz ram which is more than the average ddr3 stick

 

LGA 1151

 

$60 ASRock H110M-DGS A great budget motherboard with ddr4 and with all your needs but has 1 major drawback: It only supports 6th and 7th gen. Another thing is only DVI for onboard graphics.

$80 ASRock B365M Pro4 For 20 bucks more you can get support from 6-9th (nice) gen cpus. It also supports m.2 ssds that use pcie and memory up to 2666 mhz (3200 mhz modules will underclock to this speed.) If you don't care about the few percent you're missing out on with your 3200mhz ram, this is the perfect choice.

$150 Asus TUF Z390-PLUS GAMING (WI-FI) A board with rgb, overclocking, and built-in wifi. What more could you want?

 

LGA 1200

 

$70 Gigabyte H410M S2H like the b365m, this only has support for up to 2933mhz ram. Otherwise, this is a solid choice for saving money.

$150 ASRock Z490M Pro4 has support for 4500 mhz+ ram and 10 usb 3.2 ports.

 

 

 

Power SU

Spoiler

your parts draw power. You need enough watts, but you need to make sure you're actually getting that many watts. Getting higher quality power supplies can also be cheaper in the long run because of the extended warranties. You do not always want 1000 watts. Too little power draw from a high-wattage psu can be bad for your electrical bill, and bad for your components with some supplies. Getting one to run at about 80% potential during full load from your PC is ideal. If you really want to be precise go to https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator to see how many watts you pull at full load. I usually take the power supply it recommends and add 50-100 watts to it. For exmaple, my tdp is 290w, I was recommended a 500w supply and i chose a 550w. If I want to upgrade in a few years, I have breathing room. If you are going to have the same system for many years, take the recommended wattage and buy a good quality psu.

 

500w - buy this for low end systems or old prebuilts. This is the only time its ok to cheap-out since the wattage is so low anyways.

550w - I currently own this. Its fully modular to get rid of cable mess and does what it's supposed to do.

650w - got on the 5600x and 3060ti hype train? This will do the job! a 3070 would be fine with this as long as you dont have a 105w+ cpu. Overclocking might be hard with that.

750w - this will pair nicely with a 3070/80 and a power-hungry cpu.

850w - more than you'll probably need and should not get for lower power systems. This one is great for the 5950x / 3080 combo with some crazy overclocking

 

 

I hope my guide isn't too lengthy and easy to follow and I hope everyone will find a use out of it. I made this list so I can teach you. Please, if you have any feedback or anything I could change, let me know becuase I made this for me to learn aswell.

 

note: I am NOT an expert or experienced in:

intel cpus and motherboards

cpu coolers

motherboards

cases

 

Let me know if you guys have any favorite cases or cpu coolers and I might make a tab for them too!

Edited January 8, 2021 by richodude
Version 1.4 - added hdd list under UPGRADES < DRIVE

[kucharczykt]

2 hours ago, richodude said:

Need a new PC or just a few parts? this is the post for you! I'm recommending a mix of new and used depending on your budget.

(lots of hidden content incoming)

 

These are my opinions and should be treated as your canvas for your own PC

 

 

Conversion rates. I am using USD in this post

  Reveal hidden contents

Spoiler

1000 US dollars 

1300 AU dollars

1275 CA dollars

1325 Singapore dollars

875 Francs

815 euros

740 British pounds

73000 Indian rupees

103000 yen

 

Starting from scratch (peripherals not included)

  Hide contents

Spoiler

$200

  Reveal hidden contents

The Build:

 

Go to facebook marketplace or ebay or somewhere and find someones old computer. You want something with a 4 (quad) core cpu, and 8gb of ram. Keep in mind these are older parts so upgrading in the future will make you ditch most of the stuff. Make sure the case will be big enough to house a gpu. (no slim models). Most people ask way more than theyre worth and I'd spend $150 maximum. Add a cheap ssd (make sure it has a dram cache) and a cheap gpu. The gpu you will definitely need to buy used.

 

Pre pc + 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2Mx8xc

Storage: Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($27.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 250X 1 GB Video Card 

 

(used gpu)

Upgradability:

 

Working towards the $500 build

 

Good for running:

 

games like among us, Dota 2, sims 4, Minecraft, csgo, Skyrim, and LoL

 

 

$500

  Reveal hidden contents

 

    The Build:

Same process asw the $200 except we're putting better stuff in it. Make sure the PSU is at least 450w or else you will need a new one (in parts list)

 

AMD pre-built

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WYnP7X

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($6.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB AERO ITX OC Video Card  ($299.98 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($56.98 @ B&H) 

 

(used cpu and gpu)

 

Intel pre-built

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/gqx8xc

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($354.98 @ Amazon) (check your motherboard socket as this may not fit. Find one that does in my CPU upgrade section)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($6.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB AERO ITX OC Video Card  ($299.98 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($56.98 @ B&H) 
 

(used cpu and gpu)

Upgradability:

 

A better GPU and power supply to go with it. Not too big as you don't want a bottleneck. If you need more you would want to keep your storage devices and GPU and get rid of the rest. Look in to what would be worth selling first. Start with modern socket and ram types as you'll see in the other builds.

 

Good for running:

 

Previous games, Valorant, Fortnite, and Rocket League

$800

  Hide contents

 

    The Build:

We are starting off new since the previous generation gives diminishing returns with better products.

 

AMD

  Hide contents

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sJb768

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($6.98 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($71.98 @ Amazon) 
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($62.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ B&H) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB MINI Video Card  ($609.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: DIYPC J180 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($41.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.98 @ Amazon) 
 

(used gpu)

 

Intel

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YqpXht

CPU: Intel Core i3-10300 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($152.00 @ Walmart) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.00 @ Amazon) 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($6.98 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI B460M-A PRO Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($78.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($62.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ B&H) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB MINI Video Card  ($609.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: DIYPC J180 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($41.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.98 @ Amazon) 
 

(used gpu)

 

Upgradability:

 

Adding a Wifi card if you cant use ethernet https://www.amazon.com/Ziyituod-Bluetooth5-0-2974Mbps-Wireless-2400Mbps/dp/B07YB7HSFZ/ref=sr_1_1?_encoding=UTF8&c=ts&dchild=1&keywords=Internal+Computer+Networking+Cards&qid=1609820493&s=pc&sr=1-1&ts_id=13983711

 

Assuming you got the gpu at a decent price ($250), you have some breathing room for an extra hard drive or rgb fans. Most future cpu's will be compatible. The motherboard will need a bios update if you ever upgrade to the ryzen 5000 series. Any gpu ending in a 70 or less will work with this psu. Plan on upgrading that as well if you go for an 80 or 90.

 

Good for running:

 

previous games, apex, gtav, pubg, cyberpunk, battlefield 1, flight sim, and rainbow six siege

$1500

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The Build:

 

This is assuming you buy everything for msrp. If you absolutely need something now and cant wait for prices to drop, id go with the r5 3600/ 3600x (for amd and you will need a better cooler for the x if you wish to overclock) and the rtx 2060 / 2060 super (used)

 

AMD

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HkqGdD

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste  ($7.97 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($114.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($80.99 @ B&H) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card  ($489.99 @ Adorama) 
Case: Lian Li Lancool II Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($159.29 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($136.66 @ Amazon) 
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link Archer TX50E PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi Adapter  ($44.99 @ B&H) 

 

Intel

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jTNrwz

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($308.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Rosewill PB240-RGB 35.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste  ($7.97 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock H310M-HDV/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($116.86 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($80.99 @ B&H) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card  ($489.99 @ Adorama) 
Case: Lian Li Lancool II Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($159.29 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($136.66 @ Amazon) 
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link Archer TX50E PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi Adapter  ($44.99 @ B&H) 

 

Upgradability:

 

You can go to any of AMD's cpus for the next quite a few years, just make sure to get a good cooler for it if the tdp is 95w+ and you plan on overclocking

You can upgrade only to better 9th gen cpu models without a motherboard upgrade

Upgrading to a 3080 or 90 means you'll defninetly want a better PSU as well. Something at least 750w but 850w would be better.

If you wanted more ram you would need 2x16 sticks

 

Good for running:

 

Virtually any game at decent fps on decent quality

$2000

  Reveal hidden contents

 

    The Build:

 

This is assuming you buy everything for msrp. If you absolutely need something now and cant wait for prices to drop, id go with the 5700x (AMD) and the 3070.

 

AMD

  Reveal hidden contents

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rqyGdD

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML240L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste  ($7.97 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($189.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($159.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB Founders Edition Video Card 
Case: Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case  ($131.75 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($139.99 @ Adorama) 

 

Intel

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Ggx768

CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($378.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML240L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste  ($7.97 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($199.99 @ Adorama) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($159.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB Founders Edition Video Card 
Case: Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case  ($131.75 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($139.99 @ Adorama) 

 

Upgradability:

 

5000 series cpus and other future models

 

up to intel gen 13? you'll probably get support for a while

 

future gpus

 

4x16 ram

 

Good for running:

 

Top titles as 1080p @120fps on high settings or 4k @60fps 

 

 

Just upgrading your PC

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If you think it's time for an upgrade, make sure it's ACTUALLY time for an upgrade. Are you getting low fps because your gpu is running at 100%? time for an upgrade! Are you getting low fps because your psu can't supply enough power? Consider one of them first! When you do go for an upgrade, also make sure you're actually upgrading. compare benchmarks from places like userbenchmark.com. The bench% tells very little so make sure to look at all the details and see what fits you best.

 

GPU

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$30 - r7 250x (used) - This is what held me over when my 780ti broke. I was holding out for the 3070 but yall know how that went ;-; It got me decent fps is minecraft and ran 4k youtube at ~24fps 

$100- r9 290 (used) - at 100 bucks, its one of the best budget graphics cards out there. It should get you 60fps at medium settings on almost any game.

$180- gtx 1070 (used) - this marks the end of the AMD reign and puts what I believe the best valued card out there. This is what I currently have and its great. I don't play any big titles so I really don't need more.

$240 - gtx 1070ti (used) - a little harder to find at this price and what do you know, it's the more powerful version of the 1070. It has almost the exact value as the 1070 and should be plenty of power for most people.

$300 - rtx 2060 (used) - As of a few months ago, this was the best high tier budget card. I only recommend buying this if you absolutely cannot spend 400 bucks and you need the extra power over the 1070ti

$400 - rtx 3060ti - The lowest card in the 3000 series but still almost as good as the best card in the 2000s. This will run virtually any game at high settings on 1080p @120fps.

$500 - rtx 3070 - slightly less value than the 3060, but slightly more powerful too. If the 3060ti benchmarks look a bit lower than what you'd need, or you want super smooth 4k gaming, this is the one.

$800 -  rtx 3080 - to be honest, unless you're Linus, this will be overkill. The reason you would probably want this is to tell your friends, "Hey imagine not having the 3080 lmaoooooo."

 

CPU

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    AMD

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    am3 / am3+

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$50 - FX 6300 (used) - want more cores but are too stubborn to upgrade to am4? This will give you that boost while still staying pretty cheap

$200 - FX 8350 (used) - it has lots of cores but not lots of speed. You really should just get that new motherboard...

 

am4

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$120 - ryzen 5 1600 - 6 cores and 12 threads at a decently fast speed. For casual and mid-tier gaming, this is really all you need

$180 - ryzen 5 3600 - this processor is popular and for a good reason. Its a faster version of the 1600 and is all you need without going balls to the walls crazy

$300 - ryzen 7 3700x - this has got all the hype that the 3600 does, but this time with 2 more cores. At 65w tdp, this makes it super easy to overclock with just the stock cooler 

$300 - ryzen 5 5600x - A much better improvement over the 3700x. The only reason you would still want the 3700 is if your motherboard was a 300 series or below. 400 series motherboards will require a bios update.

$450  -ryzen 7 5800x - most likely overkill for most people but it gives amazing speeds and core counts. This cpu uses more power and does not come with a stock cooler so you will want something good.

 

 

Intel

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Intel has had many socket types over the years. The easiest way to figure out you current one is to either go to task manager or system information and google your cpu. You may already have one of the best processors for that socket in which case you will need a motherboard upgrade as well.

 

LGA 1155

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$90 - i7 3770 (used) - about the best you can get for this motherboard

$120 - i7 3770k (used) - now with overclocking!

 

LGA 1150

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$60 - i3 4370 (used) - slow and cheap. best if you want something usable. has 2 cores and 4 threads

$60 - i5 4670 (used) -  a bit slower than the i3 but with the ability to overclock. trades those threads in for cores.

$100 - i7 4770 (used) - double the threads and a bit faster than the i5

 

LGA 1151

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$100 - i5 6600 (used) - basically the 4670 but faster

$150 - i5 8500 (used) - can support 2400mhz ram and has 6 cores 6 threads

$200 - i5 9600k - something new! it's pretty fast as well but still with 6 threads. Should be a decent choice for gaming

$320 - i7 9700k - super fast and with 8 cores. A great choice for high-end gaming

 

LGA 1200

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$120 - i3 10100 - not a bad price with good speeds and 4 cores

$250 - i5 10600k - probably the best choice for mid/high-end gamers. It has the highest core clocks and 6 cores which are enough for most things.

$350 - i7 10700k - 2 more cores than the i5 and a lower core clock. The boost clock is higher making this perfect if you like getting crazy with overclocking.

$500 - i9 10900k - probably overkill but if you really want to achieve that maximum 5.3 GHz, then go for it!

 

 

RAM

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Ram is the one of those things where the expensive and cheap versions of the same thing is gonna perform about the same. Just pick the amount of ram that would be best for you and find the cheapest price. When considering ram, there are 3 important numbers to consider, and 1 a bit less important. Make sure that if you are upgrading ram, you choose the socket that fits in your motherboard. If you are using an older cpu, go on the manufacturers website and make see what speed of ram your processor supports. If you already have one stick and have room for another, it's best to get the exact same stick that you already have.

 

1. Speed. If you just sort the list from cheapest to most expensive, the cheapest will say something like "DDR4-2133" where the 2133 is its speed in mhz. the number you want to aim for is 3200 but there usually isnt much performance dip.
2. Capacity. The more the better... until it's not. I'll go over what capacities are best for what scenarios below.
3. Channels. this is a fancy word for how many sticks you have. most common is single channel, dual channel, and quad channel. Dual channel is usually the most efficient so choose that if you can. You can tell with numbers lke (2x8) where the first number is usually the number of sticks.
4. Latency. Other than RGB, this is about the only other thing that seperates $60 ram from $160 ram. The lower latency is always better but performance-wise is marginal.

 

4GB - This is the bare minimum amount of ram you want. 3/4 of this will be used by your operating system alone. Doing anything willl feel slow.

 

8GB - A more managable amount. This is the least amount of ram you want if you want to have a good experience. You might be able to play a few games. This is how much you want if you plan on just using your computer without intensive task like gaming or editing.

 

16GB - The meta number. This is the perfect amount of ram for things from gaming to video editing to general use. 16gb is plenty for all of this and more wont improve much.

 

32GB+ - This is the amount of ram you want if you plan on 4k video editing. 32gb wont give you a performance boost when gaming.

 

Drive

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You may have heard that upgrading a hard drive to an SSD is the single best improvement you can make on an old PC and they're right. There are some things to look out for. You want one with a DRAM cache. This used to be a problem with older ssd's but is mostly a thing of the past. It is still a good thing to look out for though. There is a "new" type of ssd called m.2. All this is is a different shape for the 2.5" ssd that fits directly on your motherboard. The way this drive talks to your cpu is how it it better. Some use SATA (same as 2.5"), but the good ones use nvme or pcie. This way can transfer data a lot faster, but can really only be noticable in large file transfers. For example, I notice very little improvement with my 970 evo plus over my 860qvo. Make sure if you want an m.2 ssd, your motherboard has an m.2 slot. Anyways, heres what I recommend.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ynRZqp

Storage: ADATA Ultimate SU800 128 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($24.99 @ Amazon)  - good for just a boot drive. not much storage on this so you will want to combine this with an additional hdd
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($54.99 @ Adorama) - perfect entry-level ssd that will probably be enough storage
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ B&H) - a slightly faster drive to boost gaming performance
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($109.99 @ Adorama) - the entry-level ssd but with twice the storage to download the big titles like gtav and cod
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) - the perfect ssd for high-end systems that plan on installing lots of big games.

 

Motherboard

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Sort of like ram, a cheap and expensive motherbord of the same specs is about the same. The price difference really comes from added support like newer cpus, higher memory speed, higher usb speed, higher pcie speed, pcie slots, etc. For most people, a cheap 60 dollar board is all you need, but as the specs get higher, your motherboard will need to be more expensive. Make sure to look in the specification tab on the retailers website to make sure the board meets your needs.

 

    AMD

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$70 asrock B450m hdv r4.0 this is the board I have now. It's cheap and it does everything I want. This will even work with 5000 series cpus with a bios update

$110 MSI B550M PRO-VDH (Wi-Fi) great for 3000 series gpus and 5000 series cpus. Comes with wifi and supports high speeds.

$190 Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) a better chipset for a bit better performance. Comes with rgb and looks slick too

 

    Intel

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* only motherboards with "Z" or "X" chipsets will allow overclocking *

 

LGA 1155

No recommendations here. Boards with this socket are 10 years old at this point. Anything brand new is very expensive. If you really need a replacement, look on ebay for the exact same one you have.

 

LGA 1150

 

$130 Asus B85M-G Micro An old board with what you'd expect from 8 years ago. 6 places for usb with 2 usb 3.0 slots. It supports a max of 1600mhz ram which is more than the average ddr3 stick

 

LGA 1151

 

$60 ASRock H110M-DGS A great budget motherboard with ddr4 and with all your needs but has 1 major drawback: It only supports 6th and 7th gen. Another thing is only DVI for onboard graphics.

$80 ASRock B365M Pro4 For 20 bucks more you can get support from 6-9th (nice) gen cpus. It also supports m.2 ssds that use pcie and memory up to 2666 mhz (3200 mhz modules will underclock to this speed.) If you don't care about the few percent you're missing out on with your 3200mhz ram, this is the perfect choice.

$120 Gigabyte Z390 UD Everything the last one has but with more! Support for 4266mhz memory, 2 more usb 3.1 ports, 2 more pcie 16x slots (running at 1/4 bandwidth), and a little strip of rgb.

 

LGA 1200

 

$70 Gigabyte H410M S2H like the b365m, this only has support for up to 2933mhz ram. Otherwise, this is a solid choice for saving money.

$150 ASRock Z490M Pro4 has support for 4500 mhz+ ram and 10 usb 3.2 ports.

 

 

 

Power SU

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your parts draw power. You need enough watts, but you need to make sure you're actually getting that many watts. Getting higher quality power supplies can also be cheaper in the long run because of the extended warranties. You do not always want 1000 watts. Too little power draw from a high-wattage psu can be bad for your electrical bill, and bad for your components with some supplies. Getting one to run at about 80% potential during full load from your PC is ideal. If you really want to be precise go to https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator to see how many watts you pull at full load. I usually take the power supply it recommends and add 50-100 watts to it. For exmaple, my tdp is 290w, I was recommended a 500w supply and i chose a 550w. If I want to upgrade in a few years, I have breathing room. If you are going to have the same system for many years, take the recommended wattage and buy a good quality psu.

 

500w - buy this for low end systems or old prebuilts. This is the only time its ok to cheap-out since the wattage is so low anyways.

550w - I currently own this. Its fully modular to get rid of cable mess and does what it's supposed to do.

650w - got on the 5600x and 3060ti hype train? This will do the job! a 3070 would be fine with this as long as you dont have a 105w+ cpu. Overclocking might be hard with that.

750w - this will pair nicely with a 3070/80 and a power-hungry cpu.

850w - more than you'll probably need and should not get for lower power systems. This one is great for the 5950x / 3080 combo with some crazy overclocking

 

 

I hope my guide isn't too lengthy and easy to follow and I hope everyone will find a use out of it. I made this list so I can teach you. Please, if you have any feedback or anything I could change, let me know becuase I made this for me to learn aswell.

 

note: I am NOT an expert or experienced in:

intel cpus and motherboards

cpu coolers

motherboards

cases

 

Let me know if you guys have any favorite cases or cpu coolers and I might make a tab for them too!

Umm... Check the price of the gpu on the 800 dollar build

[richodude]

3 minutes ago, kucharczykt said:

Umm... Check the price of the gpu on the 800 dollar build

thanks! I noted that the gpu was going to be bought used but didnt specify the used price. All the lists didn't include the whole list added together since it was usually inaccurate. They all do add up to around the price range.

[kucharczykt]

3 minutes ago, richodude said:

thanks! I noted that the gpu was going to be bought used but didnt specify the used price. All the lists didn't include the whole list added together since it was usually inaccurate. They all do add up to around the price range.

Yeah I saw at the bottom that the gpu was to be bought used I just found the price almost funny. One thing I would criticize is the 3200g can be bought for hardly more than the 1600 you used.

[richodude]

Just now, kucharczykt said:

Yeah I saw at the bottom that the gpu was to be bought used I just found the price almost funny. One thing I would criticize is the 3200g can be bought for hardly more than the 1600 you used.

yeah realised that build only cost 700 so i upped it to the 3600 with still 50 bucks to spare hdds and a wifi card if you need

[kucharczykt]

1 minute ago, richodude said:

yeah realised that build only cost 700 so i upped it to the 3600 with still 50 bucks to spare hdds and a wifi card if you need

Other than that thanks for making this list I'm garbage at making budget build less that 1000 or so

[richodude]

2 minutes ago, kucharczykt said:

Other than that thanks for making this list I'm garbage at making budget build less that 1000 or so

thanks for finding it useful i legit spent like 10 hours on it and it was a poor life choice

[Downkey]

15 hours ago, richodude said:

Need a new PC or just a few parts? this is the post for you! I'm recommending a mix of new and used depending on your budget.

(lots of hidden content incoming)

 

These are my opinions and should be treated as your canvas for your own PC

 

 

Conversion rates. I am using USD in this post

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Spoiler

1000 US dollars 

1300 AU dollars

1275 CA dollars

1325 Singapore dollars

875 Francs

815 euros

740 British pounds

73000 Indian rupees

103000 yen

 

New Builds and Build Ideas (peripherals not included)

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Spoiler

$200

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The Build:

 

Go to facebook marketplace or ebay or somewhere and find someones old computer. You want something with a 4 (quad) core cpu, and 8gb of ram. Keep in mind these are older parts so upgrading in the future will make you ditch most of the stuff. Make sure the case will be big enough to house a gpu. (no slim models). Most people ask way more than theyre worth and I'd spend $150 maximum. Add a cheap ssd (make sure it has a dram cache) and a cheap gpu. The gpu you will definitely need to buy used.

 

Pre pc + 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2Mx8xc

Storage: Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($27.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 250X 1 GB Video Card 

 

(used gpu)

Upgradability:

 

Working towards the $500 build

 

Good for running:

 

games like among us, Dota 2, sims 4, Minecraft, csgo, Skyrim, and LoL

 

 

$500

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    The Build:

Same process asw the $200 except we're putting better stuff in it. Make sure the PSU is at least 450w or else you will need a new one (in parts list)

 

AMD pre-built

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WYnP7X

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($6.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB AERO ITX OC Video Card  ($299.98 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($56.98 @ B&H) 

 

(used cpu and gpu)

 

Intel pre-built

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/gqx8xc

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($354.98 @ Amazon) (check your motherboard socket as this may not fit. Find one that does in my CPU upgrade section)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($6.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB AERO ITX OC Video Card  ($299.98 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($56.98 @ B&H) 
 

(used cpu and gpu)

Upgradability:

 

A better GPU and power supply to go with it. Not too big as you don't want a bottleneck. If you need more you would want to keep your storage devices and GPU and get rid of the rest. Look in to what would be worth selling first. Start with modern socket and ram types as you'll see in the other builds.

 

Good for running:

 

Previous games, Valorant, Fortnite, and Rocket League

$800

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    The Build:

We are starting off new since the previous generation gives diminishing returns with better products.

 

AMD

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dB6cy4

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Newegg) 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($6.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($71.98 @ Amazon) 
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($81.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ B&H) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB MINI Video Card  ($999.11 @ Amazon) 
Case: DIYPC J180 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($43.96 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.98 @ Amazon) 

 

(used gpu $200)

 

Intel

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YqpXht

CPU: Intel Core i3-10300 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($152.00 @ Walmart) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.00 @ Amazon) 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($6.98 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI B460M-A PRO Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($78.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($62.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ B&H) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB MINI Video Card  ($609.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: DIYPC J180 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($41.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.98 @ Amazon) 
 

(used gpu $200)

 

Upgradability:

 

Adding a Wifi card if you cant use ethernet https://www.amazon.com/Ziyituod-Bluetooth5-0-2974Mbps-Wireless-2400Mbps/dp/B07YB7HSFZ/ref=sr_1_1?_encoding=UTF8&c=ts&dchild=1&keywords=Internal+Computer+Networking+Cards&qid=1609820493&s=pc&sr=1-1&ts_id=13983711

 

Assuming you got the gpu at a decent price ($250), you have some breathing room for an extra hard drive or rgb fans. Most future cpu's will be compatible. The motherboard will need a bios update if you ever upgrade to the ryzen 5000 series. Any gpu ending in a 70 or less will work with this psu. Plan on upgrading that as well if you go for an 80 or 90.

 

Good for running:

 

previous games, apex, gtav, pubg, cyberpunk, battlefield 1, flight sim, and rainbow six siege

$1500

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The Build:

 

This is assuming you buy everything for msrp. If you absolutely need something now and cant wait for prices to drop, id go with the r5 3600/ 3600x (for amd and you will need a better cooler for the x if you wish to overclock) and the rtx 2060 / 2060 super (used)

 

AMD

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HkqGdD

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste  ($7.97 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($114.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($80.99 @ B&H) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card  ($489.99 @ Adorama) 
Case: Lian Li Lancool II Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($159.29 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($136.66 @ Amazon) 
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link Archer TX50E PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi Adapter  ($44.99 @ B&H) 

 

Intel

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jTNrwz

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($308.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Rosewill PB240-RGB 35.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste  ($7.97 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock H310M-HDV/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($116.86 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($80.99 @ B&H) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card  ($489.99 @ Adorama) 
Case: Lian Li Lancool II Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($159.29 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($136.66 @ Amazon) 
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link Archer TX50E PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi Adapter  ($44.99 @ B&H) 

 

Upgradability:

 

You can go to any of AMD's cpus for the next quite a few years, just make sure to get a good cooler for it if the tdp is 95w+ and you plan on overclocking

You can upgrade only to better 9th gen cpu models without a motherboard upgrade

Upgrading to a 3080 or 90 means you'll defninetly want a better PSU as well. Something at least 750w but 850w would be better.

If you wanted more ram you would need 2x16 sticks

 

Good for running:

 

Virtually any game at decent fps on decent quality

$2000

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    The Build:

 

This is assuming you buy everything for msrp. If you absolutely need something now and cant wait for prices to drop, id go with the 5700x (AMD) and the 3070.

 

AMD

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rqyGdD

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML240L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste  ($7.97 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($189.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($159.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB Founders Edition Video Card 
Case: Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case  ($131.75 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($139.99 @ Adorama) 

 

Intel

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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Ggx768

CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($378.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML240L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste  ($7.97 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($199.99 @ Adorama) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($159.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB Founders Edition Video Card 
Case: Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case  ($131.75 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($139.99 @ Adorama) 

 

Upgradability:

 

5000 series cpus and other future models

 

up to intel gen 13? you'll probably get support for a while

 

future gpus

 

4x16 ram

 

Good for running:

 

Top titles as 1080p @120fps on high settings or 4k @60fps 

 

 

Upgrades and Part Recommendations

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If you think it's time for an upgrade, make sure it's ACTUALLY time for an upgrade. Are you getting low fps because your gpu is running at 100%? time for an upgrade! Are you getting low fps because your psu can't supply enough power? Consider one of them first! When you do go for an upgrade, also make sure you're actually upgrading. compare benchmarks from places like userbenchmark.com. The bench% tells very little so make sure to look at all the details and see what fits you best.

 

GPU

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$30 - r7 250x (used) - This is what held me over when my 780ti broke. I was holding out for the 3070 but yall know how that went ;-; It got me decent fps is minecraft and ran 4k youtube at ~24fps 

$100- r9 290 (used) - at 100 bucks, its one of the best budget graphics cards out there. It should get you 60fps at medium settings on almost any game.

$180- gtx 1070 (used) - this marks the end of the AMD reign and puts what I believe the best valued card out there. This is what I currently have and its great. I don't play any big titles so I really don't need more.

$240 - gtx 1070ti (used) - a little harder to find at this price and what do you know, it's the more powerful version of the 1070. It has almost the exact value as the 1070 and should be plenty of power for most people.

$300 - rtx 2060 (used) - As of a few months ago, this was the best high tier budget card. I only recommend buying this if you absolutely cannot spend 400 bucks and you need the extra power over the 1070ti

$400 - rtx 3060ti - The lowest card in the 3000 series but still almost as good as the best card in the 2000s. This will run virtually any game at high settings on 1080p @120fps.

$500 - rtx 3070 - slightly less value than the 3060, but slightly more powerful too. If the 3060ti benchmarks look a bit lower than what you'd need, or you want super smooth 4k gaming, this is the one.

$800 -  rtx 3080 - to be honest, unless you're Linus, this will be overkill. The reason you would probably want this is to tell your friends, "Hey imagine not having the 3080 lmaoooooo."

 

CPU

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    AMD

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    am3 / am3+

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$50 - FX 6300 (used) - want more cores but are too stubborn to upgrade to am4? This will give you that boost while still staying pretty cheap

$200 - FX 8350 (used) - it has lots of cores but not lots of speed. You really should just get that new motherboard...

 

am4

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$120 - ryzen 5 1600 - 6 cores and 12 threads at a decently fast speed. For casual and mid-tier gaming, this is really all you need

$180 - ryzen 5 3600 - this processor is popular and for a good reason. Its a faster version of the 1600 and is all you need without going balls to the walls crazy

$300 - ryzen 7 3700x - this has got all the hype that the 3600 does, but this time with 2 more cores. At 65w tdp, this makes it super easy to overclock with just the stock cooler 

$300 - ryzen 5 5600x - A much better improvement over the 3700x. The only reason you would still want the 3700 is if your motherboard was a 300 series or below. 400 series motherboards will require a bios update.

$450  -ryzen 7 5800x - most likely overkill for most people but it gives amazing speeds and core counts. This cpu uses more power and does not come with a stock cooler so you will want something good.

 

 

Intel

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Intel has had many socket types over the years. The easiest way to figure out you current one is to either go to task manager or system information and google your cpu. You may already have one of the best processors for that socket in which case you will need a motherboard upgrade as well.

 

LGA 1155

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$90 - i7 3770 (used) - about the best you can get for this motherboard

$120 - i7 3770k (used) - now with overclocking!

 

LGA 1150

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$60 - i3 4370 (used) - slow and cheap. best if you want something usable. has 2 cores and 4 threads

$60 - i5 4670 (used) -  a bit slower than the i3 but with the ability to overclock. trades those threads in for cores.

$100 - i7 4770 (used) - double the threads and a bit faster than the i5

 

LGA 1151

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$100 - i5 6600 (used) - basically the 4670 but faster

$150 - i5 8500 (used) - can support 2400mhz ram and has 6 cores 6 threads

$200 - i5 9600k - something new! it's pretty fast as well but still with 6 threads. Should be a decent choice for gaming

$320 - i7 9700k - super fast and with 8 cores. A great choice for high-end gaming

 

LGA 1200

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$120 - i3 10100 - not a bad price with good speeds and 4 cores

$250 - i5 10600k - probably the best choice for mid/high-end gamers. It has the highest core clocks and 6 cores which are enough for most things.

$350 - i7 10700k - 2 more cores than the i5 and a lower core clock. The boost clock is higher making this perfect if you like getting crazy with overclocking.

$500 - i9 10900k - probably overkill but if you really want to achieve that maximum 5.3 GHz, then go for it!

 

 

RAM

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Ram is the one of those things where the expensive and cheap versions of the same thing is gonna perform about the same. Just pick the amount of ram that would be best for you and find the cheapest price. When considering ram, there are 3 important numbers to consider, and 1 a bit less important. Make sure that if you are upgrading ram, you choose the socket that fits in your motherboard. If you are using an older cpu, go on the manufacturers website and make see what speed of ram your processor supports. If you already have one stick and have room for another, it's best to get the exact same stick that you already have.

 

1. Speed. If you just sort the list from cheapest to most expensive, the cheapest will say something like "DDR4-2133" where the 2133 is its speed in mhz. the number you want to aim for is 3200 but there usually isnt much performance dip.
2. Capacity. The more the better... until it's not. I'll go over what capacities are best for what scenarios below.
3. Channels. this is a fancy word for how many sticks you have. most common is single channel, dual channel, and quad channel. Dual channel is usually the most efficient so choose that if you can. You can tell with numbers lke (2x8) where the first number is usually the number of sticks.
4. Latency. Other than RGB, this is about the only other thing that seperates $60 ram from $160 ram. The lower latency is always better but performance-wise is marginal.

 

4GB - This is the bare minimum amount of ram you want. 3/4 of this will be used by your operating system alone. Doing anything willl feel slow.

 

8GB - A more managable amount. This is the least amount of ram you want if you want to have a good experience. You might be able to play a few games. This is how much you want if you plan on just using your computer without intensive task like gaming or editing.

 

16GB - The meta number. This is the perfect amount of ram for things from gaming to video editing to general use. 16gb is plenty for all of this and more wont improve much.

 

32GB+ - This is the amount of ram you want if you plan on 4k video editing. 32gb wont give you a performance boost when gaming.

 

Drive

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You may have heard that upgrading a hard drive to an SSD is the single best improvement you can make on an old PC and they're right. There are some things to look out for. You want one with a DRAM cache. This used to be a problem with older ssd's but is mostly a thing of the past. It is still a good thing to look out for though. There is a "new" type of ssd called m.2. All this is is a different shape for the 2.5" ssd that fits directly on your motherboard. The way this drive talks to your cpu is how it it better. Some use SATA (same as 2.5"), but the good ones use nvme or pcie. This way can transfer data a lot faster, but can really only be noticable in large file transfers. For example, I notice very little improvement with my 970 evo plus over my 860qvo. Make sure if you want an m.2 ssd, your motherboard has an m.2 slot. Anyways, heres what I recommend.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ynRZqp

Storage: ADATA Ultimate SU800 128 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($24.99 @ Amazon)  - good for just a boot drive. not much storage on this so you will want to combine this with an additional hdd
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($54.99 @ Adorama) - perfect entry-level ssd that will probably be enough storage
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ B&H) - a slightly faster drive to boost gaming performance
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($109.99 @ Adorama) - the entry-level ssd but with twice the storage to download the big titles like gtav and cod
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($149.99 @ Adorama) - the perfect ssd for high-end systems that plan on installing lots of big games.

 

Motherboard

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Sort of like ram, a cheap and expensive motherbord of the same specs is about the same. The price difference really comes from added support like newer cpus, higher memory speed, higher usb speed, higher pcie speed, pcie slots, etc. For most people, a cheap 60 dollar board is all you need, but as the specs get higher, your motherboard will need to be more expensive. Make sure to look in the specification tab on the retailers website to make sure the board meets your needs.

 

    AMD

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$70 asrock B450m hdv r4.0 this is the board I have now. It's cheap and it does everything I want. This will even work with 5000 series cpus with a bios update

$110 MSI B550M PRO-VDH (Wi-Fi) great for 3000 series gpus and 5000 series cpus. Comes with wifi and supports high speeds.

$190 Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) a better chipset for a bit better performance. Comes with rgb and looks slick too

 

    Intel

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* only motherboards with "Z" or "X" chipsets will allow overclocking *

 

LGA 1155

No recommendations here. Boards with this socket are 10 years old at this point. Anything brand new is very expensive. If you really need a replacement, look on ebay for the exact same one you have.

 

LGA 1150

 

$130 Asus B85M-G Micro An old board with what you'd expect from 8 years ago. 6 places for usb with 2 usb 3.0 slots. It supports a max of 1600mhz ram which is more than the average ddr3 stick

 

LGA 1151

 

$60 ASRock H110M-DGS A great budget motherboard with ddr4 and with all your needs but has 1 major drawback: It only supports 6th and 7th gen. Another thing is only DVI for onboard graphics.

$80 ASRock B365M Pro4 For 20 bucks more you can get support from 6-9th (nice) gen cpus. It also supports m.2 ssds that use pcie and memory up to 2666 mhz (3200 mhz modules will underclock to this speed.) If you don't care about the few percent you're missing out on with your 3200mhz ram, this is the perfect choice.

$120 Gigabyte Z390 UD Everything the last one has but with more! Support for 4266mhz memory, 2 more usb 3.1 ports, 2 more pcie 16x slots (running at 1/4 bandwidth), and a little strip of rgb.

 

LGA 1200

 

$70 Gigabyte H410M S2H like the b365m, this only has support for up to 2933mhz ram. Otherwise, this is a solid choice for saving money.

$150 ASRock Z490M Pro4 has support for 4500 mhz+ ram and 10 usb 3.2 ports.

 

 

 

Power SU

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your parts draw power. You need enough watts, but you need to make sure you're actually getting that many watts. Getting higher quality power supplies can also be cheaper in the long run because of the extended warranties. You do not always want 1000 watts. Too little power draw from a high-wattage psu can be bad for your electrical bill, and bad for your components with some supplies. Getting one to run at about 80% potential during full load from your PC is ideal. If you really want to be precise go to https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator to see how many watts you pull at full load. I usually take the power supply it recommends and add 50-100 watts to it. For exmaple, my tdp is 290w, I was recommended a 500w supply and i chose a 550w. If I want to upgrade in a few years, I have breathing room. If you are going to have the same system for many years, take the recommended wattage and buy a good quality psu.

 

500w - buy this for low end systems or old prebuilts. This is the only time its ok to cheap-out since the wattage is so low anyways.

550w - I currently own this. Its fully modular to get rid of cable mess and does what it's supposed to do.

650w - got on the 5600x and 3060ti hype train? This will do the job! a 3070 would be fine with this as long as you dont have a 105w+ cpu. Overclocking might be hard with that.

750w - this will pair nicely with a 3070/80 and a power-hungry cpu.

850w - more than you'll probably need and should not get for lower power systems. This one is great for the 5950x / 3080 combo with some crazy overclocking

 

 

I hope my guide isn't too lengthy and easy to follow and I hope everyone will find a use out of it. I made this list so I can teach you. Please, if you have any feedback or anything I could change, let me know becuase I made this for me to learn aswell.

 

note: I am NOT an expert or experienced in:

intel cpus and motherboards

cpu coolers

motherboards

cases

 

Let me know if you guys have any favorite cases or cpu coolers and I might make a tab for them too!

The $1500 builds don't seem great.. 
$1500 and you can only fit a 3060ti?

Other than that this looks pretty good ;O

[richodude]

25 minutes ago, Downkey said:

The $1500 builds don't seem great.. 
$1500 and you can only fit a 3060ti?

Other than that this looks pretty good ;O

I went with a lot of quality over performance. You can always cheap out on other stuff and get more but who is gonna even use the 2060ti's full potential? This is coming from the guy who plays minecraft btw

[Downkey]

1 minute ago, richodude said:

I went with a lot of quality over performance. You can always cheap out on other stuff and get more but who is gonna even use the 2060ti's full potential? This is coming from the guy who plays minecraft btw

Can't blame you there. Back in 2016 - 2019 I played so much badlion UHC and hypixel duels so I can't blame you with the minecraft thing aswell.

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

I like this a lot better for $1500. Aftermarket cooler;  better motherboard with integrated wifi; faster RAM; better storage config; better GPU; better value case; slightly better PSU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	$300.00
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler	$39.00 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 AORUS PRO AC ATX AM4 Motherboard	$189.00 @ Best Buy
Memory	Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$89.99 @ B&H
Storage	Silicon Power A80 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$59.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Sabrent Rocket Q 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$109.98 @ Amazon
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB Founders Edition Video Card	$500.00
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case	$89.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$119.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1497.94
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 11:27 EST-0500

 

[richodude]

3 minutes ago, HairlessMonkeyBoy said:

I like this a lot better for $1500. Aftermarket cooler; faster RAM; better motherboard with integrated wifi; faster RAM; better storage config; better GPU; better value case; slightly better PSU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	$300.00
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler	$39.00 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 AORUS PRO AC ATX AM4 Motherboard	$189.00 @ Best Buy
Memory	Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$89.99 @ B&H
Storage	Silicon Power A80 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$59.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Sabrent Rocket Q 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$109.98 @ Amazon
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB Founders Edition Video Card	$500.00
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case	$89.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$119.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1497.94
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 11:27 EST-0500

 

I like it! Ill put that instead. I'm only gonna include 1 drive though

[richodude]

1 hour ago, HairlessMonkeyBoy said:

I like this a lot better for $1500. Aftermarket cooler;  better motherboard with integrated wifi; faster RAM; better storage config; better GPU; better value case; slightly better PSU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	$300.00
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler	$39.00 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 AORUS PRO AC ATX AM4 Motherboard	$189.00 @ Best Buy
Memory	Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$89.99 @ B&H
Storage	Silicon Power A80 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$59.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Sabrent Rocket Q 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$109.98 @ Amazon
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB Founders Edition Video Card	$500.00
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case	$89.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$119.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1497.94
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-06 11:27 EST-0500

 

I was a derp and didn't realise pasting the link embedded all the stuff. I was using the link box ;-; Anyways I took ur suggestion, updated the parts lists, and made a couple tweaks for ease of reading and seeing the important stuff. let me know if you find anything else!

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

28 minutes ago, richodude said:

I was a derp and didn't realise pasting the link embedded all the stuff. I was using the link box ;-; Anyways I took ur suggestion, updated the parts lists, and made a couple tweaks for ease of reading and seeing the important stuff. let me know if you find anything else!

Why only one drive? If you are going to keep it that way for whatever reason, the do this one instead. Being TLC with DRAM cache, it is more suitable as a boot drive.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/VXyqqs/silicon-power-a80-1-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-su001tbp34a80m28ab

[richodude]

2 minutes ago, HairlessMonkeyBoy said:

Why only one drive? If you are going to keep it that way for whatever reason, the do this one instead. Being TLC with DRAM cache, it is more suitable as a boot drive.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/VXyqqs/silicon-power-a80-1-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-su001tbp34a80m28ab

i wanted to keep extra drives optional. suppose i should say that. Ill add some hdds to the drives list too

[Nailo]

This helps quite a bit. Now all I need to do is find the right chassis/case for my MB. lmao

[whm1974]

I don't why anyone will pick out the AMD FX-6300 CPU for at this point. And I don't see the motherboard for that CPU. For ~$500 there way better options.  Such as the Ryzen 3 3200G which also has a decent iGPU as well.

 

And I don't see the point of using a ~250GB SSD neither. ~500GB SSDs are cheap enough for ~$500 build.

[richodude]

36 minutes ago, whm1974 said:

I don't why anyone will pick out the AMD FX-6300 CPU for at this point. And I don't see the motherboard for that CPU. For ~$500 there way better options.  Such as the Ryzen 3 3200G which also has a decent iGPU as well.

 

And I don't see the point of using a ~250GB SSD neither. ~500GB SSDs are cheap enough for ~$500 build.

In case you are upgrading an old system with am3 sockets and you dont plan on upgrading your motherboard. This is good for restoring an old prebuilt if you need.

 

Sometimes that extra 10 bucks is worth it especially if its just for boot. This is just for budget builds and just a reference to start from.

[whm1974]

1 minute ago, richodude said:

In case you are upgrading an old system with am3 sockets and you dont plan on upgrading your motherboard. This is good for restoring an old prebuilt if you need.

 

Sometimes that extra 10 bucks is worth it especially if its just for boot. This is just for budget builds and just a reference to start from.

Sorry I was under the impression the List was supposed to be New Builds. For upgrading an older system then I can see and agree with your point. Otherwise...

[Destro49]

For the 2000$ AMD build. Can i use an air cooler instead? I've never built a pc before, and I really don't wanna mess with a liquid cooler. Thanks.

[richodude]

Just now, Destro49 said:

For the 2000$ AMD build. Can i use an air cooler instead? I've never built a pc before, and I really don't wanna mess with a liquid cooler. Thanks.

yes! Ive heard from a few people that air and AIO perform about the same for the price. I don't blame you and I just think the AIOs look a little better. Makes sure the one you choose fits in your case

[Destro49]

Good to hear. Thanks!