Hmm.. What to choose?

[HeyoDylo]

I currently have a M5A78L-PLUS-USB3 AM3 Motherboard, with 8GB of DDR3 RAM at 1600 Mhz, and a 930 GB of Storage. I also have a FX-6300 at 3.50 GHz (six core but not really 6 cores. They are 3 modules and 6 threads) 

For my GPU, I have a AMD RX560 6GB.

Now, because we are literally in the middle of a great pandemic, with very little options to have, with very little money to work with- I have two options:

I can add one more 8GB stick of DDR3 RAM, and buy a new 1TB SSD to add with my old motherboard

OR

I can entirely get a new motherboard, new AM4 CPU, keep the GPU, and have 1TB SSD, and add 16GB of DDR4 RAM, bit pricy, but its something I can work with. I can scrape up a few bucks to get the parts I need.

If anyone can build me a PC part picker list for around.. 400 USD$ or possibly 500$ that would be appreciated. Nothing over those prices please!  I have a tight budget!  

 

[HeyoDylo]

test comment oof

[HeyoDylo]

also if anyone could go cheaper than 400 to 500 USD that would be great!!!!

[GorujoCY]

what is your 930 gb storage? a hard drive or an ssd?

 

[Aaron_T]

If I were in your shoes. I either just get the 8gb of ddr3 to add on, and a 1tb ssd. Or I'd go with a budget system upgrade to get onto as new of generation of tech as I could.

 

So for option two, something like this would be screaming fast compared to what you have now:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10400 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B460M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: OLOy 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $412.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-03 12:54 EST-0500

 

Then just keep your case, PSU, and GPU, and sell your old parts second hand to recover some of the cost.

[cm992]

• Motherboard: ASUS B450-PLUS TUF GAMING II ATX - $120 (supports ryzen 5000 with bios 2409)
• RAM: Crucial Ballistix Gaming 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 - $80
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X with stock cooler - $280 ($300 - $20 = $280 because of discount when buying mobo+cpu combo)
• Total: $480

[SpookyCitrus]

1 minute ago, cm992 said:

• Motherboard: ASUS B450-PLUS TUF GAMING II ATX - $120 (supports ryzen 5000 with bios 2409)
• RAM: Crucial Ballistix Gaming 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 - $80
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X with stock cooler - $280 ($300 - $20 = $280 because of discount when buying mobo+cpu combo)
• Total: $480

Unless OP has a Microcenter close by this list will do no good. We tend to not recommend buying parts or putting together a list with Microcenter links because a lot of parts are only available for instore pickup. The CPU in this case is one of them. I would ask OP first if they have a Microcenter near them before recommending or posting a list through them.

[HeyoDylo]

22 minutes ago, GorujoCY said:

what is your 930 gb storage? a hard drive or an ssd?

 

"buy a new SSD" would imply that i would want to replace my HDD with an SDD 

[cm992]

1 minute ago, SpookyCitrus said:

Unless OP has a Microcenter close by this list will do no good. We tend to not recommend buying parts or putting together a list with Microcenter links because a lot of parts are only available for instore pickup. The CPU in this case is one of them. I would ask OP first if they have a Microcenter near them before recommending or posting a list through them.

Fair enough

[GorujoCY]

1 minute ago, HeyoDylo said:

"buy a new SSD" would imply that i would want to replace my HDD with an SDD 

ah yep, yep, im preparing a upgrade path for you then

you can keep the HDD for games, videos, apps etc.

[HeyoDylo]

9 minutes ago, AaronThomas said:

If I were in your shoes. I either just get the 8gb of ddr3 to add on, and a 1tb ssd. Or I'd go with a budget system upgrade to get onto as new of generation of tech as I could.

 

So for option two, something like this would be screaming fast compared to what you have now:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10400 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B460M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: OLOy 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $412.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-03 12:54 EST-0500

 

Then just keep your case, PSU, and GPU, and sell your old parts second hand to recover some of the cost.

an AM4 Processor and mobo would be more preferable ty

[HeyoDylo]

1 minute ago, GorujoCY said:

ah yep, yep, im preparing a upgrade path for you then

you can keep the HDD for games, videos, apps etc.

okey

[GorujoCY]

4 minutes ago, HeyoDylo said:

okey

here's what i ahve prepared, you can still keep your hdd and gpu and upgrade to those components:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$194.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard	ASRock B550M Phantom Gaming 4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$89.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$74.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Mushkin Enhanced Helix-L 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$37.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$397.96
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-03 13:12 EST-0500

 

of course i went with the 3600 because the 5600x is currently not at a good price (especially not even close to its msrp at all, not to mention out of stock), so you can stick with the ryzen 5 3600, update the bios when the prices go back to normal and upgrade to a 5600x...

[HeyoDylo]

Just now, GorujoCY said:

here's what i ahve prepared, you can still keep your hdd and gpu and upgrade to those components:

 

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Kk99vf)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9nm323/amd-ryzen-5-3600-36-thz-6-core-processor-100-100000031box) | $194.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [ASRock B550M Phantom Gaming 4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TG9tt6/asrock-b550m-phantom-gaming-4-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-b550m-phantom-gaming-4) | $89.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/z3VD4D/team-t-force-vulcan-z-16-gb-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3200-memory-tlzgd416g3200hc16cdc01) | $74.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Mushkin Enhanced Helix-L 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TRfhP6/mushkin-enhanced-helix-l-250-gb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-mknssdhl250gb-d8) | $37.99 @ Newegg
 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
 | **Total** | **$397.96**
 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2021-02-03 13:10 EST-0500 |

of course i went with the 3600 because the 5600x is currently not at a good price (especially not even close to its msrp at all), so you can stick with the ryzen 5 3600, update the bios when the prices go back to normal and upgrade to a 5600x...

okay, this is perfect for my price range, ill take a look at it

[GorujoCY]

1 minute ago, HeyoDylo said:

okay, this is perfect for my price range, ill take a look at it

ah and It seems like i forgot something, go get 3600MHz ram for a bit of an advantage rather than 3200MHz, especially for 5000 ryzen series/zen 3
should still fit within your budget ngl. I can help you find one if you need but you get what i mean

[HeyoDylo]

3 minutes ago, GorujoCY said:

here's what i ahve prepared, you can still keep your hdd and gpu and upgrade to those components:

 

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Kk99vf)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9nm323/amd-ryzen-5-3600-36-thz-6-core-processor-100-100000031box) | $194.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [ASRock B550M Phantom Gaming 4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TG9tt6/asrock-b550m-phantom-gaming-4-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-b550m-phantom-gaming-4) | $89.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/z3VD4D/team-t-force-vulcan-z-16-gb-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3200-memory-tlzgd416g3200hc16cdc01) | $74.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Mushkin Enhanced Helix-L 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TRfhP6/mushkin-enhanced-helix-l-250-gb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-mknssdhl250gb-d8) | $37.99 @ Newegg
 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
 | **Total** | **$397.96**
 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2021-02-03 13:10 EST-0500 |

of course i went with the 3600 because the 5600x is currently not at a good price (especially not even close to its msrp at all), so you can stick with the ryzen 5 3600, update the bios when the prices go back to normal and upgrade to a 5600x...

thats a 230gb ssd? is there any good 1tb ssd?  :0 wait- i think i can use my 930 gb hdd, i wanted a completely new upgrade, and not to share the storage with the HDD- so i just wanted a 1tb SSD to make it my main drive and to have the HDD on the side for extra space

[Aaron_T]

@HeyoDylo

AM4 build with 1 TB SSD. The 1600 12nm is pretty much a 2600, and with that RX560 you're running you won't be loosing any performance between the 1600 and 3600. Also has 3600mhz ram CL16 for optimal performance with new Ryzen chips come upgrade time.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($80.73 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Enhanced Helix-L 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $418.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-03 13:37 EST-0500

[HeyoDylo]

47 minutes ago, AaronThomas said:

@HeyoDylo

AM4 build with 1 TB SSD. The 1600 12nm is pretty much a 2600, and with that RX560 you're running you won't be loosing any performance between the 1600 and 3600. Also has 3600mhz ram CL16 for optimal performance with new Ryzen chips come upgrade time.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($80.73 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Enhanced Helix-L 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $418.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-03 13:37 EST-0500

tysm

[HeyoDylo]

48 minutes ago, AaronThomas said:

@HeyoDylo

AM4 build with 1 TB SSD. The 1600 12nm is pretty much a 2600, and with that RX560 you're running you won't be loosing any performance between the 1600 and 3600. Also has 3600mhz ram CL16 for optimal performance with new Ryzen chips come upgrade time.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($80.73 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Enhanced Helix-L 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $418.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-03 13:37 EST-0500

so how would i transfer my data to the SSD? forgot oof, also what do i need to know before upgrading my mobo?

[Aaron_T]

@HeyoDylo

1. Make sure your old case has the room/dimensions for the new board, including mounting point compatibility, likely not a huge chance for issues, but good to check.

2. Since you're staying with AMD, your OS drivers shouldn't complain much if at all when you swap in the new hardware, but worst case you may have to re-activate windows over the phone or something stupid like that.

3. You'll want to migrate your HDD to your SSD, so that you're booting off the SSD and get the faster loads on your games. You'll need cloning software to do this, examples below:

https://www.easeus.com/ppc/disk-copy.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0ZnkvbY84nNGTdXV6b5d2lMGfo6S3qBx8FRydlTRZgUxrZO-1_cYeWRoCqWkQAvD_BwE

 

https://www.acronis.com/en-us/lp/personal/sem/?gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0ZhyW1IBcqZCsEwpy6SPab1LZqLGaB1HQXYPC_Y9drx-l3mfttL9vyxoCJgwQAvD_BwE

 

A lot of SSD manufacturers give you free cloning software for your drive, which is one reason I like to recommend WD and Crucial drives to people(but lots of other SSD brands have this also). For a few dollars more than the SSD I originally listed you can get an equivalent drive with free cloning software. Ex:

 

https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?p=128

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $99.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-03 14:45 EST-0500

 

 

[HeyoDylo]

Just now, AaronThomas said:

@HeyoDylo

1. Make sure your old case has the room/dimensions for the new board, including mounting point compatibility, likely not a huge chance for issues, but good to check.

2. Since you're staying with AMD, your OS drivers shouldn't complain much if at all when you swap in the new hardware, but worst case you may have to re-activate windows over the phone or something stupid like that.

3. You'll want to migrate your HDD to your SSD, so that you're booting off the SSD and get the faster loads on your games. You'll need cloning software to do this, examples below:

https://www.easeus.com/ppc/disk-copy.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0ZnkvbY84nNGTdXV6b5d2lMGfo6S3qBx8FRydlTRZgUxrZO-1_cYeWRoCqWkQAvD_BwE

 

https://www.acronis.com/en-us/lp/personal/sem/?gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0ZhyW1IBcqZCsEwpy6SPab1LZqLGaB1HQXYPC_Y9drx-l3mfttL9vyxoCJgwQAvD_BwE

 

A lot of SSD manufacturers give you free cloning software for your drive, which is one reason I like to recommend WD and Crucial drives to people(but lots of other SSD brands have this also). For a few dollars more than the SSD I originally listed you can get an equivalent drive with free cloning software. Ex:

 

https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?p=128

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $99.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-03 14:45 EST-0500

 

 

reactivate windows over.. the phone? like- serial keys and stuff like that..? wdym
 

[HeyoDylo]

2 minutes ago, AaronThomas said:

@HeyoDylo

1. Make sure your old case has the room/dimensions for the new board, including mounting point compatibility, likely not a huge chance for issues, but good to check.

2. Since you're staying with AMD, your OS drivers shouldn't complain much if at all when you swap in the new hardware, but worst case you may have to re-activate windows over the phone or something stupid like that.

3. You'll want to migrate your HDD to your SSD, so that you're booting off the SSD and get the faster loads on your games. You'll need cloning software to do this, examples below:

https://www.easeus.com/ppc/disk-copy.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0ZnkvbY84nNGTdXV6b5d2lMGfo6S3qBx8FRydlTRZgUxrZO-1_cYeWRoCqWkQAvD_BwE

 

https://www.acronis.com/en-us/lp/personal/sem/?gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0ZhyW1IBcqZCsEwpy6SPab1LZqLGaB1HQXYPC_Y9drx-l3mfttL9vyxoCJgwQAvD_BwE

 

A lot of SSD manufacturers give you free cloning software for your drive, which is one reason I like to recommend WD and Crucial drives to people(but lots of other SSD brands have this also). For a few dollars more than the SSD I originally listed you can get an equivalent drive with free cloning software. Ex:

 

https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?p=128

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $99.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-03 14:45 EST-0500

 

 

i dont even have a serial key if i need to reactivate windows

[GorujoCY]

1 hour ago, HeyoDylo said:

thats a 230gb ssd? is there any good 1tb ssd?  :0 wait- i think i can use my 930 gb hdd, i wanted a completely new upgrade, and not to share the storage with the HDD- so i just wanted a 1tb SSD to make it my main drive and to have the HDD on the side for extra space

that's a 240 gig ssd, and is 1tb necessary for you? when you could use the HDD to store your games (and files if you want)

[Aaron_T]

If you have a retail key for Windows(this is the key already installed in your PC, you don't need to have it written down or anything), then when enough hardware is changed in your computer, Windows may think you are trying to move your license to a different computer...

 

If you've never done this before, then it may allow you to "re-activate" the license online with an easy button press, over the internet. If for some reason the license you have has been activated or re-activated more than a couple times, it may tell you it can't activate itself online again. In this case, you find the "activate by telephone" option, and you're walked through a robo call dialog on the phone, send some numbers back and forth, etc.. and then you're windows install will activate.

[HeyoDylo]

1 hour ago, GorujoCY said:

that's a 240 gig ssd, and is 1tb necessary for you? when you could use the HDD to store your games (and files if you want)

why not have a 1tb ssd.