Which CPU should I get?

[JohanKjeldahl7]

Hey everyone!

 

I am building my sister a PC and am looking for the best deal on an AM4 CPU/Motherboard combo. Should pair well with the GTX 1060. My idea: Gigabyte A520M + Ryzen 3 4100. I already have the GPU and have 16GB extra RAM at home. PSU: beQuiet 500W. Will mostly be used for games like the Witcher 3 or Sims 4 at 1080p. Please only CPUs with the AMD wraith stealth cooler included! Want so get the best CPU/Motherboard deal possible. Please AM4 since it has great upgradability potential when her budget is bigger.

Budget: Under 200€, Region: Austria/Germany.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Fasauceome]

16 minutes ago, JohanKjeldahl7 said:

looking for the best deal on an AM4 CPU/Motherboard combo

a used motherboard would be a good deal, lots of B450 options that can save you money. You could also make sure the motherboard has the right BIOS for the latest Ryzen CPUs by asking the seller.

 

For new, consider this, motherboard that has BIOS flashback functionality.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/yqtC6r

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€146.90 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: MSI B450-A PRO MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€63.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Total: €210.80
 

 

alternative parts list in Austria (If you have a CPU that you could use to flash a motherboard's BIOS):

PCPartPicker Part List: https://at.pcpartpicker.com/list/YXkgtn

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€148.90 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€52.90 @ Alza) 
Total: €201.80

 

Note that the Ryzen 5 5500 has pretty similar performance to a Ryzen 5 3600

Edited May 16, 2022 by Fasauceome
added other list

[Devryd]

I would get a B450 board, before I get a a520 one. If you buy the GPU used, maybe also look for a used CPU. IIRC the 4100 was reviewed poorly by Gamers nexus

[Pixelfie]

Don't get am4 for upgradeability. 5000 is the last AM4 generation and the 12900KS is faster than 5950X or 5800X3D (you probably won't upgrade to this but it's the max currently allowed). In fact LGA 1700 will probably support 13th gen too.

 

So I recommend a 12100F with H610 or B660. The stock cooler is more than enough for an i3

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€105.90 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: Asus PRIME H610M-E D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  (€87.90 @ Alza) 
Total: €193.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-16 16:38 CEST+0200

[JohanKjeldahl7]

2 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

a used motherboard would be a good deal, lots of B450 options that can save you money. You could also make sure the motherboard has the right BIOS for the latest Ryzen CPUs by asking the seller.

 

If you have a CPU that you could use to flash a motherboard's BIOS, consider this:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://at.pcpartpicker.com/list/YXkgtn

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€148.90 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€52.90 @ Alza) 
Total: €201.80

Note that the Ryzen 5 5500 has pretty similar performance to a Ryzen 5 3600

 

B450 is probably the better option. I would like to buy non used but new parts if possible, made some bad experiences with buying from the used market.

Ryzen 5500 is a little more expensive at the shop I will buy it from (will buy my new PC there too so I would like to buy everything from one seller). What do you think about the Ryzen 5 4500?

[JohanKjeldahl7]

3 minutes ago, Devryd said:

I would get a B450 board, before I get a a520 one. If you buy the GPU used, maybe also look for a used CPU. IIRC the 4100 was reviewed poorly by Gamers nexus

I already have the GPU. I would like to buy new parts and non used if possible... B450 is the better option for sure. Will try to get one.

[Fasauceome]

2 minutes ago, JohanKjeldahl7 said:

 

Ryzen 5500 is a little more expensive at the shop I will buy it from (will buy my new PC there too so I would like to buy everything from one seller). What do you think about the Ryzen 5 4500?

depends on the price difference. The 4500 is a fair bit slower, because it doesn't have much L3 cache and uses the older Zen 2 architecture. But, if your sister plans on upgrading in not that long anyway, not that bad.

 

[JohanKjeldahl7]

3 minutes ago, Pixelfie said:

Don't get am4 for upgradeability. 5000 is the last AM4 generation and the 12900KS is faster than 5950X or 5800X3D (you probably won't upgrade to this but it's the max currently allowed). In fact LGA 1700 will probably support 13th gen too.

 

So I recommend a 12100F with H610 or B660. The stock cooler is more than enough for an i3

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€105.90 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: Asus PRIME H610M-E D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  (€87.90 @ Alza) 
Total: €193.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-16 16:38 CEST+0200

I did think about going intel but since AM4 boards come so cheap these days I thought AMD is the better option. Will consider intel tho as you are right, I get one gen more headspace in the future.

[JohanKjeldahl7]

2 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

depends on the price difference. The 4500 is a fair bit slower, because it doesn't have much L3 cache and uses the older Zen 2 architecture. But, if your sister plans on upgrading in not that long anyway, not that bad.

 

It currently is 20€ cheaper. 146€ for 5500 vs 126€ for 4500

Edited May 16, 2022 by JohanKjeldahl7
included prices

[JohanKjeldahl7]

4 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

depends on the price difference. The 4500 is a fair bit slower, because it doesn't have much L3 cache and uses the older Zen 2 architecture. But, if your sister plans on upgrading in not that long anyway, not that bad.

 

Sorry for multiple quotes: What do you think about 4500 + Gigabyte B450 AORUS? Would fit tightly into the budget and I get a B450 board

[Fasauceome]

4 minutes ago, JohanKjeldahl7 said:

It currently is 20€ cheaper. 146€ for 5500 vs 126€ for 4500

for such a small difference, I recommend the 5500. They come with the same box cooler too, wraith stealth. 

 

2 minutes ago, JohanKjeldahl7 said:

Sorry for multiple quotes: What do you think about 4500 + Gigabyte B450 AORUS? Would fit tightly into the budget and I get a B450 board

Any B450 motherboard with a heat sink over the VRMs is just fine for a Ryzen 5 CPU. I would only recommend stepping up the budget for the motherboard to get BIOS flashback (or gigabyte's name for it, Qflash plus) since BIOS compatibility will be important. 

[JohanKjeldahl7]

3 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

for such a small difference, I recommend the 5500. They come with the same box cooler too, wraith stealth. 

 

Any B450 motherboard with a heat sink over the VRMs is just fine for a Ryzen 5 CPU. I would only recommend stepping up the budget for the motherboard to get BIOS flashback (or gigabyte's name for it, Qflash plus) since BIOS compatibility will be important. 

I guess squeezing out the extra budget is worth it in the long run. Thank you very much for your help! Will go with the 5500 and with a B450 with heatsinks (proper ones) and Qflash plus (if gigabyte).

Thanks!

[PDifolco]

44 minutes ago, JohanKjeldahl7 said:

Hey everyone!

 

I am building my sister a PC and am looking for the best deal on an AM4 CPU/Motherboard combo. Should pair well with the GTX 1060. My idea: Gigabyte A520M + Ryzen 3 4100. I already have the GPU and have 16GB extra RAM at home. PSU: beQuiet 500W. Will mostly be used for games like the Witcher 3 or Sims 4 at 1080p. Please only CPUs with the AMD wraith stealth cooler included! Want so get the best CPU/Motherboard deal possible. Please AM4 since it has great upgradability potential when her budget is bigger.

Budget: Under 200€, Region: Austria/Germany.

 

Thanks in advance.

To be blunt both your CPU and mobo are old crap, for 220EUR you can get recent hardware that is much better

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/Ww8j2m

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€146.90 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: MSI B550M-A PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€79.98 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Total: €226.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-16 17:14 CEST+0200

 

Or with Intel :

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/vx62QD

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€105.90 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-E DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  (€110.36 @ Computeruniverse) 
Total: €216.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-16 17:16 CEST+0200

[JohanKjeldahl7]

1 hour ago, PDifolco said:

To be blunt both your CPU and mobo are old crap, for 220EUR you can get recent hardware that is much better

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/Ww8j2m

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€146.90 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: MSI B550M-A PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€79.98 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Total: €226.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-16 17:14 CEST+0200

 

Or with Intel :

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/vx62QD

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€105.90 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-E DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  (€110.36 @ Computeruniverse) 
Total: €216.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-16 17:16 CEST+0200

Thank you for your suggestion! I will get the 5500 with a b450 motherboard.