First PC Build Plan

[luis_el_bufon]

Budget (including currency): $1000-$1300

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Primarily for web browsing, programming (learning python), and some gaming (i.e. Subnautica, Monster Hunter Rise, Nier Automata, Xbox Game Pass). 

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc):

 

Currently own:

-Keyboard and mouse 

-TV will be used as monitor 1080p and 60 Hz for the meantime. 

 

I am upgrading from a gaming laptop, it's specs are:

Intel i7-6700HQ @ 2.60 GHz

12 GB RAM

Windows 10 Home (64 bit)

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M

 

Hello guys, it's my first time planning on building a PC and would like some input on what I have chosen in parts. Any recommendations are welcomed. Here is the list of what I am planning on getting:

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/B4qPfv

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Adorama) 
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($104.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 4 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($67.98 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB XC GAMING Video Card  ($439.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($104.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master MWE Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ GameStop) 
Total: $1187.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-01 19:13 EDT-0400

 

 

 

[Ryuikko]

Looks good! I'd recommend to change to a 6650xt or similar because radeon cards usually perform better at a lower resolution like the tv that you have such as: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3kZ9TW/gigabyte-radeon-rx-6650-xt-8-gb-gaming-oc-video-card-gv-cr665xtgaming-oc-8gd

 

[GeorgeMKane]

I would go for a b550 motherboard, and better storage. That HDD will most definitely be the slowest part of the build.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mWVmLs

[Guest]

13 hours ago, GeorgeMKane said:

I would go for a b550 motherboard, and better storage. That HDD will most definitely be the slowest part of the build.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mWVmLs

Not sure why you would buy that cpu when you can get a 12400F and B660 board for the same sort of price. The R5 5500 is pretty meh considering you don't even get pcie gen 4 support. Even the i3 12100F beats the R5 5500 in most games.

[Guest]

Intel option. Went with a 6700XT but you can save some money if you want to drop down a tier or two (Or go with Nvidia).

 

The Arctic fans seem a touch overpriced considering you can usually get a 5 pack for around $40. The P300A only comes with a single fan so you would want a couple of extra for the front. Nothing wrong with the 4000D Airflow if you prefer that.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($159.98 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler  ($30.00 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Za 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($54.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Silicon Power P34A80 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Speedster SWFT 309 Video Card  ($499.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: ARCTIC P14 PST 72.8 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($11.49 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: ARCTIC P14 PST 72.8 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($11.49 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1197.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-02 10:09 EDT-0400

[Queen Chrysalis]

1 hour ago, lee32uk said:

Intel option. Went with a 6700XT but you can save some money if you want to drop down a tier or two (Or go with Nvidia).

 

The Arcir fans seem a touch overpriced considering you can usually get a 5 pack for around $40. The P300A only comes with a single fan so you would want a couple of extra for the front. Nothing wrong with the 4000D Airflow if you prefer that.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($159.98 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler  ($30.00 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Za 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($54.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Silicon Power P34A80 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Speedster SWFT 309 Video Card  ($499.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: ARCTIC P14 PST 72.8 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($11.49 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: ARCTIC P14 PST 72.8 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($11.49 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1197.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-02 10:09 EDT-0400

All this but I'd cut out the HDD and get a 2TB SSD.  You'll fit all the games you need and some on there, the rest you can just keep in the cloud.  Believe me, I used to have a 5TB drive for my entire library to be stored, and when said HDD failed and toshiba gave me my money back I just kept the money.  Games download way faster than they used to, and realistically there's not point in keeping ALL of them downloaded. 2TB of SSD space will let you have a TON of games on hand, and if you run out you COULD add a 7200RPM 2TB HDD, but that 5400RPM drive you have on the parts list is gonn abe kinda slow for some games, to the point it wouldn't even be worth storing them on there.  If it's for mass storage of pics, vids and such, get and external drive with a big enclosure and an independent power supply as that is much safer than keeping them internally

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/J6ndnQ/silicon-power-a80-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-sp002tbp34a80m28  

 

The WiFi version of that motherboard is also only $10 more, I'd get that instead:

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/34kWGX/msi-pro-b660m-a-wifi-ddr4-micro-atx-lga1700-motherboard-pro-b660m-a-wifi-ddr4

 

Finally, XFX have always made some pretty good Radeon cards, but they've always been some of the more power hungry ones.  For that same PSU, the 750w is only $10 more and the 850w is only $20 more, if it were me I'd get the 850w so that:

A) Any power spikes would be well within wattage rating.

B) If for some reason in a few years I wanted a different GPU I would be more free to choose whatever I wanted.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/P7pmP6/thermaltake-toughpower-gf1-pe-850-w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ps-tpd-0850fnfagu-1

 

Otherwise this is a solid parts list.

 

  

[Queen Chrysalis]

Though to be honest for $1300 you could do a PC AND a 165Hz 1440p monitor.  Check this out:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($159.98 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ GameStop) 
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN TUF Gaming Alliance 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Silicon Power A60 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($73.98 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Speedster SWFT 309 Video Card  ($499.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Cougar MX330-G Air ATX Mid Tower Case  ($66.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA GQ 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: Asus TUF Gaming VG27WQ1B 27.0" 2560x1440 165 Hz Monitor  ($249.00 @ B&H) 
Total: $1309.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-02 11:57 EDT-0400

 

1TB SSD (A60 instead of A80 but totally fine for gaming) , no HDD, Cheaper case with pre-installed fans (again still a good case).  

 

You can tinker with this a bit or disregard it, just thought I'd point out that your budget allows for a monitor, and frankly IDK if it's really worth doing a nice gaming PC like this and still playing on a TV.  The improvements in text clarity, color, response time, and smoothness (refresh rate) are so totally worth it.  Also, staring at a TV up close like that is really hard on your eyes.

[GeorgeMKane]

13 hours ago, lee32uk said:

Not sure why you would buy that cpu when you can get a 12400F and B660 board for the same sort of price. The R5 5500 is pretty meh considering you don't even get pcie gen 4 support. Even the i3 12100F beats the R5 5500 in most games.

It's cheaper and will last longer. The i3-12100F is only a quad core cpu, whereas the 5500 is still a six core cpu. When AMD released the 3600 and the 3600X, most people went with the 3600 for the reduced price. You can probably get a cheaper motherboard and case, and it would still beat yours in price.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Grgqd9

[Queen Chrysalis]

34 minutes ago, GeorgeMKane said:

It's cheaper and will last longer. The i3-12100F is only a quad core cpu, whereas the 5500 is still a six core cpu. When AMD released the 3600 and the 3600X, most people went with the 3600 for the reduced price. You can probably get a cheaper motherboard and case, and it would still beat yours in price.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Grgqd9

What is L2 cache?  What is L3 cache?  Do they effect game performance?  Does the fastest gaming CPU on the market right now hold that title entirely because of it's enormous L2 and L3 cache?  Do the 5500 and 5600 have the same L2 and L3 cache?

[GeorgeMKane]

15 minutes ago, Queen Chrysalis said:

What is L2 cache?  What is L3 cache?  Do they effect game performance?  Does the fastest gaming CPU on the market right now hold that title entirely because of it's enormous L2 and L3 cache?  Do the 5500 and 5600 have the same L2 and L3 cache?

Yeah, no one cares about that.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, GeorgeMKane said:

It's cheaper and will last longer. The i3-12100F is only a quad core cpu, whereas the 5500 is still a six core cpu. When AMD released the 3600 and the 3600X, most people went with the 3600 for the reduced price. You can probably get a cheaper motherboard and case, and it would still beat yours in price.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Grgqd9

That seems to be your stock answer to everything. You are willing to save $20 or so to get an inferior cpu ? The 5500 is a watered down 5600G. It doesn't share the same architecture as the 5600/X. So saying it will last longer is irrelevant. 

 

Also not sure why you are talking about the R5 3600 and R5 3600X. They were identical apart from the slightly lower clock speed on the 3600. You cannot compare the 5500 to the 5600/X in the same way.

 

The op has a $1300 budget. He doesn't need to go with an inferior cpu like the 5500.

 

 

[GeorgeMKane]

9 hours ago, lee32uk said:

That seems to be your stock answer to everything. You are willing to save $20 or so to get an inferior cpu ? The 5500 is a watered down 5600G. It doesn't share the same architecture as the 5600/X. So saying it will last longer is irrelevant. 

 

Also not sure why you are talking about the R5 3600 and R5 3600X. They were identical apart from the slightly lower clock speed on the 3600. You cannot compare the 5500 to the 5600/X in the same way.

 

The op has a $1300 budget. He doesn't need to go with an inferior cpu like the 5500.

 

 

Does it run games well enough? Check.

 

Will it last 3-5 years? Check.

 

The Ryzen 5 5500 will last them for quite some time and saves them money. When you work in a sales environment long enough, you learn that's mainly what people care about. Can I save some money and still get solid performance until the next generation or 2? Yes? Awesome! I'll take it.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, GeorgeMKane said:

Does it run games well enough? Check.

 

Will it last 3-5 years? Check.

 

The Ryzen 5 5500 will last them for quite some time and saves them money. When you work in a sales environment long enough, you learn that's mainly what people care about. Can I save some money and still get solid performance until the next generation or 2? Yes? Awesome! I'll take it.

Did you even watch that video ? The 5500 gets beaten by an i3 that costs less. Why would you buy the Ryzen cpu ? And don't give me the 'It has 6 cores crap' cos that makes no difference. If it did then a 5950X would be better than a 12700K/12900K. Hopefully the op doesn't listen to your advice.