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VERY New to PC builds - Any help? :)

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oblivious

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Hello all, I hope everyone has enjoyed their day!

So, I have been very interested in investing in a beginners PC build for a few months now. I've always been intrigued by PC gaming and what not, but never had the resources to do so. I've always just played small games on my laptops throughout the years. However, now that I'm in college and saving up some money, I really want some insight on a good build that I can invest said money and time into that would not only last a long time, but also run games at fairly decent levels. I'm intrigued by games like Valorant, Warzone, Apex, and more FPS games/other games in general. With the help of the PC builder and the articles on this website, I've concluded my budget to be fairly flexible (but hopefully nowhere above 1500$). Additionally, like some other threads, I'll list the parts I have looked into/researched (even outside of the recommendations) and would love to know if these are viable, reliant, or even just worth the money to invest in.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Spire Cooler ($248.99)
or Ryzen 5 3600 6-Core 3.6 GHz (4.2 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 65W ($218.99)
CPU Cooler: (See above) - I did want to ask though if investing in a CPU Cooler outside of the ones that sometimes come with the CPUs is needed?
Motherboard: MSI Arsenal Gaming AMD Ryzen 2nd and 3rd Gen AM4 M.2 USB 3 DDR4 DVI HDMI Crossfire ATX Motherboard (B450 TOMAHAWK MAX II) ($114.99)
Graphics Card: I'll definitely need help with this... I've heard/seen that these can get expensive, so any help is appreciated!
Memory (RAM): Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 Desktop Memory Kit ($84.99)
or G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB (2x8GB) (PC4 25600) ($109.99)
PCle-SSD: Western Digital 1TB WD Blue 3D NAND Internal PC SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, M.2 2280 ($99.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series 550 Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Modular Power Supply ($65.29)
Case: iCUE 220T RGB Airflow Tempered Gladd Mid-Tower Smart Case - Black ($104.99)

Any and all suggestions and recommendations are welcome!
 
Jerry James

Jerry James

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Hello all, I hope everyone has enjoyed their day!

So, I have been very interested in investing in a beginners PC build for a few months now. I've always been intrigued by PC gaming and what not, but never had the resources to do so. I've always just played small games on my laptops throughout the years. However, now that I'm in college and saving up some money, I really want some insight on a good build that I can invest said money and time into that would not only last a long time, but also run games at fairly decent levels. I'm intrigued by games like Valorant, Warzone, Apex, and more FPS games/other games in general. With the help of the PC builder and the articles on this website, I've concluded my budget to be fairly flexible (but hopefully nowhere above 1500$). Additionally, like some other threads, I'll list the parts I have looked into/researched (even outside of the recommendations) and would love to know if these are viable, reliant, or even just worth the money to invest in.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Spire Cooler ($248.99)
or Ryzen 5 3600 6-Core 3.6 GHz (4.2 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 65W ($218.99)
CPU Cooler: (See above) - I did want to ask though if investing in a CPU Cooler outside of the ones that sometimes come with the CPUs is needed?
Motherboard: MSI Arsenal Gaming AMD Ryzen 2nd and 3rd Gen AM4 M.2 USB 3 DDR4 DVI HDMI Crossfire ATX Motherboard (B450 TOMAHAWK MAX II) ($114.99)
Graphics Card: I'll definitely need help with this... I've heard/seen that these can get expensive, so any help is appreciated!
Memory (RAM): Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 Desktop Memory Kit ($84.99)
or G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB (2x8GB) (PC4 25600) ($109.99)
PCle-SSD: Western Digital 1TB WD Blue 3D NAND Internal PC SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, M.2 2280 ($99.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series 550 Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Modular Power Supply ($65.29)
Case: iCUE 220T RGB Airflow Tempered Gladd Mid-Tower Smart Case - Black ($104.99)

Any and all suggestions and recommendations are welcome!
Overall, I'd say that's an excellent build. Just a couple of tweaks I'd make would be:
- look for an NVMe SSD instead of the SATA one you're considering, like the Western Digital SN550 or Crucial P1. They aren't that much costlier than a SATA SSD (in most regions) but will be faster. Not too noticeable in gaming, but since they're priced so similarly, I always recommend springing for those if you have the slots to accommodate them.
- motherboard is tricky, but I'd recommend going for a Gigabyte B550M DS3H or an MSI B550M Pro VDH. They'll give you access to an additional M.2 slot for storage if you can live with an M-ATX form factor. If looks are more of a priority, then the B450 Tomahawk MAX is fine :)
- Graphics card well, depends on what you can find tbh. What resolution are you using for gaming?

- CPU - 3600 is a good pick.
 
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oblivious

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Overall, I'd say that's an excellent build. Just a couple of tweaks I'd make would be:
- look for an NVMe SSD instead of the SATA one you're considering, like the Western Digital SN550 or Crucial P1. They aren't that much costlier than a SATA SSD (in most regions) but will be faster. Not too noticeable in gaming, but since they're priced so similarly, I always recommend springing for those if you have the slots to accommodate them.
- motherboard is tricky, but I'd recommend going for a Gigabyte B550M DS3H or an MSI B550M Pro VDH. They'll give you access to an additional M.2 slot for storage if you can live with an M-ATX form factor. If looks are more of a priority, then the B450 Tomahawk MAX is fine :)
- Graphics card well, depends on what you can find tbh. What resolution are you using for gaming?

- CPU - 3600 is a good pick.
Thank you so much for this! I’m definitely going to go with your suggestions haha. As for the GPU, I was looking at the NVIDIA MSI GeForce GTX 1650. I know prices are super inflated right now but I just don’t know where else I’d get something for a decent price. I found this card (new) on Marketplace for around $400, so I thought it may be my best bet as of right now (I could upgrade in the future). And thank you for the motherboard and CPU recs, I was confused on which one would be best haha. Also aiming for 1080 or more for the resolution.
 
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oblivious

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Overall, I'd say that's an excellent build. Just a couple of tweaks I'd make would be:
- look for an NVMe SSD instead of the SATA one you're considering, like the Western Digital SN550 or Crucial P1. They aren't that much costlier than a SATA SSD (in most regions) but will be faster. Not too noticeable in gaming, but since they're priced so similarly, I always recommend springing for those if you have the slots to accommodate them.
- motherboard is tricky, but I'd recommend going for a Gigabyte B550M DS3H or an MSI B550M Pro VDH. They'll give you access to an additional M.2 slot for storage if you can live with an M-ATX form factor. If looks are more of a priority, then the B450 Tomahawk MAX is fine :)
- Graphics card well, depends on what you can find tbh. What resolution are you using for gaming?

- CPU - 3600 is a good pick.
Also, I had picked out an ATX case from Corsair and wanted to know (after further research) if the MSI B550 A-Pro Proseries motherboard, similar to the MSI B550 Pro VDH that you had recommended, was any good? It is a little more expensive, but I would be willing to purchase it.
 
Jerry James

Jerry James

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Also, I had picked out an ATX case from Corsair and wanted to know (after further research) if the MSI B550 A-Pro Proseries motherboard, similar to the MSI B550 Pro VDH that you had recommended, was any good? It is a little more expensive, but I would be willing to purchase it.
It's better, yes. If you're looking for a good ATX form factor board, then yep I do recommend the B550-A Pro to people shopping in that price segment.

As for the GPU, I was looking at the NVIDIA MSI GeForce GTX 1650. I know prices are super inflated right now but I just don’t know where else I’d get something for a decent price.
Hmm that's very very steep for a 1650. I would say hold out and try finding something like an RTX 3060 if possible. You should ideally get one under $500 and might need to hunt around. Maybe this will help you hunt for something suitable - https://www.cgdirector.com/where-to-buy-pc-parts-cpus-graphics-cards-in-your-country/ Else, hunt for more budget options since you're sticking to 1080p.
 
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oblivious

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It's better, yes. If you're looking for a good ATX form factor board, then yep I do recommend the B550-A Pro to people shopping in that price segment.


Hmm that's very very steep for a 1650. I would say hold out and try finding something like an RTX 3060 if possible. You should ideally get one under $500 and might need to hunt around. Maybe this will help you hunt for something suitable - https://www.cgdirector.com/where-to-buy-pc-parts-cpus-graphics-cards-in-your-country/ Else, hunt for more budget options since you're sticking to 1080p.
Thank you again for the suggestions, I truly appreciate it! But yeah, I found the 1650 super for around 400$ (haven't purchased or anything). But I'll definitely look into the RTX 3060 to see if I can find anything suitable and for a decent price.
 
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