Time for an upgrade?

[Temp name]

there's no reason to get spinning rust anymore. Ever.

There still is, it's still vastly cheaper to get per gigabyte if you need large bulk storage. You can get HDDs ~1.5 cents per gigabyte, or ~2 if you want something trustworthy. The cheapest SSDs are ~9 cents per gigabyte. So anywhere between 4 and 6 times more expensive per storage unit, not to mention SSDs are smaller so you'll need to run more sata cables, and get more sata ports for the same amount of storage.

But if you don't need the bulk storage, SSDs are the way to go, no questions asked. Just pointing out that there still is a reason to get spinning drives.

[KeonM]

As Temp stated, all Ryzen chips come with a fairly decent stock cooler (WAY better than the trash Intel includes in their locked SKUs), you dont need to replace it. That Evo you popped in wont do any better, really.

Also as Temp said, i wouldn't in this day and age drop that SSD for an HDD. If anything drop that cooler, and if you really need to space, step up to a 1TB SSD.

18-24 months ago i would have said "on a tight budget, skip the SSD".. but prices have absolutely CRATERED since then.. there's no reason to get spinning rust anymore. Ever.

Also, as i think Shakadam pointed out, there is a flaw in that PSU i linked (i think it picked it via filter). Nothing super serious, but more modern PSUs dont have it, and are only like 5$ more (i changed it below).

Here's an updated list:

(Also, instead of posting links, click the little "T" or "BB" button at the top of the PCPartpicker list. This will give you text you can paste into the forum like im about to below - you can use the quote tags if you want to make it stand out, or just paste it as is)



Dont EVER pay full price for a windows key. There are places to get them for about 10-15$, and yes, they are legal, but some of the people on the forums get angry when links are posted, so if you cant find them on your own, send me a private message and ill send you in the right direction.

If you absolutely need to shave money, drop the SSD down to the 500GB one i had before, but trust me, dont drop it for a regular old HDD.

If you can salvage the one from your current computer, do that for mass storage, and use the SSD for your OS and games you want to load faster. Or just get the 500GB SSD now, and in a month, drop 40-50$ on a HDD and add it in later.

Thank you for being very informative and yes I will get this list. Just one more question. Should I be concerned with the warning “Some AMD B450 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Zen 2 CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions”?

Also thank you Temp Name

[Temp name]

Thank you for being very informative and yes I will get this list. Just one more question. Should I be concerned with the warning “Some AMD B450 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Zen 2 CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions”?

A lot of boards on the market have been flashed with the newer BIOSes, but even if you get one that hasn't, the MSI board is fairly easy to flash, you just need to download the new BIOS onto a USB flash drive and insert it into the back and press the button back there with power in the board and no CPU or RAM

Also thank you Temp Name

Again, SSD for primary storage, HDD for bulk, don't rely on a HDD as your sole drive

[KeonM]

A lot of boards on the market have been flashed with the newer BIOSes, but even if you get one that hasn't, the MSI board is fairly easy to flash, you just need to download the new BIOS onto a USB flash drive and insert it into the back and press the button back there with power in the board and no CPU or RAM


Again, SSD for primary storage, HDD for bulk, don't rely on a HDD as your sole drive

So I can’t update bios with ram and cpu plugged in?

[Kagthul]

Like Temp said, most of the boards have already been updated. Worst case, you can call who you are ordering from and make sure its been updated. If youre buying in-store, the box will indicate if it has been updated (a sticker, usually, with something like “Ryzen 3000 ready”). Otherwise, as Temp noted, that particular board can update the BIOS with just a thumb drive and power (most cant); its one of the good features on the board.

- - - Updated - - -

So I can’t update bios with ram and cpu plugged in?

Correct. If it isnt updated, it wont boot with the CPU in anyway. The update is necessary to support the CPU. However, a LOT of the existing stock has been updated already, so it will likely not be an issue.

If it does need to be updated, all you have to do is put the new BIOS on a thumb drive, make sure the board has power, plug in the USB drive, and hit the BIOS flash button. Itll take care of the rest.

Also, if you dont trust the BIOS Flashback feature, Best Buy’s Geek Squad will do it for a nominal fee (theyll just toss in a compatible CPU and do it the old fashioned way). Or your local computer store (Micro Center and Fry’s will do it for free) - mom and pop size places will also usually do it for free or a nominal fee.

But in my experience, the updated boards are in good supply, so it will likely not be a huge issue.

[KeonM]

Like Temp said, most of the boards have already been updated. Worst case, you can call who you are ordering from and make sure its been updated. If youre buying in-store, the box will indicate if it has been updated (a sticker, usually, with something like “Ryzen 3000 ready”). Otherwise, as Temp noted, that particular board can update the BIOS with just a thumb drive and power (most cant); its one of the good features on the board.

- - - Updated - - -




Correct. If it isnt updated, it wont boot with the CPU in anyway. The update is necessary to support the CPU. However, a LOT of the existing stock has been updated already, so it will likely not be an issue.

If it does need to be updated, all you have to do is put the new BIOS on a thumb drive, make sure the board has power, plug in the USB drive, and hit the BIOS flash button. Itll take care of the rest.

Also, if you dont trust the BIOS Flashback feature, Best Buy’s Geek Squad will do it for a nominal fee (theyll just toss in a compatible CPU and do it the old fashioned way). Or your local computer store (Micro Center and Fry’s will do it for free) - mom and pop size places will also usually do it for free or a nominal fee.

But in my experience, the updated boards are in good supply, so it will likely not be a huge issue.

So download the bios ahead of time just in case. Sounds simple enough. I do stay 5 minutes from Best Buy though haha. But I’ll try it first for sure. Besides a screwdriver anything else I need? I was reading about some cooling paste ?

[Temp name]

So download the bios ahead of time just in case. Sounds simple enough. I do stay 5 minutes from Best Buy though haha. But I’ll try it first for sure. Besides a screwdriver anything else I need? I was reading about some cooling paste ?

You might want to invest in some cable ties if you want the back of your pc to be pretty too.
As for paste, all coolers come with some either pre-applied or in a little tube. The included stuff is perfectly adequate.

[KeonM]

You might want to invest in some cable ties if you want the back of your pc to be pretty too.
As for paste, all coolers come with some either pre-applied or in a little tube. The included stuff is perfectly adequate.

Ok here we go. Ordering the parts



Edit: seems like the Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB PULSE Video Card is sold out everywhere for a couple of months lol

[Kagthul]

Ok here we go. Ordering the parts



Edit: seems like the Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB PULSE Video Card is sold out everywhere for a couple of months lol

Just get any aftermarket cooler version. DONT get the referrence design. Or you can grab a 2070 SUPER if you can stretch the budget. Its about 10% faster than the 5700XT and gets you RTX, DLSS and G-sync support, if those matter at all to you.

[KeonM]

Just get any aftermarket cooler version. DONT get the referrence design. Or you can grab a 2070 SUPER if you can stretch the budget. Its about 10% faster than the 5700XT and gets you RTX, DLSS and G-sync support, if those matter at all to you.

I have no idea what any of those mean lol. Also how would I know if the one I’m looking at is an aftermarket version?


Edit: never mind I just read an article lol. I also just understood what you meant by reference design. I was so focused on the two fans being visible that I ignored the models where they weren’t lol

[Kagthul]

Yeah, any mldel that isnt that one-fan blower will be fine. Thats the “referrence” design that AMD creates. Its kinda crappy. Any of the aftermarket coolers (2 or 3 down-blowing fans) will be fine and a lot better. I just chose that Sapphire model from the list because it was the first after arket model that popped up.

[KeonM]

Yeah, any mldel that isnt that one-fan blower will be fine. Thats the “referrence” design that AMD creates. Its kinda crappy. Any of the aftermarket coolers (2 or 3 down-blowing fans) will be fine and a lot better. I just chose that Sapphire model from the list because it was the first after arket model that popped up.

This must be an amazing video card lol. All the ones with two fans on the pictures are sold out or just plain unavailable. Might just have to get the 2070 super

[Kagthul]

This must be an amazing video card lol. All the ones with two fans on the pictures are sold out or just plain unavailable. Might just have to get the 2070 super

More that they JUST released (aftermarket cards). So they are sold out because all the people waiting for them jumped on them.

[KeonM]

More that they JUST released (aftermarket cards). So they are sold out because all the people waiting for them jumped on them.

Oh well at least I got everything else. I’ll probably get a slightly lesser version of some sort to start out then.

[Flame6]

Congrats on a 1st. Both of the PC's I built didn't boot the first time, but I was able to fix them both with 30 minutes of rechecking things. Easiest method is to find a youtube video tutorial with the same MOBO. My 1st build had an amazing instruction manual included with the MOBO.

[KeonM]

Congrats on a 1st. Both of the PC's I built didn't boot the first time, but I was able to fix them both with 30 minutes of rechecking things. Easiest method is to find a youtube video tutorial with the same MOBO. My 1st build had an amazing instruction manual included with the MOBO.

Okay thank you for the advice. All my parts should be arriving fairly soon minus a video card. Lol. Since the 2070 super is sold out along with the 5700, how would I need to know if whatever card I buy will require me to buy a fan so it doesn’t overheat ?


Edit: I found this online

https://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MSI-570XMC

[Kagthul]

Jump on it if you havent alteady.

[KeonM]

Jump on it if you havent alteady.

Just wanted to update and say I've finished everything minus the video card but I got the psu to where I just have to plug the cord it and stick it in the motherboard! I've yet to turn it on though. I think the fact that I didn't have a CD Drive and any extra fans really simplified the process lol. Video card comes Friday! I'm so excited!