Mid-Range PC Build

[Dizzyswiftz]

Hey guys! Long time lurker, and I could really use some help. Im definitely about 5 years behind on whats "good" in the Desktop PC world and Im looking to build a desktop, because my laptop is just on its way out the door and its high time i stopped gaming on a 17" screen.

Info:

Budget- 900$-950$ "Mid Range" build
Goal- To play wow and other mid range games at 40-60fps @120hz at least.
Peripherals- I will provide my own
Keyboard- I will provide my own
Form Factor-ATX + Half Tower to save space. (Micro Builds are popular apparently, lately)
Ryzen Based please!...or is that a bad idea xD

I have built all of my own PC's in the past, and I have the skills necessary to do so. What I DO need help with is..well..what do i even buy and whats currently good/bad.

Id absolutely love a parts list from https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ if any of you have time.

Thank you for the help and i look forward to seeing what you guys can put together! The "Post your own" setup forum is pretty awesome here.

-Edited to adjust intent

[Linkedblade]

Hey guys! Long time lurker, and I could really use some help. Im definitely about 5 years behind on whats "good" in the Desktop PC world and Im looking to build a desktop, because my laptop is just on its way out the door and its high time i stopped gaming on a 17" screen.

Info:

Budget- 900$-950$ "Mid Range" build
Goal- To play wow and other mid range games at 40-60fps
Peripherals- I do not have a monitor at this time.
Keyboard- I do not have a keyboard at this time
Form Factor-ATX + Half Tower to save space. (Micro Builds are popular apparently, lately)
Ryzen Based please!...or is that a bad idea xD

I have built all of my own PC's in the past, and I have the skills necessary to do so. What I DO need help with is..well..what do i even buy and whats currently good/bad.

Id absolutely love Parts a list from https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ if any of you have time.

Thank you for the help and i look forward to seeing what you guys can put together! The "Post your own" setup forum is pretty awesome here.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sJfyZf

My take on your budget. Has a r5 1600 (af) and a GTX 1660 super. Monitor is a 21.5" Asus and the keyboard is Razer.

[Dizzyswiftz]

I should have been a little bit more specific, my TOTAL budget WITHOUT peripherals/keyboard is 900-950$ =] Thank you for the reply!

[Linkedblade]

I should have been a little bit more specific, my TOTAL budget WITHOUT peripherals/keyboard is 900-950$ =] Thank you for the reply!

This is close. Better cpu, gpu, ram, m.2 instead of 2.5" SSD.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/MZ6Df9

[Kagthul]

This is close. Better cpu, gpu, ram, m.2 instead of 2.5" SSD.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/MZ6Df9

Do not build this. This is an awful build. Ill just go ahead and post it, and tell you why.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/MZ6Df9

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450-A PRO MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($99.97 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA B5 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.94 @ ModMyMods)
Total: $951.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-08 18:43 EDT-0400

32GB of RAM in a mid-range build? You dont even need 32GB of RAM in a high-end gaming machine. You only need more than 16GB of RAM if you're doing real work of some kind.

Not a good Motherboard, the ASrock B450M Pro 4 is substantially better, and cheaper.

Totally pointless overspend on a Samsung NVMe drive. For only 6$ more, you can get a 1TB Crucial or Intel NVMe drive. A gamer or day to day user will not ever notice a difference.

1660Ti when for less you can get a 1660 SUPER (that performs with 2%) for cheaper? Or Get a MUCH better RTX 2060 for 300$? Wut?

90$ PSU... Wut?

The amount of pointless overspend in this build would have bought you a FAR better GPU.

Lets try again.

First, OP, this assumes you DO NOT LIVE NEAR A MICRO CENTER. If you DO - close enough that you'd consider driving there, however far that distance is for you - let me know and ill re-do this to reflect that. THey have some killer "in-store" Deals (like a Ryzen 5 2600X for 99$, +20$ off a motherboard).

Try this instead:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3xYdtp

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.97 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB RAW II Video Card ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($68.73 @ Amazon)
Total: $943.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-08 19:00 EDT-0400

Better motherboard, better SSD (for your purposes), no pointless overspend on RAM, FAR better GPU.

If you want to shave a little cash and dont mind tinkering, you can grab a Radeon 5700 (non-XT) and flash the BIOS to unlock the extra power limit that will get it up near the 5700XT in performance (within 2-4%).

IF you live near Microcenter, you can shave almost 100$ off by simply going with a 2600X and the same motherboard (at 20$ off).

You dont actually have to go into the store; you can pre-pay for it online the previous day, theyll grab all the parts, and bring them out to you.

[Linkedblade]

Yeah you're right the super version is better than the ti version.

But for all of that criticism and the only difference is a bit more storage and less ram. Otherwise performance in games is practically the same.

And that microcenter tip is legit. They usually have good deals when parts are bought together.

[Kagthul]

Yeah you're right the super version is better than the ti version.

But for all of that criticism and the only difference is a bit more storage and less ram.

And a better motherboard that wont melt (that Gigabyte board is shit), and TWICE the storage for nearly the same price, no pointless overspend on a PSU, better RAM (3600 CL16, which matters with Ryzen), and a GPU that literally makes the 1660 SUPER/Ti bite the curb.

Otherwise performance in games is practically the same.

Performance in games will NOT be similar - the 1660 SUPER/Ti will struggle at anything above 1080p/60 in Triple-A games, the 5700XT will handle 1440p 60+fps (usualy in the 80-100 range) at high to ultra settings.

Even if you only have a 1080p monitor for now, you can use DSR to get a much sharper image, and can upgrade to 1440p whenever you want in the future without needing a new GPU.

And that microcenter tip is legit. They usually have good deals when parts are bought together.

Theyve been relaxing the bundle deals (it used to be 30-50$ off the Motherboard, +10 or 20$o ff the RAM (8 or 16GB), now its just 20$ off the MoBo) but they also almost always sell CPUs well under the MSRP in-store to get people in. When i bought my 8600K on launch day, it was 100$ off Intel's MSRP.

But if you live near one, its definitely the way to go. You can almost always score whatever CPU you're looking at + a MoBo for a lot cheaper than anyone else. Avoid buying GPUs there, though, they tend to actually be higher than MSRP (though they do run sales occasionaly).

[Dizzyswiftz]

And a better motherboard that wont melt (that Gigabyte board is shit), and TWICE the storage for nearly the same price, no pointless overspend on a PSU, better RAM (3600 CL16, which matters with Ryzen), and a GPU that literally makes the 1660 SUPER/Ti bite the curb.



Performance in games will NOT be similar - the 1660 SUPER/Ti will struggle at anything above 1080p/60 in Triple-A games, the 5700XT will handle 1440p 60+fps (usualy in the 80-100 range) at high to ultra settings.

Even if you only have a 1080p monitor for now, you can use DSR to get a much sharper image, and can upgrade to 1440p whenever you want in the future without needing a new GPU.



Theyve been relaxing the bundle deals (it used to be 30-50$ off the Motherboard, +10 or 20$o ff the RAM (8 or 16GB), now its just 20$ off the MoBo) but they also almost always sell CPUs well under the MSRP in-store to get people in. When i bought my 8600K on launch day, it was 100$ off Intel's MSRP.

But if you live near one, its definitely the way to go. You can almost always score whatever CPU you're looking at + a MoBo for a lot cheaper than anyone else. Avoid buying GPUs there, though, they tend to actually be higher than MSRP (though they do run sales occasionaly).

i do NOT live near a microcenter.

ALSO! as currently built I did have a couple of questions. ( https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3xYdtp )

I did NOT add a CPU cooler, at this point this seems like an oversight. Is liquid required? Or should i run air and what are your thoughts?

the micro atx form factor case- it seems rather small, will it be adequately cooled IF air cooled? I have always been loyal to intel but hell Ryzen drives a hell of a bargain lately.

The ram- ive been reading that certain RAM requirements are paramount for ryzen builds, as in, they cannot actually go up to the "advertized" mhz (3200 mhz for example and only 2666 available at max) is this a thing? or is it negligent

The fans- i wanna do some fancy rainbow crap, is that an option these days? When i last built they were all basically r/b/g (yes im that out of date and just havent done the research i apologize)

-5700 GPU thats a super mean card, thanks for the recommendation the benchmarks are impressive!

If im off base please correct me, id rather be wrong and learn, than be right and wrong! Thank you thank you thank you so so much to all the contributing members to this thread

[Temp name]

I did NOT add a CPU cooler, at this point this seems like an oversight.

Nope, it comes with one.

Is liquid required? Or should i run air and what are your thoughts?

Liquid coolers are more expensive than air coolers and offers no real advantage until you get to the 360mm range other than looks.

the micro atx form factor case- it seems rather small, will it be adequately cooled IF air cooled? I have always been loyal to intel but hell Ryzen drives a hell of a bargain lately.

Yeah it'll be fine. The CPU doesn't put out that much heat and the gpu seems to be decent.

The ram- ive been reading that certain RAM requirements are paramount for ryzen builds, as in, they cannot actually go up to the "advertized" mhz (3200 mhz for example and only 2666 available at max) is this a thing? or is it negligent

It was like that with the first gen Ryzen where the memory controller was super shit. Ryzen 2000 could do ~3200, and Ryzen 3000 can do 3600 just fine

The fans- i wanna do some fancy rainbow crap, is that an option these days? When i last built they were all basically r/b/g (yes im that out of date and just havent done the research i apologize)

Yeah you can easily get RGB fans. Hell, in the last 5 years more and more things have gone RGB, so if you wanted to you could get even more of a unicorn vomit build going (though you'd need to up your budget a little)

-5700 GPU thats a super mean card, thanks for the recommendation the benchmarks are impressive!

It's a 5700xt, not a 5700, so it's better than the 5700

If im off base please correct me, id rather be wrong and learn, than be right and wrong! Thank you thank you thank you so so much to all the contributing members to this thread

[Dizzyswiftz]

Nope, it comes with one.
Liquid coolers are more expensive than air coolers and offers no real advantage until you get to the 360mm range other than looks.

Yeah it'll be fine. The CPU doesn't put out that much heat and the gpu seems to be decent.

It was like that with the first gen Ryzen where the memory controller was super shit. Ryzen 2000 could do ~3200, and Ryzen 3000 can do 3600 just fine

Yeah you can easily get RGB fans. Hell, in the last 5 years more and more things have gone RGB, so if you wanted to you could get even more of a unicorn vomit build going (though you'd need to up your budget a little)

It's a 5700xt, not a 5700, so it's better than the 5700

Hey guys, so im looking to pull the trigger here on this build that yall have supplied. i have some issues though https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3xYdtp this is the link supplied it shows compabilityissues. Id also like to add all RGB 120mm fans, can you revise this build for me? Id really appreciate the help and ill even post a build thread when i buy the parts here this month. Thank you again for the help, id just like to absolve these compatibility issues, if my budget breaks 1000$ thats ok!! Looking forward to your replies. and thank you again

again, RGB fans are important i want an exotic and fun micro build. <3

[Temp name]

Hey guys, so im looking to pull the trigger here on this build that yall have supplied. i have some issues though https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3xYdtp this is the link supplied it shows compabilityissues. Id also like to add all RGB 120mm fans, can you revise this build for me? Id really appreciate the help and ill even post a build thread when i buy the parts here this month. Thank you again for the help, id just like to absolve these compatibility issues, if my budget breaks 1000$ thats ok!! Looking forward to your replies. and thank you again

again, RGB fans are important i want an exotic and fun micro build. <3

90% it'll work without changing anything. 10% chance you'll have to update the bios, which most stores can do for you for not a lot of money. But if you want something that you're 100% sure works right out of the gate, you'll have to upgrade to an x570 (since b550 doesn't exist), so something like this:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Qn4TV7 ... And spending more on your MOBO than your CPU just feels.. weird.

As for fans, if you want RGB, Corsair LL's or ML's are probably your best bet. Thermaltake Riings are also nice.

[Kagthul]

Better bet is to buy Noctua fans (Chromax Black so you dont get that ugly beige) and then use Phanteks' Halos LUX fan rings:

http://www.phanteks.com/HalosLux.html

you can attach them to any 120mm or 140mm fan (just buy the right size), and they are 3-pin Adressable RGB (properly, digital RGB or dRGB).

Have them in my rig, and they allow you to use any high performance fan without worry and still get your RGB bling.

If you want to see what they look like, i recent took some shots of my rig (now upgraded with a new custom front panel from ModMyMods):

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QMVWcnvmr1CQ3jUe6

2 of those are short (bad) videos taken with my rather nice camera (A Hasselblad) but Google Photos compresses the crap out of them. But it should give you an idea of how they look. Set to rainbow puke mode in those shots.

Edit: Also i would seriously not worry about having to update the EFI/BIOS. Ive used 4 of the Asrock B450M Pro 4's recently, and none of them needed an update. (my HTPC was built using this MoBo, i just upgraded my wife's rig at the start of the lockdown because she wanted to be able to stream at better settings and Micro Center had an amazing deal on a Ryzen 2600X +20$ off the MoBo, and i built 2 into PCs for a client to use in office situations (Ryzen 5 3400Gs) - all of them shipped with the latest BIOS.

If i have a single complaint with the board, its that the IO shield is just plain ugly bright reflective silver.

[Temp name]

Better bet is to buy Noctua fans (Chromax Black so you dont get that ugly beige) and then use Phanteks' Halos LUX fan rings:

http://www.phanteks.com/HalosLux.html

you can attach them to any 120mm or 140mm fan (just buy the right size), and they are 3-pin Adressable RGB (properly, digital RGB or dRGB).

Have them in my rig, and they allow you to use any high performance fan without worry and still get your RGB bling.

If you want to see what they look like, i recent took some shots of my rig (now upgraded with a new custom front panel from ModMyMods):

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QMVWcnvmr1CQ3jUe6

2 of those are short (bad) videos taken with my rather nice camera (A Hasselblad) but Google Photos compresses the crap out of them. But it should give you an idea of how they look. Set to rainbow puke mode in those shots.

I mean if he has the money, but considering the budget he put in the OP, I'm not sure it's worth it. The Lux are absolutely fantastic though.

[Kagthul]

Its only about a ~15$ premium per fan. Most good RGB fans youd be looking at (LL series, etc) are ~20-25$/fan, and the Chromax Black 120mms at least are roughly 20$, and its 18$ for the 120mm LUX IIRC.

And it gets you a lot more versatility. Its also something you can add later if you need, without having to throw out a perfectly good fan, so you could get the Noctuas now, and in a couple weeks pick up the Halos with some spare cash.

I really like them as an option, though there are some RGB fans out there that are "nicer" because they have LEDs literally everywhere (in the fan hub, the blades, and the outside of the fan ring), but i find the Halos to be a good middleground and they dont require you to use some custom fan controller, custom RGB controller (theyll plug right in to a regular 3-pin (for the LUX) or 4-pin RGB header (for the non-LUX) with the included adapter, and can be daisy chained.

Also, Phanteks released a pair of actually fairly decent small speakers (if you're an audiophile, then no, they aren't for you, theyre just better-than-average 30$ speakers) that have integrated dRGB, which look like little mini Evolv (non-Shift, the regular Evolv mITX/ATX/Evolv X line) cases.

[Dizzyswiftz]

Hey guys,

Looking to pull the trigger on the supplied build this week.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3xYdtp

is there anything that i need to change, or has anything changed in the PC world. Should i be waiting a while longer for the next gen? or is now a good time to buy. Thank you for the input on the fans as well =]

Lastly, whats a good monitor for this build? I am zero percent knowledgable in whats good these days as far as monitors. Thank you all again for the help and support.

[Kagthul]

Hey guys,

Looking to pull the trigger on the supplied build this week.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3xYdtp

is there anything that i need to change, or has anything changed in the PC world. Should i be waiting a while longer for the next gen? or is now a good time to buy. Thank you for the input on the fans as well =]

Lastly, whats a good monitor for this build? I am zero percent knowledgable in whats good these days as far as monitors. Thank you all again for the help and support.

For the core of the rig, now is a fine time to buy.

The only suggestion i could make is that *if you can afford it*, and can "cope" with 1080p for right now, maybe get an RX 570/580 for cheap (can grab them for 129$-149$, or even less used), and sit on it until the new GPUs launch in September/October, as both companies seem to have big upgrades coming down the pipe.

Like... 20-40% more performance, at the same price points.

So if you can swing it, do that, and then re-sell the RX 570/580 later. If not, it isn't like the 5700 XT is going to be "bad" overnight or anything.

[wachupita]

Hey guys,

Looking to pull the trigger on the supplied build this week.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3xYdtp

is there anything that i need to change, or has anything changed in the PC world. Should i be waiting a while longer for the next gen? or is now a good time to buy. Thank you for the input on the fans as well =]

Lastly, whats a good monitor for this build? I am zero percent knowledgable in whats good these days as far as monitors. Thank you all again for the help and support.

Hey Man I was in your boat recently and yesterday bought all from Newegg:
Asus x570 plus (wifi) board $190 https://www.newegg.com/asus-tuf-gami...82E16813119197
AMD ryzen 5 3600 ($170) CPU https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-5-3...82E16819113569
G.SKILL Trident Z Neo 2x8gb @ 3600mhz $115 https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-16gb-...82E16820232859
Total: $475

I was eyeing the MSI b450 tomahawk max which supports gen 3 from the factory but they are sold out everywhere! no joke. They where scalping them on eBay for $200 (MSRP is $115). I went with the asus x570 plus wifi for $190 which is a waay better board that the b450 and supports AMD next-gen CPU as well as having PCIE4.

Only bad reviews I have read online are:
1. Big GPU obstructs the airflow of the board built-in fan (I have a gtx 970 so its no factor)
2. It " needs" more power pins on the CPU pins socket than other boards (non x570) *supposedly PSU above 800W have this but haven't looked into it because it can run without them just less power to CPU. online a dude claimed it made his CPU unstable because he didn't have all the pins connected.
3. Need to update the latest BIOS for best performance (duh?) but some BIOS have some weird /"flaky" bugs.
4. You need to disable Wifi/Bluetooth if you are installing windows 10

[Dizzyswiftz]

Hey Man I was in your boat recently and yesterday bought all from Newegg:
Asus x570 plus (wifi) board $190 https://www.newegg.com/asus-tuf-gami...82E16813119197
AMD ryzen 5 3600 ($170) CPU https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-5-3...82E16819113569
G.SKILL Trident Z Neo 2x8gb @ 3600mhz $115 https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-16gb-...82E16820232859
Total: $475

I was eyeing the MSI b450 tomahawk max which supports gen 3 from the factory but they are sold out everywhere! no joke. They where scalping them on eBay for $200 (MSRP is $115). I went with the asus x570 plus wifi for $190 which is a waay better board that the b450 and supports AMD next-gen CPU as well as having PCIE4.

Only bad reviews I have read online are:
1. Big GPU obstructs the airflow of the board built-in fan (I have a gtx 970 so its no factor)
2. It " needs" more power pins on the CPU pins socket than other boards (non x570) *supposedly PSU above 800W have this but haven't looked into it because it can run without them just less power to CPU. online a dude claimed it made his CPU unstable because he didn't have all the pins connected.
3. Need to update the latest BIOS for best performance (duh?) but some BIOS have some weird /"flaky" bugs.
4. You need to disable Wifi/Bluetooth if you are installing windows 10

Interesting.

Also, will the 5700 XT be outdated that quickly? realistically september/october isnt that far away at all. Should i wait? or are their changes i can make to the build?

Also, whats the best avenue for monitors?

[Kagthul]

Interesting.

Also, will the 5700 XT be outdated that quickly?

No, like i said, its not going to suddenly be "bad". Its just that by waiting you could get the same performance for less (probably in the 350$ price bracket) or get more performance for the same money (likely 30%+ more. But even if you got the 5700XT today, its not going to suddenly be incapable. Its not like there's going to be a switch flipped that will all of a sudden raise system requirements for games by 30% or something.

realistically september/october isnt that far away at all. Should i wait? or are their changes i can make to the build?

Also, whats the best avenue for monitors?

And like i said, you could easily build the rig with a "placeholder" low-end GPU like an RX 570 to get you going, which if you look around you for a used one you can probably score for ~90-100$, and then just replace it with one of the new GPUs when they launch and are actually available. Youd likely even be able to re-sell the cheapie GPU for almost what you paid for it. Or you could hold onto it for backup purposes (like, as a way to get your computer working if for some reason your primary GPU packs it in). Or you could just grab the 5700XT now and itll still be just fine.

As for monitors, will vary wildly depending on budget. I recommend high-refresh with some kind of frame syncing feature (G-sync or Freesync).

I wouldn't bother trying to go higher than 1440p, and itll depend on your budget if you go TN, VA, or IPS.

[Dizzyswiftz]

jeez i’m so torn now as far as waiting for the new gen cards goes. i’ll be mostly using this build for solid works. and cnc design. will the 5700xt as is. meet my needs? also. i’m going to start looking for an asus large 24”+ monitor tomorrow to support my work station needs and link it here before I pull the trigger.
it’s going to be interesting at this point