Need help building a gaming PC!

[Mr. Detective]

Hello,

Does anyone here have a gaming PC, built one before, or knowledgeable about computer parts? I'm trying to build a PC to replace my current laptop. It took a knee from me to the chin and it's not in very good shape anymore. Really appreciate any help I can get. I tried to post this on reddit, but haven't gotten responses. Please tell me what you think about the parts I have. What I have in mind is a white-blue set up, kind of like Mega Man-ish. That's why I've been looking for a white case and white fans. I'm still trying to look for a motherboard. Probably gonna get a B550 since those X570 are either too expensive or sold out everywhere. Actually, there's this https://www.newegg.com/asus-tuf-gaming-x570-plus/p/N82E16813119197?Item=N82E16813119197, but I'm not sure how reliable it is. Reviews are kind of mixed. At least it has built in wifi and bluetooth.

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4PkHgJ)

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [\*AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9nm323/amd-ryzen-5-3600-36-thz-6-core-processor-100-100000031box) | $166.99 @ Newegg

**Memory** | [OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 G DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qQ...6-gb-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-md4u083618beda) | $84.99 @ Amazon

**Storage** | [Western Digital SN750 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/QQ...50-1-tb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-wds100t3x0c) | $134.99 @ Newegg

**Video Card** | [Gigabyte Radeon RX 5600 XT 6 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/MY...-gb-windforce-oc-video-card-gv-r56xtwf2oc-6gd) | $279.99 @ Amazon

**Case** | [darkFlash DLM 22 MicroATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wNQfrH/darkflash-dlm-22-microatx-mid-tower-case-dlm-22-white) | $65.98 @ Amazon

**Power Supply** | [EVGA BR 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xD...nze-certified-atx-power-supply-100-br-0450-k1) | $84.85 @ Amazon

**Case Fan** | [Thermaltake Pure 12 ARGB TT Premium Edition 56.45 CFM 120 mm Fans](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/nX...edition-5645-cfm-120-mm-fans-cl-f079-pl12sw-a) | $48.99 @ Amazon

**Case Fan** | [Asiahorse FS-N001-3PACK 120 mm Fans](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/HmRgXL/asiahorse-fs-n001-3pack-120-mm-fans-fs-n001-3pack) |-

**Monitor** | [Samsung LC27F398FWNXZA 27.0" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/N4Nypg/samsung-lc27f398fwnxza-270-60hz-monitor-lc27f398fwnxza) | $179.99 @ Amazon

| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

| **Total** | **$1046.77**

| \*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria |

| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2020-06-18 08:18 EDT-0400 |

Besides the motherboard, I am also looking for:

- A case! I was planning to go for a micro-Atx build, but it has been difficult finding a motherboard for sale. Worse case scenario, I'll grab an ATX motherboard. I wanted to get either a Phanteks P400 case or a Darkflash 22, but they are both sold out. The latter takes a month to restock, according to Amazon. I have 4 alternatives:

https://www.newegg.com/white-corsai...-tower/p/N82E16811139116?Item=N82E16811139116

https://www.newegg.com/white-montech-flyer-x-atx-mid-tower/p/2AM-00CN-00010?Item=9SIAK91AX48410

https://www.newegg.com/white-phante...-tower/p/N82E16811854073?Item=N82E16811854073


As of today, they were sold out. Crap! Any recommendations?

- Motherboard. This gives me headaches. I don't know if I should get MSI or Asus, or other brands. I only knew their laptops. ASUS is notorious for having overheat laptops and MSI, I had one and returned because it was slow and couldn't run anything. So I had a bad first impression with them. What I'd like to have: bluetooth, usb type c, wifi. Do I need to get bluetooth and wifi card separately?

- By the way, is that Gigabyte card okay?

- I'm only going to get the Asiahorse fans, because they are decently priced, and white. The thermalake fans are just on the list because they cost about the same. 3 are enough, I hope.

- I need a monitor urgently. My current laptop's old screen is broken. The current one has a yellow tint problem so I asked for a refund. They already sent me the label. I was gonna use the old screen but it broke completely last week while I was waiting for their response. It was just bad luck and bad timing. Is that Samsung monitor okay? I'm not a hardcore gamer, and I'd like to have a good monitor to watch Youtube, too. My current Eluktronics laptop has an IPS panel. I hope to get something just as good, if not better.

- I also won't be doing any sort of overclocking. I kind of wanted to game in 1440p but seems like it's a little out of my budget. Should I just get the Samsung monitor now or wait until Black Friday for a sale on 1440p monitor? But overall, as long as my games run fine, play well, and look good, I'm not too picky. Hope it's a worthy investment over the PS5, lol.
Someone recommended me to get a 1440p monitor instead. So, 1440p+60hz or 1080p+144hz on 24-inch monitor. Which is better for me? I'm not a hardcore gamer, and I'd like to have a good monitor that looks good, too. Would an extra 360 pixels or 84hz be noticeable? I found some alternatives, but they didn't show up on pcpartpicker list, though...

HOW DO I INSERT LINKS FROM AMAZON? QUIT PUTTING THIS MEDIA TAG ON THEM!




Ask anything you need to know. Hope to hear some advice! And thanks in advance!

 

[Willibab]

No clue, the more i checked into it the more unsure i became xD So i just bought an expensive one

 

[Frostorm]

I've been building custom gaming PCs since I was 14, so I'll take a look at your list and get back to you in like 15-20 mins. Am I to assume your budget is ~$1000?

Ok, I see a problem already. Your Case choice is for Micro-ATX motherboards, and the mobo you picked is regular ATX, so it won't fit. Your gonna have to pick a different case or a different mobo.

Also, are you set on AMD/Radeon? I'm personally a Intel/Nvidia guy buy they all work, so w/e fits your bill. Next there's your RAM. Frankly speaking, I would only go with Corsair or OCZ brand, I simply don't trust the reliability of other RAM brands. Its a part you don't want to fail. When picking a RAM, try to find the highest speed w/ the lowest CAS. For your PSU, I'd recommend picking one w/ Gold certification or higher, but this is really not necessary, it just makes your rig more efficient and consumes slightly less power, less heat on the PSU, etc... Lastly, if you're gonna drop close to $300 on a video card, imo just go Nvidia. Reserve Radeons for budget builds.

 

[JamesRyan]

I have played with the PC for years. So I think I can give you some advice. Ryzen 5 3600 is the best price/performance CPU at this moment (I'm using it too and it is flawless) so keet it.
If you want a reliable B550 motherboard with a fair price, go for MSI B550 Tomahawk. Asus B550-F may have the same quality, but the price might be higher. You can even go down to B450 to save some money, but only if you do not intend to upgrade to Ryzen 4000 in the future (Even B450 can still run Ryzen 4000, but it might be limited on some features). If you prefer X570, Asus TUF is also a good choice with good price, but remember these are ATX motherboards, so you need an ATX-supported case.

For the RAMs, if you can, pick the Gskill Trident Z RGB. They are in the QVL list and guaranteed to be worked best with Ryzen.

For the GPU part, I do not recommend Gigabyte mid-range cards. Most of them have a bad cooling system. If you can afford a little bit more, go looking for an MSI RX 5600 XT Gaming X. This one is one of the best-built graphics cards among the 5600 XT lineups.

For the PSU, 450W is enough, but I still recommend you to take a higher one. 500 or 600 units of a good brand like EVGA, Cooler Master, FSP, Seasonic, Corsair, etc. Remember PSU is the heart of your system. Don't hesitate to spend your money on it.

 

[Frostorm]

Yes, Gskill is great too forgot to mention them. Don't forget to get a CPU cooler! If your going for that white/blue theme you mentioned, there are ones w/ LED. I'm personally using a Cryorig H7 Quad Lumi, but you don't need that much cooling if you're not gonna OC. But at least upgrade past the stock cooler. And as JamesRyan mentioned, try to get a good PSU if you can afford to do so. Lastly, I forgot to mention (and this is just personal preference), get a mechanical keyboard! Make sure they are Cherry MX keys. Just pick your preference for black, red, blue, brown, etc...

Edit: I just thought of some funny analogies since PSU was mentioned as the heart of a computer, which it is. So if PSU is the heart...
CPU = frontal cortex
GPU = occipital lobe
mobo = spine/spinal cord
RAM = hippocampus?
Case = skin
fans = sweat glands
that's all I got for now lol

 

[JamesRyan]

Haha, you sure have a great imagination to turn the PC into a human I forgot to mention the CPU cooler too. The stock fan of the Ryzen 3600 is fine, but replacing it with a better cooler is still recommended. It will not cost much, as a $30 or $40 cooler can still do its job well.

 

[gstv87]

I've fallen out of touch with late releases, so I wouldn't know what to pick.
but as a rule of thumb, start with the part you'll use the most and build around it.
I know for a fact that video card manufacturers always have a specific number of models, tailored to specific and very quantifiable tasks, for example "the one that just lets you run the OS", "the basic one that also includes support for HD video", "the somewhat high-end one with support for 3D applications", "the top line for gaming and graphic design", "the super high end for streaming and video editing", etc.

that applies to all components... so find out which part is which from your manufacturer of choice, read the specs for every connection, and find the part that fits that plug, basically.

it's all down to transfer of data in the end, so the one thing you should worry about is that all parts are tuned.

 

[Mr. Detective]

Much appreciated all the responses!

@Frostorm At first, I was aiming for just a micro-ATX build, but then it was too difficult to find a micro motherboard and case, so I decided to just go straight for an ATX anyway. I admit, I was only interested in AMD after hearing about it from those tech Youtubers. I actually didn't know you can mix AMD with NVIDIA. Thought it was either Intel+Nvidia or AMD+Ryzen. XD Just realized that today. But even so, 3600 is $280, $40-50 cheaper than the 2060 and still offers pretty much the same performance. I think I'll stick with that combo. I didn't pay attention to the CAS number, so thanks for pointing that out. But will the difference really be noticeable? I'll aiming for a 3600-16, for the best result.

I'm... not sure if I wanna spend more money on a CPU cooler, unless it's absolutely necessary.

Oh, no. The MX keyboards are too expensive for me. I can't justify spending over $40-50 for a keyboard, some even go over 100. And those are loud, too. Probably too overkill for my purpose. Even my mouse is only $20 or so. I'm looking at Pictek RGB membrane keyboard at $35.

@JamesRyan Is this the one you're talking about? MSI It's on sale for 309, more expensive than the Sapphire, but no reviews. Better be worth it.

Is this PSU okay? PSU
It's cheaper than the Gold one, for some reason? Is higher watt necessary better? Is it gonna use more power and increase my electricity bill?

I'm looking at these motherboards right now:

ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard - Newegg.com

Buy ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, Dual M.2, 12+2 with Dr. MOS Power Stage, HDMI, DP, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Aura Sync RGB Lighting with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI) AM4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Newegg.com

Buy ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (WiFi 6) AMD AM4 (3rd Gen Ryzen) ATX Gaming Motherboard (PCIe 4.0, 2.5Gb LAN, BIOS FlashBack, HDMI 2.1, Addressable Gen 2 RGB Header and AURA Sync) with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

MSI MPG B550 GAMING CARBON WIFI AM4 Motherboard - Newegg.com

Buy MSI MPG B550 GAMING CARBON WIFI AM4 AMD B550 SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD Motherboard with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

MSI MPG B550 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AMD Motherboard - Newegg.com

Buy MSI MPG B550 GAMING EDGE WIFI AM4 AMD B550 SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD Motherboard with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

I'm leaning toward the MSI B550 Edge, seems decently priced. Not sure why it doesn't list the Wifi and BT specs, though. Is there any reason for me choose the Asus X570 instead? All the other X570 boards are over $220. I keep hearing about the lack of PCIe 4.0, but I'm not really understand it well. Doesn't the B550 have at least one lane of PCIe 4.0? That's not enough?

As for the case, probably this: Case
Any other recommendations?

Also, I need a monitor as soon as possible. Is this okay? I think I'll take 1440p over 144hz.
Monitor

Damn, the 3600 is out of stock on Amazon already! Gotta order fast!
I'd rather pay a little more now than having to pay to repair something later. But at the same time, I also don't wanna blow the budget. XD

Here's my new list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/
I haven't decided on which RAM yet. Please advise.
The MSI GPU doesn't show up for some reason, so I chose something similar priced as a placeholder. Hell, some of these parts don't show up on there... What's that incompatibility?

Edit: Goddamn it! Why is it such a hassle to put Amazon links in here!?

 

[Frostorm]

Use this to figure out the RAM's effective speed:

Ram Latency Calculator

notkyon.moe

You want high speed and low CAS btw.

That PSU will do just fine, enough wattage for your needs. Also the computer will only draw as much power as it needs. the Wattage on the PSU is just its limits.

I'm just an Nvidia fan currently due to real-time raytracing (RTX).

<3 ur signature btw.

 

[JamesRyan]

You will not regret picking the MSI Gaming X one. If you want to see a review, watch to THIS video. I picked this one for you to sync with your motherboard (If you take MSI). If you prefer Sapphire, it is great too. Either MSI or Sapphire is good. The motherboard list you mentioned, I will crossout the TUF one. There is no need to use X570 for R5 3600. Those B550 boards are all top-tier and may even outperform some low or mid-tier X570. You can choose one of the rest. They are all good. Take the one you like most (though the MSI Carbon might be the best there). If you wanna sync with your card, take MSI.

Case is okay. Corsair makes good cases. Make sure you have enough fans with proper airflows.

And about the PSU, it is a decent unit for mid-range PC. You can use it for your system.

The monitor is also good, but the RX 5600 XT aims for 1080p gaming, and it may suffer from intensive gaming on 1440p. If you only do light gaming, it may be fine.

For RAMs, pick the Gskill Trident Z RGB straight away. Do not hesitate. If you can afford the Neo (Gskill Trident Z Neo), go for it. It is the best for AMD systems.

 

[Mr. Detective]

Lmao the ASUS TUF is now out of stock.

Use this to figure out the RAM's effective speed:

Ram Latency Calculator

notkyon.moe

You want high speed and low CAS btw.
<3 ur signature btw.

So, does it make much of a difference between
3600-16 = 8.88
3600-18 = 10
3200-16 = 10
Should I go for the 3600-16 still? And lol at the name of the website. "Not Kyon."

Thanks. Did I make you hungry? XD

You can choose one of the rest. They are all good. Take the one you like most (though the MSI Carbon might be the best there). If you wanna sync with your card, take MSI.
Case is okay. Corsair makes good cases. Make sure you have enough fans with proper airflows.
The monitor is also good, but the RX 5600 XT aims for 1080p gaming, and it may suffer from intensive gaming on 1440p. If you only do light gaming, it may be fine.
For RAMs, pick the Gskill Trident Z RGB straight away. Do not hesitate. If you can afford the Neo (Gskill Trident Z Neo), go for it. It is the best for AMD systems.

I don't think I'll be able to tell the differences between the two, if look is the only thing that differs.

G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) Desktop Memory Model F4-3600C16D-16GTZRC - Newegg.com

Buy G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) Desktop Memory Model F4-3600C16D-16GTZRC with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

This should be good, yeah? 3600-16.
That CPU cooler good enough? And 3 Asiahorse fans. They can all be used as either exhaust or intake fans?

You know, you'll make a good marketeer. You have a way of convincing people. XD

 

[Frostorm]

The one w/ 8.88 result will be the fastest. So yea the one you linked, which is 3600-16 and also Gskill TridentZ RGB will be perfect for you. It should theoretically be 11.11% faster than the other 2 u listed.

 

[JamesRyan]

Haha thanks, but I am not a marketer. I'm just a person who enjoys building and toying with PCs.

Those two Gskill 3600-16 RAMs are the best choice out there for you.

Most of the fans around 1300 to 1500 RPMs are okay (Just keep in mind that this is just my personal thoughts) Keep them inhale the air from the front side. You may consider taking three more to exhale from the top and back. That is the basic airflow inside the case.

And could you please link the CPU cooler for me? I cannot see your list on PC part picker. It is a blank list for me.

 

[Mr. Detective]

And could you please link the CPU cooler for me? I cannot see your list on PC part picker. It is a blank list for me.

This is the CPU Cooler.
These are the case fans.

Crap! I gotta hurry up before the cases are sold out! The 3600 is also out of stock on Amazon and Newegg already, so I have to get it at BH.
Power supply + MSI card + CPU cooler + case + case fans + Acer monitor + keyboard = $828.64. Yikes!
Gonna get the SSD, RAM, and motherboard on Newegg. Nothing else I need, right?

Oh! How about thermal paste? Do I need to get a tube? It doesn't come with any of the parts, right?

 

[JamesRyan]

Personally, I do not trust this cooler. Go take something else like Deepcool Gammaxx 400 (either Blue or Red led, with AM4 compatible), or if you prefer RGB, take the Deepcool Gammaxx GTE. They are cheap-but-good coolers. Also, Cooler Master Hyper 212 (or Black Edition) is a good one with a fair price. Out of these three, take the one you like most. I recommend the Gammaxx GTE or Hyper 212 because of its easy installation.

The thermal paste should be inside the cooler itself, but I still recommend Arctic MX-4. It is a great price/performance paste.

 

[Frostorm]

The thermal paste should be inside the cooler itself, but I still recommend Arctic MX-4. It is a great price/performance paste.

How does Arctic MX-4 compare to Arctic Ceramique-2? Which is what I'm using atm. Although I'm sure most of Arctic Silver's products are good enough for most people's applications...

I'm overclocked to a "modest" 5Ghz atm.

Edit: Damn just did some research, I wish I had used MX-4 on my last build, but I bought this 25g tube of Ceramique2 years ago and still have a lot left lol.

 

[JamesRyan]

How does Arctic MX-4 compare to Arctic Ceramique-2? Which is what I'm using atm. Although I'm sure most of Arctic Silver's products are good enough for most people's applications...

I'm overclocked to a "modest" 5Ghz atm.

Their performance is not much different, both are not electrically conductive, but the MX-4 is a little better. Out of these two, I think you can take the one that is cheaper.

If you want to try something new, try the Noctua NT-H1 (or H2). It is better than all those above, but beware of its price.

 

[Frostorm]

Oh man, now I really want to build a new rig lol.

 

[JamesRyan]

Haha. If you wanna build a new rig but not in a hurry, wait for the new AMD Ryzen 4000 CPUs. They are planned to be launched later this year and will be beasts. Intel is now behind AMD in the CPU race, if they do not make some significant changes on their CPUs, the distance might be even further.

 

[Frostorm]

Yea no rush for me, my current rig is only 1 year old. Kinda want to build a 2nd one just to have more than 1 computer in the house. Especially a budget build.

Edit: Damn, I just read the Ryzen 3s will be delayed till early 2021...