Gaming PC - 800 euros - I512400 - DDR5, second hand GPU

[AntonioPaladini]

Here are some details.

With a total of 840 euros, I am already far beyond my initial budget, but I don’t really see where I could make cuts. This PC is for moderate gamer, not pretentious at all (will mainly do 1080p).

I think I could compromise on the SSD and save 50 euros there with a Crucial P3, and I could save another 50 euros if I went for a DDR4 MB and RAM instead of DDR5, but it seems giving up a lot for only 100 euros.

Also, many builds I find around with i5 12400 don't use DDR5, and I don't really understand why. Do you have any idea?

As for GPU, I go second hand, can’t really afford new and first hand. I can have GTX 1080 for 150 and maybe RTX 2070 for a bit less than 200. If I go for a 3060 it will be more expensive with little to no gain (even second hand)

CPU: I5 12400 [202€]
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B660-A Gaming + wifi [196€]
RAM: Crucial RAM 16Go Kit (2x8Go) DDR5 4800MHz CL40 CT2K8G48C40U5 [55€]
SSD: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB [90€]
Power Supply: Mars Gaming MPIII750, Alimentation PC ATX 750W [55€]
Case: Spirit Of Gamer - Clone III [55€]
GPU (Second hand): RTX 2070 [185€]

TOTAL: 202+196+55+90+55+55+185= 840€

What do you think? Is there any flaw in my build? Is there any component I am missing ?
Thank you!!

 

[Why_Me]

Here are some details.

With a total of 840 euros, I am already far beyond my initial budget, but I don’t really see where I could make cuts. This PC is for moderate gamer, not pretentious at all (will mainly do 1080p).

I think I could compromise on the SSD and save 50 euros there with a Crucial P3, and I could save another 50 euros if I went for a DDR4 MB and RAM instead of DDR5, but it seems giving up a lot for only 100 euros.

Also, many builds I find around with i5 12400 don't use DDR5, and I don't really understand why. Do you have any idea?

As for GPU, I go second hand, can’t really afford new and first hand. I can have GTX 1080 for 150 and maybe RTX 2070 for a bit less than 200. If I go for a 3060 it will be more expensive with little to no gain (even second hand)

CPU: I5 12400 [202€]
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B660-A Gaming + wifi [196€]
RAM: Crucial RAM 16Go Kit (2x8Go) DDR5 4800MHz CL40 CT2K8G48C40U5 [55€]
SSD: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB [90€]
Power Supply: Mars Gaming MPIII750, Alimentation PC ATX 750W [55€]
Case: Spirit Of Gamer - Clone III [55€]
GPU (Second hand): RTX 2070 [185€]

TOTAL: 202+196+55+90+55+55+185= 840€

What do you think? Is there any flaw in my build? Is there any component I am missing ?
Thank you!!

Decent deal on the gpu but the other components are expensive and the power supply is not one to be recommended.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Hi and welcome I think I can do better for you

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (€171.00 @ Amazon France)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B660M-A WIFI D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€142.13 @ Amazon France)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€45.99 @ Amazon France)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€66.70 @ Amazon France)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D OC Radeon RX 6600 XT 8 GB Video Card (€284.89 @ Amazon France)
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case (€79.98 @ Amazon France)
Power Supply: Cooler Master MWE Bronze V2 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (€72.98 @ Amazon France)
Total: €863.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-13 18:57 CEST+0200

12400F is cheaper, performs the same, and you wont be using the integrated graphics.

This motherboard is functional, and has WiFi if you need it. No need for ROG branding.

DDR4 is not much slower for games than DDR5 at lower speeds like the 12400 supports so the extra money is wasted there.

SSD isn't worth the extra for the Samsung, and theyve had problems with that model anyway. The WD one is pretty good and cheaper, you wont notice any difference.

The PSU you chose was likely bad as I've never heard of that brand and its very cheap, this one is a very good quality unit that will power your rig for years and not damage your components slowly while it does it.

The RX6600XT is faster than any of the cards you mentioned except in RT, and I dont think RT is worth it unless youre using a top end card anyway. If you want to save money the PSU I picked will power any of the other cards you mentioned 2nd hand without trouble.

The case you chose isnt known to me, and I understand the looks are subjective. The Fractal I picked here allows for good cooling of your other components and is well built while still being good value for money.

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (€171.00 @ Amazon France)
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AG400 BK ARGB 75.89 CFM CPU Cooler (€37.99 @ Amazon France)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte B760 GAMING X DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€130.94 @ TopAchat)
Memory: *Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€77.98 @ Amazon France)
Storage: *Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€42.99 @ FNAC)
Case: *Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case (€54.99 @ Amazon France)
Power Supply: *MSI MPG A750GF 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€115.00 @ Amazon France)
Case Fan: *ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan (€9.64 @ Amazon France)
Total: €640.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-13 19:10 CEST+0200

 

[AntonioPaladini]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (€171.00 @ Amazon France)
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AG400 BK ARGB 75.89 CFM CPU Cooler (€37.99 @ Amazon France)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte B760 GAMING X DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€130.94 @ TopAchat)
Memory: *Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€77.98 @ Amazon France)
Storage: *Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€42.99 @ FNAC)
Case: *Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case (€54.99 @ Amazon France)
Power Supply: *MSI MPG A750GF 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€115.00 @ Amazon France)
Case Fan: *ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan (€9.64 @ Amazon France)
Total: €640.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-13 19:10 CEST+0200

Hello, thank you for your reply, but this build doesn't include a GPU.
Also, do you think it is worth it to give up DDR5? I'd like this PC to last for 10 years

 

[AntonioPaladini]

Hi and welcome I think I can do better for you

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (€171.00 @ Amazon France)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B660M-A WIFI D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€142.13 @ Amazon France)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€45.99 @ Amazon France)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€66.70 @ Amazon France)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D OC Radeon RX 6600 XT 8 GB Video Card (€284.89 @ Amazon France)
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case (€79.98 @ Amazon France)
Power Supply: Cooler Master MWE Bronze V2 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (€72.98 @ Amazon France)
Total: €863.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-13 18:57 CEST+0200

12400F is cheaper, performs the same, and you wont be using the integrated graphics.

This motherboard is functional, and has WiFi if you need it. No need for ROG branding.

DDR4 is not much slower for games than DDR5 at lower speeds like the 12400 supports so the extra money is wasted there.

SSD isn't worth the extra for the Samsung, and theyve had problems with that model anyway. The WD one is pretty good and cheaper, you wont notice any difference.

The PSU you chose was likely bad as I've never heard of that brand and its very cheap, this one is a very good quality unit that will power your rig for years and not damage your components slowly while it does it.

The RX6600XT is faster than any of the cards you mentioned except in RT, and I dont think RT is worth it unless youre using a top end card anyway. If you want to save money the PSU I picked will power any of the other cards you mentioned 2nd hand without trouble.

The case you chose isnt known to me, and I understand the looks are subjective. The Fractal I picked here allows for good cooling of your other components and is well built while still being good value for money.

Hello, thanks a lot for your very detailed reply.

Some context
I can give some additional detail to motivate my choices. I will offer this PC as a present to a person who'll rely on it as his main PC. He'll be using it for day to day uses, in addition to gaming.
Plus, this person isn't really into tech, so he won't be changing PC very soon (he stayed with his latest PC for 10 years ^^).
So I am designing this to last as long as possible.
Except for things like adding some additional ram in a couple years, or switching GPU if the one I put now becomes too old, which I could take care of later on.

CPU
Indeed, I choose the normal I5 12400, just in case there's a GPU malfunctioning (as I am targeting a secondhand), such that if the GPU breaks, the PC can still run ^^.


DDR5 vs DDR4
I am really struggling here.
I think in 3/4 years, PCs will all have DDR5, isn't it? I5 12400 supports DDR5 at 4800Mhz, it would be a pity to give this up and stay with DDR4 3200Mhz, right?
My understanding is computation improvements happen faster than memory improvements, and here would be giving up some good memory speed improvement for 60 euros over the motherboard, and there is no way of upgrading this later on.

SSD & PSU & Case
Thanks for the hint!
Was the case I chose compatible in your opinion, or I risk things like the components not fitting inside it?

GPU
Am I giving up anything by choosing AMD over Nvidia? Do I have to be careful about compatibility if I pick the DDR5 MB?

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Well if the extra money is worth it to you for the 12400, sure go for it. Its handy but hopefully not necessary, especially if you have a friend who has a GPU you can troubleshoot with in case of problems

The difference between DDR 5 and 4 in games is basically nothing on average with slower DDR5. Youre not giving up anything, even later on with that CPU and mothebroard. The numbers sound big, but you lose out on latency with DDR5 so its much closer than it seems.

Spoiler: DDR 4 vs 5 benchmarks

DDR5 vs DDR4: Is It Time To Upgrade Your RAM?

Welcome to the new era of DDR5 RAM

www.tomshardware.com

Modern processors and memory are more than sufficient for gaming, and the graphics card is the bottleneck in most cases. The DDR5 results clearly showed that. The performance difference in gaming between the two extremes (DDR4-2133 C15 and DDR5-6400 C36) was only around 8%. However, once we stepped up to something better, like DDR4-3200 C15, DDR5-6400 C36 was only 2% faster.

Focusing on the best DDR4 and DDR5 performance, we saw a 3% difference in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, 2% in Far Cry 6, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Watch Dogs: Legion, and Borderlands 3, and a 1% delta in Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Wolfenstein: Youngblood.

I'd tend towards a case I can find a good review from an outlet I trust for at least, if its not one I've physically seen. You should be able to find compatibility info on the website for that case probably, its not one I would use myself tbh. Also M-ATX cases tend to be smaller which could limit the GPU. I would guess it would be OK

By choosing AMD over Nvidia for a similar price new you are giving up ray tracing performance in exchange for faster performance with normal settings. Not all games even have RT, its a luxury setting like applying polish to the visuals, at the cost of a lot of FPS.

@Why_Me included a CPU cooler in his build, he picked a good one and I'd recommend you to use that as well if possible over the stock Intel one.

 

[AntonioPaladini]

Well if the extra money is worth it to you for the 12400, sure go for it. Its handy but hopefully not necessary, especially if you have a friend who has a GPU you can troubleshoot with in case of problems

The difference between DDR 5 and 4 in games is basically nothing on average with slower DDR5. Youre not giving up anything, even later on with that CPU and mothebroard. The numbers sound big, but you lose out on latency with DDR5 so its much closer than it seems.

Spoiler: DDR 4 vs 5 benchmarks

DDR5 vs DDR4: Is It Time To Upgrade Your RAM?

Welcome to the new era of DDR5 RAM

www.tomshardware.com

I'd tend towards a case I can find a good review from an outlet I trust for at least, if its not one I've physically seen. You should be able to find compatibility info on the website for that case probably, its not one I would use myself tbh. Also M-ATX cases tend to be smaller which could limit the GPU. I would guess it would be OK

By choosing AMD over Nvidia for a similar price new you are giving up ray tracing performance in exchange for faster performance with normal settings. Not all games even have RT, its a luxury setting like applying polish to the visuals, at the cost of a lot of FPS.

@Why_Me included a CPU cooler in his build, he picked a good one and I'd recommend you to use that as well if possible over the stock Intel one.

Thanks again for your very detailed answer. You convinced me to go DDR4, and maybe also I5 12400F, still have to make up my mind about this last one.
I changed a couple items in the build you proposed (mainly because of availability and shipping) and got:
CPU: I512400F [171 €]
Motherboard: B660M-A MSI Wifi [161€]
Memory: 2x8gb Vengeance DDR4 [47 €]
Storage: Crucial P3 1TB [46 €]
Video Card (New): MSI RX 6650 XT [275 €]
Case: Oversteel Aeris [58 €]
Power Supply: MSI MAG A650BN [65 €]
Total: 171 + 161 + 47 + 46+ 275 + 58 +65 = 822€

Wdyt? Any flaw?
Also, what would be the added value of a new CPU cooler? I don't expect this PC to be massively used, even gaming will probably be once a week.
I can eventually have RX 7600 for 300 euros, I don't know if it's worth it.

 

[AntonioPaladini]

Thanks again for your very detailed answer. You convinced me to go DDR4, and maybe also I5 12400F, still have to make up my mind about this last one.
I changed a couple items in the build you proposed (mainly because of availability and shipping) and got:
CPU: I512400F [171 €]
Motherboard: B660M-A MSI Wifi [161€]
Memory: 2x8gb Vengeance DDR4 [47 €]
Storage: Crucial P3 1TB [46 €]
Video Card (New): MSI RX 6650 XT [275 €]
Case: Oversteel Aeris [58 €]
Power Supply: MSI MAG A650BN [65 €]
Total: 171 + 161 + 47 + 46+ 275 + 58 +65 = 822€

Wdyt? Any flaw?
Also, what would be the added value of a new CPU cooler? I don't expect this PC to be massively used, even gaming will probably be once a week.
I can eventually have RX 7600 for 300 euros, I don't know if it's worth it.

I have already bought this config. Hope it was good

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I have already bought this config. Hope it was good

Case has a mesh front at least, night want to check the fan situation, you want at least 2 in and one out to keep things cool. PSU isnt absolutely terrible from what I can see, but the one I picked earlier was a lot better for only 8 more. 6650XT is a good choice.

It'll work

 

[AntonioPaladini]

Case has a mesh front at least, night want to check the fan situation, you want at least 2 in and one out to keep things cool. PSU isnt absolutely terrible from what I can see, but the one I picked earlier was a lot better for only 8 more. 6650XT is a good choice.

It'll work

Thanks a lot, in the end I went fort RTX 3060TI, for 30 euros more ^^

 

[AntonioPaladini]

Thanks for the help everybody!