Is this a good build for the price? Anything I’m missing, or spending too much/too little on?

[Cameron Myers]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/Cameron_Myers/saved/qJpqpg

 

[Oussebon]

What are you using it for? Am assuming gaming and not much else that's demanding?

The 120gb SSD ia very, very small. You'd really want a larger one. Even just for Windows, programs, and no games, 240gb would be better. But you'll want some games on SSD too.

The i5 10500 is hard to justify, essentially because it's a mid-range CPU designed to go with a mid-range motherboard i.e.a B460. But, B460 limits RAM to 2666MHz.

This means you're either spending more than an AMD R5 3600 for something that, due to the RAM, ends up performing no or little better anyway - or you buy it with a Z490 motherboard for faster RAM which is a tragic waste of hardware (locked i5 on an overclocking platform).

I'd probably suggest going with an AMD R5 3600 + B450 and 3200/3600MHz RAM. Since unlike Intel B460, AMD B450 actually lets you use faster RAM at those speeds.

Buying a cheap case and adding a load of fans is rarely going to be your best option - because very cheap cases often have design that limits airflow anyway. Generally better to just spend the extra on a better case that has better airflow and probably better fans to begin with. e.g. Fractal Focus G.

A 550W PSU would allow more headroom for future upgrades - e.g. a new GPU in the future - at the very least keeping your options more open.

You can probably just use the stock paste that comes with the CPU cooler you're buying. Or in the case of AMD you could just stick to the stock cooler, which is fine.

 

[Cameron Myers]

What are you using it for? Am assuming gaming and not much else that's demanding?

The 120gb SSD ia very, very small. You'd really want a larger one. Even just for Windows, programs, and no games, 240gb would be better. But you'll want some games on SSD too.

The i5 10500 is hard to justify, essentially because it's a mid-range CPU designed to go with a mid-range motherboard i.e.a B460. But, B460 limits RAM to 2666MHz.

This means you're either spending more than an AMD R5 3600 for something that, due to the RAM, ends up performing no or little better anyway - or you buy it with a Z490 motherboard for faster RAM which is a tragic waste of hardware (locked i5 on an overclocking platform).

I'd probably suggest going with an AMD R5 3600 + B450 and 3200/3600MHz RAM. Since unlike Intel B460, AMD B450 actually lets you use faster RAM at those speeds.

Buying a cheap case and adding a load of fans is rarely going to be your best option - because very cheap cases often have design that limits airflow anyway. Generally better to just spend the extra on a better case that has better airflow and probably better fans to begin with. e.g. Fractal Focus G.

A 550W PSU would allow more headroom for future upgrades - e.g. a new GPU in the future - at the very least keeping your options more open.

You can probably just use the stock paste that comes with the CPU cooler you're buying. Or in the case of AMD you could just stick to the stock cooler, which is fine.

thank you! It was always the motherboard compatibility part that I wasn’t quite sure about. I’ll go edit the build. Also, I didn’t know that you got stock paste with a cpu cooler. Good to know.

I’m just worried that getting a more expensive case and a more expensive motherboard would lead to the build getting too expensive, even if I save on a cpu cooler. I want it to be below £950 at the absolute most, preferably around £900, and would like the 1660 super.
On my current laptop, a 128GB SSD is more than enough for windows 10 and some common use programs. I don’t plan on getting games on it. That’s what the HDD is for.

 

[Cameron Myers]

Also, yes, gaming is the most intensive thing I’ll be doing. Also, I just found out that if you wanna connect to WiFi without an Ethernet cable, you need to buy an adaptor for that. Is the one I added to my parts list appropriate? It’s a flight of stairs and a few walls from the router, and our internet speed is at best 100mbps download and 11mbps upload

I followed your advice. Due to savings on CPU, CPU cooler and motherboard, it’s knocked a fair bit off the price despite improving PSU, SSD and case (follow the link in the post for the updated build). However, I’m now getting the below message. Is it anything to worry about? Is there any way I can guarantee that the motherboard that’s arrived from UKpcpartpicker has the correct BIOS?

• Warning!Some AMD B450 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Matisse CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions.

 

[Oussebon]

I’m just worried that getting a more expensive case

The case should be cost neutral or even save you money, since if you buy a half decent budget one you don't need to buy extra fans with it. I'd suggest the Fractal Focus G which has a similar aesthetic to the original one you posted, while being more than adequate with its stock fan setup.

Also, I didn’t know that you got stock paste with a cpu cooler. Good to know.

You get paste included with most CPU coolers, and with the stock AMD Wraith Stealth ones (the ones bundled with the R5 3600) those have paste pre-applied I believe.

I don’t plan on getting games on it. That’s what the HDD is for.

Putting favourite / most currently played games on the SSD will often massively increase loading speed, and could potentially help ensure smooth performance if those games stream a lot of data from storage - there's some indication games are moving that way. You could also get an SSD that has significantly better performance for little extra cash. For instance the WD Blue with its 3D NAND - at 500gb capacities is literally just a few quid more than the ultra budget Kingstons.

Is it anything to worry about? Is there any way I can guarantee that the motherboard that’s arrived from UKpcpartpicker has the correct BIOS?

• Warning!Some AMD B450 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Matisse CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions.

It's not anything to worry about.

See this:

https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/pa-100

In short, the motherboard will very likely ship with a modern BIOS. If it doesn't you'll be able to resolve the issue by e.g. RMAing for one that does, or potentially even having AMD loan you a compatible CPU for you to update the BIOS yourself. You won't be stuck with a duff board.

Also, I just found out that if you wanna connect to WiFi without an Ethernet cable, you need to buy an adaptor for that. Is the one I added to my parts list appropriate? It’s a flight of stairs and a few walls from the router, and our internet speed is at best 100mbps download and 11mbps upload

The specs are appropriate, for sure, and the price seems reasonable at a glance. I can't tell you how good the signal will be though, but if other devices are okay with it then it'll probably be fine.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor (£162.72 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus TUF B450M-PLUS GAMING Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£85.86 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£63.75 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£53.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£35.97 @ Currys PC World Business)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB OC Video Card (£217.98 @ Technextday)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case (£46.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (£69.99 @ Currys PC World)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link Archer T4U USB 3.0 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (£29.99 @ AWD-IT)
Monitor: ViewSonic VX2458-mhd 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor (£149.99 @ CCL Computers)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 - UK Layout Wired Standard Keyboard (£10.83 @ Aria PC)
Total: £928.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-07-14 15:26 BST+0100

Case tweaked as above and extra fan removed
Larger and faster SSD added
Arctic paste removed
PSU upped to better quality one

NB with the PSU, pricing and availability is a bit all over the place right now, due to the pandemic. In this case that means that the very good quality Corsair TXm with its Gold rating and 7 year warranty is only ~£7 more than the very budget level Thermaltake one. Looking at reviews, the 500W Thermaltake is supposed to retail around £37, not ~£62. it's way outclassed by the Corsair TXm once you hit the £60s.

 

[Oussebon]

For the motherboard you could consider this

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/Pq97YJ/asrock-fatal1ty-b450-gaming-k4-atx-am4-motherboard-b450-gaming-k4

Sam price (couple of quid cheaper), but offers USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C at the rear instead of Gen 1 type C as on the Asus. It also has an additional M.2 slot. More USB ports, and more expansion slots too.

 

[Cameron Myers]

For the motherboard you could consider this

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/Pq97YJ/asrock-fatal1ty-b450-gaming-k4-atx-am4-motherboard-b450-gaming-k4

Sam price (couple of quid cheaper), but offers USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C at the rear instead of Gen 1 type C as on the Asus. It also has an additional M.2 slot. More USB ports, and more expansion slots too.

Thanks, you’ve been a big help!

i note you got rid of the case fan? Do I really not need one?

 

[Synack]

Depending on the price difference get the Samsung 970evo of the same size. There will be a huge difference in load times in games and general transfer rates. But if it breaks your budget stick with the WD.

 

[Oussebon]

You really don't need one because you already have 2

The Fractal Focus G has 2 front intakes built in. And the components in your build are fairly mid range - it's not a furnace. The stock fan config is fine - I wouldn't spend ~£20 on more fans.

Rule of thumb - if you buy a cheap case and also buy fans, you should probably just spend the same amount on a case that has better airflow and better fans by design.

There will be a huge difference in load times in games

That's not really accurate. The load times difference between a decent Sata SSD and a top-drawer NVMe SSD is tiny.

Kingston A2000 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD Review - 8% Faster Thanks to New Firmware

The Kingston A2000 has recently received a firmware update, which makes a big difference in performance. It now rivals the Samsung 970 EVO, at much better pricing. With just $128 for the tested 1 TB version, or 13 cents per GB, the A2000 offers better value than most SSDs on the market.

www.techpowerup.com

Anthem load times tested: HDD vs SATA SSD vs NVMe SSD

How much will an SSD help Anthem's load times compared to a hard drive?

www.pcgamer.com

Difference between HDD and SSD can be huge. Difference between SSDs is slender, at most.

Maybe modded skyrim using mod organiser would see a difference, but that's a bit niche...

 

[Synack]

I was referring to transfer rates.
You're correct regarding the load times, but I was more focused on the transfer speeds.

Please click the green human to continue - UserBenchmark

 

[Oussebon]

Userbenchmark is dangerous, atrocious garbage and should be avoided at all costs for benchmarks.

You are of course right about the transfer speeds, but tbh that's not really going to be worth the stonking price premium at this budget level.

Unless the OP copies gigabytes and gigbytes of data on the same drive every day. It's not like copy speeds from the HDD or anything other an an NVMe SSD in the same system will be faster.

If spending more on storage, it would make more sense to just get more storage, not more expensive storage.

 

[Cameron Myers]

Alrighty, thanks all! I’m pretty confident this will be the final build that I’ll get in a few weeks (making it for a friend I have a laptop for gaming).

 

[Synack]

Userbenchmark is dangerous, atrocious garbage and should be avoided at all costs for benchmarks.

You are of course right about the transfer speeds, but tbh that's not really going to be worth the stonking price premium at this budget level.

Unless the OP copies gigabytes and gigbytes of data on the same drive every day. It's not like copy speeds from the HDD or anything other an an NVMe SSD in the same system will be faster.

If spending more on storage, it would make more sense to just get more storage, not more expensive storage.

Can't argue with that statement.

Although, regarding the benchmark site from what I understand of the linked site it's an average of collected stats using their application. So it should be fairly accurate when comparing across various build types/setups. It is supposed to give a more real world idea of expected frames or performance vs what you may currently have. It actually recommends a new video card based on what you input. For me it recommends the 580. Which I thought was perfect. Although personally I need a whole new machine.

 

[Oussebon]

There are (at least) 2 problems with userbenchmark

The first is the point you mention, that it's an average of people's systems. If people's systems aren't working properly, or having something else affecting performance (boosting it or reducing it) that gets included too. As opposed to a proper review which tests with other variables controlled.

The other problem is that the benchmark / sets of benchmarks themselves are very controversial and not necessarily 'fair' or realistic measurements. There was a big storm about it last year.

There's simply never a case where Userbenchmark makes more sense to use or to recommend to people than an alternative, more reliable tool with more robust data.

I can't speak as to whether the recommendation of an RX 580 was one that made sense or not (either way, you're happy with it, so that's good), but even if it was genuinely the best and best-value option for you at the time, all it demonstrates is that broken clocks are right twice a day, unfortunately.

It's a dangerous site that frequently misleads people and should be avoided at all times tbh.