Good build for $600 or less?

dont "waste" money right now.
zen/ryzen seems to be on par/faster than what intel offers at the same core count, while being A LOT cheaper.
wait for at least another month or two until we see reviews about the amds...


BUT,
If you want something right now, than look at this:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/cxjbRG

my changes (vs previous posters list) : asus board, kingston ram, ssd, gtx1060, platinum psu

you can save a few bucks (hdd, instead of ssd, and later use the hdd as data drive when u buy a sdd to run windows),
maybe a different case...

the asus boards are usually better and come with more feats (compared to gigabyte/msi etc) when looking at same price range.

kingston ram tends to be less prone to fail lately (<0.4% vs <1% for others). corsairs are good, but you dont plan on ocing etc, so go with (higher) reliability.
using 2 sticks for 8gb would limit you to 16gb, if you add another set.
on the long run i would see 16 or 32gb as max (depending if you do more than gaming),
so go with 1x8gb for now (performance loss from single vs dual channel will not be relevant) and buy another stick (same make/model/size) later, to get 16gb running in dual channel.

the ssd will, even at its worst speed, be as fast as the hdd is under best conditions, but most the time around 5-10x faster
when it comes to reading data.
netbook loads win vista in 1:50 (hdd) and around 30-40s with a cheap ssd from 2010...
go with the ssd for better performance, or maybe buy an additional cheap samsung/hitachi/wd hdd as data drive.

the 470 doesnt make sense. the gtx1060 costs the same, is way faster, consumes less power, produces less heat, and silent.

the case from fractal is pretty good, looks nice and has front usb3 and a decent silent fan (IIRC).
(do switch the fan to the rear port to help get hot air out).

the psu is the most important part. without it, even the most expensive machine wont boot.
i would always prefer a platinum rated one, since the quality/components are better, it has cleaner/more stable power,
and the one i found cost the same.
not even talking about the fact that its more efficient, so it will save on the power bill (vs gold rated).

False.

The RX480 and the GTX 1060 trade blows, speaking in broad terms. The RX470 performs below the RX480.

the 470 can most of the time keep up, but as soon as the 1060 is oced (manufacturer) or maxed to Nv limits (power/temp) most will clock around 2GHz and will be a lot faster.

i got a 1060 to test performance, and even at a higher price, no reason to go with the 470.