My first computer build, and I have a couple of questions

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eziolives247

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Sep 27, 2017
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I was going to go order a computer online, but a friend's dad told me I can build something a lot better for the same money. I'm hoping someone can help me figure out what is best.

I'm building this for schoolwork, gaming, Netflix/Sling and watching movies. I play Assassins Creed, Ghost Recon, For Honor, Mafia 2 and 3, and other games like that.

So, I want to use an AMD cpu. I read that Intel's new CPU will not use same MB as current. That means I can't upgrade CPU without upgrading everything. Which should I go with? I was thinking about a 1300x, and spending more on the GPU, but I'm not sure.

Should I use a b350 or x370 MB? Does it matter which if I want to OC the cpu using the Ryzen Master utility?

Should I use a regular SSD drive, or an M.2? it's going to be a boot drive, and not really much more. I have a 4TB external I use for movies and stuff like that.

I have about $700 to spend. I already have a case, PSU, monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Any suggestions anyone can make would really be appreciated.

Thanks
 
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vapour
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vapour

vapour

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If only gaming concern and 1080p, Ryzen 1200 is best bang for the buck :)
For your budget, b350 MB is good enough, x370 has much more features you don't need and cost a lot more
M.2 or regular SSD is a choice, Myself prefers regular as it is cheaper for samsung and M.2 can get hot due to its compactness. When speed is fast enough, I don't think I will benefit much from M.2
You can just add a boot ssd drive :)

What case, PSU do you have? Do you need to include a monitor in the 700 budget?
 
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Silmefaron

Silmefaron

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I agree about the M.2 and I would add also that when an M.2 SSD is in use it usually blocks access to the SATA 1 port. I would suggest a 120GB SSD boot drive (which you could even get used to keep better within the budget, for around $40) and then a WD Black or Blue drive (7200rpm) to store all games/files on. Don't use the external drive unless you HAVE to and I mean HAVE to. It's going to be slower than the majority of internal HDDs and SSHD, and a 2TB WD Black Performance drive is only $50.

I would suggest 2400MHz, and you must use DDR4 with the 1300x processor. In addition to that, the 1300x can only run RAM up to 2667MHz which means you could technically go up to 2666MHz memory but you will see no difference in gaming and it is not worth the extra cost. 8GB (2x4GB) of DDR4 2400MHz is definitely enough for gaming and you won't notice a problem, but if you want to future proof the build and you have enough in the budget, go with 16GB in a 2x8GB configuration.

If you plan on overclocking like you said, I would suggest a decent 120mm water cooler, i.e. the Corsair H60, but air cooling will be OK with a good aftermarket cooler like a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO.

In terms of a GPU, that is entirely up to you in terms of performance and settings you can tolerate vs your budget, but I'm happy to try to help if you have questions regarding that.

The CPU and Motherboard, as long as they stay DDR4 compatible like the ones you mentioned, would be better left up to vapour as he seems to know AMD CPUs much better than I.
 
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eziolives247

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I've got a monitor , keyboard and mouse that are all pretty new.

The case is a Phanteks P400S and the PSU is a Corsair TX550M. I like the case because it looks like it's good for cable management. I want it to be as neat as possible, because I want to use LED fans or a lightstrip in it.

Should I use the cooler that comes with the CPU, or should I use an AIO water cooler?
 
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eziolives247

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Sep 27, 2017
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My budget for what I have left to get (CPU/MB/GPU/RAM/SSD/HDD) is about $700, but I'd like to spend less if I can.
 
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vapour

vapour

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Ryzen stock cooler is much better than Intel's, no need for extra cooler unless you want to do crazy OCing. My recommendation:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.86 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B350M GAMING PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($138.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU800 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($56.67 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.69 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card ($269.89 @ B&H)
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400S ATX Mid Tower Case ($0.00)
Total: $693.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-27 19:18 EDT-0400
 
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eziolives247

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That all works In my budget. And if I decide to upgrade the CPU in a couple of years, I should not need a new MB.

And that GPU should be good for a while, right?
 
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vapour

vapour

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Yep :)
 
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ohiou_grad_2006

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I agree with the 1200 if you are planning to overclock. 1300x is ok but imo is better for someone who's just running stock speeds.

Also memory prices are still high. I'd suggest roll with 8gb now, get a bigger SSD and upgrade ram when it goes back down. I doubt you will see much difference in most games if any.
 
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eziolives247

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I was just going to use the Ryzen Master utility, since I've never done it before.

Right now I have your basic BestBuy i3 crapbox with an RX 550 added to it
 
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eziolives247

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Cool. And with the 1060 6G my games will definitely be better
 
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Silmefaron

Silmefaron

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Don't diss Best Buy, its not their fault :p its an i3.... what do you expect from an i3 in terms of well... anything? lol. But it is nice to get an upgrade now I'm sure! :D
 
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eziolives247

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I was only 11 when my mom gave it to me to use. I just got into gaming a few months ago, and wanted a better computer.
 
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Silmefaron

Silmefaron

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Ah, nice! Welcome to the world of gaming PCs :D
 
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ohiou_grad_2006

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Actually i3 is not terrible for gaming with a decent graphics card. Saw a review earlier where a guy built a 450 dollar gaming box for his brother using an i3 6100 and agtx 1060 6gb. He was running battlefield 1 on ultra but with some drops because of a slight cpu bottleneck but when he turned down anti aliasing or turned things to high it ran fine with high fps. Don't knock them. In fact the Ryzen 3 competes against i3 now. Next gen i3 is supposed to be quad core, except I think some of those will be locked and unable to overclocking like the Ryzen 3.

The nice thing you get with Ryzen should be the ability to upgrade your CPU later. So you can later drop in a 6 or 8 core of you wanted.
 
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eziolives247

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I'm playing a lot of the games I had on my xbox on my PC.

 
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eziolives247

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That's why I wanted to go with the Ryzen. I read that the new Intel CPU is going to use a different chipset, so I would not be able to upgrade if I went with a current i3 or i5

 
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