This is based off the "Great tier" AMD build, but I'm waffling a bit on the price. I don't really know a whole lot about PC specs, but I read this is supposed to be a good long-lasting build based on the DDR5 and something newer in the CPU or Video card. That being said, I've only really ever build mid-tier and while I do want something nice, I'm just not sure it's necessary for me? I tend to stick to Indie titles and the most demanding game I've played lately was BG3 (which my current PC has to be on med-low settings to run).
Also, if anyone has a good 22" monitor recommendations I'll take them.
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor | $218.98 @ Amazon |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler | $37.90 @ Amazon |
| Motherboard | *Gigabyte B650M K Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard | $119.99 @ Amazon |
| Memory | *TEAMGROUP Elite 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5-4800 CL40 Memory | $37.99 @ Amazon |
| Storage | Intel 670p 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive | $79.99 @ B&H |
| Video Card | *PowerColor Fighter Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card | $319.99 @ Amazon |
| Case | Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case | $104.99 @ Adorama |
| Power Supply | *Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply | $66.98 @ Amazon |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $986.81 | |
| *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria | ||
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-06 20:02 EDT-0400 |
I just built an AM5!
My biggest concern is your storage. Thats a PCIE 3 x 4 rather than a PCIe 4 x 4. I went with the 1 TB Solidigm P44 for $50. There's also the Samsung 990 Pro which has gone on sale a few times recently. The Samsung NVMEs all slap, it the two drives I mentioned are meant to be the fastest available.
You have a micro-ATX board with a Mid tower ATX case, by the way. You could get a smaller case, if you wanted to. $120 is an amazing price for a B650 board, I paid $180 and thought that was the best I could do because I only looked at Newegg.
On your RAM I made sure the RAM I bought was certified for AMD EXPO. The newest overclocking solution. Without overclock, RAM will often run at 5200 or 5600 depending on the motherboard. But 6000 is meant to be the sweet spot for this series of CPUs. I disagree that 32GB is necessary. You can always double it up from 16GB later on. Edit: CSky2? You mag actually want the 32GB, that would be a quick check with a benchmark or a user post about RAM consumption by the game to confirm if 32GB would have payoff or not.
Why the 6700 XT instead of the RX 7600? I decided the 7600 was a better value because I want to game at 1080p for the next few years. I went with the 7800X3D and after taxes my build was $1400. Ouch that was a hard pill to swallow. I started below $1000 and got greedy. But we're splitting hairs, if you prefer one of these cards then power to you.
I imagine your CPU and your GPU both recommend a 650W power supply, and I imagine you know something I dont and 600W will handle it fine. But if they recommend 750W, I would just double check.
Edit: by the way Newegg has the Fantastech sale starting now-ish but really opening up on October 9th. And I think Intel is announcing new products next month? I'm unsure. Obviously I decided to do it now, and if I have buyer's remorse so be it.
6700XT is still a bit faster than the 7600, I think. Feel free to correct me on this.
Agree on the SSD, while a PCIe4 may not be needed, I'm sure there're plenty of better SSDs than the Intel for cheap at this point in time. The price drops have been pretty good across the board.
6700 XT ($320) is indeed faster than the RX 7600 ($250) - it's just that I already know OP is on a 1080p (22") monitor. I've seen the BG3 and CS:2 benchmarks, but not the cities skylines 2 benchmarks.
I also have a stupid question, but does support / firmware updates matter a lot for GPUs? It's been a while for me. The 7600 is brand new from last month, and the 6700 XT is from… 2 years ago? Is that support gonna expire soon or am I making up a problem that doesn't exist?
25+ years of GPUs from three different major companies, and I don't think I've ever upgraded the firmware on my GPU. Support is based on the API, be it D3D or Vulkan or OpenGL. As long as there's support your card will work.
Awesome! Thank you.