Now could be a good time to break into the PC market if you are looking for a new computer. By being smart about what you purchase you can get a good performing gaming computer right now, that will offer a fantastic upgrade path.
This is the generic computer parts list for the build, I’ll list the specific models that I purchased below:
- AMD Ryzen 3 3100
- B450 MATX Motherboard with 4 x RAM Sockets
- 16GB DDR4 RAM (2 x 8GB modules) (minimum 3200 MHz)
- 240GB M.2 SSD
- 1TB SATA HDD
- GTX 1650 Super 4GB
- 650 Watt 80+ Power Supply
- MATX Case
Specifically the products, with prices in AUD, that I got for my latest build are as follows:
- AMD Ryzen 3 3100 CPU w/ stock fan – $155 AUD ($112 USD)
- Asus Prime B450M-K AM4 MATX Motherboard – $90 AUD ($65 USD)
- Kllisre 16GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM – $97 AUD ($70 USD)
- Western Digital Green 240GB M.2 SSD – $45 AUD ($33 USD)
- Used Hitachi 500GB HDD – $10 AUD ($7 USD)
- Galax GeForce GTX 1650 Super EX 4GB Graphics Card – $218 AUD ($ 157 USD)
- Gamdias (HELIOS E1-500) 80% efficiency 500Watt Power Supply – $45 AUD ($33 USD)
- Thermaltake Versa H18 Black Window Micro Tower Case – $57 AUD ($41 USD)
So there were a few compromised that I made because of what was available or what I already had, so if I was going to order everything from scratch the changes that I would make would be.
- Gigabyte B450M DS3H AMD AM4 mATX Gaming Motherboard – $109 AUD ($78 USD)
- The Asus board only had 2 x RAM sockets, the Gigabyte board has 4
- G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) 3200MHz DDR4 RAM – $99 AUD ($71 USD)
- Faster RAM than the Kllisre that I had on hand
- WD Blue 1TB SATA 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive – $57 AUD ($41 USD)
- Newer and bigger than the used one I had
- Cooler Master MWE 650 Bronze V2 650W Power Supply – $92 AUD ($66 USD)
- 650 Watt would allow upgrade to latest Nvidia GeForce GTX 3090
The total cost of the system that I built was $717 AUD ($516 USD). If you went with the improved options the total system cost would be $832 AUD ($598 USD). This would offer amazing value as the system would run most games quite well now, and would have a upgrade path to the latest Ryzen processors, additional RAM, and even the latest Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics card.
I did add some fans to the front of the case, but with this set-up the extra airflow is not necessarily needed. The Thermaltake Versa H18 has excellent airflow, so down the track with an upgraded graphics card and upgraded CPU that airflow could help with some fans in the front and on top.
This video will give you an idea about the performance you will get from this system at 1080p. For the price, it’s pretty impressive …