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My wife and I want to help our 16-year-old son build his own budget gaming PC. He predominately plays Minecraft and Terraria, but I have to imagine that he would start to dip into 3d gaming given the opportunity. I'm aiming for $500-600 for the PC. He'll be inheriting a 1080p monitor from me. Wifi is a necessity; there is no ethernet jack in his room. PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($118.99 @ B&H) Motherboard: ASRock B450M/AC Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($93.98 @ Newegg) Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 CL19 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon) Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card ($169.99 @ B&H) Power Supply: Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg) Total: $536.93 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-11 10:25 EST-0500 I could use some recommendations on a case. Couldn't care less about water cooling, would probably like to have a window so my son can see what he built, and maybe not too gaudy? I know he's 16, but man, I have to see this thing too.
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Nov 11, 2020 16:27
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Kingnothing posted:I’d find a kit of 3200mhz DDR4 ram. It’s basically the same price and a worthy upgrade. I’ll swap out the ram and look at cases with my son tonight. I’ll post a few that he likes and see if there’s anything that should be avoided.
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Nov 11, 2020 20:59
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Kingnothing posted:For the case you should really set the important parameters on PC part picker (size, ports, etc) and let him chose. With a budget machine it’s basically the ONLY thing you get to pick how it looks. I know at that age that was one of the most important bits for me. Okay, so I sat my son in front of a computer and had him look through cases. Here's what we've come up with: Black case. RGB fans and lights are cool. Ring Fan lights are cooler than RGB fans. Side window/acrylic sides are cool. Not too concerned about front panel ports. As long as there is a headphone jack and at least 1 USB 2.0 port, we're good. Size isn't a major concern. It's going to sit on the floor under his desk no matter what. I'll find a suitable ATX/mATX motherboard based on the we choose. I'd prefer to spend under $100 on the case. A few cases that he really liked: DIYPC Vanguard V8-RGB-Black Corsair Carbide SPEC-DELTA RGB LIAN LI LANCOOL II MESH RGB Phanteks Eclipse P400A DEEPCOOL MATREXX 55 Do any of those stick out as a particularly good option, or something else that fits the general style/requirements? Thanks again to everyone for the advice. He's thrilled about the idea of building his own PC.
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Nov 12, 2020 20:52
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spunkshui posted:This is a bit over your price range but it does comes with 3 of those expensive fans and a box that will let you light up other corsair products like additional fans. This is so tacky and wonderful and I just ordered it. Guess that kind of changes how I'm approaching this build, but eh. It's only money. I'll post a revised parts list based on this case and the lighting after I figure out what else to get.
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Nov 13, 2020 00:01
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spunkshui posted:Esit: my wife’s case is not tacky, That depends. Did she get the light up RAM? I’m irrationally excited for this thing. It’s so silly and fun looking.
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Nov 13, 2020 03:24
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Okay, final check before I click the buy button a few times. Reminder: I'm helping my 16-year-old son build his own basic gaming PC for Christmas. His main interests are Minecraft and Terraria, although I expect him to do some 3D gaming once he has his own machine. 1080p resolution. Based on the advice given here, I already bought the RGB case because, frankly, he's going to love it. Anyone see any issues? PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($118.99 @ B&H) CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler ($26.99 @ B&H) Motherboard: MSI B450 Gaming Plus MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon) Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Western Digital Blue 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon) Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB GAMING Twin Fan Video Card ($169.99 @ B&H) Case: Corsair iCUE 465X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ Amazon) Power Supply: EVGA B5 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($78.98 @ Amazon) Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N USB 2.0 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($7.99 @ Amazon) Total: $761.90 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-17 11:51 EST-0500 Edit: chose the fully modular PSU over a less-expensive partial modular so that we can do custom cabling if he wants to. I also intend to let him purchase any additional fans and lighting, etc.
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Nov 17, 2020 17:55
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change my name posted:The reviews for that wifi adapter are really bad, I would drop the CPU cooler, use the stock Wraith that comes with the Ryzen, and put that money towards something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0713RRZMB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I just grabbed the cheapest adapter without looking. I'll add that to the list. I thought the stock Ryzen cooler was really loud. Is that not the case with the 3100, or should I add that to the 'buy it yourself, kid' list?
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Nov 17, 2020 18:04
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Worst that happens is that we buy one after Christmas, right? I'll take your advice and start with the stock cooler. He can choose to upgrade if he wants.
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Nov 17, 2020 18:10
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bus hustler posted:Why not just put the $10 toward an Aorus Pro Wifi over the MSI without it? I was going to ask if this would have issues with Ryzen 3 chips, but Amazon reviews show that it's not a problem. I probably overlooked it because of RGB incompatibilities with Corsair's iCUE stuff, but I can work around it somehow, even if it just gets turned off. So, let's see... nix the tower cooler and wifi, go with a Gigabyte wifi mobo and RAM combo from Amazon... I think I'm ready to start ordering.
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Nov 17, 2020 19:44
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bus hustler posted:Ooo I forgot about that part, maybe someone else can chime in if that's really dumb I already ordered the mobo. It's not a deal breaker, and on-board wifi would definitely be more convenient. Now, of course, I'm pouring over different 1650 Super cards and will probably spend a bit more on it to get a physically large one. Not because it is of any benefit, but because I know that my son will love seeing a bigger card.
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Nov 17, 2020 20:04
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Popping back in after a few months to say that my son and I had a great time building his new PC. Thanks again for all of the advice we got. It’s running great and he’s having a blast playing on it.
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Dec 27, 2020 19:32
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Crossposting this from the SFF thread to run a check past the thread before I click purchase: PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ B&H) CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9S 46.44 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.95 @ Amazon) Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B550-I GAMING Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($228.86 @ B&H) Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($93.99 @ Amazon) Storage: Western Digital SN750 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($134.99 @ Amazon) Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB Founders Edition Video Card Case: NCASE M1 Mini ITX Tower Case Power Supply: Corsair SF 600 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg) Case Fan: Noctua A9 PWM 46.44 CFM 92 mm Fan ($16.95 @ Amazon) Case Fan: Noctua A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM 120 mm Fan Case Fan: Noctua A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM 120 mm Fan Case Fan: Noctua A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM 120 mm Fan Total: $874.72 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-02-10 10:47 EST-0500 Things to note: The 3060 TI is a placeholder for a future 3060. I tend to buy games a few years after release and play at 1080. I've already purchased the NCase M1, and while I know that you CAN fit a larger Noctua cooler in the case, it doesn't seem worth the trouble for a computer that is only on when I'm gaming. I have a 1060 that I'll use until the 3060 becomes available. I will probably undervolt both the CPU and GPU. Yes, I picked the most expensive ITX B550 board. I watched reviews for all of the available boards, and the Asus board was the only one that didn't have something that would ultimately bother me. I plan on two fans at the bottom on intake, one side intake, and rear exhaust. What I've been able to find online indicates that this should provide adequate cooling for the 3600. Anyone see something I should change and/or missed?
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Feb 10, 2021 16:56
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:Solid, except the ram at CL18. Thank you. I hadn't even considered anything about RAM outside of the 3600 speed.
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Feb 10, 2021 17:33
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