Budget gaming PC build: $750 - $900 range

Nah, you don't need it. Smartik absolutely nailed this build for $1700. I only mentioned that in case you were itching to blow through the full $2000 you said was your limit. Honestly, an R5 3600 is maybe 25% better than an R5 1600, but you'd be paying double for it.
I noticed you mentioned a gtx 1660, so just a heads-up: make sure it ends in an "S" or a "Ti." You want a 1660super or a 1660ti—don't accidentally grab the base model and regret it later.

If you aren't in a massive rush to pull the trigger on a new rig in two weeks, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner. You might get lucky and snag a component at a discount, though even with that, what you've got here is a killer deal for this setup.

I was actually thinking about the gtx 1660 super, the one Smartik posted. I think I'll stick with the R5 1600 for now just to save some cash. 😁In a few years, I can always upgrade if I need to.
Oh, good call on reminding me. I'm in no rush, so maybe I'll wait for a sale—though I don't want to miss out on parts, like how those graphics cards vanished from Newegg yesterday.

Anyway, thanks so much for all the help, both you and everyone else here. 👍
I am seriously stoked for this new build. For the last five years, I've basically been stuck playing nothing but League. 🤣

If you’re looking to build a full rig from a single retailer, there’s really no reason to hold out for Black Friday. Most of those deep discounts target individual components rather than whole systems, and you'll usually find much better deals on sites like Amazon.

So, I'm heading over to Best Buy to start picking out my new PC. 😁 thanks 👍

Last question, I promise. 😁
I just ordered my PC, but then it hit me—what if instead of getting both an SSD and an HDD, I just shell out a bit more for a single 1TB SSD? Is it actually worth dropping an extra $500-$200 on the SSD? Would I notice a massive difference in game loading times and everything else?

A 480GB SSD is plenty of room for your OS, all your apps, and your games. It’s not like you’re gonna have ten massive titles running at once, right? If you're actually worried about running out of space, just grab $183 a 3TB HDD instead and call it a day.

Yeah, it would be a lot faster, but the real question is how much you actually care about that.

Micro Center is going to be running some sales on their in-stock components, maybe somewhere in the 10-30% range, so I guess if you're looking to save a few bucks, there might actually be an opportunity there if you play it right.

I picked this up last year—back in December, actually—and man, what a game changer. I ditched the old mechanical drive entirely and just went with an SSD... honestly, $667 it was quite the investment, but you can't beat having a 2TB SSD...🙂

Greetings,
I am looking to put together a gaming PC build with a budget of roughly $6,000. I’ll also need to factor in a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. My kid laid eyes on this computer, but since I am under the impression that those pre-built machines are rarely the most efficient way to spend one's money, I thought it might be wiser to hand-pick the components. Ideally, I would love to select a case that features some sort of lighting effects 🙂

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 BOX
Asrock B450M-PRO4
DDR4 16GB (2x8) G.Skill 3000MHz AEGIS C16
Crucial 480GB BX500 SSD, SATA3.
Gigabyte GTX1650 SUPER Windforce OC 4GB, WF2, GDDR5
EVGA 550 W
Sharkoon T3-W Midi Tower Black
Sharkoon Shark Zone GK15 keyboard and mouse combo, featuring LED lighting, USB, black.
Acer Nitro VG240Ybmiix 23.8" IPS, 1920x1080@75Hz

Total: $1987 adm.hr

It looks like they don't have that EVGA 550 W + Corsair T3 in stock... Instead, they're offering the EVGA 550 W... Is there any meaningful difference between the two, or am I just splitting hairs?

Honestly, stay far away from Microsoft. They’ve become total amateurs when it comes to handling warranty claims—just some local budget shop at this point:

1 * General Electric 23.8" 246E9QJAB IPS, VGA, HDMI, DP
password: phi-246e9qjab - $366

1 * KM-RX9 Keyboard + Mouse combo, LED lighting, US Layout, black, password
password: 150.300.167 - $74

1 * AMD Ryzen 5 6C/12T 1600 Desktop CPU (3.2/3.6GHz Boost, 19MB, 65W, AM4) box, includes Wraith Stealth cooler
password: YD1600BBAFBOX - $296

1 * GIGABYTE B350M GA-AB350M-DS3H Motherboard (S.AM4, 4xDDR4, RAID) mATX
password: GA-AB350M-DS3H - $185

1 * Crucial 16GB Kit (2x8GB) DDR4 3000 MT/s (PC4-24000) CL15 RED
password: BLS2K8G4D30AESEK- - $233

1 * COLORFUL iGAME GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER Ultra OC Graphics Card, 4GB GDDR6
password: 051.800.607- - $555

1 * GIGABYTE 480GB SSD, SATA III, 3D NAND TLC, 550MBs/480MBs
password: GP-GSTFS314480GNTD - $192

1 * GIGABYTE B700H 700W Power Supply, Modular, 80+ Bronze, Japanese capacitors, 120mm smart control fan, US plug
password: GP-B700H - $167

1 * NaviaTec Gaming Case with 4x LED Color Fans, 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0
password: NVT-VORTEX - $126

1 * LC-Power LC-CC-120 Cooler, compatible with Intel/AMD + AM4
password: lcp-hlad-lc-cc-120 - $67

Total on installments: $2260 (-2%=$2.25)
Cash price with discount: $2034 (-2%=$2.00)
Free assembly and shipping

Example build done at Micro Center
You get a 2% discount just for being a forum member; just mention it in the notes and include your username

Another Gigabyte power supply😵
I'm not saying they don't make decent units, but I can't find a single review for this one!!!
Tier C+ - Recommended for entry-level desktops, low-profile HTPCs, or office PCs.

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic...-tier-list-40/

The Riotoro ENIGMA G2 650W 80 GOLD power supply is basically a starship for my Gigabyte build.

Found a review in Russian—it's actually pretty well done: https://translate.google.com/transla...h%2F%3Fs%3Dall

Adam Moore3 said:There's a review out in Russian that's actually pretty well done: https://translate.google.com/transla...h%2F%3Fs%3Dall

Then he should just set it to... $1667 Looking at reviews for basic office power supplies, you can tell a lot about how much major players like Linus Tech Tips actually value this kind of hardware.

If you actually knew how to read a PSU review and interpret what it’s telling you, you’d be able to conclude from this one (even if it is in Russian) that the unit is perfectly fine—honestly, it's better than that Corsair VSa many people tend to cram into much more expensive builds.
While there are definitely better options in this category (though finding modular ones is tough), saying it's "terrible" based on the blind advice you're trying to hand out is just as wrong. 🙂

Alexander Moore67 said:Not again with the Gigabyte power supplies.😵
I'm not saying their power supplies aren't decent, but seriously—there isn't a single review for this thing out there!
If you're just putting together an entry-level desktop, a low-profile HTPC, or a standard office machine, you really don't need to overspend. For those setups, Tier C+ is my go-to recommendation. It gets the job done without all the unnecessary bells and whistles.

I’ve been looking over this tier list, and honestly, some of these rankings feel a bit off to me. I get that everyone has their own preferences when it comes to hardware, but there are a few spots here that really caught my eye. Take the power supplies, for instance. Seeing certain brands sitting in the lower tiers while others get a free pass is interesting. I remember back when I was building my first rig in my dorm room—I didn't have much of a budget, so I grabbed whatever was on sale at Best Buy. It ended up being a disaster; the thing hummed like a jet engine and nearly fried my motherboard. Now, I’m much more meticulous. If I’m picking a unit, I’m looking for reliability first, regardless of what the flashy marketing says. Regarding the SSDs, I think the distinction between the top-tier performers and the mid-range stuff is a little blurred here. For most everyday tasks or even moderate gaming, you aren't going to notice a massive difference between a high-end Samsung drive and a solid mid-tier option from Western Digital. But if you're doing heavy video editing or working with massive datasets, yeah, you want that top-tier speed. I also noticed the comments regarding the cooling solutions. A lot of people seem obsessed with liquid cooling, but in my experience, a well-designed air cooler from a brand like Noctua can be just as effective and way easier to maintain. I once spent an entire weekend troubleshooting a leak in a cheap AIO setup, only to realize a standard beefy air cooler would have solved my thermal issues without the headache. It's a decent starting point for a discussion, but I wouldn't treat this as gospel. Hardware evolves too fast for any single list to stay perfectly accurate for long. What do you guys think? Are we being too hard on the budget options, or is the premium gear actually worth the extra cash?

Look, forget all that talk about tier lists. Honestly, that password you’re mentioning—the one from the Riotoro enigma G2—was sitting right at Tier 5 until very recently. Then, almost out of nowhere, it jumped straight to Tier 1 the second they realized what kind of platform was actually running inside.

Adam Moore3 said:If you actually took the time to read a PSU review and process what it’s saying, you'd see from this one (even if it's from a Russian site) that the unit is perfectly fine. It's honestly better than some of those Corsair VSa units people keep shoving into mid-range builds.
Sure, there are better options in this price bracket—though finding a modular one isn't easy—but calling it "terrible" based on nothing but blind assumptions while trying to pass off "advice" just isn't right. 🙂

I know for a fact this power supply can handle power-hungry cards like an RX 590 or a Vega 56, so it'll have zero issues with a low-draw GTX 1650 Super.