PC build recommendations?

Keep in mind that a "1600" with AF in the serial number is actually an R5 2600 click... and it’s nearly 80% cheaper than an R5 3600...

The R5 3600 would be a solid choice if your next GPU upgrade is going to be more powerful than an RTX 3080—meaning something like an RX 5700 for 1080p resolution (anything higher isn't really necessary).

If you’re actually planning on hitting that 144Hz mark, I’d definitely suggest stepping up to the Ryzen 5 3600 instead.

swiftfalcon89 said:If you're actually aiming for 144Hz, I would definitely suggest going with the Ryzen 5 1600.

That’s nonsense. You should really be looking at the Threadripper 3970X; anything else is just pointless. 🙏

The Ryzen 5 1600 is the smartest move for a budget build. It's significantly cheaper, which naturally leaves more room in the budget to pick out better surrounding components.

Furthermore, Intel still holds the edge when it comes to pure gaming performance—strictly gaming performance—but since Intel only offers the Core i3 9100 at this specific price point, Ryzen becomes the only logical path.

You’re back on that budget talk again. Look, if you’re just aiming for 60 or 75Hz, the Ryzen 5 1600 AF is honestly the smartest buy. Even an older AE chip can handle that load. But if you’re pushing for 144Hz, every single frame matters. It’s not just about that, either—the 3600 has noticeably better 1% lows compared to the 1600 AF. I think you realize that average FPS can be pretty deceptive; you really need to look at those 1% lows to see the real story. Plus, the 3xxx series has a much better memory controller. You aren't just throwing money away for nothing here. A graph showing average FPS doesn't tell the whole story; you have to look at the full picture.

click

I'll say it again: if you're planning on 144Hz gaming—which is basically becoming the standard now that 144Hz monitors are so affordable, especially those TN panels you can find starting around $150—the Ryzen 5 3600 is the way to go. Period.

https://www.techspot.com/review/1968...aming-scaling/
This doesn't really apply much to lower-end cards. $1000

lol, nobody is going to drop cash on a 144Hz monitor just to sit there staring at 48-60 FPS's like those RX 580 charts suggest. Seriously, give it a rest... That’s exactly why I brought it up. If you’re just aiming for some basic 60Hz gaming, then yeah, the Ryzen 5 1600 is plenty. But if you actually want to make use of a 144Hz setup, you need to step up to a 3600, no two ways about it, for the reasons I already laid out above.

swiftfalcon89 said:lol, nobody is going to buy a 144Hz monitor just to sit there playing at 48-60 FPS on those graphics settings with an RX 580, yet you guys keep arguing... that's why I said if you're aiming for some 60Hz gaming, then the 1600 is plenty, but for 144Hz, you really need the 3600 without even thinking about it for the reasons I mentioned above.

It looks like you've done your research and reached your own conclusion anyway, so I don't think there's much point in me continuing this argument...

Maybe they'll drop the 2600AF soon.😁

Alexander Moore67 said:It looks like you've done your homework and still landed on the same conclusion. Honestly, I don't see much point in dragging this out further...

Yeah, I can tell you aren't really reading what I'm putting down here either. At this point, there’s just no sense in arguing with you.

He’s rocking an RX 580, so he just needs a CPU that won't bottleneck him for decent 1080p gaming. I even included a link explaining why anything more powerful than a Ryzen 5 1600 is overkill for his setup, yet you keep arguing anyway.😵

If they're grabbing a 144Hz monitor for an RX 580 build, they’ll likely be sticking to games like CS:GO, League, or Fortnite on settings that won't absolutely murder the GPU. At that point, the CPU starts actually mattering.

wiredotter14 said:If they're grabbing a 144Hz monitor for an RX 580 build, they'll likely be playing stuff like CS:GO, League of Legends, or Fortnite on settings that don't totally murder the graphics, so the CPU could definitely play a role here.

He mentioned he'll be playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Battlefield V, and Red Dead Redemption 2, where he thinks the CPU won't matter at all.

Games that an RX 580 8GB can push at 144fps can be easily kept up by a Ryzen 5 1600 at that same frame rate...

People constantly overlook the GPU in this discussion. It’s not like the Ryzen 5 1600 has some arbitrary 60 fps hard cap preventing it from hitting high frames in many titles—especially when paired with a stronger GPU (where the actual ceiling would be something like a GTX 1080 or an RX 5700).

Another point people miss: you don't need a constant 144fps to actually benefit from a 144Hz monitor. You can feel the difference even at 90, 100, or 120 fps. In fact, the biggest jump in smoothness is really moving from 60 up to 90 fps.

To put it in perspective, if I were still rocking my ancient HD7850 2GB, I would definitely see the benefits of a 144Hz monitor since most of my games run above 60 fps, while something like CS:GO would fly at a million fps.

My advice to him was to dump as much money as possible into the graphics card. It's much better to take those $200 savings compared to the two processors mentioned and add them to whatever he gets from selling his RX 580 8GB; that's how you get the best gaming performance (a GTX 1070 is likely the ceiling for that budget).

I'm probably not going to pick up a new monitor (unless this one finally gives up the ghost), and honestly, since I'm getting a bit older, I've become pretty picky about what I play. I don't have much free time either, but I still look forward to things like Football Manager, Battlefield's, CoD's, and RDR2—those three seem great to me. Basically, I want a solid manager experience and decent FPS's in those specific titles. I'm not really interested in stuff like PUBG or those similar types of games. My goal is to run these at medium or maybe even slightly higher than medium settings, just so everything runs smoothly without any stuttering. That's about it. 🙂

RDR2 is already starting to absolutely murder GPUs like the RX 580. If my memory serves me right, you can't even maintain a 60 FPS average on medium settings, let alone hit a stable minimum. You could definitely benefit from a beefier GPU for this specific title—honestly, a GTX 1070 is probably the only used option worth considering. On the other hand, this game tends to run much more smoothly on AMD cards, so the RX 580 practically performs on par with the GTX 1070, even though the latter is technically a tier above. That is, unless recent driver updates or patches have shifted the landscape. So, when it comes to your GPU options for this game, you're pretty much stuck in this bracket. 😁

Everything else you listed should run just fine.

Timothy Kim60 said:Red Dead Redemption 2 is starting to really push GPUs like the RX 580 quite hard. If I recall correctly, you can't even hit an average of 60 FPS on medium settings, let alone maintain a solid minimum. A beefier GPU would definitely help with this title (I guess a GTX 1070 might be the only used option worth considering), but on the other hand, the game seems to run much better on AMD cards. It feels like the RX 580 performs almost identically to the GTX 1070, even though the latter is technically a class above. That is, unless drivers and patches have changed things recently. So, regarding your GPU options for this specific game, you might feel a bit stuck. 😁

Everything else you listed should run just fine.

Fair enough. It's not an emergency, though there might be some sales coming up, so I'll probably record a few things. I don't plan on waiting six months, but I won't be rushing out to buy anything tomorrow either. And who knows, maybe the Ryzen 5 2600AF will pop up too.🤣

1 * AMD Ryzen 5 1600 AF, 6C/12T 3.4GHz, 19MB, AM4
Password: amd-r5-1600 - $338

1 * MSI B450 mATX Motherboard (AM4, 4xDDR4, 2xPCI-Ex16, 2xPCI-Ex1, USB3.2, 4xSATA III, 2xM.2, Raid, DP, HDMI, GLAN) Retail
Password: B450M_MORTAR_MAX - $300

1 * Patriot Viper Steel, 3200Mhz, 16GB (2x8GB), CL16
Password: pat-vs416g320k-16g - $259

1 * MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER VENTUS XS OC GDDR6 6GB/192bit, 14000MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, 3xDP, HDMI, Torx 2x Cooler (Double Slot) Backplate, Retail
Password: GTX_1660_SUPER_VENTUS_XS_OC - $759

1 * CORSAIR CV Series 650W 80 Plus Bronze 120mm fan
Password: CP-9020211-EU - $211
Total: $1867
Discounted Total: $1680

Not trying to start a whole new thread since this place is already flooded. Planning this build. Gonna grab an SSD later. Picked a better motherboard just so I can swap in a Ryzen 3 xxx down the road. Anyone got thoughts on changes? Need this to crush AAA games at 1080p max settings.

Get a different power supply. For that price, the CV series is pretty mediocre—it's basically just a VS model but with an 80+ Bronze rating. Where are you even buying that?

Quote: The New Guy

Alexander Moore67 said:So, this guy has an RX 580 and is looking for a CPU just to get some decent 1080p gaming going. I actually laid out exactly why he doesn't need anything more powerful than a Ryzen 5 1600 in the link I provided, but apparently, I’m just talking to a brick wall here.😵

Look, I specifically said that IF someone is actually aiming for a 144Hz refresh rate down the road, the 3600 is definitely the way to go. But you? You just wrote the exact same thing again. It’s like a fly landing on a pile of crap—just circling the same spot over and over.

Quote: The New Guy

wiredotter14 said:If someone picks up a 144Hz monitor to pair with an RX 580 build, they’re almost certainly looking to play titles like Counter-Strike, League of Legends, or Fortnite. They'll likely be running those on settings that don't absolutely murder the graphics, which means the CPU is going to start playing a much bigger role in whether they actually hit those high refresh rates.

Look, an RX 580 isn't exactly set in stone. You aren't locked into your current setup forever; there’s always an upgrade path waiting down the road. I actually made the mistake of buying a 144Hz monitor back when I was still rocking a Core i5 6400 paired with a GTX 1060 3GB. At the time, it felt like overkill, but I eventually upgraded both components. Now, I'm sitting pretty, pulling over 100 average FPS in most games. It pays to plan ahead.

Quote: The New Guy

Alexander Moore67 said:He mentioned he’ll be playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Battlefield V, and Red Dead Redemption 2, so honestly, the CPU isn't even going to be an issue here.

Look, if you want my honest opinion, you clearly don't quite get how these things work. When it comes to Battlefield games, the CPU is easily the most critical component. Just go look at how poorly Battlefield V runs on quad-core processors when they're paired with mid-range cards like a GTX 1060 or an RX 580. Those titles are heavy on the processor. Please, just take my advice on this one. 😵

wiredotter14 said:Get a different PSU. For that price, that Corsair unit is garbage. It’s basically just an EVGA unit but with 80+ Bronze slapped on it. Where are you even buying this stuff?

Ordered it from Micro Center, but parts are already on the way. This power supply will be fine. Thanks anyway 🙂