Need help with a gaming build!

I'm looking for some honest feedback and a bit of help regarding a PC build I'm planning to pull the trigger on. I’m totally open to suggestions—if something looks like a mistake or a waste of money, just say so. Everything except the GPU will be paid for in cash upfront.

Here’s the list I put together based on the pricing over at Micro Center:

MSI B450M gaming plus, AM4, DDR4, U3, m.2, mATX $229
AMD Ryzen 5 1600, 6C/12T 3,4GHz, 19MB, AM4 $449
Patriot Viper4, 3000Mhz, 8GB (2x4GB), CL16 $173
Hyper 500 w $142
Kingston SSD UV500, R520/W500,240GB, 7mm, 2.5" $130
Fractal Focus G, black with window, no PSU included $148
LG DVD±RW 24x GH24NSD1 SATA black bulk $37

The total comes out to $1270

My main question is: what GPU should I pair with this? I'm torn between an Nvidia GTX1060 6GB and an RX580 8GB. Given that the price difference is basically negligible on the sites I've been checking, which one is actually the smarter buy?
Just to be clear—I have zero intention of overclocking this thing or messing around with settings. I just want it to work.

Thanks in advance for the help and any advice you can throw my way!

Maybe just opt for the RX 580 8GB if you want to pay $133 a bit extra (specifically the XFX version):

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Processor (6C/12T, 3.9GHz, 19MB, 65W, AM4)
1 x GIGABYTE GA-AB350M-DS3H Motherboard (S.AM4, 4xDDR4,
1 x SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon PULSE RX 580 4GB GDDR5
1 x Fortron Hexa 85+ 550W Power Supply, 80+ Bronze,
1 x Transcend 16GB (2x8GB) JetRAM DDR4 Memory
1 x Sharkoon M25-V Midi Tower ATX Case, without
1 x CRUCIAL MX500 500GB SSD

Total: $1904 ... Future-IT

Man, what crimsonstag84 put together is spot on. 👍👍

If you aren't looking to mess around, you should probably aim for 16GB of RAM like crimsonstag84 suggested along with an 8GB card. Just to be safe. Some games are already starting to demand more than 4GB of VRAM—basically more than 8GB of DDR4.

It’s not a massive issue at 1080p right now, but if you ever think about bumping up the resolution, you definitely want that 8GB card.

Personally? I’d grab 8GB of RAM and the 8GB version of the RX580. Adding another 8GB later is a total breeze—just pop the case open and click it into the motherboard. But hey, do whatever works for you.

P.S.
Looks like the future has the Ryzen 5 2600 that crimsonstag84 mentioned for about $450. It's priced the same as the 1600, so that's a killer deal.

P.S.2.

@crimsonstag84 I don't see that XFX version for +$133. Honestly, the cleanest 8GB option is the ASRock for $736.

For $790, they're offering the RX590 nitro which comes bundled with 3 games.

The Sapphire nitro is a better build than the ASRock, and the RX590 is roughly 5-10% faster than the RX580.
Given the price gap, it's mostly worth it, not even counting the free games.

If you can wait a month or two, the Nvidia GTX1160 (or GTX1660, depending on what they end up naming it) should drop around 2500-$900. It’ll be noticeably faster. If you aren't in a rush and the budget allows, that would be the smarter move—even if you go with 2x4GB RAM then.

George, you might need an eye exam 😬

RX 580 8GB:

The RX 590 nitro+ is actually $30 cheaper here:

Could someone break down the actual difference between the Ryzen 5 1600 and the 2600 for me? I’ll be the first to admit I’m not exactly a tech wizard—I’ve basically let my hardware knowledge rust away over the last few years. To give you an idea of just how out of the loop I am, the last time I actually built a PC was back in 2007, rocking a Socket 775 build with a Q6600 processor—so yeah, I’m pretty much a dinosaur in this field 😬. The setup I listed above is just based on some stuff I cobbled together from YouTube trends and whatever seems current right now
.

@crimsonstag84

Tried searching on the forum using "RX580" without a space. Turns out people list different models both ways.

If that's the case, I'd value the RX590 about $67 more than the RX580. It's roughly 5% faster on average, and the Sapphire nitro is a solid card.
Also, whether those specific games are worth it to the OP is just down to personal preference.

The 2600 is the newer generation, but honestly, it's very similar to the 1600.
It uses a "12nm" process instead of "14nm," but those are minor differences.

The 2600 has slightly higher clocks (3.4/3.9GHz vs 3.2/3.6GHz), better memory support, and a slightly better performance percentage per MHz compared to the 1600. Everything else is basically identical. Both are 6-core/12-thread processors.
Let's say it's maybe 5% better in gaming due to those specs, maybe a bit more. Generally, the 2000 series performs better at stock clocks, so if you aren't overclocking, it's the better move.

The differences aren't massive, but if the price is the same, it's definitely worth it. This is an excellent deal for $450 on the site.

So, you're saying the Ryzen 5 2600 is the better bet for the future? And I'm assuming if I'm sticking with a Ryzen CPU, I should probably go with a Radeon card—is it true they don't play as nice with Nvidia graphics?

I realized I never actually got back to you regarding my last post—I'm planning on pulling the trigger on this build after the 15th, since that's when my paycheck actually hits the bank.

Basically, you go for the 1600 if the price is significantly lower than the 2600. There used to be a $400 gap $167 between them, but lately, the 2600 has dropped in price while the 1600 is slowly getting phased out.

Both are solid chips. A 6-core/12-thread processor was considered high-end just a few years ago, but now you can pick one up for what used to be the price of an old 4-core/4-thread i5.

Look, for the long haul, it doesn't make much of a difference; those CPUs are basically twins. You're looking at maybe a 4-8% performance gap, so there's zero reason to pay extra for a 1600.

As for GPUs, you can pair Nvidia with Ryzen without any issues. They play nice together just fine.

There were some hints that certain Radeon cards might perform slightly better on Ryzen than on Intel, but otherwise, sticking with Ryzen plus either Nvidia or AMD Radeon makes no real difference.

An Nvidia GTX1660 isn't dropping in two weeks, but it should show up in a month or two. It’ll definitely outclass the GTX1060, RX580, or RX590, though it will cost more. Bottom line: if you don't mind waiting and it fits your budget, it should be worth it—assuming we're talking somewhere around 2500-$900.

I’d probably grab the GPU on an installment plan and then just pay cash for the rest of the build—so honestly, that RX590 deal mentioned above that comes bundled with three games looks pretty solid to me. 🙂
I did have a quick question regarding the RAM that Smartic picked out, though; I noticed it’s clocked at 2666MHz. I’ve read a few times that Ryzen chips really thrive when you feed them faster RAM, so is it worth my while to go with an 8GB (2x4) kit of something faster, or is this specific kit he put together actually fine?

P.S. That RAM seems suspiciously cheap to me, which is why I'm asking.

By the way, you can now pair newer Nvidia cards with FreeSync monitors—that tech used to stop screen tearing and stuttering.

If you're shopping for a new monitor, FreeSync is a solid bet. It doesn't really bump up the price much, and it means you aren't locked into one brand anymore; you can grab either Nvidia or AMD without any hassle.

It used to be that Nvidia only played nice with their own G-Sync tech, which meant you had to shell out a lot more for those specific G-Sync monitors.

jadebadger7 said:I’d probably grab the GPU on an installment plan and then just pay cash for the rest of the build—so honestly, that RX590 deal mentioned above that comes bundled with three games looks pretty solid to me. 🙂
I did have a quick question regarding the RAM that Smartic picked out, though; I noticed it’s clocked at 2666MHz. I’ve read a few times that Ryzen chips really thrive when you feed them faster RAM, so is it worth my while to go with an 8GB (2x4) kit of something faster, or is this specific kit he put together actually fine?

P.S. That RAM seems suspiciously cheap to me, which is why I'm asking.

Look, Ryzen likes fast RAM, but in actual gaming, it doesn't matter that much. Differences are tiny, if they exist at all.
He probably suggested cheaper 16GB RAM because you said you don't want to mess with the PC; it's a "set it and forget it" move. You won't have to worry about upgrades, and the budget stays intact with 16GB.
Don't sweat the quality; it'll run at that frequency just fine.

As for the graphics card, sure, you can buy it separately. But keep in mind: if you buy a "complete" build, the shop usually puts it together for free. If you buy the GPU solo, they might charge you for the labor.
You could probably negotiate with them—pay for the GPU on a credit card and the rest in cash, then ask them to treat it as one single order so they'll assemble the whole thing for you. (Just double-check with the store first so there's no misunderstanding).

Finally seeing the price on that RAM. $267 At 2x8GB, it’s a solid deal and you're basically futureproofing with 16GB.

It’s just a "basic" RAM model, but twice the capacity is still twice the capacity. 😁

wiredotter14 said:Look, Ryzen likes fast RAM, but in actual gaming, it doesn't matter that much. Differences are tiny, if they exist at all.
He probably suggested cheaper 16GB RAM because you said you don't want to mess with the PC; it's a "set it and forget it" move. You won't have to worry about upgrades, and the budget stays intact with 16GB.
Don't sweat the quality; it'll run at that frequency just fine.

As for the graphics card, sure, you can buy it separately. But keep in mind: if you buy a "complete" build, the shop usually puts it together for free. If you buy the GPU solo, they might charge you for the labor.
You could probably negotiate with them—pay for the GPU on a credit card and the rest in cash, then ask them to treat it as one single order so they'll assemble the whole thing for you. (Just double-check with the store first so there's no misunderstanding).

Look, I can build one myself; I'm no newbie. I used to put rigs together all the time back in the day, though I’ve basically missed out on everything over the last few years because life just got in the way—work, personal chaos, the usual—so I haven't had the time or the cash to focus on gaming or keeping up with new tech. When I tell you I haven't even had a chance to play industry staples like Skyrim yet, you know exactly where my head is at. It's time to make up for lost time.

The very first PC I ever built was way back in 2004—it had a Pentium 4, 512 MB of RAM, and a Radeon 9600 Pro—so yeah, it's been a long time since my early building days. 😁

Everything's just easier now. It isn't even more complicated. Especially with the BIOS—you can tweak memory and CPU clocks in a couple of clicks. Back when I was running a Q6600, it was a total mess. My first real rig had an E8400. Before that, I was stuck with Celerons and a Pentium 4 1.8.
Nowadays I'm on an i7 920 (a 2009 build I've upgraded over the years), and honestly, what I'm looking forward to most with my next upgrade is how simple it'll be.

Most things are automated these days. The Ryzen 2000 series fixed a lot of the headaches from the 1000 series, like memory compatibility and stuff.

So with something like a Ryzen 2600, you basically leave the memory at stock settings; you just have to pick the right speed if the BIOS defaults to the bare minimum (2133MHz).

Regarding free assembly, personally, I’d rather build it myself, even if it means hunting parts from different stores. But Micro Center has decent prices on pretty much everything, so if they'll put it together for free, why not?

@jadebadger7

Go with the Special Edition of Skyrim—it’s much more polished and modern compared to the old version.

Regarding the GPU, I’d personally grab that RX 580 8GB and pocket $133 the difference. Honestly, you could even go with $267 if you opt for the 4GB model; for catching up on older titles, 4GB isn't going to hold you back at 1080p.

I think I’m actually going to pull the trigger on this. Honestly, I don't really care about playing on ultra settings—and based on the YouTube benchmarks, even if there's a bit of a discrepancy, the visual jump isn't massive enough to justify dropping the extra cash for the 590.