I'm putting together my first gaming PC in the UK with a budget of about £1,000. I'd like to keep a white theme to match my white-and-pink room and desk. The parts I'm considering are a Montech Air 100 Lite case (£40), Ryzen 5 5600 (£122), MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi motherboard (£90), MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ventus 2X OC White (£340), 1TB SanDisk Optimus 5100 NVMe SSD (£170), 32GB Yongxinsheng DDR4 (£166), Montech AX 120mm PWM fans for the top of the case (£38.50), and a Mars Gaming MPIII650 650W power supply (£50). I already have thermal paste. The listed prices add up to roughly £1,016.50, so I'd appreciate advice on compatibility, value, reliable alternatives, and anything I may have forgotten.
3 Answers
The motherboard already has built-in Wi-Fi, so you don’t need a separate adapter. The parts should generally be compatible, but I’d be cautious about the RAM, SSD, and power supply. Those prices look high for a 32GB DDR4 kit and a 1TB NVMe drive, while the Mars Gaming PSU is not something I’d choose for a new build. Look for memory from Corsair, Kingston, Crucial, G.Skill, or TeamGroup, and choose a reputable PSU model from be quiet!, Corsair, Seasonic, MSI, or Cooler Master. Also double-check that the graphics card is actually the RTX 5060 model you intend to buy, since some older recommendations refer to much weaker or outdated cards.
The extra fans are optional rather than essential. The Air 100 Lite already has airflow, so make sure the included fans are installed properly before buying more. If you do add top fans, use them as exhaust, while the front fans bring cool air in. The Ryzen 5 5600 commonly includes a basic cooler, but check whether your specific listing includes it; otherwise you’ll need a CPU cooler as well.
For gaming, the Ryzen 5 5600 is still a reasonable budget processor, especially with a B550 board, but your money could be allocated better. The SSD and RAM prices leave little room in the budget, so compare current UK prices carefully. A 32GB DDR4-3200 or DDR4-3600 kit from a reputable manufacturer should usually cost far less than £166, and a decent 1TB NVMe SSD should also be considerably cheaper. Use the savings toward the graphics card or a higher-quality PSU.
Thanks! I didn’t realize the motherboard already included Wi-Fi, and I’ll replace the RAM and power supply with better-known brands.