I'm putting together a first PC for someone new to PC gaming who wants to get into modding avatar-based games. Does this parts list look like a solid starter build, or are there better ways to spend the budget? I'm especially interested in avoiding unnecessary compromises while keeping the system affordable.
3 Answers
It may be worth spending about $50 more on an Intel Arc B580. The extra video memory can help with modded games and demanding textures, so it could provide better longevity than the original graphics card choice.
For a new gaming PC, I’d make sure the main storage is an SSD rather than a hard drive. It will make Windows, games, and loading screens feel much faster.
You could trim close to $100 from the build by sticking with the Ryzen 5 5500’s stock cooler, switching to a micro-ATX motherboard such as the MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi, and choosing a less expensive case. You also don’t really need a 750W power supply for these parts; a quality 550W unit should be enough. I’d put the savings toward an SSD and choose lower-latency RAM since the price difference is usually tiny.
I’ll compare those options and see how much room they create for an SSD. Thanks!
I forgot to update the list properly—I already have an NVMe drive planned as the boot drive, but I accidentally left a hard drive in the parts list.