I'm building a first PC for my 13-year-old cousin, who is coming from a PS4 and mainly wants to play Fortnite, Valorant, and some single-player games. I'm considering two options: an AM5 build with a Ryzen 5 8600G, 16GB of DDR5-5200 memory, and a B650 motherboard for roughly $370 total, or an AM4 build with a Ryzen 5 5600X, 16GB of DDR4, an A520 motherboard, and a used RX 580 for around $340. The AM5 system would use integrated graphics initially and leave room for a future CPU upgrade, while the AM4 system would provide a dedicated GPU immediately but have a more limited upgrade path. The eventual GPU would probably be around RX 6600 or RTX 4060 performance rather than a high-end card. Is the extra cost for the AM5 build worthwhile, or would the AM4 system offer better gaming performance for the money?
3 Answers
For gaming, the graphics card matters much more than the platform. The 8600G gives you a modern upgrade path, but its integrated graphics will be significantly weaker than even a decent budget dedicated GPU. If the goal is to play games right away, the 5600X with the RX 580 is likely the better experience, assuming the card is in good condition. You can replace the GPU later, and a 5600X will still handle cards around RX 6600 or RTX 4060 level reasonably well.
The integrated graphics route makes sense only if he can tolerate lower settings and you’re certain a dedicated GPU is coming soon. Fortnite and Valorant should be playable with the 8600G, but use two matching memory modules because integrated graphics depends heavily on memory bandwidth. If you can find a used B650 board cheaply, a Ryzen 5 7500F or 7600 paired with a used RX 6600 would be a much stronger setup, though that may exceed the $450 budget.
A 7500F or 7600 requires buying a graphics card immediately, so it goes beyond the budget here. The 8600G is being considered specifically to get the system running before saving for a GPU.
I’d choose the AM4 build if the prices stay that close. The RX 580 will give him actual gaming performance now, while the 8600G build spends extra money on future upgrade potential that may never be used. Just make sure the RX 580 is tested, since many used cards have had years of heavy use. If possible, look for a used RX 6600 instead; it would be a much better long-term choice and still pair well with the 5600X.
That’s what I was wondering. I wanted the newer platform mainly so he wouldn’t start on something already considered outdated, but I doubt he’ll ever be using a high-end GPU.