I'm building my first PC in Indonesia and would appreciate a second opinion on this roughly $1,200 build, which is about Rp20,000,000 locally. I'll mainly use it for gaming, programming, and making 2D Unity projects for college. I already have a keyboard, mouse, headset, and speakers, so those aren't included in the budget.
I'd like to have a 1TB SSD and a 1TB hard drive, using one mainly for games and the other for coding and game-development files. The proposed parts are:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500, 6 cores, 3.6–4.2 GHz, AM4 tray version
- Motherboard: MSI A520M Pro
- SSD: CUBE GAMING PHOENIX 1TB SATA III
- HDD: Seagate 1TB SATA III
- RAM: KLEVV DDR4-3200, 16GB (2×8GB)
- GPU: Inno3D GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
- PSU: 1STPLAYER DK Premium PS-500AX, 80+ Bronze
- CPU cooler: PRIME POLAR 120T 120mm liquid cooler
- Extra fans: PCCooler EF120 ARGB, though I'm unsure whether I need one or two
- Monitor: Lenovo Legion R27s, 27-inch 1080p IPS, 144Hz, HDR10
Are there any parts I should replace for better performance, reliability, or value while staying within the budget? I'm especially unsure about the graphics card, power supply, storage brands, and whether a 120mm liquid cooler is worthwhile.
2 Answers
The build should work for gaming, programming, and basic 2D Unity development, but there are some better-value choices. The Ryzen 5 5500 is usable, though a Ryzen 5 5600 would be preferable if the price difference is reasonable. The RTX 3050 is also one of the weaker options for its price, so compare it with an RX 6600, RX 6650 XT, RTX 3060, or another similarly priced card available in Indonesia. A stronger GPU will make much better use of the 1080p 144Hz monitor.
You probably don’t need liquid cooling for either of these processors. A decent tower air cooler is simpler, cheaper, and avoids pump failure. Consider putting the savings toward a better graphics card, a reliable 650W power supply, or 32GB of RAM if your Unity projects and development tools become heavier. Also check the exact SSD model and PSU reviews rather than relying only on the advertised certification.
A 120mm all-in-one cooler is generally not a good investment here. It can cool the CPU, but small radiators often perform similarly to or worse than a good air cooler while costing more and adding a pump that can fail. If you already own it, it should be adequate for a Ryzen 5 5500 at stock settings, but I wouldn’t choose it over a quality air cooler.
Nothing immediately bad should happen as long as it is installed correctly and the pump is working. The CPU should remain within safe temperatures, but you may get more noise and little or no performance benefit compared with a cheaper air cooler. Just avoid overclocking and check the pump and CPU temperatures after installation.
What would actually happen if I kept the 120mm cooler? Would it cause problems?