I'm putting together a desktop for a friend with a maximum budget of about $1,000. Peripherals aren't needed. The main use will be light-to-medium gaming rather than demanding enthusiast-level titles, and Linux will probably be installed, so sticking with AMD is important. I already have a parts list started, but I'd like to leave some flexibility in case RAM prices change. Are there any parts that should be upgraded, replaced, or balanced differently?
2 Answers
With a $1,000 budget, it may be worth considering an AM5 system rather than investing in the older AM4 platform. Even if you start with a single 16GB memory stick, adding another module later would give you more capacity and dual-channel performance. For the graphics card, a used RX 6750 XT or RTX 3080 could offer considerably more performance than an RX 7600, although you should check condition and power requirements carefully. If buying new, a card with more VRAM would also be a sensible choice for longer-term use.
You can save some money on the case and power supply, then put the difference toward a Ryzen 5 5600 instead of the Ryzen 5 5500. The 5500 is noticeably weaker because it has less cache and is closer to a laptop-oriented design. A 5600 would be a better match for gaming while still keeping the build comfortably under budget.
Thanks so much! That sounds like a worthwhile CPU upgrade while keeping some room in the budget.
This list appears to be missing a motherboard, so the total would be higher than shown once a compatible board is added.