I'm putting together a gaming PC for my brother and already have a spare Micro-ATX case. The remaining budget is around £700, excluding the monitor and peripherals, although the current parts list is closer to £750. He mainly plays esports games with friends at 1080p and is coming from Xbox, so extremely high refresh rates aren't essential, but getting well above 60 FPS would be ideal.
The current build includes an Intel Core i5-12400, 16GB of DDR4 memory, a 1TB SSD, a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE cooler, and a 650W power supply. I'm open to suggestions for improving any of those parts. The graphics card budget is roughly £250, and I'm in the UK. I'm happy to consider reputable used retailers, but I'd rather avoid marketplace listings from sellers offering no returns or buyer protection.
The main cards I'm considering are the RTX 4060 and Intel Arc B580. I'm unsure how much Intel's driver support has improved, although he mostly plays mainstream games. The RTX 4060 seems suitable, but its 8GB of VRAM is a concern. Which GPU would make the most sense, and are there any other changes I should make to the build?
2 Answers
The overall parts list looks sensible for 1080p esports gaming. You may be able to save some money by buying the DDR4 memory used from a reputable retailer, then put the difference toward a better power supply. The large dual-tower cooler also seems more substantial than necessary for the i5-12400, so a cheaper cooler could free up a little more budget. The best choice between the 4060 and B580 will depend on current UK pricing, but either should handle the intended games well.
I'd reconsider the MSI MAG A650BN if possible. It's a basic C-tier unit, so a higher-quality Gold-rated PSU with better components would be preferable, especially if the budget can stretch after saving on RAM or the cooler. The Arc B580 can be a good option when available at a reasonable price, and some owners have been very happy with it, but availability may be inconsistent. The RTX 4060 is the safer, more predictable choice for mainstream games and drivers, though the 8GB VRAM limitation is worth keeping in mind.
That makes sense. I originally chose the basic PSU when the total budget was only about £500, but saving money on the memory should leave enough room for a better unit. Thanks for the advice.