Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice on building a computer for my kids (and maybe for me too since I haven't built one in ages). I last put together a system with an Intel Pentium 4, and now that I'm back in the market, I want to make sure I get a good starter PC that caters mostly to gaming. I'm assuming a build around €800 should be able to handle games like Fortnite at over 60 FPS.
The kids have picked out a case that supports ATX/mATX/ITX, costing about €100, so I have around €700 left for the rest of the components. I'm leaning towards using an AM5 motherboard for future upgrades. For the CPU, I'm considering the R5 7500F paired with an RTX 4060, which is about €460 together here.
One concern is Wi-Fi; a lot of motherboards seem to lack it, but I'm fine with picking up an additional Wi-Fi card or dongle if needed. I'm also a bit confused about the various motherboard chipsets like B650 and A620. Another thing on my mind is whether to get a 2TB NVMe drive or if a combination of a 1TB NVMe and a 1TB 2.5" SSD would be better. I'm hesitant to buy used parts since I'm not very experienced. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
5 Answers
Some ATX/mATX boards do have PCIe slots for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth cards, so you should be alright on that front. Just make sure the motherboard you choose has the slots available for any extra components you might want in the future!
Definitely check if the motherboard mentions Wi-Fi in its specs. If it doesn’t, you can always get an additional card for Wi-Fi later. Just a heads up: B650 boards are great for future upgrades, but A620 boards may restrict you to lower-powered CPUs, so it’s something to keep in mind when planning your build.
When it comes to the kids, let them do the research and design the build themselves! It’s a fun learning experience for them and you can help them compare their choices afterward to make sure they get good deals. Just a thought!
The R5 7500F is solid! I’d suggest considering an Intel Arc B580 instead of the 4060 if prices are close. Newegg has some on sale here in the US for $310, while the 4060 is around $340. Also, a 2TB NVMe would likely be cheaper than combining it with a 1TB SATA SSD. Plus, with SSDs, you don’t have to worry about slow access times like with HDDs, so it’s perfectly fine to go for just one fast NVMe drive!
You might want to check out the RX 6700 XT prices in your area too; they could be a good alternative to the RTX 4060 if you find one for a better deal.
Totally agree with this! It'll teach them a lot about components and budgeting.