I'm in France and want to build a gaming PC with new parts, preferably from Amazon. My budget is €600, but my current list comes to about €702. Where can I cut roughly €100 without making it a bad gaming PC?
The list has a Ryzen 5 5500, B550M motherboard, RTX 3050 8GB, one 8GB DDR4 stick, a 512GB SATA SSD, a 550W power supply and a €70 case.
Start with the graphics card. At €256, that RTX 3050 takes up a huge chunk of the budget for what it offers. Prices can change, so check the current price and compare it with other new cards available in France before committing.
A cheaper case around €40 could save another €30. Check that it fits the motherboard and graphics card, and see whether it includes fans. Those two changes give you the best shot at a meaningful reduction without cutting the power supply or storage blindly.
An A520 motherboard is worth looking at if it has the ports and features you need. The Ryzen 5 5500 supports PCIe 3.0, so paying extra for a B550 board's PCIe 4.0 capability won't get you that feature with this CPU.
Check the board's CPU support and BIOS requirements before ordering. Also make sure the case fits the board size. This might save some money, though it probably won't cover the whole €100 on its own.
I'd be wary of treating that single 8GB RAM stick as a comfortable long-term gaming setup. Some games need more memory, and one stick also means single-channel operation. Look for an affordable 16GB kit with two sticks if the budget allows.
That may make the target harder to reach, not easier. You could start with 8GB and add a compatible stick later, but check the motherboard's memory slots and prices before banking on an upgrade.
Amazon-only might be the constraint that makes €600 tough. Compare new parts at other retailers that deliver to France, including shipping and return terms. The listed €69 for a 512GB SATA SSD is also worth comparing against other new drives, including compatible NVMe options.
Don't assume a cheaper power supply is a good saving just because it has the same wattage. Check the exact model and its suitability for the build before swapping it.
If the new-parts prices don't add up, it's reasonable to pause and reconsider the target rather than force cuts everywhere. This is already a low-cost build, and €100 is a substantial reduction. Used parts could lower the price, but they're not required if you're uncomfortable with the risk.
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b520~wheelstop_6:
I'd compare the total delivered price too. A cheaper card from another shop isn't much help if shipping wipes out the saving.