I'm fairly new to building PCs and am finalizing a parts list. I'd appreciate feedback on compatibility, value, and any upgrades worth considering. The planned build is an AMD Ryzen 5 7600, Intel Arc B580, MSI B650M Gaming Plus WiFi DDR5 motherboard, Thermaltake View 170 TG Micro-ATX case, Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE cooler, 16GB of ADATA XPG Lancer Blade DDR5 memory in a 2x8GB kit, a 1TB Kingston NV3 Gen 3 NVMe SSD, and a Corsair RM650e 650W modular power supply. The estimated total is around 1,200–1,700 Canadian dollars, or approximately 860–1,200 US dollars. Is this a balanced starter build, and are there any parts I should reconsider?
2 Answers
Check whether the Ryzen 5 7500F is significantly cheaper than the 7600, since it could offer similar gaming performance for less. It may also be worth checking current alternatives for the graphics card, and using a PC parts-list tool to verify compatibility and pricing. A 16GB graphics card option was suggested, but that particular upgrade may be far beyond your Canadian budget.
Your 2x8GB memory kit is perfectly reasonable if you plan to stay at 16GB for now. If you expect to upgrade later, one 16GB stick would leave room to add another matching stick, although running memory as a matched pair is generally better. A 32GB kit would be the cleaner upgrade when prices become more comfortable.
I’m planning to stick with 16GB for now, but I can replace it with a 32GB kit later if memory prices come down.
The 7500F is worth considering, but the suggested 16GB graphics card is close to 800 Canadian dollars here, so it would push the build well over budget.