Hey everyone! My wife and I are super excited to finally build our own PC with a budget of $1500 (which feels like a lot for us!). We've gotten some great advice from others and have compiled a list of parts. Now, I just want to make sure everything looks good before I start making purchases. We're mainly going to use it for offline single-player games at 1440p. Here's a quick link to the list I've created: [PCPartPicker List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XWPPGJ).
I have a couple of specific questions:
1. What's the deal with these two motherboards? Is the cheaper ASRock B650M worth it or should I avoid it?
- [ASRock B650M Cheaper](https://www.newegg.com/asrock-b650m-pro-rs-micro-atx-amd-b650-am5/p/N82E16813162130R?Item=N82E16813162130R)
- [ASRock B650M](https://www.newegg.com/asrock-b650m-pro-rs-wifi-micro-atx-amd-b650-am5/p/N82E16813162131?Item=N82E16813162131&_gl=1*ohtr2s*_gcl_au*NTc5MjYzNDA3LjE3NDYyODg4NDM.*_ga*MTcxOTYyMTI5NS4xNzQ2MjEzNjEy)
2. Can someone confirm if these items match the parts on my list?
- [RTX 5070](https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-windforce-gv-n5070wf3-12gd-nvidia-geforce-rtx-5070-12gb-gddr7/p/N82E16814932782?Item=N82E16814932782&_gl=1*13gfjdu*_gcl_au*NTc5MjYzNDA3LjE3NDYyODg4NDM.*_ga*MTcxOTYyMTI5NS4xNzQ2MjEzNjEy)
- [Ryzen 5 9600x](https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-5-9600x-ryzen-5-9000-series-granite-ridge-socket-am5-processor/p/N82E16819113844?Item=N82E16819113844&_gl=1*1h6fy12*_gcl_au*NTc5MjYzNDA3LjE3NDYyODg4NDM.*_ga*MTcxOTYyMTI5NS4xNzQ2MjEzNjEy)
- [32GB DDR5 RAM](https://www.newegg.com/team-32gb-ddr5-6000/p/N82E16820331846?Item=N82E16820331846&_gl=1*s6idim*_gcl_au*NTc5MjYzNDA3LjE3NDYyODg4NDM.*_ga*MTcxOTYyMTI5NS4xNzQ2MjEzNjEy)
- [2TB SSD](https://www.newegg.com/kingspec-2tb-xg-7000-series/p/0D9-000D-00172?Item=9SIB1V8JVN5929&_gl=1*s6idim*_gcl_au*NTc5MjYzNDA3LjE3NDYyODg4NDM.*_ga*MTcxOTYyMTI5NS4xNzQ2MjEzNjEy)
- [850W Power Supply](https://www.newegg.com/p/1HU-021H-00025?Item=9SIBGX1KFB0729&_gl=1*1lwcpef*_gcl_au*NTc5MjYzNDA3LjE3NDYyODg4NDM.*_ga*MTcxOTYyMTI5NS4xNzQ2MjEzNjEy)
The cooler and case I plan to purchase are the Thermalright Assassin King SE ARGB and the Montech AIR 100 ARGB MicroATX case. I'd really appreciate any input or confirmation before I hit that buy button!
3 Answers
I'd steer clear of the cheaper ASRock B650M board since it’s open box and non-returnable. I've heard some pretty bad stories about that, and if you run into issues, you’re stuck with it. Definitely go for the pricier version instead!
To clarify, the cheaper ASRock motherboard is open box, meaning it might be damaged and you won’t be able to return it if it is. It’s best to avoid that route and maybe look into the GIGABYTE B650M GAMING PLUS WIFI, which has great reviews and is a decent price if you need WiFi support!
As for your RAM question, the two links you've got show different specifications. The second one is likely cheaper because it has lower speed but may still work for your needs. If you're focused on gaming, aim for higher speeds if possible, but for casual play, you should be fine with either as long as they’re compatible.
Thank you! I really can't afford any issues with my first build.