Create AdviceTime to enhance – find your most affordable path to Windows 11 along with a CPU improvement.
Create AdviceTime to enhance – find your most affordable path to Windows 11 along with a CPU improvement.
Prices have changed since I made this in June:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor
(£129.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Burst Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
(£21.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Motherboard:
ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX AM4 Motherboard
(£103.65 @ Amazon UK)
Memory:
Kingston FURY Beast 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
(£129.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Power Supply:
be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
(£112.10 @ NeoComputers)
Total:
£484.24
Prices cover shipping, taxes, and any available discounts
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-10-29 22:58 GMT+0000
Add a technical city CPU benchmark
The selection isn’t just a test. I noticed the xt dropped to £95 on Amazon the day after purchase. That’s barely a change, but I ended up with something similar—about ±1% for around £370. My reasoning behind the choices:
phantom gaming 4 – higher in the motherboard tier
tier list – better audio, more stable VRMs (8 phase not as strong as 10+2 Msi MPG Gaming Plus), but that shouldn’t be an issue. I’m okay with it. Could try 4000MHz memory and downclock to 3800MHz for stability, or run at 3600/1800 infinity clock.
be quiet! psu overkill, but the price is very close to the £95 Pure Power 650mW – worth going up to 850W for peace of mind in tier A. It gives flexibility for future GPU upgrades. Unless you’re getting a 40 or 5090, a 1k/1.2k unit might be wise.
Choosing the market has led me to a nzxt c850 for £99 during a random week (shipped in cardboard packaging). Someone dropped it, they probably wanted to remove it.
Memory – can’t guarantee, but should be easy to boost to 3600MHz without extra voltage. I have KFB and adjust one BIOS setting easily. Tighten timings and see if you can run it without issues. Otherwise, 3200MHz CLK or 3600/1800 infinity clock is fine. My original price [redacted] and {classified}.
Staking the memory market has been tricky – start with the motherboard, pick a part number, and check sales one by one.
Cooler – just a bit of a hassle to install, maybe prefer another be quiet! fan or two instead of the default (annoying noise is a pain) but the base is solid, CPU sits nicely on it, peak temps around 55°C, PBO should handle it well. Two clips for fan push/pull if you want. Mobo VMR temps on startup are about 35°C – it feels like a quiet country villa.
If you’re after a 5800x, 5900, or 5950, consider a more robust board – prices are rising. Unless prices drop again, you’re betting between £500 and your next paycheck.
I also use this PC for voice-over work and would really like to keep it as quiet as possible. Even though my booth is on the other side of the room and the system is quite quiet overall, the mic still captures it! 😄 The software does a good job removing background noise, but being quieter is ideal for voice-over projects.
Regarding the PSU, should I consider replacing it because it's old or is 650 enough nowadays? Honestly, the less I can change right now, the better.
And with Black Friday approaching, timing might not be the best.
... and at £500 there's a zen 4/am5 build knocking around that price point which renders a zen 3/am4 build moot.
That will sideskip the memory heebie jeebies on zen3/am4. Zen 4/5/Am5 is ddr5 and more uh I suppose 'mature' and should be less flaky and dubious for stable operation than the 'economy' end of zen3/am4/ddr 4.
Besides there isn't a lot of time since stocks won't last forever. I practically panic buyed in June 'cos I was convinced stocks were gonna be gone soon just lucky that was a moment that prices weren't mountainous.
and it was very hypothetical that there might be a 'downswing' moment. There is a 'downswing' on last gen amd fx components.
Seeing some of those cpus 2nd second hand for £6 which happens now simply because nobody wants them - inefficient pwr consumption means nobody wants them maybe even on linux and lack of horsepower won't even meet the min requirement of new games, hence some 15 years after launch when they are practically good for nothing, also practically zero.
Unless they're keeping appearances, and even fleecing the bottom of the barrel market an a £6 good for nothing cpu doesn't work either. What you expect? I can imagine the riposte.
While a fairly desirable gpu like a 1660 ti super which is 25% boost on a 1060 workhorse (now obsolete on the driver side too) commands £100 even 6 years after launch second hand w/o warranty.
That will get you closer to some min or rec specs even now which could sometimes make or break the viability of a game.
Concerning Windows, even if your current Windows 10 is an OEM product, changing your license to a digital version linked to a Microsoft account lets you legally activate that Windows 10 on another device (provided you never use the original PC). Although digital licenses are meant for replacing hardware like the motherboard or CPU on the existing system, there are no known legal barriers preventing activation on a completely new build. You can then proceed to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11.
Here are some online stores where you can purchase a completely new PC without needing a custom build.
You could improve your selection process and stay more relaxed. This route only creates unnecessary junk PSPU and 'last generation' CPUs. You rarely get a chance to test components with a faulty PSU that might damage them.
It's tough to replicate June's prices on the Am4 right now.
That's why I did it in June. Following an instinctive Meerkat approach. Skip the fake tax. Build the parts yourself. Completed.
Otherwise, the components disappear from stock: everyone upgrades to 11 by October and prices fluctuate.
Ancient cases usually accommodate 4x5.25 bays, though this can vary based on whether they were built in-house or pre-made. A typical ATX case should fit a modern mobile graphics card—my old unit from about 30 years ago works fine, except for the glass panels, cable routing, and older drive bays which could cause issues with today’s large GPUs. It might be possible, but managing the cables would become quite complicated.
I’m not sure if pre-built units exist, and assembling parts isn’t overly difficult. That’s why it’s a good idea for beginners to start with simple projects like Lego or jigsaws.
The leg bone connects to the knee bone—it’s straightforward. You’ll need to install nine standoffs into the case, mount the mobile graphics card on top, and secure everything using the provided screws. Done! No complicated tax forms required. If they offer pre-assembled kits today, I already have some components from past builds.
It’s perfectly fine to reuse old screws, as ATX specifications are standard.
Certain components that should fit together physically shouldn’t—this often points to low-quality power supplies or incorrect memory types.
Here’s the PSU list:
- To find quality PSUs, you’ll need to check availability one by one. This could involve scanning a 90-page catalog and comparing prices at different stores.
- For memory, choose a specific level and look up prices. It’s manageable.
The effort will pay off. Most pre-built units sacrifice PSU quality, and it’s likely you’ll end up with a mobile graphics card with insufficient voltage ratings. If the parts are of poor quality, they’re probably discarded in mass production to keep jobs flowing—something that matters more than gaming.
Thus, the best option is to purchase the necessary components yourself and learn how to assemble them. I could reuse my existing drives because I replaced one for my old system to swap it out later.
This approach is strategic planning—a game. Your work becomes their leisure. Their leisure becomes your work. If you’re unable to succeed, you have no other choice.