Hi, I need some advice on how to put together a PC for my dad.
Hi, I need some advice on how to put together a PC for my dad.
Hi, I'm putting together a PC for my dad who mainly wants it to play Microsoft Flight Simulator. I'm so busy because I need everything ready before he flies back for the summer. I've never built one before and I'm worried about killing something if I mess up. Is there anything wrong with this setup? Any easy wins or fatal mistakes?
Parts: Case : Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L Micro ATX - 40$ MB : Gigabyte B550M - 90$ GPU : ASRock RX 6600 Challenger - $220 CPU : Ryzen 5 5600 - $111 RAM : T-Force 2x8GB 3600mhz CL18 - $30 SSD : Crucial P3 1TB M.2 - $64 PSU : Thermaltake Smart 600W 80Plus Certified - $45
It comes to about 600$ with shipping, and I was also looking at these two pre-builts for 859$. That's way more than the cost of my parts. I'm not sure if buying those is better since they are great value for MSFS (maybe?): MSI Codex R2 HZG Gaming Desktop Computer with the difference to me being that one uses 16 DDR5 RAM while the other uses 32 DDR4.
I would really appreciate some clarity on this because I am going crazy researching everything. Thank you!
Here is a list of parts needed for your PC, including the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 processor and its cooler. The Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE will handle this well enough if you only need one part. If you don't have it yet, you can buy one now without any trouble. It keeps things from overheating or melting down, but having to turn the fan on and off every few minutes just ruins fun.
Get rid of that Smart 600w thing if you want your computer to actually work or stop being a total headache. It just burns things up or causes way too much trouble. I'm not kidding, this unit is trash. This is the cheapest power supply I would ever even think about letting live in a build with those specific parts right now because of bad shipping deals and high taxes, plus many companies aren't selling them due to all these confusing rules. Every single PSU I can see from any vendor on PC Partpicker that costs less than this one is either very doubtful or a real danger. It's not just an exaggeration. Sure, it's slightly more expensive than the Smart series model, but it's still a really great power supply. Here is what you get for your money: ADATA XPG Core Reactor II 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply from Amazon ($79.98). That's all you're getting for this price tag including shipping, taxes, and discounts when they are available. This info was generated by PCPartPicker on May 31st, 2025 at 4:15 AM EDT. Also, that Masterbox Q300L is a bad idea because of how little air it can move around inside the box. It's basically the big brother to the Q500L. How much money could you actually afford to spend on this if someone wants to try and get something cheaper than that? Where are you located, like which country are you in? Is there a specific online or local store where you MUST use them, or is it okay to shop around from different sites? Usually, the best places to buy stuff are Amazon or Newegg, and they usually give free shipping.