Start fresh with a new setup for Photography, Streaming, and Internet?
Start fresh with a new setup for Photography, Streaming, and Internet?
I'll examine it more closely and share a different build idea later today once I'm back, but for now it seems you definitely want to skip the Intel-based Sparkle graphics card. You'd likely do better with an AMD or Nvidia option, and those might also offer superior video processing performance. I noticed a few other adjustments right away, but I'll suggest improved ones when I return.
To begin with, you absolutely don't want to try and roll the dice on those Vengeance LPX sticks working with that, or any Ryzen motherboard. In my experience and from the vast number of instances I've seen on this and other forums where basically almost all Ryzen motherboards didn't want to play nice with Corsair Vengeance LPX sticks, I'd highly recommend avoiding them. Sure, there are likely some success stories using them on some motherboards, but having seen so many instances where they either wouldn't work at all or there were significant problems, it is not worth the risk.
Second, you have no CPU cooler included. True, you CAN use the stock cooler, but I'd advise against it especially since you plan to do some CPU intensive work including photography/video editing, streaming, etc., if you like to keep your sanity. Because, the stock coolers for all of the Ryzen models that come with one, while adequate, barely, will drive you insane with their ceaseless ramping up and down and loud operation during intense workloads. This 18 dollar cooler solves that without breaking a sweat.
The motherboard you chose IS slightly better than the one I picked, however, the areas in which it is slightly better are really not relevant to your use case. With only a 5600x CPU you really don't need to have the minutely better VRM configuration because that CPU simply isn't going to push the VRMs anyhow. If you like that board and don't mind spending a little extra for it, that's totally your call, but for your use case I think the Prime B550-Plus is more than adequate and is a solid low cost option.
I threw in a 1TB SSD instead of the 1TB mechanic hard drive you chose, because, well, it's a hell of a lot faster and is only five bucks more. Doesn't make much sense to chose a HDD these days unless you're opting for very large storage capacity.
I also chose the Teamgroup G50 M.2 NVME drive over the Crucial P3 Plus you chose because the P3 Plus uses QLC NAND memory, which has a significantly lower lifespan than the TLC NAND used in the G50, and only a 250TB written lifespan spec while the G50 has a 650 TB written lifespan and also has a much faster max sequential write speed. And is cheaper.
I chose an Nvidia RTX 3050 8GB graphics card because it has better 3D performance but more importantly it has a MUCH higher 2D performance, which is what you'll mostly be worried about for photo and video editing and processing.
I chose the Corsair case for a number of reasons. The thermal performance is as good or better and I don't think you realize how big that Montech case actually is, being able to accommodate an E-ATX motherboard. Technically it probably ought to be listed as a Full tower case, not a mid tower case. It's not tremendously larger than the Corsair case, but it's definitely bigger. Additionally, I think it looks much nicer unless you have your heart set on unicorn puke RGB. You could go either way on this, or even spend a bit more and get a case much nicer than either of these, but that aspect I'll leave up to you. So long as you don't choose a case with poor airflow, the rest are really just "nice to haves". Not too sure about the fans in that Montech though. Generally, included fans aren't great performers although this build doesn't need really outstanding case cooling with only a 5600x and a slot powered graphics card that isn't power hungry.
I'd recommend something like this, as a place to start. Much better parts in some key areas, and a dollar cheaper.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor
($105.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($17.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
Asus PRIME B550-PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard
($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory:
G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory
($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:
Patriot Burst Elite 960 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage:
TEAMGROUP T-FORCE G50 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card:
Asus DUAL OC V2 GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 8 GB Video Card
($204.99 @ ASUS)
Case:
Corsair 3000D AIRFLOW ATX Mid Tower Case
($59.91 @ Amazon)
Power Supply:
Corsair RM650 (2023) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($74.99 @ Newegg)
Total:
$697.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2024-11-28 18:24 EST-0500
Thank you very much for all the excellent details! Appreciate it!
It provides the identical upgrade route as the B550-A Pro. If you anticipate needing to switch to one of the premium Ryzen 7 or 9 processors in the future, then you should think about an X570 board equipped with a top-tier VRM setup for several reasons.
These boards generally feature more robust VRM designs compared to most B550 models, and they often come with additional features that aren’t present on some B550 units. This should comfortably support the majority of compatible Ryzen 7 CPUs without major issues, provided you don’t plan to overclock. However, if you intend to use a CPU with a much higher TDP or consider overclocking, then a more advanced board such as the ASUS TUF, ROG, MSI Tomahawk, Carbon models, or high-end Taichi variants would be more suitable. The choice ultimately depends on your budget and capabilities.
Considering the drives you mentioned and your existing SSD, would you suggest adding another drive for the boot drive? Options include a 500GB M2 SSD or sticking with Crucial/Teamgroup. Alternatively, using a 1TB drive for booting might be feasible given the two M2 slots on your motherboard.
The Teamgroup M.2 drive is meant for booting up the system, while the Patriot Burst should be whatever you originally planned to use the Western digital caviar blue drive for. It doesn't make much sense to rely on a slow mechanical hard drive when faster SSD options are available for a small extra cost.
If you aim for even greater performance, which is a reasonable approach, consider purchasing two Teamgroup drives for an additional five bucks since your motherboard supports two M.2 NVME slots. Moreover, if you lack another drive to maintain a secondary backup of critical data that you can't afford to lose in case of failure, and when it comes to drive issues, the concern is always WHEN rather than IF—then you might want to think about using either a WD HDD or the Patriot Burst as a backup for files stored on the non-boot drive. Alternatively, an external hard drive could be used for backups.
Those who don't have two copies available at any time should be aware they deserve it when irreversible loss occurs due to lack of backup. It's advisable to implement multiple backups—including a separate backup drive or cloud storage—or even create a fail-safe by copying important files to DVD or optical disks. At the very least, ensure your essential files are stored in at least two locations. You should never be caught off guard by a drive failure, even if it's new, due to events like lightning strikes, power outages, or hardware malfunctions that could wipe everything out.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
*
Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor
($111.34 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
*
ID-COOLING FROZN A410 BLACK 78.25 CFM CPU Cooler
($23.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
*
ASRock B760 Pro RS/D4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory:
*
Silicon Power XPOWER Turbine 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
($43.97 @ Amazon)
Storage:
*
MSI SPATIUM M482 Eco-Pack 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($89.99 @ MSI)
Video Card:
*
Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC Rev 2.0 GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card
($269.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply:
*
MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $719.26
Costs encompass shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
*Selected lowest-priced items based on criteria*
Created by
PCPartPicker
2024-12-01 16:06 EST-0500
As you mentioned earlier, prices fluctuate frequently. The ASUS board you referenced is no longer on sale and costs up to $119.99. I swapped it in the build with a different ASUS model priced the same. What are your thoughts? Should I stick with the MSI from the original list or choose another option? You can check the link for more details.