Yes, it's suitable for medium gaming.
Yes, it's suitable for medium gaming.
Hi, welcome! You're considering two processors for your gaming PC build. The i3-9100f is a budget-friendly option, while the i5-9400f offers slightly better performance. Since you're targeting games like Astroneer, No Man's Sky, and Cuphead at high settings, the i3-9100f might struggle with sustained performance. The i5-9400f could provide a smoother experience, especially if you plan to run modded Minecraft servers with many mods. Given your current GPU (GTX 1070), the CPU choice is less critical, but upgrading for better CPU efficiency could help overall. Your budget is tight, so weigh the price difference and performance needs carefully.
Looking at the Ryzen 3 3100, it offers better performance compared to the I3 9100F, handles gaming smoothly, and supports editing tasks. The built-in cooler works well, and the motherboard tends to be more affordable on the AMD side.
You're right about the RAM setup. Running dual-channel will definitely boost performance, especially with AMD systems. Using three sticks—two 8GB and one 16GB—should work well if configured properly. Just make sure your motherboard supports dual-channel and that you're using compatible RAM modules.
You're from the USA, and you're asking about the overall budget for a PC. Streaming with an NVIDIA GPU will keep performance smooth.
I’m not aiming to stream, and my budget is around $500 to $550. I’d have to look for a more affordable motherboard since I found one for the Intel chip for just $80. Additionally, I need two M.2 slots that support both Wi-Fi and SSD storage.
PCPartPicker list includes various components. AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-core processor costs $229.99 on Amazon. ASRock B450M PRO4 motherboard is available at $82.99. Silicon Power A80 512 GB M.2-2280 drive is priced at $57.99. Phanteks Eclipse P300A case is sold for $49.99. Silverstone Essential 650W ATX power supply is $84.99. ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM fan costs $10.99. Another ARCTIC P12 fan is also listed at $10.99. Prices cover shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts. Total before mail-in rebates is $537.93; after rebates it’s $527.93. Generated by PCPartPicker on 2020-11-12.