First build in many years, a little advice needed

Hi guys,

Ive been out of the game coming up a decade but I think its about time for a new build. Any advice appreciated.

Im thinking

3600xt, £225.
MSI B450 gaming pro carbon max wifi £125
16GB Crucial Ballistix 3600mhz cl16 £90.

I have an old ssd, hdd, case, psu and gpu.

Any hints, tips or general advice much apreciated!

 

New psu, 16gb ram minimum

if you could stretch to a 3700x then the extra 4 cores will help to keep it a bit more future proof

 

Well, @Passus already said it clearly.
Get a new PSU. New design, new efficiency standards, warranty for years ahead.
Better to be safe.
Your configuration should be built around your needs and budget.
We don't know either of those, so in order to give a educated advice, tell us what you want your computer to do and your budget.

 

Firstly, thanks for the replies gents. It's good to be back.

The PC will be mostly used as a media centre, for watching movies, Youtube, browsing the internet and light gaming (until I upgrade gpu). I'm hooking it up to a TV.
I have a factory overclocked 7970 and plan on getting a PS5 so I know that will be sufficient for a year or so.
I'd like it to have built in wifi and bluetooth.
My PSU is an old Cooler Master GX 750W - I'll take your advice on changing it, but I''ll have to change my budget - I believed I could build a capable PC for around £400, I could push to around £500 if needed be.
SSD and hard drive upgrades can be done later.
I plan on keeping the machine for around 7 years before upgrading mobo again - I'm coming from a 2nd gen i7.

 

Motherboard MSI X570 Tomahawk WiFi
Ryzen 3600
16 GB 3200 Crucial Ballistix
eVGA 650 W G3

The motherboard had built-in Wi-fi 6 AX and Bluetooth 5.0. It was the reason to choose it, and for its stellar performance on OC and VRM temperatures under load.

 

Thanks for the response, that's a great build.
Just asking though, is there a reason to go 3200mhz RAM if the 3600mhz costs the same?
EDIT: Ah, I see, there's typically £15 saved.

 

Wasn't aware of the similitude of RAM prices.
Only pay attention to the RAM die, as in Samsung die overclocks the best, Micron E-Die overclocks pretty well and Hynix doesn't.
A few months ago, the 3200 was the sweet spot as in price per performance.
The AMD platform performs the best when RAM is at 1:1 with Infinity Fabric, which is somewhere near 3677or 3700...

 

So, if I can get 3600 I should?

 

For the same price?! Definitely!
Ryzens are very dependable of higher frequency RAM.

 

I know it was a probably a stupid question. I just wanted to make sure. I've lost a lot of confidence in PC building!

 

Don't sell yourself short!
We all have our moments of doubt, only that a few are willing to admit that.
I built many computers in the last decade, and I overlook still every cable and component.
To many, it looks like OCD crazyness, to me is a slight imposter syndrome.

 

One more thing.
For the above mentioned purpose, you can go with Windows but also some Linux flavour.
Either one is fine.

 

MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Motherboard is worth considering too. No southbridge cooler that may fail.

 

Expect at least one of your parts to be DOA, to avoid massive disappointment is all.
Good luck (i just put one together after a massive break from the scene too) my first mobo was DOA)

 

I used to work in a small computer shop but the last pc i built from scratch was easily 7 years ago.
Im seriously looking at your exact build Anticupidon. Thankyou.
Im still tempted by 3600x.
I'm not sure if I'll overclock beyond air or max out pci lanes.
Is the tomahawk still the right board that being the case? I know I'm asking a lot of questions.
Thanks in advance.

 

Well, fellow guru @plodge85
If you are tempted to buy the 3600X, think :
You aren't buying this CPU for only now, but for some years ahead.
More, down the road the X570 will offer the best upgrade path regarding a 3900 or top tier AM4 CPU.
Also, is the top chipset for then AM4 boards. Get it.
Look, during the Black Friday last year I was in the same boat as you are now.
Decided for the MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX because it was the board to get back then.
The MSI X570 Tomahawk WiFi wasn't even designed.
But if that board would existed, I would bought it in a heartbeat.
Also, bought the 3600 and returned same day. Buyer remorse.
Went for the 3700X and it was what I really wanted, and will last and serve me well enough years ahead.
Get either 3600 and enable PBO or get the 3700X.
The difference between 3600 and 3600X is explained here:


Get the best you can afford now and avoid buyer remorse. Is the worst feeling ever.

 

Dude, thankyou for that! I'll pursue some prices tomorrow and give you an update. It's appreciated man. Buyers remorse is my pet hate, that's why I came straight here before spending a penny. Cheers!

 

Don't waste money on a new psu if it makes you reduce other things. If your psu is good, use it.

 

3700x
msi tomahawk x570 mag wifi
16 gb crucial ballistix 3600
eVGA 650 W G3

I'll have a price for you soon.

 

@Margalus don't ever , ever skimp on the PSU.
EVER
For all the electrical reasons.
Don't ever forget that the PSU powers your computer.
All the components.