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"Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney" (braddelaparker)
04/04/2020 at 18:01 • Filed to: None

Putting together the pieces for a budget simracing build this weekend. Found a great open-box deal on the CPU at Microcenter. Will be used to run all of the current sims, plus a handful of other dumb things (GTA, Fortnite) here and there. Would like to have the option to stream simultaneously as well. GPU is the biggest question mark for me.

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DISCUSSION (18)

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 18:20

That looks pretty good. You might consider going to a larger drive, as 250GB will be pretty easy to fill up with some modern sims being 30+GB in and of themselves. Something like a WD Blue 500GB SSD isn’t a big jump in price.

Likewise, I’d consider a bit more power supply. A 500 watt is the smallest I’d run with that system, but a 750 watt gives you a lot more headroom for future expansion. Also, psus run most efficient around 50% of their rated capacity. This both saves on the electric bill, and most importantly reduces the amount of heat their adding to the system (that rx580 will be a very effective case heater in and of itself). The other reason to not skimp on power supplies is that if you buy a good one with enough headroom you’ll still be using it several builds and a decade down the line. I’d consider something like this looking a lower budget options. Lots of headroom for that system and an 80+ gold efficiency rating.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
04/04/2020 at 18:29

Good point on the SSD; I’ve got several large HDDs laying around for mass storage, but does having the software on the SSD make that big a difference?

Thanks for the input on the PSU too. I knew I was probably being a bit cheeky there, I had originally budgeted a bigger one but aped a few build lists that went cheaper on PSUs. I don’t need to be cheap, just want to be, so I’ll probably spend the money there.

Regarding heat, should I go ahead and throw a few case fans in there just to be safe?

facw > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 18:30

Radeon 580 8GB is a pretty good value gaming card right now, and probably where I’d be looking sub-$200 right now (or an 8GB 570). We have just had two oppos go the used nvidia route recently, getting 1060s and a 1070 instead. Going up to the Radeon 5500 XT doesn’t buy you much performance, but gets you a cooler, quieter, less power hungry card (probably not worth it unless you are noise obsessed). New Nvidia cards aren’t worth it IMO unless you are looking to up your budget and get at least a 2060.

I’d say try to go bigger on the SSD. You can find 500GB SSDs from decent brands for less than $60, and 1TB for less than $110. 250GB is fine for normal computer use, but in a world where single games can take up 100GB, 250GB is going to get cramped really quickly.

Otherwise, I think it’s pretty good. The Ryzen 3xxx is a nice step up from the 2xxx series, but if you are getting a great deal on a 2600x, then switching that out would defeat the point. Motherboard should be fine. 16GB of RAM will be plenty for games. For the case, I have a F ractal Design Define Mini-C and like it a lot (minus the lack of front USB-C). I don’t know how much the Corsair is, but it’s worth your time to at least take a peak at Fractal’s mATX cases (not much reason to get a full ATX case for an mATX board).

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 18:33

A good SSD really will make the system a quicker experience, especially opening software. I would certainly throw some fans in there. I had an RX580 previously, and am currently running an RX590. I like the performance for the price, but they are also power hungry case heaters.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 18:38

I’d second what facw pointed out o n Fractal design cases. I’m running a define R-6 w/front USB, and it is a very high quality piece of hardware. My particular case isn’t on the budget end of things, but it’s another thing where if you buy a good one you’ll be using it for many builds to come down the road. You might check out some Fractal’s smaller/cheaper cases. They make very nice hardware.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 18:50

That’ll be a fun build. A couple suggestions:

You should really consider an m.2 NVMe PCIe SSD, that motherboard will have the connector , it’s significantly faster and less hassle since there are zero cables needed . You can get a 500 gb Samsung 970 Evo for $99, I have the previous gen 960.

https://www.newegg.com/samsung-970-evo-500gb/p/N82E16820147690?

Also, the 1600AF CPU is a “new” chip based on the 2600 but at $99. 6-core 12-threads, apparently pretty darn good.

https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-5-1600/p/274-003V-00043?

Have fun!

Nom De Plume > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 19:08

mATX board in an ATX case? Not overly familiar with the AMD side but generally the better gaming boards are ATX or ITX. Better capacitors and more of them are a pretty big deal.

For a dollar more get the 550w PSU at Microcenter (Thermaltake Smart BX1 550w).

While you are there snag an open box Samsung 500GB SSD. N VMe isn’t necessary and they run really really REALLLLY FUGGING HOT and need a really well prepped and designed heatsink as well as exceptional cooling. They have their positive traits though, just not exactly gaming related. Or if you have the savvy, ditch the OS drive and go RAMDISK.

Personally I do not like the case you chose and would instead find a good used one with much better ventilation or whatever MC had open box that looked good for cheap.

Not entirely sure what the stock AMD cpu cooler is like. Or if you are in possession of something that could called an overall cooling methodology. This includes thermal paste(s) and replacing the stuff on the GPU before first use. It certainly involves choosing a case and then individual fans as needed to create a positive pressure environment. Even if all of that was nonsense to you I’d still consider a used aftermarket cpu cooler for processor heavy sim gaming.

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hike > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 19:10

I found using an ssd over hdd makes a significant difference. My 1tb hdd is currently the bottleneck when I play games saved on it. I only keep a few saved on my 500gb ssd which already is running low on space. It's amazing how big modern games and video files are.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 19:16

At a glance, everything looks good. I would, however, consider trying to get ahold of at least a semi-modular power supply, if not a fully modular power supply. Trust me, it saves a lot of headaches when it comes to cable management — l ess cables to manage is always a good thing.

RX580s are nice cards, but you may want to consider the next generation (RX 5000 series) of cards for better power consumption.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 19:43

I have nearly the exact same build in a PC part picker tab right now.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > facw
04/04/2020 at 20:03

Didn’t realize I had selected an mATX board, but now that I think about it I’d really like to be able to keep this all in one self-contained simrig, so I’l l take a look at those Fractal’s cases.

Thanks for the input!

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120
04/04/2020 at 20:05

I had that question pop up in my head as I went through this, last time I looked at any of this junk (10+ years ago) PCIe SSDs weren’t really a thing so I wasn’t sure if it was necessary, but at the price that’s an easy sell.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 20:10

Just make sure you don’t mistake an m.2 SATA SSD for an m.2 NMVe SSD. One uses the PCIe lanes and the other uses SATA, it can get confusing but if you stick to that 970 you should be good.

Also, unless you plan to overclock that 2600X or it’s under $150, you’ll want to seriously consider that 1600AF CPU for $99. My brother just picked one up pre-COVID and it was only $85 but it’s a solid performer, just not a ton of overclocking headroom, apparently.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120
04/04/2020 at 20:14

The 2600x is $90 on an open-box, so I’m gonna run with that one without looking it in the mouth, ha.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
04/04/2020 at 20:14

Ah, yeah, psu modularity was my other question. I’ll keep that in mind, thanks!

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 20:33

$90 is great deal for that CPU!

RooseveltDad > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 22:03

Agreed. The EVGA SuperNOVA are solid performers, we use them a LOT at work. Will 16GB be enough RAM?

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
04/04/2020 at 22:56

That’s a great price, and an RX580 is about right to pair with it.