Sorry for the duplicated post. The first one (technically the second, there was another even) had been flagged as spam, likely due to a number of reasons. I had sent a message to the mod about it, but then decided to create another account, successfully troubleshooting the spam issue.
Now, i would like to give a few words about my setup. Let you guys know why i did what i did. This is my first build. At first i wanted the 13400F/ 13500F, RTX 3060/ 4060. Thought AMD was the worst thing ever, i should avoid like cancer, period. Then started looking into the prospect of going with 12th Gen Intel, first the 12600K, then the 12400F, even the 12400 so desperate i was for an iGPU, coupled with an AMD GPU, namely a 6650 XT or even a 6700 XT.
Then eventually started looking into AMD as a whole seeing as the motherboard deals were looking more favorable. Having an iGPU is a big deal for me, when i got to know about the power of the Vega 7, i was basically sold, despite the prospect of PCIe 3.0 on a 8x lane GPU. A PCIe 4 ready motherboard and SSD.
First of all, everything was bought online at the same store, namely PC Diga, and subsequently assembled and tested by them. For a 36,90€ fee. I did the OS install. Have Windows 10 pro on that machine and Linux Mint XFCE on the laptop, which is 11 years old! Almost anyways. Fan doesn't even work anymore since last summer.
Secondly i was limited to a 1150€ budget. Not one cent more. You see, the PC was offered. I obviously have no job, otherwise i wouldn't be living in the ghetto with my family. Hahaha. I bet this will sink later on when i am feeling less shameless.
Everything you see, including the 36,90€ for the assembly and 36.60€ on extras you don't see, amounted to 1.147€ total. I will leave the priced items for you to see how i got them during the xmas holidays promotional season.
Monitor: Asus TUF Gaming VG249Q1A - 149,90€
The monitor was basically the cheapest IPS with freesync premium, but i think i nailed it. Even got mentioned by rtings on an article about the best 1080p monitors of the fall. Only calibration you need to do is basically set the game visual to FPS mode. Didn't even had considered a new monitor. Gave the old one to my sister.
Case: ATX MSI MAG Forge 100M - 59,90€
The case has been the number one in sales for a long time and for a very good reason. I can wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone, except for those needing an even larger one, obviously.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G - 132,90€
The CPU is APU value king. Was and still is, despite the newer revised GT versions, or the newer 8000 series. It will deliver roughly the same performance as the 5600/5600x for 1080p despite PCIe 3.0 (might depend on the GPU), with lower energy profile, while boasting the Vega for a rainy season.
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper H412R - 20,90€
The cooler was cheap, but it's also nice looking, and performs roughly the same as the 212, if no OC is involved. I get 45° to 50° on gaming load. 60° on full load, no OC. Silent QFan PWN profiles, all fans.
Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming - 149,90€
Really like the motherboard. Having a ROG is a point of pride, regardless. Had a couple of issues with the L225/226 (rev 3) Ethernet NIC, but ever since i uninstalled armory crate, along with every single piece of ASUS bloatware, disabled fast boot, along with a BIOS update, i never experienced problems again.
GPU: Sapphire Pulse RX 6600 8GB GDDR6 - 213,90€
I used to frown at this GPU. I mean look at it, this is no man's GPU. Dis a woman's. xD It was viewed as a last resort. Eventually i was left with no other choice. Could have gotten the Powercolor Fighter for 190€, but i think those extra 25€ are worth the money spent on the Sapphire model.
Performance wise, let me tell you, it's great. I already got to play many of the heaviest titles. You can check benchmarks. Power consumption is unrivaled. It couples really, really well with the 5600G. For someone who doesn't contribute and pays no bills, having the 5600G / RX 6600 combo is essentially the best scenario possible at an entry level investment. PCIe 3 is definitely not an issue. I accept the compromise.
RAM: RAM G.SKILL Aegis 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3200MHz CL16 - 65,90€
RAM is GSkill, stock. Couples really well with AMD. Was cheap as hell. What else is there to say. Makes you wonder how much you're paying for the heatsinks. 32 GB is really important for me. Dealing with virtual machines and whatnot.
Storage: SSD M.2 2280 WD_Blue SN580 1TB - 59,90€
Storage is what it is. Really solid option. No noticeable loss on the PCIe 3 bottleneck. Keeping the free space 10 to 20% to ensure optimal performance and durability.
PSU: ATX Seasonic B12 BC Series 650W - 61,90€
The PSU could have been better, but also could have been worse. In spite of it being tier B, it's still bronze plus and only 650W. While it being perfectly fine for my current setup, it leaves some question marks for future upgrades. A 750W gold plus on the G12 GM was my initial choice, but ended up sacrificing the PSU to make ends meet. Make no mistake, the PSU is the most important component in your setup.
Headset: HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Gun Metal - 69,90€
The headset is not the Cloud II i was expecting to get. A disappointment. Having owned the original clouds for 4 delightful years. The downgrade is very real. There are three versions. Not sure who has the blame, seeing as it was Kingston who first released this plastic version before selling to HP, but they have ruined one of the most legendary gaming headsets of all time. I have a DTS motherboard with the S1220A, so that helps. Be sure to update to latest driver.
https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/downloads-for-motherboards/drivers-realtek-usb-audio-amd-5xx-6xx-trx40...
For gaming is fine. Music only FLAC's. At least heavy metal which is the only genre i listen to. Movies/ TV Series GOM Player. XXX Pot Player. Only buy it if you have an extension for the cord. The DAC is mostly useless. I happened to have a brand new one lying around.
Gamepad: Xbox Wireless Carbon Black - 41,90€
The gamepad is great. I love it. Coming from the 360, i look at it as a major upgrade. I'm sure the elite is even better. Without batteries is even lighter. No latency either on account of being a cabled connection.
Keyboard + Mouse MSI Vigor GK30 Gaming Combo - 29,90€
Could you possibly have gotten a cheaper combo than this? I think not. They perform well. The keyboard is fairly decent. The mouse is not too shabby either. Plus do all my gaming on the gamepad. Controller companion can handle the keyboard/ mouse emulation.
Mousepad: MSI Agility GD60 Gaming RGB - 16,90€
This mousepad you could consider somewhat of a luxury. I obviously bought it on a big discount. A discount too big for me to ignore it and save a measly 7€ for the basic XL mousepad from PC Diga.
Looking back there isn't much else i could have done better or differently. I'm very content with my first build. Hopefully tree next one will be better. Naturally aimed at 1440p. You might think it's snob of me, but 1080p 24' on an IPS is not that big of a deal any more. Gaming is pretty much dead i think, so you best look into ways you can enjoy what is left in the best way possible.
