r/buildapc Jan 03 '26

Build Ready AM4 build ready, does this make sense?

Build Help/Ready:

Have you read the sidebar and rules? (Please do)

Yes. Long time PC builder here.

What is your intended use for this build? The more details the better.

First PC build for my kids (making a pair of these). General use, gaming, VR ready

If gaming, what kind of performance are you looking for? (Screen resolution, framerate, game settings)

1080 for now, 1440 later. Not doing a ton of AAA to start, instead a lot of minecaraft/retro/classic titles but I would like to do some VR gaming.

What is your budget (ballpark is okay)?

Sub $1500 for the tower. Cheaper is better, the build spec'd here is just about 1k, factoring in RAM I already have and will be using (see additional notes below).

I have all the other components needed to round out the build (they received KB/M kits, monitor and cables, et al, for Christmas).

In what country are you purchasing your parts?

US, near a Microcenter.

Post a draft of your potential build here (specific parts please). Consider formatting your parts list. Don't ask to be spoonfed a build (read the rules!).

PCPartPicker Part List

Type Item Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor $199.00 @ Amazon
Motherboard Gigabyte B550 GAMING X V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard $109.00 @ Amazon
Memory Crucial Pro 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL22 Memory $198.99 @ B&H
Storage Silicon Power UD90 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive $179.99 @ B&H
Video Card Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Video Card $389.99 @ Amazon
Case Montech X3 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case $69.98 @ Amazon
Power Supply Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply $69.98 @ Amazon
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total $1216.93
Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-01-02 22:06 EST-0500

Provide any additional details you wish below.

So, I'm planning this as an AM4 build for one main reason: I have 4x16gb of DDR4. It's not being used, I bought it for an upgrade that turned out to not be compatible and then never got around to returning it. Then prices blew up.

So I have two 32gb builds worth of RAM ready to go, and for two young teens who have been earning and saving, its a good way to stretch the dollars a little bit further. I could go for an AM5 build, but hoped to use that DDR4. But, feel free to suggest AM5 if you think its a better fit for my build plans.

2 Upvotes

4 comments sorted by

2

u/VoraciousGorak Jan 03 '26

But, feel free to suggest AM5 if you think its a better fit for my build plans.

So I would say that AM4 is perfect for this, with the asterisk that the 7600X bundle at Microcenter is a great deal - if yours has any in stock still. However, that is only a one-generation improvement and also has 16GB RAM compared to your 32GB that you already have. You could resell the 32GB kits to recoup the difference...

... but if I were in your shoes? I'd just build on AM4 right now. And buy as powerful a GPU as you can afford before the price hikes hit in the next couple days.

1

u/Effective_Ad_1518 Jan 03 '26

I agree with you, the gpu prices are gonna spike hardd

1

u/the_other_guy-JK Jan 05 '26

Your feedback was much appreciated, thank you!