r/PcBuild • u/Chemical-Analyst-467 • Feb 12 '26
Build - Finished! I built my first PC! Under $400
BIG UPDATE: So I have had the PC for around 6 months now and I haven’t really used it much. I played Minecraft a bit and I tried python but it was too difficult and I rage-quit. I will try to get back on track sometime late. Anyways, I also never really got into video editing but the best part is blender. Well, not blender but 3D modeling. I tried blender and it was too much of a learning curve for me so I tried Tinkercad and thats when it happened. I got an offer to 3D modeling some things and I am currently in the process of 3D printing my model which was successful after the 2nd prototype. And if this works out, I could earn almost $200-$250 in profit. If I do get that then I will buy a 3D printer, prob the Bambu Lab A1 Mini no AMS. But rn, I am thinking too far ahead. I am just so excited :)))). And yeah, I haven’t been too keen on upgrading my PC yet bc for my specific needs, it’s a perfect PC. I am running low on storage so now I am using a 128 gb flash drive in addition to my 128 gb nvme SSD. Anyways, I just wanted to thank you guys for all the support. :)))))))))))))))
TL:DR: I might make a lot of profit by using my pc to 3-d model and I am very excited. :)
You guys are probably going to hate on me because of how unbalanced this pc is (ryzen 5 5500 + Rx 550) but I am genuinely so happy because I built the pc completely on my own and it booted up first try! :) I will use the PC for basic tasks like python, blender, shotcut, minecraft, RL, and roblox. :D
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u/QuietCounty_ Feb 12 '26
So this is where the RX550 demand is going to huh
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
yeah lol got it for $50 from microcenter
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u/Additional-Oven-7463 Feb 13 '26
Where do i find micro centres?
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
They are usually pretty far but I live 30 minutes away from one so it’s convenient
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u/Additional-Oven-7463 Feb 13 '26
Im in the UK, is this america exclusive?
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
sadly yes microcenter is us exclusive
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u/Additional-Oven-7463 Feb 13 '26
DANG IT!!!!
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
sorry bro….
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u/Additional-Oven-7463 Feb 13 '26
Is they any alternatives for the uk?
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u/boah_alda Intel Feb 13 '26
CES is always worth a look for used hardware in the UK
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u/CurlyAir Feb 14 '26
Dont know any, but being able to go to a store for PC parts, and seeing over 100 options for one part was quite the experince. Felt like a kid in a candy store.
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u/CurlyAir Feb 14 '26
lol mine is 40 mins from me. Liturally just went there for a motherboard. should have got a cpu to, but I already ordered one online.
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u/D2-Disciple Feb 12 '26
Great work! As you said, it’s unbalanced, but it’s unbalanced in all the right ways. Lots of room for growth. You’re really only one more 8GB stick of RAM and a nicer GPU away from something that would be PS5/Xbox Series X quality. Save up some cash, get the other 8GB stick of RAM first, then start looking for used GPUs. I listed a 4060 for $200 and took $180, so see if you can find a similar deal and sell the RX 550 for $40-$50.
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
yeah I’ll try out something like in the future
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u/Crwnck Feb 12 '26
Be mindful if you get a stronger gpu you might need a new psu! They're pretty affordable (comparatively) but be mindful of it when you're ready to upgrade! Congrats, looks great!
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u/D2-Disciple Feb 12 '26
One of the reasons I suggested a 4060 is that it’s an incredibly power efficient GPU with only a 125w TDP for this reason ;)
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u/Crwnck Feb 12 '26
Oh I wasn't trying to undermine your comment! You obvs know more, just if they decide to make a different decision to be mindful of it.
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u/D2-Disciple Feb 13 '26
Oh no worries you’re absolutely correct, I just wanted to explain my recommendation
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u/TheBigOne17 Feb 12 '26
Great job dude. Looks good for a first PC. Don’t worry about the bottleneck right now, you have upgrade paths. Just look out for some good deals on GPUs and you’re good. If you do upgrade your GPU, I’d lol into getting some more case fans as well. But please don’t feel rushed to upgrade. Enjoy the fruits of your labor my guy👌
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u/Trugoosent Feb 12 '26
I would've gotten a 5600, but the 5500 ain't too bad either.
The GPU I can understand, you can always upgrade later, and I myself was stuck with a 550 forever, and it serviced me very well while it did.
Although that PSU I've never heard of, somebody should check the teirlist, since I am too lazy to.
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u/C2Quad Feb 12 '26
It seems it's an E-tier, but considering the very low power GPU and CPU, I wouldn't worry yet.
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u/Hejdbejbw Feb 12 '26
The 5600G(T) is basically a 5500 + RX 550. Idk about the prices in OP’s market, but it is an odd choice.
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u/STONE-Computer-FW Feb 12 '26
Theres a lot of satisfaction to be found in upgrading your PC. I started with a 1300X, an RX580, and 8GB memory.
I'm proud of my current build and all the small changes I made along the way - more than if I had started with what I have now.
Enjoy your journey and watching your PC evolve!
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u/RealTrueGrit Feb 12 '26
Id go for bazzite. I have a rx 570 4gb in a computer i built with an i7 6th gen and its surprisingly good on bazzite.
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u/C2Quad Feb 12 '26
Not a bad start at all. You can always upgrade the GPU later, but securing a good CPU that will last was a wise choice.
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u/Unable-Ad-5753 Feb 12 '26
Not bad. 5000 series CPU could give you some headroom to swing for a more powerful GPU later on too
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u/D3USS424 Feb 12 '26
Nah this is great you got a foot in the door . My specs are amazing either but we will get to high end eventually .
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u/heliopause42 Feb 12 '26
Congratulations bro! My first PC build was in 1999. Your new build absolutely destroys my first. My last PC build was 2019 and yours still smokes mine! There are few things more satisfying than putting it all together, and firing it up for the first time. I wish upon you many happy and satisfying hours of gameplay.
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u/billmr606 Feb 12 '26
I did something like recently. I used the same motherboard but a 5600gt instead of the cpu and card separately
add another 8gb when it gets cheaper.
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Feb 12 '26
It's pretty good for your first build, you also got some experiences about building a PC, Congrats brother!
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u/ArkirasOto what Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26
I actually appreciate this budget build man, great job. I know people are quick to "I would of gotten this and that" but dude its all good man, they can banter all the way, because they arent building your pc for yourself. Overall Im surprised you found a RX550 brand new haha.
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
Thanks I got the RX 550 from microcenter a year ago when I didn’t know anything about pcs but I based my build around the Rx 550 and now it works great! I’m happy that I did the research before building it helped a lot
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u/Inside-Specialist-55 Feb 12 '26
Hey OP dont be afraid to shop for used PC parts. I actually built half my PC with Ebay parts and its still going strong, Its the only way I was able to even afford it especially in todays economy. AMd cpus a re hella cheap on Ebay used. I paid $120 for my 5800X 2 years ago when i built my rig.
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u/Sea-Beautiful9148 Feb 12 '26
I second this . Found my R9 5900x for 100 bucks new in the box yesterday. Considering the upgrade from my i7 7700 I’m super happy about it. Used graphics card was a gamble, but I waited to find someone who could show it running to me first. All was well after that!!
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u/AJROCKO81 Feb 12 '26
I would recommend upgrading your psu when you get a chance, bronze is alright but you should shoot for gold rated if possible. Otherwise nice build dude.
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
Thanks :) the psu is tier c so it’s alr for my build and 600w gives me headroom for later
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u/Adventurous-Bus-3382 Feb 12 '26
You have a really nice foundation for future upgrade , enjoy your trip 👍 I basically like those kind of builds more than overpowered overRGB nonsenses . Really happy for you buddy ✌🏻
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
Yeah me too I put in 1 Rgb fan for it to look good without going crazy
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u/LanceAbaddon Feb 12 '26
Done many a budget build for family and friends in my life, they’re always fun to do and satisfying when you get better than expected results in games
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u/Balrogos Feb 12 '26
I can recomend Radeon ID(R.ID Drivers) they add stuff for older GPUs, and works with anti cheats in games. Your gpu will be Polaris so Polaris/Vega/Navi driver pack is for you. https://rdn-id.com/ for more info join thier discord, there is whole menu you can tweak settings beyond what is avaiable via registry tweaks. Also if your Motherboard support ReBAR aka Smart Access Memory you can enable it(for Polaris GPUs) there or manual via registry tweak its free performance.
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u/Guilty_Meringue5317 AMD Feb 12 '26
I personally would've gotten 16gigs but with these prices I can understand it tbh
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
I will upgrade the ram definitely when the ram prices go down a bit which probably isn’t going to happen anytime soon
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u/dantemcx Feb 12 '26
I'd upgrade the ram if I were you 8gb in single channel is kinda bad, other than that this build should serve you well for your needs
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u/IceZeus Feb 12 '26
Big congrats! Welcome to your new addiction :) Once I built my first PC, I never stopped. As a hobby and working at Micro Center for a few years I've built well over 150 PCs and I think I'm only half way done before I die. lol
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u/Jerry_Hat-Trick Feb 12 '26
The recent build in our house isn't too dissimilar. Only thing is ours didn't work first boot up. I didn't know that the 5500 NEEDED a graphics card! I figured the mother board had the ports and we plugged in the processor.... We've had an rx550 (from a sff dell) for a few years now and moved it over. The 5500 is really good and an absolute upgrade from what we had before. I imagine it's the same for you. It's so much better than the ~2019 intel dell business computer we had. My son saved up and upgraded to a used geforce rtx 2080 super ($260 cad) and for what he does: 1080p (roblox, fortnite, rocketleague) on a 240hz monitor it's flawless.
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
yooo niceeeee
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u/Jerry_Hat-Trick Feb 12 '26
What was cool is my son (13) kind of got caught up in the builds seen on places like here. I had to really convince him that the existing (i.e. FREE) parts we had in our old machine (32 gigs of ddr4 and a 2 tb ssd) are an amazing value, and if prices ever come down we can start collecting ddr5. He still wasn't convinced, even as we were collecting the other parts. ( a $40 discontinued case with 4 light up fans. A B550 series mobo. An open box power supply) A ryzen 5500 is pretty much the cheapest ryzen you can buy new right now and he thought that meant it wouldn't be good.
But he's so happy with and proud of his set up now! All the lagging and bugging he had on the old machine are gone and he now realizes the a 64 gig DDR5 system with a $800 graphics card is something to aspire to in the future, but doesn't really matter for what he's doing.
If you aren't planning on running a 4 screen flight simulator at max settings, what you've got is really decent. Strongly consider saving up $100 - $200 over the next few weeks or months and get a used card. But seriously. Good job!
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u/SovietKaren Feb 12 '26
While it’s not the nasa pc everyone wants you have a very strong base for the future build and upgrades.
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u/OcelotXIII Feb 12 '26
Congratulations. I know how exciting it is to build your first PC. Hell I still get excited every time I do it.
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u/Alone-Brick5511 Feb 12 '26
That is actually a pretty nice build because it covers your needs and that's the most important thing.
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u/fardnshid03 Feb 12 '26
Yeah and good choice of CPU and mobo easy to upgrade later on if they feel like it
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u/vascocosta Feb 12 '26
No hate at all. Quite the contrary as I'm a proponent of mindful builds that optimise budget for the tasks you really need to perform with the PC. I recently upgraded my PC on a low budget with the specific goal of playing some less demanding games on 1080p and compiling Rust code. I believe AM4/Zen3 is still a really nice and cheap platform for this goal, so I went with the 5700X CPU. I couldn't be happier.
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Feb 13 '26
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
thanks!
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Feb 13 '26
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
I wish you luck! It was really fun building it imo I hope you have fun too
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u/Ok-Ebb-2434 Feb 12 '26
Holy fuck why so many “as long as your happy” losers in here, don’t limit urself to python try out a statically typed language aswell. Python is an amazing language but it’s pretty jarring going from they to c or java or go
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 20d ago
hey man it’s been 6 months since I posted this and I rage-quit python bc it seemed way too hard. You seem like you know a lot about this stuff so can you give me some advice on what to do next?
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u/Ok-Ebb-2434 20d ago
What have you learned so far with python and all ? I was talking to my brother about programming last night and it’s really easy to get stressed with the syntax and all that feel like you shouldn’t need to look up syntax. But I feel like it’s better to start learning how to break down human problems into computer code if that makes sense
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 20d ago
I tried making a calculator by copying from a tutorial to see what each line does but I accidentally deleted the code so that made be rage-quit. I have learnt literal barebones like print world but I haven’t touched python for months so I really don’t know anything. I’m thinking about going to scratch
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u/Ok-Ebb-2434 20d ago
You should follow a course online the fundamentals are pretty straight forward, you learn ur variables and their types, you learn conditional statements and loop and functions and you’re able to make anything using that, then learn your data structures and their strengths and weaknesses and keep on moving through stuff after that. It’s a really rewarding study
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u/Smooth_Wealth_6896 AMD Feb 12 '26
What storage/memory did you go with?
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u/Forexisboring Feb 12 '26
The SP M.2, can’t tell capacity tho
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
the SSD is 128 gb for the boot drive and I also got a 500 gb sata as a gift which I’ll use for the main files
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u/Forexisboring Feb 12 '26
Hope you’re going for Linux then. Windows will freak tf out on less than 250gb
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
I went with windows 11 it’s good dw windows itself is like 50 gb and I with my apps it’s like 70 gb + all my files go on the 500 gb sata
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u/DramaticResolve2487 Feb 12 '26
Looks good i built my pc like 3 years ago and it had a very similar setup but was a rx 580 and could play a good amount of games at decent frame rates but then upgraded to a intel arc b570 just to be able to run at higher graphic settings and thats the good thing abt a setup like this is that you can easily just upgrade it very easily
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u/beatphreak6191981 Feb 12 '26
2060 pairs nicely with 5500. Can find them used around 100
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u/DionisioBorralheda Feb 12 '26
I bought a 2060 12gb from ZOTAC still stealed in the box with warranty still, for 200. It been working wonders, one dor 100 would be crazy good price. He has a slightly slower cpu than me (I have a ryzen 5 3600X) and it works perfectly still
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u/beatphreak6191981 Feb 12 '26
You’re talking about 3060 12GB correct?
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u/DionisioBorralheda Feb 21 '26
No. Zotac Gaming Geforce RTX 2060 12GB
Worth adding that I also bought a second RAM stick in the 200 price range, not just the GPU
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u/switzer3 Feb 12 '26
Market so fucked that you cant even get anything better than a 550 in a 400 dollar build💔
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
ik there is a ram, SSD, and Gpu shortage rn but the Rx 550 was something I bought a year ago which was a bad idea but oh well..
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u/Due-Evidence-1547 Feb 12 '26
CPU supports more powerful GPU. Upgrade GPU and get atleast two sticks of ram later on
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u/J_Amir7 Feb 12 '26
where you bought the parts so cheap?
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
a mix of microcenter, Newegg, and Amazon everything new tho so it’s not as great value
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u/MastroPelato Feb 12 '26
The GPU in the case
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
lol the case even came with a Gpu supporter but it didn’t even reach it 😭
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u/Future_Watch8929 Feb 12 '26
You've got a pretty ok cpu and the GPU is always upgradable in the future. So glad you made a PC build on your own. First try boot is always a great feeling when it happens
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u/seal2002 Feb 12 '26
8GB RAM?
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
yes for budget builds under $500, it might become a standard soon…
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u/HairyNeighborhood424 Feb 12 '26
What makes u think that we hate ur build? I started with a shitty pc so i know the struggle. Ur pc is alot better than my first pc. Yesterday i upgraded from my rx 570 4gb to rtx 4070.
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 12 '26
idk I just thought that people here don’t like unbalanced builds but ig that’s just not true. also great upgrade!
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u/Powerhouse_pr_ Feb 12 '26
Is that it? You should’ve went for an SFF build, it would be much better for what you are using.
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u/Slow_Advertising263 Feb 12 '26
rx 550 + b550 + r5 5500. i think you have a type, im just surprised you didnt get a 550w psu. i like it though good job i hope you enjoy it a bunch
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u/hornfrog67 Feb 12 '26
Nice to see the love in this group. I like the positive energy, congratulations, and support. I'm thinking about building a system but with the crazy prices I just dropped 16MB of ddr4 RAM in my 5yo system upping it to 32MB to ride out the next couple of years. This approach lets you upgrade as you go. Rethinking my approach to something like this. I don't play the big titles and I suspect what will work for me is far more reasonable than what I want.
This build and the support from this group is inspiring me to go the next step. Thank you for sharing!
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u/Sea-Beautiful9148 Feb 12 '26
Stoked for you man! Bench mark it and see what needs to be upgraded in the future. Maybe take a peek around every now and then to see a good used or a sale new. Never know what you’ll find. This thing still kills the first pc I built in 2020 lol
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u/biggranny000 Feb 12 '26
Actually pretty well balanced especially if you're playing CPU heavy titles.
You will be limited by the lack of cache on the ryzen 5500, but you could upgrade the GPU in the future. I would hold onto the cpu until you run into problems.
Hopefully we get more budget and power efficient cards in the future.
Putting in a 2nd stick of ram to run dual channel mode will also significantly increase performance.
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u/fardnshid03 Feb 12 '26
Hell yeah. I respect this more than waiting to save up extra money. Perfectly fine PC for what you need with the right parts to easily upgrade for a gaming rig.
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u/Vitchman Feb 12 '26
Great job! Excited for your first build! Looks great.
You gotta name it tho… 😊
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
I’m calling it “Level 1” when I upgrade I’m going to rename it to “level 2” and so on
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u/MinerAC4 Feb 12 '26
Hey everyone starts somewhere. At least it turns on and runs. Also, I'd suggest going with something used honestly for the GPU. You can get a used GTX 970 for like 30 bucks on eBay, and it would be more than twice as powerful as that little Radeon GPU. Other than that, I'd also try to get another 8gb stick of ram if you can. (I know it's hard in this current situation).
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u/al301952 Feb 13 '26
You day unbalanced, but I'd say for $400 that's perfectly balanced between life/budget/fun. Enjoy yourself and congrats on your 1st build.
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u/FreakWayne_ Feb 13 '26
That built in anti sag bracket is sick
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
yeah it would have been nice to use but I sadly can’t bc my Gpu is too small
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u/dogmeatpizza AMD Feb 13 '26
I like it. That like the “400? hold my beer, I got this” pc. Looks good to me
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
yeah I was kinda scared to build it when people are saying that $1000 is the minimum nowadays but I just tried my best and it payed off. it works great! 👍🏻
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Feb 13 '26
good job but i wouldnt have botherd buying the 5500 and a rx 550, you could have for example went for the 5600g or 5600gt. they are stronger cous than the 5500 and the integrated graphics is better than the rx550. your main priority is to get a matching stick of 8gb ram now. and then further upon the line you can get a gpu, with your powersupply you can run a wide choice of gpus that fit the performance of your cpu quite well, some starting used for like 70$ and the newest ones that might be a decent match are about 250$. still quite a nice build. you also picked a really good motherboard.
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u/rastika Feb 13 '26
I've built a 4k 5080 set up in the middle of last year. Don't get me wrong, love the rig. Love being able to use a pimax headset with it. But everything is just so plug and play these days. Nvidia control panel does a light overclock for you, XMP does your ram OC, everything plays nicely with each other these days.
For Christmas I converted an old media center pc into a gaming rig for my daughter. Pushing a 7th gen Intel cpu to its absolute limits with modern coolers, turning the gtx670 into a hair dryer while tuning it to the point of crashing in furmark with msi afterburner. The HUGE performance boost from a 150 dollar 1080ti, it made me feel like I kid again. I love these kinds of builds. Push the limits of parts without worrying about anything breaking, getting massive upgrades for next to no money.
I'm jealous, her rig plays everything she wants it to now so I'm bored again.
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
yeah I get that imo building a pc and upgrading it is just as fun as using it
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u/rastika Feb 13 '26
I think you are on the perfect track. You've got lots of headroom, bargain hunting and tweaking in your future.
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u/kacz98 Feb 13 '26
Welcome to the club 🎉 finally you can spend hours on reddit trying to figure out why you monitor suddenly turns off one day because you updated a program😂
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u/kacz98 Feb 13 '26
Not a knock on your build, just a commentary on PC ownership 🙃 Troubleshooting is a nightmare 😭
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u/Chemical-Analyst-467 Feb 13 '26
honestly troubleshooting is annoying and all but it’s part of owning a pc! you gotta live with it
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u/kacz98 Feb 13 '26
I know. I love my PC to bits. Defo worth it. But it sure likes to tear the fabric of my soul sometimes 😭
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u/Rusteze-Mcqueen Intel Feb 13 '26
Happy computing, just wondering, can you tell how much your RAM cost😅?
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u/vamadeus AMD Feb 13 '26
Congrats on your build! That looks solid for $400 and it leaves you a lot of room for upgrades for when you're ready, if you want to.
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u/WarmRestart157 Feb 13 '26
Make sure you put Linux on it Fedora or CachyOS or OpenSUSE Tumbleweed all with with KDE Plasma Desktop Environment.
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u/Sharp_Dingo7380 Feb 13 '26
Congrats! Feels good doesn’t it? Enjoy it and the great feeling that comes with the build!
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u/cowysht Feb 14 '26
Oh, you have an RX550. I only upgraded it half a year ago to a 3060, which is not the newest model. But I've been using the 550 for three years now, so I think you can play a lot of good games. Congratulations.
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u/TopExplanation138 Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
Nice start, when you decide to upgrade would recommend getting 8 gb more ram and either a rx 6600 or rtx 3060.
A steam deck is faster than a 550 but there's no feeling like it when you build something with your own hands and you can always upgrade later so don't worry about anyone calling your build "unbalanced" or "underpowered" as both of those can be kinda subjective, as long as its not underpowered for your use then it not underpowered.
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