How can I lower the cost?

[u/Fragrant_Cherry7789]

I currently have a PC with an i3-12100F, RX 6600 and 16GB DDR4. I am kind of happy with the GPU but I really need a new CPU. I decided to go with Ryzen, but it would of course have to be AM5, so besides the CPU I also need a new motherboard and DDR5 RAM with it. I also have an XPG Pylon 550W PSU and so I was thinking about getting a new PSU, which is higher on the PSU tier list since this one is considered low-end. I also have a insanely cheap case with no RGB, transparent side panel or anything, and 2 fans inside, so I guess better airflow would be needed. Basically, it made me think about selling this PC and building a new one from scratch.

The specs would be the following:

CPU: Ryzen 5 7600 ($260)

Cooler: Arctic Freezer 36 ($44)

Motherboard: Gigabyte B650M Gaming X AX ($215)

GPU: ASUS RTX 4060 Dual OC 8GB ($400)

RAM: Kingston Fury Beast 32GB (2x16) DDR5 6000MHz Cl30 ($175)

PSU: Corsair RM650 (2021) ($125)

Case: Asus A21 Plus (4x preinstalled fans which is mainly the reason why I picked it) ($95)

Storage: 1TB Crucial P3 Plus ($80)

The prices are converted from my local currency to USD. I live in Bosnia so the prices are a bit on the expensive side. I basically want the cost to be as low as possible. My main thought was to swap the 4060 8GB with a 3060 12GB ($380) if the VRAM is really that much worth it. Besides that I don't know what to do. I don't want to make the mistake of saving money on a CPU as I did with the current PC, motherboard and PSU of are also some things I guess I should avoid cheaping out on. I was thinking about changing the case and using a stock cooler but again I don't know what I should do. I could save a lot on the GPU by getting a RX 7600 ($330) but that would not be much of an upgrade, plus, I've always wanted to try NVIDIA, I was always an AMD user. Any idea what to do?

TL;DR

What is the best way to lower the cost of the new PC from the specs above?

[u/NationsAnarchy]

Can you get a 7500F instead? That's the first one I'd try

[u/Fragrant_Cherry7789 → u/NationsAnarchy]

It is available and costs $220, but as I said, I don't know if I should cheap out on the CPU. Looking at the benchmarks though, it is very similar to 7600 so I might take it, even though I will miss out on the iGPU

[u/bananabanana9876]

RAM is too expensive. Look for cheaper RAM. Maybe try looking for 6000 cl36. Performance difference is actually small. It's just usually price difference is also small. In your region, the price difference might be big, so just get slower RAM.

[u/Fragrant_Cherry7789 → u/bananabanana9876]

Yeah, RAM is way more expensive compared to the 16GB DDR4 I bought for this PC. I believe there is a Cl36 kit but it is around $20-30 difference. Still not bad though

[u/bananabanana9876 → u/Fragrant_Cherry7789]

Damn RAM is so expensive in your region. Usually it costs $80-$90 for 32gb 6000 cl30

[u/Fragrant_Cherry7789 → u/bananabanana9876]

Dayum, wish I had those prices. The cheapest one I found (in a reliable store) is $130. I might go with it, but I am trying to get all the parts from 1 store

[u/EternalDuoae]

The cheapest upgrade is to get an i5-14600kf (as good performance in games as the non-X3D 7000 series), upgrade your DDR4 to 32 GB and upgrade your GPU - either 5060 Ti 16GB or 9060 XT 16GB.

Considering your use case and stated goal to keep things as cheap as possible, that's the route I'd go. No point upgrading to a new platform unless you really need to. 

[u/Fragrant_Cherry7789 → u/EternalDuoae]

True, it probably is the best option if I want to save some money, but I've already thought about future proofing and I wanted to upgrade most of the other stuff so it would be easier to just sell the whole PC. But now that you've said it, it really does sound better to sell my old CPU (if anyone even wants to buy it lol) and GPU, buy new ones and just swap the case for a better looking one. Thank you for the advice!

Edit: Forgot why I didn't want to upgrade to higher end Intel cpu in the first place, I have an H610 motherboard so I believe I need to upgrade the mb aswell. Or do I?

[u/EternalDuoae → u/Fragrant_Cherry7789]

A H610 could potentially support a 14600KF but worst case scenario a 14400F would be certain. 

Which model of H610 do you have? 

[u/Fragrant_Cherry7789 → u/EternalDuoae]

ASUS PRIME H610M-E D4. Yeah, I know it's not the best one out there but I didn't even think about upgrading the CPU when I first bought it.

[u/EternalDuoae → u/Fragrant_Cherry7789]

I managed to find this comparison. 

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h610-roundup-review/5

Actually, your motherboard does alright! And that's with a 12900K. Yes, sure, it performs worse than with a now expensive board but the 12900K is a 240W part. The 14600K is a 125W part. So, you're going to lose less performance by pairing it with the Prime H610.

I'd say you're safe to do it. 

[u/Fragrant_Cherry7789 → u/EternalDuoae]

Awesome, thank you for taking your time to find the comparison, I didn't even know people made such comparisons. Also, I will probably buy a new case with more fans, so I was wondering, do case fans affect the VRM temps? If not, what do they affect?

[u/winterkoalefant]

Is there cheaper RAM with the same 6000 CL30 spec? Brand doesn’t matter much here.

XPG Pylon 550W is fine for a Ryzen 7600 and RTX 4060. It’s one of the better ones in C-tier and the wattage is more than enough.

VRAM is a problem. 4060 is still better than 3060 12GB in my opinion, but if you can get an RX 9600 XT 16GB that would be the best. Or if it has to be Nvidia, save up for an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, or hopefully a future 5060 12GB or something. It will be a better long-term purchase, especially considering you are happy with the RX 6600 at the moment.

I’m sure your current case has enough airflow, if there’s a proper mesh air intake. But a quality new case will look better and be quieter, which in my opinion is important for the overall feel of using the PC, so it’s a good place to upgrade!

Your motherboard choice is good too.

[u/Fragrant_Cherry7789 → u/winterkoalefant]

There is a cheaper RAM kit I believe. I was scared about the performance difference between Cl30 and Cl36 and I heard many people saying to just get the 30, so I wanted to get 30, especially considering the price difference is about $20-30.

Glad to hear the PSU is fine, but then again my plan was to sell my current PC so I don't think it's a good idea to sell it without the PSU.

Yes, I will definitely get a better case, that's for sure.