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AM4 is hands-down the best platform for building a high-performance PC on the cheap. If you’re low on your budget, but need to get the most performance out of your PC, then the Ryzen 5 5600 will cover you on that. It’s plenty fast for gaming and can even get some light 4K video editing done on it.
In this guide I’m presenting suggestions for three PC builds with the 5600.
The first PC is a super budget-friendly console killer perfect for 1080p gaming. The second PC is a much more well-rounded and powerful 1440p gaming PC and the third one is an easy-to-build mini-ITX PC for those who want to go small but can’t go big on the budget.
Best Budget Ryzen 5 5600 PC Build
- CPU: AMD RYZEN 5 5600X
- Motherboard – ASRock B550M Pro4
- RAM – Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18
- SSD – TEAMGROUP MP33 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4
- Graphics Card – ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600
- Power Supply – MSI MPG A650GF 650 W 80+ Gold Certified
- PC Case – Deepcool MATREXX 40 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
What’s great about the 5600 is that it punches a lot above its weight and I wanted to pair it with a motherboard that also does the same. On one hand, I could’ve gone with something that’s bottom-of-the-barrel like the ASRock A520M-HDV, but I realized the ASRock B550M Pro4 makes a whole lot more sense.
It is quite well-featured for an affordable motherboard that goes for just under $100. It has a decent 8-phase VRM, a good rear I/O including a type-C port, and a hifi audio controller. It’s also a B550 board, which means better compatibility, PCIe 4.0 support, and faster RAM support.
You may have also noticed that this is a micro ATX motherboard instead of a full-sized ATX board. This is because it’s easier to find micro ATX motherboards at a better price than their ATX counterparts. The extra PCIe slots on the ATX boards can increase the price, which isn’t something particularly important in this scenario.
Going with a smaller motherboard means that we can also go with a smaller micro ATX case. There are plenty of great micro ATX cases, but for me, the DeepCool MATREXX 40 stood out as the best option. It’s really affordable, has room for full-sized components, and has great airflow. The only downside is that it only comes with one exhaust fan so make sure to include a front intake fan which should only cost a couple of bucks.
For the RAM and SSD, it was a challenge to find the right combo at such a low budget. Most SSDs that are worth buying are a bit expensive and the budget ones are either from lesser-known brands or generally aren’t a good option because they are unreliable.
Thankfully, I have a secret weapon – the TEAMGROUP MP33.
If you’re looking for a fast 512 GB gen 3 SSD, that’s cheap and reliable, the MP33 is the way to go. It’s the absolute basic SSD that I recommend anyone to go for that’s fast and has room for a decently-sized game library. Same goes for the RAM; the Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB kit is the RAM kit I recommend as a bare minimum. There are cheaper kits, but their price-to-performance is terrible, and unlike this kit, they are much slower. This kit is at 3600 MHz with a CAS latency of 18 ns which is important as Ryzen CPUs love memory speed. It’s priced quite well where it competes with slow 2666 MHz or 3000 MHz kits.
Speaking of low prices, we are truly blessed that GPUs have become seriously affordable again and it’s easy to fit something as powerful as the RX 6600 in budget builds without going for used components. For this PC, I went with the ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 which is the fastest GPU right under $200. It is no slouch; at 1080p, it handily beats out a GTX 1080 in any game and trades blows with a GTX 1080 Ti all while consuming less than 100 watts of power.
Although this PC is barely going to consume 200 watts of power in total, it is important to get a high-quality power supply. I went with the MSI MPG A650GF which is a 650 Watt 80+ Gold-Certified unit that can handle much more power-hungry components than the Ryzen 5 5600 and RX 6600.
In conclusion, if you need a powerful PC that can play any game at 1080p at a small budget, then this $600 console-killer has everything you need. It’s not just focused on gaming; all parts chosen for it offer great performance without compromising on the important things like a strong foundation and a great upgrade path.
Best Value Ryzen 5 5600 PC Build
- CPU: AMD RYZEN 5 5600
- Motherboard – ASRock B550M Pro4
- RAM – Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18
- SSD – Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB
- Graphics Card – XFX Speedster SWFT 309 Radeon RX 6700 XT
- Power Supply – Corsair RM750e
- PC Case – Montech AIR 903 MAX
Sometimes, all that is important when building a PC is pure price-to-performance, and no platform offers better bang for your buck than AM4. The Ryzen 5 5600 is the budget CPU champion that offers the best balance between gaming and productivity performance near the $100 price mark; and it even comes included with a stock cooler. To pair the 5600, I wanted an equally well-rounded motherboard that offers a great set of features at the lowest possible price, so I went again for the ASRock B550M Pro4 – a perfect pair for the Ryzen 5 5600.
Both of these offer exceptional bang-for-buck and go the extra mile instead of being bottom-of-the-barrel choices. The B550M Pro4 is a B550 board that competes with A520 and B450 motherboards in terms of price. I am honestly surprised as to how ASRock is selling this board for under $100 since the B550 chipset offers better overclocking, faster RAM, and PCIe 4.0 support.
I wanted this PC to be great at gaming so most of the budget went into the graphics card. When I was picking the parts, I immediately began by picking the RX 6700 XT as there is just no other GPU that can offer incredible 1440p gaming performance with a 12 GB VRAM buffer at its price point. I went with the XFX Speedster SWFT 309 Radeon RX 6700 XT, but honestly, you can go with any variant.
For the RAM, I went with the tried and tested 16 GB DDR4 kit of Corsair Vengeance LPX clocked at 3600 MHz CL18. If you do have a bigger budget, it does make sense to go with 32 GB instead of 16. However, this PC will still have no trouble playing any game and as the GPU has plenty of VRAM, it’s not going to offload data to the system RAM. It is a perfect starter kit and if you go with it, the motherboard has room for 2 more RAM sticks.
Another thing the motherboard has is support for PCIe 4.0 SSDs so I went with a 1 TB stick of Crucial’s P3 Plus. Currently, there is no other SSD that is as fast, reliable, and affordable as the P3 Plus. It’s a gen 4 SSD, which means that nothing is going to be slow on this system thanks to the read and write speeds crossing 6000 MB/s.
Finally, for such a powerful PC, it is only fair that it’s powered by a worthy PSU and enclosed inside an excellent case. If you’re ever confused about getting the right PSU, then the Corsair RM750e should be your default choice. I repeatedly recommend it because it’s got everything – a 750 Watt power capacity, 90% efficiency, and ATX 3.0 for the latest GPUs. This is hands-down the best PSU anyone can get even if it is slightly more expensive and I’m honestly confused why no one else except for be quiet! has comparable units.
For the case, just like the RM750e, the Montech AIR 903 MAX also has almost no competition. It has excellent airflow and even comes with 4 pre-installed fans which let this case provide some of the lowest temperatures for any PC build. Just make sure to adjust the fan curve at around 1800 RPM as the fans can get loud
All in all, the Ryzen 5 5600 and RX 6700 XT in combination offer the best price-to-performance for a powerful 1440p gaming PC today. If you have around $800 and want the absolute best out of your budget, then everything in this list does just that. Whether it’s the RAM, PSU or even case, these components are hard to pass.
Best Ryzen 5 5600 Mini ITX PC Build
- CPU: AMD RYZEN 5 5600
- Motherboard – ASRock B550M-ITX/ac
- RAM – Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18
- SSD – Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB
- Graphics Card – XFX Speedster SWFT 309 Radeon RX 6700 XT
- Power Supply – Cooler Master V750 SFX GOLD
- PC Case – CoolerMaster NR200
Mini ITX PCs come with a lot of challenges when it comes to price, heat, and finding parts that fit well together. However, in recent times, the small form factor market is making a great comeback and it’s easy to fit together a powerful mini PC very easily.
Starting with the case, I went with the one and only Cooler Master NR200. It is easily the best budget mini ITX case because it is priced like a budget ATX case and can take in almost anything you can think of. It is easy to build in as well considering that it is usually tough to build inside a mini ITX PC. Whether it’s a full-sized graphics card or even a 240 mm AIO, it can take in just about anything you throw at it.
Sometimes, all that is important when building a PC is pure price-to-performance, and no platform offers better bang for your buck than AM4. The Ryzen 5 5600 is the budget CPU champion that offers the best balance between gaming and productivity performance near the $100 price mark; and it even comes included with a stock cooler. To pair the 5600, I wanted an equally well-rounded motherboard that offers a great set of features at the lowest possible price.
Of course, being a mini ITX case, it can only fit a mini ITX motherboard and for this build, I went with the ASRock B550M-ITX/ac. There aren’t many mini ITX motherboards near the $100 price point that have the B550 chipset – most of the boards near this price are either A520 or B450 boards, while most B550 boards are much more expensive with almost nothing more to offer. The ASRock B550M-ITX/ac just about covers all the basic needs but goes a few extra steps – it has an 8-phase VRM that is powerful enough even for a stock 5900X, WiFi 5, and has even a type-C port.
For a super affordable mini ITX, combining the ASRock B550M-ITX/ac with the Ryzen 5 5600 makes perfect sense. They’re a great pairing and the 5600 has enough horsepower for smooth 1440p gaming.
Speaking of gaming, for the graphics card, I went with the RX 6700 XT. I know it’s a boring choice at this point, but one that’s hard to pass on. It is still the best budget GPU that can play all the latest AAA titles at 1440p ultra settings while consuming less than 200 Watts of power. In terms of price-to-performance, the RX 6700 XT is still on top even after all this time. The XFX Speedster SWFT 309 Radeon RX 6700 XT is a great variant and fits easily in the NR200 as it is a true 2-slot card.
The SSD and RAM were an easy choice – I went again with a 1 TB stick of Crucial P3 Plus and a 16 GB kit of Corsair Vengeance LPX at 3600 MHz CL18. Both of these fit easily in the budget and don’t leave much to be desired. I would’ve liked to go with a 32 GB kit of RAM, but since I wanted to keep everything under $900, it was a tough choice. 16 GB is still plenty for gaming and light tasks; plus, the 12 GB of VRAM on the RX 6700 XT means that it won’t need to offload assets onto the system RAM.
To power this entire PC, I was left with very few choices but thankfully all of them are pretty good. I settled on the CoolerMaster V750 SFX GOLD which is a top-notch unit with a lot of room for really powerful components. It’s efficient and quiet too and since this PC is going to consume only about a third of its capacity, it will last a very long time.
In conclusion, it is a common misconception that mini ITX PCs are expensive and difficult to build. This $900 build disproves that notion with one of the best mini ITX cases and a combination of parts that offer flagship performance without breaking the bank.
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