Hey guys,
I'm considering building a midrange PC as the above specs, which I target to do around Nov or Dec 2022 when the new Core series & Geforces are out, hoping prices would drop a bit more by then.

Details of the parts below:
Core i7-12700F + RM1 box cooler
Gigabyte B660M GAMING DDR4
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660M-...-DDR4-rev-10#kf

or MSI PRO B660M-E (I read that MSI mobo has unrestricted PL limit?)
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B660M-E-DDR4

8GB Gskill Aegis / Kingston Fury Beast nonRGB (depend on which available)
https://www.gskill.com/product/165/185/1567...4-3200C16S-8GIS
https://www.kingston.com/en/memory/gaming/k...ast-ddr4-memory

GIGABYTE NVMe SSD 256GB PCIE3.0 x4 (a local promo with the Gigabyte mobo)
https://www.gigabyte.com/SSD/GIGABYTE-NVMe-SSD-256GB

EVGA 600W PSU BQ 80+ Bronze
https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=110-BQ-0600-K1

Colorful GeForce RTX 3060 NB DUO 12G L-V
https://en.colorful.cn/product_show.aspx?mid=102&id=1848

Monitor will be the cheapest 24" 1080P available

This PC is built to a maximum budget cap so I'm not able to go for the fancy ROG/Mortar/Aorus/etc stuffs.

Mainly for gaming AAA titles @1080P with RT if it does not go under 30FPS, general purpose, light CAD & Solidworks, and perhaps dabble in coin mining to see what's it all about. I'm not gonna OC much, maybe a light one if I could later on but my goal is to keep this system as my main for the next 5-7 years so stability & longevity is key.

My upgrade plan is minimal which is why I spec in the i7 so I don't have to replace it, for the rest perhaps something like; 2023 1H another 8GB RAM stick > 2023 2H/2024 CPU tower cooler(thinking ID SE-224-XT, Silverstone AR12 maybe?) > 2025 1TB(or more?) PCIE 4.0 SSD > 2026/2027 xx60/xx70 level GPU + higher watt PSU.

I'm hoping for some inputs/feedback/comments if such system will last me for that duration (5-7years) with the incremental upgrades laid out. I'm a bit concern if the RAM will be enough (8GB +8 later), but my current system is using 8GB for daily usage no issues unless I loaded Chrome with dozens of tabs.

Appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.

I think MSI mobo will be better.

RAM at least 16GB. Look for higher Mhz if price not much difference. Min 3200Mhz. You want to buy a set of 2 stick or 2 of same spec to avoid any incompatibility when running dual channel. If purchase another set later time, it might get revised and not same spec.

256GB might not be enough once you start install bunch of programs. Get PCIe 4.0 SSD, so that later when you get another SSD you just add to another slot. No need to replace the existing SSD.

Asking now but buying it a few months time.... Some parts might become obselete due to new CPU and GPU, or price adjustments. 5-6 months is a long time.

@xxboxx
Yeah, RAM I start with 8GB due to budget cap for system but I'm fully going to get another stick of 8GB in 1st half 2023. If I get Kingston, likely it will be the same basic stuff they produce all the time. As for SSD, it will be for windows and certain fast games but majority data will be in my reused 4TB HDD. I do plan to get a better SSD around 2025 tho. Will these future upgrades be sufficient to last my system?

@TristanX
Actually I am targeting to get right after the new Cores & Geforces will be released so as to catch the time retailers want to clear inventory. If the price drops are substantial, I might just topup another stick of RAM to 16GB or move up the GPU to 3060TI. Otoh, it also depends on the swing of our currency exchange rate so there is a risk prices might go up instead. So its a toss up there.

RAM always change, sometimes even when at same time due to different component supplier. Advisable to get those pack of two.

With 256GB you likely be out of space after install some programs. Games also take almost 100GB each for AAA title

Oh I see. The ones I'm thinking are prolly individual pack so is it okay if I get 2 packs at the same time? Does it have like production date on the label that I can see or something?

Depends on packaging, some do have date or code to see. Will be better if seller can confirm both from same batch.

Oh okay thanks. With a little bit more on the budget, I think I could squeeze either another stick of RAM or a better MSI mobo that I got recommended:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B660M-A-DDR4

It seems to run a 12700, would need mobo with better VRMs. So its a toss up.

For a 12700F (with no power limits) the VRMs board may not handle it well and may result in VRM throttling, so I'd recommend something like the MSI Pro B660M-A instead


The MSI B660M-E has no VRM heatsinks so it's really meant for a Core i5 or even a Core i3 at best (or unless you like the idea of running the 12700F at 65W and willing to live with lesser performance)

A 256GB SSD isn't really enough for games these days so I'd recommend paying a bit more for a 512GB one instead. The Gigabyte SSD is DRAMless but with a host memory buffer which acts as a substitute for DRAM, also the reads and write speeds aren't exactly very good for a NVMe drive either

You mean the EVGA BR? The BQ is not sold here

The EVGA BR is a rather low end unit for such build (Tier C on the PSU tier list), double forward + DC-DC design which is quite unsuitable for high powered GPUs, especially when you consider that you are going to upgrade to a higher end GPU in the future

I'd probably recommend you to spend a bit more on a nicer PSU, something like the Silverstone Viva Gold will be a good step up over that EVGA

Might be better to spend a bit and go 144Hz whenever you can, if you are coming from a run of the mill 60Hz panel


If you are looking for platform longevity then neither AM4/LGA1700 will satisfy this especially that AM4 is pretty much a dead end platform, and LGA1700 only supports one future CPU generation (aka 13th gen, Raptor Lake) and the 14th gen CPUs coming next year will use a new socket

The only platform that kind of satisfies this would be the upcoming AM5 platform, but you are essentially spending a lot of money (especially on DDR5 memory) on a platform with potentially stability issues due to the newness of the platform itself, and there's no guarantee that AM5 will get the same platform longevity like AM4 did

Why would you cripple your system with single channel RAM? It's not like RAM are expensive these days?

There's also the issue of potential price hikes due to economic uncertainties as well

@chocobo7779
Thanks for the long and detailed reply!
About mobo: Yeah im reconsidering to get MSI B660m-A as my budget does allow it but its either this board (versus the -E) or add another 8GB RAM. Thing is I do intend to add another stick anyways in 2023 so yeah.

Speaking of RAM: It is a cost decision to start with 8GB and later on to get another 8GB but its between this or a better MSI mobo.

SSD: That gigabyte is part of the Gigabyte mobo promo but if I go for MSI one I prolly will reuse my SATA SSD/4TB HDD for a while and look to get a 1TB nvme Gen4 SSD sooner than I planned.

PSU: I put my system thru a PSU calculator and that 600W EVGA BR is plenty enough for now. I do plan on upgrading that when I upgrade the GPU in 4 years time or so.

Monitor: I think max 120Hz is my limit, I read fast monitors could be bad for the eyes and anything above it is purely for twitchy FPS gamers that could tell the difference. Not me tho, haha.

Overall, you gave me a lot of food for thought. If I ditch the cheapo SSD, I could use that money and get both a better MSI mobo plus another 8GB RAM. Then my next year plan instead I could upgrade to a 512/1TB nvme Gen4 SSD. This idea is very compelling now that I think about it.

Yeah the economic uncertainties are there but I'm hoping it countered with the retailers going to clear off these stuff with next gen launched. Thanks for the input & insight.

Hi guys, thanks for all the comments, feedback & suggestions. I think I have a clearer idea now how to make my system more well rounded & better futureproofed. A few tweaks to my original, and baring any price drops it should finalised to this:

Core i7-12700F + RM1 box cooler

MSI PRO B660M-A (unrestricted PL able to run that i7 to the max )
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B660M-A-DDR4

8GB+8GB Gskill Aegis / Kingston Fury Beast / PNY XLR8 nonRGB (depend on which available)
https://www.gskill.com/product/165/185/1567...4-3200C16S-8GIS
https://www.kingston.com/en/memory/gaming/k...ast-ddr4-memory
https://www.pny.com/xlr8-ddr4-3200mhz-low-p...-desktop-memory

EVGA 600W PSU BR 80+ Bronze / Silverstone ES230 600W
https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=100-BR-0600-K1
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?area=en&pid=676

Colorful GeForce RTX 3060 NB DUO 12G L-V
https://en.colorful.cn/product_show.aspx?mid=102&id=1848
or
RTX 3060TI if its price drop to within budget
https://en.colorful.cn/product_show.aspx?mid=102&id=1878

Ditching that poor Gigabyte SSD, I will reuse my spare SATA 256GB SSD+4TB HDD for a while until next year upgrade

Monitor will still be the cheapest 24" 1080P max120Hz available. My eyes can't take much faster framerates

Casing-wise Im thinking either Tecware Nexus Air or Nexus Air M2 or something similar airflow types

Im targeting this built to be around RM 5000 +/- a lil bit. Hence some limitations & compromises.

With the change my upgrade plan also changed in tandem to be; 2023 512GB/1TB Nvme Gen4 SSD with DRAM > 2024 CPU tower cooler(thinking ID SE-225-XT, Hyper212) > 2H2024/2025 another 8GB+8GB DDR4 3200 RAM sticks > 2026 2/4TB Nvme Gen4/5/6? SSD > 2027 xx60/xx70 level GPU + higher watt PSU.

Somewhere along the upgrade line if I have spare cash, then I might shoot for a 27" 1440P 120Hz monitor. Anything bigger or 4K is just too much more details than I could see.

Thanks for all and I hope I can return to share my system built later on. Bye.

This post has been edited by babylon52281: Jun 14 2022, 11:42 PM

If you go with that route, do note that you will need to buy the identical stick of RAM, otherwise dual channel may not work properly, and there's also the issue of that particular RAM SKU may be EOL'd by that time and may not be purchasable brand new

Thanks for the insight. I made changes to my plans so it looks like Im getting 2x 8GB for starters and add another 2x 8GB in 2024

Shoot! After going thru the prices, I could actually get Corsair Vengeance twin 8GB kits for the same price!

This post has been edited by babylon52281: Jun 15 2022, 12:48 PM

honestly its a no brainer between RTX3060 and the 3060TI with current prices (or maybe wait abit for the RTX4000 series announcement, might drop further). the spec is far more superior with the not-so-far price difference. I got a 3060 last year and 3-4 months later the prices dropped. 1 of my worst regrets in life now

For other brands, yeah the price diff is not much. But for Colorful its a diff of RM 700