Some solid choices!
We recently had two clients build systems very close to this, and then their pre-build list they made some choices not as future proof or thought out as we generally suggest.
Having said that, there are some rules we lay out for our clients entertaining the thought of building their first PC that help them both make solid decisions.
The first rule is to set a budget, regardless of funds. Even with deep pockets, laying out your spending reduces the likelihood of making tactical errors.
$800 is quite achievable, although the majority of our clients build on AM4 to gain a cost based performance advantage.
Second, choose a case. What you pick is what you'll be living with for time, so you do you. We advise our clients to go with something well ventilated, with horizontal motherboard installation (far easier to work on).
Phanteks Eclipse P300A is an excellent choice! Here's an example of what our clients find to be the most beneficial case available:
It's a horizontal form factor which made assembly easier and fixing errors quicker.
Third, time to pick a graphics card. If you're not building around this single component, you're going to make mistakes in your build. It's team Nvidia and team AMD. Without getting into a lot of details, we profess AMD with the rise of RDNA2.
Your ASRock RX 6600 XT Challenger D 8GB OC is indeed an excellent choice! Here's what our clients have invested in working with your budget:
The newer chipset and current price with instant coupon has made it extremely attractive.
The fourth item on the list is a processor. Intel and AMD. Regardless of choice, we advise our clients to avoid the latest/greatest to avoid the new problems that come with it. The Core i3-12100F is a great starting point with the build on the LGA1700 platform, has upgrades will consistently get cheaper and cheaper. Once again, AMD is our suggested go to:
Intel Core i3-12100F vs AMD Ryzen 5 5500
This is also where we highly suggest our clients to avoid an AIO on a first-time build, or at least starting out with the build. One of the largest mistakes builders make with an AIO is not having an air cooler in the closet or under the bed in case something fails or testing is required. It's an inexpensive investment, and you can always add the AIO, and all of its headaches, after the fact. And the ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 240/280 series has definitely been one of those headaches. Our clients generally start out with this model, air cooler, and work up to a proper AIO, or sometimes loop, when the time comes:
And then the majority of cases, especially with the properly vented case, the Assassin 120 will outperform most three fan AIOs. And when AIO time comes, purchase one with an external pump that's not built into the block.
We have a team member that taught thermodynamics at the Air Force Academy for nearly 30 years, and finds this to be the only AIO assembly that should even be considered.
Now fifth, find a motherboard. Although your case will dictate the form factor, we advise Micro ATX. Unless you need all of those extra slots, a full ATX is asking for trouble. Motherboards are the single most complicated part of your PC, and it's best to only get the features you'll need. Your choice in an ASUS Prime H670-PLUS D4 is solid, and was the board chosen by our two clients for their builds. And if you're not running ethernet, remember you'll need to invest in a PCIe Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card.
Sixth: RAM and storage. When it comes to RAM there's a host of reasons to currently make 32GB the minimum. And with four slots you can always add two more matching sticks later, but two 16GB sticks are best. RAM is often the least investment in a build, but that lack can cause the most issues. The same goes for NVMe SSDs. They've come down in cost but builders will go with smaller name brands without research.
And not only is the day of "gamer16" at an end in 2023, our faith in Corsair RAM, which used to be our go-to, has diminished greatly over the last two years as the quality and compatibility of their DDR4 has been more than questionable. Outside of Samsung, Taiwan and Korea are doing much better and making memory chips using more traditional methods that are far more stable and compatible.
As a bonus, there's a simple and inexpensive "fix" you can build into your system. Simply add a cached 128GB SATA SSD and use it as a disconnected, fully functional and updated, bootable drive. If problems arise, you'll just remove your main SSD, plug in your backup SATA SSD, and diagnose. If it's a hardware or or other software issue. Issue. It's a cheap investment.
Has for an NVMe PCIe SSD, you've got Gen4x4 support directly from the CPU, and it's best to try to utilize that. But be careful, all Gen4x4 are not created equal! Some are actually converted Gen3x4s, and you can always tell by the read/write speeds. As a minimum on Gen4x4, you're looking for minimum read/write speeds of approximately 5,000/4,500MB/s.
Here are parts our clients commonly use that have excellent performance:
ADATA Legend 840 1TB PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe 1.4 M.2 Internal Gaming SSD Up to 5,000 MB/s (ALEG-840-1TCS)
Seventh on the list is the power supply unit or PSU. Like RAM, more is better. But you best do research. We like your choice in Thermaltake Smart 600W, and should work well with your setup. Both of the clients went with the PS-SPD-0700NPCWUS-W 700W version, but it's currently out of stock at Amazon.
And there you have it! Please let us know if you have any questions.
MaxProAndU Team
$99.99 is roughly where the mid-grade Gen4 TLC drives fall. For example, the Patriot P400 is $94.99, although with a shorter warranty. Although the Prime Day deal ADATA Legend 840 at $84.99 w/coupon is a better deal. TLC over the P3 Plus's expected QLC, easy choice...but I haven't seen the new Crucial drive reviewed yet.