The Best $1250 Quiet Gaming PC Build

It is a common drop-in upgrade for AM4 owners.

The Ryzen 5 5600 brings 6 cores and 12 threads, a 4.4GHz maximum boost, 32MB of L3 cache and a 65W rating, and it accounts for 13% of the parts total. A cooler comes in the box, so the build adds none.

AM4 is the socket on both the Ryzen 5 5600 and the PRO B550M-P, which is the first thing that has to match. The board maker's support list names the BIOS version this processor needs. The PRO B550M-P takes DDR4 and the Ryzen 5 5600 supports DDR4, so the TEAMGROUP Elite DDR4 kit in DDR4 is the matching type. DDR4 and DDR5 sticks are keyed differently, so the wrong type will not seat. The NH-U12S chromax.black lists AM4 support (AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700), so its mounting kit fits the Ryzen 5 5600. To spend less, the Ryzen 5 5500F is 6 cores against 6, roughly 24% cheaper than the Ryzen 5 5600; the board, memory and cooler rows still hold.

It also offers a 12GB video memory.

12GB of GDDR6 and the RX 7700 XT chip come with the ASRock Challenger 7700 XT, which takes 31% of the parts total, more than any other part. For the supply, the maker's guidance for this chip is 700W.

Neither the ASRock Challenger 7700 XT nor the Pure Base 501 DX lists a length, so compare both makers' spec pages before ordering. The ASRock Challenger 7700 XT is an RX 7700 XT card, and its chip maker recommends a 700W system power supply. The be quiet! Power Zone 2 850W is 850W, which leaves 150W for the processor, drives and fans. The listing for the ASRock Challenger 7700 XT does not name its power connector, while the be quiet! Power Zone 2 850W lists one 12V-2x6 connector and three PCIe 8-pin leads. Check the card's page for 8-pin or 12V-2x6 and count the leads you need. If the budget is tighter, the ASRock RX 9060 XT Challenger 8GB offers the RX 9060 XT with 8GB of GDDR6, against the RX 7700 XT's 12GB, roughly 18% cheaper than the ASRock Challenger 7700 XT; the supply wattage and case length rows stay green.

It also offers a 2 M.2 slot count and offers a 1Gbps wired network speed.

For 6% of the parts total, the PRO B550M-P adds the B550 chipset, Micro-ATX size, 2 M.2 slots and 1GbE LAN on the AM4 socket, and only DDR4 sticks fit its slots.

AM4 is the socket on both the Ryzen 5 5600 and the PRO B550M-P, which is the first thing that has to match. The board maker's support list names the BIOS version this processor needs. The PRO B550M-P takes DDR4 and the Ryzen 5 5600 supports DDR4, so the TEAMGROUP Elite DDR4 kit in DDR4 is the matching type. DDR4 and DDR5 sticks are keyed differently, so the wrong type will not seat. 2 M.2 slots on the PRO B550M-P means the NM790 1TB plugs in without an adapter, with a slot spare for later; check the manual for the slot that gets the fastest lanes.

It also offers a CL22 CAS latency and offers a 3200MT/s rated speed.

This kit is 16GB, DDR4, 3200MT/s and CL22 in two sticks and takes 9% of the parts total.

The PRO B550M-P takes DDR4 and the Ryzen 5 5600 supports DDR4, so the TEAMGROUP Elite DDR4 kit in DDR4 is the matching type. DDR4 and DDR5 sticks are keyed differently, so the wrong type will not seat. 16GB arrives as two sticks in the TEAMGROUP Elite DDR4 kit; the PRO B550M-P manual shows which two slots to fill so the memory runs in dual-channel. A step up is the SP Turbine: 32GB at 3200MT/s, roughly 75% dearer than the TEAMGROUP Elite DDR4; it stays on the generation the board and processor take.

The NM790 1TB offers 1TB, PCIe 4.0, up to 7400MB/s sequential reads and no DRAM cache and takes 15% of the parts total.

2 M.2 slots on the PRO B550M-P means the NM790 1TB plugs in without an adapter, with a slot spare for later; check the manual for the slot that gets the fastest lanes. A step up is the P310 2TB: 2TB on PCIe 4.0, roughly 31% dearer than the NM790 1TB; the board's M.2 row is unaffected. By price it is the second largest of the eight parts ($100 to $250 when we checked), which is about 15% of the total.

Its 140mm fan stops at low load.

The be quiet! Power Zone 2 850W is 850W, Platinum rated, ATX 3.1, ATX format and one 12V-2x6 connector and takes 10% of the parts total.

The ASRock Challenger 7700 XT is an RX 7700 XT card, and its chip maker recommends a 700W system power supply. The be quiet! Power Zone 2 850W is 850W, which leaves 150W for the processor, drives and fans. The listing for the ASRock Challenger 7700 XT does not name its power connector, while the be quiet! Power Zone 2 850W lists one 12V-2x6 connector and three PCIe 8-pin leads. Check the card's page for 8-pin or 12V-2x6 and count the leads you need. The be quiet! Power Zone 2 850W is a standard ATX unit, and the Pure Base 501 DX listing does not name a power supply type, so confirm ATX fits in its manual.

It also offers a 360mm largest radiator size.

The Pure Base 501 DX lists room for ATX boards and a radiator up to 360mm and takes 8% of the parts total.

The PRO B550M-P is a Micro-ATX board and the Pure Base 501 DX lists ATX, so the board mounts on the standoffs without adapters. Neither the ASRock Challenger 7700 XT nor the Pure Base 501 DX lists a length, so compare both makers' spec pages before ordering. The be quiet! Power Zone 2 850W is a standard ATX unit, and the Pure Base 501 DX listing does not name a power supply type, so confirm ATX fits in its manual.

At 158mm it fits most towers, and the black finish suits a dark build.

The NH-U12S chromax.black is a tower air cooler with a 120mm fan, 158mm height and AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700 mounting, and it takes 8% of the parts total.

The NH-U12S chromax.black lists AM4 support (AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700), so its mounting kit fits the Ryzen 5 5600. The NH-U12S chromax.black stands 158mm tall, but the Pure Base 501 DX listing gives no cooler height limit, so check the case page for that figure before ordering.