Budget Half-Life: Alyx Build

Exomnium

I'm trying to put together a 'reasonably' priced PC for Half-Life: Alyx. I would like to run Linux on the machine, although I'm willing to dual boot Windows if necessary. I am intending to also buy a Valve Index for the headset, although I may reconsider that. I would like to be able to play DOOM Eternal and Elden Ring, although these should be much easier to run than Alyx.

I'm roughly following this (https://www.build-gaming-computers.com/half-life-alyx-pc-build.html) guide (at the low/medium 90fps level), although I don't think I can get the Ryzen 5 3600 or Ryzen 3 3300X at the nearby Micro Centers. I've chosen AMD for the CPU and GPU because AMD is supposed to have better Linux support.

I'm thinking my budget is roughly $1250, but I could probably go up to $1500. I currently have this (https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder-amd.aspx?load=8b5b7f0b-8814-4ff3-8dab-e78a0dd4cb34). I tried to go cheap on the case, but I didn't go too cheap on the motherboard and power supply. I get the feeling I don't want to go with a bronze power supply because it will ultimately cost more in electricity. Also, I really don't know what I'm doing with regards to choosing a motherboard. I already have SSDs and peripherals that are acceptable. (I may also pick up the free 240GB SSD that Micro Center is offering.)

Will my build work acceptably for what I want? Could I go with a cheaper motherboard? Would I be okay with a smaller power supply (given that the estimate is 366 watts but my current choice is 650 watts)? Are there any pitfalls waiting for me?

Thank you for your help.

Ian

Greetings. Looking over your build list that looks really good for your intended budget.

The guide you were following just has slightly older models of AMD processors than currently sold, so that's why you wouldn't see them on our website.

There isn't really anything I'd recommend changing, you can go down on the power supply wattage if you wanted a little, but honestly everything you have picked out looks solid.

From this guide online where they test out the RX 6600 XT with various VR titles, its Alyx performance is pretty much spot on to NVIDIA's RTX 3060 at a similar price. https://babeltechreviews.com/vr-wars-the-red-devil-rx-6600-xt-showdown-with-the-rtx-3060/

Exomnium

Thank you. I've purchased the parts and they're working great except for one issue. The case I chose was too small for a standard ATX motherboard, which seems like the kind of thing the PC builder should notice since it's supposed to be checking for compatibility. Nevertheless, after getting a bigger case, I am quite satisfied.

TSPhillipT

Thanks for the feedback! I have passed this up to our webteam for them to see if they can get this corrected.