Boy, have things changed since 2000 - Need advice on a gaming, possible streaming PC for my tween

Jameson

Last time i looked at a PC was around 2000. Am I on the right track for a PC for my 13yr old? He's mainly going to use it for Fortnite, CoD, Madden, FIFA, and the like. He says he wants to stream, so If he does, i'd like it to not look like rubbish. I would like to stay under $1200 after tax. 
https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=4854b32e-79c8-48f7-b0e6-82ea4651e5fd

TSPhillipT

Hello @Jameson!  Welcome to the Micro Center Community!

I think everything looks good, though there are small changes I would do.  If you son wants to stream, nVidia GPUs have added a feature called "NVENC" which helps your system stream and lessens the load on your CPU.  A good replacement would be the 1660 from nVidia.  I do think the 5500XT is a great card, but if your son is more interested in streaming, a GPU switch can help.  

I would also consider taking out the 2.5'' solid state drive and putting in a hard disk drive instead.  You are already using a M.2 NVMe as the boot device so booting will be quick, and Hard Disk Drives are still quick when the OS isn't being ran from them.  

Here is modified version of your build, swapping out the 1TB 2.5'' SSD for a 2TB HDD let us do a 1660Ti for just a dollar more than your original build.  https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=353649b4-e9cd-4022-bd8e-69cda022418b.

I also want to double check that you know the Motherboard doesn't have WiFi.  If you need WiFi, you can switch to a different board or add a networking card.  If you plan on using an Ethernet Cable (always recommended) this motherboard works great!  

Lastly, don't forget that you will need to add a Windows 10 License key as well

Jameson

No WiFi, yikes! What an oversight on my part. I changed the mainboard to a B450 AORUS PRO WIFI AMD AM4 ATX Motherboard, will that do the trick? https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=cb45f236-2c49-48bf-b3c7-2b1a56224244

TSTonyV

That should do the trick, although I  would also switch out your PSU for something at least 80+ Bronze rated. I don't recommend anything less than 80+ Bronze personally. 

This one should do the trick and is only $5 more: https://www.microcenter.com/product/485311/powerspec-550-watt-80-plus-bronze-atx-non-modular-power-supply