PC part compatibility: CPU & motherboard compatibility explained

Make sure all of your PC parts are compatible including your motherboard, CPU and GPU

Shaun Conroy

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Marco

Nov 7, 2020 at 2:51 pm

Hello,

I have read this yesterday and I looked at some parts to put together from eBay:

Motherboard msi B450M VDH-PRO MAX MicroATX with Socket AM4
CPU AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8C/16T @3600Mhz (Turbo boost up to 4400Mhz)
RAM G.Skill Aegis DDR4 DIMM @3200Mhz, 2x8GB (total 16GB)
GPU AMD Radeon RX560 with 4GB dedicated memory
Case iTek “Patriot Mini” (seems it fits the MicroATX motherboard)
Arctic P14 fans (5 pieces; they should be – I guess – compatible with the case above: their placement should be 2 frontal, 2 lateral and 1 rear) 120mm diameter and 1700 RPM
Kingshark SSD M.2 2280 (seems this connection is supported by the msi motherboard above) 2.5” and 512GB capacity
Samsung Super Ritemaster CD-DVDRW reader 5.25” (I’ll need it mainly for installing Windows 10 Pro which comes in a DVD with official license; it should be supported by iTek case).
PSU ACE ATX at 700W (hoping it will handle everything; btw, seems ATX PSU is supported by iTek case).

I was wondering if this configuration is doable or not, whether I should use a different case and a more sophisticated cooling system (like Cooler Master MasterLiquid or msi MAG Core Liquid, etc…). I’m quite a beginner, it would be the very first time for me to build a PC because I have been using laptops for the last 9 years now (I had a desktop in 2001-2011, but it was already built by the technicians and I was a little boy at the time). So, aside from keyboard, monitor, mouse and mousepad (that I already have), is this machine lacking something?

A note about GPU: some say I should use nVidia RTX (or GTX) series because they are the best (yes, but they are expensive). Anyway, I’m looking for a cheaper card because I don’t mind to play some modern games at low-medium detail level.
In the other hand, I want my new machine to mount a high-end CPU for emulators (like PCEm or PCSX2) and video editing tools.

Thanks in advance.
Reply
- Marco
  
  Nov 7, 2020 at 3:07 pm
  
  P. S. Seems the comments layout deleted all the “Enter” I put in to separate PC parts line by line. 🙁 I hope this will be readable anyway…
  Reply
Kyle

Jul 23, 2020 at 1:06 pm

Hi,
This was a very informative article. Thanks you.
However lazy this may appear, I would just like someone to tell me what parts I need to buy if I’m looking to make a computer for mostly gaming purposes but I’m also hoping to future proof this for work purposes as well as VR compatibility.
I would either spend £1,200 or £2,000 (I know that seems like a range but I don’t know if I can achieve what I want for close to £1,000 (hence an extra £200 or if I just go full spec to close to £2,000 and get the best of the best).
A list of components to make either PC would be highly welcomed and appreciated.
Thanks all,
Kyle
Reply
- Charlie Noon
  
  Jul 24, 2020 at 9:41 am
  
  Hi Kyle, thanks for your comment. I think the best place for you to start is with our build pages. We recommend the best custom build PCs in a variety of price points. Below I’ve linked to our 1500/2000 builds.
  https://wordpress-529474-2504280.cloudwaysapps.com/builds/best-gaming-pc-under-2000/
  https://wordpress-529474-2504280.cloudwaysapps.com/builds/best-gaming-pc-under-1500/
  
  They will both be able to do what you require, and both fall under your high budget. If you have any follow up questions, feel free to reply or leave a comment on the specific build!
  Cheers
  Reply
Symen

Apr 4, 2020 at 12:40 pm

I tried building a pc but I’m not sure if all the parts are compatible can someone help me? CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 AF
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 AORUS M
Graphics card: INNO3D Geforce GTX 1660 SUPER TWIN X2
Intern memory: Kingston A400 SSD 480GB
Ram: G.Skill DDR4 Aegis 16GB 3200Mhz
case: Aerocool RIFT Midi-Tower

Can someone please tell me if this is a good PC and if it’s all compatible?
Reply
- Charlie Noon
  
  Apr 7, 2020 at 9:04 am
  
  Hi Symen, looks pretty good to me. You are missing a PSU though buddy.
  Reply
Hunter

Mar 3, 2020 at 5:03 am

hi i was wondering what type of graphics cards could fit on a B450 GAMING PLUS MAX and if i could a dual wield graphics card system
Reply
Thibaud

Oct 17, 2019 at 10:31 am

Is the wifi card required to have wifi or it’s just to have better one
Reply
royce

Aug 7, 2019 at 10:29 am

Hi.. iam planing to upgrade my pc..i have intel i3 530 2.9ghz(Q1’10) processor..which is the top best motherboard, Max best graphic card, Max best RAM card Should i buy? Please help me..
Reply
- Shaun Conroy
  
  Aug 12, 2019 at 8:25 am
  
  Hi Royce, What sort of money are you looking to spend? Take a look at this build and let me know what you think. https://wordpress-529474-2504280.cloudwaysapps.com/builds/best-gaming-pc-under-1000/
  Reply
Ron

Jul 4, 2019 at 1:51 am

thanks great info
Reply
Marcus

Feb 9, 2019 at 1:13 pm

This is very nice!
Reply

PC part compatibility: CPU & motherboard compatibility explained

The Author Who Worked On This Article

Shaun Conroy

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