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Keith, can you throw any light on this please? Mad Penguin seems to be otherwise preoccupied. I hope he's OK....

Hi Mike.

The motherboard is the first one: https://www.ebuyer.com/1141623-asus-rog-strix-b450-f-gaming-ii-atx-motherboard-rog-strix-b450-f-gaming-ii (https://www.ebuyer.com/1141623-asus-rog-strix-b450-f-gaming-ii-atx-motherboard-rog-strix-b450-f-gaming-ii).
And yes; that's the processor - https://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-Processor-Wraith-Stealth-Cooler/dp/B07B428V2L?th=1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-Processor-Wraith-Stealth-Cooler/dp/B07B428V2L?th=1). 
I built up a PC to MP's specs using these components and was very pleased with the result.  The cooler is silent! but the flashing LEDs on the board are for boy-racers. 

Keith

Thanks Keith,

I think I'll go ahead with this, but what's with the single PS2 keyboard/mouse connector? And are there onboard graphics? Either the tech specs are a bit garbled or I'm a bit older and dafter than I thought.

I haven't built a PC for over a decade and everything seems to have changed...

Mike,
I actually bought the Ryzen 5 2600 rather than the Ryzen 5 2600X.  I don't think there is any practical difference but you might like to look at https://www.windowscentral.com/amd-ryzen-5-2600-vs-amd-ryzen-5-2600x (https://www.windowscentral.com/amd-ryzen-5-2600-vs-amd-ryzen-5-2600x). 
This CPU does not come with built-in graphics so you will need a separate graphics card.  I bought the Nvidia Geforce GT710 - not that I know anything about graphics boards - but it works very well.  CPUs with built-in graphics tend to prevent you using one of the two m.2 SSD slots on the motherboard, though I can't remember why.

Don't bother about the PS2 business - I suggest you buy a wireless mouse/keyboard combination that uses a USB dongle.  I bought a Jelly Comb K041 Ultra-Thin 2.4Ghz Wireless Keyboard/mouse because it had the same layout as one I am familiar with.  It is a joy to use and I recommend it.  There is one on eBay today for ~£17 - bargain:  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284478703116 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284478703116).  Jelly Comb's website is https://www.jellycomb.uk/collections/combos (https://www.jellycomb.uk/collections/combos). 

QuoteI haven't built a PC for over a decade and everything seems to have changed...

Don't tell me about it!  When building this PC I discovered that all the connectors have changed since I last built one and I had to buy a new PSU, and the front audio block had the wrong connectors, too. 

Do let us know how you get on.
   Keith

As far as I know, all AMD Ryzen processors have Radeon graphics. Personally, I'd say they are overkill if you aren't a games player. The computer I got last year has an AMD A6-9500, with a Radeon 5 core, and is fine for me. If your are a gamer, steer clear of Nvidia — not Linux-friendly.

The single PS/2 connector is there for hard-core gamers with expensive keyboards which still use it for for multikey-rollover. These days most mice and keyboards are usb. I'd never get a wireless keyboard — the fewer batteries I have to buy the better. If you are short of usb ports — not a common problem these days — you can get an adapter to run a usb keyboard or mouse off a PS/2 port for £3.

David,

I checked quite thoroughly when buying my CPU and found that the Ryzen 5 2600 does not have on-board graphics - hence the graphics card.  Have a look at https://www.quora.com/Does-Ryzen-5-2600-have-integrated-graphics-And-if-so-what-is-the-name-of-it?share=1 (https://www.quora.com/Does-Ryzen-5-2600-have-integrated-graphics-And-if-so-what-is-the-name-of-it?share=1) and elsewhere.  As far as I can tell, the "X" variant of this CPU is the same in that respect. 

I've heard, as you mention, that one should steer clear of Nvidia cards, but can only say that my experience with Linux/Nvidia has been fine so far!

You are right about the environmental issues surrounding batteries.  I always use rechargeable ones, but I take your point. 

Keith

Blimey. This gets more tiresome by the day. The motherboard offers Displayport and HDMI interfaces but I'm gathering they are dependent on which CPU you install.

Nonetheless. Onward and upward...

Thanks for the advice folks. I'll think about a wireless keyboard and mouse. The convenience is very appealing, but I like my Cherry Black keyboard and Microsoft mouse. I'm tempted to dabble with gaming/virtual reality so maybe I need a decent graphics card anyway.

Watch this space.

(I'm off now to look up multikey-rollover).

In my ignorance I thought that all keyboards had multi-key rollover - certainly the many that I have used all did - but it seems not, so worth checking.  The Jelly Comb keyboard that I mentioned is fine with multi-key use (Ctrl+Alt+T  etc). 

Keith

It's all very complicated, isn't It? I'm surprised that anyone would spend £200 on a processor that has no graphics, but then my new PC last year only cost £250 including delivery!

Most people have no problem with Nvidia, but when you find some-one with a video problem, that's usually the source of it.

On the subject of keyboards, this site is the go-to place: https://deskthority.net/wiki/Rollover,_blocking_and_ghosting (https://deskthority.net/wiki/Rollover,_blocking_and_ghosting)

David,
If you built up your £250 PC yourself I am sure many readers would be very interested in your solution - perhaps a post in General discussion? 

Keith

Quote from: Keith on October 19, 2021, 10:09:14 PM
David,
If you built up your £250 PC yourself I am sure many readers would be very interested in your solution - perhaps a post in General discussion? 

Keith

I'd certainly be interested...

Quote from: Keith on October 19, 2021, 10:09:14 PM
If you built up your £250 PC yourself I am sure many readers would be very interested in your solution - perhaps a post in General discussion? 

I've only built a PC once, in 2005, and I didn't fancy doing it again. I went to CCL, a very helpful firm in Bradford, who offer a range of basic designs which you can tweak — anything from a basic office machine to a state-of-the-art games box.

CCL's site doesn't even work on my PC, either in Firefox or in Chrome, and they don't seem very bothered about that. They say they're a Microsoft accredited partner and can't advise on Linux (or words to that effect). That makes me worry about Linux compatibility...

Looks like I'm going to have to go for another self build, tedious though I find that these days.

Again, thanks guys. Watch this space.

Can you describe exactly what you mean when you say  "CCL's site doesn't even work on my PC"?
Are there any other sites that won't display on your system?  And if so, do they have anything in common? 

The site I used is https://www.cclonline.com/ (https://www.cclonline.com/) and it displays perfectly on Ubuntu 18.04 running Firefox 93.0 so I can't see why you are having difficulty.  Linux is very compatible. 

Do you have you some add-on security settings that may be blocking the site?  Or perhaps your router or ISP have some supposed "security" blocking mechanism. 

Keith

Thanks Keith,

I disabled Adblock Plus for the CCL site and things got a bit better, as in links actually working, but now I keep getting 'page not found' errors. I find it hard to see that as anything but shoddy website design/maintenance.

When I said "That makes me worry about Linux compatibility.." I meant with CCL's systems. They seem very Microsoft-centric. Maybe David was just lucky that his works...