These things are a non-issue these day. Installing an AMD cpu+cooler is like literally placing CPU down and flip a switch, place cooler down, hook up both sides, and flip another switch, all within two minutes. It was harder and worse before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XRYhEr-NsM

And there was a time when both Intel and AMD suffered heavily and generated too much heat and the standard cooler was inadequate, but coolers that comes with Ryzen is cooling more than enough. Like clarry wrote, they all comes with plenty of paste and you should never need to apply some. (Well, unless you want to switch cooler, and a rice size drop is enough.)

It's easy to think it's worse than it really is, but I understand if it makes you uncomfortable. Likewise, I prefer to let others change oil and filter on my car, even though I would save more by doing it myself (and time since one usually have to set an appointment).

I´m not familiar with Ikenfell and The Alliance Alive but looking at requirements and the style of game, should play just fine on Intel integrated graphics.

I actually just copied Hollow Knight to my bedroom computer wich has a i3-7100u (4 years old laptop CPU) and Intel HD620, the game runs fine at 1600x900 wich means that will probably play fine at 1080p on newer parts, like the i5-10400.

Edit: Regarding Bard's tale 4, you can probably play the game on Ryzen Vega 8/10/11 or Intel Iris G4/G7 integrated graphic solution, found in laptop and mini-pc's at decent settings. However, all the Intel Iris G4/G7 parts are very expensive.
Otherwise a dedicated GPU is needed, wich of course, can be added later...

Back in 2005 i did something curious, i bought a barebones system, some ram a larger hard drive and boom it was a decent PC. Although not a gaming PC. The barebones system was $125, HD and ram probably another $150. If it has a decent PSU you can add a more powerful Videocard, otherwise it would have to be lower powered.

Regardless that seems like it could hit pretty close.

The marked seem to come and go but in my experience they've almost always been more expensive than building one yourself, however, because of Microsoft's aggressive marketing, they are usually cheaper than they would be without Windows. Getting a prebuilt machine with either Linux or FreeDOS is not only difficult, but also more expensive.

But I agree, especially now with Ryzen being so powerful and with cheaper laptops there really are no reason to buy a pre-built stationary one, unless one is a serious games that is. Everyone I know has a laptop that fits their needs and only a few of them also have a PC.

And the fact that i seldom recommend mass-produced, cheap pre-built ones to some users (not to companies) is because of others and my own experience. These tends to have a higher fail-rate than custom and self-built. I've had so many support jobs on boxes that have been hastily put together with all kinds of misfire due to lazy assembly and broken components, and with wrong image with wrong drivers that leads to bluescreens and blackscreens.

That said, I do know of a company here in Norway that built them for you with good care, but they're also not cheap.

EDIT: Since dtgrene seem like a technical knowledgeable person I assumed she wouldn't mind building.

I was asked, when building my pc, by shopping assistant, do they need to build the pc themselves. They sent the boxes and receipt in separate box, while pc was custom built and came unscratched and all in one case...
Problems arose with windows installment.
Plus incompatible monitor I had.

So, much easier than back when I built my PC circa 2013, then? That's good to know.

Does this mean that I wouldn't have to worry about the CPU cooler and having to apply thermal paste?

Also, does this mean that I can build a computer without needing a torque screwdriver of a specific size?

What sanscript said, no need to worry about thermal paste since it is pre-applied to the cooler.
If you replace the cooler or take it off for some reason then you will need to reapply thermal paste.


Sanscript makes it sound like you don't need any, this is not recommended because the metal plate will warp with different heat levels, the paste is needed to make sure the connection is always there.
But the paste is preapplied as I said so you wouldn't have to worry if you buy a new ryzen APU or CPU.

Most 3rd party CPU coolers I've had needed to be screwed into the bracket (comes with cooler) behind the motherboard. (yeah with a star screwdriver if I remember well)

It depends on the cooler. I'd expect retail boxed CPUs with coolerls to have the paste pre-applied, like the wraith does, but my Noctua NH-D15 came with a tube of paste. https://noctua.at/en/products/thermal-grease/nt-h1-3-5g

Of course you can just buy a thermal pad if paste is too HC: https://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Cooling-Graphite-Thermal-Pad/dp/B07CKVW18G

lol, with all your knowledge demands and punctuality you are depending on this lot for decent suggestion... or ... your just looking to make some rumor, cause then i'm cool... you know

If applying thermal paste can be an hurdle there are conductive pads that just need to be placed between the CPU and the heatsink.
Tey are not as good as good thermal compounds but good enough.

Building a $500 AMD Gaming PC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dEfc9LL9bQ

(Yeah he does use an nvidia gpu...)

Interesting that the cooler here doesn't have paste pre-applied. Maybe they've used it before and just cleaned it up for the stream.

I've built my share of computers and even 3, party cooler have paste on them (at least the serious ones). If my memory is still intake, we need to go back to early 2000 when coolers didn't have paste. Used however, is naturally striped of paste.

I'd say the Noctua NH-D15 is pretty serious...