NaClKnight

That cpu doesn’t have integrated graphics, but if you try it without a GPU do you at least get a POST beep?

Do you know if the PSU is good?

I recognize that with the age of this post you’ve either figured it out or moved on but I’d still be curious about what happened next

Yeah i agree with this.

The RX 6600 is the best ultra budget (under $200) upgrade, though the RX 6650 XT and RX 7600 project to last longer as viable upgrades and are still under $250.

The 6600 is slightly weaker than the 5700 XT which is still a valid card today

Do you have an upgrade budget?
With a 4790k You’re looking at PCIe 3.0,

a Radeon RX 6600, 6650 XT, or 7600 are all good 8GB VRAM cards for under $250 that will last for a long time at 1080p.

VRAM concerns really only occur at higher resolutions, so for you any modern card (2022 or newer) will be a massive upgrade. The 6600 can be had for $180 these days

But even you’re not planning to upgrade CPU right now, i would just buy the best GPU you can fit in your budget, and do worry about bottlenecks. One day you’ll upgrade CPU/MB/RAM and the GPU will fit right in.

For a case? I’ve had a fantastic time with my Hyte Revolt 3 It’s ITX, fits 240 AIOs and water cooling easily and even custom loops if you’re careful about part choice.

It comes with a sturdy carrying handle, is easy to build in, and has been rugged enough to through into a (hard shell) carry-on bag and take with me on work trips.

For CPU choice, why Intel over AMD? The AMD chips usually have lower TDPs. In your case, because you’re looking for max single core instead of max multi core, you can look at second tier chips like Ryzen 7800 or Intel 14700 which usually pair 95% of the core speed with 70% of the heat and 70% of the cores. Undervolting is also an option, and AMD makes that easier.

As far as CPU wattage and heat, there’s always some kind of tradeoff. It’ll be audible but with the right cooler and CPU you can keep it manageable