Motherboard Memory CPU Combo ASUS ROG STRIX B650E+I+ Team Group 16GB DDR5 + Ryzen 5 9600X for $444

Tigerwang

Jan 24, 2026 01:29 PM

699 Posts

Joined Jul 2017

TigerwangJan 24, 2026 01:29 PM

699 Posts

I upgraded to 9600X from 5600X and big performance in video editing!

dabogues

Jan 24, 2026 02:25 PM

377 Posts

Joined Dec 2006

daboguesJan 24, 2026 02:25 PM

377 Posts

This is really tempting. Can someone talk me out of it? Seems like even with the ridiculous RAM prices, this combo is a decent deal. sure, 32gb would probably make this an instant buy for me, but I mean beggars can't be choosers. I'm stubbornly running a core i5 that won't quit for about 9 years, so it's time for an upgrade. I feel like the mobo is on its last legs, lol.

Last edited by dabogues January 24, 2026 at 07:31 AM.

Slick_Drone

Pro

Jan 24, 2026 02:55 PM

6,886 Posts

Joined Nov 2017

Slick_Drone

Pro

Jan 24, 2026 02:55 PM

6,886 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank Slick_Drone

Quote from dabogues

:

This is really tempting. Can someone talk me out of it? Seems like even with the ridiculous RAM prices, this combo is a decent deal. sure, 32gb would probably make this an instant buy for me, but I mean beggars can't be choosers. I'm stubbornly running a core i5 that won't quit for about 9 years, so it's time for an upgrade. I feel like the mobo is on its last legs, lol.

Consider that this motherboard only has 2 dimm slots and 2 m.2 slots. So when it's time to upgrade your RAM, you're going to have to replace BOTH modules meaning even more money to spend on RAM down the road. And you better have two large m.2 NVME drives already, since those are your only onboard options. Do you really want a mini ITX board?

1

5

dabogues

Jan 24, 2026 03:00 PM

377 Posts

Joined Dec 2006

daboguesJan 24, 2026 03:00 PM

377 Posts

Quote from Slick_Drone

:

Consider that this motherboard only has 2 dimm slots and 2 m.2 slots. So when it's time to upgrade your RAM, you're going to have to replace BOTH modules meaning even more money to spend on RAM down the road. And you better have two large m.2 NVME drives already, since those are your only onboard options. Do you really want a mini ITX board?

I realized that, too, the more I looked at the slots. I don't mind mITX because I'm sick of having a giant case and don't really need to expand much anymore, but 2 dimms is concerning since this only comes with 16gb. Great point about the m.2s as well, though that isn't as much of a concern for me.

Going to hold for now, but I'm still going to keep an eye on decent 7700x and 9600x bundles. I may be able to wait out the RAM thing for another year or so, since I am not typically on my desktop quite so much anymore, but we shall see, lol.

Last edited by dabogues January 24, 2026 at 08:03 AM.

MeghanS3978

Jan 24, 2026 03:07 PM

20 Posts

Joined Dec 2018

MeghanS3978Jan 24, 2026 03:07 PM

20 Posts

I just ordered this combo and it included an MSI liquid cooling RGB radiator for the chip. Absolutely run and get this deal!!

1

MeghanS3978

Jan 24, 2026 03:09 PM

20 Posts

Joined Dec 2018

MeghanS3978Jan 24, 2026 03:09 PM

20 Posts

I just bought this combo and it included an MSI RGB liquid cooling radiator for the chip. I would run and get this deal!!

1

nawaz

Jan 24, 2026 03:14 PM

100 Posts

Joined Jul 2016

nawazJan 24, 2026 03:14 PM

100 Posts

it comes to 428

Jaredsk74

Jan 24, 2026 03:24 PM

78 Posts

Joined Mar 2013

Jaredsk74Jan 24, 2026 03:24 PM

78 Posts

Quote from dabogues

:

I realized that, too, the more I looked at the slots. I don't mind mITX because I'm sick of having a giant case and don't really need to expand much anymore, but 2 dimms is concerning since this only comes with 16gb. Great point about the m.2s as well, though that isn't as much of a concern for me.

Going to hold for now, but I'm still going to keep an eye on decent 7700x and 9600x bundles. I may be able to wait out the RAM thing for another year or so, since I am not typically on my desktop quite so much anymore, but we shall see, lol.

If you want mini ITX, then you will have to accept that you only get 2 RAM slots. I've never seen one with 4 slots; they may exist for niche uses but are incredibly rare. Although with DDR5, it's really not recommended to run with 4 sticks. Check out the SFF subreddit /r/sffpc for case ideas; the sizes can range quite a bit depending on how small you are aiming for.

Slick_Drone

Pro

Jan 24, 2026 03:31 PM

6,886 Posts

Joined Nov 2017

Slick_Drone

Pro

Jan 24, 2026 03:31 PM

6,886 Posts

Quote from Jaredsk74

:

If you want mini ITX, then you will have to accept that you only get 2 RAM slots. I've never seen one with 4 slots; they may exist for niche uses but are incredibly rare. Although with DDR5, it's really not recommended to run with 4 sticks. Check out the SFF subreddit /r/sffpc for case ideas; the sizes can range quite a bit depending on how small you are aiming for.

Thats not the point, the point is with THIS combo it's not 1x 16gb stick, so when he inevitably wants to upgrade to 32gb, he's stuck replacing the overpriced 16gb he already paid for. If this were a 32gb combo it would be better even if it was more money. Capacity is usually more important than speed today, though both matter.

2

1

2

jiggydancer

Jan 24, 2026 03:42 PM

431 Posts

Joined Mar 2004

jiggydancerJan 24, 2026 03:42 PM

431 Posts

ram supply must be recovering if they're putting out sales

dabogues

Jan 24, 2026 03:52 PM

377 Posts

Joined Dec 2006

daboguesJan 24, 2026 03:52 PM

377 Posts

Quote from Jaredsk74

:

If you want mini ITX, then you will have to accept that you only get 2 RAM slots. I've never seen one with 4 slots; they may exist for niche uses but are incredibly rare. Although with DDR5, it's really not recommended to run with 4 sticks. Check out the SFF subreddit /r/sffpc for case ideas; the sizes can range quite a bit depending on how small you are aiming for.

Thanks for the tips! Yeah, they are out there but rare. I don't realistically see myself needing more than 32 given my needs, so 2x16 would suffice for me but def worth keeping in mind.

1

SkillfulMask719

Jan 24, 2026 03:55 PM

275 Posts

Joined Nov 2022

SkillfulMask719Jan 24, 2026 03:55 PM

275 Posts

Quote from jiggydancer

:

ram supply must be recovering if they're putting out sales

well they got past christmas and now they have the left overs sitting on a shelf. The Ai market likely does not care about modules this small, so they move them out to make room for more and bigger modules. This is just the leftovers from Christmas past

SDkimchi

Pro

Expert

This user is an Expert in Computers

Jan 24, 2026 04:09 PM

1,817 Posts

Joined Aug 2009

SDkimchi

Pro

Expert

This user is an Expert in Computers

Jan 24, 2026 04:09 PM

1,817 Posts

Thanks OP!

Mike_W

Jan 24, 2026 04:11 PM

31 Posts

Joined Aug 2003

Mike_WJan 24, 2026 04:11 PM

31 Posts

This is a good deal if you want a small form factor build; the board is $200 by itself from new egg, Asus has it listed as $299 MSRP, the processor is around $180 normally, and 2x8GB modules of DDR 5 are $199 at the lowest (per PCPARTPICKER in United States) this board is one of the higher end small form factor boards as well. It has PCI-E 5 x16 for the graphics card (probably won't make a difference for home use, but it feels nice to have it) and PCI-E 5.0x4 for one of the NVME drives, PCI-E 4.0 x16 for the second drive. The CPU has a tdp of 65W, so it'll be easy to cool, and has integrated graphics that should be ok for desktop, streaming media, or roblox. 16GB of RAM isn't the best long term, but it is going to be ~$300 to $350 for a 16x2 set of RAM until the AI hype gets sorted. (AI demand caused a lot of chip makers to make HBM memory instead of the chips used in DDR5, so there's a shortage of consumer DDR5 right now. 32GB ddr5 used to be under $100 last summer)

If you wanted a small PC (check out shineysnake, cooler master nr200, ssupd meshroom, or jonsbo cases for budget ideas) you could build a PC close to the size of a console and have it close to your TV.

Drawbacks: it's a high end board with a budget CPU, which is an odd combination of parts. ITX builds are cramped, and the cases seem to have a higher price tag for the nice ones, and it can be a challenge to build in. Graphics cards that fit in smaller cases may command an premium. I think somebody else suggested the small form factor (r/sff) subreddit, which will have way more information to help if that's a route you want to go.

r3p3ro

Original Poster

Pro

Expert

This user is an Expert in Tech & Electronics

Jan 24, 2026 04:39 PM

2,537 Posts

Joined Nov 2016

r3p3roJan 24, 2026 04:39 PM

Original Poster

Pro

Expert

This user is an Expert in Tech & Electronics

2,537 Posts

Quote from SkillfulMask719

:

well they got past christmas and now they have the left overs sitting on a shelf. The Ai market likely does not care about modules this small, so they move them out to make room for more and bigger modules. This is just the leftovers from Christmas past

That's not it. These are consumer-grade modules. The AI industry requires a different class of modules, and most production has shifted toward AI-focused hardware, significantly reducing the availability of consumer-grade stock. As a result, the limited inventory that does exist is quickly bought up by scalpers or end consumers. Demand for consumer-grade modules far exceeds supply, which is driving the recent price increases.
The RAM sticks included in those bundles are not from popular brands (Corsair, Kingston, etc.), which is why some older stock is still available at reasonable prices. Once that inventory is depleted, these prices won't last.

They're basically using unpopular modules to move unpopular hardware, which is working simply because there's nothing else in this price range

Last edited by r3p3ro January 24, 2026 at 09:44 AM.

Motherboard Memory CPU Combo ASUS ROG STRIX B650E+I+ Team Group 16GB DDR5 + Ryzen 5 9600X for $444

$444

$680

Community Voting

Leave a Comment

24 Comments

Leave a Comment

Related Searches

Popular Deals

Trending Deals