Newegg Inc. via Walmart has AMD Ryzen 5 5500 Desktop AM4 Processor + MSI PRO B550M-VC WiFi ATX Motherboard + 16GB (2x8GB) Team T-Force DDR4 3200MHz Memory Kit for $253.99. Shipping is free.
Thanks to Deal Hunter tDames for sharing this deal.
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Newegg Inc. via Walmart has AMD Ryzen 5 5500 Desktop AM4 Processor + MSI PRO B550M-VC WiFi ATX Motherboard + 16GB (2x8GB) Team T-Force DDR4 3200MHz Memory Kit for $253.99. Shipping is free.
Thanks to Deal Hunter tDames for sharing this deal.
This Ryzen 5 5500, MSI PRO B550M VC WiFi, and 16GB DDR4 bundle is framed as a budget AM4 starter that can work well for everyday use, Linux workstations, and quiet builds. The main strengths are the B550M board's full length PCIe slot, the included WiFi, and enough bandwidth for mainstream GPUs, while the 16GB kit is the bigger Windows limit. The main drawback is the Ryzen 5 5500 itself, which lacks PCIe Gen 4 and is seen as less future proof than a 5600. Price also drew scrutiny, with comparisons to cheaper Micro Center bundles and a recent jump from $199 to $250.
Gamers using older graphics cards, because the Ryzen 5 5500's PCIe Gen 3 limit is fine when the GPU is not demanding newer lanes.
No. The Ryzen 5 5500 is PCIe Gen 3 only, so Gen 4 SSD benchmarks and other Gen 4-specific features are the main things you lose. For most GPU use, the difference is small, especially with mainstream cards.
Yes, the bottom three full-length slots are wired for x1 bandwidth, while the main slot has x16 lanes. That makes the extra slots useful for add-in cards, but not ideal if you need high-bandwidth expansion.
The 5600 is often viewed as the better buy for about $35 more because it avoids the 5500's PCIe Gen 3 limitation and has stronger future-proofing. The 5500 can still be fine for older GPUs and budget builds, but the 5600 is the cleaner upgrade.
Yes. The 5500 plus this micro-ATX board can make a quiet budget Linux workstation, and the extra slots can help for Proxmox even though the lower slots are only x1 wired. Undervolting and good case fans can also keep it quiet.
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A 5500x3d bundle would match the steam machine and even beat it by 10% when paired with 2x8gb sticks of ddr4 and that micro atx board. But the 5500x would not, especially with ddr4. The 5800x3d would beat steam machine by 30% even with ddr4, but at a pretty high wattage to get there. I imagine a scenario where you could down clock it and still beat the steam machine without putting out too much heat or making loud fan noise. But yeah the 5500x is just too slow for the price.
Last edited by tripknotix July 16, 2026 at 12:41 PM.
Can confirm 5500 vs 5600, no gen 4 support is a big let down. If you are sticking to really old GPU's that can be fine but the little bit of price increase is definitely worth it.
No pcie gen 4 support means nothing in practice. Only those who want to see fast ssd benchmarks with their pci express 4 ssds. It doesn't matter on the gpu front. It's been proven upto an rtx 3090 its nearly meaningless. And a Ryzen 5 5500 will never get paired with something anywhere near as powerful.
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Quote
from Enoch42
:
Can confirm 5500 vs 5600, no gen 4 support is a big let down. If you are sticking to really old GPU's that can be fine but the little bit of price increase is definitely worth it.
I'm going to repeat this to you. It's not a let down unless you are one of those people who is doing one of two things. You like running crystal bench on your pcie gen 4 ssds. OR you own an rtx 5090 because you spent all your money on the gpu and have nothing left over for the rest of the system. It's been proven that upto an rtx 3090 that pci express gen 3 is just fine and doesn't make any difference in performance.
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Community Reviews
This Ryzen 5 5500, MSI PRO B550M VC WiFi, and 16GB DDR4 bundle is framed as a budget AM4 starter that can work well for everyday use, Linux workstations, and quiet builds. The main strengths are the B550M board's full length PCIe slot, the included WiFi, and enough bandwidth for mainstream GPUs, while the 16GB kit is the bigger Windows limit. The main drawback is the Ryzen 5 5500 itself, which lacks PCIe Gen 4 and is seen as less future proof than a 5600. Price also drew scrutiny, with comparisons to cheaper Micro Center bundles and a recent jump from $199 to $250.
PCIe Gen 3 performance can be sufficient for many GPU setups, with Gen 4 mainly impacting niche SSD benchmark scenarios.
The motherboard's main PCIe x16 slot can leave unused bandwidth with midrange GPUs, even when running PCIe Gen 3.
The combo can work well for a budget Linux workstation, especially when undervolting helps reduce noise.
The performance tradeoff from using Ryzen 5 5500 is framed as small for day-to-day use, with the bigger impact focused on future-proofing.
Ryzen 5 5500 lacks PCIe Gen 4 support, which can be a major letdown for users focused on PCIe 4 SSD benchmarks.
The motherboard's expansion layout may limit throughput because the bottom PCIe slots appear wired for only x1 bandwidth.
The deal price has reportedly increased from $199 to $250 within the past few weeks, which can reduce perceived value.
The Ryzen 5 5500 is described as too slow for the price in a Steam-machine style scenario, especially compared with higher-tier bundles.
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