So I am finally putting together a dedicated home office rig because my old laptop is literally dying lol and I am so stoked to actually have a real desk setup! I am mostly doing heavy multitasking with spreadsheets and video calls all day. I am torn between the Ryzen 5 5600G and the Ryzen 5 5500. The 5600G is like $125 and has the built in graphics which would be so easy but then I saw the 5500 is way cheaper but I'd need a separate card. I have about $150 max for the CPU and I want to order everything by Tuesday. Which one makes more sense for just a fast office experience?
^ This. Also, I went with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 6-Core 12-Thread Processor with Radeon Graphics and I am super satisfied. It just works. Dont mess around with extra parts that might break later. Plus, the stock cooler is actually really quiet for office stuff so you save even more money. TL;DR: The 5600G is definitely the safest, most reliable bet for a fast office rig.
Just get the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 6-Core 12-Thread. Built-in graphics saves you from buying a separate card, keeping you way under budget. Its definitely the most practical choice.
To add to the point above: I'd actually disagree that it's as simple as just picking the CPU. My own office build has been great, but the real danger is motherboard compatibility. If youre ordering by Tuesday, you gotta make sure the board has a bios flashback button. Honestly, if it needs an update to work with those chips, you're gonna be stuck. Let me know if you need help checking specs tho!