I'm 19 years old and looking to build a new PC since my gaming laptop is getting old and can't keep up anymore. I typically only use my PC on weekends, so I'm trying not to overspend. A friend suggested a build with a 5070ti GPU, B850 Wi-Fi 6 motherboard, 7800X3D CPU, 850W power supply, DDR5 32GB RAM, and 2TB storage, which costs around 3000 CAD (~2200 USD) — a bit out of my price range. I'm aiming for something closer to 2000 CAD. I mainly play games like CS2, Valorant, BO3 Zombies, Minecraft, and Fortnite, not the latest titles. I'd like to know how to balance performance and cost for a future-proof build, and if there are certain parts where I can save money without compromising too much.
3 Answers
Since you're on a budget, you won't be able to future-proof your build for a decade, but that's okay. Stick with an AM5 socket. An X3D CPU is nice, but not necessary. For GPU, consider the 5060ti or 9060xt, which should work fine for your games. A 1TB NVMe SSD is also a good choice; don’t skimp on the motherboard and power supply, though, as those are critical to protecting your whole system.
2000 CAD is actually a decent budget for the games you're into! I'd suggest going for a 9070XT and a 7600X3D. You can save some cash on the case; something like the Montech Air 903 Base would work fine. Plus, there's a great deal on a 7600X3D bundle that includes a motherboard and RAM, which can help you stay within budget!
If you've got around $2100 CAD, I've got a build in mind that works well even as a weekend system. Check this link: [PCPartPicker Build](https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/RRyrjn). It includes a solid CPU and motherboard, a good 9060xt GPU, 2TB SSD, 32GB RAM, and quality 850W PSU in a nice case. It's totally fine to cut costs on parts like the GPU if you're not playing the latest games, but avoid going cheap on the PSU to prevent damaging other components.
I already got a case and an 850W PSU on a sale. You think I can hit around 240fps with this build? I don’t want to cheap out, but I also don’t need a $3K GPU!
I'd go with a similar setup but maybe add a cheap SSD for storage — it’ll improve your game loading times a lot!