I'm helping a friend build a gaming PC with a budget of around $1500. He's upgrading from an older system with an Intel i7-8700K and a GTX 1060 6GB. He wants to achieve at least 1080p gaming at 60 fps with ultra settings, if possible. I've put together a few potential builds:
1. **Intel Build:** Intel Core i5-14600K, MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and other components totaling $1682.82.
2. **AMD Build:** AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, also around $1683.14.
3. **Another AMD Option:** Using Ryzen 7 7800X3D with a slightly different GPU for $1629.83.
I'm also considering options like the RX 9070 or 9070XT. My friend isn't too concerned about ray tracing or DLSS at the moment, but he might upgrade to a 1440p monitor in the future. What CPU/GPU combo do you think would be the best fit for his needs within this budget?
3 Answers
If he's looking at potentially going 1440p in the future, he might want to prioritize a powerful GPU like the RTX 5070 Ti. It might be worth stretching the budget slightly if that means a better graphics card. However, if he doesn't need ray tracing and DLSS for now, the older cards like 9070 could also be a good fit at a lower price.
I think the second build with the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and the RTX 5070 Ti is a solid choice. That combo should give you great performance for 1080p gaming at ultra settings.
Thanks for the input!
I would actually suggest looking into the Ryzen 7 7800X3D build if he wants the best future-proofing. It might stretch his budget a little, but it's optimized for performance with newer titles, especially if he goes for a higher resolution later on.
Consider swapping to an air cooler to save some cash unless aesthetics really matter to you.