I'm putting together a new white gaming PC in Romania with a budget of around €1,500, mainly for 1440p gaming. My current parts list is a Ryzen 5 9600X for about €150, or a used Ryzen 7 7800X3D for around €220; a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE cooler for €50; an MSI B850 Gaming Plus WiFi 6E ATX motherboard; a Patriot Viper Elite 5 16GB DDR5-6000 CL30 kit for €250; a Lexar NM790 1TB SSD; a used Radeon RX 9070 XT for approximately €600; a Montech Sky 3 case for €100; and an ASUS Prime AP 750W fully modular 80+ Gold power supply. I initially considered buying only one 16GB RAM stick so I could add another later, but I'm unsure whether running in single-channel mode is worth it. Are there better-value alternatives, especially for RAM, the SSD, or the power supply?
3 Answers
The overall parts list should work well for 1440p, but I wouldn’t recommend starting with a single 16GB stick. Single-channel memory can noticeably reduce performance and cause worse frame times. It’s better to buy a matched 2x16GB DDR5-6000 kit now, ideally around CL30 or CL32. If 32GB kits are too expensive, a cheaper 2x16GB kit with looser timings is still preferable to one fast 16GB stick. Also, make sure the motherboard’s memory support list is compatible with the kit you choose.
I’d replace the ASUS Prime power supply with a model from a more established platform, such as a Seasonic Focus GX-750 or a Corsair RM750e/RM750x. A quality 750W Gold unit should be appropriate for this system, assuming the specific model has the required modern GPU connector. For storage, 1TB can fill up quickly with current games, so a 2TB NVMe drive is worth considering if the price difference is reasonable. You don’t necessarily need the most expensive or fastest SSD for gaming; a reliable midrange PCIe 4.0 model is usually enough.
The used 7800X3D is probably the better gaming choice if it’s in good condition and includes no hidden issues, especially at only around €220. The 9600X is newer and efficient, but the extra cache on the 7800X3D can help in games. Just verify the used processor works properly and check the seller’s return policy. The RX 9070 XT should be a strong match for 1440p.
Would a cheaper 2x16GB kit be fine even if the speed and CAS latency aren’t as good? I’d also like a 2TB SSD if I can keep the total cost under about €300.