I'm planning my first gaming PC build in the UK and have a budget of roughly £1,500–£2,000. I'd like to play AAA, open-world, and FPS games at 1440p, while keeping the system reasonably future-proof and easy to upgrade without making the build unnecessarily complicated.
My current parts list is:
- Case: Corsair 3500X RS-R ARGB
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
- Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3
- Additional fans: Corsair RS120 ARGB 120 mm three-pack
- Motherboard: MSI Pro B850-P WiFi
- Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36
- Storage: Silicon Power UD90 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
- Graphics card: Gigabyte Gaming OC Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB
- Power supply: MSI MPG A850G PCIe 5 850W
Does this look balanced, or would you change any components? I'd also appreciate recommendations for a monitor and other peripherals.
3 Answers
This is already a strong, well-balanced 1440p build. If you want to use more of the budget, you could consider moving up to a Ryzen 7 9800X3D for better gaming performance and keeping the 9070 XT, perhaps by choosing a less expensive version of the graphics card. That upgrade is optional, though—the 9600X should handle 1440p gaming very well.
The main part I’d reconsider is the UD90. Its QLC flash can offer weaker endurance and slower sustained performance, particularly as the drive fills or ages. For an operating-system and games drive, I’d choose a TLC-based NVMe SSD instead, such as a suitable Lexar, Acer Predator, or FanXiang model, assuming the price and reviews are good.
You could also simplify the cooling setup by using a strong air cooler such as the Thermalright Phantom Spirit, including the black version if you prefer that look. It offers plenty of cooling for this processor and avoids the extra complexity of liquid cooling.
Would the Western Digital SN3000 be a good alternative, or should I look for another TLC drive?