I'm putting together my first PC with a budget of about $1,500, mainly for 1440p gaming. At the moment I play modded Minecraft with shaders, Beyond All Reason, and Project Zomboid, but I'd also like to play newer AAA titles. I want enough memory and overall performance to keep plenty of programs and browser tabs open without the system feeling strained. Here's the planned build:
- GPU: XFX Swift Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB
- RAM: 32GB DDR5 (2x16GB)
- CPU: Ryzen 5 7500F
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B650M Gaming WiFi 6E
- PSU: Corsair RM750e
- CPU cooler: Thermalright Assassin X 120 R SE
- Storage: WD Black SN7100 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
- Case: Lian Li A3
I can upgrade to an RX 9070 XT for roughly $160 more, but I'm unsure whether I would benefit enough from the extra performance at 1440p. I'll probably choose the least expensive reputable 32GB DDR5 kit, and I'm considering the RM750e because its modular cables should make cable management easier in this compact case. It costs about $25 more than a CX650W. I chose the Lian Li A3 mostly for its appearance, although the component side panel will face away from me. What parts would you change or improve?
2 Answers
The parts list looks generally well balanced for 1440p. The RX 9070 XT would give you noticeably more headroom for demanding AAA games, but whether it’s worth the extra $160 depends on your expectations for image quality and frame rate. For your current games, the RX 9060 XT should be plenty, so the upgrade is more of a long-term investment than a necessity.
The modular RM750e is a reasonable choice in a small case, especially if the cleaner cable management matters to you. Make sure the RAM is a matched 2x16GB DDR5 kit and check its speed and timings rather than choosing purely by price. One 1TB SSD may fill up quickly once you install several AAA games, so consider adding a 2TB NVMe drive later. If you plan to do video editing or other content creation, extra SSD capacity—and possibly a large hard drive for bulk storage—would be useful.
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