I'm planning my first gaming PC build in Ireland with a total budget of around €400. The proposed parts are an Intel Core i7-8700, GTX 1060, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a Gigabyte GC-WB11ACD-I Wi-Fi card, a 500GB Seagate SSD, a 250GB WD Green SSD, a Thermalright Assassin X CPU cooler, a Gigabyte B365M Wi-Fi motherboard, an NZXT H500 case with three preinstalled fans, and a Corsair CX650 650W power supply. The CPU, GPU, SSDs, and memory are being offered together for €200, and I would buy the remaining parts separately. Would this be a sensible system for the money, what should I check before buying used components, and would upgrading to something like an RTX 3070 or another modern budget graphics card make sense later?
3 Answers
A future RTX 3070 upgrade is possible, but it may be a questionable pairing with an older six-core i7-8700 in some newer games, especially at high refresh rates. You’d also want to confirm the case has enough GPU clearance and that the power supply has the required PCIe connectors. A newer, efficient card such as an RTX 3060 12GB or a comparable modern AMD card could be a more balanced upgrade, depending on local used prices.
For €200, the CPU, graphics card, RAM, and SSD bundle could be reasonable if everything works and the SSD health is good. The i7-8700 and 16GB of RAM are still usable for a budget gaming system, although the GTX 1060 is now quite old. It should handle esports, older games, indie titles, and many games at 1080p with reduced settings, but don’t expect strong performance in newer demanding releases. Test the parts before buying if possible and check the SSDs with a health-monitoring tool.
The parts are broadly compatible: the B365 motherboard supports the i7-8700 and DDR4 memory, and the Assassin X cooler should be adequate. Check the exact motherboard model and BIOS support, since there are several similarly named Gigabyte boards. Also, the motherboard already includes Wi-Fi, so the separate Wi-Fi card may not be needed. The 650W Corsair PSU is more than enough for this setup and should also support a future midrange graphics card if it’s in good condition.
That makes sense. I was mainly considering the 3070 because it seemed like good value, but I’ll compare it with newer cards and check the power connectors and case clearance first.