I'm new to PC building after years of using Apple computers and consoles. I want to play games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 at 60 FPS or higher, mainly at 1080p or 1440p.
My budget is around $1,500 AUD, and DDR5 pricing makes an AM4 system appealing. I'm comparing these two options:
Custom build: Ryzen 5 5600, Gigabyte B550M DS3H WiFi motherboard, Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB, 16GB DDR4-3200, 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, 650W FSP 80+ Bronze PSU, stock AMD cooler, and a mesh case with three fans. I would need to provide my own operating system.
HP Omen 16L: Ryzen 5 8400F, B650 motherboard, 16GB DDR5-5200 as a single stick, 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, GeForce RTX 5060 with 8GB GDDR7, and Windows 11 Home.
The HP is about $140 AUD cheaper, but I'm concerned about its 8GB of VRAM and whether the proprietary components will make future upgrades difficult. Is the custom build the better choice for 1080p–1440p gaming at 60 FPS or higher, and are there any major weaknesses I should be aware of?
4 Answers
I’d lean toward the custom build. The RX 9060 XT’s 16GB of VRAM gives it more room for modern games and higher-resolution textures than the RTX 5060’s 8GB. The RTX card may be better for ray tracing and certain upscaling features, but for standard rasterized gaming the Radeon should be at least competitive and often faster.
The Ryzen 5 5600 is still a capable gaming CPU, especially for a 60 FPS target. The 8400F is on the newer AM5 platform, but it isn’t automatically faster in every game, and the HP’s single 16GB memory module also means it will initially run without dual-channel bandwidth. The custom system uses two sticks and should perform more consistently.
Since you’re in Australia, it may also be worth checking reputable local prebuilts or used systems. Sometimes a marketplace or sale system with 32GB of RAM and an AM5 processor can fit this budget. If you stay with these two choices, though, the custom build looks like the stronger gaming system because of the 16GB graphics card and standard components.
For your target, the custom PC should handle 1080p very well and 1440p at sensible settings. Red Dead Redemption 2 is demanding, so you may need to use a mix of high and medium settings at 1440p, but 60 FPS should be realistic depending on the exact game settings.
Sixteen gigabytes of RAM is acceptable for now, although 32GB would be a worthwhile future upgrade. SSD speed mostly affects loading times rather than frame rate, and the stock cooler should be adequate for the Ryzen 5 5600 as long as the case airflow is decent. Check independent CPU and GPU benchmarks rather than relying on generic FPS calculators.
The HP’s biggest drawback is not just the graphics card. Prebuilt systems from large manufacturers can use proprietary motherboards, power supplies, connectors, and cramped cases, which can make replacing parts unnecessarily difficult. The newer AM5 platform gives the HP a better theoretical CPU upgrade path, but that advantage is less useful if the power supply, cooling, or motherboard limits future upgrades.
The custom build uses a mature platform, but it is standard hardware and should be easier to repair or upgrade. I would confirm the exact PSU model and quality before buying, since that is the component I’d scrutinize most closely.
The custom system is using the Ryzen 5 5600 rather than the 5600X, but the upgrade flexibility and extra VRAM are the main reasons I’m leaning toward it.