I'm putting together a mostly black gaming PC in the United States with a total budget of about $2,000, including the monitor and peripherals. I'll be playing demanding games, but I'm not necessarily trying to maximize frame rates in every title. I live near a Micro Center and can wait for sales or bundle deals.
My current parts list is:
- Monitor: Pixio PX277 OLED MAX, 27-inch 1440p 240Hz curved monitor — $399.99
- CPU: Ryzen 5 7600X3D — $249.99
- CPU cooler: Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE — $17.89
- Memory: TeamGroup 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30 kit — listed at $509.99
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi — $149.99
- Storage: Patriot P320 1TB PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD — listed at $146.99
- GPU: ASRock Challenger OC Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB — $519.99
- PSU: Montech Century II 850W Gold — $89.90
- Case: Montech Air 100 ARGB MicroATX — $69.90
- Keyboard: Epomaker HE 80 — $69.99
- Mouse: Epomaker NEX Lite — $35.99
- Headset: GX1 wireless — $49.99
The total comes out to roughly $2,200 as listed, though I'm hoping to reduce it through sales. Are there any parts I should change, especially to get a stronger graphics card while keeping the build reliable and visually cohesive?
3 Answers
For a roughly $2,000 build, I’d try to allocate more of the budget to the graphics card. The RX 9060 XT is reasonable for a less expensive system, but it feels underpowered relative to the total cost, especially with a 1440p 240Hz OLED monitor. A stronger card such as an RX 9070 XT would be a better target if bundle savings and sales make room for it.
The memory and SSD prices look unusually high. A 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30 kit is normally far less expensive than $500, and a 1TB PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive should also cost much less than $147. Double-check those listings, because correcting those prices could free up a large part of the budget. 1440p 240Hz OLED monitors also frequently sell closer to the $300–$350 range, depending on sales.
Thanks for pointing that out. I’ll verify the listings and look for better prices before finalizing anything.
Since you live near Micro Center, check their CPU, motherboard, and memory bundles first. A Ryzen 7 7800X3D bundle with a compatible board and 32GB of DDR5 can provide a significant upgrade while saving money compared with buying those parts separately. The savings could go toward a faster GPU, which would make a bigger difference for 1440p gaming.
Yes, I’m near a Micro Center, so I’ll definitely check the current bundle pricing.
What GPU would you recommend if I can save money on the CPU, motherboard, memory, and monitor?