I'm building my first PC from scratch after using the same computer for about 10 years, so almost any modern system will be a huge upgrade. I'm in Spain and want a reasonably priced build that can handle recent games, Photoshop, and Blender. My current parts list costs around €2,700, which is beyond my budget, so I'm looking for sensible ways to save money without making the system unbalanced.
The build currently includes a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, MSI B850 Gaming Plus WiFi6E motherboard, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory, a Nox Hummer Astra case, a Be Quiet! Dark Rock 5 cooler, an 850W MSI Gold-rated power supply, two 1TB Kingston NVMe SSDs, and additional case fans. For the graphics card, I'm mainly considering an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB or RTX 5070 Ti 16GB. I'm confused by the different MSI versions, such as Ventus, Shadow, and OC Plus, and I'm not sure whether a two-fan or three-fan model is worth the extra cost. Quiet operation is important to me.
I'm also considering an RX 9070 XT if it offers better value, but I recently bought a monitor with G-Sync compatibility and want to know whether switching to Radeon would prevent me from using adaptive sync. I'd appreciate advice on the GPU choice, cooling, memory, case, storage, and other ways to reduce the total price.
4 Answers
You can save money without changing the overall direction of the build. With an X3D processor, the cheapest reliable DDR5-6000 kit is usually fine; CL30 is nice, but it may not be worth paying a large premium for it. Air coolers such as the Peerless Assassin or Phantom Spirit offer excellent value and should be capable of handling the 9800X3D. A well-ventilated case that already includes several good fans can also eliminate the need to buy a separate fan pack.
If you stay with Nvidia, choose based on cooler design, noise tests, warranty, and price rather than assuming every three-fan card is automatically better. A good two-fan model can be quiet if the cooler is well designed, while an expensive three-fan version may offer only a small improvement. An RTX 5070 Ti makes more sense than a 5060 Ti if you’re targeting high-resolution or demanding games, but the RX 9070 XT is often the better performance-per-euro choice.
The 9800X3D is a powerful gaming CPU, but it may be excessive if the priority is keeping the complete system affordable. A 7600X3D or 7800X3D could leave more money for the graphics card while still delivering excellent gaming performance. Also check whether you really need two 1TB drives immediately; buying one larger or faster-quality SSD now and adding another later could be better than choosing two budget drives.
The RX 9070 XT is probably the strongest value option here. It generally offers performance close to or better than the RTX 5070 Ti while costing much less than many Nvidia alternatives. Unless your Photoshop or Blender workflow specifically depends on CUDA or Nvidia-only features, Radeon is worth serious consideration. Compare the prices of the actual models available in Spain, since cooler quality and pricing can vary.
The main reason I’m still considering Nvidia is my G-Sync-compatible monitor. Would an RX 9070 XT stop adaptive sync from working, or is that usually supported through modern DisplayPort standards? I’m trying to decide whether G-Sync is important enough to justify paying more for Nvidia.