I'm planning a gaming-only PC in the UK with a budget of up to £2,500, although spending less would be ideal. I mainly play one or two large games alongside several indie titles, so I was thinking of using a 1TB SSD. The goal is a system that will last for several years. Does this parts list look sensible, and are there better-value alternatives for the SSD or any other components?
3 Answers
A 1,000W power supply is more than this graphics card needs. A quality 850W unit should be plenty and would free up money for a larger 2TB SSD or simply reduce the total cost. It is worth prioritising a reputable, modern unit over the Platinum efficiency rating, since the efficiency difference usually is not worth a large price premium for this build.
The overall build is strong, but several parts are priced much higher than necessary. A 360mm liquid cooler is overkill for this processor, so a cheaper white 360mm ARGB model would perform similarly. You can also save money with a less expensive white B850 motherboard, a cheaper 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30 kit, and a non-premium PCIe 4.0 SSD. For gaming, the Samsung drive will not feel noticeably faster than a good alternative such as the Biwin NV7400. Matching ARGB case fans can also be found for considerably less, bringing the total down by roughly £200 without sacrificing gaming performance.
You could consider splitting the storage: use a smaller, fast drive for Windows and applications, then add a cheaper 2TB drive for games. Game loading times generally will not benefit much from paying extra for a flagship SSD, and 1TB can fill up surprisingly quickly once a few large games are installed.
Fantastic, thank you! That gives me a much better idea of where the budget can be trimmed.