Are There Any Changes You’d Make to This 1440p Gaming PC Before I Buy?

The memory speed and timings are poor for the amount shown, even if that price happens to be the cheapest listing in the build. I’d spend a little more on a 5600 or 6000 MT/s kit, or check local bundle deals if they’re available. The rest of the build looks broadly well matched for 1440p gaming, with the 9800X3D and RX 9070 XT being a strong combination.

The RAM is the weakest part of the list. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D can hide some of the performance loss from slow memory, but DDR5-6000 is still a much better match. Look for a CPU, motherboard, and memory bundle, since those deals can cost less than buying the three parts separately while giving you faster RAM and potentially a stronger motherboard.

The Peerless Assassin is good, but the Phantom Spirit 120 SE is the newer version and is usually around the same price, so I’d choose that if available. The bigger change should be the memory: DDR5-4800 CL40 is quite slow for this platform, especially at that price. Aim for a 32GB DDR5-6000 kit with decent timings; DDR5-5600 would be a reasonable minimum if you need to save money. Also check the motherboard’s Wi-Fi support: Wi-Fi 7 may require Windows 11 and could have limited driver support on older operating systems or some Linux distributions.

If you want to reduce the monitor cost, there are sometimes 27-inch 1440p high-refresh IPS monitors around the $180 range. They can still reach 240Hz, but they generally won’t offer the same Mini-LED backlight, HDR brightness, or contrast as the AOC model. The cheaper option makes sense if you mainly care about smooth gameplay, while the AOC is the better choice for HDR and overall image quality.