I'm planning a high-end PC primarily for gaming, with some other workloads as well. I'll be running Linux, so an AMD graphics card is essential for me, and I specifically want to use the Radeon RX 9070 XT. I'm not interested in replacing it with an Nvidia card.
I want the system to last for several years and perform well, while keeping the total cost under about £4,000. The current build costs roughly £3,603 and includes a Ryzen 7 9850X3D, 64GB of DDR5-6000 CL30 memory, a 4TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, an ASRock X870E Taichi White motherboard, an RX 9070 XT, a 1000W power supply, and a large Lian Li case with several RGB fans.
The motherboard was chosen for its multiple M.2 slots, 10Gb Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7, and overall appearance, but I'm open to alternatives. I'm especially interested in advice about component value, motherboard reliability, storage, cooling, power supply capacity, and anything else that would make the build more balanced or durable.
3 Answers
For a build this expensive, I'd take a close look at getting a drive with onboard DRAM rather than choosing solely based on PCIe 5.0 speed. A good TLC NVMe SSD with DRAM can offer more consistent sustained performance and may be a better value for a gaming system. PCIe 5.0 drives are fast, but game load times usually won't improve much compared with a quality PCIe 4.0 model, so you could also save money there or put it toward other upgrades.
The parts should work together, though the 1000W power supply is more than this system really needs. A quality 750W or 850W unit should comfortably handle the 9070 XT and X3D processor, since this isn't a platform that benefits much from extreme overclocking. Keeping the 1000W unit is still defensible if you want extra headroom for a future, more power-hungry graphics card. The case, cooler, and fans seem largely chosen for the white RGB aesthetic, so there isn't much to change unless you prefer quieter fans over appearance.
I'd question whether you need an X870E board at all. A cheaper B850 model may provide everything you need unless the extra M.2 connectivity, 10Gb Ethernet, or Wi-Fi 7 are essential. Those features can justify the higher-end chipset, but make sure you're paying for capabilities you will actually use. I'd also be cautious with the selected ASRock board because there have been reports of reliability problems with some AM5 models. The Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master X3D ICE is a reasonable alternative if it provides the specific expansion and networking features you want.
The extra M.2 slots, 10Gb networking, and Wi-Fi 7 were the main reasons I looked at X870E. I don't care about that exact ASRock model, so I'm comparing it with the Gigabyte board now.
I was intentionally considering a higher-wattage unit for future upgrades. I understand the motherboard concern and am currently looking more closely at the Gigabyte X870E option.