I'm new to building PCs and would appreciate an honest review of this parts list. I want a dual-boot system with Windows and Linux installed on separate drives, mainly for gaming and digital art, with some 3D modeling and possibly video editing later. I don't need 4K gaming, but I'd like to play games such as Baldur's Gate 3 comfortably.
My target budget is around $2,000, though spending less would be ideal. I don't care about RGB or appearance, and I'm more interested in good cooling and practical features than aesthetics. I'm shopping near a Micro Center and currently have a Ryzen 7 9700X, an ASUS B650E motherboard, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory, a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB, two 1TB SATA SSDs, a large ASUS case, a 750W power supply, and a Thermalright air cooler. The current total is about $2,078.
The main questions are whether any components are poorly matched, whether I'm overspending in certain areas, and whether the budget could be rearranged for better gaming or creative performance.
3 Answers
Double-check the memory price before buying. Nearly $390 for 32GB of DDR5-6000 is extremely high and is probably a pricing or listing issue. A normal 32GB kit should cost much less, and the savings could substantially improve the graphics card. Also, two separate SSDs are a sensible approach for keeping the operating systems isolated, though you may want larger or faster NVMe drives if your art projects and games will take up significant space.
The CPU is a little unbalanced with the current graphics card. You could save money by choosing a less expensive processor and put the difference toward a stronger GPU, or keep the CPU and use a cheaper memory kit. Since you’re near Micro Center, check their bundle pricing; it may make an X3D processor or a higher-tier graphics card fit within the budget.
The case is taking up far too much of the budget for what you need. A practical case with decent included fans can cost around $90–$110, freeing roughly $130 for a stronger graphics card. For gaming, that money would be better spent moving up to something around an RX 9070 or RX 9070 XT.
You may not need to downgrade the processor. A cheaper DDR5-6000 kit, such as one with looser timings, could free enough money for a faster GPU while keeping the 9700X.