I'm building a PC for the first time and have a budget of about $2,000, although spending a little less would be ideal. I'd appreciate feedback on compatibility, value, and any parts that should be upgraded or replaced. The build includes a Ryzen 7 5700X, Hyper 212 cooler, Gigabyte B550 Wi-Fi motherboard, 32GB of DDR4-2666 memory, a 256GB NVMe drive plus a 2TB NVMe drive, a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB graphics card, NZXT H6 Flow case, 600W power supply, Windows 11 Home, a 1080p 240Hz monitor, and basic wireless keyboard and mouse. The listed total is about $1,925. This is my first build, so I'm especially concerned about selecting reliable parts and getting good performance for the money.
3 Answers
The memory choice is a major problem for the price. DDR4-2666 is slow for a Ryzen 7 5700X, and nearly $191 for 32GB is extremely expensive. Look for a 32GB 2x16GB DDR4-3200 or DDR4-3600 kit at a much lower price. You may also want to compare the total cost of this older AM4 platform with a newer CPU, motherboard, and DDR5 bundle if one is available locally.
You can potentially save over $100 by not buying a new Windows license immediately if you already have a transferable activation from an existing PC. Put that money toward the power supply, faster memory, or a larger primary SSD. The 256GB drive is not very useful alongside a 2TB drive unless you have a specific reason to separate the operating system.
I would definitely replace the power supply. That model is a budget unit, and the PSU is not a good place to cut costs in a roughly $2,000 system. Choose a reputable, well-reviewed 650W or 750W Gold-rated unit instead, preferably from a known quality series.
There isn’t a nearby bundle store where I live, so I may need to buy the parts individually. I’ll still compare newer-platform pricing before deciding.