I'm building my first gaming PC since 2010 and would appreciate advice on compatibility, longevity, and where I can save money without noticeably hurting gaming, large-batch photo editing, occasional video editing, or streaming performance. My total budget is about $3,500, including two monitors, a keyboard, mouse, and Windows 11 Pro. I'm currently considering a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 motherboard, 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30 memory, an RX 9070 XT, an 850W ATX 3.1 power supply, a 2TB PCIe 5.0 Samsung 9100 Pro SSD, and a Phanteks XT Pro Ultra case. I'm especially unsure whether the RX 9070 XT is a sensible alternative to the RTX 5070 Ti once ray tracing, DLSS, encoding, and streaming are considered, or whether the extra cost of the Nvidia card would be wasted for my mostly gaming-focused workload. The PCIe 5.0 SSD also seems excessive, although its current price makes it look competitive and I may benefit from faster transfers for photo and video work. For cooling, I'm leaning toward a Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 rather than the included 240mm liquid cooler because I'm concerned about pump noise and leaks. The graphics card is fairly large, so I'm also wondering whether an anti-sag bracket is actually needed. I expect to buy most components from one major online retailer, though I could travel about an hour to a local Micro Center if the savings are worthwhile. I'll probably use Lightroom and Premiere Pro, but gaming will remain my primary use. Is this parts list balanced, and what would you change to improve value and longevity?
3 Answers
The 9800X3D is excellent for gaming, but it is not automatically the best choice for a mixed gaming and productivity system. A higher-core-count Intel or AMD processor could provide faster exports and better multitasking, particularly in Premiere, while still gaming well. However, if the CPU-and-motherboard bundle makes the 9800X3D combination significantly cheaper, keeping it is perfectly defensible. Also double-check the memory price: 32GB of DDR5 should not be anywhere near $470. For photo and video work, 64GB is a more sensible target if the budget allows.
There are several easy places to redirect money. A PCIe 5.0 SSD will not noticeably improve game loading, and even video editing usually benefits more from capacity than from extreme sequential speeds. A good PCIe 4.0 2TB drive, or separate operating-system and project drives, would be more practical. Windows 11 Pro is also unnecessary unless you specifically need features such as BitLocker management, Hyper-V, or domain tools; Windows 11 Home is enough for gaming and normal creative work. The Phantom Spirit is a good air cooler for this CPU, and an anti-sag bracket is inexpensive insurance for a large graphics card, though it is not mandatory if the card is properly supported by the case and motherboard. Finally, two high-refresh OLED monitors consume a large part of the budget; consider one high-refresh OLED for gaming and a less expensive IPS display for editing, reference material, or streaming controls.
For Premiere Pro and streaming, Nvidia deserves serious consideration because NVENC and its broader software support can be more useful than the raw gaming comparison suggests. The best GPU depends heavily on the codecs and effects you use, but an RTX 5070 Ti may be worth the premium if video work becomes more than occasional. For mostly gaming with some editing, the RX 9070 XT is still a reasonable value, especially if ray tracing is not a priority.
I’ll probably use Lightroom and Premiere, but video editing will be much less frequent than gaming, photography, and streaming. I’ll compare the encoder and application-specific advantages before deciding.
The bundle price is a major reason I’m considering the AMD setup. I’ll verify the memory listing because that price appears to be an error or a poor deal.