I'm building a gaming PC in the United States and want the best 1440p gaming performance possible for less than $1,700. Every component, including the monitor, needs to be available through Newegg. How would you improve my current parts selection? I'm open to changing the CPU, graphics card, memory, storage, case, power supply, and display as long as the final build stays within budget.
2 Answers
For 1440p gaming, prioritize the graphics card over an expensive monitor or unnecessary CPU upgrades. A Ryzen 5 9600X paired with an RX 9070 is a strong combination, and 32GB of DDR5-6000 is a better target than 16GB. I’d also avoid cutting costs too far on the power supply: choose a reputable 650W–750W unit with a good efficiency rating rather than a budget model with limited reviews. A 1TB NVMe SSD would be more practical than 512GB if the price difference is manageable.
Double-check the retailer filter before comparing builds. Your parts list appears to use several stores other than Newegg, so it doesn’t meet your requirement as shown. One alternative keeps the total just under budget with a Ryzen 5 9600X, Radeon RX 9070, 32GB of DDR5, a 512GB NVMe drive, and a 1440p high-refresh monitor. The monitor can be upgraded later if you’d rather put more money toward a stronger graphics card, but make sure the memory price is reasonable—32GB kits are usually much cheaper than the listed amount.
You need to manually change the merchant selection to Newegg when checking the prices; otherwise the parts list may pull listings from other retailers.