I'm putting together a gaming PC with a total budget of about $1,500–$2,000. I'm in the US and live within driving distance of a Micro Center. The current build includes a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Gigabyte X870 Gaming WiFi6 motherboard, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, an Arctic Freezer 36 cooler, an RX 9070 16GB graphics card, a Montech XR case, a 750W Corsair RM750e power supply, and a 27-inch 1440p 210Hz monitor. The estimated total is $2,004.84.
I mainly want to play heavily modded Minecraft, hopefully with shaders, and Baldur's Gate 3. I may want to stream in the future, so I'd like to keep that option open. My goal is to use this system for several years, so I'm interested in reasonable upgrades or changes that would make it more durable without wasting money.
The CPU, motherboard, and memory are currently part of a $769.99 Micro Center bundle. I won't be able to visit for another two or three weeks, and I'm worried the bundle could change, become more expensive, or disappear. How likely is that, and what would be a good backup plan if it's no longer available? Are there any unnecessary expenses, worthwhile upgrades, or compatibility concerns I should address?
2 Answers
For 1440p gaming with heavy Minecraft mods and shaders, the RX 9070 XT is worth considering if you can fit it into the budget. Since you’re already buying a 750W supply, upgrading the graphics card could make better use of the system and provide more performance over the long term. That said, the regular RX 9070 is still a strong 1440p card, so skipping the XT is reasonable if the extra $100–$200 and higher power consumption aren’t worthwhile to you.
The overall build looks well balanced for 1440p gaming, but bundle pricing and availability can change at any time. Since the bundle has already changed price before and memory pricing has been moving around, there’s no reliable way to guarantee it will still be available in two or three weeks. If possible, plan around the current parts rather than assuming the exact deal will remain.
The 750W power supply is good quality, but it may not be the best value at that price. You can sometimes find a highly rated 850W model for less, or a 1000W unit for roughly the same cost. An 850W supply would give you more upgrade headroom while still being plenty for this system.
Thanks! I completely missed the cheaper higher-wattage options, so I’ll compare those before finalizing the list.
I’m leaning toward the regular 9070 because I don’t think the extra cost is worth the relatively modest performance increase, especially with the additional power draw. I appreciate the suggestion, though!