I live fairly close to a computer retailer and put together this roughly $2,100 gaming PC, but I'm not sure whether the parts and pricing make sense. The main bundle includes a Ryzen 7 9700X, Gigabyte B650 AORUS ELITE AX ICE motherboard, and 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory for $729.99. The rest of the build is a Lian Li O11 Vision Compact case ($139.99), an 850W 80 Plus Gold power supply ($99.99), an ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend 16GB graphics card ($739.99), a 360mm LCD liquid cooler ($179.99), and a 2TB QLC NVMe SSD ($299.99), bringing the subtotal to $2,094.92. I was planning to buy additional case fans separately. Is this a good gaming-focused build, or are there better ways to spend the money?
5 Answers
Use the retailer bundle for the CPU, motherboard, and memory, but compare the case, power supply, cooler, graphics card, and storage with online prices. You can likely save a meaningful amount that way. A cheaper 9070 XT model, a quality 850W Gold unit, a Thermalright Phantom Spirit-class air cooler, and a TLC-based 2TB NVMe drive would be better-balanced choices. The current SSD uses QLC NAND and is especially overpriced.
The storage is another weak point. That 2TB QLC drive costs too much for its performance and endurance. Look for a similarly priced TLC NVMe drive, or buy a good 1TB model now and add more storage later if prices improve. Dropping the AIO to an air cooler could save roughly $150, which could instead go toward a better CPU bundle, peripherals, or audio equipment.
The overall parts are capable, and an 850W Gold power supply is appropriate for the graphics card, but the budget allocation needs work. The GPU is fine, while the cooler and SSD consume money without improving gaming performance much. I’d prioritize an X3D processor, a reliable TLC SSD, and a basic high-quality air cooler before spending extra on white styling or an LCD pump display.
For a gaming PC, the Ryzen 7 9700X bundle is a strange choice. Spending about $20 more on a bundle with an X3D processor, such as the 7800X3D, would likely provide better gaming performance. The $180 liquid cooler is also far more expensive than necessary; a good air cooler can handle this system for around $35–$50.
The expensive cooler and 9700X seem backwards for this budget. If you need workstation performance, there may be faster and cheaper processor options. If this is primarily for gaming on AM5, an X3D chip makes more sense. A large liquid cooler won’t provide much practical benefit over a strong air cooler unless you specifically want the appearance or LCD screen.
I chose the 9700X because I was told it was one of the better processors, but I’ll compare it with the 7800X3D and look at the other alternatives.