I'm putting together my first PC with a budget of about €2,000 in the EU. It will be used for gaming and music composition in Cubase. I mainly play Rainbow Six Siege, Battlefield 6, and Call of Duty, and I'm planning to use a 1440p 165Hz monitor. My biggest concern is choosing a graphics card with only 8GB of VRAM, while the 64GB DDR5 kit I found has CL40 timings because it's the only option I can currently afford. Does this build make sense, or should I rebalance the budget toward a stronger GPU?
3 Answers
The exact work you do matters. A large MIDI or orchestral setup with extensive sample libraries can justify 64GB, while lighter Cubase projects may not need it. Since your current system only has 16GB and freezing tracks hasn’t solved the problem, keeping 64GB makes sense. I’d compare the prices of a stronger GPU, especially a 16GB-or-more model, before spending heavily on a top-end gaming CPU.
For 1440p gaming at high refresh rates, the graphics card is the weak point. An 8GB RTX 5060 Ti is likely to struggle in newer games, especially if you want high settings and consistent frame rates. The rest of the system is comparatively CPU-heavy, so I’d try to move some of that budget toward a stronger GPU, such as an RX 9070 XT or another card with more VRAM if the local pricing makes sense. Rainbow Six and Battlefield can benefit from a strong CPU, but the GPU still matters a lot at 1440p.
The PC will also be used for Cubase, so I need 64GB of RAM. Would you still change the CPU and GPU balance with that requirement?
64GB is reasonable for music production, particularly when using large sample libraries and many plugins. I wouldn’t cut it to 32GB just to improve the gaming side if you already know your Cubase projects need more memory. CL40 is slower than ideal, but capacity is more important here; you can prioritize a faster kit later if prices improve. The main upgrade target should therefore be the graphics card rather than reducing system memory.
If you use orchestral libraries, freezing or bouncing tracks can reduce memory pressure, but it won’t replace having enough RAM when the project and sample library are genuinely large.
I’m already freezing tracks when possible, but my current 16GB machine still runs out of memory. I’m mainly trying to figure out which parts should change in the new build.