I'm helping my younger sister build her first gaming PC, but I haven't put one together in a while. She mainly wants to play competitive shooters like Fortnite, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike, along with story-driven games such as Life Is Strange, Stray, and The Last of Us. The budget is about 5,000 Polish złoty, and every component has to come from one specific store. I'd like to know whether these parts are compatible and balanced, and whether the system should run her games smoothly. I'm considering an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, Gainward GeForce RTX 5060 Ghost 8GB, 16GB DDR5-5600 CL36 as a single stick, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, Endorfy Fera 5 Dual Fan cooler, SMX Okame G3 650W Gold power supply, and a Gigabyte B650M Gaming WiFi 6E motherboard. I plan to add another 16GB memory module later because 32GB is currently too expensive.
3 Answers
Since the budget is around 5,000 zł, a lower-cost CPU platform could leave room for a stronger graphics card and 32GB of memory immediately. A six-core Ryzen paired with 2x8GB or 2x16GB RAM would be a more balanced starting point than spending heavily on the CPU and using one 16GB stick. If all parts must come from one store, compare the total system price rather than focusing on individual component specifications.
For this budget, the processor may be stronger than necessary while the graphics card is the more important part for story games. An AMD graphics card such as an RX 9060 XT could offer better performance or more VRAM for a similar price, though Nvidia is still a reasonable choice if you want DLSS or specific features. The RTX 5060 should handle competitive games well, but newer demanding games may require reduced settings, especially with only 8GB of VRAM.
The main issue is the 16GB single-stick memory. It will run in single-channel mode, which can noticeably hurt performance in games. Try to get a 2x8GB kit if possible, or ideally 2x16GB later. The Ryzen 5 9600X and B650 motherboard should be compatible, although the motherboard may need a BIOS version that supports the processor. The cooler should be adequate, and 650W is enough on paper, but I’d be cautious with that particular power supply and choose a better-known model if the store offers one.
Thanks! I’ll check whether there’s a reputable alternative power supply and see if I can fit a dual-stick memory kit into the budget.