I'm finally moving from Xbox to PC and have already purchased a used Ryzen 7 5800XT and RX 7800 XT 16GB. My total budget for the complete system, excluding peripherals, is under $1,000, and I've spent $603.58 so far. I'm located in the United States and plan to play games such as Helldivers 2, Elden Ring, Mortal Shell 2, and various esports titles. I'm looking for the smallest reasonably priced case I can find, preferably in black. It needs to support a CPU cooler up to at least 155mm tall and a graphics card at least 340mm long. I'm also open to recommendations for affordable peripherals and advice on choosing the remaining components.
3 Answers
Your case requirements narrow the search quite a bit, so check the manufacturer’s specifications for both maximum CPU cooler height and GPU length before buying. A compact micro-ATX case is probably the best balance here; going smaller may force you into more expensive mini-ITX parts or create clearance and airflow problems. Try to find a case with front or bottom ventilation and room for multiple fans, especially with a 7800 XT.
Since you’ve already spent about $603.58 on the CPU and GPU, you have roughly $396 left for the motherboard, RAM, storage, power supply, case, and cooling. That’s possible, but you’ll need to shop carefully and may want to consider open-box or reputable used parts. Make the power supply the priority: choose a quality unit with enough wattage for the RX 7800 XT rather than trying to save money there.
The Cooler Master Q300L V2 could work if you can find one around $40 open-box. It meets the size requirements and is compact, although its airflow reputation isn’t great. I’ve used one without temperature problems, but make sure you install enough case fans. For the rest of the build, compare the cost of 16GB of RAM with a 2TB SSD against 32GB of RAM with a 1TB SSD. For gaming, I’d usually prioritize 32GB of RAM if the price difference is reasonable, since storage can be expanded later. The Logitech G305 is also a solid inexpensive mouse option.
Both the CPU and GPU were bought used, so I’m comfortable checking used and open-box listings. I’m in Nebraska and don’t have convenient access to a major local computer store, but I’ll keep comparing prices.