Hey everyone! I'm a 21-year-old CS student from Chile, and I've finally saved up enough for my first PC build with a budget of around $1200 USD. Given the recent inflation in component prices here, I've been crunching the numbers and planning carefully. I used to play competitive FPS games like CS2 and R6, but now I want to dive into more GPU-intensive titles like RDR2, Elden Ring, and Cyberpunk at 1440p (just got a cool MSI 1440p 180Hz monitor!). Here's what I've planned so far:
- **CPU:** Ryzen 5 7500F
- **GPU:** Gigabyte Radeon RX 9060 XT GAMING OC 16G
- **MOBO:** MSI PRO B650M-B
- **PSU:** Cooler Master MWE Bronze 750 V3
- **RAM:** Kingston Fury KF552C36BBE-8 (2 x 8 GB | DIMM DDR5-5200)
- **SSD:** Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB
- **CPU Fan:** Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO
- **Case:** I'm flexible as long as it's Micro-ATX and fits everything.
I recently bought the CPU, and I'm a bit worried that I might have overlooked something crucial. So far, I've checked:
- Compatibility between CPU and motherboard
- RAM and SSD status on the motherboard's QVL
- The PSU tier (B grade is okay)
- The SSD uses PCIe 4.0.
If anyone has any comments or suggestions about my build, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks a lot!
5 Answers
I have some concerns about your RAM choice. The 5200 MHz speed is on the slower side for Ryzen CPUs. Most can handle 6000 MHz without issues. Plus, using 8GB DIMMs might limit performance due to how DDR5 interleaving works. You'd likely get better performance with 16GB DIMMs instead!
Honestly, I would suggest going for 2x16GB of 6000 MHz RAM if you can. More modern games are requiring at least 16GB, and you'll get better performance overall with the higher speed DIMMs. Don’t skimp on that!
Got it! I’ll definitely swap the RAM for 2 sticks of 16 with higher speed. Thanks!
Your build looks solid! Just one more thing: consider getting a 32GB RAM setup since many current games are pushing the limits on memory usage. If you can, aim for 6000 MHz CL32 RAM for the best performance.
Just a heads up, you need to get the GPU before you can actually boot the system since the Ryzen 5 7500F doesn't have an integrated GPU. Make sure to get that ASAP!
Yeah, I’m planning to buy the GPU and motherboard next.
Quick note about your SSD: the P3 Plus uses QLC flash, which has lower durability compared to TLC drives. Check out the WD Blue SN580 or Lexar NM790 for better long-term reliability.
Wow, I didn't know that! But is it true that faster RAM can cause stability issues?