I'm gearing up for my first PC build since the early 2000s! After sticking to laptops for the past few years for convenience, I'm finally ready to dive back in. Here's a rundown of my parts:
- MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi ATX AM5 (I'm returning the ASRock X870E Nova due to fears of chip frying issues, even though it looked great)
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB Cooler
- Thermalright AM5 CPU Contact Frame
- Arctic MX-6 Thermal Paste
- 2x Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30
- WD SN7100 NVMe SSD - 4 TB
- XFX Swift OC Radeon RX 9070 16 GB
- Corsair RM1000x ATX 3.1 PSU (edit: swapped to an 850W based on suggestions)
- Montech KING 95 PRO ATX Mid Tower
- Windows 11 Home
- Alienware AW3423DWF Curved Monitor
- Creative Labs T100 40W Speakers
I'm trying to get my head around all the terminology again. Things like what slots do what and compatibility are a bit foggy. Using PCPartPicker to check compatibility brought me some peace of mind, but I still wonder if I'm good to go. Is my build solid, and do you have any recommended videos to brush up on names, the build process, etc.? Also, will this setup hold up for light to moderate gaming for the next few years? I appreciate any advice!
1 Answer
Everything looks pretty solid! The essential parts and slots are still the same as before, with PCIe slots still being the go-to. The main new thing is the 12vhpwr cable for newer GPUs and the fact that SSDs are now more common in an M.2 format.
What I'm struggling with is remembering all the USB ports and other I/O options. Do I need to connect expansions to the case's front ports? It’s been a while, and lane sharing is also a bit confusing for me.