I'm putting together my second PC, this time for my brother. He's an autistic adult who mainly plays games and occasionally works on hobby projects such as video and music editing. He doesn't need cutting-edge graphics or extremely high refresh rates, and this will be a major upgrade from his current laptop with an i7-9850, Intel UHD 630 graphics, and 16GB of RAM.
The planned build is:
- Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming B550-PLUS WIFI II
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, 8 cores/16 threads, tray version
- RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB, 2x8GB DDR4-3600 CL18
- GPU: ASUS RX 9060 XT Dual 16GB
- SSD: Kingston NV3 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe
- PSU: Corsair RM650e 650W Gold
- Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 LX RGB
- Case: NZXT H5 Flow 2024 with two additional stock fans
- Extra fans: 3+1 be quiet! Light Wings LX 120mm RGB
He currently uses a 24-inch 60Hz monitor. He may eventually use my Gigabyte M32U 4K 144Hz monitor, but the realistic target is around 1080p at 120Hz or 1440p at 60Hz.
I know the RGB adds some unnecessary cost, but that's part of the fun. I'm more surprised by how much this build costs—around €1,400—and by the price increase for DDR5 compared with DDR4. I'd appreciate feedback on compatibility, value, and any components you would change. In particular, is 16GB of RAM reasonable for his current use, or should I find room for 32GB?
4 Answers
I’d prefer 32GB of RAM, especially since video editing and multitasking can use it quickly. That said, 16GB is still workable for now, particularly if the extra cost would push the build too far over budget. Since the motherboard has upgrade capacity, adding another matched 2x8GB kit or replacing the current kit later should be straightforward, although buying 2x16GB initially is usually the cleanest option.
Because this is an AM4 platform, it’s worth checking local used parts or comparable prebuilts for savings. Still, if you specifically want a brand-new system and plan to assemble it together, the current parts list is reasonable. The Ryzen 7 5700X is plenty for the intended use, so an X3D chip would mostly be useful if gaming performance were the top priority.
A 750W power supply would give more headroom for a future graphics card upgrade, but 650W should be sufficient for the current setup as long as the GPU’s recommended power requirements are within that range. I wouldn’t make the larger PSU mandatory unless you already have a higher-power upgrade in mind. Overall, this is a sensible first desktop for the use case and a dramatic step up from the laptop.
The parts look generally well matched, and this will be a huge improvement over his current laptop. For the games and occasional editing you described, the system should handle 1080p easily and 1440p comfortably. There don’t appear to be any obvious compatibility problems.
That’s my thinking too. The 32GB kit costs nearly twice as much here, so I’d rather start with 16GB and upgrade later if his actual workload shows that he needs it. Storage and memory are both easy additions compared with replacing major components.