Hey everyone! I'm diving into building my first PC and I could really use some advice. My budget is between $1200 and $2000 and I'm based in the US. For my setup, I'm aiming for 1440p gaming at 144 fps, and I'd prefer to stick with DDR4 RAM mainly because of the current RAM prices. I'm considering the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D for the CPU, but I'm wondering if the 5700X3D would be a suitable and cheaper alternative. I'd rather not overspend for minimal performance gains. For the GPU, I've been thinking about going with AMD since Nvidia's 40 series isn't accessible right now. Would the Radeon 9070XT be a good fit, or would that be overkill? I'm open to any suggestions you all have!
4 Answers
If you're set on your budget, you can absolutely put together an AM5 build that'll meet your goals. Here’s a quick parts list you might find helpful:
- AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
- MSI PRO B850M-P WIFI Motherboard
- Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5 RAM
- A solid GPU like the MSI GeForce RTX 5070
Check out PCPartPicker for some great prices and compatibility!
Just a heads up, both the 5700X3D and the 5800X3D are hard to find and quite pricey on the secondary market. If you can, look for bundle deals on Newegg or at a Micro Center if there's one near you.
Honestly, if you don't already have the motherboard, both the 5700X3D and 5800X3D can be overkill unless you can snag a great deal. Are you close to a Micro Center? They often have better prices.
That sounds a bit steep for those CPUs unless they're part of a combo deal. Keep shopping around!
Is your $2000 budget just for the PC itself, or does that include monitors and peripherals? If it's just for the PC, you might want to consider a DDR5 setup for better performance and future-proofing.
It's just for the PC. I thought going with AM4 and DDR4 would be a safer and cheaper bet. Am I making the wrong choice? Would an Intel setup with DDR4 really be cheaper or more efficient?
It really depends—DDR5 is generally better but more expensive. If you can stretch your budget a bit, you might find better value with DDR5.
Unfortunately, there's no Micro Center nearby. Are you saying the CPUs are overpriced or the motherboards too? I've seen them listed online for around $220-$300, which I think sounds fine.