I'm putting together my first gaming PC and would appreciate a sanity check before buying. The build includes a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, MSI B840 Gaming Plus WiFi motherboard, 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory, a Sapphire Radeon RX 9070 XT, Phanteks NV5S case, MSI 850W ATX 3.1 power supply, and a 360mm MSI liquid cooler. The listed total is about $2,206, although the memory is shown at $559.99, which may be a pricing error. I already own a 2TB Samsung 980 Pro SSD from an older system, so storage is covered. Are there any compatibility issues or parts I should change, especially the motherboard? Would choosing a board with PCIe 5.0 support make a meaningful difference?
2 Answers
The overall parts list is solid, but I’d compare that B840 board with a B850 or B650E model that offers PCIe 5.0. It isn’t essential for the current graphics card or SSD, so don’t overspend just for the label, but the newer connectivity could give the system more upgrade flexibility later.
The main thing missing from the list was storage, but your 2TB 980 Pro takes care of that. Assuming it’s in good condition, you can reuse it in the new build. Also double-check that $559.99 memory price—it looks wildly high for a 32GB DDR5-6000 kit and may be an error.
Yep, I already have the 2TB 980 Pro from a previous build, so I’ll reuse that. I’ll also verify the memory price before ordering.
Would PCIe 5.0 actually make a noticeable difference for this build, or is it mostly useful for future upgrades?