I'm putting together a PC in France and I'm currently about €60 over budget. The system will mainly be used for gaming, writing, video editing, some programming, and frequent Manim rendering. I'd prefer to build it myself because this will be my first PC. Are there any components I can replace or downgrade without hurting performance too much?
4 Answers
One alternative is switching to an Intel 14th-generation platform with DDR4 memory, which could reduce the cost while giving you a stronger processor for rendering and editing. Just update the motherboard BIOS early, since older BIOS versions had issues with some 14th-generation CPUs. The tradeoff is that LGA1700 is effectively a finished platform with little worthwhile upgrade path.
You could avoid buying a separate CPU cooler by changing the Ryzen 5 7500F to a Ryzen 5 7600, which includes a basic stock cooler. However, check current prices first, because the 7600 plus its included cooler may cost about the same as the 7500F and an aftermarket cooler. A used 7600 could make this option more attractive.
A prebuilt may occasionally offer better value because retailers discount complete systems, and you might find one with a stronger graphics card in this price range. That said, building it yourself is perfectly reasonable if learning the process is important to you.
I’d rather assemble it myself since this is going to be my first PC build.
The build already uses a relatively inexpensive PCIe 4.0 SSD, so I wouldn’t cut storage performance further. If you need to save money, look for sales or consider a slightly smaller drive instead. I would actually put a little more of the budget toward the power supply: the MSI unit listed is a weak place to economize, and the PSU is important for the reliability and safety of the whole system.
The 7600 with its included cooler ends up costing roughly the same as the 7500F plus a separate cooler, so the savings may be minimal.