How can I reduce the cost of this 1440p/240Hz gaming PC build?
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MellowCedar47
I'm planning a gaming PC for competitive FPS titles at 1440p and up to 240Hz, while still having enough performance for visually demanding single-player games. The current parts list is priced in Australian dollars: XFX Swift RX 9070 GRE 12GB for $899, Ryzen 7 7800X3D for $579, 32GB DDR5-6000 CL38 memory for $649, MSI B650M Bomber WiFi motherboard for $149, 1TB Lexar NM790 NVMe SSD for $289, ID-COOLING FROZN A620 cooler for $69, Cooler Master 750W Gold ATX 3.1 PSU for $109, and a Montech AIR 903 MAX case for $99. The total comes to about $3,341 AUD. I'd like to bring the price down without taking a major hit to gaming performance. Are any of these components overpriced, and would a different GPU or CPU combination offer better value?
Answers
Several prices look unusually high, especially the memory and SSD. Shop across multiple Australian retailers rather than buying everything from one store. A regular RX 9070 with 16GB can sometimes be found around the same price as the 12GB GRE, making it a stronger choice for both 1440p and future games. You could also save with a cheaper DDR5-6000 kit, a less expensive Gen4 SSD, and a budget dual-tower cooler. Depending on current sales, a Ryzen 7 9800X3D may even be available for about the same price as the 7800X3D and would be the better gaming CPU.
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The core idea is solid, but the build is definitely overpriced. Keeping the 7800X3D and B650M board while choosing cheaper memory, cooling, and storage can bring the total closer to $2,600–$2,700 AUD. I’d prioritize a full RX 9070 over the GRE if the prices are close, since it has more VRAM and better performance. Also, don’t feel obligated to use a PCIe 5.0 SSD—an affordable PCIe 4.0 model is already more than fast enough for gaming.
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It’s worth checking prebuilts and sales as well as individual components. A prebuilt with a 7800X3D and RX 9070 XT has been available for under $3,000 AUD, which is competitive with—or better than—the current parts list. Buying used parts can reduce the cost further; one similar system was assembled for around $2,300 AUD with only the graphics card purchased new. It may take patience to find good deals, but the savings can be significant.
AmberRook19: That kind of prebuilt does seem like good value, especially if the warranty and component quality are reasonable. I’d still check the exact motherboard, power supply, cooling, and return policy before ordering.
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SlatePanda8: A comparable parts list using a 9800X3D, RX 9070, 2TB SSD, cheaper cooler, and 850W power supply came to roughly $2,900 AUD, so there’s a lot of room to reduce the original total without sacrificing performance.