I'm putting together a gaming PC for a friend with a €1,500 budget for the tower itself, plus roughly €200 for a monitor. The current parts list uses DDR5, but I'm unsure whether it's the best choice because compatible motherboards and memory are still fairly expensive. Would it make more sense to spend less on the platform or RAM and put the savings toward a faster graphics card? The target is 1440p gaming, and I'd also appreciate advice on the monitor, case airflow, and whether any components should be changed.
4 Answers
The biggest improvement would probably come from reallocating money toward the GPU. A 9070 XT-class card is dramatically faster than a 9060 XT, so it may be worth starting with 16GB of RAM and upgrading later. Choose a motherboard with four memory slots, and 16GB should be workable as long as your friend isn’t running an enormous number of browser tabs while gaming.
For the monitor, 27 inches at 1440p with an IPS panel and at least 120Hz is a good target for this kind of build. I’d also reconsider the glass fish-tank-style case unless the appearance is important. A conventional case with a mesh front can provide better airflow and may cost less. A good used GPU is another way to improve performance, though buying new is understandably less risky when building for someone else.
You could cut platform costs by using a DDR4 motherboard and memory with a strong processor such as the 14600K or 14600KF, potentially freeing enough budget for a much faster graphics card. At 1440p, the gaming performance difference between comparable DDR4 and DDR5 setups usually isn’t very noticeable. That said, some people would rather avoid older 14th-generation Intel parts because of their reliability and power-related concerns, so a newer platform may be the safer long-term choice.
I’d personally be cautious with 14th-generation Intel. The newer platform may offer better peace of mind even if the older option looks attractive on price.
Don’t wait for RAM prices to maybe drop. If the budget allows it, 32GB of DDR5 is a sensible choice today and gives the system more breathing room for newer games and multitasking. You might still fit a 9070 XT by looking for discounts or considering used parts such as the CPU, motherboard, cooler, or graphics card, assuming your friend is comfortable with that.
That makes sense. I’m leaning toward the build that uses 16GB for now, since the memory can be expanded later if prices improve.