I currently have a PC with an RX 590, an older i3 processor, 16 GB of DDR4 memory, and a 100 GB SSD plus a 1 TB SSD. The system freezes sometimes, especially when I have many browser tabs and other programs open, and the CPU often reaches around 80% usage during normal use.
I'm considering building a new PC with an RX 9070 XT, Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 32 GB of RAM, and 2 TB of storage. I mostly browse the web with lots of tabs and play games such as Overwatch 2, modded Minecraft, Counter-Strike, and Skyrim. Occasionally I buy a demanding new game and might play it for around 100 hours.
The build would cost roughly €2,000 new or about €1,700 used. I may join the army in one or two years, so I'm unsure whether to spend that much now, buy something more modest, or wait several years. I also know that "future-proofing" is difficult because hardware keeps changing. Would this high-end build be unnecessary for my use, and what would be a sensible upgrade path?
2 Answers
That build is probably more than you need, especially if you may not be using it much in a couple of years. Moving to 32 GB of RAM should help with browser-heavy multitasking, but the old i3 is likely the bigger cause of the freezes. A balanced midrange system, possibly using an affordable AM4 platform, could handle your games and everyday use comfortably without spending €2,000.
I’d avoid paying extra specifically for “future-proofing.” Buy enough performance for the games you actually play now, and prioritize a modern six- or eight-core CPU, 32 GB of RAM, a decent SSD, and a graphics card matched to your monitor’s resolution. The RX 9070 XT and 9800X3D make sense for high-refresh 1440p or demanding games, but they’re excessive if most of your time is spent browsing and playing lighter titles.
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