Hey everyone! I'm upgrading my PC from a Radeon 5600XT and Ryzen 5 3600, which has served me well for the past five years. Now, though, I'm encountering some issues, and it doesn't perform as well as I'd like for the games I want to play. My budget is $1400 (including a monitor), and I'm leaning towards a white aesthetic, but I can switch to black if needed. After two weeks of research, here's what I've come up with:
- **CPU:** AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (3.9 GHz, 6-Core) - $199
- **Cooler:** Thermaltake white AIO cooler (3 fans) - $50-$70
- **GPU:** PNY OC GeForce RTX 5070 (12 GB) - $549
- **Motherboard:** Gigabyte B850M AORUS ELITE WIFI6E ICE - $184 (I like that it has PCIe 5 for my GPU, even though it's a micro ATX)
- **RAM:** TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB (32 GB, 2 x 16 GB, DDR5-6000 CL30) - $99
- **Storage:** Samsung 990 EVO Plus (2 TB, M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVME) - $129
- **PSU:** Looking at a Thermaltake GF1 850W - $99 (I've heard mixed advice on whether I should go with 750W or 850W)
I'm reusing my old Montech case and just picked up a KTC 300Hz 1440p monitor on sale for $229.
Please share your thoughts! Be gentle, as I'm still learning and don't want to feel overwhelmed. Also, I live in the Caribbean, so returning items is tricky, and I want to make sure I'm making the best choices!
3 Answers
For gaming, I think you could downgrade the SSD a bit; the one you chose feels like overkill. Make sure to look for a TLC SSD instead of QLC for better longevity. As for the PSU, I'd say 750W is definitely sufficient; I have the same setup and it works great!
Just a heads up! Make sure you snag the 5070 at its MSRP. Prices can get a bit crazy, but I’ve seen it available for $549 on Amazon, which is pretty good.
Yeah, I think I found the best value for my budget at that price, so I'm ready to grab it!
Honestly, I’d recommend looking into the RX 9070 (non-XT) instead of the 5070. It has more VRAM and can deliver slightly better frame rates. Also, you might save some cash by going with a Ryzen 7600 paired with a B650 motherboard and getting a 420Hz 1440p IPS monitor, which typically starts around €220.
Good to know! I appreciate the alternatives; I’ll consider them before finalizing my choices.
Thanks for the tip! I hadn't heard about the TLC vs. QLC difference before, so I'll definitely look into that.