This is my first PC build, and I'd appreciate some advice before I commit. It uses a Ryzen 5 9600X, 32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5 memory, an RX 9060 XT 16GB graphics card, an ASUS TUF Gaming B650E motherboard, a Sharkoon AK6 case, a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 Vision Max cooler, a 2TB Kingston NV3 SSD, and a 750W Thermaltake Toughpower GT power supply. Everything is new, and the total cost is about $1,899. Is this a good balance of parts and value?
4 Answers
The parts generally make sense, but whether it’s a good deal depends heavily on your country and the individual prices. If your budget allows, moving up to an RX 9070 would provide a major performance increase over the RX 9060 XT. The 16GB version you chose is the better option, though.
If you’re comfortable buying used hardware, you might get considerably more performance for the money with a used RTX 4070, RTX 4070 Ti, or at least an RX 9070 paired with a stronger gaming CPU such as a Ryzen 7 7800X3D. You could potentially save several hundred dollars, although used-part condition and warranty coverage need to be considered. Also compare SSD prices carefully; a 2TB NVMe drive should generally be much cheaper than $200 unless the market is unusually expensive.
This should be a strong 1080p gaming system and should handle high-refresh-rate gaming well. It’s also suitable for lighter 1440p gaming at around 144Hz, especially because this is the 16GB graphics-card model.
Before building, confirm that the motherboard’s BIOS supports the Ryzen 5 9600X out of the box. If it doesn’t, you may need to update the BIOS before the system will boot. The motherboard should otherwise be a good match for the processor.
Yes, I went with the 16GB version.