I'm planning my first PC and would like some feedback before placing the order. My budget is around €2,500, with a little flexibility, and I'll be buying everything from Finnish retailers. The system would be used mostly for gaming at 1440p, with some basic schoolwork such as writing and math. I also plan to use Linux.
My proposed parts are:
• GPU: ASUS PRIME Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• Memory: KLEVV BOLT V 32GB (2×16GB) DDR5-6000 CL30
• Storage: Kingston NV3 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
• Power supply: MSI MAG PCIe5 II 850W
• Motherboard: ASUS B850M MAX Gaming Wi-Fi
• CPU cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120
• Case: Phanteks XT Pro Ultra
The total comes to about €2,560 before shipping and any optional warranty extensions. Does this look well balanced, or are there parts I could replace with equally good but cheaper alternatives?
3 Answers
The parts list is generally solid for a 1440p gaming system. The main thing I’d question is the price, since there may be opportunities to save on the CPU, motherboard, or graphics card without noticeably affecting gaming performance. Also, extra warranties usually aren’t worth paying for because the components already have manufacturer coverage.
I’d reconsider using the Kingston NV3 as the main system drive. It uses QLC flash, which generally has lower endurance and can slow down more when the drive fills or during sustained writes. A reasonably priced TLC-based NVMe SSD would be a better choice for the operating system and games, even if it uses PCIe 3.0 or has slightly lower headline speeds.
For 1440p gaming, the RX 9070 XT and 9800X3D will perform very well. The 9800X3D is excellent, but it may be more CPU than you need; a 7800X3D could reduce the total cost while still delivering very similar results in most games. You could also compare different 9070 XT models, preferably one with a larger, quieter cooler.
I hadn’t realized there was such a practical difference between TLC and QLC flash. Thanks for pointing that out—I’ll compare some TLC drives instead.