Is this a good first PC build, and should I choose an air cooler or AIO?
Asked by
MellowHarbor42
I've been saving for a gaming PC for a long time and can finally afford to build one, although component prices aren't ideal right now. This would be my first desktop, so I'd appreciate feedback on compatibility, value, and anything that should be changed.
My current build is:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A720 BLACK
- Motherboard: MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI
- Memory: 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-6000 CL30
- Storage: Silicon Power UD90 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
- GPU: Gigabyte Gaming OC Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB
- Case: Lian Li Vector V100R
- Power supply: ASRock Phantom Gaming PG-850G 850W 80+ Gold
The total is about $3,029 CAD, and I'm willing to spend somewhat more than my original $3,500 CAD budget. I've also considered similarly priced prebuilt systems with an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT.
I like the appearance of the Arctic Liquid Freezer III ARGB AIO, but I'm wondering whether it would provide a meaningful temperature improvement over the air cooler. Would an AIO require much maintenance, and is undervolting necessary with an air cooler? I'd also appreciate advice on the SSD, monitor, or any other parts that should be changed.
Answers
The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is relatively easy to cool, so that large air cooler should be more than sufficient. An AIO may look nicer, but it probably won’t provide a dramatic temperature improvement for this CPU. If you prefer the appearance and find one at a good price, it’s still a reasonable choice, and routine maintenance is minimal.
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I’d reconsider the UD90 as your operating-system drive. It uses lower-end flash and may have reduced endurance and slower sustained performance compared with a good TLC-based SSD, especially as it fills up or ages. A higher-quality TLC NVMe drive would be a better choice, and moving to 2TB would also give you more room for games.
MellowHarbor42: I didn’t realize the UD90 had that drawback. I’ll switch to a better TLC drive and will probably make it 2TB.
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Make sure your monitor matches the performance of the new system. A 1440p display with at least a 144Hz refresh rate would be a much better fit than a 1080p 60Hz monitor. Otherwise, you’d be spending on a powerful GPU without being able to see much of the benefit.
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MellowHarbor42: That’s good to know. I’m hoping the Liquid Freezer III goes on sale, since I mainly like it for the appearance. I was worried an AIO would require a lot of maintenance.