Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I last built a desktop—the last one I made was about 15 years ago, although I've done some minor upgrades since then. I'm looking to put together a new PC, but my needs are pretty basic. I won't be gaming at all; mostly, I'll be using it for general home office tasks like browsing the internet (I usually have a ton of tabs open and often have YouTube videos running), using Word and Excel, and managing photos. Right now, I'm working with an old setup that just can't keep up anymore and I'm looking to upgrade to Windows 11 since I can only run Windows 10 at the moment.
Here's the setup I currently have:
- CPU: Core i7 860
- Motherboard: ASUS P7P55D EVO
- RAM: G.Skill DDR3 16GB (4x4) 800MHz
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GT 730
- Storage: 1TB SSD & 2TB HDD
- PSU: OCZ 600W
I'm planning to spend around $700 (including tax) on a new CPU, motherboard, RAM, PSU, and CPU cooler. I'm going to keep my Antec 900 case and hard drives since they're still working fine. I don't want a separate graphics card right now, so I'll be relying on the onboard graphics for the time being.
Here's what I've thought about so far for my new build:
- AMD Ryzen 5 9600X: $197.79 (Amazon)
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend: $209.99 (Amazon)
- G.SKILL Flare X5 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6000: $104.99 (Amazon)
- ASRock Steel Legend SL-750G 750W PSU: $89.99 (Newegg)
- AP1-V White Tower ARGB CPU Air Cooler: $29.99 (Amazon)
What do you guys think? Any suggestions or improvements? Thanks!
3 Answers
You might want to reconsider the 750W PSU. Since you're not planning to run a dedicated GPU right away, you could save some cash with a lower wattage PSU, potentially around 600W. But it's nice to have headroom for future upgrades!
Consider looking at some alternatives for the motherboard. Options like the ASUS TUF Gaming X870-PLUS WIFI or the MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max might offer better value or features depending on sales. Just something to think about!
I was leaning towards ASUS since I have had good experiences in the past, but the ASRock caught my eye because of its looks and price. I'll take a closer look at the ASUS options!
If you're looking to maximize your budget, check out this PCPartPicker list I made: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CZk2wY. You could substitute in a Ryzen 7600 or 7600X for a slightly lower price if you need to save a bit more. And if RGB isn’t a must for your cooler, you can find something cheaper too!
Great list! I’ll definitely explore those options. I was planning on sticking with my Antec 900 case and current SSDs, so that should help keep costs down.
Yeah, I'm considering getting a GPU eventually, so maybe the 750W isn't such a bad idea after all. Plus, it was on sale cheaper than a 650W model.