I'm building a gaming PC in the UK with a total budget of about £1,700, including a 1440p monitor and power supply. I mainly want to play Wuthering Waves, Fortnite, Red Dead Redemption 2, and modded Minecraft. I'm new to choosing PC parts, and my current build is already over budget before adding the PSU or monitor. I'd prefer a white case and fans, although I'm open to a black case with a few white components if that saves money. Would it be better to switch from AM5 to the cheaper AM4 platform, or should I keep AM5 and choose a less expensive graphics card? Any other suggestions for balancing the build would be appreciated.
3 Answers
I’d stick with AM5. DDR4 memory isn’t dramatically cheaper than it used to be, so the real AM4 saving is mostly the motherboard—perhaps £40–£60—and that isn’t enough to justify choosing an older platform for this budget. You still need to include the PSU and monitor, and a decent 1440p monitor can cost around £150. At 1440p, games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Wuthering Waves are likely to be limited more by the GPU than the CPU, so it makes more sense to keep the newer AM5 upgrade path and adjust the graphics card or case if necessary.
There’s a very strong prebuilt option available for around £1,599 that includes a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Radeon RX 9070 XT, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. That’s a significant CPU and GPU upgrade compared with the parts list you linked, while still leaving roughly £100 for a monitor. It may not have the prettiest case, but you could move the components into a nicer white case later if the parts and cooling layout are standard.
With a few small changes, you should be able to get close to your target for about £50 more. The main thing is to balance the graphics card, monitor, and case rather than spending too much on appearance. A cheaper case and a reasonably priced 1440p display could help keep the overall build under control.
That looks like an incredible deal, thanks! My only concern is the lack of reviews, although buying from a large retailer makes me feel a bit more comfortable. I’m also not sure how long the discount will be available.