I'm planning a new PC mainly for maxed-out 1440p gaming, including graphical and content-heavy mods. I'm willing to use DLSS and frame generation, and I'd like to maintain at least 60 FPS in upcoming games for the next four or more years if possible. I also want enough performance for streaming and some content creation, while keeping the system quiet during normal work and gaming rather than sounding like a gaming laptop under load.
The proposed parts are a KLEVV CRAS V RGB 48GB (2x24GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 kit, PNY GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB, Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO, Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, MSI X870 Gaming Plus WiFi motherboard, and Lian Li V100 case. The current total is about $3,067, but I haven't selected a power supply yet.
Does this build meet those goals, and are any components poor value or worth replacing? I'm especially unsure whether 48GB of memory, the 990 Pro, and the RTX 5070 Ti make sense for this budget.
4 Answers
That combination should handle 1440p very comfortably. The 9800X3D is one of the strongest gaming CPUs available, and the 5070 Ti has plenty of performance for high or ultra settings. You may not need frame generation, and DLSS may only be useful in especially demanding games or when using heavy ray tracing. It’s arguably more of a 4K-capable card than a strictly 1440p card.
The build is powerful, but you may be paying a premium for the Nvidia card, premium SSD, and extra memory. If you don’t rely heavily on CUDA, NVENC, ray tracing, or DLSS, a Radeon 9070 XT could offer similar traditional gaming performance for substantially less. The Nvidia option still makes sense if your content-creation software benefits from its features.
The 990 Pro is excellent, but gaming usually won’t feel much different with a less expensive PCIe 4.0 SSD. Thirty-two gigabytes is enough for most gaming, while 48GB is a reasonable compromise if you play demanding simulation games or do heavier creation work. I would avoid buying a single 32GB stick, though; use a matched two-stick kit now or upgrade with a properly matched kit later.
Don’t forget the power supply. Use a reputable, appropriately sized ATX 3.x unit with the required modern GPU connector rather than trying to save money there. The exact wattage depends on the card’s recommendation, but a quality unit around the upper-midrange should be the target.
For quiet operation, the air cooler is a good choice, but case airflow and fan curves will matter just as much as the components. Use several quality, low-RPM case fans, keep the filters clean, and configure the GPU and CPU fans to ramp gradually. The system will still make noise during heavy gaming, but it should be much quieter than a typical gaming laptop.
I was considering 48GB because it seemed like a middle ground between 32GB and 64GB. I’ve also heard that Microsoft Flight Simulator can use close to 40GB, so I wanted some extra headroom.