If you've been keeping up with my articles, you probably know that I think now is a terrrible time to build a PC. GPUs are in short supply and new consoles offer an unbeatable value proposition. However, if you just have to build a PC, then here is a guide on how to build something that will game at least on-par with a PS5 or Xbox Series X while not costing something outrageous. CPU - $280The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an octa-core processor has good single-core performance, excellent multi-core performance, and low power consumption. This will allow for stable 60fps when paired with a sufficiently powerful GPU for a given resolution. By using the same CPU as current-gen consoles, we can rest assured that we should not be CPU bound unless we are playing at low resolutions or with an extremely powerful GPU. Alternatively, a Ryzen 5 5600X is a $20 upgrade that nets you significantly improved single core performance and support for Smart Access Memory (read: minor performance boost) in exchange for being weaker overall, meaning that it may not age as well for gaming, and will not be as good at tasks such as building, video encoding, or video decoding. Most AMD Ryzen CPUs come with a decent stock cooler, so you don't have to worry about buying one. Motherboard - $150 For the motherboard, basically any B550 or X570 motherboard will work. The 3700X does not use too much power, so we don't have to worry about power delivery. Using a 500-series motherboard means you won't have to flash the bios to work with Ryzen 3000 CPUs. Additionally, you will have support for PCIe 4.0, which boasts extremely high bandwidth, enabling future GPUs to operate at maximum performance. RAM - $100Ryzen processors benefit from high-speed RAM, although there is no reason to go above DDR4-3600 due to limitations of AMD's Infinity Fabric. DDR4-3200 CL16 is the most common RAM out there, and offers good speeds a low costs. Some kits can run higher than their rated frequency, for example I run my DDR4-3200 CL16 kit at DDR4-3266 CL16, and it's rock solid. Do not get 8GB, and make sure to get dual-channel memory, as that doubles bandwidth. 16GB is enough, although if you have $50 to spare then I highly recommend upgrading to 32GB. GPU - $3-500GPU is where you have the most liberty to customize this build. The best choices include the GeForce RTX 3060, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, and the Radeon RX 6700XT. The two GeForce cards offer better performance in games that heavily utilize ray tracing. Additionally, they support DLSS, an Nvidia-exclusive technology which is employed by many games supporting ray tracing to offset the performance hit. The RTX 3060 Ti at $400 is more expensive but also much more powerful than the $330 RTX 3060, although it offers performance in the same league as the RTX 3070 for $100 less. The RX 6700XT is the most expensive card among those listed at $480, although tests show that it crushes the 3060 Ti and is often on par with the RTX 3070 in purely rasterized games. Another nice feature of the RX 6700XT is that it comes with 12GB of VRAM, which should aid with longevity. If you want to play the latest games in beautiful detail, go for the RTX 3060 Ti, or the RTX 3060 if money's tight. If, however, you want to play classics like The Witcher 3 or Final Fantasy XV in glorious 4K at 60fps, then the RX 6700XT will get you there. In short, if you like to play older games, or aren't that interested in ray tracing, you should get the RX 6700XT, otherwise go for the RTX 3060 or 3060 Ti. PSU - $100 Get a decent PSU, like the EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GT. You want around 650w for a GPU like the RX 6700XT, but you can get away with less for the RTX 3060 or RTX 3060 Ti. EVGA is very reliable for PSUs. You don't need to spend crazy money on a PSU, but you shouldn't cheap and buy a $40 unit. Case - $180The case is purely up to you, this is what you'll be looking at, so you don't want to get something hideous. I recommend the Corsair 760T, it has great cooling, looks sharp, and is easy to build in. The two drawbacks are that it is a little pricey, over $200 thanks to the Corsair tax, and doesn't come with tempered glass side panels. However, I've had no issues regarding rattling (aside from one fan that just needed oil), it comes with OK dust filters, and the thermals are excellent. Six drive bays is more than enough, but I've already used three of them plus an M.2 slot. Alternatively, if you want a cheaper case, the Lian Li Lancool II case comes with tempered glass side panels, metal on both the inside and outside, and has some fans for $100. The Lancool II only has 120mm fans instead of 140mm fans like the 760T and there is no room for a DVD drive. SSD - $100There are tons of SSDs out there for wildly varying prices, although you should expect to spend about $100 to get a decently sized SSD from a reputable manufacturer such as Crucial, Seagate, Inland, Western Digital, or even Samsung if you're lucky. You don't need to have the fastest SSD, even a DRAMless model will do if money's tight, but whatever you do don't get a mechanical hard drive. It isn't worth it, HDDs are slow, prone to failure, noisier, and use more power. If you need a ton of space on the cheap, get a tiny SSD and use a secondary HDD to store games, files, etc. Final price - ~$1300There you have it, a PC that balances cost and performance to deliver an excellent gaming experience. This base should serve you well whatever you want to do, whether it's esports or AAA gaming. No, you won't be able to max out everything at 4K and hit 60fps. No, you might not be able to pump out 500fps on some shooter. But, you will still be able to play at 4K if you finagle some settings, and you should be able to break 240fps playing Valorant, Minecraft, or even Fortnite if you turn down some settings. Consoles aren't often playing with max settings, but they still manage to make games look good. This PC will be in a similar situation. However, the monitor plays a significant role in making eye candy. I highly recommend a 1440p monitor with at least a 75Hz refresh rate. Happy gaming!
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DanielI'm a software engineer, volunteer IT support, amateur blogger, casual gamer, and tech enthusiast. I also love cars and the great outdoors. Archives
May 2021
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