Find a $500-$800 AUD budget to keep my gaming PC strong for the long term.
Find a $500-$800 AUD budget to keep my gaming PC strong for the long term.
I would buy a 7800 XT just because of the move to 1440p. Modern games are already running at that resolution, but having too much RAM (8GB) isn't always good. If I stick with 1080p settings and lower graphics, it will be easier to avoid memory limits without crashing. The new RTX 5060 Ti has an 8GB version that is actually slower than Intel's Arc B580. We are testing the Nvidia card to see why its huge RAM struggles in modern games and how it compares to Intel's cheaper chip.
Here is the list of parts I picked for my computer. The CPU is an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D, which costs $429 and has 8 cores running at 3 GHz. I also bought some RAM called G.Skill Ripjaws V with 32 GB total (two blocks of 16 GB each). This memory runs at 3600 speed on CL18. The cost for both the CPU and RAM together is $514.
The prices shown here include shipping, taxes, and any discounts that are available right now. These parts were picked from my best options using computer tools. I made this list by PCPartPicker on May 16, 2025 in Australia (which is UTC+10:00).
Most of the latest games are single-player, like Red Dead 2, Cyberpunk, or Witcher 3. These handle pretty well at high resolutions on current hardware; Cyberpunk is just much more demanding than Red Dead 2 or Witcher 3. So for newer titles such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and similar ones that demand lots of power from the PC, you should definitely look into getting a 4K monitor since your point about being able to change resolution if needed is very good. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
If you are looking at a very high resolution like 4k or even 1440p then I would skip buying a graphics card right now. Nothing will actually work well with it, especially if you want to play in 4k on an 800 AUD budget. Instead of jumping straight there, I recommend upgrading your computer platform slowly over time so you can add things as you get money for them. For playing 1440p games, this setup would be perfect, but if you are trying to run 4k, you might need a few extra cores from the CPU. Most modern video games use more graphics processing power (cores) than you realize. Even at 4k resolution my Ryzen processor is running way too hot with that new 5090 card in Cyberpunk 2077. When I switched to playing on 1440p, my game performance barely improved by just a little bit because my CPU is still the limiting factor and struggling even at that lower resolution. The same problem happens when you try to play Monster Hunter Wilds. You really should get a new power supply unit that can handle any card or graphics chip you buy later on in life. You are probably going to want more than 32GB of RAM as well, just like I need space for all my games and open apps at the same time. Sometimes even having some browser tabs or Discord windows running makes my system memory feel full and slow down everything. I also think it is a good idea to get a really nice air cooler for your CPU because that helps keep things cool. Most graphics cards have special cooling features called passthroughs, which means they blow hot air directly into your CPU cooler unless you connect an intake fan right at the front of your case. If you want something available today then buying just the main parts like the processor and motherboard is what I would do, but if you are saving money over time then save up and buy a new piece whenever there are good deals. Here is what my list looks like for the computer I built: Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 9600 with 3.8 GHz speed and 6 cores ($359 from Computer Alliance) CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM Cooling System ($55 from Centre Com) Motherboard: Gigabyte B850 GAMING WIFI6 ATX AM5 board $287.30 from Amazon Australia Memory: Patriot Venom 64 GB in two pieces of 32 GB each with speeds up to 6000 MHz and low latency ($289 from MSY Technology) Power Supply: FSP Group Hydro G PRO which is a 1000 Watt power supply rated for PCIe 5.0 technology with an 80% Gold certification that comes fully modular in an ATX form factor $219 from JW Computers Total Cost: $1209.30 These prices include shipping, taxes, and any discounts available when you buy this set. Prices were checked on May 16th, 2025 in Australia time zone. Generated by PCPartPicker tool.
Wow, thanks so much for all the help and advice! I'm going to look for cool deals on those parts you suggested. I'll start building something awesome soon, especially after I get some time.<3