Looking for comments on a midrange $1250 gaming build without a GPU.
Looking for comments on a midrange $1250 gaming build without a GPU.
I've been playing on an Intel i5-10600k for some time now, and I'm planning to make a upgrade soon. Just recently switched to an RTX 4070 TI and have the SSD available; neither of those is being upgraded.
I'm matching it up with a 1440p display. Not entirely certain on MoBo, but the Gigabyte 850m Aurora also seemed appealing. I'd like WiFi 7 for future compatibility.
I love doing overclocking and am hoping my RAM/Motherboard/CPU cooler combo works well together. I'm aiming for the quietest possible (360mm) AIO to complete the job. I'm not trying to break any records, just a stable and moderate increase.
I need suggestions for reliable, quiet case fans too.
I'm keeping everything in the $1250 range, with some flexibility. I want to play recent AAA titles like Borderlands 4 or Homeworld 3 at 1440p with most settings turned up. Let me know if that's feasible. I also enjoy RTS/4X games such as Homeworld 3, especially with lots of moving units.
Building list from PartPicker:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($459.95 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro A-RGB 360 77 CFM ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 ($226.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Pro Overclocking 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 ($91.01 @ B&H)
Storage: Intel 660p 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME SSD ($199.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GAMING TRIO GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design North XL ATX Full Tower ($194.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair SF850 (2024) 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1445.92
Includes shipping, taxes, and available discounts
Thank you in advance!
Looks like you're good to go!
You could go for this case;
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Ff2j4D/...c-epo1a-02
instead. Just curious, why are you looking at the XL variant of the North case from Frractal Design? Are you planning on going custom watercooling in the future?
If so, you need a better MoBo.
The one you currently picked, has 14+2+1 VRM rated at 80A with Dr.MOS.
For Ryzen 3 / Core i3 - 8 main phase VRM is good. Might even get away with 6 or 4 main phase VRM.
For Ryzen 5 / Core i5 - 12 main phase VRM is preferred, if you want stable power for CPU.
For Ryzen 7 / Core i7 - 16 main phase VRM would do nice, while more is better.
For Ryzen 9 / Core i9 - 20 main phase VRM minimum, if not the best that can be get (24 or 26 main phase VRM).
Better one would be like so:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor
($469.00 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler:
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro A-RGB 360 77 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
($98.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
ASRock X870E Taichi Lite EATX AM5 Motherboard
($319.99 @ Amazon)
Memory:
G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory
($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:
Intel 660p 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
(Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card:
MSI GAMING TRIO GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card
(Purchased For $0.00)
Case:
Fractal Design North XL ATX Full Tower Case
($194.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply:
Corsair SF850 (2024) 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply
($174.99 @ Newegg)
Total:
$1382.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-09-06 14:29 EDT-0400
Put in AsRock X870E Taichi Lite, which has 24+2+1 VRM rated 110A with Dr.MOS. Ideal for OC'ing the CPU, while providing the most stable power to CPU.
MoBo specs:
https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X870E Taichi Lite/index.asp
For my own build, also running R7 9800X3D (components bought, currently in shipping) i bought AsRock X870E Nova Wifi, which has 20+2+1 VRM rated 110A with Dr.MOS. Since i don't plan to OC my chip, the VRM amount and rating is good enough.
Pcpp, for some reason doesn't have AsRock X870E Nova Wifi as one selectable MoBos. So, for you, i put in Taichi Lite, which is better in terms of CPU OC (but worse in terms of eyecandy and RGB).
Here's also X870/E MoBo roundup, where both AsRock MoBos i talked here, are tested,
link:
https://www.techspot.com/review/2907-amd...herboards/
Here's also a nice Q&A about the importance of VRM,
link:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/glossary/vrm/
I also changed out the RAM. Just because RAM has "overclocking" in it's name, doesn't mean you can OC 6000 MT/s RAM into 8000 MT/s.
Instead, put in solid RAM from G.Skill, that should offer you manual OC past the rated 6400 MT/s. Also, it has CL32, making latency mere 10 nanoseconds.
For comparison, your Crucial RAM, at 6000 MT/s, has CL36 with latency of 12 nanoseconds. So, by the time G.Skill RAM can make 3 accesses in 30 ns, Crucial RAM can do only 2 accesses. For 3 accesses, it needs 36 ns. So, slower.
AIO wise, i can't tell. Depends on how fast you're planning to run fans on rad.
What fans you already have in the PC case? And do you plan to add more, or do you plan to replace all what case currently has?
You can expect ~169 FPS on average on 1440p.
Source:
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/msi-g...-x/31.html
Borderlands 3, 144 FPS.
DDR5-6000 CL30 is available.
PCPartPicker has compiled the necessary components.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz, 8-core processor (sold for $359.00 on Amazon).
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB, 66.17 CFM (price $37.90 on Amazon).
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B650E-PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 board (Amazon, $179.99).
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 (Amazon, $94.99).
Storage: MSI SPATIUM M480 PRO 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVMe SSD (MSI, $119.99).
Video Card: MSI GAMING TRIO GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB (Amazon).
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 217 ATX Mid Tower (Amazon, $119.99).
Power Supply: ASRock Steel Legend SL-850G 850W, 80+ Gold certified, fully modular (Newegg, $99.99).
Grand total: $1011.85, including shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts.
Selected parts reflect the best value according to parameters.
Generated by PCPartPicker on 2025-09-06 17:13 EDT-0400.
LANCOOL 217 offers a blend of modern cooling and solid wood details for enhanced aesthetics.
It includes five fans for efficient airflow from the start.
A versatile PSU mounting system simplifies cable organization.
lian-li.com presents the LANCOOL 217 as a top choice for mid-tower builds.
ASRock Steel Legend SL-850G reviewed by KitGuru on MSI’s website.
No. They do have a smaller version of the same case I picked. I'm debating getting that instead, but I wasn't sure I could fit the 360mm AIO radiator. I'll have to measure my current case to see what size I'm happy working with.
Wow! Thank you for your detailed response!
I'll def swap the memory. (Yeah, I know OC in the name doesn't mean anything, lol. I just went with what looked like low timings to me; tho the last time I understood timings, I was buying like DDR1.)
Again, I wasn't looking for anything too crazy on the OC end. Maybe a couple 100Mhz here or there. That said, I wouldn't mind spending a bit more on X-870/E. Would like some of the future proofing that brings.
Random question. Do people ever buy Audio Cards anymore (just for gaming. No content creation or anything)?