What to look for in a mid-range gaming setup?
What to look for in a mid-range gaming setup?
Hope I'm posting in the correct place but I'd like some advice on a mid-range gaming build. I had another build but was advised most of my parts were overpriced so I switched out the CPU cooler, motherboard, memory, and storage. Just looking for general suggestions on price to performance and if I can cut costs without sacrificing too much value. I'm also considering another motherboard Gigabyte B650 EAGLE AX ATX AM5 Motherboard. Last I checked it was slightly cheaper and had more PCI slots but had slower wifi so I'm not sure if it is actually much better. Both seem to have good reviews. Lastly, I originally picked a 5070 but it was suggested I go with either a 5070 Ti or 9070 XT if I can afford it else choose the 9070 over the 5070. The Ti was noticeably more expensive. Do the Ti and XT versions justify $150+ difference? A lot of them were near $1K. PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JpGR6Q CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($208.00 @ Amazon) CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($17.89 @ Amazon) Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg) Memory: Silicon Power Value Gaming 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($85.97 @ Amazon) Storage: SK Hynix Platinum P41 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card ($945.00 @ Amazon) Case: NZXT H9 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case ($164.99 @ Amazon) Power Supply: Corsair RM750x (2024) 750 W Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.99 @ Amazon) Total: $1846.82 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-05-20 22:36 EDT-0400
Here are all my parts for the new computer I'm making:
The processor I want is a AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor which costs $208.99 at B&H. For cooling, I need an ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE 58 CFM CPU Cooler that comes in for $29.99 on Amazon.
The motherboard is MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 which costs $199.62 at Amazon. The RAM I need is TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory for $92.99 on Amazon.
For storage, I'm buying a Crucial T500 W/Heatsink 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive that costs $132.99 at Amazon. For graphics, I want a Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card which is priced at $739.98 on Newegg.
My case will be Lian Li LANCOOL 216 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case for $102.99 at B&H. My power supply needs to be a Corsair RM850x (2024) 850 W Fully Modular ATX Power Supply that costs $134.99 on Amazon.
The total cost comes to $1642.54. All prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. This list was made by PCPartPicker on May 21st, 2025 at 8:06 EDT-0400.
PLEASE NOTE: The MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX Motherboard supports the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor with BIOS version 7D75v1H. If the motherboard is using an older BIOS version, updating the BIOS will be necessary to support the CPU.
I would choose these parts for a similar price: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (4.2 GHz, 8-Core) for $385.38 on Amazon. CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE (58 CFM) for $29.99 on Amazon. Motherboard: MSI PRO B850-P WIFI AM5 for $179.99 at Newegg. Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 32 GB (two 16 GB sticks, DDR5-6400 CL32) for $74.99 on Newegg. Storage: SK Hynix Platinum P41 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD for $124.99 at Newegg. Video Card: Asus PRIME GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (16 GB) for $829.99 on ASUS. Case: NZXT H7 Flow (2024) tower case for $129.99 on Amazon. Power Supply: Super Flower Leadex III Gold UP 850 W with full certification for $119.99 at Newegg. Total cost comes to $1,875.31. Everything listed includes shipping, taxes, and discounts that happen online. This list was made by PCPartPicker on May 21, 2025, at 11:26 EDT-0400.
If you live close to a microcenter, I'd try to grab the 7600X3D there for about $300 if they have it in stock. It's one of the best deals on the market right now and gives performance similar to the 7800X3D, unless the game you're playing needs more than six cores.