Question Help making component selections for a gaming PC Please

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wolfsmane

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Dec 3, 2014
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Its been a long time since my last PC build, back when Intel was king and AMD was something to stay away from. Now I am seeing AMD is best for gaming PCs.
I am hoping for help in selecting components that are compatible with each other. I am trying to build the best gaming system for under $1400ish. I will be hopefully building within a month as I have the funds to buy it all now.
I will be installing Windows 10/11.
I will need a good monitor also. This is a PC for a girl, so will need a pink case.
What I have chosen so far, if you could give your advise on these selections:

One other question, can 4k TVs be used for monitors? Thanks for helping me
 
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To answer your tv question, yes, a tv can be used as a monitor.
But, no current tv seems to have a displayport input and will use HDMI.
That will limit to 4k 60hz for the most part.
But, if your gpu has hdmi 2.1, and you use an ultra high speed hdmi cable, and your tv can handle 120hz you can game reasonably well.
I know, after researching, I use a LG oled C2 48" tv It also comes in 42" size.
They are not cheap.
See a monitor candidate in person if you can

On the case question, I suggest you let the girl pick the case. It is a personal decision.
One approach is to go to newegg and filter on pink cases.
Here is one that looks decent to me:
It is a MATX size so you would need a different motherboard.

I think you can build as is.
My thoughts:



The only part I might suggest a change is to use a 2tb m.2 up front.
Games are getting bigger.
For <$100, you can buy a 2tb m.2 pcie ssd.
Intel 670P or samsung 970 evo would be my picks.
Do not chase glowing synthetic benchmarks.
Most work is random.
These guys could not tell any difference:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA


Corsair RMx is top quality; good choice there.
If a future gpu upgrade is possible, get 850w.



The pc business is competitive.
You mostly get what you pay for at every price point.
If you are a nvidia user, the 4060ti is in the same performance category.

Are you a current Intel user?
If so, consider a Intel build where you have experience.
Ditto for graphics; amd vs. nvidia.

To that end, a similarly performing I5 13400 or 13500 would have a similar price.
They come with a upscale laminar flow stock cooler.
I would try that first before looking at aftermarket coolers.
Matx sized B660/B760 motherboards will usually cost less.
DDR4 and DDR5 perform the same. The ddr4 environment parts will usually be a bit less.
 
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I appreciate the detailed reply.

As far as the monitor is concerned, it would be best to stay with a 24" - 28" computer monitor. What specs should I be looking for when searching that?

I will definitely use a 2TB SSD instead of the 1TB. I will switch to the 850w PSU also.

I would like to build using AMD this time, unless there is something more difficult with AMD versus Intel.

The case will probably be full size, that is why I chose that MB, plus would get airflow, correct?

I don't understand what you were saying as far as the ram was concerned. Are you saying go with DDR4 over DDR5?

Again, thanks for your help
 
wolfsmane said:
Its been a long time since my last PC build, back when Intel was king and AMD was something to stay away from. Now I am seeing AMD is best for gaming PCs.
I am hoping for help in selecting components that are compatible with each other. I am trying to build the best gaming system for under $1400ish. I will be hopefully building within a month as I have the funds to buy it all now.
I will be installing Windows 10/11.
I will need a good monitor also. This is a PC for a girl, so will need a pink case.
What I have chosen so far, if you could give your advise on these selections:

One other question, can 4k TVs be used for monitors? Thanks for helping me
Click to expand...
When building a gaming PC, spend as much as you can on getting the best GPU you can afford, some will say spend 50% of the total budget on it. Your build has a great CPU, but the GPU is on the lower end of 4K, it's really a mid 1440p GPU.
Consider dropping the CPU down to a 7600/7600x and upping the GPU to a 6800xt or even a 6950.

On the question of DDR4 or DDR5, Ryzen 7000 only works with DDR5 and it's more stable using AMD EXPO, not XMP.
 
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pete_101 said:
When building a gaming PC, spend as much as you can on getting the best GPU you can afford, some will say spend 50% of the total budget on it. Your build has a great CPU, but the GPU is on the lower end of 4K, it's really a mid 1440p GPU.
Consider dropping the CPU down to a 7600/7600x and upping the GPU to a 6800xt or even a 6950.

On the question of DDR4 or DDR5, Ryzen 7000 only works with DDR5 and it's more stable using AMD EXPO, not XMP.
Click to expand...
I appreciate the help. I will check this out.
 
On monitors, it is best to see the candidates in person.
Failing that, go to a trusted review site like rtings.
www.rtings.com

The 5 Best Gaming Monitors of 2025

The best gaming monitor we've tested is the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM. It's a premium 4k, 240Hz monitor with a QD-OLED panel.
www.rtings.com www.rtings.com
My thought is that larger is more immersive if you have the space.
Higher resolution looks better and can be reduce for performance needs.

Larger cases can hold more parts.
Full size ATX motherboards will have 7 expansion slots.
That was useful way back when one needed ass in cards like sound cards, ethernet/wifi cards and such.
Today, motherboards include those functions.
Past one for the graphics card, just how many more will you be using.

MATX will have 4 expansion slots. It will fit in a more compact and less intrusive case.
Actually, a small case with the same fan arrangement(like2 front 140mm intakes and one 120mm rear exhaust) can cool more effectively. All of the airstream is concentrated where it is needed.

On DDR4 vs. DDR5 I am saying that there is no performance difference.
AM5 motherboards require DDR5.
Pick the one that fits your budget and motherboard.
DDR4 based motherboards, being older tech are usually cheaper.
Any ram speed over the base tech speed is overclocked ram.
Settings are needed to increase the voltage above stock to get the advertised speeds printed on the product.
Intel motherboards can read the required specs of speed,timings and voltage from code embedded in the ram chis themselves.
This is called XMP. Ryzen uses AMD EXPO to read the same specs.
Mostly, the same ram will work on intel or AMD. But not always.
With ryzen ram and it's speed is very closely tied to the processor.
That is one area where things can get complicated.
It is best with ryzen to use ram part numbers that are explicitly supported on the motherboard ram vendor's QVL list.
The list enumerates ram parts that were tested.
Other parts may well work if the ram vendor supports the ram for your motherboard and cpu combination.

Ram issues are definitely one area where AMD can be more difficult.

Some time back, a good rule of thumb was to budget 2x the cost of the cpu for the graphics card.
The mining craze really messed that up.
The rule was a bit simplistic anyway.
What kinds of games will be played.
If the games are fast action at high resolutions, then a strong graphics card is in order.
OTOH, some games are more cpu centric.
They would include sims, mmo and strategy games.
It would be unusual for such games to be able to make effective use of more than 8 processing threads.
Online multiplayer games would be an exception if there are many players.

Look to the specs of those offering advice.
Most, including me will have a bias for amd or intel.
I spend more time than I should on these forums.
I sense more issues with amd than intel.
 
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Not exactly pink, but you can tweak the RGB to pink:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13400 2.5 GHz 10-Core Processor ($207.99 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin King SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($22.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B760-A GAMING WIFI D4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Timetec PINNACLE Konduit 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Speedster QICK 319 Core Radeon RX 6750 XT 12 GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ Newegg Sellers)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus TUF Gaming VG328H1B 31.5" 1920 x 1080 165 Hz Curved Monitor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1303.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-29 06:54 EDT-0400
 
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Pink mATX option:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13400 2.5 GHz 10-Core Processor ($207.99 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin King SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($22.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS/D4 WiFi Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Timetec PINNACLE Konduit 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Speedster QICK 319 Core Radeon RX 6750 XT 12 GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: DIYPC ARGB-Q3 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($53.49 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus TUF Gaming VG328H1B 31.5" 1920 x 1080 165 Hz Curved Monitor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1258.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-29 08:21 EDT-0400
 
wolfsmane said:
I am glad that you posted this, as I was already trying to put together a similar build.
What would I need to change on your build here, to use an Intel i7 - 12700 cpu?
Newegg has a bundle deal using the i7, what do you think about this setup?
It's less than $50 more than what you posted here.

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

The Mobo is ATX sixe. So you would have to use the Montech Air 903 MAX case i listed above.

The mobo is black, the rams are black but RGB. The price you pay for bundle deal XD.

But you dont really need the 12700k, a 13400 is more than enough for gaming and multitasking...
 
Last edited:
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I don't mind ATX size.
I don't understand what you mean by the bundle deal is dead, sorry.

As far as pink is needed, she would be happy with just the case being pink. Maybe adding different RGB fans, etc at a later date can make the inside pinkish.
I am trying to get the most bang for the buck and have this be somewhat upgradable in the future if needed.

I appreciate your help.
 
wolfsmane said:
I don't mind ATX size.
I don't understand what you mean by the bundle deal is dead, sorry.

As far as pink is needed, she would be happy with just the case being pink. Maybe adding different RGB fans, etc at a later date can make the inside pinkish.
I am trying to get the most bang for the buck and have this be somewhat upgradable in the future if needed.

I appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
Typo. edit my post.
 
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So, jumping up to the i7 12700 for basically the same price is not good? Wouldn't a 12 core be better than a 10 core, even if only slightly better?
I am not trying to second guess you, I am just trying to learn and understand.
 
wolfsmane said:
So, jumping up to the i7 12700 for basically the same price is not good? Wouldn't a 12 core be better than a 10 core, even if only slightly better?
I am not trying to second guess you, I am just trying to learn and understand.
Click to expand...

performance wise, its just slightly better. but the total cost of 12700k + Z690 is more when compared to 13400 and B760. And unless you are doing heavy multitasking, the 13400 would handle everyday tasks and gaming like a champ.

And the other main reason was that it was black and would clash with the pink colour theme.
 
Lucky_SLS said:
performance wise, its just slightly better. but the total cost of 12700k + Z690 is more when compared to 13400 and B760. And unless you are doing heavy multitasking, the 13400 would handle everyday tasks and gaming like a champ.

And the other main reason was that it was black and would clash with the pink colour theme.
Click to expand...
Understood, thanks for explaining it to me.

Does motherboards come in colors other than black?
 
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