Build Advice New Build

[darthshutter]

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to replace my older pc build with an entirely new build and put together a parts list I'd like general feedback on. I'm pretty set on the RTX 5070 so mainly looking for the best build around that card for the best price.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JnLCKq

I plan to purchase a bundle from my local Microcenter that includes the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM for $370 so I'm pretty set on those parts as long as there aren't any significant downsides to them.

Approximate Purchase Date: May 2025

Budget Range: $1000-$1500

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: none

Country: US

Monitor Resolution: 1440p

Thanks!

 

[Why_Me]

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to replace my older pc build with an entirely new build and put together a parts list I'd like general feedback on. I'm pretty set on the RTX 5070 so mainly looking for the best build around that card for the best price.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JnLCKq

I plan to purchase a bundle from my local Microcenter that includes the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM for $370 so I'm pretty set on those parts as long as there aren't any significant downsides to them.

Approximate Purchase Date: May 2025

Budget Range: $1000-$1500

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: none

Country: US

Monitor Resolution: 1440p

Thanks!

Air coolers don't work well with those fish tank cases. Look for a normal ATX case with a front mesh panel.

PCPartPicker Part List

Case: *Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $89.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-04-23 23:38 EDT-0400

 

[dark_globe]

swap the cpu for 9600x/9700x
and the motherboard for B850/x870 chipset
(you can get one for basically the same price (or moderately extra) as an olde b650 board)
also a better power supply would be nice (RMe corsairs are decent but not the best ,
core reactor II or corsair RMx is a better unit)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($213.31 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A620 BLACK 78.25 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X870 Pro RS ATX AM5 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($99.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI SHADOW 2X OC GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card ($622.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian Li Lancool 207 ATX Mid Tower Case ($82.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: ADATA XPG Core Reactor II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1489.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-04-24 03:20 EDT-0400


if you can find an extra $100 go for 9700x .

 

[darthshutter]

Why the change? I'm looking at a bundle that includes the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM i listed for $370. Am I better off just paying the extra money for the parts you suggested, and if so why? @dark_globe

 

[artk2219]

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to replace my older pc build with an entirely new build and put together a parts list I'd like general feedback on. I'm pretty set on the RTX 5070 so mainly looking for the best build around that card for the best price.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JnLCKq

I plan to purchase a bundle from my local Microcenter that includes the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM for $370 so I'm pretty set on those parts as long as there aren't any significant downsides to them.

Approximate Purchase Date: May 2025

Budget Range: $1000-$1500

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: none

Country: US

Monitor Resolution: 1440p

Thanks!

Do you live near a microcenter?

 

[dark_globe]

Why the change? I'm looking at a bundle that includes the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM i listed for $370. Am I better off just paying the extra money for the parts you suggested, and if so why? @dark_globe

if you have access to such bundle than of course go for it .
i was going off of regular prices in which case getting a more modern cpu
(with better single core performance)
and the motherboard with newer chipset for basically the same price would make sense .

 

[logainofhades]

I personally would not go with a 5070, if you can get a 9070 or 9070xt at a similar price. Nvidia has been having lots of issues with 50 series drivers. That 12gb vram isn't going to age well either. The 9070 is slightly faster, and will hold up a bit longer.

Air coolers don't work well with those fish tank cases. Look for a normal ATX case with a front mesh panel.

PCPartPicker Part List

Case: *Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $89.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-04-23 23:38 EDT-0400

They can work fine, if you have your fans routed correctly. Problem with the case the OP chose it doesn't have any fans. I agree that the Air 903 max is a much better choice. If they want that fish tank style, as you put it, this would be the cheapest option. The side fans are reverse fans, so they bring fresh air in.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dKCZxr/montech-king-65-pro-atx-mid-tower-case-king-65-pro-b

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/montech-king-65-pro/4.html

 

[darthshutter]

Do you live near a microcenter?

I'm about an hour away from one.

 

[darthshutter]

I personally would not go with a 5070, if you can get a 9070 or 9070xt at a similar price. Nvidia has been having lots of issues with 50 series drivers. That 12gb vram isn't going to age well either. The 9070 is slightly faster, and will hold up a bit longer.


They can work fine, if you have your fans routed correctly. Problem with the case the OP chose it doesn't have any fans. I agree that the Air 903 max is a much better choice. If they want that fish tank style, as you put it, this would be the cheapest option. The side fans are reverse fans, so they bring fresh air in.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dKCZxr/montech-king-65-pro-atx-mid-tower-case-king-65-pro-b

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/montech-king-65-pro/4.html

I chose the 5070 because its more widely available at prices closer to its MSRP right now.

 

[Kreploon9]

Save money and get a faster CPU with faster RAM?

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DBWXWc

CPU: Intel Core i5-14600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor ($202.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A620 BLACK 78.25 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z790 Lightning WiFi ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-7000 CL32 Memory ($105.49 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ SanDisk)
Video Card: MSI SHADOW 2X OC GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card ($622.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian Li Lancool 207 ATX Mid Tower Case ($82.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: ADATA XPG Core Reactor II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1454.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-04-24 15:32 EDT-0400

 

[darthshutter]

if you have access to such bundle than of course go for it .
i was going off of regular prices in which case getting a more modern cpu
(with better single core performance)
and the motherboard with newer chipset for basically the same price would make sense .

So the Ryzen 5 9600x is better than theh Ryzen 7 7700x? I've tried to do research on AMD's processors but I still don't really understand the hierarchy.

 

[artk2219]

I'm about an hour away from one.

They may be worth checking out, they have generally better stock available to them then what you can find online for the RTX 5000 and RX 9000 series, and you can see most of what they have in stock on their website. You can also look for open box deals and potentially save a bit of money on some components.

Edit: And if i would have read the bottom part of your first comment, i would have realized that that was your plan from the get go hah 😀. I would recommend keeping an eye out for an RX 9070 or 9070 xt if you can find one around the same price as the 5070, it would be worth it to pick up either of those that instead of the 5070.

 

[logainofhades]

So the Ryzen 5 9600x is better than theh Ryzen 7 7700x? I've tried to do research on AMD's processors but I still don't really understand the hierarchy.

I would not want a 6 core CPU, in 2025, for a gaming rig. Games are starting to get more core/thread heavy.

Save money and get a faster CPU with faster RAM?

That is not cheaper, as they are getting the Microcenter bundle.

https://www.microcenter.com/product...ies-32gb-ddr5-6000-kit,-computer-build-bundle

 

[darthshutter]

I would not want a 6 core CPU, in 2025, for a gaming rig. Games are starting to get more core/thread heavy.




That is not cheaper, as they are getting the Microcenter bundle.

https://www.microcenter.com/product...ies-32gb-ddr5-6000-kit,-computer-build-bundle

But isn't the Ryzen 7 7700x 8 core while the Ryzen 5 9600x only 6 core?

 

[dark_globe]

But isn't the Ryzen 7 7700x 8 core while the Ryzen 5 9600x only 6 core?

yes it is , but 9600x is faster for gaming .
although 8 core 9700x would be ideal so you are set for a long time .

this bundle is good:
https://www.microcenter.com/product...ies-32gb-ddr5-6000-kit,-computer-build-bundle

 

[logainofhades]

But isn't the Ryzen 7 7700x 8 core while the Ryzen 5 9600x only 6 core?

Yes that is my argument against the 9600x. Real world use, you are going to want the extra cores to reduce stuttering when Windows decides it wants to do something in the background. The 9600x isn't "faster" in gaming either. Some reviews have it slightly behind the 7700x.

Some have it slightly ahead.

In both cases the margins are so slim, I see no point of going 9600x. Especially once you move up to 1440p, those margins will disappear.

Also the 9600x bundle only comes with a single 16gb stick of ram, so you really aren't saving anything.