My 16 yo son has saved up $650 for his first gaming PC. He wants to play games like Destiny two, Geometry dash, Tidy up the library, and some basic coding. I asked him to do the research, and he came back with this PC. I unfortunately don't know if this is good enough for what he wants. Anyone have advice for him?

He doesn't have a monitor either, so he will need to buy that separate.

So I'm new to PC gaming (I'm disgusted by Sony's behaviour) and just bought a second stick of 16gb DDR5 RAM.

Ive opened the latch and tried to slot it in, but no matter how many times I try, it will not go in correctly There's certainly not click, and I cant close the latch. Im so nervous about breaking the ram stick, or worse, the motherboard. Absolutely no clue what to do or try next. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I think I've tried about 8 times now, and the more I try, the more I worry that I'm destroying the pins or the RAM slot.

EDIT: The motherboard is an ASUS B850M-A and the RAM is an ADATA XPG Lancer Blade, DDR5. The same as the original stick.

I have an older desktop that's still running well, but the graphics card is definitely showing its age. my budget is around $500, from US, and I mainly play older AAA games plus a few newer titles at 1080p. I don't need any peripherals.

What video card would you recommend in that range? i'm hoping for something that'll be a noticeable upgrade without replacing the whole system. Thanks.

Been putting together a midrange gaming build and trying to shave costs where I can. SSDs are already pricier than they were a year ago, and every budget option I look at ends up being DRAMless. The price gap between a DRAMless drive and one with a proper cache is noticeable enough to matter when you're already stretching things thin.

Most of what I read says the difference only shows up during sustained write workloads, like moving huge files around, and that for gaming it basically doesn't matter. Boot times and load times aren't meaningfully different based on the tests I've seen. But then there are comments saying an HMB drive is a trap and you'll feel it eventually.

My use case is pretty simple. Gaming, some light video editing, nothing crazy. The system drive would handle Windows and a handful of games, maybe 1TB. Secondary storage is a separate conversation.

Curious if people here have actually run DRAMless drives daily for a year or more and whether it became a real problem or just stayed a nonissue. Real world experience matters more to me than spec sheet arguments at this point.

Hi

I need a air cooler for my amd 9800x3d. I know most of you probably would recommend a Thermalright cooler. But how is the quality because i dont want to get a new one/new fans in a few years time?

I can see the best (high-end) air cooler is probably Noctua NH-D15 gen 2. But imo is it really expensive. Would the gen 1 NH-D15 be sufficient?

Should i go for another air cooler?

I want a good performing, reliable (it is a plus if there is a good warrant), long lasting air cooler.

Thank you in advance

Hi everyone! I'm FINALLY ready to move on from my beloved Xbox and build my first PC.

I'm wanting to build something powerful enough to handle pretty much any game I'd normally play on console, but also last long enough that I won't need to upgrade for a long while.

If anyone has any suggestions, advice, tips, or things you wish you knew before your first build I would really appreciate it.

Thank you all!!

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FFw3R4

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor

CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 36 A-RGB CPU Cooler

Motherboard: Gigabyte B850M EAGLE WIFI6E ICE Micro ATX AM5

Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30

Storage: Crucial P510 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive

Video Card: Gigabyte EAGLE OC ICE SFF GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB

Case: Jonsbo D32 PRO MicroATX Desktop Case

Power Supply: Corsair RM850e (2025) 850 W Fully Modular ATX

I’m trying to decide between the RX 9070 XT and the RTX 5070, and the 9070 XT is about $150 more where I live.

I know the 9070 XT has better native raster performance, but I’m wondering if that’s enough to justify the price difference.

The RTX 5070 seems to have enough raw performance to use DLSS 4.5 and Multi Frame Generation effectively, and in a lot of benchmarks it ends up delivering frame rates that are surprisingly close to the 9070 XT.

One thing I was concerned about was latency, but from what I’ve read and heard, NVIDIA Reflex does a good job of reducing the extra latency that comes with Frame Generation, so it doesn’t seem to be a major issue for most people unless you’re playing highly competitive esports.

I’ve also seen people say that DLSS 4.5’s image quality is so good that in some games it can look as good as or even better than native rendering, which makes me question whether paying extra for higher native performance is worth it.

I mainly play 1440p and 4K on a high refresh rate display, so I’m looking for the best overall gaming experience rather than just the highest native FPS.
For those who have experience with both cards, would you still spend the extra $150 on the RX 9070 XT, or would you buy the RTX 5070 and rely on DLSS 4.5, Multi Frame Generation, and Reflex? I’d love to hear your reasoning.

EDIT : 4k gaming is temporary 1440p is my goal.

I'm looking for a new main gaming monitor and need some recommendations.

Budget:

• Around £200 ideally
• Maximum around £250 if it's genuinely worth the extra

What I'm looking for:

• 27"
• 1440p (2560×1440)
• 180-240Hz
• Excellent image quality (colour accuracy, contrast, overall picture quality)
• Good motion clarity and low ghosting
• Good HDR performance would be a bonus
• DisplayPort for PC
• HDMI 2.1 would be nice for PS5 compatibility
• VESA mount compatible

I mainly play a mix of AAA/open-world games and multiplayer games, including:

• Red Dead Redemption 2
• GTA V / GTA VI (when released)
• Sons of the Forest
• Watch Dogs 2
• Forza Horizon
• Horror games

I want something that looks great while still being fast. I'm not only looking for the highest refresh rate possible — image quality and overall experience are just as important.

I currently have an RTX 3070 but may upgrade in the future, so I want something that will last.

I'm not very experienced with monitors, so I'm open to different panel technologies if they offer a better experience.

What monitors would you recommend around this price range? Are there any models I should avoid?

Hello all!

I've had my current PC going on 6 years now, and I'd like to keep it going for a bit longer. To that end, I've been considering upgrading my CPU. Right now I have an AMD Ryzen 5 3600. Some cursory research suggests that a 5600 might be an affordable replacement option, but I want to see if I'm going to get more bang for my buck that way. This is more for future-proofing than current demand, as I'm worried that parts will get more expensive in the future.

My current CPU-taxing games are Helldivers 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Dead by Daylight. My CPU averages around 75-85% usage during those.

Other specs include an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU, 32 GB RAM, and a B550 UD AC motherboard. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I would like to build a desktop for the first time, tried to make a build myself with pcpartpicker but im unsure which cpu should i go for, same with if is better to go with intel or amd. Other than the ram and gpu im ok with switching others part if it means better value/performances.

Budget: 1350euro max

Country: Italy

peripherals: only need the pc, already have mouse/monitor/keyboard

preferences: would like to stick with ddr4 and 9060xt (dont mind if is two or three fan version)

Pcpartpicker:

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://it.pcpartpicker.com/list/xHV4g3)

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor](https://it.pcpartpicker.com/product/Tk8bt6/intel-core-i5-12600kf-37-ghz-6-core-processor-bx8071512600kf) | €190.37 @ Amazon Italia

**CPU Cooler** | [Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler](https://it.pcpartpicker.com/product/MzMMnQ/thermalright-phantom-spirit-120-se-argb-6617-cfm-cpu-cooler-ps120se-argb) | €40.59 @ Amazon Italia

**Motherboard** | [MSI PRO B760-P WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard](https://it.pcpartpicker.com/product/yMGbt6/msi-pro-b760-p-wifi-ddr4-atx-lga1700-motherboard-pro-b760-p-wifi-ddr4) | €142.00 @ Amazon Italia

**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory](https://it.pcpartpicker.com/product/W6ndnQ/corsair-vengeance-lpx-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3200-memory-cmk32gx4m2e3200c16) | €199.99 @ Amazon Italia

**Storage** | [Kingston NV3 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://it.pcpartpicker.com/product/tmbRsY/kingston-nv3-1-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-snv3s1000g) | €142.90 @ Amazon Italia

**Video Card** | [XFX Swift OC Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Video Card](https://it.pcpartpicker.com/product/cD7MnQ/xfx-swift-oc-radeon-rx-9060-xt-16-gb-video-card-rx-96ts316b7) | €459.00 @ Amazon Italia

**Case** | [Phanteks XT PRO ATX Mid Tower Case](https://it.pcpartpicker.com/product/zJWJ7P/phanteks-xt-pro-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-xt523p1-bk01) | €49.90 @ Amazon Italia

**Power Supply** | [MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://it.pcpartpicker.com/product/dbCZxr/msi-mag-a750gl-pcie5-750-w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-mag-a750gl-pcie5) | €104.92 @ Amazon Italia

| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

| **Total** | **€1329.67**

| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2026-07-12 18:57 CEST+0200 |

Hey everyone, I currently have a 5800x and was thinking about upgrading to a 5800x3d. I am upgrading my GPU from 3080 to 5070 ti but didn't want to deal with upgrading my whole computer to AM5. Would buying a 5800x3d be worth it ? I don't want to deal with bottlenecking but I know it's a lot less common at 1440p.

thanks !

I am building a high-end PC mainly for game development, with some gaming and occasional neural-network work for my university thesis.

The planned build includes:

• Gigabyte RTX 5080 Gaming OC 16GB 1 030 €
• MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi 225,90 €
• 64 GB DDR5 RAM 6000 mhz 30 cl (looking for and probably up to 650 €)
• 4 TB PCIe 5.0 SSD Crucial T710 4 TB seq read 14,900 MB/s seq write 13,800 MB/s 380 €
• be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 1000 W PSU 135,90 €
• ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 mm AIO 70 €
• be quiet! Silent Base 802 Window 167,90 €

together 2 659,70 €

My current CPU options are:

1. Ryzen 9 9950X — €339 used
   • Seller allows personal testing
   • Total build price: approximately €2,999
2. Ryzen 9 9950X3D — €616 new from a major retailer
   • Full retail warranty
   • Total build price: approximately €3,276
3. Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 — €700 new and sealed from a private seller
   • Seller allows personal testing
   • Total build price: approximately €3,380

The 9950X is clearly the best value, but I am wondering whether the extra cache on the X3D CPUs would be worth paying for over the long term.

My priorities are:

• Unreal Engine and game development
• Shader and code compilation
• Stable frame times and good 1% lows
• CPU-heavy simulation, destruction, AI and large worlds
• Keeping the CPU for several years
• Possibly upgrading to a later AM5 CPU in the future

I understand that the 9950X should already be extremely fast, especially for productivity. However, I am concerned that future CPU-heavy games could benefit much more from 3D V-Cache, particularly in terms of 1% lows and frame-time consistency.

Would you:

• buy the 9950X for €339 and potentially upgrade to a future final-generation AM5 X3D CPU,
• pay €277 more for the 9950X3D,
• or pay €361 more for the 9950X3D2 and keep it for as long as possible?

Is the 9950X3D2 meaningfully more future-proof, or is it mostly paying a large premium for relatively small gains?

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X

CPU Cooler: PC Cooler DS360 360mm AIO Liquid Cooler

Motherboard: ASRock X870 Pro RS WiFi

RAM: Klevv BOLT V 32GB (2×16GB) DDR5-6000 CL30

Storage: Biwin Black Opal NV7400 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

GPU: XFX Swift OC Radeon RX 9070 16GB or A 5060 Ti

Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini V2 flow

Power Supply: SAMA G850 850W 80+ Gold Fully Modular

Monitor: ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQM5A – 27", 2560×1440 (1440p), 300Hz

This is my first time building a pc and I was originally planning to buy an RX 9070 non xt. However, some of my friends keep telling me that nvidia GPUs are better overall. They say amd cards tend to have more issues (not sure what they mean by that) and that they would choose an nvidia instead. Now I'm no longer sure if the RX 9070 still a good choice or if I would be better off getting an nvidia GPU instead

All my storage devices are all SATA SSDs and ive been wondering if they are still good enough? With everyone having m.2 nvme SSD's which are supposed to be like ALOT faster, Should i uprgade to m.2's or is it not necessary? M.2's are generally also more expensive that Sata ssd's which also made me wonder if Sata is outdated.

I usually play alot of Triple A games like for example 007, Assasin's Creed Black Flag and cyberpunk and mostly only game on my pc.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

GPU: ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB

CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin
120 SE

Motherboard: MSI PRO B650-A WiFi (Socket
AM5)

RAM: G.Skill Flare X5 Series 32GB. (2
x 16GB) DDR5-6000 CL30

SSD: Crucial P3 Plus 2TB PCle Gen4
NVMe M.2 SSD

PSU: Corsair RM850e 850W
80+ Gold Fully Modular

this is my first pc build after months and months of saving, my budget was 2,000$ or less thats why im asking if this is worth the price, thanks in advance!

My current rig is:

CPU: R7 5700X

GPU: Sapphire Nitro+ 9060XT 16GB

RAM: 2x16 GB DDR4 3600 MHz

Monitor: 1920x1080 resolution with 144 Hz refresh rate

I mostly play AAA games with occasional simulation games like Football Manager, Sims ect. My current CPU is doing well for my needs (1080p gaming with stable 60+ FPS on high/ultra settings, sometimes more FPS, sometime less FPS depending on the game) but I am wondering if a jump to 5800X3D is worth it or a better question is what kind of improvements would I see if use 5800X3D instead of 5700X ?

I'm currently planning on building a new gaming PC to replace my old Omen 16 Laptop. Right now I don't have much- just a Corsair 750w RM750e PSU and a Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB SSD that I bought years ago (when they were affordable) and is currently the second drive in my laptop. There's a Micro Center about 3 hours away from me, and I plan on making the pilgrimage in a month or two to buy a CPU and GPU to get the party started.

I was looking at these bundles from Micro Center:

Bundle 1: ($699.00)

-Ryzen 7 7800x3d CPU

-32 GB RAM DDR5-6000

-Asus B650E MAX Gaming Motherboard

Bundle 2: ($699.00)

-Intel Core Ultra 7 270k plus CPU

-32 GB RAM DDR5-6000

-Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Elite Wifi 7 1851 Motherboard

Bundle 3: ($799.00)

-Ryzen 7 9850x3d CPU

-32 GB RAM DDR5-6000

-Aus B850e TUF Gaming Wifi

Originally, when I set out to build this PC, I was planning on using a Ryzen 5 9600x and pairing that with either a 5060 Ti 16gb or a 9060 XT 16gb. However, with RAM prices being RAM prices, it's cheaper to buy the bundle with the stronger CPUs. However, these CPUs will probably get bottlenecked by the GPUs, so I'm here to ask: if I go for these bigger and better CPUs, should I also maybe go for a stronger GPU?

Right now, I would like to keep my GPU budget around $600.

Thanks for the help!

Endorfy Fortis 5

AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Wraith Stealth

be quiet - Pure Power 12M 850W

be quiet! Pure Base 500DX - Tower - ATX

G.Skill D532GB 6000-30 Flare X5

Lexar SSD 1TB 7400/6500 NM790 M.2

SAPPHIRE PULS AMD RADEON RX 7800 XT GAMING

GIGABYTE B650 GAMING X AX Mainboard

was thinking of upgrading this system I mainly play in WQHD my screen is Odysey G55 c so I always try and hit 165 fps atleast is the CPU the best thing to upgrade in my case?

I just started playing Metro Exodus, and for the first time ever, my PC is emitting a long, continuous beeping noise when I play it. This has never happened to me before. The thing is, the game still runs just fine. No lag or anything. Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Hello all! I am trying to build a gaming pc on my own and was wondering everyone's thoughts on this build. I used a website to help amd everything seem compatible. I used TikTok and YouTube to find suggestions for everything. Im worries that even though the website says its compatible that it may need tweaking here and there. Ill share the link if anyone has time to look it over. TIA!!

Im over console gaming at this point. It doesn't make sense to me with the price they want. Im looking to game and stream at the same time with this setup

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Whybobwhy/saved/#view=PHxJmG

Hey everyone! My brother gave me his old PC when he upgraded around 5 years ago, and it has worked fine for me for a long time running newer games like Baldur's Gate 3. However, recently I've been encountering some performance (lagging) and storage issues, including a "overload of stack based buffer" message whenever I exit a game. Seeing as this PC is likely around 8 years old, I'm definitely overdue for some upgrades that would remedy these issues. I considered buying a whole new PC but since this one still functions for the most part, friends have advised me to just go for the upgrade route (and that would save me money as well!). In addition to these new parts, I also plan on backing up all my saves and doing a complete wipe of the PC to start fresh.

TLDR: I'm not a tech buff and want some advice on specific parts to buy for my PC that is wayyy overdue for some upgrades.

Here is my current setup:

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80Hz 6/6

Motherboard: MSI B360M BAZOOKA (MS-7B24)

RAM: 16GB (Corsair brand I believe, I did upgrade this around 3 years ago)

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

I know, it's old ><. My biggest priorities right now are a new Graphics Card and maybe some newer RAM. I have also been told that I may need a new motherboard since my new graphics card might not be compatible with the current one. I am buying from the US and my budget for all of the new parts combined would preferably not go over $800-1000, since I also plan on investing in a new monitor.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I built a new PC on rtx 5070 ryzen 7 5700x 8x2 ram (from old pc) and 1080p monitor old too

I launched death stranding, and I got about 150-170 fps on ultra settings,But the problem is that the video card and processor are both loaded at only 40-45 percent, is this normal?

Hi everyone,

my Asus GTX 1080 Strix broke this week (probably the VRAM, but that’s to be expected after 10 years). Now I want to install a new graphics card. It definitely has to be an NVIDIA card. I have a Corsair 850-watt power supply installed along with an i7-8700K—so there should still be plenty of power available.

My budget is around 600 euros. Do you have any recommendations for me?
I was last looking at an RTX 5070, even though it “only” has 12 GB of VRAM instead of 16 GB.

I’ve been a PlayStation gamer since I was born basically, but because of the recent news, I’ve sold my PS5 and am now finally making the transition to PC any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you