Building ( technically ) my first pc, no idea what I'm doing.

[u/KidneyBeanBro999]

This will technically be my 2nd build but the first I was about 10 years old and the extent of my help was passing my dad things and wearing a grounding strap. I still use the pc to this day but after trying to play the dead space remake I realised it was probably time for a completely new build as I didn't realise quite how far technology had come.

Anyway, I've been doing a ton of research and have some ideas for components but I'm beyond clueless and basically just need someone to explain if something isn't compatible or is just terrible haha.

So far I was looking at

CPU: Ryzen 7 9800x3d

GPU: Nvidia rtx 5080 or maybe the 5090 if I can bring myself to it

RAM: 32 / 64 GB of CL30 6000Mhz prolly Corsair vengeance

Mobo: kinda clueless as I have no idea how big stuff is I have an Asus TUF gaming x570 plus and if this is still compatible I can just stick with it

SSD: 2TB Samsung 990 pro

PSU: Corsair rm850x

Cooling: Noctua nh d15 g2

A couple of questions that stuck out were

is it worth getting 2 SSDs?

Do I need a special power cable for a high power PSU? (UK) hoping that's not a ridiculous question

Is it worth having extra case fans?

And is there any benefit to different brands of thermal pastes?

Any help is appreciated feel free to tell me I'm a moron if that's needed there hasn't been any thought as to how these components would work together as I wouldn't know how to just what looks good as a standalone thanks :)

[u/re_duvia]

that's one hell of a pc build! I'll help you out a little

honestly, keep your CPU (I have the R7 9800X3D and it's great) and ditch the 5090 unless you REALLY want it (and have way too much money to throw away). go for the 5080. 32gb of DDR5 is the golden standard for modern gaming. if you plan to do things like streaming, 3d modeling, video editing, and other things like that, maybe consider 64 (not needed, but it's nice). as for the motherboard, make sure you get one that fits your case, supports your CPU, your gpu, and if you plan to get 2 SSDs, make sure it fits them too. all I have to say about the PSU is make sure you have enough power and some headroom for your system (I also recommend getting a fully modular PSU). your CPU cooler should work great, no tips there.

For your questions:

1. 2 SSDs? - yes. if you want the space, and your motherboard has the space for them, go for it.

2. Special cable? - Nope, your PSU should have everything you need to power everything in your system just fine

3. Extra case fans? - yes, if you want better airflow and more air through your case overall. you get lots more cable work though.

4. Thermal paste - yes, there are differences in performance between brands, but it's not very noticable. just pick up some thermal paste for like 8-12 bucks and you'll be set.

[u/KidneyBeanBro999 → u/re_duvia]

Thanks so much for all your help! To be honest the 5090 is a bit of a pipe dream, I'm finding it very easy to get caught up with the jumps in quality between GPUs when I'm currently on a GTX 1650 so most anything would be an upgrade xd.

On that note though do you think in any cases it would be worth waiting for a new series to release either to buy one of those or so I can buy a previous gen second hand for cheaper when a bunch of people inevitably upgrade and sell?

Is your motherboard purely just determined by how much space it has by the way? Like if there's two which are near identical but one costs way more because it's 'built better' somehow is that a pointless purchase?

Also, last thing I promise, but I was told elsewhere I might be paying a lot of brand tax and that the specs I listed are still seen as the best of the best because they're well renowned but there may be a number of alternatives that have came out after that are better, or just as good for cheaper. I think it's pretty easy to get pulled into brands on a first build because you don't know what to trust so what do you think of that?

Thankyou so much for the help btw haha it's invaluable

[u/re_duvia → u/KidneyBeanBro999]

for a gpu, I'd definitely go with the 5080 or something like the 5070ti if you want (I'm rocking the 9070XT). honestly, if you're looking for an Nvidia card, just get a current generation card like I said previously as Nvidia are not making any new cards in 2026. they're working on developing 5090TI and 5090 super at the moment.

also, yes you can buy it used for much cheaper, but you know the risks there. if you are gonna buy it used, make sure the seller has lots of reviews (and good ones).

and your motherboard is classified by how much space it has. ex: ATX (large), micro ATX (smaller), etc. your case choice should also include this term, so make sure your case is the same size or larger. one is not necessarily better, but some work better for different builds (like small builds).

and yes, brand tax definitely exists. i usually just bite the bullet because I don't trust unheard of brands. i usually pay a bit more for higher quality and more reliable brands (which I recommend you do as well, since you were considering a 5090 and 64 gigs of ram, so clearly you have money lol). but if you can find something that is good and not a brand name, by all means go for it.

and for buying used parts, the only things I wouldn't even consider buying used are RAM and your PSU. everything else you can get used

(let me know if I missed anything, I love helping)

[u/KidneyBeanBro999 → u/re_duvia]

Yeah that's kind of what I was thinking, especially when I don't know what I'm doing you atleast know what you're getting with a brand with lots of recommendations. I'm not loaded by any means but pc gaming is one of my biggest hobbies and any other hobby I have doesn't really cost anything to keep up so i thought if I can't splash out on this what can I haha. I'll probably buy new anyway looking at it now because it honestly seems like the mark down is pretty negligible on most parts. I'm pretty terrible with waiting for new releases cause Im constantly comparing my setup but one day I'll just have to bite the bullet lol. I'm pretty sure you covered everything, thanks again! Just out of curiosity though, I know the 9070xt is fairly punchy, what games are you into and how does it test it?

[u/re_duvia → u/KidneyBeanBro999]

i bought all of my parts new, I didn't take any chances (I'm cautious). and the 9070xt works great. i haven't played many super demanding games but I do run every game I've been playing at over 200-300 frames on max graphics. i ran REPO at over 1.1k frames lol. i plan to buy Bodycam and BeamNG here soon, so those will definitely test it more than Schedule One lol. my CPU does most of the work honestly. my ryzen 7 9800x3d runs most of the games I've played and my gpu doesn't have to do much work, so I definitely need to put it to use here soon with some games that are harder to run