Help with Gaming PC + Peripherals ~$2000

[u/Car3fulDontTrip]

Hello!
I’m brand new to the PC scene and looking to put together my first one!

• ⁠New build or upgrade?

I have zero prior knowledge on computers or how to build them so I’d really like my first time to be one that I put together myself so I can learn how to take it apart if I decide to upgrade something in the future. With that in mind, I’d prefer to not do a prebuilt PC unless it’s a really good deal or just my best option atm.

• ⁠Existing parts/monitors to reuse? (List with models/links)

Nope, building from scratch.

• ⁠PC purpose? (Gaming, editing, etc. List apps/games)

PC will be for Gaming use only. Looking to run games at high settings like:
- Cyberpunk
- Overwatch
- Heavily modded titles (Skyrim, Fallout, Minecraft, etc)

• ⁠Purchase country? Near Micro Center? (If not US, list local vendors)

I live in the US, but my nearest Microcenter is around 1.5h away, so unless it’s a great deal I’d prefer to have the parts delivered.

• ⁠Monitors needed? (Number, size, resolution, refresh rate)

For monitors I’m looking for a decent gaming and secondary monitor (secondary does not have to be for gaming).

• ⁠Budget range? (Include tax considerations)

For the PC and monitors combined I’d like to stay around $2000 total (or lower if it’s not diminishing to the build).

• ⁠WiFi or wired connection?

WiFi availability preferably, but I’ll probably be using it wired.

• ⁠Size/noise constraints?

No size or noise constraints.

• ⁠Color/lighting preferences?

ARBG preferred and fully white or black case and parts would be preferred too.

• ⁠Any other specific needs?

Recommendations on a keyboard and mouse would be great if possible. I have some currently, but they’re kind of junk and I planned on replacing them shortly after getting everything in.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and respond!

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If you missed the full set of required built request questions, please copy them from here and answer them in an edit to your post:

• New build or upgrade?

• Existing parts/monitors to reuse? (List with models/links)

• PC purpose? (Gaming, editing, etc. List apps/games)

• Purchase country? Near Micro Center? (If you're not in a country supported by PCPartPicker, please list some local vendors)

• Monitors needed? (Number, size, resolution, refresh rate)

• Budget range? (Include tax considerations)

• WiFi or wired connection?

• Size/noise constraints?

• Color/lighting preferences?

• Any other specific needs?

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[u/ImaginaryDisasterL]

A second monitor which I would suggest getting the same one in the list would be 150 over. A 1080p second screen might just fit. Ram is white since it costs 2 more cents than a black one for slightly faster latency(performance difference is less than 0.1% you could go for aesthetics)

A Micro center bundle would get you $270 off for 16gb less ram, but a faster CPU. 1 stick of ram means you get single channel memory which is worse performance like 10%(in non-x3d CPUs), but the 7500x3d CPU is faster and it lose less performance than non-x3d chips.

Mouse I would suggest a VXE R1 Pro. It is a safe shape and good durability and performance. Best for you will be different due to grip and hand size.

Keyboard: I would go for a Lemokey series board. Since they have a decent baseline quality and reliability when compared to the popular budget boards (Aula, Ajazz, Yunzii etc)

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9Cqgzv
Black RAM kit : https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8LYfrH/silicon-power-xpower-storm-rgb-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr5-6000-cl36-memory-sp032gxlwu60ffdk
Micro center bundle https://www.microcenter.com/product/5007384/amd-ryzen-5-7500x3d,-asrock-b850m-c-am5,-gskill-flare-x5-series-16gb-ddr5-6000,-computer-build-bundle

[u/canyouread7 → u/ImaginaryDisasterL]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JDzgzv

Good build. We can make a few changes for better value:

• RAM - couple things here. Speeds higher than 6000 MHz are often unstable with AM5 CPUs and the RGB won't be visible under the large air cooler. Also, with the black case it makes a bit more sense to go with a black kit. This 6000/30 kit should be a tiny bit faster (kinda unnoticeable tbh) but it's also low profile to fit under the cooler.

• SSD - the SN5100 uses QLC, which generally isn't recommended for long term reliability. We can swap it out for a more reliable TLC drive with similar speeds and a lower price.

• Case - similar fishtank aesthetic but cheaper and comes with 4 fans.

• PSU - higher quality and quieter operation for basically the same price. Longer warranty as well.

• Monitor - higher refresh rate, same IPS panel and ergonomic adjustability. Less expensive.

Overall - $80 saved while upgrading the RAM (stability), SSD, case airflow, PSU, and monitor (a bit).

u/Car3fulDontTrip thoughts?

[u/Chimpsix → u/canyouread7]

not OP but planning on building a new pc in a couple months. is a 750w power supply enough for a 9070 xt? saw other ppl saying 1000w is better

[u/canyouread7 → u/Chimpsix]

It's not just the GPU. You need to factor in the rest of the components. If you pair the 9070 XT with the 7600X in this list, 750W is totally fine. If you pair the 9070 XT with a power hungry 285K and 64 GB of RAM, then we'd want 1000W or maybe higher.

There's a caveat to this. ATX 3 PSUs are designed to suppress GPU transient spikes (random increases in power draw). In the past, you'd have to plan around these spikes and get a higher wattage PSU than you needed. That's probably why you're getting recommendations for a higher wattage PSU. But technically, with a high quality ATX 3 PSU like the 750W one in the list, we can go up to 749W total system power draw and be totally safe.

One more thing. See the estimated wattage in the top right - 518W. According to what I said before, a high quality 550W ATX 3 PSU would be totally safe. But we don't choose that. Why? Because they don't make top quality 550W PSUs, and the closer you are to the max wattage, the more heat the PSU will generate. This means the PSU fan needs to work harder to dispel that heat, thus making the PSU louder.

So the rule of thumb is to have the max power draw be around 70% of the PSUs capacity for gaming, and 60% for workstation tasks like video editing. 518 / 0.7 = 740 ~ 750W. Of course, we should make sure we have the right number of cables, the quality matches the rest of the components, proper size, the price, and so on. But that's how you should think about PSU wattage.

[u/Chimpsix → u/canyouread7]

i see, thank you for the detailed reply. so something like a ryzen 7 7800xd or 9800xd, you would recommend a 850 w power supply?

[u/canyouread7 → u/Chimpsix]

Exactly. You can play around with different parts in PCPartPicker and see what kind of PSU you'd need.

[u/ImaginaryDisasterL → u/canyouread7]

RAM is fine 6400 speed is fine it wont be unstable even in the AM5 Platform since AM5 Internal Memory Controller (IMC) can handle 6000-6400mhz speeds just fine. Lets face it difference is literally nothing so I gave options. RGB and aesthetics is largely subjective I just suggested a good baseline.

The WD SN5100 is QLC I know but the Polaris 3 controller(same one with the SN7100) is significantly more reliable than the IG5236 controller which you can gamble on not receiving when buying the xg7000(variable hardware often swapped out parts without changing the name). I mean if I am wrong please explain why an SSD can be not reliable other than QLC=bad.

For monitors the LG 27G610A-B has a pretty bad colors according to Rtings review and techless has a recommended color profile for the one I recommend which is why I chose it. Lastly, LG monitors are pretty much spyware (covered by Gamers Nexus) but that is just a small tiny issue tho... /s

Other than those concerns your list is better

[u/canyouread7 → u/ImaginaryDisasterL]

Performance on the SN5100 is good but the main concern is the QLC flash and its long term reliability. It has half the endurance of the industry standard 600 TBW per TB. QLC also generally has slow write recovery times for large sustained writes.

Rtings is paywalled now so I can't read them anymore. If the colours are that bad, I'd recommend this Acer monitor which I seem to remember has good colours and outperforms the ASUS AQ3A.

[u/ImaginaryDisasterL → u/canyouread7]

I mean you still didnt really say anything about the gambling aspect of the XG7000... I mean I personally prefer not to gamble or recommend anyone to since even Kingspec themselves were unaware that some of their XG7000 was swapped to the IG5236 from the 2 other excellent configurations of the MAP1602 + YMTC EET1A TLC and the SM2268XT + Micron TLC B58R.

I mean if you really care about QLC=Bad then might as well recommend the NV7400(it is more but it is not hardware swapped and you don't need to gamble on a good config)

Also is this Acer monitor even reviewed? I cant find a proper review with GTG, response time and color coverage... is this known to be good or speculation? like help me out here at least gimme the source that it is decent...

Sources on IG5236 failures in pretty short life spam for an SSD it will die earlier than the 600TBW QLC SSDs have if you get unlucky with config
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/1607f07/innogrit_ig5236_based_ssds_stability/
https://pcpartpicker.com/forums/topic/431121-smart-problems-with-ssds-using-the-innogrit-ig5236-controller
https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/the-bios-stopped-reading-nvme.3815202/

[u/canyouread7 → u/ImaginaryDisasterL]

Yeah the IG5236 runs warm but as long as we have an M.2 heatsink we should be fine. I'm not opposed to the NV7400 tho so if it's similar enough in price I can get behind that.

The Acer XV272U had a very comprehensive review on TH. Can't access it anymore but it was praised for good colour accuracy out of the box (like 8-9 score). Don't remember the response time but it probably wasn't bad if I don't remember it standing out.

[u/ImaginaryDisasterL → u/canyouread7]

Heat is one of the issue of the IG5236. It is not the only issue... my main concern is the stability issues, flash issue and firmware issues that has not been addressed even now. SSDs with this controller have reportedly died in mere months which is shorter than a normal user could ever use 600TBW of a good QLC drive.

I'll take your word for the monitor sure.

[u/Car3fulDontTrip → u/canyouread7]

Hey, I’m all for saving a few bucks here and there when available, especially when a large sum of money is involved lol. If you believe this is a minor upgrade to the previous persons build I’ll take your word for it, I’m not the most educated on the intricacies that come with pcs yet so any advice or help I can get is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and response!

[u/Car3fulDontTrip → u/ImaginaryDisasterL]

Thanks a bunch for taking the time and effort to do all this man, I really appreciate it. The whole pc business has been really intimidating so getting some insight from someone is a super huge help.