New gaming desktop for 2025 and beyond

[JamieM615]

Looking to run modern games (e.g. Clair Obscur, maybe GTA 6 eventually...) targeting 1080p-1440p 60fps at medium/high settings. I'm not fussed about ultra/max settings or ray tracing in most instances, and would be happy to use upscaling for more demanding titles. I've tried to put together a build that is relatively compact, efficient and powerful, with room to upgrade the GPU down the line if necessary. Open to any feedback, thank you!

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Promotional Item
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 9600 Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.2GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B650-PLUS (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 9060 XT GAMING OC - HDMI, 2 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CX SERIES™ CX-650 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 10Gbps PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £1377.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/UTjkHgjEx7/

 

[Ekans2011]

What's your max budget? What monitor will you pair with it?

PS. FYI, the above build is not well-designed, with some subpar critical components and almost no upgrade margin, due to the fact that the 650W CX is a very low-end, office-tier PSU that does not allow for any future GPU upgrades.

 

[JamieM615]

My max budget is around £1500 and I have a DELL 24" S2417DG 1440p monitor. I'm more than happy to go with a better PSU and other components if you have any recommendations. Really appreciate the response!

 

[Ekans2011]

With such budget you will not be able to get a modern, decent 1440p gaming PC (it starts around £2000-2100), it would be also not enough for a proper 1080p gaming system.

Here's an example of the lowest 1080p system I'd purchase IF I were buying a PC today.

N.B. If you currently own an OS license, you may save £110 by transferring it to the new PC, lowering the price to £1600.

Case
CORSAIR 3500X ARGB TEMPERED GLASS MID-TOWER (PCS) - Decent budget case.
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) - Second best gaming CPU on the market.
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7) - The cheapest, decent motherboard offered on PCS; higher tier than the Prime with better components, USB4, WiFi, latest chipset etc.
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 9060 XT GAMING OC - HDMI, 2 x DP - Lowest-tier GPU I would suggest (it may handle some games at 1440p too with lower details).
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR ELITE MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6200 MB/W) - OS Drive.
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W) - Games/Main Drive.
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD - Lowest tier PSU to enable future upgradeability.
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR NAUTILUS 240 RS ARGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER - Decent 240mm AIO for the 7800X3D; modern CPUs require good cooling to boost their clock frequencies.
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £1,719.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/tfh3udBXjx/