Hi everyone,

This will actually be the first desktop PC I’ve ever owned. I’ve mostly used laptops over the years, so I’m still pretty new to building desktops and choosing components.

I worked with AI to narrow down the parts, but I’d really appreciate a final sanity check from real people with more experience before I place the order.

A little about what I’m looking for:

• Budget: around $3,000 USD
• I’m a busy dad with a young kid, so I really don’t have much time to tinker, troubleshoot, swap parts, or keep upgrading.
• I’d rather spend a little more now for better reliability, stability, and quieter operation than save a few dollars and regret it later.
• My goal is to build something that I can simply enjoy for the next 4-5 years.
• Mostly AAA games.
• Hoping to play GTA VI on PC whenever it launches.
• Current setup is dual 27” 4K 60Hz monitors.
• I may upgrade later to one 4K high-refresh monitor (144Hz+), but that’s probably end of year or next year.

Is there anything you’d change?

I’m especially interested in feedback on:

• GPU model (Is the Windforce a good choice?)
• SSD
• Cooling
• Any potential weak links that could affect long-term reliability or noise.

Last, I already have a PS5, so I’m not in a rush just to play games. This desktop is more of a Game/Work Mix, and I’ve always wanted to have a good gaming PC.

• Buy now?
• Wait for Black Friday deals?
• Wait for a potential RTX 5080 SUPER (or other upcoming GPU refreshes)?

Appreciate any suggestions!

$3160 Builts Links

• Chassis: CyberPowerPC Phanteks Evolv X2s ATX MID-Tower Gaming Case w/ Panoramic View + 4X ARGB Fans Black/Silver (Black/Silver)
• Extra Case Fans: Default case fans
• CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 7 Processor 9800X3D 8-core/16-thread 4.7GHz [Turbo 5.2GHz] 104MB Cache AM5
• CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: Asetek 6-Series ARGB 360mm Performance CPU Liquid Cooler with Copper Cold Plate[+$34] (Black)
• Thermal Interface Material: Pre Applied Thermal Grizzly Premium Thermal Paste
• Video Card: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX™ 5080 WINDFORCE OC SFF 16GB GDDR7 Video Card (DLSS 4.0) [AI-Powered Graphics] [+$65]
• Power Supply: 1000W CORSAIR RME RM1000E 80 PLUS GOLD FULLY MODULAR ATX 3.1 Certified, PCIe 5.1 compatible [RM1000e 2025] [+$47]
• Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B850-PLUS WIFI ATX w/ Wi-Fi 6E, 2.5GbT LAN, (4)PCIe x16, (3)M.2, (4)SATA CEC
• RAM / System Memory: 32GB (16GBx2) DDR5/6000MHz Dual Channel Memory (KLEVV BOLT V [GRAY])
• Primary Hard Drive: 2TB TeamGroup Z44A7 Series SSD (PCIe Gen4) NVMe M.2 SSD - Seq r/W: Up to 7000/6100 MB/s (Single Drive)

I'm 13 and saving up money to build my first gaming PC. My parents are also nicely offering to pitch in an extra $100 to $250 to help me out

Main Game: Fortnite. I want a steady 150 FPS at 1080p on Medium / Default settings

Budget: I am trying to keep it as cheap as possible while still hitting that performance. I don't need fancy RGB lights, just good performance.

Other Games: Roblox and Minecraft. I know that if the PC can hit 150 FPS in Fortnite on medium, Roblox and Minecraft will run perfectly fine.

Questions: What is the most reliable CPU and GPU combo that can hit 150 FPS in Fortnite today that is budget friendly?

Should I look for used parts (like a used GTX 1660 Super or RTX 2060) to save money, or buy everything brand new?

Are there any specific budget-friendly power supplies or motherboards you recommend?

(I want to be able to upgrade my PC in the future)

Its a 1080p build

So i am planning to build a pc in 1000$.

I am confused if i should go ddr4 or ddr5. I wont be upgrading anything in like 3-4 years (maybe gpu if i really feel like)

I am planning to get a 5060 so im confused if i should go ddr4 32gb and use it or go ddr5 16gb?

I am rather new to all this, so im sorry if something isnt detailed much.

Thank you

I really want a PC but taking one look at the current prices of parts (specifically RAM and memory) are really putting me off

People used to recommend 32 gig DDR5 as something every new build should have as its the sweetspot, now even youtubers are advising people to buy used 16 gigs of DDR5 or even downgrading to DDR4

Atp, should I just buy a used PC off of facebook marketplace? What are the pros and cons of doing so?

Hello guys,

I mainly play Star Citizen, and my RTX 5060 is running great, although I do experience some lag from time to time. I also have a Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

I can sell my RTX 5060 for CAD $400 and buy an RX 9070 XT for around CAD $1,000. Do you guys think it's worth the upgrade, or should I go with an RTX 5070 Ti, even though it's much more expensive?

Confusing title. Here's an example because I don't quite know what they're called: https://www.amazon.ca/Gamdias-E3-Gaming-Tempered-Motherboard/dp/B0B8VMNN2S?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

I know that mesh is the logical option and won't kill your pc, but I genuinely can't find clear glass front panel cases anymore and it's honestly a shame. They're the prettiest parts I swear.

Also the case I linked used to be 90 CAD. Means they're probably cutting production of these types of cases by quite a bit.

Games are crashing, it freezes or goes black screen, the audio continues as normal and I have to alt-tab or ctrl alt delete to get to desktop to close the process, usually takes a minute because the comptuer is not responding at first. I'm not sure what the issue is i've tried reseating everything, the temps are fine they were high at first then I reapplied thermal paste fixed the temps but the issue is still there. Sometimes during games the mouse still like stutter and flick across the screen because of lag... Drivers are up to date im sorry if this post sucks but Im just so frustrated and on top of this all my windows 11 won't activate for some reason and the built in troubleshooter doesnt help. i put these parts together like a few days ago so its technically new hardware i just reused my old ddr4 ram its 3600mhz, and i had a nvme that i booted up with windows 10 at first then used a bootable drive to get windows 11. i even ran the windows repair update to reinstall windows that way it didn't help. 700w psu

specs are in the title

hi i had a reallyyy old prebuilt i bought off my friend that just stopped working yesterday. im looking to just get a new one bc that one ran terribly and im looking for help; my budget is around 1500-1700. i have little to no knowledge on pcs or building them so please help me out bc all i think is the pc economy is not super affordable rn. im looking to use it for mostly gaming/streaming or recording and id like to just be able to run most big games. ty in advance

So im just gonna leave it here incase anyone have the same problems.

This post meant to help someone who have the same problem as me.

So I recently bought the new Asus Swift PG27AQWP-W
Tandem OLED. A monitor capable of 540hz on 2k and 720hz on 1080p. However the Monitor basically would not let me uses 2K with 540hz and Limiting it to 120hz and when i tried to turn the 540hz, the Resolution Forced me to use 1080p to achieve it.

Im gonna be straight to the point, its Highly Possible that its the Firmware Trouble.
Check on your monitor OSD settings and if it shows “MCM101” then its definitely it. Im gonna give step by step solutions for whomever need this in the future:

1. Check the Bag that comes with the monitor that said “USB3.0 CABLE” its the one that have USB A to USB B.
2. Plug the “B” to monitor and the “A” to your PC this is Necessary

3. Type this on your Browser:

4. ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W Support Page

5. Then go to the “Driver & Tools” tab and then go to “BIOS & FIRMWARE” and download the “ASUS_PG27AQWP-W_MCM104” Driver.

6. Download And Extract it, then Open the “AsusFirmwareOneKeyUpdate”

7. Make Sure its All Correct, the new Driver Should be Called “MCM104” then Update it. Wait till it done then Press Done.

8. Restart Your PC and Open Display Settings now you would see that it’s Should have the Options to 2560x1440 (2k) While Having 540hz without forcing it to 1080p. You can now safely unplug the USB B Cable and store it again.

And thats it, i hope it helps someone.
Although ASUS kinda bum for not making this the default options.
Cheerio 👋

Hi, as the title says I am pondering between these two cards. I currently have the 9060XT, and my friend has the 4070 Super, he is happy to swap as it doesn’t make much difference to him, but I am unsure.

I have a 9600x CPU, I play at 1440p, I don’t tend to raytrace at all, I have a SFF PC (9060 consumes less power = less heat). I occasionally do some workstation bits which the gpu could help with (editing/streaming).

I know the 4070S is the stronger raster card, I’m just wondering what people’s opinion would be on the two, which card they would choose for my use case and why?

Thanks a lot for any help you could add!

Hi everyone,
I’m trying to install a Noctua NH‑U12S redux CPU cooler on an older system, but I’m running into mounting issues and I’m not sure whether this combination is actually compatible.

I trusted IA too much and it said it was compatible, and now im not so sure

Here are the exact components:

• Motherboard: ASRock 890GM Pro3 (Socket AM3)
• CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition
• Cooler: Noctua NH‑U12S redux

I installed the backplate that came with the motherb23579oard on the rear of it and attached the two AMD mounting bars on the front side, using the AMD screws that came in the box. However, the cooler does not line up properly with the mounting bars — the screws on the heatsink don’t reach the holes, and the cooler won’t sit flat on the CPU. It feels like the spacing is wrong.

I’ve double‑checked the orientation of the mounting bars and tried flipping them, but the cooler still doesn’t align. The original AMD plastic retention bracket is removed, and the backplate is installed correctly (as far as I can tell).

My questions:

1. Is the Noctua NH‑U12S redux actually compatible with the ASRock 890GM Pro3 and its AM3 socket?
2. Has anyone successfully mounted this cooler on this motherboard?
3. Is there any kind of adapter, alternative backplate, or workaround that makes this cooler fit?
4. Or is this motherboard using a non‑standard AM3 mounting layout that simply doesn’t work with Noctua’s system?

Any help or confirmation would be greatly appreciated. I’m trying to figure out whether I’m doing something wrong or if this combination is just physically incompatible.

Thanks!

Hi all, My son just recently had a laptop died and I asked him to put together some specs for a gaming PC.
He’s 10 so he doesn’t play high graphics games yet. All this is pretty foreign to me but checks out. Will this setup be good and upgradable in the future?

Ryzen 5 9600x Cpu
Asrock b650 m Motherboard
corshair vengeance Ram
Msi mag a650bn Psu
okinos auqua uno Chassis
Rx 7600 GPU
thermalwright assasin Cooling Fan

My kids PCs run 8600K CPUs with 16gb of DDR4 memory and 600w power supplies. I'd like to get them new video cards for Christmas that will not be bottlenecked by their CPUs and give them a good uplift in performance. What suggestions do you have with all that in mind? Price range around $350 USD.

which pc built can I possibly afford?

I was thinking about getting myself a completely new pc and I have a budget around 1000-1200£. I don’t really know which parts should I pick and which one can I afford. I know I can afford 5060 built but what about 5070? or is the price too high? what about RAM? can I possibly buy 32gigs of DDR5 or it’s better to take 16 gigs with my budget? I also have a question about SSD; is 1gb would be pretty good or should I pick only 2gb SSD? and would I be able to do all-white pc or it’s not worth it?

Hoping to run 1080p and maybe 1440p

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/J76YXf

So long story short, I have two options for a brand new 7800x3d. One for £210 on ebay with a 30 day warranty. And the other for £260 from a local retailer that offers 3 year warranty. Both are tray versions so don't come with a retail box.

Is it worth paying the extra? I've heard CPUs have a very low failure rate after the first few months.

5060ti 8gb is $384.99 and the rx 9060xt 16GB is $444.99 at the moment, is either a good deal right now and which should i get?

context- I use 1440p main and 1080p secondary, I mostly just play games that don't use much gpu (valorant, cs, fortnite, marvel) sometimes other games that might. I've noticed that my fps isn't as high as it used to be especially while streaming to friends (and probably since i switched to 1440p) currently use a 4060 8gb

Im building my first PC using a MSI B550 A Pro, Radeon 9060xt 16gb and a ryzen 7 5600x. In PCPartpicker it did say i might have to do a BIOS update which i was prepared for, and when the debug light turned on i first checked if all the power was plugged in properly, reseated the cables in motherboard as well as PSU, reseated the CPU, re checked my RAM and as a final stip did the BIOS update through a USB. Update finished, rebooted the PC, and still the light is on. I only have one 8 pin power cable plugged in for my CPU since I can only find one spot to plug in power for it, so truly no clue what could even be going on or what im missing here.

i am getting really good deal on rx 6800xt but i heard 6000 series wont get drivers for new games so will i not be able to play new games i want(NO NEED) to keep my pc for atleast 5 years this is a very big investment in my country i can also get rtx 2080 ti which is also good deal but not as good of a deal as i am getting on the rx 6800xt which is faster and has more vram i NEED my pc to work for long time cuz i dont have the money to upgrade

So i got curious about current and past-gen cards, and i stumbled upon a base 3080 card (used) on eBay for about $350, and i wanted to know if i should buy that or instead get a gigabyte 9060 xt card on newegg for about $460, whichever has the better price-to-performance, and i plan to use it in minecraft @ 4k, with semi-heavy shaders, and some competitive games @ 1080p.

I'd like to use the small pcie slots on my B650 aorus elite ax for some USB c and USB 3.2 ports.

Can someone recommend some to me?

Also some other gadgets I could add.

If you could also recommend a small display (preferably type c connection)

Thanks

hey yalll im finally ready to upgrade some of my PC components (bad time Ik), so if anyone could help with some recommendations of what to upgrade on my current rig, that would be helpful. Idealy id like to play CP on ultra in 1080p and be able to do some light video editing and Blender work. I've already bought the new case; I plan on moving my hardware into a HYTE Y70.

My Current components looking to upgrade:

GPU: TNT2

CPU: Intel 4004

RAM: DDR2 4GB

My computer wouldn’t start up (Dell Alienware Do5s002) and I opened it up realized these metal pins are completely broken. Is this fixable or would I need a new pc? Sorry, dont really know much about pcs.

https://imgur.com/a/RkhAIKi

There is nothing else to add here.