I Finally Did It! (Like a Month Ago...)

After spending months and months fantasizing/doing research about building a new PC, I decided it was time to actually do the thing.  GPU prices were (and are) still on the high side, but I think I saved enough with a few other component deals to possibly offset the additional cost.  Here is a link to my ultimate final build:  7800x3d Build.

Basically it all started because I saw a Paul's Hardware video where he was doing a few build fixes and he mentioned that there were some good deals on motherboards.  Thanks to that tip I discovered that I could get a B850 motherboard for the same price as the B650 one that I had initially chosen.  Since it was a limited time offer...what was I supposed to do with just a motherboard?  I had no other choice but to finish the build (*I definitely had a choice).

CPU: 7800X3D

I'm sure you're thinking...why not a 9800X3d?  It's like $200 more.  If I was going for a fancier, more top of the line kind of build, I would've probably landed there.  I wanted to check out the supposed boosted gaming capabilities of the X3D CPU's and the 7800X3D is fine for the 1440p gaming that I'm doing.  The price appears to have gone up a bit since I bought mine but CPU prices do seem to fluctuate quite a bit.  

Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120SE

I decided to go with a slightly beefier (but still very affordable) dual fan cooler in this build.  This cooler has great reviews and performance for ~$40.  It required a bit of muscle to fully screw it in, but it has worked like a charm and is keeping my CPU nice and chill.  The only major downside was that I installed this beefier cooler before plugging in my CPU power cables to the motherboard--let's just say that I royally scraped up my hand and it was a huge pain the buttocks to plug both of those cables in.  If possibly, I would highly recommend plugging in the CPU cables before your cooler (if it's a beefier one like this one).  It also sits right on top of my RAM--there's zero space, but it does clear it.

Memory: TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan DDR5-6000 CL30 (16gb x 2)

I had originally picked some slightly more budget RAM but this set was on sale for the same price, so I went with TeamGroup.  I am not a big RGB person, so it doesn't have any cool, flashy lights, it's just RAM.  It was easy to install, was the right size, and changing the XMP settings was as simple as enabling it.  

Motherboard: MSI B850 Gaming Plus Wifi ATX AM5

This was the magical motherboard that started it all--it was the same price as the B650 one I had originally chosen but offered some decent upgrades (PCIE 5.0; Gen 5 M.2; Wifi 7).  It's a nice looking motherboard and features a fancy heatsink for the main M.2 slot (which I did not utilize since I didn't buy a Gen 5 M.2--I figured I could use it in the future if I decided to add a Gen 5 M.2) and a few other "futureproofing" kind of features.  I am skeptical of using Wifi and haven't enabled it, but it comes with a nice antenna and seems easy enough to connect and use.  It has some handy features for building like screwless M.2 slots.

Storage: 1x 1TB Kingston M.2-2280 (Gen 4) + 1 x 2TB Silicon Power UD90 M.2-2280 (Gen 4)

When I bought my CPU there was a deal to receive a free 1TB M.2 drive, so I decided to use it for my OS.  I like to maintain a bit of storage because I don't like uninstalling games and having to re-download them (my internet speeds are not great) so I also added another 2TB drive.  I didn't go with Gen 5 despite my mobo having the capability--I've read that the difference from Gen 4 is negligible and not worth the additional cost (at least right now--maybe in the future though).  The screwless M.2 feature on my motherboard meant simply snapping them into place--it was so simple that I confused myself and thought I had made a mistake.  

GPU: Gigabyte Gaming OC Radeon 9070XT 16GB

Even though I was angling toward team green and the 9070XT is probably one of the most overpriced GPU's, I just couldn't justify spending >$130 more for a 5070Ti with basically the same performance.  In the past I've had AMD GPU's and only had a few minor problems with them--namely software related issues (drivers/updates and whatnot).  I've never been terribly impressed with ray tracing so I figured I would go back to team red this time around.  I have noticed that this particular card does seem to run a bit loud (I haven't played anything that's too graphically intensive).  I'm giving 1440p a try and so far it looks great.

The Fractal Pop Air case (cyan version that I chose).

Case: Fractal Pop Air ATX Mid Tower

I did my first build in a Fractal case and liked it, so I opted for another one for this build.  This case includes features like built in zip ties for cable management, magnetic dust filters, and easily removeable side panels.  You can also buy it in a few fun colors--I opted for the blue one.  It comes with three case fans (that I didn't realize were RGB fans) and you can add in several more (if you want to add in a bajillion fans you'll need to buy a more expensive case).  I didn't want to mess with RGB, but this case offers up the ability to control the RGB through a build in controller on the case or to plug it into the motherboard (to be controlled with software...no thanks).  The RGB controller option likely doesn't offer up the variety of options that software would, but you can change the color options and pattern/cycle.  As someone who would rather not deal with RGB, I'm content with the case control. (*not so fun fact--this case does offer up USB 3.0/2 slots but you have to buy extra connectors)

Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850W+ Gold (fully modular)

My 9070XT recommended an 850W power supply and this one had positive reviews.  On my first build I had opted for a semi-modular PSU, but I like the fully modular style.  This PSU came with a special cable for NVIDIA GPU's (you know...to help prevent the melting cables issue), so if you're going with team green, it's a good choice.  There are plenty of extra cables included and they seem nice and sturdy.

Monitor: AOC Q27G3MXN 27.0" 2560X1440 180Hz

I decided that it was time to move up to 1440p and retire my ol' reliable 1080p monitor.  This particular model has been positively reviewed and falls on the more "budget" end of things.  It has a high refresh rate and HDR.  It is adjustable but does lack all the funsies like RGB.  I have been surprised by how much brighter it seems compared to my old monitor.

The build process itself was straightforward and I felt slightly more confident about it than I did with my first build.  Most of the difficulties I encountered had to do with making sure the fans were correctly connected (a bit of daisy chaining), getting the chonky air cooler properly screwed down, and then getting the CPU cables plugged into the motherboard around the air cooler.  The great thing about building your own is that I feel like I learn something new each time.  Installing Windows 11 was easier than I thought it would be--I initially feared that I would have to install Windows 10 and then upgrade to 11, but you can use a Windows 10 key for a free upgrade to 11.  To me, all Windows versions feel same-y and just take time to get used to some of the changes in how things are organized.

I've been enjoying gaming on my new PC since early July and am glad I made the move to Windows 11 before the October deadline.  The only real problem I've had is with the stupid installation issue with the Rockstar Games Launcher.  If you haven't built a PC before and are interested, I would highly recommend checking out Paul's Hardware for his "how to build" series.  Paul's videos are extremely helpful and he explains things in a way that make them easy to understand.