Hi. The last PC I built was 10+ years ago. It has served me well, but I’m excited to upgrade and try my first SFF build. I am mostly looking to make a functional Windows PC that will last me for many years. I do not particularly care about lighting/aesthetics (simple/minimal is fine). I will use the PC for casual gaming (Mostly AOE 4 and Fortnite, but will try other games since my machine will be able to handle them now). I will also use it to do some video editing and animation. The estimated budget of ~$1125 is fine with me and I’m cool to go $100-200 over that if you think that would be better. It would be great if some of you could look at my list and answer the following:
Is everything compatible and will it fit in my case?
Am I wasting money on any parts that could easily be swapped for no/minimal loss of performance?
Do I need to purchase any screws/wires/connectors beyond what is included?
Less important, but any recommendations on a monitor that will pair well with what I have selected?
Any other advice/questions you have for me
Y’all are great. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!
Nothing seem outrageous, just be aware to take your time while installing the GPU. But at which resolution are you playing? And why such an older card from AMD? I understand that there’s more ram, but if you only play at 1080p to light games like you mentioned, 8GB might be just enough for you.
I would maybe consider swapping it for a RTX 4060, or a RX 7600XT if you need ram, just for the improved efficiency of newer architectures for 20 to 50$ more. The lower TDP of those GPUs might be welcomed for a small case. But look first at review on how they perform in your games, and potential games you want to play.
Also look for combos for mitx board with a 7600x, or a 7600. The difference in performance between the two CPUs will not be noticeable imo and you might save 20$ or a little bit more.
As GigaBusterEXE said, the cooler is not enough. If you can’t fit in one of the two he posted I suggest the Noctua NH-L9x65. A bit more height, cooling and fits in the footprint of the socket.
This case has a tendency to produce unpleasant frequencies due to the slats cutout in the panels. Check Gamer’s Nexus review for the noise (just making sure to mention it in case you’re sensitive to noise).
Everything else looks totally on point, nothing to note. Maybe check for deals on GPUs since it’s black friday week everwhere so you might find a better deal.
I appreciate your help. I was hoping to try 1440p gaming and saw a rec for the RX 6700 XT/6750 XT as a good value option. Would you still recommend the RTX 4060/RX 7600XT?
Thanks for your help. Can you explain how you know if a cooler is enough? Good call on the case - I think it should be okay as my home makes all sorts of random noises I’ve gotten accustomed to
Also - any recs on GPUs? The RX 6700 XT was recommended as a great value for 1440p, but perhaps you have other ideas?
I usually Google around to see what CPUs people use it with and try to interpolate some data. Also use the TDP metric to get an idea. Usually Noctua is very conservative when esitmating dissipating potential. For example my 5800X3D is reported as not being able to boost, but undervolting it as much as possible and using a 115A limit on the CPU makes it perform pretty good at 80°C maximum temperature.
Try to fit the bigger cooler possible and resort to undervolting to get as much out of the CPU as possible. This worked when I put together my SFF build.
No problem, just thought it was worth mentioning it.
If you can get a 7700XT or 7800XT for the same price as the 6700XT that would be great. I wouldn’t get a slower card from a newer generation because it will bite you on the long run.
On the Nvidia camp there’s nothing at that price that can compete on raster performance.
I think most of these are good picks. These are my changes:
CPU - I’d go for either the 7600 or 7700 non-X variants, or the 9600X. These come with a decent enough stock cooler, but the main reason is that all three will run at a lower voltage, making it easier to cool the CPU without actually losing performance. The 9600X is particularly promising here, but with the budget proposed, save yourself a few bucks with the 7600.
Cooler, the case you have chosen can barely fit the 70mm NH-L120S. The only problem is that you now need to find a GPU which is 50mm thick or less. 2 PCIe slots are 40 mm wide, so in theory a 2½ slot card should be able to fit, in practice the margin is very slim.
Motherboard, adding $55 to the B650I Lightning is so much worth it. A620 boards are the perfect companion piece to the Ryzen 8xxx series, as those make heavy compromises on things like PCIe lanes. For non-8xxx? It will limit you quite heavily, but will still be pretty enjoyable, especially if you do not plan to upgrade, but buy a new rig.
Even a 4090 could potentially work well in an A620 board, in theory. So they are not complete and utter trash, just… Underwhelming compared to the $30-ish more expensive B650 boards.
Memory, CL38 isn’t the best timings, ideal case is 6000@CL30, but those are ~$85. It is okay to trade, but I would spend the extra $10.
Storage, a 2TB SN850X is what I would have picked too. No complaints. Although a good runner up is the Kingston Renegade.
Case, Fractal Design IMO tend to go a little bit further than most other manufacturers. It is a good and well thought out case at a competitive price point, not a huge fan of the green color but not judging either, if green makes you happy go green.
PSU, I’d say that is overkill, you could go down to an 850W Gold and save like $50.
GPU, VRAM is only becoming more important. The 6700 XT was a good card but I’d say the Radeon 7600 XT or even Arc A770 offers better price/perf today, and they definitely handle 1440p gaming like a champ.
Here is what you get if you implement all of my suggestions, but feel free to replace any part you don’t like:
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. It really helped. I’ve gathered up all the parts except for the GPU. I was intrigued by your recommendation of the A770, but I’m nervous I won’t be able to fit it in the case I chose. Is there a certain model I should look at?
I would look at this. Do be aware Intel is not 100% compatible with all games the way Radeon is, but 97.5%+ of games should work with minor to no problem. $229 for a 16 GB card is low enough to take a gamble IMO, but…
