1440p gaming PC from scratch for 1600€ : build review

[Bastoise2000]

Budget (including currency): 1600 euros

Country: France

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: RPG games, from old to recent (think Jade Empire to Baldur's Gate 3), Minecraft, plus a bit of LaTeX and browsing.

Other details : 

I finished my studies and started a job, so I can finally buy+build my first ever PC (I've only had laptops) ! I'm very excited for this and hope this community can help review the build proposal I cobbled together : https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/list/2k9234

• I have no monitor and I'd like to get a 1440p one, included in the parts list. I have no idea if the monitor I chose is any good, I went off a couple of reviews, but nothing definitive.
• I don't have access to ethernet and I exclusively use my phone hotspot for internet access, so I chose a motherboard with wifi on it. My reasoning is that it will make wiring & installing drivers easier, but it might be better to get a separate wifi card in case of issues.
• Maybe I went overkill with the 32GB memory and I can go 16GB to start with, until I upgrade in 3-4 years ?
• Do I need extra fans ? I have no idea.
• Also, I don't care about looks at all, since it's my first build and I'm just trying for something that is efficient (& cost-efficient !), sturdy, and kinda easy to build.
• I also need the OS. I've got extra money to buy it, but it would be a huge bonus if I could include it in the 1600 euros build list (I don't know what's the least bad part to skimp on)

 

I'd be super thankful to anyone with opinions on the viability of the build, and any comments or critiques you can make !

Full list in spoiler below.

 

Spoiler

PCPartPicker Part List: https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/list/2k9234

 

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€253.04 @ Amazon France)
Motherboard: ASRock B650M Pro RS WiFi Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard  (€169.96 @ Amazon France)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory  (€128.40 @ Amazon France)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (€65.88 @ Amazon France)
Video Card: XFX Speedster SWFT 319 Radeon RX 6800 16 GB Video Card  (€459.00 @ Amazon France)
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case  (€93.76 @ Amazon France)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A750GF 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€109.00 @ Amazon France)
Monitor: Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQA1A 27.0" 2560 x 1440 170 Hz Monitor  (€296.27 @ Amazon France)

Total: €1575.31

 

[WereCat]

Looks good. I would also throw in a CPU cooler though. Something like https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/product/QPkWGX/deepcool-ak400-6647-cfm-cpu-cooler-r-ak400-bknnmn-g-1 for example. It will get you slightly over budget though so you may decide to get it later (I'm assuming the CPU comes with a stock cooler but I'm not 100% sure).

 

You can get very cheap Windows licences online. I've been getting them for like 10eur or so on various websites... how legit are they? IDK... but I never had issue and I've been doing that for many years.

[SorryBella]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€253.04 @ Amazon France) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG400 75.89 CFM CPU Cooler  (€35.77 @ Alternate) 
Motherboard: ASRock B650M-HDV/M.2 Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard  (€159.53 @ Amazon France) 
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  (€126.88 @ Alternate) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (€89.49 @ Amazon France) 
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 319 CORE Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB Video Card  (€539.00 @ Amazon France) 
Case: Deepcool CC560 ARGB ATX Mid Tower Case  (€61.69 @ Amazon France) 
Power Supply: MSI MPG A750GF 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€109.00 @ Amazon France) 
Monitor: Gigabyte G27Q 27.0" 2560 x 1440 144 Hz Monitor  (€259.99 @ Amazon France) 
Total: €1634.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-12 15:45 CEST+0200

8 minutes ago, WereCat said:

Looks good. I would also throw in a CPU cooler though. Something like https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/product/QPkWGX/deepcool-ak400-6647-cfm-cpu-cooler-r-ak400-bknnmn-g-1 for example. It will get you slightly over budget though so you may decide to get it later (I'm assuming the CPU comes with a stock cooler but I'm not 100% sure).

doable, as ya can tell.

[The Hope]

Total:     $1508    

 

 

38 minutes ago, Bastoise2000 said:

• I also need the OS. I've got extra money to buy it, but it would be a huge bonus if I could include it in the 1600 euros build list (I don't know what's the least bad part to skimp on)

 

openSUSE Tumbleweed is a free download. It has good compatibility with printers and other hardware. It also has perhaps the best configuration tool, YaST.

 

It's beginner friendly and you're going to be able to use it to do most (or everything) of what you would do with windows11/macOS/ChromeOS.

 

mageia 9 is another great option that is suitable for easily replacing windows or macOS.

[SolarNova]

Maybe consider this.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-13100F 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€129.43 @ Amazon France)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler  (€34.29 @ Amazon France)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  (€155.94 @ TopAchat)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  (€122.88 @ Alternate)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (€49.99 @ FNAC)
Video Card: Asus DUAL OC Radeon RX 6750 XT 12 GB Video Card  (€405.94 @ TopAchat)
Case: Cougar Archon 2 Mesh RGB ATX Mid Tower Case  (€72.14 @ Amazon France)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€102.90 @ Amazon France)
Monitor: Dell S3422DWG 34.0" 3440 x 1440 144 Hz Curved Monitor  (€489.00 @ Amazon France)
Total: €1562.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-12 16:57 CEST+0200

 

Managed to even fit a 'white' theme into it ..with the exception of the GPU .

 

I'm not one to suggest skimping on the Monitor, it will almost certainly outlive the PC build itself so shouldnt be something u skimp on. I usually advise at least matching the cost of the GPU for the monitor budget, ideally more. In this case u can get a 1440p ultrawide if u drop down from a 6800XT to a 6750XT..or 6700XT if u want to save another 50 euro.

otherwise a M27Q monitor and a 6800XT is a possibility.

 

[brob]

1 hour ago, Bastoise2000 said:

 https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/list/2k9234

 

A decent build that could benefit from an aftermarket CPU cooler.

 

You might consider a slightly better performing i5-13500. Using DDR4 brings down cost without a significant performance hit.

 

I've included a suitable CPU cooler. The cooler that accompanies the CPU is good enough for most gaming. So the additional cooler could be considered optional.

 

NVMe prices are tumbling. An excellent 2TB drive is about €25 more than the 1TB drive in your build.

 

Consider a case with front panel USB-C port.

 

Consider a slightly less expensive PSU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13500 2.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  (€278.44 @ Amazon France) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler  (€42.99 @ Amazon France) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 GAMING X AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  (€155.88 @ Amazon France) 
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (€65.88 @ Alternate) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (€89.49 @ Amazon France) 
Video Card: XFX Speedster SWFT 319 Radeon RX 6800 16 GB Video Card  (€459.00 @ Amazon France) 
Case: Deepcool CK500 ATX Mid Tower Case  (€73.48 @ Amazon France) 
Power Supply: NZXT C750 (2022) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€99.99 @ Amazon France) 
Monitor: Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQA1A 27.0" 2560 x 1440 170 Hz Monitor  (€296.27 @ Amazon France) 
Total: €1561.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-12 16:55 CEST+0200

[Bastoise2000]

1 hour ago, WereCat said:

You can get very cheap Windows licences online. I've been getting them for like 10eur or so on various websites... how legit are they? IDK... but I never had issue and I've been doing that for many years.

I didn't know that about licences, thank you for the tip !

34 minutes ago, SolarNova said:

I'm not one to suggest skimping on the Monitor, it will almost certainly outlive the PC build itself so shouldnt be something u skimp on. I usually advise at least matching the cost of the GPU for the monitor budget, ideally more. In this case u can get a 1440p ultrawide if u drop down from a 6800XT to a 6750XT..or 6700XT if u want to save another 50 euro.

otherwise a M27Q monitor and a 6800XT is a possibility.

 

I really had no idea about "appropriate" monitor costs going into this, thanks! I've looked into it more and settled on the G27Q. If I have the money, I'll upgrade to a M27Q (everyone else is recommending upgrades to the GPU, so I need to think about it).

Also, the motherboard you recommended doesn't have wifi. Is it easy to add a wifi card onto a build ? Will I need to check for specific ports or anything like that ?

 

@The Hope Thanks for the list ! With the monitor on top, it might just be too expensive though. I'll consider upgrading the GPU !

 

@SorryBella thanks, I think I'll choose the monitor you recommended.

 

@brob thank you ! I'll consider the CPU/motherboard change. I like the case you recommended (yeah, I totally overlooked the usb, my bad), and thanks for the memory prices info !

[SolarNova]

54 minutes ago, Bastoise2000 said:

Also, the motherboard you recommended doesn't have wifi. Is it easy to add a wifi card onto a build ? Will I need to check for specific ports or anything like that ?

Ah , sry i missed the fact u dont have access to wired Ethernet.

Ok well u can forget the whole white aesthetic and just grab a wifi equipped Motherboard like the Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX, or keep with the white aesthetic and get the ASRock B760M Steel Legend WiFi for 25 euro more.

 

54 minutes ago, Bastoise2000 said:

(everyone else is recommending upgrades to the GPU, so I need to think about it).

Aye ideally u'd get at least the 6800XT , good performance level and its good bang for buck, however since u need a monitor as well it makes it a bit harder to fit a good GPU choice AND a suitably balanced Monitor at the same time.

Not that there is anything wrong with a G27Q + 6800XT, its just that many people like upgrading to an ultrawide at some point, u have the possibility to do that now and "build into it" in the future with a GPU upgrade as games get more demanding. if ur not into ultrawide then there isnt anything wrong going with the G27Q.

 

Ultimately, any1 serious about PC gaming, which would include someone willing to spend 1600 euro on a PC :P, should be aiming to eventually get a top tier Monitor which nowadays means, OLED. Building a beast of a PC to set game settings to max or near max only to be let down by a display that cant give you the full experience , is a waste.

 

If ur fine with the g27Q perhaps you should consider the following.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-13100F 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€129.43 @ Amazon France)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler  (€34.29 @ Amazon France)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Steel Legend WiFi Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  (€179.95 @ Amazon France)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  (€122.88 @ Alternate)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  (€49.99 @ FNAC)
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 319 Radeon RX 6950 XT 16 GB Video Card  (€629.00 @ Amazon France)
Case: BitFenix Nova Mesh M ARGB MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (€64.95 @ Amazon France)
Power Supply: Cougar GEX 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€110.19 @ Amazon France)
Monitor: Gigabyte G27Q 27.0" 2560 x 1440 144 Hz Monitor  (€259.99 @ Amazon France)
Total: €1580.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-12 18:48 CEST+0200

 

A 6950XT is a beast of a GPU, more than capable.