this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2025
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want to build my first pc (lemmy.ml)
submitted 3 months ago by reagansrottencorpse@lemmy.ml to c/buildapc@lemmy.world
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I have a Dell XPS with a GTX 1080 in it and it's getting a bit dated. I would love to build a machine. I was thinking possibly amd, as it seems better value. I figured I'll keep my 4tb nvme drive and maybe the ram but I should probably buy everything else new.

Any recommendations or should I just mess around on pcpartpicker?

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[โ€“] Zonetrooper@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Since you've said the use is gaming: It'll depend on what your price point is. Here are my thoughts:

Start with a price point. Whatever it is. Make that, or a range around that, your limit. It's very easy to succumb to "It's only 50 more dollars" and suddenly find yourself 20% or more higher than you expected.

CPUs: Like others said, AMD is the generally recommended CPU brand these days. X3D chips are often highly recommended for gaming, but honestly of the AM5 series are good depending on your price point. 7700X, 9700X, 7800X3D, 9800X3D are all good.

Motherboards: Motherboards: Everyone has a horror story about motherboard [brand]. Recommend checking out reviews for a specific model. One thing your want to pay attention to is the number of VRMs it has, especially if you're thinking of overclocking.

  • ASUS: Fantastic boards, legendarily bad customer service.
  • MSI, Gigabyte: Okay. Neither the best features per dollar, but individual boards are okay.
  • ASRock: Well-priced, basic features, robust - but a bug that bricks X3D CPUs has tarnished their image.

RAM: 32GBs is the norm for higher-end gaming these days. 64 will keep you going for a long while. Do note that AMD AM5 CPUs work best with 2 sticks, even if the board has 4 sockets. RAM with a "6000 Mhz CL30" configuration is generally considered the "sweet spot".

PSU: There's a "tier list" of power supplies out there. Get something A or B tiered, with some overhead over your expected wattage consumption.