Build Guide
I'm constantly in the mix of the used and new PC market at the moment so I thought I'd put that knowledge to good use in a compact, no-frills, straight to the point guide.
All part URL's listed below (with the exception of all shorturl.at links) are affiliate links. The listed products are subject to price fluctuations and will include alternatives within the same price/performance range for a backup choice.
The three builds I chose are all based on their hardware's raw performance (no FSR or DLSS ideally) in a multitude of games such as Spider-man 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Warhammer 40k, all of which are aiming for 60 FPS at high or ultra settings, then removing as much cost from the equation as possible barring any exploding power supplies.
Starting us off, 1080p. Estimated cost, $608.49 - $645.75.
CPU - Ryzen 5600 $87.52
Substitute - 5600x $90.92
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_opxupCp
CPU Cooler - ID-COOLING FROZN A400 $27.05
Substitute - FROZN A620 $32.46
Motherboard - ASRock B450M/AC R2.0 $72.95
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ooupJp3
RAM - Silicon Power 16GB Kit 3600mhz $30.28
Substitute - TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z 16GB Kit 3600mhz $31.38
GPU - PNY RTX 3060 Ti 8GB $275.91
Substitute - Asus Phoenix RTX 3060 12GB $275.78
PSU - Montech APX 550W $53.22
Substitute - MSI MAG A650BN $75.03
Case - Okinos Cypress 5 Oak Wood $61.69
Substitute - Okinos Cypress 3, Walnut $67.10
Notes:
For the CPU a 5600 is the bare minimum, if you can snag a 5600x like the one below for a couple dollars more then I say it's worth it.
The FROZN A400 is a solid performer that looks great but if you expect to upgrade to any higher wattage CPU's down the line, get the A620 for $5 more.
The Motherboard situation is a bit odd, I don't feel safe recommending any Machinist, Jingyue, or other non-name brand boards often found on AliExpress or Newegg until I see their quality and performance for myself. There's also no RGB options on this board, if you want RGB compatibility you'll need to up your budget a bit. If the linked mobo is out of stock find the next lowest priced model, there seems to be a ton.
The GPU market is absolutely insane right now, don't expect it to come down until mid-year or later. I chose the 3060 Ti as the primary option but the 3060 12GB is as low as I'd go to hit those 60-FPS minimum marks. There are plenty of these on the used market so if either of these listings go kaput just use the search bar and find the next lowest priced option that works.
PSU options range from 550w to 650w, I suggest pairing the 550w for the 3060 12GB, 650w for the 3060 Ti.
Cases are always going to be a personal preference. With that said, the Cypress 3 & Cypress 5 is almost unbeatable at under $70 with 4 fans and amazing build quality. The only downside is a USB-C connection that won't connect to anything on the motherboard, but if you upgrade in the future to AM5 or a higher end motherboard you'll be able to use it.
Next, 1440p (2K). Estimated cost, $816.27 - $997.42
CPU - Ryzen 7500f $135.30
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oB1q2At
Substitute - i5-14400f $127.37
CPU Cooler - ID-COOLING FROZN A400 $27.05
Substitute - FROZN A620 $32.46
Motherboard - (AMD) MSI PRO B650-S WiFi $108.24 - $125.85
Substitute - (Intel) ASRock B660M - $67.86
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oFvE4Lx
RAM - Silicon Power 32GB 6000mhz $73.06
Substitute - KingSpec RGB 32GB 6000mhz $82.84
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_okFBoFT
GPU - HP RTX 3080 10GB $388.62
Substitute - XFX 6800 XT 16GB $469.47
https://ebay.us/qpQLxf
Substitute 2 - Sapphire Pulse 7700 XT 12GB $478.11
PSU - SAMA GT850BK Black $75.76
Substitute - Sama GT750BK Black $70.35
Case - Okinos Cypress 5 Oak Wood AIR $61.69
Substitute - Okinos Cypress 5 Oak Wood RGB $67.10
Notes:
The CPU choice is a hard one, the Intel route is ~$50 cheaper with the CPU and MoBo. However, getting in on the AM5 platform may be worth it down the road when you decide to upgrade as the 14th gen "performance" CPU's tend to have issues. Personally, I think that extra dough is worth it for the AMD platform.
The CPU coolers from the 1080p build are totally suitable for these tiny wattage CPU's. They really don't produce enough heat to overwhelm them, but if you wish to upgrade to a 125+ Watt CPU I think those will really need the thermal capacity of the dual towers found with the A620, so keep that in mind when purchasing.
Amazon always has some killer deals going on lately, so that's why SP is coming in at option number 1. Ram is a pretty hard thing to screw up, so I'm trusting KingSpec on AliExpress to keep the budget down with the RGB option. I also wouldn't recommend anything over 6000mhz as the CPU's really won't gain anything from speeds higher than that.
It feels like a knife in my heart to say this, but the GPU market is so barren and horribly priced that there really isn't a single good option to buy new or from an "official" company. Even AliExpress is a massive letdown. I chose 3 great options on Ebay, no clue how long the listings will be up, but if they're no longer there just search for "lowest price", "buy it now", and make sure the GPU you're searching for isn't a "parts only" listing. Pro tip, make sure to read descriptions, sellers like to hide massive issues in there and list it as "used" or "pre-owned". I threw in an Amazon listing for the cheapest 7700 XT available, but it seems to not arrive for over a month. If you're okay waiting that long, it's a great snag too.
Either PSU is great for this build, if you want the extra headroom for a great GPU or CPU upgrade in the future, grab the 850w model. Both are speculative B-tier PSU's, they seem to be a rebranded "Sama Black Diamond" series FYI, if you want to check the list yourself.
So on the Asus MoBo there is an RGB header or two available if you wish to get a set of RGB fans or go find a variant of case with RGB, but the ASRock has no such luxury. Therefore, the first/cheapest case has no RGB fans. Still, I think they look great and I love Okinos when it comes to build quality for a great price.
Finally, 2160p (4K). Estimated cost, $1,273.50 - $1,474.43
CPU - Ryzen 9600x $188.35
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oByptwZ
CPU Cooler - FROZN A620 $32.46
Substitute - Thermalright Aqua Elite 240 VS $48.60
Motherboard - MSI PRO B650-S WiFi $108.24 - $125.85
https://shorturl.at/sRhi8
https://amzn.to/42gogTG
Substitute - Gigabyte B650 Gaming X AX V2 $129.89
RAM - Silicon Power 32GB 6000mhz $73.06
Substitute - KingSpec RGB 32GB 6000mhz $82.84
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_okFBoFT
GPU - XFX 9070 16GB $833.53
Substitute - PNY 5070 12GB $730.69
Substitute - XFX 7900 XT 20GB $811.86
PSU - SAMA GT850BK Black $75.76
Substitute - Cooler Master MWE Gold 850 V2 $108.24
Case - DIYPC ARGB-Q10-BK $64.94
Substitute - Phanteks XT Pro Black $83.33
Notes:
I'd like to start with I highly suggest staying away from building a PC of this caliber right now. The ridiculous GPU pricing inflates the price by an insane amount which is completely unnecessary if you just wait for them to come down. THEY WILL COME DOWN, it's only a matter of when. I've only put this one together for those of you who simply cannot wait for whatever reason.
With that said, the CPU is an obvious choice. The 7700x is the closest competitor and about $70-80 more expensive even on AliExpress (about $150 more when purchased new). If the listing is sold out or gone, just search for the next available 9600x on AliExpress, they all seem to be within $10-20 of each other.
Ram was a pretty easy choice, there's really no need for expensive or special ram in a build like this (unless you're also using CPU heavy programs).
Once again the FROZN A620 coming in clutch since the CPU is only a 65W TDP. I did add in one of the cheapest (trusted brand) AIO just to add some variety and RGB since we are getting into a bit more high-end "flashy" territory here.
As mentioned above, the GPU market has taken a massive dookie all over us at the moment. Every new 9070/9070xt is sold out or ridiculously priced, the already short supply of 50 series cards is being gobbled up almost immediately, and the sheer amount of scalping I'm seeing makes me question humanity as a whole. If the listings I mentioned get sold, try to find the next "lowest price, functional" listing available for that card. I do not recommend buying above the prices listed as they're already ridiculously overpriced.
The 1440p build PSU gets reused here as well too, but only the 850w option. I put another B tier PSU as a substitute but it is a good chunk of change more expensive. At the time of writing this there is a "Used - Like New" one available for $81.69. It's always good to look for the used options on Newegg and Amazon since they've got really robust return policies.
I hope this helps someone out. I remember getting into all this computer gaming stuff and being completely overwhelmed by the numbers, specs, and compatibilities between parts.
If the prices shown above don't sit right with you then by all means look for ways to cut some cost off. Buy things used, look for rebates on parts, or coupon-cut your way to a great deal. To reiterate this point, personally I'd try and wait for Q3/Q4 before building anything resembling a 1440p/2160p aimed build.
Thank you for reading this far, I also want to take a second to recommend checking out the rest of our website and see what we have in stock before buying anything. We've often got prices that will beat any used marketplace!
Happy building y'all!
- Brandon, PC Shelter