90K+ First time building PC for Gaming

Arjan

Contributor
Questions
  1. What is your budget?
    • ~2.8L (can stretch a little more)
  2. What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
    • HP Laptop with Intel 11th gen Core i5 & integrated graphics
    • External monitor - Acer XV272U V3 (recently bought during the Amazon sale)
  3. Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
    • Monitor - Acer XV272U V3 (1440p, 180Hz, 27" IPS panel)
  4. Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
    • CPU - Ryzen 7 7800x3d (currently going for ~42k)
    • Motherboard - I had shortlisted Asus Strix B650 series Motherboard, however, I am in a dilemma if I should go for ATX build or m-ATX build
    • GPU - I am still unsure if I should get the RTX 4080 (costing ~1.2L) or spend more on RTX 4090 (costing ~1.6L)
    • RAM - 64GB DDR5 (please suggest brand and model for maximum performance)
    • Monitor - Acer XV272U V3 (will keep the recently purchased monitor for now)
    • PSU - Any good model with ~1200W (for future proofing)
    • AIO: Any decent AIO with 2/3 fan radiator, depending on if I go the ATX or m-ATX build route
    • SSD: Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
    • Case: Not Sure (need suggestions, if I should go for ATX build or m-ATX build). Fractal Design has some really good cases though.
  5. Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
    • The CPU is final (Ryzen 7800X3D), other than that I am unsure on two major things - (a) 4080 or 4090 GPU, (b) ATX build or m-ATX build
    • Monitor - Looking to get a 32"/42" QLED or OLED monitor by mid next year
  6. Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
    • Online
    • Mumbai
  7. What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    • Gaming
  8. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    • No preference of brand, but would like a silent GPU that runs cool and has good after sales support in India
  9. If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
    • Dota 2
    • AAA games
  10. What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. Gaming - 1440p (for now)
    2. Gaming - 4K (when I upgrade to 32"/42" QLED or OLED by mid next year)
  11. Are you looking to overclock?
    • Not really, but would want to run the RAM at manufacturer specified speeds
  12. Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Windows 11

I have been playing Dota 2 almost exclusively for the past decade or so, as I did not much care or bother about other games. However, I recently came across some gameplay videos of popular games, like, Wukong, Battlefield, COD, RDR, and I was hooked. I was almost about to get a PS5 during the recent Amazon/Flipkart sale.
As I started looking at comparisons between PS5 and gaming PC builds, I was tempted to build a gaming rig for myself that would be better than a gaming console.
I have not had a PC since my early school days in ~2000-2006, ever since I got a laptop. Coupled with the fact that I got hooked on to Dota very early, which did not require any fancy gaming hardware, I never got around to building a gaming PC.

I have shortlisted the CPU (Ryzen 7800X3D). As for the GPU, I would request your views on getting the 4080 or 4090, as the price difference between the two is ~40-50k, but I wish to upgrade to a 4K monitor by next year and would prefer not to keep upgrading any other components along.
I would preferably want a compact case, but I am concerned about the GPU fitting issues and airflow restrictions in small cases. I most certainly do not want a humongous cabinet.

Once, the GPU choice and cabinet size get finalized, I believe rest of the components will fall into place as well.

Really looking forward to your views and comments. I would also love to talk to you directly or even meet in person if you are based in Mumbai.
 
Just some points -

GPU - I am still unsure if I should get the RTX 4080 (costing ~1.2L) or spend more on RTX 4090 (costing ~1.6L)
1) Nobody knows future, but Nvidia 5000 series is gonna be announced in a few months.
Last time around, 4090 was the only one that had a major bump in performance for similar price and without compromised specs. And looking at rumours 5090 might give a decent bump over 4090 ( dunno price. ). As per rumours, 5090 might have double the core count vs 5080 which is a very large gap.
Since you are spending so much and generally 5080 or 5090 will be the first one launched first, you might want to wait for that. 4080/4090 should also get cheaper if 5000 series is not priced even crazier than 4000.

2) AIO - 7800x3d takes very little power, air cooler will do fine too. I use AG620 with it and it works well.

3) SSD - We dont really get any significant difference beyond a point for gaming. A WD SN770 or SN580 is more than enough. Even cheaper ones would feel similar enough probably.

4) GPU after sale support is a mixed bag these days. Many reports of unfair treatment. Dunno which brand is best.

5) Highly recommend an OLED over LCD at this budget if you can manage with burn-in precautions ( Maybe try ips for work and oled for media if possible). Else maybe miniled. Image quality jump is large.
I dont think i would ever want to play on ips again.
 
Questions
  1. What is your budget?
    • ~2.8L (can stretch a little more)
  2. What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
    • HP Laptop with Intel 11th gen Core i5 & integrated graphics
    • External monitor - Acer XV272U V3 (recently bought during the Amazon sale)
  3. Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
    • Monitor - Acer XV272U V3 (1440p, 180Hz, 27" IPS panel)
  4. Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
    • CPU - Ryzen 7 7800x3d (currently going for ~42k)
    • Motherboard - I had shortlisted Asus Strix B650 series Motherboard, however, I am in a dilemma if I should go for ATX build or m-ATX build
    • GPU - I am still unsure if I should get the RTX 4080 (costing ~1.2L) or spend more on RTX 4090 (costing ~1.6L)
    • RAM - 64GB DDR5 (please suggest brand and model for maximum performance)
    • Monitor - Acer XV272U V3 (will keep the recently purchased monitor for now)
    • PSU - Any good model with ~1200W (for future proofing)
    • AIO: Any decent AIO with 2/3 fan radiator, depending on if I go the ATX or m-ATX build route
    • SSD: Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
    • Case: Not Sure (need suggestions, if I should go for ATX build or m-ATX build). Fractal Design has some really good cases though.
  5. Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
    • The CPU is final (Ryzen 7800X3D), other than that I am unsure on two major things - (a) 4080 or 4090 GPU, (b) ATX build or m-ATX build
    • Monitor - Looking to get a 32"/42" QLED or OLED monitor by mid next year
  6. Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
    • Online
    • Mumbai
  7. What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    • Gaming
  8. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    • No preference of brand, but would like a silent GPU that runs cool and has good after sales support in India
  9. If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
    • Dota 2
    • AAA games
  10. What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. Gaming - 1440p (for now)
    2. Gaming - 4K (when I upgrade to 32"/42" QLED or OLED by mid next year)
  11. Are you looking to overclock?
    • Not really, but would want to run the RAM at manufacturer specified speeds
  12. Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Windows 11

I have been playing Dota 2 almost exclusively for the past decade or so, as I did not much care or bother about other games. However, I recently came across some gameplay videos of popular games, like, Wukong, Battlefield, COD, RDR, and I was hooked. I was almost about to get a PS5 during the recent Amazon/Flipkart sale.
As I started looking at comparisons between PS5 and gaming PC builds, I was tempted to build a gaming rig for myself that would be better than a gaming console.
I have not had a PC since my early school days in ~2000-2006, ever since I got a laptop. Coupled with the fact that I got hooked on to Dota very early, which did not require any fancy gaming hardware, I never got around to building a gaming PC.

I have shortlisted the CPU (Ryzen 7800X3D). As for the GPU, I would request your views on getting the 4080 or 4090, as the price difference between the two is ~40-50k, but I wish to upgrade to a 4K monitor by next year and would prefer not to keep upgrading any other components along.
I would preferably want a compact case, but I am concerned about the GPU fitting issues and airflow restrictions in small cases. I most certainly do not want a humongous cabinet.

Once, the GPU choice and cabinet size get finalized, I believe rest of the components will fall into place as well.

Really looking forward to your views and comments. I would also love to talk to you directly or even meet in person if you are based in Mumbai.
pickup some used 3060ti etc to continue gaming ,whenever you move to 4k monitor by that time nvidia gpu will be there . But in term of components dont go for expensive boards X50 series board are fine and whose service center is near you /provides you better service.


i was away but things , but if new mother boards are with new ATX specification than that is where you should put your money

And your GPU & RAM selection should be on multiple game requirements
MS Flight simulator 2024 -launch on Nov 19
GTA 6 . Most probably after GTA 6 the dust will settle down. Till than stick to 3060ti a very good stop gap solution the depreciation to will be pretty much less.
 
Just some points -


1) Nobody knows future, but Nvidia 5000 series is gonna be announced in a few months.
Last time around, 4090 was the only one that had a major bump in performance for similar price and without compromised specs. And looking at rumours 5090 might give a decent bump over 4090 ( dunno price. ). As per rumours, 5090 might have double the core count vs 5080 which is a very large gap.
Since you are spending so much and generally 5080 or 5090 will be the first one launched first, you might want to wait for that. 4080/4090 should also get cheaper if 5000 series is not priced even crazier than 4000.

2) AIO - 7800x3d takes very little power, air cooler will do fine too. I use AG620 with it and it works well.

3) SSD - We dont really get any significant difference beyond a point for gaming. A WD SN770 or SN580 is more than enough. Even cheaper ones would feel similar enough probably.

4) GPU after sale support is a mixed bag these days. Many reports of unfair treatment. Dunno which brand is best.

5) Highly recommend an OLED over LCD at this budget if you can manage with burn-in precautions ( Maybe try ips for work and oled for media if possible). Else maybe miniled. Image quality jump is large.
I dont think i would ever want to play on ips again.
Building a new system is pointless as of today, New generation of CPUs like AMD 9000 x3D series and Nvidia 5000 GPUs will be launching soon.
I would suggest getting remaining components for now before the new CPU and GPU launches, prices may hike!
 
Wait for some time new processor is gonna launch by end of November.
And a piece of advice don't focus on exterior that much if you want to save money focus on gpu , ram and storage. And many ignore the screen, by a good monitor also. I just purchased samsung monitor it is amazing
 
This is what I would build now.
7800x3d /9800x3d. Whichever works out to be more value.
Mobo: cheapest pcie gen 5
Cooler noctua for after sale support and reliability.
RAM: 6400mhz is optimistic but the price difference to 6000mhz wasn't that high and you can always set a lower speed in BIOS.
GPU: When you buy the 4k monitor, buy the highend graphics card. The 4060 will resell without too much issue and you'll get a lot more performance for the money compared to today.
Psu: 1200w. Its really not needed but if you have the budget, its a nice to have. Superflower because it's very reliable.
Cabinet: lancool 2 mesh because it's high quality and relatively cheap. If you can spend more here you have a lot of options. Look at the fractal torrent. You won't get a noticible improvement in performance for spending more.
 

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Guys, I went through each of your replies, and did some more research based of your suggestions.
I believe I do not really need to spend this much, especially when I am just attempting to build my first gaming rig.

There are options such as Ryzen 7600X, that costs ~16k and is still based on AM5 socket, which leaves room for future upgrades.
And as rightly pointed out by almost all of you, a reasonably priced GPU such as RTX 4060 would be more than sufficient to start off, even more so when I am planning to use an inexpensive 27" IPS panel.

I guess it should not cost me more than 1L to 1.5L max, to build a decent starter gaming PC, which would suffice for 1440p gaming with medium/low settings.

Thanks a lot everyone! I am so glad I decided to post here, and get such valuable & genuine advice from all of you :)
I shall keep you updated on the progress of build... Also, any comments and suggestions on the path that I now plan to take would be really appreciated.
 
Guys, I went through each of your replies, and did some more research based of your suggestions.
I believe I do not really need to spend this much, especially when I am just attempting to build my first gaming rig.

There are options such as Ryzen 7600X, that costs ~16k and is still based on AM5 socket, which leaves room for future upgrades.
And as rightly pointed out by almost all of you, a reasonably priced GPU such as RTX 4060 would be more than sufficient to start off, even more so when I am planning to use an inexpensive 27" IPS panel.

I guess it should not cost me more than 1L to 1.5L max, to build a decent starter gaming PC, which would suffice for 1440p gaming with medium/low settings.

Thanks a lot everyone! I am so glad I decided to post here, and get such valuable & genuine advice from all of you :)
I shall keep you updated on the progress of build... Also, any comments and suggestions on the path that I now plan to take would be really appreciated.
Do not buy 4060 or 4060Ti, poorly priced.

R5 7600 + 7900GRE is a good combination if you plan to play at 4K in future, if you have Nvidia preference or plan to use for productivity, get 4070S. You can make a good rig with good upgrade potential around 1.3L. 10% OC is easy with 7900GRE (check Hardware Unboxed's testing). I bought Sapphire Pulse 7900GRE for myself at 54k few months back. I was able to play games like GoW Ragnarok at 4K high with maxed out textures (there were cases of fps dropping to 55fps or so in some areas, so eventually ended up using 1800p resolution)


Off-topic: Am I the only one having trouble accessing pcpricetracker? I had to use a VPN to access it as it says I have been blocked.
 
hanks a lot everyone! I am so glad I decided to post here, and get such valuable & genuine advice from all of you :)
I shall keep you updated on the progress of build... Also, any comments and suggestions on the path that I now plan to take would be really appreciated.
Also, just wait 3-4 months more, you'll be able to score a much better deal by then with the launch of new gen GPUs
 
Do not buy 4060 or 4060Ti, poorly priced.

R5 7600 + 7900GRE is a good combination if you plan to play at 4K in future, if you have Nvidia preference or plan to use for productivity, get 4070S. You can make a good rig with good upgrade potential around 1.3L. 10% OC is easy with 7900GRE (check Hardware Unboxed's testing). I bought Sapphire Pulse 7900GRE for myself at 54k few months back. I was able to play games like GoW Ragnarok at 4K high with maxed out textures (there were cases of fps dropping to 55fps or so in some areas, so eventually ended up using 1800p resolution)


Off-topic: Am I the only one having trouble accessing pcpricetracker? I had to use a VPN to access it as it says I have been blocked.
Yeah 8gb ram is going to be a problem too. Even 12 imo is not enough at this price.
Next gen amd products might close gap on features and RT performance, going by PS5 pro and rumors. Might be worth waiting for maybe.
 
Get 4070 super and 7600x combo for 1440p gaming, I don't think so you need anything more than this. SSD any gen4, I have WD black sn770 (damn the gen 4 heat a lot) or wait for 5000 series.
 
Do not buy 4060 or 4060Ti, poorly priced.

R5 7600 + 7900GRE is a good combination if you plan to play at 4K in future, if you have Nvidia preference or plan to use for productivity, get 4070S. You can make a good rig with good upgrade potential around 1.3L. 10% OC is easy with 7900GRE (check Hardware Unboxed's testing). I bought Sapphire Pulse 7900GRE for myself at 54k few months back. I was able to play games like GoW Ragnarok at 4K high with maxed out textures (there were cases of fps dropping to 55fps or so in some areas, so eventually ended up using 1800p resolution)


Off-topic: Am I the only one having trouble accessing pcpricetracker? I had to use a VPN to access it as it says I have been blocked.

On the PCpricetracker thingy, I did have problems accessing it on my college internet. It didn't have any problems while accessing it on mobile data or through my home network. Maybe it has something to do with the ISP or the specific IP address.
 
An update on the components I have finalised…

CPU: Ryzen 7 9800x3D
Couldn’t stop myself from going for this flagship gaming CPU, as I wanted at least the CPU to be top tier, so that there is one less component to upgrade when time comes. I got it for 48k, considering I was able to source the 7800x3D for 39k, I didn’t think saving 10k was worth it vis a vis the buyer’s remorse I might have.

Case: Lian Li Dan A3 mATX (Wood edition)
I simply don’t have the appetite for bulky and fish tank cases in vogue nowadays. In fact, this was the first component I finalised and bought, paving the way for everything else. The case is compact, but still manages to house almost everything one would need for a potent gaming rig.

Mobo: Gigabyte 650M Aorus Elite AX
This was the only mATX Motherboard under 20k, with Pcie Gen 5 slot, as well as the 16 pin Pcie slot for GPU in the first slot, which would leave enough room for a bulky 3 slot GPU.

GPU: Gigabyte 4070 Ti Super Gaming OC 16GB
After a lot of to & forth between AMD V/s Nvidia, almost everyone I talked to with real life experience of having used both cards, suggested Nvidia - citing driver issues with AMD, and the superior RT & DLSS implementation of 40xx series Nvidia cards. Price wise, the 4070 Ti Super cards seemed good value proposition with 16GB memory, and relatively narrow performance difference V/s the 4080 cards despite the ~30k price difference. The card comes with 4 year warranty and is one of the best out of other 4070 Ti Supers in terms of temps.

RAM: Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 64GB (2x32GB) 6000 MHz
At 18.5k, seemed good enough to enable multitasking, ample headroom for games/video editing, and not warrant any future upgrade thoughts for another 2~3 years min.

Storage: Samsung 990Pro 1TB Nvme SSD
Wanted to go for 2TB Nvme storage from other brands, but decided this is easily upgradable when need be.

Cooling: LIAN Li Galahad 360 ARGB AIO Cooler
Swapped the bundled fans with LIAN Li AL120 fans all around.
So now, 7 total fans - 3 with the AIO on top and 1 on the rear as exhaust, and 3 at the bottom as intake.

PSU: Deepcool PX1000G 1000 Watt
It was actually offered by a fellow TE member, but the price for new has dropped by such margin that we couldn’t finalise the deal for his used PSU, so I got a new one.


I have researched this much on a purchase after quite a long time! It was really surprising that no one in my friends & family was able to help me out here; I had to rely on forums like Reddit, TE, and YouTube to gather all information. I guess people are so used to buying laptops, that they don’t even know the technology they are using!

Guys, I would love to hear your thoughts.
I am quite excited waiting to put together this build!
 
An update on the components I have finalised…

CPU: Ryzen 7 9800x3D
Couldn’t stop myself from going for this flagship gaming CPU, as I wanted at least the CPU to be top tier, so that there is one less component to upgrade when time comes. I got it for 48k, considering I was able to source the 7800x3D for 39k, I didn’t think saving 10k was worth it vis a vis the buyer’s remorse I might have.

Case: Lian Li Dan A3 mATX (Wood edition)
I simply don’t have the appetite for bulky and fish tank cases in vogue nowadays. In fact, this was the first component I finalised and bought, paving the way for everything else. The case is compact, but still manages to house almost everything one would need for a potent gaming rig.

Mobo: Gigabyte 650M Aorus Elite AX
This was the only mATX Motherboard under 20k, with Pcie Gen 5 slot, as well as the 16 pin Pcie slot for GPU in the first slot, which would leave enough room for a bulky 3 slot GPU.

GPU: Gigabyte 4070 Ti Super Gaming OC 16GB
After a lot of to & forth between AMD V/s Nvidia, almost everyone I talked to with real life experience of having used both cards, suggested Nvidia - citing driver issues with AMD, and the superior RT & DLSS implementation of 40xx series Nvidia cards. Price wise, the 4070 Ti Super cards seemed good value proposition with 16GB memory, and relatively narrow performance difference V/s the 4080 cards despite the ~30k price difference. The card comes with 4 year warranty and is one of the best out of other 4070 Ti Supers in terms of temps.

RAM: Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 64GB (2x32GB) 6000 MHz
At 18.5k, seemed good enough to enable multitasking, ample headroom for games/video editing, and not warrant any future upgrade thoughts for another 2~3 years min.

Storage: Samsung 990Pro 1TB Nvme SSD
Wanted to go for 2TB Nvme storage from other brands, but decided this is easily upgradable when need be.

Cooling: LIAN Li Galahad 360 ARGB AIO Cooler
Swapped the bundled fans with LIAN Li AL120 fans all around.
So now, 7 total fans - 3 with the AIO on top and 1 on the rear as exhaust, and 3 at the bottom as intake.

PSU: Deepcool PX1000G 1000 Watt
It was actually offered by a fellow TE member, but the price for new has dropped by such margin that we couldn’t finalise the deal for his used PSU, so I got a new one.


I have researched this much on a purchase after quite a long time! It was really surprising that no one in my friends & family was able to help me out here; I had to rely on forums like Reddit, TE, and YouTube to gather all information. I guess people are so used to buying laptops, that they don’t even know the technology they are using!

Guys, I would love to hear your thoughts.
I am quite excited waiting to put together this build!
still should have waited for RTX 5XXX series .Even if they are meh ,they would induce price cuts in 40 series .The news is that nvidia has stopped the production of 40 series and is onto 50 series and you would still have option to choose
 
Thrilled for you dude.
I know you'd probably know just how to build and there are plenty of videos, I would suggest you keep the manual handy and keep glancing at it just to make sure the headers are all as they are supposed to be. Don't know if your mobo might be the one weirdly wired one out there.
Have fun and take a lot of pictures through the build.
 
An update on the components I have finalised…

CPU: Ryzen 7 9800x3D
Couldn’t stop myself from going for this flagship gaming CPU, as I wanted at least the CPU to be top tier, so that there is one less component to upgrade when time comes. I got it for 48k, considering I was able to source the 7800x3D for 39k, I didn’t think saving 10k was worth it vis a vis the buyer’s remorse I might have.

Case: Lian Li Dan A3 mATX (Wood edition)
I simply don’t have the appetite for bulky and fish tank cases in vogue nowadays. In fact, this was the first component I finalised and bought, paving the way for everything else. The case is compact, but still manages to house almost everything one would need for a potent gaming rig.

Mobo: Gigabyte 650M Aorus Elite AX
This was the only mATX Motherboard under 20k, with Pcie Gen 5 slot, as well as the 16 pin Pcie slot for GPU in the first slot, which would leave enough room for a bulky 3 slot GPU.

GPU: Gigabyte 4070 Ti Super Gaming OC 16GB
After a lot of to & forth between AMD V/s Nvidia, almost everyone I talked to with real life experience of having used both cards, suggested Nvidia - citing driver issues with AMD, and the superior RT & DLSS implementation of 40xx series Nvidia cards. Price wise, the 4070 Ti Super cards seemed good value proposition with 16GB memory, and relatively narrow performance difference V/s the 4080 cards despite the ~30k price difference. The card comes with 4 year warranty and is one of the best out of other 4070 Ti Supers in terms of temps.

RAM: Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 64GB (2x32GB) 6000 MHz
At 18.5k, seemed good enough to enable multitasking, ample headroom for games/video editing, and not warrant any future upgrade thoughts for another 2~3 years min.

Storage: Samsung 990Pro 1TB Nvme SSD
Wanted to go for 2TB Nvme storage from other brands, but decided this is easily upgradable when need be.

Cooling: LIAN Li Galahad 360 ARGB AIO Cooler
Swapped the bundled fans with LIAN Li AL120 fans all around.
So now, 7 total fans - 3 with the AIO on top and 1 on the rear as exhaust, and 3 at the bottom as intake.

PSU: Deepcool PX1000G 1000 Watt
It was actually offered by a fellow TE member, but the price for new has dropped by such margin that we couldn’t finalise the deal for his used PSU, so I got a new one.


I have researched this much on a purchase after quite a long time! It was really surprising that no one in my friends & family was able to help me out here; I had to rely on forums like Reddit, TE, and YouTube to gather all information. I guess people are so used to buying laptops, that they don’t even know the technology they are using!

Guys, I would love to hear your thoughts.
I am quite excited waiting to put together this build!
Hope your build turns out good man. The components are decent enough. I really like that you went with the A3, because it's a case that doesn't show your components for the world to see and because it doesn't take up that much space.
 
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