Buying Gaming PC

PC Hardware & Gaming PC Builds, Modding & Overclocking
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Thank you 9060 XT is a sweet spot jackpot

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See if you can grab 9600x for 17k from Flipkart. It’s out of stock at my location, but check yours

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Are current generation mid sized gaming towers compact compared to gaming CPU cases of 2008?

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Do you want tempered glass side panel cases or mesh side panel cases?

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hands down tempered glass. My previous gaming rig had tempered glass side panel. I had fans with colorful lights

87

Then go with Lian Li 206 or 207.

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You haven’t shared detailed requirements yet, but based on what you’ve mentioned so far, I think the Corsair 3500X would suit you well. It gives you more space than most mid-towers in this range, has clean tempered-glass aesthetics, and is perfect for showcasing an RGB build.

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Thank you I can blindly rely on Corsair Products. I didn’t know they started making CPU Cases too

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Which thermal paste should I buy

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Arctic MX-4 4grams

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AFAIK, but there could be better options depending on ambient temps, cooler type, and personal preference.

Go with Arctic MX-4 if you want something low-cost, long-lasting, non-conductive.

Noctua NT-H2 will give you better thermals than MX-4 with rest of the feature. Worth it if you don’t mind the higher price. I’d go for this one but it’s personal choice.

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme is better than the tow above in terms of raw thermal performance, especially for overclocking. Downside is, it dries out quicker under sustained heat, so you’ll need to repaste more often. AAnd it’s also costlier as well.

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Would thermal paste have any significant impact on performance considering it’s a 9600x?

I don’t have much idea about prices, but spending the same money on a better cpu cooler would always give more value than a more expensive paste, right?

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Even with a good cooler, thermal paste still matters because it fills the gaps between the CPU and heatsink. Without it — or with a poorly applied paste — you’re leaving performance on the table. On a 9600X, the differences are small but paste ensures your cooler actually reaches its potential. A high-end cooler with bad paste won’t perform much better than a mid-tier cooler with proper paste, while a decent paste on a budget cooler can squeeze a few extra degrees of thermal headroom.

Tom’s Hardware tested 37 thermal compounds on a 9950X. The worst pastes let temps hit 95 °C, while the best kept it at 83.6 °C. Mid-tier pastes like Arctic MX‑6 and Noctua NT‑H2 differed by 3–4 °C, showing that even small improvements matter to fully leverage your cooler.

Paste isn’t about huge jumps in temps, it’s about complementing the cooler and making sure you get the most out of it. So yes, get a better CPU cooler, but make sure to complement it with quality thermal paste as well.

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I’m using Arctic MX4 with a puny AK400 for 9800X3D. You will definitely be fine with MX4 with AG400 for a 9600X.

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Which PC speakers would you recommend? If I am lucky I should get my money tomorrow to buy the whole setup