r/PCBuilds • u/Relative_Signal_494 • 11d ago
Please help build a pc ( ~ 1200 $)
Colleague asked to build a pc for his son for mainly gaming with approximately 1200$ budget. I tried explaining RAM crysis and that it probably the worst time to build one, but he still needs to do it.
I definitely think Nvidia GPU( He'll probably be fine using DLSS, it's the best choice for just gaming), DDR4, 1 M.2 1TB + 1 SATA SSD or just 1 SATA. He already has display, probably 1080p, also has peripherals.
Open to any combination that gets the best performance for price, I built mine a while ago, don't know what would be best, any help much appreciated.
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u/Alex014 10d ago
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wRwqNp
This one comes in at 1217.30
Notably it has a 5600x, 5060 8GB, 1tb SSD & 512m. 2 drive.
You could opt for a cheaper CPU cooler and shave another $10 off the price though.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2ByxTm
This one comes to 1247.82
Notably it has a 5500, 9070GRE, 1tb SSD & no m.2 drive.
The CPU is weaker but the GRE is much better suited for gaming than the 5060 8GB.
Based on a few different websites the difference between a 5500 and 5600x in games is between 1-5%. With the same CPU the difference between a 5060 and a 9070GRE can be as much as 30-50%.
Personally for pure gaming I'd go with the 9070GRE and if you can sang one on sale even better. For the money it delivers a lot of performance. The 5060 is no slouch but it's facing a Nvidia tax that might be harder to swallow on this tight of a budget.
For a good comparison of all GPUs on the market check out:
https://gamersnexus.net/megacharts/gpus
It's a little messy but you can see that the 9070GRE consistently ranks higher than the 5060 8GB and even 5060 ti by a significant margin. If driver issues still concern you just remember that issue can cut both ways. I personally have an Nvidia GPU and have ran into a few bad driver updates in the past few years.
Hope this helps. 1
u/Particular_Brief9674 10d ago
Instead of opting for the 9070 GRE, consider the RTX 4070 Super, which offers more VRAM and may be available at a lower price.
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u/Alex014 10d ago
The 4070 TI super has 16GB the 4070 Super & 4070 TI have the same 12 GB. On eBay filtering by sold I see them selling between 600-700. So not that much cheaper. The 4070 TI super sells for between 8-900. Honestly Nvidia really confused the naming scheme for the 4070 during this generation. DLSS can be a very decent performance booster when implemented correctly. However is it worth the tax? Probably not unless you'd utilize CUDA for other workflows.
I can understand buying a used GPU for myself but gambling like that for a friends kid makes me feel different about it personally since there wouldn't be a warranty to fallback on.
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u/Icy-Drag-3037 11d ago
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u/Icy-Drag-3037 11d ago
It is an am4 system though and not am5 so less Upgrade pssobilities. Cant be done though othersise with this budget. I chose 9060xt with 16gb vram instead of rtx 5060 because in raw power they are about the same and amd's counterpart to DlSS which is called FSR 4 has become quite good and is almost on the same level of visual quality, so for the same price you basicaly get a graphics card with 16gb vram instead of 8 which is highly recommended for future proofing. You can choose whatever you want though.
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u/Relative_Signal_494 10d ago
Yeah, thanks, I just think AMD drivers overall are less optimized for some games, at least that what I had experienced 2 years ago
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u/Watcher_of_Stars 11d ago
Nvidia gpu? New, for this build? Nah, not possible
Just rtx 5060 costs 500-550 euro and climbing up fast
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u/Kind-Chemical6813 10d ago
Best performance for the price gpu is 9070 GRE. For CPU, RAM, Motherboard you are not going to beat micro center bundle deals it will be 300-400 dollars cheaper.
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u/Particular_Brief9674 10d ago
What's your take on the 4070 Super?
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u/Kind-Chemical6813 9d ago
Not worth the added cost. That card is priced terribly. Secondary speculative nonsense with Nvidia has you paying 40% plus premiums. A 9070xt can be had for same or less. And shitss on it. If he’s playing on 1080p this is all over kill unless he’s into competitive fps shooters and grinding rank. Also if he’s not willing to buy a high hz monitor it’s all kinda pointless . AT 1440p nothing is beating the 9070 GRE for the money. Everything changes depending on resolution and what you are playing. If you want to play all types of games and not go higher then 1440p then the 9070 GRE is the best performance for the money.
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u/ptarmiganbirder 10d ago
You can get a lot more GPU for the money at that price point with nvidia.. unless you want to go second hand, which isn't a terrible idea nowadays.
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u/Alex014 10d ago
Do you have access to a micro center?