I’ve been a long time Linux user on laptops, but this will be my first time putting hardware together and running a dedicated gaming rig on Arch. I’m aiming for a high end 1440p ultra wide gaming experience and some light Davinci Resolve work. Want to make sure I haven’t made any “first timer” mistakes with compatibility or bottlenecks.
I divided the purchase in 3 phases (Let me know if this approach is correct). 1- Get the parts that I can immediately use with my current laptop (Webcam and Monitor). 2- Get a working system w/o the dGPU (As it is the most expensive part.) 3- Get the GPU. So Phase 1 is done and now will save money for phase 2 by May (although I have already secured the SSD and the RAM for the cheapest I could find — It is arriving today so I will check the RAM on my SIL’s prebuilt AM5 build and the SSD via usb-c adapter with my laptop).
Below is the table of the parts. . These prices are somewhat close to INR (Indian Rupee).
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor | $303.00 @ Amazon |
| CPU Cooler | Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler | $52.00 |
| Motherboard | MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard | $169.99 @ Amazon |
| Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory | Purchased For $387.75 |
| Storage | Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive | Purchased For $294.50 |
| Video Card | ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card | $729.99 @ Amazon |
| Case | NZXT H5 Flow RGB (2024) ATX Mid Tower Case | $94.99 @ Amazon |
| Power Supply | MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $118.50 @ Amazon |
| Monitor | Dell Alienware AW3423DWF 34.2" 3440 x 1440 165 Hz Curved Monitor | Purchased For $784.00 |
| Webcam | NexiGo N60 Webcam | Purchased For $46.00 |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $2980.72 |
PC PartPicker just gives these warnings which are pretty self-explanatory.
Warning: The MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard supports the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor with BIOS version 7E26v1C. If the motherboard is using an older BIOS version, updating the BIOS will be necessary to support the CPU.
Disclaimer: Some physical constraints are not checked, such as RAM clearance with CPU Coolers.
The CPU Cooler has a height of 160mm so it leaves a 10mm gap between it and the case. I was wondering if I should go with a Liquid Cooler like the Arctic Liquid Freezer III because the summers are HOT AF over here like 40-45 degrees C during day and 30 at night and also for the RAM Clearance whose height is 33mm. But then I don’t know how reliable the idea of water running in your system is.
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For a 9700X, even with overclocking you could get away with an air cooler. I use a BeQuiet! Pure Rock 3 on my 7800X3D and it works great.
The biggest issue with those all-in-one liquid coolers is that they’ve got a lot of moving parts, which means they’ll always break more quickly than an simple fan+heatsink setup. If you want this thing to last a long time, air coolers are better. Also, good air coolers are about on-par with good AIO setups except at the extreme top-end.
from my personal experience: don’t buy anything from dell, psu check from psu tier list or just get a seasonic, with amd gpus go with something amd specific like sapphire because their coolers are not just nvidia ones slapped on the amd chip. my sapphire 9070 xt is amazing, literally never makes any sound no matter how hard i push it. and msi mobos are painful to set up for linux, took hours to install for a friend because there were some weird settings locking up for windows
amd specific like sapphire
Will look into it.
msi mobos are painful to set up for linux
I did check on Linux Hardware Database for my chosen mobo, it seems to work according to the probes. So maybe could be an issue with your specific mode?
it seems like a widely accepted thing that msi mobos don’t play well with linux, plus they have a lot of quality issues. I’ve seen asrock recommended a lot for linux, and they’re the cheapest at least in my region. but whatevs, you can always return the mobo if it doesn’t work.
- Cooler:
Instead of Deepcool, I’d look at Thermalright. They have options that are cheaper yet perform better, including 360mm liquid coolers.
As for the Arctic Freezer, it’s going to be an overkill, but having a nearly silent build is nice. Do be aware that it’s much easier to mess up a liquid cooler installation than air. Essentially, always put screws through fans first (otherwise you’ll damage the radiator) and never tighten them (otherwise, you’ll strip the threading, even with hands), if they hold the fans, that’s enough tightness. Except for the CPU screws, those are the same as with Air coolers.
Overall, for your first build, I’d recommend going for an Air cooler and only then switching to liquid if you feel it’s needed. Temperature-wise you should be fine with either, 9700x isn’t that power hungry, and something like Thermalright PA 120 was doing just fine with my 5900x (although in a colder climate)
- PSU:
Don’t know about this MSI model, but I can recommend Xpg Core Reactor II 850W. There’s also a II VE version, but it’s a bit worse. Should be roughly the same price, but I can guarantee that this one is very reliable.
Also, always check in with the PSU Tier list from ZTT. With this build I recommend going for tier B or higher. The XPG II one is the highest tier.
- Bottlenecks and such
It’s a balanced build, nothing else to say. Good job picking the parts. I personally may have gone for a CPU like 7800x3d, but that depends solely on your needs.
I’d look at Thermalright
It is the same price over here. I watched a few YT comparisons and it seems like PA 120 cools the CPU slightly better so I will go with that one.
PSU Tier list from ZTT
Oh TIL.
Xpg Core Reactor II 850W
Sadly I couldn’t find this with any major seller in my country online. I might try offline later. But according to the list I changed the PSU to Corsair RM850X (2024). It is rated A+ and costs like just an extra 1k inr (around 10$) which I would consider a worthy upgrade from a B+.
Thanks for the suggestions :)
Oh man, last year a 3k machine would’ve had a lot more ram than that.
I understand that (good) AIOs are pretty bulletproof these days. I can’t tell if you need one though.
