Overview

This document details the process of building a mid-range gaming system on a budget of $800. The system is designed to be upgradeable and future-proof, focusing on optimizing costs while providing a high-performance gaming experience.

Objective

• Build a mid-range gaming system on a budget of $800.

Key Components and Justifications

Processor (CPU)

• AMD Ryzen 7600 - Cost: $182
  • Chosen over the Ryzen 7600X to reduce cost and avoid the need for an additional cooler. Suits current gaming performance needs without reaching budget limits.

Motherboard

• ASRock B650M Pro - Cost: $135
  • Affordable and suitable for the AM5 platform, supporting a maximum of 128GB of DDR5 RAM. Offers RGB support and comes with good power delivery feature.

Memory (RAM)

• Corsair Vengeance 6000 MHz - 32GB kit - Cost: $100
  • Previously used G.Skill, switching to Corsair due to past reliability issues. A 16GB kit would cost less, but only about $30 less than the 32GB kit, making the latter a good investment.

Storage

• Silicon Power 1 TB NVMe Drive - Cost: $54.
  • Opted for a Gen 3 drive to save money and remain within budget. Offers enough initial space and motherboard allows for future expansion.

Case

• Antec NX200: Chosen for its affordability, air-cooling efficiency, and sufficient space for additional cooling solutions if required. Comes with a tempered glass side panel and power supply basement.

Power Supply

• Thermaltake Smart Series 700W Supply - Cost: $55
  • Provides adequate power for the system. Not modular, but comes with black cables which are preferred over colorful ones.

GPU

• EVGA RTX 2080 XC Ultra Gaming - Purchased as a used eBay item.
  • Cost-effective choice for building a mid-range gaming system; capable of handling current games at high settings comfortably.

Cost Breakdown

• Total Cost: $801
• Cost Adjustments: By opting for 16GB RAM instead of 32GB, the budget could remain under $800.

Performance Benchmarks

• Black Mesa: High settings; Average FPS: 142.3, Min FPS: 27.3
• Counter Strike 2: High settings; Average FPS: 97.2, Min FPS: 60.7
• Cyberpunk 2077: High settings; Average FPS: 72.6, Min FPS: 49.7
• Red Dead Redemption 2: High settings; Average FPS: 91.3, Min FPS: 53.4
• Overall, the system can run games at high settings smoothly but is GPU-bound.

Additional Considerations

• The system runs on a potentially tax-deductible Windows 10 license purchased from a sponsor at a discounted price.
• Despite surpassing the original budget by $1, the system is described as being powerful given the cost.
• The Ryzen 5 CPU's stock cooler may only barely meet the cooling requirements, but the system performance is satisfactory.
• A video on water cooling the system may follow, depending on community interest.

Conclusion

The mid-range gaming system provides strong performance on a budget, capable of handling games at higher settings, with upgrade potential due to its AM5 platform.