VRAM has become the talk of the town, as the demands of PC gaming has started to increase. With rasterized gameplay significantly increasing in visual fidelity and quality, the 8GB norm has changed. Both NVIDIA and AMD have started to accommodate this shift with newer cards offering more VRAM straight out of the gate.
AMD’s RX 7600 XT offers double the amount of VRAM compared to the standard RX 7600, with 16GB available for gamers to leverage. This increase in capacity improves performance across 1440p gaming, making the RX 7600 XT perfect for a mid-range system.
In this PC build article, we’ve paired up the best budget component options with the RX 7600 XT, focusing on a strong price to performance ratio. We’ve broken down all of our part choices below, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and why they’re such a great pick for this system.
Main Components
GPU: Gigabyte RX 7600 XT Gaming OC
Starting off with the main showpiece of this system is the RX 7600 XT, specifically Gigabyte’s Gaming OC variant. This card comes in with an MSRP of $329 and offers the VRAM boost that many buyers are looking for, to keep framerates stable across their favourite games. This is the most notable change to the specs, along with a slight enhancement to the boost clock speed which further improves gaming performance.
Specification | Gigabyte RX 7600 XT Gaming OC |
---|---|
Video Memory | 16GB GDDR6 |
Bus Width | 128-Bit |
Base Clock Speed | 1.72GHz |
Boost Clock Speed | 2.81GHz |
Stream Processors | 32 |
Ray Accelerators | 32 |
Length | 281mm |
Power Consumption | 190W |
Admittedly, the rest of the specs have remained the same. AMD haven’t increased the memory bus width or any of the core counts which will cause the overall performance improvement to be smaller. However, the 7600 XT is still an excellent choice for a 1440p gaming system, especially for those looking to alleviate VRAM bottlenecks.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600
AMD’s Ryzen 5 7600 is one of the best CPU options for a gaming PC build, and is a very capable processor for 1440p and even 4K gaming. The reason why we’ve picked out the Ryzen 5 7600, comes down to the excellent single core performance on offer. The Ryzen 5 7600 is able to reach its 5.1GHz across a plethora of games, which makes it a highly competitive option within the PC gaming space.
Key Specs | AMD Ryzen 5 7600 |
---|---|
Core Count | 6 |
Thread Count | 12 |
Base Clock Speed | 3.8GHz |
Boost Clock Speed | 5.1GHz |
Max Cache | 38MB |
Default TDP | 65W |
CPU Socket | AM5 |
Overclockable | No |
In terms of pricing, the Ryzen 5 7600 sits around the $200 mark, which is incredibly cheap for a CPU of this calibre. On the efficiency and thermals front, the Ryzen 5 7600 has a 65W TDP, which means power is somewhat limited. Despite this, the Ryzen 5 7600 is very capable even when drawing little power. And because of this, it doesn’t tend to put out too much heat, which means a budget air cooler is a very feasible solution if you’re looking to save some money
The only larger caveat worth considering is multi-core performance. This is a 6 core 12 thread option, and while some threaded applications will be perfectly fine, you’ll need a CPU with a bit more power behind it if you’re planning on pushing your PC a bit harder.
Buy the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 on:
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 Zero Dark Plus
Deepcool has been on a roll with their CPU coolers, offering strong thermal performance across a huge range of options. The Deepcool AK400 Zero Dark Plus in particular is an awesome budget air cooler offering a sleek design while keeping your CPU nice and cool. It is worth noting that this is the dual fan option, which comes in at a slightly higher price point in comparison to the AK400 Zero Dark, which only comes with one fan.
Key Specs | Deepcool AK400 Zero Dark Plus |
---|---|
Number of Fans | 2 |
Heatpipes | 4 |
Max RPM | 1850RPM |
Fan Noise | 29dB |
Cooler Height | 155mm |
Fan Connector | 4-Pin PWM |
Socket Support | AM5 AM4 LGA1700 |
The AK400 Zero Dark Plus very easily copes with the heat that the Ryzen 5 7600 outputs, dissipating it efficiently through the four heatpipes and unique fin matrix design. It is worth noting that the AK400 Zero Dark Plus does struggle with tougher multi-core workloads due to the heat output being much higher. You’ll want to consider a liquid CPU cooler if you plan on picking up a higher core count option.
Buy the Deepcool AK400 Zero Dark Plus on:
Motherboard: ASRock B650M Pro RS
The motherboard that we’ve chosen for this PC build is the B650M Pro RS from ASRock. Because this is a budget PC build, we wanted to prioritise picking out a cheaper chipset option, so B650 boards made perfect sense to us. ASRock’s B650M Pro RS comes in at a very competitive price point while offering a great set of features to choose from. You’ll be able to leverage 7200MT/s speeds on the RAM front, which will bring some small performance improvements if you’ve picked out a supporting memory kit.
In terms of expansion, the B650M Pro RS sports a Gen4 PCI-E x16 slot, a singular Gen4 M.2 slot, and a Gen5 option, which is ideal for those that plan on upgrading to faster storage later down the line. Looking at connectivity, the B650M Pro RS has an ample amount of ports to choose from including 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 options, providing you with 10Gbps speeds ideal for external drives.
Key Specs | ASRock B650M Pro RS |
---|---|
Form Factor | Micro-ATX |
Supported Memory | 192GB DDR5 7200MT/s |
PCI-E x16 Slots | 1x PCI-E 4.0 |
PCI-E x4 Slots | 1x PCI-E 5.0 1x PCI-E 4.0 |
Rear IO | 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 4 x USB 2.0 |
Networking | 2.5 Gigabit LAN |
Networking is also solid providing you with a high speed 2.5 Gigabit LAN port, ideal for intensive gaming. This motherboard does support WiFi through the smaller M.2 Key E slot, but you’ll have to install this yourself as there isn’t any wireless networking capability directly built-in.
Buy the ASRock B650M Pro RS on:
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB
This Corsair Vengeance RGB EXPO memory kit is an awesome pairing for this PC build as it will provide increased RAM speeds, and lower latencies thanks to the memory profiles. Using these helps with DDR5 RAM stability, while also improving performance across games and tougher workloads. The fact that this is a 32GB kit will also help alleviate some capacity bottlenecks within more intense applications.
Key Specs | Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 Black EXPO |
---|---|
Capacity | 32GB |
Generation | DDR5 |
Speed | 6000MT/s |
Latency | CL30 |
Voltage | 1.35V |
Height | 56mm |
RGB | Yes |
Though this is a budget PC build, its great to have some components that provide additional flair for our system. Corsair’s Vengeance RGB DDR5 kits always look excellent. The RGB light bar on the top of each DIMM offers up some customisable lighting for this system, which can be configured within Corsair’s iCUE software.
Buy the Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 EXPO Kit on:
SSD: Crucial P3 Plus 1TB
Crucial’s P3 Plus is a Gen4 drive offering solid speeds at a very reasonable price point. Gen4 drives have significantly dropped in price since their release, so high capacity options are much more affordable in comparison to their Gen5 counterparts. In terms of specs, the Crucial P3 Plus 1TB variant offers up to 5000MB/s on the reads, and 3600MB/s on the writes. This does increase to 4200MB/s with a 2TB drive, but this difference wouldn’t be particularly noticeable.
Specification | Crucial P3 Plus |
---|---|
PCI-E Generation | PCI-E 4.0 |
Capacity | 1TB |
Read Speeds | 5000MB/s |
Write Speeds | 3600MB/s |
The reason why we’ve picked out a 1TB drive, is to save some money. Although a 2TB drive will be perfect for those with a lot of games, 1TB should be more than enough for you to install your favourite titles and applications. Buyers that need more storage should look to upgrade later down the line with another Gen3 or Gen4 option.
Buy the Crucial P3 Plus on:
Case: Deepcool CH370
Deepcool’s CH370 is an excellent Micro-ATX case providing a mass of internal space while being compact in size. The front of the CH370 offers a ventilated design, prioritising high airflow for ample cooling. The CH370 can house up to 8 120mm fans, and supports a 360mm radiator at the front, or a 240mm at the top, so you’ve got plenty of options when it comes to cooling.
Specification | Deepcool CH370 |
---|---|
Form Factor | Mid-Tower |
Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX Micro-ATX |
GPU Clearance | 320mm |
Radiator Support | Front: 360mm Top: 240mm Rear: 120mm |
Fan Support | Front: 3 x 120mm Top: 2 x 120mm Rear: 1 x 120mm PSU Shroud: 2 x 120mm |
CPU Cooler Clearance | 165mm |
Front IO | 2x USB 3.0 Type-A 1x 3.5mm Combo Jack |
Pre-Installed Fans | 1x 120mm |
In terms of GPU clearance you’ve got 320mm to play around with, which is more than ample for the Gigabyte RX 7600 XT Gaming OC model, coming in at a length 281mm. The AK400 that we’ve chosen also won’t pose any problems either, as there’s 165mm of CPU cooler height clearance too. Deepcool’s CH370 massively focuses on versatility, making this case a great option for those looking to avoid any hassle.
Buy the Deepcool CH370 on:
PSU: Deepcool PF700
Powering this PC build, we’ve picked out the Deepcool PF700, an 80 Plus White rated power supply geared towards the price conscious buyer. Deepcool’s budget power supplies are great options for those looking to minimise their spending. It isn’t likely to blow you away when it comes to features, but we believe it to be one of the most competitively priced 700W options on the market.
Specification | Deepcool PF700 |
---|---|
Size | ATX |
Wattage | 700W |
Efficiency Rating | 80 Plus White |
Modularity | Non-Modular |
ATX 3.0 | No |
Fan Size | 120mm |
Zero-Fan Mode | No |
This non-modular design offers all of the power connectors you need with flat black cables that are easy to manoeuvre while also taking up less space within the Deepcool CH370. The fan used within the Deepcool PF700 also utilises a hydraulic bearing keeping noise levels to a minimum while providing solid durability with prolonged usage.