TechSpot PC Buying Guide: Holidays 2022

The PC market has changed tremendously in the past few months. AMD launched its Ryzen 7000 series, greatly improving performance per core and beating the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in gaming more often than not, even without 3D cache. The Zen 4 CPUs require new AM5 motherboards and DDR5 memory, but provide a promising upgrade path to future generation CPUs in return.

Intel has responded with the 13th-gen Core series, retaking the gaming throne with the 32-thread Core i9-13900K, albeit by a slim margin when using similarly expensive DDR5 memory. In all-core workloads, Intel is only able to match Zen 4 when comparing CPUs with the same number of threads, while using much more power.

With the current Threadripper 5000 series offering expensive Pro models only, Ryzen 9 may be the most sensible choice for core-heavy workloads unless you’re building something powerful for your business needs.

In the graphics department, Nvidia launched the GeForce RTX 4090 and RTX 4080, which offer greatly improved performance and efficiency over their predecessors, but also cost more per frame. In the mainstream segment, Intel has officially joined the race with the Arc A770 and A750, but with AMD’s Radeon cards selling below their MSRP, Intel would need to cut prices to capture a real market and mind share.

With all of that going, it seems that the main question is, should you buy the latest and greatest, or settle for older and more affordable parts? In this PC Buying Guide update we’ve included four recommended component lists, meant for different budgets and purposes…

Our recommendations were influenced by availability and pricing at the time of writing. If a component from the list that you were considering is unavailable or significantly more expensive while you are reading this guide, fear not. We include explanations for every one of our choices, so that you can make alternative and informed purchases.

The Utility Box

• Solid performance • Fast multitasking • Entry-level gaming

Despite its low price, this system is good for web browsing with tens of open tabs, 1080p live streaming, and even entry-level gaming. Add a graphics card, and this build will become even more capable in that area.

Image credit: The doctor is in by yopoyo

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a steal at $128, offering 6 cores and capable integrated graphics. With a 65W TDP, it should be kept cool by the stock cooler in a properly ventilated case.

When relying on the CPU’s integrated graphics, it may also be important for the motherboard to have both DisplayPort and HDMI ports for monitor compatibility. The MSI Pro B550M-VC is an updated version of the popular Pro B550M-VDH, with decent thermal performance, 4 memory slots, and two M.2 slots for storage. The full-sized Pro B550-VC, replacing the Pro B550-A, adds USB-C and much more impressive heatsinks for $20 more.

A 16GB dual-channel memory kit is the minimum we’d recommend today. Many such kits are available for under $45, so just pick the one you like the best. With no PCIe 4.0 support on the CPU, WD’s 1TB SN570 becomes the best value SSD, saturating the PCIe 3.0 interface in short file transfers.

The Cooler Master MasterWatt 550W is our budget PSU recommendation, with ratings of 550W and 80 Plus Bronze efficiency, 5-year warranty, and semi-modular design that lets you disconnect the cables you don’t need. The Rosewill Hive offers a fully modular design but only 3 years of warranty for the same price.

For our choice of an mATX motherboard, we can go with an equally compact mATX case, and so we did as an ATX case would look empty without a graphics card. Fractal Design’s Focus G Mini combines old and new, with two external 5.25″ bays and top 240mm radiator support. If you don’t need those things, the Thermaltake Versa H18 is a good alternative for $7 less. If you do want to install a graphics card (and especially if you go with a full-ATX motherboard), you may prefer the full-sized Focus G for a similar price.

Monitor, Keyboard & Mouse

If you are considering this system, then we’re assuming that you’d prefer work comfort over gaming performance. Yet, with current prices, we see no reason not to go with a “gaming” monitor that offers refresh rates up to 165Hz (we wrote a guide on how to enable them) in addition to an IPS panel and a height-adjustable stand.

The HP X27q is a great 1440p option for about $200. More options for different budgets can be found in our best monitors feature.

Logitech’s highly ergonomic MK570 is our recommended keyboard and mouse combo at this price point. For more options, see our lists of best keyboards and mice.

The Value Gaming Rig

• Excellent performance • Great multitasking • Perfect for gaming

This PC is meant for those who want to get the best experience for their money in the latest games.

Image credit: PC Flip by CriSiZ Burgers

Compared to the Ryzen 5 5600G, the graphics-less Ryzen 5 5600 has double the L3 cache for better gaming performance and PCIe 4.0 support. With the efficient Ryzen 7 5800X3D as the most likely upgrade, the MSI Pro B550-VC is more than good enough as the motherboard.

The Ryzen 5 5600 ships with the middling Wraith Stealth cooler, which you should probably replace with something better. The mentioned CPUs don’t need the heaviest and most expensive coolers on the market. We chose the Pure Rock 2 Black from Be Quiet! for its combination of looks, compact size, acoustic efficiency and price. The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo and the Noctua U12S Redux would also work fine.

With current DDR4 prices, we see no reason to get less than 32GB. Ryzen 5000 CPUs work great with RAM speeds up to 3600MHz, and with a CL18 latency such modules are also affordable. Many kits of 2 x 16GB cost about $85 these days. If you see a good 4 x 8GB kit for a similar price, go for it. Since the release of the Samsung 990 Pro SSD, the older 980 Pro has become a great deal at $100 for 1TB.

AMD’s Radeon RX 6600 is the cheapest GPU we’d recommend buying new. The Radeon RX 6500 XT is basically a laptop GPU in disguise, and since its release things in the sub-$200 segment have gotten worse and worse. The RX 6600 will consistently outperform Nvidia’s more expensive GeForce RTX 3050 by a large margin.

The Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PSU provides 650W at 80 Plus Gold-level efficiency, a 10-year warranty and a fully modular design for a decent price. Our case of choice for this build is the NZXT Flow 510, replacing the Corsair 400D Airflow thanks to being slightly cheaper these days.

If you plan to put your PC on a desk, you may prefer the shorter Lian Li 011 Air Mini. If you want a case with external 5.25″ drive bays and more internal drive bays, check out our best old-school cases guide. Anyway, our general best cases guide includes more great options for under $100.

Monitor, Keyboard & Mouse

The Radeon 6600 is capable of 1440p gaming at 60 fps with high settings, or at higher refresh rates with lower settings or in less-demanding games. The HP X27q will let you do all of that on a 27″ IPS display for a fair price, but the Gigabyte M27Q Pro is a better choice when available for a similar price. Clearly, there are dozens of good monitor options you can choose from and that’s why we have entire guides dedicated to monitor shopping and gaming monitors especifically.

The Logitech G502 Hero is a safe bet for a mouse, and so is Corsair’s K55 RGB Pro for a keyboard. If you prefer mechanical keys and a compact size over a numpad and a detachable wrist rest, you can go with Redragon’s K552 RGB Kumara. Once again, our best gaming monitors, mice and keyboards guides include more options for more specific needs and budgets.

The High-End Gaming Machine

• High-end performance • Heavy multitasking • Hardcore gaming

This gaming PC build is for those of you who care less about performance per dollar, and more about absolute performance and upgrade options. With the latest high-end GPUs, gaming at resolutions higher than 1440p is a sensible option, and this build will let you do just that.

Image credit: Gaming Desktop V2 by hubertle8563

AMD’s Ryzen 7 7700X is one of the best gaming CPUs, and currently cheaper than its competitors in that area. It also uses more power than our picks for the previous builds, but the Deepcool AK620 provides performance similar to the best air coolers on the market for less.

The Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX is a popular motherboard with support for PCIe 5.0 and USB 3.2 (“Gen 2 x 2”). DDR5-6000 is the sweet spot for Ryzen 7000 processors when it comes to memory speed. With DDR5 still overpriced in general, you might as well choose one of the kits with the lowest latency.

The WD Black SN850X is one of the best SSDs on the market, with bus-saturating PCIe 4.0 performance, efficient operation and Game Mode 2.0, which may become valuable once PC games start using DirectStorage.

With Nvidia’s last-gen high-end GPUs currently overpriced, you might as well just buy the GeForce RTX 4080 for a high-end machine. Being more efficient than its predecessor, it can also help you save a bit on the PSU. If you don’t want to spend $1,200 on a graphics card, you may want to wait for the RTX 4070 Ti.

The Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 adds not only 200W over the GF1 from the previous build, but also a native 16-pin GPU connector.

With two front 200mm fans, the Cooler Master Mastercase H500 will make sure that the system remains cool, and also sells for a great price right now. More expensive versions of it include features like front USB-C and more flexible radiator support. Again, our best cases, best short cases and best old-school cases guides include more good options.

Monitor, Keyboard & Mouse

The best gaming monitor for you depends on what games you play. For example, Gigabyte’s M32U is arguably the best “standard” 4K gaming monitor, but if you want to play competitively at 360Hz, the 1080p BenQ Zowie XL2566K will serve you better. If you want HDR, or a different shape or resolution, you’ll have many more options, so we suggest that you simply read our best gaming monitors guide.

If you want to feel like you have a better mouse than the average person’s, Logitech’s wireless G604 Lightspeed is the one for you. Similarly, the Corsair K100 RGB Optical-Mechanical keyboard comes with an aluminum body and premium switches. Our best mice and keyboard guides include more options.

The Growable Workstation

• Workstation-like performance • Extreme multitasking • Hardcore gaming

This machine is great for any workload you can think about, from 4K video rendering to any kind of 3D modeling. It can also play games as well as the best gaming PCs if you equip it with a fast GPU. It’s not cheap, but for what it can do, it’s a really good value.

Image credit: Daedalus by canadianwalrus

With 32 threads and 80MB of cache for $570, the Ryzen 9 7950X is the obvious choice for this system. It’s not as efficient as its predecessor, though, so you’ll need the best cooler you can find. We chose the Noctua NH-D15.

The Asrock X670E Pro RS offers great storage expandability with five M.2 slots and 6 SATA ports. If you want two or three PCIe 5.0 x 16 slots, you’ll need to spend much more on the Asus ROG Strix, the Asrock Taichi or the MSI Ace. For future upgrades, we chose 64GB of RAM in just 2 sticks. You may be able to save some money with a higher latency of CL32 and the same 6000MHz speed.

The Seagate Firecuda 530 is the best SSD for creators, with great sustained write speeds, 5 years of warranty, and 3 years of data recovery services. A 2TB drive should be sufficient for regular work unless you have very specific storage demands. An archive of all your work will probably be safer on external drives or on a NAS.

Choosing the best graphics card for this system greatly depends on the programs you’ll be working with. We recommend that you search the web for relevant benchmarks before making your choice. In rare cases (Siemens NX is a prime example), professional Quadro and Radeon Pro graphics cards may justify their price with certain ease. With Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 overpriced beyond its already demanding MSRP these days, you may want to consider alternatives like the RTX 4080 or Radeon 7900 XTX, although the 4090 is an absolute beast and still the top GPU you can buy.

Our PSU recommendation could remain the same as the previous system with the Toughpower GF3 850W, but if you do get the RTX 4090, you may prefer the 1000W version. For a case, we chose the Thermaltake Core V71 Tempered Glass Edition for its value, airflow and versatility, including its two 5.25″ external drive bays. As always, our best cases, best short cases and best old-school cases guides include more options.

Monitor, Keyboard & Mouse

Some of the most comfortable and accurate mice and keyboards we use include the Logitech MX Master 3 mouse and MX Mechanical keyboard.

Choosing a monitor may be more complex. As with storage, you may have special needs and requirements for work. If you want to view your 3D models in great detail and comfort, Dell’s Ultrasharp U3223QE is a great choice with its wide-gamut, 4K IPS panel.

If you edit 4K movies, though, the higher-end Ultrasharp UP3221Q uses Mini-LED for greatly improved contrast and qualifies for HDR 1000. It also has a true 10-bit panel, and can display colors that very few monitors can.

Masthead credit: Tuxedo by JMTsujioka