I've beat the best Prime Day gaming PC with a rig made entirely from Big Deal Days components
Amazon Big Deal Days are in full swing, and there are many great pre-built deals available. One example is this Lenovo Legion system with an RTX 4470 Ti Super, which costs just a cent less than $1,600. We all started chatting about whether we could buy a better or equal system for the same price.
Lenovo, a big vendor, pays less for its parts as it buys in bulk. I thought it would be difficult to beat. But I was never one to back down from a challenge. I scoured the Prime Day sales, and I think I've created a better gaming PC than what Lenovo has to offer.
It's faster and has double the storage. It...ah...doesn’t have an OS, though. But hey, Linux gaming is pretty good now!
Quick Links
- AMD Ryzen 5 7700X – $244 on Amazon (saving $155)
- ASRock PG Riptide - $174.99 (save $60) at Newegg
- Team Group - DDR5 6000 – $85.99 at Amazon.com (Save $7)
- MSI 4070 Ti Super at Amazon - $749.99 (Save $90).
- Thermalright Pa120SE at Amazon - $39.90 (save $3).
- Nextorage - NEM-PAB 2-TB at Newegg - $119.99 (save $130).
- NZXT Elite – $89.99 at Amazon.com (Save $90)
- Thermaltake G3 850 at Amazon - $88.29 (saving $41.70).
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
Ryzen 7 7700X price check: Newegg $244
" data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">I know PC gamers would love to have a 3D V cache chip in this build, but have you seen the price? It's not possible with this budget, but the Ryzen 7 7700X processor is still very good.
It's not only a top-notch gaming CPU (check out our review for stats), but it is also a great choice for content creation. I've built several systems with Ryzen 7 7700X and it's an excellent all-round processor.
AMD systems can be a bit twitchy and it can take some time to settle them down with drivers and setting, but they are cool, fast and stable once they're sorted out. Zen 4 chips can have high core temperatures under load, but this is by design.
ASRock B650E PG Riptide
A great CPU requires an equally great motherboard in order to get the most out of it. In order to stay within budget, we had to sacrifice a few things.
The ASRock B650E Riptide is an excellent motherboard that comes with a PCIe 5.x graphics card slot, and an M.2 SSD socket that's directly connected to the CPU. You won't be missing out on anything. The other slots aren’t as high-spec. The other x16 slot is actually x4 Generation 3 and the small x4 is only x1 Generation 4. Two more M.2 sockets are available, but one is x4 Generation 4, and the other is x2 Generation 3.
ASRock has compensated by adding 10 USB ports to the rear IO panel. You also get Wi-Fi 6E, 2.5G Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 6E.
The motherboard is also fully compatible with all Zen 4 and Zen 5 processors. So, if you decide to upgrade to a X3D processor in the future, there will be no issues.
- Here's a list of all the October Prime Day PC Gaming deals!
Team Group CL30 DDR5-6000 kit 32 GB
You want a dual channel kit that runs at 6,000 MT/s or better. This Team Group kit ticks both boxes and is low-latency.
Team Group DDR5-6000 price check: Newegg $85.99
" data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">All PCs require RAM, but AM5 Ryzen gaming computers need dual-channel DDR5 DRAM that is low-latency and fast to get the most out of the processor.
This Team Group kit is a great value. It includes two 16 GB DIMMs running at 6,000MT/s in EXPO mode with a 30 CAS latency. This kit is faster than cheaper RAM.
You won't get fancy RGB LEDs, but it's a small price to pay considering the speed and stability that you will enjoy. You can simply jam the sticks in the motherboard, select EXPO mode from the BIOS and wait for the RAM tests to run.
MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3X Black OC
The RTX 4070Ti Super was expensive when it launched in the first half of this year, but at this price it's a great GPU. Add in DLSS 3 and ray tracing, and you have a graphics card you can use for years." data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">
Ah, if only the RTX-4090 was this cheap. This is not going to happen anytime soon (or for a long time), but I doubt you'll find anything better than this RTX4070 Ti Super at this price. The Radeon RX XTX is more expensive, but faster in games without ray tracing.
This MSI model was launched with a slightly wonky BIOS that robbed some of the GPU performance. That's been fixed and this card has become Nvidia's 3rd-best graphics card. (The original RTX 4080 is no longer available). It's expensive, but it also has a lot GPU power, which can handle gaming, content creation and AI workloads.
Plus, I love its super-chonky appearance. This cooler is massive, so you won't have to worry about overheating.
Thermalright Assassin 120 SE
This air cooler is not just a great value, but also one of the best CPU air cooling units you can buy. The PA120SE can handle the Ryzen 7 7700X without any problems.
Thermalright Pa120SE price check: Newegg $44.79
" data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">It's not a liquid cooler AIO. Yes, it is very cheap. No, it is not rubbish. The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120SE is one of the best air coolers that you can buy. It will handle the Ryzen 7 7700X easily.
It's quiet even when pushed hard. I have three in different systems around my office. It's only missing RGB compared to Lenovo Legion gaming PC, but I don't mind. I'll always choose cheap and brilliant LEDs over pretty ones.
Nextorage NE-PAB 2 TB
This version of Nextorage’s popular NEM Series comes without a DRAM Cache, making it slightly less responsive than the DRAM equipped versions. NEM-PA modelIt's still a super fast and super reliable SSD. Super.
Price check: Amazon $139.99
" data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">Nextorage was originally a division of Sony, but it has since been spun off and is now a company that makes some excellent SSDs. This particular model (NEM PAB) does not have a DRAM cache, so it cannot sustain its full speed even when you are transferring hundreds of Gigabytes. But other than that, you can use it as fast as you want.
Once you place it next to a large GPU, the understated heatsink will be very effective. You won't have to worry about thermal limitations. The ASRock motherboard doesn't have the M.2 heatsink, but that's okay because this one is much better.
NZXT H7 Elite
I chose a case that was similar to the Lenovo model in terms of size and appearance. I was surprised, however, to find that a high-quality NZXT product was available at such a discount.
It is a great case with plenty of room for the RTX 4070Ti Super and three 140 mm RGB front fans. I would personally remove one and install it in the rear to improve airflow, but given the low price of 140 mm fans, you could easily buy an extra one to maintain the look of the front.
Thermaltake GF3 850W
The RTX Super 4070 Ti uses less than 285W, so you don't require a huge PSU. Thermaltake's 850 W PSU is a good choice for those who want to get the most out of their graphics card. It has a 12VHPWR socket, so you don't have to worry about adapter cables.
Newegg $89.99
" data-widget-type="deal" data-render-type="editorial">The power supply is the last but not least. Thermaltake's PSU models aren't the latest in technology but they are still very reliable.
This 850W model has plenty of power for the Ryzen/GeForce combo. It also has a 12VHPWR socket with a cable so you can connect the 4070Ti Super directly to the PSU. No need to worry about old adapters.
Here you have it, a system that is better (well, almost) than the Lenovo model, and costs a little less. You can reuse the key if you have an older system. Or, if you're brave, switch to Linux.
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