It’s time to take stock of the last issue «PC of the Month» 2024, taking into account the latest trends and price fluctuations. If in the issue for November went a little higher in each of the categories, then we selected alternative configurations for a smaller budget. We have prepared an ultra-budget, but modern and up-to-date PC with great potential for the future, a balanced mid-range gaming computer for all occasions, as well as a high-end PC for demanding gamers and more.
| Computer «Ultra-budget» | Price, UAH | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 8600G | 8400 |
| Motherboard | ASRock B650M-H/M.2+ | 4500 |
| RAM | 32 GB Patriot Memory Viper Venom 5600CL36 | 3700 |
| Drive | 1 TB Patriot Memory P300 M.2 | 2200 |
| Video card | iGPU Radeon 760M | 0 |
| Cooler | BOX | 0 |
| Power supply | 400 W (complete with housing) | 0 |
| Body | Mini Tower 2E TMX03 400W | 1100 |
| The entire PC | 19900 | |
| Power consumption in games | 90-120 W | |
Last time we considered budget PC based on Intel Core i5-12400F and a discrete Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card for 30,000 UAH. It seems to be a good deal, given the memory subsystem with 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, but the potential of this build is not quite as great.
Today, we offer a cheaper option for 10,000 UAH with a much more productive processor, faster memory subsystem (DDR4 3200 > DDR5 5600), half the power consumption, and upgrade potential, but without a discrete graphics card.
About AMD Ryzen 5 8600G was discussed in detail in the editorial review (be sure to read it), but in short, it is currently the best solution for gaming without an external graphics card. The APU is strong enough to easily run undemanding online projects with ultra-high FPS, although it can also handle some AAA titles.
AMD Ryzen 5 8600G processor review: no more video cards needed
In the right hands, you can overclock the integrated graphics by several hundred MHz, which will help the motherboard ASRock B650M-H/M.2+ with a mid-range chipset. It’s as simple as possible and without wireless interfaces, but with an excellent price/performance ratio. Victims of PC marketing will whine about the lack of beautiful radiators in this model, but with Ryzen 5 8600G and a classic cooler, it is literally impossible to overheat in any conditions.
Classic (non-unified) RAM is extremely cheap compared to other components, so it doesn’t seem right to put 16 GB in a new PC that should have good potential for the future. Package 2 x 16 GB Patriot Memory Viper Venom DDR5 5600CL36 will make the owner of this PC forget about the lack of RAM, and the frequency-to-latency ratio is optimal for AMD processors (don’t chase high frequencies on the AM5 platform).
Drive Patriot Memory P300 M.2 P300P1TBM28 is only slightly pricier than the 1TB SATA model, but it has a noticeably higher speed. Ergonomics will be a bonus, as you won’t have to connect both SATA cables for power and data. It is much more convenient to put an M.2 SSD in the board.
Everything is clear with the video card — AMD Radeon 760M will cost 0 hryvnia, as well as the cooler because with the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G box radiator you can still cool it. Yes, it won’t be quiet, especially in games, but it’s worth a try. If you don’t like the temperature-to-noise ratio, then you can buy a bigger cooler, but not right away. Let’s give the AMD Wraith Spire boxed cooler a chance!
Body 2E TMX03 400W already has a built-in 400W power supply, which will save a lot of money. Again, enthusiasts may whine that the thickness of the case metal is less than that of a subsonic Thunderbolt A-10 attack aircraft, and the PSU cables are not braided with «snake skin», and the unit itself has an efficiency of less than 99.99%.
But is it worth the money? Considering the functional USB front panel, good looks and built-in fan, it is. In the future, if the user wants to upgrade with a discrete graphics card, the PSU can be replaced, depending on what kind of dGPU the owner decides to install.
For less than 20,000 hryvnias, you can buy such an ultra-budget PC for gaming and everything else. At the same time, it will be based on the current AM5 platform with high-speed DDR5 RAM and will delight its owner with low-power consumption in office work 50-60 watts, and in games the figure rarely exceeds 100-120 watts.
This is a kind of alternative (with a many times stronger processor) to the hackneyed sets in the style: «i3-12100F+RX6600+16GDDR5+SATA480G», and even more reliable than used, hot, suspicious, unpromising components from the secondary market.
| Computer «Optimal» | Price, UAH | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-14600KF | 10500 |
| Motherboard | Asus TUF GAMING B760-PLUS WIFI | 8700 |
| RAM | 32 GB Patriot Memory Viper Venom 6200CL40 | 4500 |
| Drive | 1 TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 | 3600 |
| Video card | 12 GB Sapphire Radeon RX 7700 XT PULSE | 20000 |
| Cooler | 150 W be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black | 1800 |
| Power supply | 700 W Zalman TX II v2 | 2500 |
| Body | Midi Tower 2E GAMING HEXAGON | 2000 |
| The entire PC | 53600 | |
| Power consumption in games | 300-400 W | |
A worthy alternative AMD Ryzen 7 7700X in this price range is the more affordable Intel Core i5-14600KF. Both options have compromises: Ryzen 7 offers faster cores, but the Core i5 is faster in multicore tests, AMD consumes less power but is difficult to cool, and with Intel the cooling system is much quieter at lower temperatures.
We chose Intel Core i5-14600KFbecause it is somewhat cheaper and also allows users to choose between DDR4 and DDR5. In this example, we have considered a platform with newer RAM, but DDR4 is still relevant, and it is quite normal to build a PC with such RAM, especially in large volumes. For example, when you need 64-128 GB of RAM for highly specialized work tasks.
While the cost of Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF is high, Intel Core i5-14600KF looks like the best choice. You can’t put the cheapest motherboard to such a processor, so we took a solid mid-range in the form of Asus TUF GAMING B760-PLUS WIFI. We can say that this is an exemplary representative of its price range without obvious technical shortcomings: strong power supply, wireless interfaces, support for fast RAM up to 7200 MHz, three M.2 connectors, and a whole carload of USB 3.2.
The memory is similar to the one in the previous 8600G build, but with slightly different frequency and latency proportions. For Intel, it works well with 32 GB Patriot Memory Viper Venom 6200CL40which will provide high throughput with adequate latency. And the main thing is that we still invest in an adequate amount for a set of two 16 GB strips.
For a mid-range PC, we choose the same mid-range drive Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 MZ-V7S1T0BW. Although this «disk» (an old habit of calling them that, although they are no longer disks) does not have very nice numbers in the table of characteristics, it promises high-speed stability when filling, which cannot be provided by cheap models of the «top for your money» class from popular Chinese online sites.
A balanced, quiet, and efficient graphics card for Quad HD (and sometimes Ultra HD) monitors at a reasonable price. Despite the deterioration of the dollar Sapphire Radeon RX 7700 XT PULSE has dropped quite a bit in price in one year. If you consider the GPU as a priority for gaming, then this is a great option, although for working in Blender, the RTX 4060 Ti with 16 GB of VRAM will still be better.
Sapphire Radeon RX 7700 XT PULSE review: a contender for the title of AMD’s quietest graphics card in 2023
Cooling the Intel Core i5-14600KF is not too difficult, so you won’t have any problems with the choice. An exemplary cooler is be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black, although it is not cheap for its 150 W TDP. Owners of this brand’s products are unlikely to switch to something of a lower class — they get used to the comfort and silence too quickly. It’s a great cooler, although there are more affordable options from lesser-known manufacturers.
Power supply Zalman TX II v2 700 W will easily cope with this configuration and will operate at only 50% of its power in games (this is the highest efficiency) In games, you can focus on power consumption of 250-350 watts, sometimes up to 400 watts.
The case, as always, is up to your taste and discretion, because what is ideal for one is complete garbage and disgusting for another. For example, we added 2E GAMING HEXAGON with excellent ventilation, good ergonomics, excellent capacity, and a full set of bundled fans. For the money, it’s a great option, and it’s relatively cute.
For 53,600 hryvnias, or $1,300, you can buy a balanced and productive PC that will give any laptop a run for its money. If your budget allows, you can simply add a stronger graphics card (RX 7800 XT, RX 7900 GRE, RX 7900 XT, RX 7900 XTX, or Nvidia equivalents) or a larger drive at your discretion. After all, the basis in the form of Intel Core i5-14600KF + B760 mid-range board will be relevant for a long time.
| Computer «Progressive» | Price, UAH | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 9700X | 16000 |
| Motherboard | MSI X670E GAMING PLUS WIFI | 9800 |
| RAM | 64 GB GOODRAM IRDM 5600CL30 | 6300 |
| Drive | 2 TB WD Black SN770 WDS200T3X0E | 5500 |
| Video card | 16 GB Gigabyte RTX 4070 Ti SUPER WINDFORCE OC | 40000 |
| Liquid cooling | 300 W Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360 Mirror | 2000 |
| Power supply | 700 W MSI MAG A750BN PCIE5 | 4000 |
| Body | Midi Tower PCCooler Master IE200 | 3300 |
| The entire PC | 86900 | |
| Power consumption in games | 350-400 W | |
Although Intel Core i7-14700K offers higher performance for one hryvnia, AMD also has good solutions for work and beyond. The chosen processor is better suited for video games, and it is only slightly inferior to Intel’s competitors in performance. And it’s better to forget about AMD AM5 X3D processors until the prices calm down — they are now inadequate overpriced.
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review: the world’s No. 1 gaming processor
At a time when a video card takes up to 50% of the budget, it makes no sense to save much on the motherboard, but you would rather not overpay for an enthusiast solution either. Optimal MSI X670E GAMING PLUS WIFI with a top-of-the-line chipset can do it all, literally. The model offers 17-phase power, Wi-Fi 6E, multiple drive slots (including PCI-E 5.0), and everything a demanding user could want.
There aren’t many alternative X670E boards for the money, so it’s still a high price, but still an adequate price for similar features. It’s also worth taking a look at the more affordable B650 motherboards, which are much more numerous and have a lot to choose from.
RAM GOODRAM IRDM DDR5 2x32Gb IR-5600D564L30/64GDC will definitely not be a bottleneck in this build. Not so long ago, we didn’t know what to do with 16 GB, and now 32 GB is already becoming the new standard. Of course, 64 GB is definitely too much for a gamer, so you can take half the amount if your PC is exclusively for virtual entertainment. We chose the 5600 MT/s frequency (6000 MT/s is also possible) and CL30 latency for a reason, because AMD AM5 processors behave best with these proportions. Higher frequencies are not necessary for this platform.
We take any high-end PCI-E 4.0 drive, without fanaticism with PCI-E 5.0 flagships (we leave them for enthusiasts). Looks good WD Black SN770 WDS200T3X0E 2 TB — a proven brand, reliable controller, long life and stable speed throughout the entire volume.
Video card Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER WINDFORCE OC is only slightly inferior to RTX 4080 models, although it has the same amount of video memory. It is an excellent solution for working with 3D graphics, local neural networks, and video games, including ray tracing. An alternative from AMD is the RX 7900 XT, although it has its drawbacks, so we can say that it’s an alternative for amateurs. It’s only an option for gaming, and Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER WINDFORCE OC is as versatile as possible.
Low-cost liquid cooling system Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360 Mirror for 2000 hryvnias has almost no analogues. For this money, it’s hard to find a high-quality tower, let alone a 360 mm system, and from a well-known brand. It is definitely the best solution on the market in this price range.
The power supply must be of the new standard with an Nvidia PCI-E 16 pin cable. Not bad MSI MAG A750BN PCIE5 750W can be purchased for UAH 3500-4000. Yes, we would have liked a modular PSU, but that’s an additional luxury for enthusiasts. So we went with the classic model with soldered cables The total consumption of the entire PC during video games will be in the range of 350-400 watts, and in e-sports disciplines 200-250 watts.
Finish the assembly with the housing PCCooler Master IE200 – a large chassis with good ergonomics and a nice look. Considering the liquid cooling system, which is optimally installed on the top panel for blowing, the temperatures inside such a chassis will be more than acceptable. There are also many great smaller (shorter) models on the market, but many of them only accept 240mm CO on the top panel, so keep that in mind when choosing a «watercooler» for your CPU.
For just over 2000 USD, or UAH 86,900 you can build a high-performance PC with 64 GB of DDR5 RAM, a great graphics card, and a fast CPU on the latest platform. If your budget allows, you can change the GPU to RTX 4080 or 4080 Super. Such a system will be enough for many years to come so that you don’t have the slightest performance issues in games or work. Then you can upgrade because the AM5 platform will be supported for a long time.