It happens to every PC gamer at some point. Your long-running, much-loved rig just isn't cutting it any more in the latest games, and so it's time to put together an upgrade bundle to bump up those frame rates.
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Quick links
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700X |
- Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WiFi |
- TeamGroup T-Create 32 GB DDR5-6000 |
- Cooler Master 240 Core II |
Total = $544
- Micro Center 7700X + Asus TUF B850 bundle |
- RAM + cooler = $157
Total = $607
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
Mention AM5 to most PC gamers, and [[link]] they'll think (and perhaps dream) of the . While we'd all love the best gaming CPU in our beloved rigs, it's a pretty expensive processor. Coming in at nearly half the price is AMD's , and it's the obvious choice for anyone looking to put together an AM5 upgrade bundle that doesn't cost a fortune.
It's got everything you need from a CPU that's great in games and content creation tasks: 5.4 GHz boost clock, eight cores with support for 16 threads, and a healthy amount of fast L3 cache.
The only negative about AMD's first generation of AM5 chips is that they can run pretty hot, but it's honestly not a problem. Just fit a decent cooler and don't worry about the temperatures you see. I've been using a 7 7700X in one of my gaming PCs for a good while now, and you'd be surprised at just how capable it is.
And at this price, it's the obvious one to get.
Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WiFi
Okay, so this is an older model of motherboard compared to the one that's in the Micro Center bundle, but the TUF Gaming B650-Plus was a fine AM5 motherboard when , and it's still fine now.
The main advantage of going with a last-gen model is just how much money you can save. Weighing in at $239 at launch, it was perhaps a bit too expensive for its time, but at $160, it's an absolute steal. You get lots of connectivity and storage options, and as long as you're using the latest BIOS for it, the motherboard will support any Ryzen processor.
It's not perfect, of course, but its main weakness is the fact that it only supports Wi-Fi 6, not 6E, which isn't ideal if you live in a building that interferes with wireless signals. I'd just hook it up to the router via Ethernet and get around that issue entirely.
TeamGroup T-Create Expert 32 GB DDR5-6000 CL30
The Ryzen 7 7700X, like all of AMD's CPUs, likes fast, low-latency RAM. When AM5 processors first appeared, that meant paying a lot of money, but this TeamGroup kit is the perfect blend of clock speed, latencies, and price. I still find it remarkable that $87 gets you a 32 GB set of DDR5-6000 CL30.
Sure, you're not getting a set with fancy heatsinks or RGB LEDs everywhere, but I reckon these will blend in with the Asus motherboard's rugged looks very nicely. The best bit, though, is that you can just jam these into the DIMM slots, enable EXPO in the BIOS, and you'll have your Ryzen CPU fed with fast, snappy RAM.
Cooler Master 240 Core II
You might actually not need a new CPU cooler to go with your upgrade kit, but if your gaming PC is a few years older than AMD's AM5 platform, it's unlikely that your current cooler will have the necessary mounting kit. As mentioned earlier, the Ryzen 7 7700X does tend to run quite hot, but you don't need a massive AIO to keep it under control—I use a 240 mm one on mine, so you can use one, too.
We've of this Cooler Master...err...cooler and like it so much we reckon it's the that you can buy at the moment. The 240 mm one will be just as good, if not quite as performant.
Putting it all together (CPU, motherboard, RAM, and cooler), my bundle will cost you three cents shy of $544. Add the above RAM kit and AIO to the Micro Center deal, and it'll be the same margin under $607. You could spend the $60 difference on some better hardware, but you'll be better off putting it to one side to help with your next upgrade—a !
Shame there are no super nice bundles for those...
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1. Best CPU:
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