The Best Gaming PC for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and Final Fantasy XVI

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is one of the most powerful and productive 8-core processors of recent years, which replaced the popular 8-core Ryzen 7 3700X(Matisse family) among gamers. It is built on the Zen 3 microarchitecture (Vermeer core, 7 nm) and is compatible with most motherboards equipped with the AMD AM4 processor socket. Like most mid-range and high-end Ryzen processors, the Ryzen 7 5700X supports SMT technology and is capable of simultaneously processing up to 16 data streams.

Thanks to the improved architecture of functional units, it demonstrates impressive single-core performance. AMD talks about a 19% increase in power compared to the Matisse generation. If we talk about multi-core performance, then in many media outlets the Ryzen 7 5700X is often compared with a more expensive and powerful Ryzen 7 5800X processor. The hero of this review operates at a frequency of 3.4 GHz, which is 400 MHz lower than the 5800X, but with turbo boost, both processors are almost equal: the peak frequency of the 5700X is 4.6 GHz, which is only 100 MHz lower than that of its older brother. Both carry 32 MB of L3 cache on board, have a free multiplier and are friendly with the PCI-E 4.0 bus.

As a result, the Ryzen 7 5700X looks like a slightly delayed gift to fans of the AMD brand, who at the end of the AM4 platform received a powerful and inexpensive 8-core gaming processor with low heat generation and high performance. And not only for games. Fortunately, the computing capabilities of the device are ideal for resource-intensive tasks related to video processing and rendering, working with animation and special effects, as well as in many other areas.

Despite the powerful counterattack of the Radeon 7000 series graphics card (with active fire support from the FSR 3), NVIDIA remains the undisputed leader in the graphics card market. For example, the GeForce RTX 4060, hated by many gamers, has become almost 2 times cheaper since its release, moved to the category of "people's" graphics cards and now regularly tops the sales lists.

There is nothing surprising here - the model feels great in 1080p resolution and is quite suitable for 1440p games if its owner is ready to spend a little time and play with the settings. Unlike Radeon video cards, it does not faint when ray tracing is turned on. Well, of course, let's not forget about DLSS 3.0, which at this stage of its development looks like pure magic, allowing you to significantly speed up the adapter due to artificial image scaling and frame generation. The only downside is that there is only 8 GB of memory on board, and over time this limitation will become more and more obvious.

The Palit Dual version is one of the available modifications of this video accelerator. The board has standard (even compact) dimensions, takes up two slots in the system unit and uses a fairly quiet and at the same time effective cooling system with two fans. In addition to its dimensions, the model is distinguished by modest power consumption of about 115 W and the ability to upgrade the protective casing. Thanks to the special design of the casing, the owner of the video card can print an overlay with any author's print he likes on a 3D printer and attach it to the casing.

Since AMD started promoting the AM5 platform with new Ryzen 7000/8000/9000 processors and DDR5 memory, prices for old components have been slowly but surely creeping down. As a result, you can catch advanced components on sale for almost the price of office trifles. A great example of this is the MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK motherboard, which a couple of years ago was more of a premium class (by AM4 platform standards), and now costs a little over $ 100.

For this money, a potential buyer gets an advanced motherboard from the "combat" MAG TOMAHAWK subseries with a high-quality component base, reliable cooling of all key elements, a productive 13-phase power converter, support for DDR4 memory with a maximum clock frequency of 4866 MHz and the ability to install two high-speed NVMe SSD drives (note: one with support for the PCI-E 4.0 interface, the second - PCI-E 3.0). It also looks stylish, is equipped with neat backlighting and just begs to be placed in a beautiful aquarium case with panoramic windows.

In addition, the board has advanced tools for overclocking components and monitoring the system, is compatible with the MSI Mystic Light Sync backlight system, supports BIOS Flashback and is equipped with a hybrid network card with a main LAN port at 2.5 Gbps. The advanced Realtek ALC1200 audio subsystem is responsible for sound output. In general, this is a story from the category "take it while you can", we don't even know what else to add.

The PX series from the Polish brand GOODRAM includes affordable 2.5-inch drives that combine high quality control, moderately high data exchange rates, and good memory controllers by budget standards. The PX600 model was one of the main hits of last year, which was often recommended for use in gaming PCs and consoles. The PX700 drive, released in December 2023, successfully develops the ideas of its predecessor: the controller is more solid, linear speeds are faster, IOPS is higher, and heating is weaker.

As a brain, GOODRAM PX700 uses a four-channel bufferless controller from Maxiotek with support for the PCI-E 4.0 bus, which, as is traditional for inexpensive SSDs of 2023, lacks a full-fledged DRAM buffer, but can work with modern QLX memory and supports Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, which uses the existing system memory instead of dedicated DRAM memory. Thus, the manufacturer saves significantly without much loss of quality and performance.

And thanks to a built-in thermal protection mechanism and a graphene gasket with high thermal conductivity, the PX700's controller doesn't suffer from overheating during particularly intensive tasks. This means the drive can reach read speeds of up to 7,400 MB/s without suffering from sudden drops in performance, has a 5-year warranty, and costs much less than flagship SSDs from Samsung, Corsair, and WD. It seems we've finally reached a point where SSD manufacturers have gotten rid of all the teething troubles, producing quality drives at any price point.

Prices for RAM have been pleasing lately - overclocker DDR4 kits are more affordable than ever, DDR5 modules are gradually becoming more common, and the price difference between DDR4-2600, DDR-3200 and DDR-3600 has almost disappeared. With all this in mind, we continue to recommend dual-channel DDR4-3600 kits for entry-level and mid-range gaming PC builds. In this case, the popular Viper Steel kit with two 8GB modules per bar.

Patriot Memory Viper Steel is an overclocker's RAM that features impressive overclocking capabilities, an affordable price, and massive metal heatsinks. The modules are made using high-quality memory chips, which provides excellent opportunities for manual overclocking or choosing a ready-made XMP profile with preset parameters. The manufacturer encourages overclocking, so each module is equipped with reliable chips and durable metal heatsinks for improved heat dissipation.

This kit has an optimal ratio between price and performance. As tests show, increasing the clock frequency from 2400 to 3600 MHz has a positive effect on the performance of many games, often providing an FPS increase in the range of 6 to 15%. Considering the minimal difference in price between the 2400 and 3600 modules, it would be strange to refuse this. The only downside of this kit is the height of the radiators. 44 mm is quite high, take this into account if you plan to install a high CPU cooler.

Cougar Airface RGB is a stylish, neat and quite roomy Midi Tower case from Cougar, which 100% corresponds to all design concepts of the so-called Airflow chassis, when most of the case panels are equipped with large perforations, and large fans are placed in the front and back, which will provide additional airflow for the processor, video card and motherboard. At the same time, for fans of backlighting on the side, there is still a transparent viewing window made of tempered glass.

The case is compatible with large E-ATX motherboards and provides the ability to vertically install especially large and hot video cards. In terms of air cooling, there are 5 places for fans inside, with 3 pre-installed by the manufacturer. Naturally, liquid cooling systems are supported, but the radiator length should not exceed 280 mm. To protect against dust, the case is equipped with filters located in the front, top and bottom.

Probably, experienced users who need regular access to the insides of the PC may be dissatisfied with the not very convenient fastening system or insufficient modularity, but ordinary users and gamers will be 100% satisfied. The case is well ventilated and looks good, it is quite spacious and convenient even if you plan to use a massive video card (limited to 33 cm) and a high tower cooler. The kit includes 3 fans (2 in the front, one in the back), 2 more can be installed independently. The metal here is by no means tank armor, but not foil either. Well, the backlight is quite nice, and even with support for all popular ARGB systems.

EON is a completely new line of budget power supplies, which Taiwanese manufacturer Chieftec launched in late 2023. In terms of price and technical specifications, it is very similar to the popular models from the Chieftec Value series: in particular, it uses a similar hardware platform with a basic input filter, APFC module, group voltage stabilization and basic tools for protection against overvoltage, excess current, short circuit, etc. The passport characteristics are also very similar: ATX form factor, 80+ certificate, efficiency around 85%, but the cables are not detachable.

Compared to its predecessors, the main changes affected the design and layout of the power connectors. The black power supply with a neat grille and the Eon logo looks solid, reminiscent of more expensive power supplies. It can be freely installed in a case with a viewing window and backlighting, without worrying that the ugly thing will spoil the look. In addition to the design, a couple of ATX12V connectors were added. But there is no support for ATX 3.0 here, the manufacturer's logic is that no one will connect a conditional GeForce RTX 4080 to it, so it will do.

To sum it up, Chieftec has come up with a rather interesting and modern update of a slightly outdated series in accordance with all the standards of case-building of recent years. And it can be a great option for budget gamers who do not see the point in overpaying for Japanese capacitors, a gold quality certificate and higher efficiency of Chieftec Polaris and Core power supplies. The only thing is that it is better to select the system power supply with a small reserve, since with a constant load of 100%, the Eon transformer heats up, and the fan begins to make noticeable noise. And if you do not load it above 50-60%, the fan will work completely silently.

More than a year ago, the Chinese brand Deepcool announced a rather interesting line of AK CPU coolers with a modern design, support for new AM5/LGA 1700 CPU platforms, and optional screens for displaying system information. And while everyone was admiring the flagship Deepcool AK620 model with two fans and a 260 W thermal package, the simpler and more affordable AK400 model became the sales leader.

The cooler is based on a classic aluminum radiator with compacted fins and four copper heat pipes that directly contact the processor, transferring heat directly to the radiator fins. The kit includes a 120 mm fan with a high-quality hydrodynamic bearing. Naturally, the rotation speeds are regulated using PWM - the minimum rotation speed is 500 rpm, while at peak load the fan can accelerate to 1850 rpm.

Regarding efficiency, the manufacturer initially promised a TDP of around 220 W, but, frankly speaking, for a cooler with one fan and four heat pipes, this was an overly optimistic figure. Subsequently, the TDP was removed from the specifications altogether, so as not to confuse potential buyers. According to our measurements, its maximum is 170 - 180 W, so its best friend will be a mid-power processor, the heat dissipation of which during auto overclocking does not exceed 150 W. In this case, the AK400 will not work at the limit of its power, periodically howling from the problems that have befallen it.