For the price, this is as high-end of a rig as I’ve seen in quite a while. Sure, it’s a little bit of a glass cannon as it’s only rocking 16 GB of RAM and a mid-range CPU, but that 9070 XT is definitely high-end, making this build great for gaming. You’ll have to keep your library relatively light, and your background apps closed, but you’ll then be able to churn through frames.
Key specs: Ryzen 5 9600X | RX 9070 XT | 16 GB DDR5-6000 | 1 TB SSDView Deal
I get a little twinge of glee whenever I see a gaming PC like this one for $1,500 at Newegg go on sale: ‘yes, yes… a glass cannon.’ It’s not entirely a glass cannon, of course, because the Ryzen 5 chip here is far from the worst. But equally, it’s far from a productivity powerhouse, especially when paired with just 16 GB of RAM.
So what is this rig good for? Well, gaming, of course—provided you don’t mind keeping that background system usage low while you do so. That’s because the RX 9070 XT is plenty powerful and most games are plenty GPU-bound.
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In other words, if you’re looking to get some high-end gaming performance for a cheap cost and are happy accepting some caveats—namely, a middling CPU, not enough RAM for lots of multitasking or productivity work, and only 1 TB of storage—this one’s for you.
Judging from the pictures, the build at least seems to be sporting dual-channel RAM. I’ve noticed some PC builders have started to sneak in single-channel RAM to cut costs, which isn’t the worst thing in the world when it comes to gaming frame rates, but can definitely throttle things a little in productivity terms. Not here, though, thankfully, as I spy two distinct sticks sitting in that motherboard.
Frame rate (fps)
Black Myth Wukong (1440p High)Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra)F1 24 (1440p Ultra High)Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic)Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1440p Ultra)The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra)Total War: Warhammer 3 (1440p Ultra)
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 5070
68
60
RTX 5070 Ti
84
74
RTX 5080
95
83
RX 9070
73
64
RX 9070 XT
82
73
0255075100
Black Myth Wukong (1440p High) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5070
68 Avg FPS, 60 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070 Ti
84 Avg FPS, 74 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
95 Avg FPS, 83 1% Low FPS
RX 9070
73 Avg FPS, 64 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT
82 Avg FPS, 73 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 5070
45
36
RTX 5070 Ti
61
48
RTX 5080
71
57
RX 9070
43
36
RX 9070 XT
52
43
020406080
Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5070
45 Avg FPS, 36 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070 Ti
61 Avg FPS, 48 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
71 Avg FPS, 57 1% Low FPS
RX 9070
43 Avg FPS, 36 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT
52 Avg FPS, 43 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 5070
78
60
RTX 5070 Ti
108
84
RTX 5080
124
82
RX 9070
90
67
RX 9070 XT
105
66
037.575112.5150
F1 24 (1440p Ultra High) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5070
78 Avg FPS, 60 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070 Ti
108 Avg FPS, 84 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
124 Avg FPS, 82 1% Low FPS
RX 9070
90 Avg FPS, 67 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT
105 Avg FPS, 66 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 5070
112
64
RTX 5070 Ti
119
59
RTX 5080
126
61
RX 9070
104
62
RX 9070 XT
111
62
037.575112.5150
Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5070
112 Avg FPS, 64 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070 Ti
119 Avg FPS, 59 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
126 Avg FPS, 61 1% Low FPS
RX 9070
104 Avg FPS, 62 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT
111 Avg FPS, 62 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 5070
100
68
RTX 5070 Ti
129
89
RTX 5080
151
96
RX 9070
107
74
RX 9070 XT
120
54
050100150200
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1440p Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5070
100 Avg FPS, 68 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070 Ti
129 Avg FPS, 89 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
151 Avg FPS, 96 1% Low FPS
RX 9070
107 Avg FPS, 74 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT
120 Avg FPS, 54 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 5070
64
42
RTX 5070 Ti
81
35
RTX 5080
95
59
RX 9070
74
53
RX 9070 XT
84
44
0255075100
The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5070
64 Avg FPS, 42 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070 Ti
81 Avg FPS, 35 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
95 Avg FPS, 59 1% Low FPS
RX 9070
74 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT
84 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
RTX 5070
81
53
RTX 5070 Ti
90
44
RTX 5080
102
53
RX 9070
96
43
RX 9070 XT
102
49
037.575112.5150
Total War: Warhammer 3 (1440p Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5070
81 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070 Ti
90 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080
102 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS
RX 9070
96 Avg FPS, 43 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT
102 Avg FPS, 49 1% Low FPS
Another benefit to this rig that you might overlook is it’s running a decent platform. That AM5 socket should mean you’ll easily be able upgrade to a fast AM5 chip down the line, though you’ll probably want a new cooler for that. And you shouldn’t have any problems upgrading to a 32 GB DDR5 kit, either, once the global memory shortage eventually (eventually…) settles down.
You’re even getting a pretty nice fish tank chassis, to boot. Though I wouldn’t cross my fingers for the absolute coolest temps given just two intakes and one exhaust fan.
Hey, I did say it was a bit of a glass cannon, did I not? If something a little more well-rounded is up your alley and you don’t mind spending a bit extra, iBuyPower has what I reckon could end up being the best high-end rig throughout this Prime Day for just $1,749 at Walmart right now. And if you want to go even cheaper, Thermaltake has you covered for just $1,400 at Newegg, though you will be losing some gaming performance there with the RTX 5070.
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