Just last week I was touting the Thermaltake LCGS NE as the same great option it has been for months at a discounted price of $1,400, given the state of the current market. Well, clearly Thermaltake heard me because it now costs $1,550 at Newegg. That’s still reasonable for (unfortunate) mid-2026 prices, but now it’s up against stiffer competition such as this RTX 5070 ABS Cyclone Aqua for $1,600 at Newegg.
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The main decision will come down to whether you want a better and more efficient CPU with 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, or a previous-gen CPU with a full 32 GB of DDR4 RAM. But it’s not quite as simple as this, because that DDR5 is in a single-channel configuration, too.
Quick links
Thermaltake LCGS NE – Core Ultra 250K Plus | 16 GB DDR5-6000 – $1,550 @ Newegg
ABS Cyclone Aqua – Core i7 14700F | 32 GB DDR4-3200 – $1,600 @ Newegg
The deals
Prices are slowly climbing for RTX 5070 rigs, but this one is still hanging there around the mid-$1,500 range, and not only that but it comes with a great current-gen CPU. The only real caveat here is that the RAM looks to be single-channel, so you’ll probably want to upgrade that to a full 32 GB kit… err, just as soon as the memory crisis dies down, that is.
Key specs: Core Ultra 250K Plus | RTX 5070 | 16 GB DDR5-6000 | 1 TB SSDView Deal
Here we have another RTX 5070 build for not too far north of $1,600. Here, though, we’re getting a powerful (previous-gen) CPU with eight Performance-cores alongside 32 GB of RAM, and from our fave line of budget gaming PCs right now. That is DDR4 RAM, though, so future RAM upgrades will require a complete platform change.
Key specs: Core i7 14700F | RTX 5070 | 32 GB DDR4-3200 | 1 TB SSDView Deal
The first thing to say is that both of these PCs should perform roughly the same in most games, provided you’re keeping background app use low. 16 GB of RAM is still mostly fine just for gaming, and in fact the Thermaltake with the 250K Plus will likely net slightly higher frame rates in more CPU-intensive games.
If you’re just getting the PC for straight-up gaming then that might be a good shout, especially because you’ll probably not want or need to upgrade your CPU for a long time. And if and when you do want to upgrade that RAM to an (expensive) 32 GB DDR5 kit, you’ll not have to upgrade your platform to do so.
However, after a bit of flip-flopping I think I’ve settled on thinking that, for my money, I’d probably opt for the ABS Cyclone Aqua. That’s not only because we’ve had a decent experience with that line-up, but because the build gives a lot more wriggle room for more activities right now. Using DDR4 rather than DDR5 memory will probably mean a hit to frame rates but it won’t be massive, and whether you’re multi-tasking or doing productivity tasks, the extra 32 GB of wriggle room will be a relief.
An ABS Cyclone Aqua gaming PC we tested (not the config on sale right now).Future
An ABS Cyclone Aqua gaming PC we tested (not the config on sale right now).Future
An ABS Cyclone Aqua gaming PC we tested (not the config on sale right now).Future
An ABS Cyclone Aqua gaming PC we tested (not the config on sale right now).Future
An ABS Cyclone Aqua gaming PC we tested (not the config on sale right now).Future
Plus—and here’s the crucial bit—with RAM prices being what they are right now thanks to the global memory shortage, you might not want to upgrade for the next couple of years anyway. So when it comes around to upgrading, it might be worth upgrading your entire platform anyway… in which case, you might as well have opted for the one with DDR4.
It’s a toughie, though, and I don’t think there’s a ‘correct’ choice. Importantly, both are respectable prices for a mid-range gaming PC in the current market.
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