Computer Systems

Given you’re coming from an RTX 3080 and have a healthy budget, here’s what I’d actually recommend to you.

If you want a real upgrade that you’ll feel immediately, go with the MSI Raider A18 HX. It’s powerful, properly cooled, and won’t hold the 5080 back. This is the safest “no regrets” pick.

If you want to be a bit smarter with your money while still getting top-tier performance, I’d point you to the MSI Vector 16 HX AI. This is honestly what I’d pick for myself great performance, much better value, and still a clear step up from your old machine.

If you care more about a big, premium experience (larger screen, design), then the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 makes sense, but you’re paying extra for that feel.

I wouldn’t personally recommend going cheaper unless you really need to options like the Hasee T8 Pro save money, but you’re trading off build quality and cooling, which matters a lot at this level.


 

If you want my direct pick for you, go with the MSI Vector 16 HX AI unless you specifically want an 18-inch powerhouse.


 

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Nah, no preference. 

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This is great. Thank you!

I don't think there is much of a market for pre-built's that have ECC. are you comfortable building a PC?

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Yes, I am comfortable building. That is no problem.

Perfect.

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For your professional photography work, I recommend buying a laptop with a high-accuracy OLED or Liquid Retina XDR display and at least 32GB of RAM to ensure your Photoshop and Lightroom workflows are smooth even for large files. Within your budget, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3/M5 Pro) is excellent for industry-standard color fidelity, while the ASUS Vivobook Pro 16X OLED provides a larger 16-inch 4K screen and a dedicated NVIDIA GPU that significantly speeds up AI-based editing features. Being an Editor myself I would highly recommend these two options.

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I like that asus. I think I’m sold. 

I think a laptop would be best if you can recommend something that is powerful enough to run stuff like Photoshop and Lightroom.

then my recommendation would be a

M4 Macbook air

Well you were using a older MBA so why not get a new one also the older M3 and M2 models are good but i assumed thay you wanted a brand new one. as for why MBA well thin lasts long and has the oomf to when you wanna do more compute intensive stuff

 

Also the referals are borked rn so i had to submit using a reply

The only issue I see is the 1TB SSD. with games like that you're going to run out of space real fast. I'd recommend either adding a second SSD or swapping out that one for a larger one.

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Hey!, I see no mistakes in your build, no red flags, in fact it's a pretty solid build!. I just wonder how are you going to get such build for just ~$1200, maybe from a bundle? Or you may already have some parts? Is it a prebuild super deal? Because I used PCPartPicker and it says it would cost ~$1850, just the GPU would cost $850. You know, the older the GPU, the more expensive it is. 4000 series are a bit old already and their prices can be higher than newer and similar performance GPUs. For example, the RTX5070, appears $300 cheaper than the 4070 super, same VRAM, and researching I found that their performance is pretty similar, even some people recommend getting the 5070 instead, as it's newer, newer architecture and newer features. That's the only change I would make to your build, thinking about saving some money, that you could use to get 2TB of storage instead 1TB. And remember that that case comes with only one front fan, so, you may wanna get at least a 2nd one!.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wLbr2x

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Well I'd say it depends upon what you value more. The RX 7800XT beats the 4070 in raw performance at a lower price. But has weaker ray tracing. While the 4070 has slightly less Vram. If your value longevity and any VRAM intensive work (I.E. photo editing etc) then go with the 7800. If its just gaming and you want that ray tracing then go with the 4070

MB, go with the B650. Hands down.

For the RAM, check out Corsair Vengeance DDR5-600CL30

SSD, I always prefer Crucial. They have the best price to performance IMO.

PSU, If cable management is important to you then I'd got with the Corsair RM750x Its fully modular and rock solid.

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1. NVIDIA RTX 4070 Super

It is generally 5–10% faster than the 7800 XT and offers superior features for your "occasional productivity." NVIDIA’s **NVENC encoder** is the gold standard for video work, and **DLSS 3.5 (Frame Gen/Ray Reconstruction)** provides better longevity for demanding future games.


 

2. MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi

B650 boards handle the 7700X perfectly. The "E" (Extreme) variant of B650 is the "future-ready" sweet spot because it includes **PCIe 5.0** support for your next GPU or SSD upgrade.


 

3. G.Skill Flare X5** (low profile, fits under air coolers)

Ensure the kit supports **AMD EXPO** for one-click overclocking in the BIOS. Anything faster than 6000MT/s often leads to stability issues on the AM5 platform without manual tweaking.


 

4. WD Black SN850X (2TB)

I recommend starting with a single **2TB NVMe SSD**. 1TB fills up surprisingly fast with modern games and RAW photo files.


 

5. Seasonic Focus GX-750

80+ Gold, famously quiet, and come with a 10-year warranty. 750W is more than enough for this build, but you can jump to 850W if you want extra headroom for a massive GPU upgrade in 4 years.

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What monitor refresh rate and streaming/recording settings (resolution, framerate, encoder) do you plan to use, and do you intend to overclock or upgrade to a significantly higher-power GPU soon?

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I’ll mostly be gaming on a 1440p 165Hz monitor, aiming to get as close to that refresh rate as possible in newer titles. For streaming, I’d probably keep it at 1080p60 to start, using NVENC rather than CPU encoding. I don’t plan on overclocking right away, but I’d like to keep the option down the line. As for GPU upgrades, I could see myself moving up to something like a 4080 Super or equivalent in a few years, but nothing crazy beyond that.

Great!! Thanks for clearing that up.

Everything looks generally solid and compatible. Your CPU, cooler, motherboard, RAM, and case all pair well together, and the Arctic Liquid Freezer III should handle the i5-13600K even if you decide to overclock later.

Your PSU, the Corsair RM750x, should be plenty for this build with the RTX 4070 Super and leaves a bit of headroom for a future upgrade to something like a 4080-class card, though if you plan to push beyond that, you might want to consider an 850W unit for extra overhead.

For your use case this setup should perform very well. The 4070 Super is strong for 1440p, but if you’re looking for alternatives at similar price points, the RX 7800 XT or even a lightly discounted 4070 Ti could be worth considering depending on current deals.

Overall, I’d say you’re in good shape. Just double-check clearance in your O11 Dynamic Evo for the 280mm AIO and the GPU length, but it should fit fine.

Hope this helps!

The Lian Li O11 Dynamic Evo is a large case – ensure your space can accommodate it. If budget allows, you could allocate a small amount to additional case fans for better airflow.

 

Would you like help adjusting the build to stay exactly at $1500 or prioritize a specific feature like more VRAM?

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Everything here works cleanly together:

i5-13600K + Z790 → perfect pairing, no BIOS issues

DDR5 6000 → ideal sweet spot for Intel (plug-and-play XMP)

280mm AIO in O11 Dynamic Evo → supported (top/side mount)

RM750x + 4070 Super → no connector or wattage issues

2TB NVMe → no lane conflicts on Z790

13600K (boost): ~150–180W

4070 Super: ~200W

Rest: ~50–70W

Total ≈ 400–450W load

That’s great for a 750W PSU (efficiency sweet spot).

But if you want my recomendation

I’ve drafted a build for gaming (1440p) and light streaming/editing

 Optimized list

CPU: i5-13600K (unchanged)

Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280 (unchanged – excellent choice)

Motherboard (optimized):

Switch from Z790 Tomahawk → B760 Tomahawk / Gaming Plus WiFi

Saves money

Same real-world performance unless heavy overclocking

RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 CL30–36 (unchanged)

Storage (specific upgrade):

 Go WD SN850X

Much better sustained speeds for editing 

GPU: RTX 4070 Super (keep)

PSU (important change):

Upgrade to 850W ATX 3.0 

Future GPUs demand more power

13600K + high-end GPUs benefit from 850W+ 

Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic Evo (keep—but see airflow note below)

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If you're aiming for strong 1440p gaming performance without breaking the bank, here are some excellent GPU alternatives that fit your budget:

  1. EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti XC 8GB GDDR6 Graphics Card
    1. Price: $239.99
    2. Offers excellent 1440p gaming performance with ray tracing capabilities. It's a well-rounded card suitable for most modern titles.
  2. Gigabyte Radeon RX 7600 XT Gaming OC 16GB GDDR6 Graphics Card
    1. Price: $435.99
    2. Comes with 16GB of VRAM, providing better future-proofing for upcoming games. Its triple-fan cooling ensures efficient heat dissipation.
  3. XFX Speedster SWFT210 Radeon RX 7600 8GB GDDR6 Graphics Card
    1. Price: $249.99
    2. Budget-friendly option that still delivers solid 1440p performance. Ideal for gamers looking to save without compromising too much on quality.

For the best value, I think the EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti XC offers a balance of performance and price. 

I hope this helps!!

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Hey there!

Your build is well-balanced and should serve you well for 1440p gaming and light editing. Here's a detailed breakdown with some tweaks I would recommend:

Breakdown

  • CPU: Intel i5-13400F
    A solid choice for gaming and light editing. Its 10 cores (6P+4E) offer excellent multitasking capability. Paired with 32GB of RAM, it ensures smooth performance.
  • Cooler: DeepCool AK400
    Adequate for the i5-13400F. However, if you plan to overclock or desire lower temperatures, consider upgrading - see options below.
  • GPU: RX 7700 XT
    A strong contender for 1440p gaming. While it performs well, exploring alternatives like the RTX 4070 might offer better value, especially if you prioritize ray tracing.
  • Motherboard: MSI PRO B760-P WiFi
    A reliable motherboard with built-in WiFi and PCIe 4.0 support.
  • RAM: 32GB DDR5 5600MHz
    Plenty for gaming and multitasking. No upgrades needed unless you find a better deal!
  • Storage: 1TB WD Black SN850X
    Fast and reliable storage solution. Consider adding a secondary HDD for mass storage if needed.
  • PSU: Corsair RM750e Gold
    A high-quality PSU with ample headroom for future upgrades.
  • Case: NZXT H5 Flow
    Offers excellent airflow and a sleek design. Ensure it fits your GPU dimensions.

Possible Tweaks

  1. Cooler Upgrade:
    • Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB– A reliable air cooler with RGB lighting.
    • NH-D15S – Known for its quiet operation and excellent cooling performance.
  2. GPU Alternatives:
  3. Additional Storage:
    • WD Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB – Reliable and affordable storage solution.
  4. Case Considerations:
    • NZXT H5 Flow – A mid-tower case with a sleek design and good airflow.

Overall, your build is well-balanced and should serve you excellently for 1440p gaming and light editing. The suggested upgrades are optional and depend on your specific needs and preferences. Always ensure compatibility between components before purchasing.

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this is great! thank you!