AMD's New Radeon RX 7800 XT: A Sub $1500 1440p Build Guide!

MicroCenterOfficial · September 2023

Written by Sean Mekinda

AMD's newest GPUs launched just last week and they are very exciting for budget-minded 1440p builders! We've got some early benchmarks in our launch article (we'll have more in-depth breakdowns and benchmarks coming soon!), and the results don't lie: the RX 7800 XT pulled over 100 FPS in both Cyberpunk 2077 and Horizon: Zero Dawn at 1440p! And starting at only $499.99, the 7800 XT is a dream come true for everyone who wants to experience the next level in visual fidelity without destroying their budget. To support that dream, we put together a parts list that will get you gaming for under $1,500 making use of some Micro Center bundle deals. Let's get to it.

Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Raphael AM5 4.5GHz 8-Core Boxed Processor

The centerpiece of our CPU/Motherboard/RAM bundle, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is part of AMD's latest lineup of processors and is a stellar uppper-mid-range processor. The new AM5 processors support DDR5 RAM, PCIe 5.0, and WiFi 6E, so no matter what your doing, whether its browsing the internet or getting ready to crush the competition, you're going to have a fast, snappy PC!

Cooler: DeepCool LT520 Premium 240mm Water Cooling Kit

We talked about the DeepCool LT520's bigger sibling not that long ago, and pretty much everything we can say about that applies to the LT520, just in a slightly smaller package. The LT520 is a powerful, two-fan AIO that looks as good as it performs - which is to say absolutely stunningly.

Motherboard: MSI B650-P PRO WiFi AMD AM5 ATX Motherboard

Another piece of our bundle, the MSI B650-P is a great motherboard and the perfect compliment to the Ryzen 7 7700X CPU. The B650-P has the DDR5 and WiFi 6E support needed to really make the most of your new processor. It also has plenty of ports - seven USB-A and one USB-C - to ensure that you won't have to choose between keeping your keyboard or your mouse connected!

Ram: G.Skill Flare X5 Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-6000 PC5-48000 CL36 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit

The las piece of our bundle, G.Skill is know for solid, reliable RAM and their DDR5 offerings continue that trend. 32GB of high-speed DDR5 RAM is plenty for just about anything you might want to do, from relaxing and streaming some TV to creating your own TV in video-editing software. If you still need a bit more, you've got two empty slots to double your RAM all the way up to 64GB!

GPU: ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT Challenger Overclocked Dual Fan 16GB GDDR6 PCIe 4.0 Graphics Card

Released just last week, the Radeon RX 7800 XT is a great way to get into 1440p gaming. It features all of the bells and whistles of the latest lineup of AMD GPUs like FSR support and an industry-leading chiplet-based design. Our testing saw it hit 100+ frames in several AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077, but it even held its own at 4k, with Horizon: Zero Dawn clocking in at 81 FPS. Now is the time to see what high-resolution gaming is all about!

SSD: Inland Performance Plus 2TB 3D TLC NAND PCIe Gen 4 x4 NVMe M.2 Internal SSD

We cannot stress that, if you're building a PC in 2023, you really should be using an SSD at minimum, but preferably an M.2 SSD. M.2 SSDs like the 2TB Inland Performance Plus offer crazy fast speeds and increased stability over traditional HDDs. They've also come way down in price in recent years, making them an absolute staple of modern PC building.

Power Supply: Corsair RMx Series RM850x 850 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Fully Modular Power Supply

A PC with this level of power behind it deserves a fully modular power supply. You don't want to ruin your vibe with a bunch of miscellaneous cables just hanging out of your case, do you? The Corsair RMx series delivers on both great reliability and a fully modular setup so you only have to use what you need to use.

Case: Fractal Design North Tempered Glass ATX Mid-Tower Computer Case - White/Oak

Speaking of cases, the North from Fractal Design continues to reign supreme as the king of great-looking minimalist cases. With gorgeous wood featured prominently on the front, this is a case that can blend in seamlessly with any room of the house. Play games on the big screen in your living room without guests wondering about your rainbow glowing box (though we do love a rainbow glowing box here)!