UK build advice needed: cooler + airflow case + PSU for 9850X3D / RX 9070 XT, budget £200–250
Posted by MasterpieceMaster114@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 13 comments
Hi all,
I’m in the UK, and I’ve already bought these parts for my new build:
- GPU: PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper 16GB
- CPU: Ryzen 7 9850X3D
- Motherboard: MSI B850 Tomahawk Max
- RAM: Acer Predator Hermes RGB DDR5 48GB (24GBx2) 6000 CL28
I already have storage, so I don’t need help with that:
- 2TB Gen 4 NVMe
- 2TB HDD
- 256GB SSD for Windows
What I still need:
- CPU cooler
- Case with included fans and good airflow/thermals
- PSU
My remaining budget for those 3 parts is around £200–£ 250 in total.
Main priorities:
- Good thermals and airflow
- Reliable PSU
- Good value
- Ideally, no need to buy extra fans
- Good compatibility with this setup
I’m open to either air cooling or AIO, whichever makes more sense for this budget.
What would you recommend in the UK right now for the best balance of cooling, quality, and price?
Thanks.
DBA92@reddit
Got a sealed RM1000e 2025 model on eBay for under £100 right now. Bought from ccl last year but cancelled the project.
MasterpieceMaster114@reddit (OP)
I have 3 days to complete the build, or I will lose my patience
DBA92@reddit
It was an example. I have pretty much everything for sale. If you’re in a rush just get it all through Amazon.
MasterpieceMaster114@reddit (OP)
That is for the power supply only
xmkgenzo@reddit
I have Lian Li Lancool 207 + NZXT C850 Gold Core + Thermalright Phantom Spirit. should fit in your budget. case has a particular setup, so make sure it works for you. PSU is solid, I picked it for performance/noise profile. PS120 is amazing. stock fans are good. I replaced all the fans (case + CPU) with silent wing 4 because I wanted something super quite and no RGB.
MasterpieceMaster114@reddit (OP)
I appreciate your low-profile approach. Could you tell me the cost involved?
xmkgenzo@reddit
I think the case was \~$80, the PSU \~$110 and the cooler $30-40. plus tax. so that should fit in your budget.
plenty of options for the PSU (cheaper, better, much better).
you can monitor r/buildapcsales / for case and PSU offers. sometimes there are great deals (at least for the US market)
aragorn18@reddit
I'll just say, it's completely unnecessary to have a physically separate SSD just for Windows.
MasterpieceMaster114@reddit (OP)
That was ages ago, I'm still using my 10+years storage
aragorn18@reddit
You might notice a performance benefit from moving from a 10+ year old SSD to a modern NVMe drive for Windows.
gamblodar@reddit
This would be my suggestion.
PCPartPicker Part List
do-not-trust-my@reddit
That’s a monster of a core build. The 9850X3D is efficient, but you definitely want a cooler that can handle those 3D V-Cache thermal spikes.
Since you're in the UK, you can actually maximize that £250 budget without breaking a sweat:
Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO (~£42). It’s currently the king of air cooling, often beating AIOs twice its price. It’ll handle the 9850X3D perfectly and won't have the pump-failure risk of a cheap AIO.
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX (~£65-£70). It comes with 4x 140mm high-airflow fans pre-installed (3 are ARGB). It has massive clearance for that RX 9070 XT Reaper and some of the best thermal benchmarks in this price bracket.
PSU: Corsair RM850e (2023/2024) ATX 3.0 (~£100-£110). You want a high-quality Tier A unit for this setup. The 9070 XT Reaper is a powerful card, and having a native 12VHPWR cable (ATX 3.0) keeps your cable management clean and your power delivery stable.
Total: ~£210 - £225. > This leaves you about £25 under budget which you can put toward a nice thermal paste like MX-6, though the Thermalright cooler comes with decent stuff anyway. Good luck with the build!
Hmmm71-8@reddit
someething like this will do nicely. [PCPartPicker Part List](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/mRP4Cw)
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU Cooler** | [Thermalright Frozen Prism ARGB 70.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/7Phv6h/thermalright-frozen-prism-argb-704-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-frozen-prism-360-black-argb) | £63.60 @ Amazon UK
**Case** | [Montech XR ATX Mid Tower Case](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/fc88TW/montech-xr-atx-mid-tower-case-xr-b) | £49.99 @ Amazon UK
**Power Supply** | [Montech CENTURY II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/sqbypg/montech-century-ii-850-w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-century-ii-850w) | £85.47 @ Scan
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **£199.06**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2026-04-17 23:39 BST+0100 |