First high-end PC build after optimizing a LOT of overpriced parts — final thoughts before I order?

Posted by SoftwareParticular55@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 14 comments

Hey everyone,

After reading through the comments on my previous post and doing way more research than I expected, I ended up changing a LOT of the build. (Tysm for y'all)

Honestly, I’m really glad I didn’t blindly order the original version through Alternate before checking prices and part choices more carefully.

This is my first time ever building a PC myself, so I’m trying to avoid beginner mistakes while still making something powerful and long-lasting.

I live in Germany and I’m buying the parts individually instead of using a prebuilt configurator now.

Current total: \~2536€

Main use cases:

Gaming (Valorant, WuWa, Subnautica, indie games, occasional AAA)

-Learning Blender/rendering

-Long-term daily use

-1440p high refresh later on

What I care about most:

-Stability

-Smoothness/frame consistency

-Quiet operation

-Good airflow

-Long-term reliability

-Avoiding overpriced “fake premium” parts

Current build:

CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D — 393€

GPU: PowerColor Red Devil RX 9070 XT — 829€

Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 5 — 63€

Motherboard: MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk MAX WiFi — 217€

RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO 32GB — 440€ (yes, DDR5 prices here are currently awful)

SSD: WD Black SN850X 2TB — 279€

PSU: be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 850W — 104€

Case: Fractal Design Torrent — 178€

A few notes:

-I intentionally stayed with air cooling because I value reliability and simplicity more than aesthetics.

-I originally planned a 5070 Ti / RTX 5080 build, but after comparing pricing where I live, AMD started making way more sense for my actual use case.

-I care way more about smooth gameplay and stability than ray tracing.

-I’m not trying to build an RGB showcase PC, just a really solid long-term machine.

-I also switched away from some overpriced SSD/RAM choices after realizing how much “gaming tax” some stores add.

Since this is my first ever self-build: Do you guys have any beginner advice or “watch out for this” tips?

I know the basics, but I’ve never physically assembled a PC before, so I’m especially nervous about:

-CPU installation

-cable management

-BIOS setup/update

-first boot issues

-accidentally breaking something expensive

Main thing I’m wondering: Does anything here look genuinely problematic or poorly balanced?

Especially interested in opinions about:

-Red Devil thermals/noise

-Fractal Torrent + air cooling combo

-Whether 850W is enough long term

Anything you would personally change WITHOUT massively increasing the price?

Thanks again. (really)