Ultimate PC Part Selection Guide – Reactor Gaming Edition

Building a PC is like tailoring a custom suit—it must fit the user’s unique style, needs, and performance expectations. Every part matters, and no single component works in isolation. Below, we’ll go part by part, asking questions your customer should consider, and providing expert-level guidance to help them choose the best options for their setup.

1. CPU (Central Processing Unit)

     What will you use your PC for?

  • Gaming only?

  • Gaming + Streaming?

  • Gaming + Streaming + Editing?

  • Productivity/Engineering/AI workloads?

Recommendation Strategy:

  • Gaming only: Modern games mostly rely on strong single-threaded performance ideally 6-8 cores and high clock speeds, especially at 1080p and 1440p. You want a CPU that hits 5GHz+ if possible. We recommend the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X or AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D/9800X3D

  • Gaming + Streaming: Look for higher core/thread count, ideally 8+ cores, because OBS or similar programs will eat up CPU threads. We recommend the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D or AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

  • Gaming + Creative Work (video editing, 3D rendering, etc.): You want 12+ cores and lots of cache. Also consider CPUs with built-in iGPUs for troubleshooting. We recommend the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D or Intel Core i9-14900K

AMD vs Intel

  • AMD Ryzen 7000/8000 series (e.g., Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Ryzen 9 9950X): Best for raw gaming, Best value in terms of performance-per-watt, and 3D V-Cache models offer massive FPS gains in gaming.

  • Intel 14th Gen (e.g., i5-14600K, i7-14700K, i9-14900K): Strong per-core boost speeds.

Best Picks (based on use case)

Use Case Best CPU
Competitive Gaming (1080p/144Hz+) Ryzen 7 7800X3D or i5-14600K
Gaming + Streaming Ryzen 9 9900X3D or i7-14700K
Pro Creators & Engineers Ryzen 9 9950X or i9-14900K
Budget Builds Ryzen 5 7600 or i5-12400F

2. GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

   What games are you playing, and at what resolution?

  • 1080p, 1440p, or 4K?

  • Do you want ray tracing?

  • Do you care about frame generation and DLSS/FSR?

Deep Dive:

  • The GPU is the single most important component for gaming performance.

  • For 1440p+ or 144Hz gaming, you want at least 12GB of VRAM to future-proof.

  • NVIDIA GPUs excel at ray tracing and have DLSS 3.5 (Frame Gen) which is huge for newer titles.

  • AMD GPUs offer better raw rasterization performance per dollar.

Best Picks (based on gaming resolution)

Resolution Best GPU (Value) Best GPU (Top-Tier)
1080p RTX 5060 / RX 9060XT RTX 5060Ti / RX 9060XT
1440p RTX 5070 / RX 9070 RTX 5070Ti / RTX 5080 / RX 9070XT
4K RTX 5080 / RX 9070XT RTX 5090

Note: For streamers, NVIDIA GPUs (RTX) are preferred due to the NVENC encoder for stream quality.

3. RAM (Memory)

    How much multitasking or heavy gaming do you plan to do?

  • Are you editing videos?

  • Playing newer AAA games with large texture sizes?

  • Want to keep your browser, Discord, OBS, and game open?

Guidance:

  • Minimum for gaming: 16GB.

  • Recommended today: 32GB (especially DDR5).

  • Workstations or streaming setups: 64GB if budget allows.

DDR4 vs DDR5:

  • DDR5 is faster and more efficient, but only supported on newer platforms.

  • DDR4 however is more stable and faster response time, larger amounts such as 64GB and 128GB have less compatibility issues and has a lower CL number which is how fast the RAM responds to a request.

  • For AMD Ryzen 7000+ and Intel 13th/14th Gen, always go DDR5 if your budget allows.

Best Specs:

  • 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-6000 for Ryzen.

  • DDR4-3200 for older Intel/Ryzen builds.

4. PSU (Power Supply Unit)

    How much wattage do you need, and how important is safety and future-proofing?

Guidelines:

  • Always buy 80+ Gold or better for efficiency and longevity.

  • Consider Cybenetics ratings, this is much more indepth and data is available over 80+.

  • Ensure the PSU has headroom (not just exact wattage). If your system will use 700w do not get a 750w PSU, consider an 850w or 1000w PSU.

  • Modular units improve cable management.

Wattage Recommendations:

GPU PSU Wattage
RTX 5060 / RX 9060XT 550W–600W
RTX 5070Ti / RX 9070XT 650W–850W
RTX 5080 / RX 7900XTX 1000W
RTX 5090 1000W–1200W+

Bonus Tip: Look for brands like Seasonic, Thermaltake (GF, AF), EVGA (SuperNova), Super Flower.

5. CPU Cooler (Air or AIO?)

    Do you want silent cooling, RGB, or peak performance?

  • Are you overclocking?

  • Want a minimalist or flashy build?

  • Prefer reliability or performance?

Choices:

  • Air Coolers (e.g., Noctua NH-D15, ID-Cooling FROZN A410): Great for quiet, no-maintenance cooling.

  • AIO Liquid Coolers (e.g., Lian Li Galahad II, NZXT Kraken, Arctic Liquid Freezer): Sleeker aesthetic, often with RGB, better for small cases or overclocked CPUs.

Cooler Recommendations:

CPU Best Cooling Option
i5/Ryzen 5 High-end air or 240mm AIO
i7/Ryzen 7 240mm+ AIO or dual-tower air
i9/Ryzen 9 360mm AIO or high-performance air

Pro Tip: Use Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut or Hydronaut paste for better thermal conductivity—Reactor Gaming’s standard.

6. Motherboard (The Backbone)

    What features do you need?

  • Wi-Fi 6/6E?

  • Bluetooth?

  • PCIe Gen5 support?

  • USB-C or Thunderbolt?

  • Overclocking support?

Important Considerations:

  • Chipset determines features and upgrade paths.

  • More VRM phases = better power delivery.

  • Look for BIOS Flashback, Q-Flash, etc., for ease of troubleshooting.

Recommended Chipsets:

  • Intel 14th Gen: Z790 (high-end), B760 (mid-range).

  • AMD Ryzen 7000+: X870/E, B850/E, X670/E, B650/E

Form Factor:

Size Use
ATX Most common, best airflow and features
Micro-ATX Budget builds or space-saving
Mini-ITX Compact, premium cases only

Best Brands: ASUS (TUF, ROG), MSI (Tomahawk, ACE), Gigabyte (AORUS), ASRock (Steel Legend).

7. Storage

  How many games/apps do you run, and how fast do you want them to load?

Deep Storage Strategy:

  • Boot Drive (Primary): Always an NVMe M.2 SSD, minimum 1TB.

  • Game Drive (Secondary): Optional 2TB NVMe SSD or SATA SSD.

  • Bulk Storage: Use HDD only if you need to store massive media files (video projects, backups).

Best Picks:

Type Drive
Boot 1TB NVMe SSD (e.g., WD Black SN850X, Samsung 990 Pro)
Game Storage 2TB Gen3 SSD (e.g., Inland TN470)
Archive 4TB HDD (e.g., Seagate Barracuda)

Speed Tip: Gen4 is ideal for load times, especially in open-world games and Windows boot.

8. Windows 11: Home or Pro?

    Are you using this PC in a business environment? Do you need BitLocker, remote desktop, or group policies?

Comparison:

Feature Windows Home Windows Pro
BitLocker Encryption ❌ ✅
Group Policy Editor ❌ ✅
Remote Desktop Host ❌ ✅
Virtualization Tools (Hyper-V) ❌ ✅
Cost ✅ Cheaper ❌ More expensive

Recommendation:

  • Most gamers are fine with Windows 11 Home.

  • Content creators, power users, or small business users may benefit from Windows 11 Pro, especially if dealing with sensitive data or multiple PCs.

Final Build Examples:

  Balanced Gaming (1440p Ultra Settings)

  • CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D

  • GPU: RTX 5070Ti or RX 9070XT

  • RAM: 32GB DDR5-6000

  • PSU: 850W 80+ Gold

  • Cooler: ID-Cooling FROZN A410 or 240mm AIO

  • Motherboard: B650 or X670

  • Storage: 2TB NVMe SSD

  • OS: Windows 11 Home

Streamer/Editor Hybrid Build

  • CPU: Ryzen 9 9900X3D or i7-14700K

  • GPU: RTX 5080

  • RAM: 64GB DDR5-6000

  • PSU: 1000W 80+ Gold

  • Cooler: 360mm AIO

  • Motherboard: X670E / Z790 ATX

  • Storage: 2TB NVMe SSD

  • OS: Windows 11 Pro

Budget Build for 1080p eSports

  • CPU: Ryzen 5 7600X

  • GPU: RX 9060XT or RTX 5060

  • RAM: 16GB DDR5-5600

  • PSU: 600W Bronze

  • Cooler: Stock or budget air cooler

  • Motherboard: B650 mATX

  • Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD

  • OS: Windows 11 Home

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