Premium AMD gaming PC guide: Best parts for a high-end AMD build

Finding the best parts for a gaming PC build is not an easy task, especially now as we find ourselves amidst a global chip shortage. That being said, there are ways to navigate around this crisis and find parts for a PC build. If not, you can always use our PC build guides to configure a custom prebuilt computer from one of many third-party vendors who seem to have unrestricted access to stocks of CPUs and graphics cards. We’ve already put together a mainstream PC build using an AMD chip that’s worth checking out if you have a budget of around $1,000. In this guide, we’re going to take a look at some of the best PC parts you can buy for a high-end AMD gaming pc build in 2022.

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Best CPU for high-end AMD gaming PC build: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

While the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a perfectly viable option for a high-end gaming PC build in 2022, we think the Ryzen 9 5900X unlocks significantly more performance for a high-end build. This is one of the best CPUs to buy if you’re looking for uncontested gaming performance with more headroom for things like game streaming, content creation, and more. The Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread CPU rated for a 3.7 GHz base and 4.8 GHz boost speeds. However, it can easily break the 5GHz barrier with overclocking too when paired with the right components. We think it’s a solid option to consider for this particular build and it’ll pair nicely with the other parts for a no-compromise computing experience.

Best GPU for high-end AMD gaming PC build: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

We wanted to pick the best graphics card from ‘Team Red’ for this build which is why we’re recommending the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. While the RX Radeon 6900 XT is the more powerful GPU in the AMD product stack, it offers less than 10% more performance for a significantly higher price. Besides that, the 6800 XT is perfectly capable of handling almost all modern titles even at 4K resolution. The new RDNA2 architecture provides excellent performance. The 6800 XT may not be strong when it comes to ray-tracing but it easily beats the RTX 3080 in rasterization games. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is also our pick for the top AMD graphics cards right now, with the Radeon RX 6800 taking a comfortable second spot.

Best CPU cooler for high-end AMD gaming PC build: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R RGB

Since the Ryzen 9 5900X isn’t bundled with a CPU cooler, you’ll have to buy one for your build to make sure it works. There are lots of great CPU coolers on the market, so you should have no issues picking the right one for this build. We’ve decided to pair the Ryzen 9 5900X with the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R for this build. This cooler, as the name suggests, comes with a 360mm radiator and has three RGB fans too. Think of it as a slightly affordable version of the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360 Illusion cooler that we’ve currently added as our pick for the best AIO liquid cooler on the market.

Best motherboard for high-end AMD gaming PC build: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero

The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero is one of the best X570 chipset-based motherboards out there. It works well our CPU of choice and offers a bunch of noteworthy features that make it a great mainboard. It sports a robust VRM that can handle the 5900X without any issues. It also has a fantastic build quality with support for up to 128GB DDR4 memory, three PCIe x16 slots, a bunch of ports, wireless connectivity, and more. You can also step up to something more expensive like the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Extreme motherboard too, but we think the Crosshair VIII Hero is just as good. Alternatively, you can also check out our collection of the best motherboards to find more options.

Best DDR4 memory kit: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB

G.Skill has a bunch of highly reliable DDR4 memory kits on the market that we’ve recommended in a lot of our PC buying guides. For this particular PC build, we’re using yet another G.Skill memory kit – the G.Skill Trident Z Neo. Based on the specifications and our use case, we’ve decided to add a 32GB DDR4 kit. You can also start with a 16GB kit and upgrade at a later time if it’s exceeding your budget at the moment. The G.Skill Trident Z Neo comes with an advertised memory frequency of DDR4-3600 and 16-16-16-36 timings. It also sports a sophisticated heat-spreader with a dual-tone finish and RGB lights.

Best storage drive for high-end AMD gaming PC build: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD

We may not have added the Samsung 980 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD to our collection of the best M.2 SSDs, but it’s definitely one of the top picks on the market. It trades blows with both the Western Digital Black SN850 and the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus for the top spot. The Samsung 980 Pro takes advantage of the PCIe 4.0 interface to deliver impressive read and write speeds of 7,000MB/s and over 5000MB/s, respectively. We’ve added the 1TB version of the 980 Pro, but you can also choose to go with a 500GB module and add a SATA SSD or an HDD to save some money on the build.

Best power supply unit for high-end AMD gaming PC build: Cooler Master V750 Gold V2 PSU

While the estimated wattage for this particular build isn’t going to exceed 600W, we still recommend picking up the Cooler Master V750 Gold V2 PSU. This unit, as the name suggests, supplies 750W of power for the build, which we think should be plenty if you end up ending adding more powerful components in the future. The Cooler Master V750 Gold V2 PSU is a fully modular unit with an 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating. It’s more reliable and performs better than a lot of other options on the market, so be sure to check it out.

Best PC case for the build: Corsair 4000D Airflow mid-tower case

The Corsair 4000D Airflow has been a top recommendation in a lot of our buying guides, and rightly so. This particular mid-tower case has plenty of room inside the chassis for even the most demanding builds. As an airflow-centric case, the Corsair 4000D Airflow is a solid pick for a high-end build involving a lot of powerful components. This particular case comes with three pre-installed case fans, which is great. That, in addition to the fans that come with our CPU cooler, should be enough to maintain an optimum airflow inside the chassis. Alternatively, you can also pick up the RGB version of this case that comes with RGB fans. That case, however, has tempered glass on the front instead of a mesh panel, so keep that in mind.

Premium AMD gaming PC guide: Price Summary

Here’s a quick look at the price summary of the build based on the parts we’ve picked. It goes without saying the prices are subject to change based on the availability of stocks, so be sure to hit the purchase link below each individual item to check its latest price.

Note: We’ve added the Radeon RX 6800 XT for this build with a listed price of $649, but you’ll mostly have to pay a significantly higher price for it right now given the current GPU market. Please note that this price summary is just to give an idea of how much a configuration like this would ideally cost you if you were to source all the parts at retail prices or get a pre-built computer with similar specifications. The prices of the individual components are subject to change based on stocks and other external factors, though. Notably, the final price doesn’t include other peripherals that you’d need to complete your setup including the monitor, keyboards, gaming mouse, and more, so keep that in mind while planning to purchase these parts.

Premium AMD gaming PC guide: Final Thoughts

Well, that wraps up this high-end AMD gaming PC build guide. As you can see, a relatively high-end build with a Ryzen 9 5900X and a Radeon RX 6800 XT is going to cost you upwards of $2,000. If you’re looking to keep it under $2,000, then we recommend stepping down to a good-quality 240mm AIO cooler instead of the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R. A decent quality 240mm AIO should be enough as long as you don’t push the 5900X beyond its stock settings. Alternatively, you can also buy a 500GB SSD instead of a 1TB stick or even opt for a 600W or a 650W PSU instead of the 750W unit we added here.

Looking to buy a laptop to avoid chasing these expensive PC parts? Check out our collection of the best gaming laptops. We also have a solid collection of budget gaming laptops if you’re looking to shop for cheaper options. As always, be sure to stop by our XDA Computing Forums to discuss your builds or even get more product recommendations from the experts in our community. Good luck!

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Karthik covers PC hardware for XDA Computing. When not at work, you will find him yelling at his monitors while playing video games.