8 Gaming PC Parts That Impressed Me in 2023

I’m in the business of building gaming PCs, and while 2023 wasn’t the most exciting year for gaming PC parts, there were certainly some standout products that caught my attention. These components either excelled in value at their price or provided the best premium experience in their categories. Some of these gaming PC parts were launched years prior but continue to impress me to date. Let’s look at why they deserve your attention – and money.

FYI: want to maximize value? Take a look at the Best Value Gaming PC Build Guide.

1. All-Rounder CPU – Ryzen 5 7600

Price: $194

Buying a new CPU in this era has become pricier compared to both AMD’s AM4 CPUs and Intel’s 12th Gen processors (not counting 14th Gen as a new generation). The 13th Gen Core and Ryzen 7000 series have many powerful chips, but the Ryzen 5 7600 is the best value CPU you can buy.

The 6-core, 12-thread, non-X variant of the previously-launched Ryzen 5 7600X has a lot going for it. You’re getting virtually identical performance as the 7600X for around $35 less. Despite a 5.1GHz boost clock, the 7600 has a TDP of only 65W, allowing you to cool it with a budget air cooler. It doesn’t come with a bundled cooler, but check out my cooler recommendation later in this list.

The Ryzen 5 7600 is one of the best AMD CPUs if you’re planning a long-lasting AM5 build. It’s perfect for any gaming-only build and even provides decent productivity performance, becoming one of my favorite gaming PC parts in 2023.

Tip: frequently facing 100% CPU usage in Windows? Here’s how to fix it.

2. Best CPU Cooler – Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE

Price: $35

The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is pretty famous around these parts. Launched in early 2022, this fantastic air cooler is almost two years old, but still beats many newer coolers hands down. Don’t go by its low price – it’s perfectly capable of cooling high-end chips with 200W+ power consumption.

Compatible with both AM5 and LGA 1700 sockets, the PA 120 SE features a dual-tower aluminum heatsink and six copper heat pipes to provide brilliant yet silent cooling for virtually any processor. It’s downright baffling how a $35 air cooler can go toe to toe with many premium and PC liquid cooling options.

Choosing a CPU cooler is based on more than just performance and acoustics. You need to consider size and aesthetics, too. The PA 120 SE is a fairly big cooler but comes in black, white, and ARGB variants to suit every style.

3. Best High-End GPU – AMD RX 7900 XTX

Price: ~$1,000

Let’s be clear: if you can’t live without ray tracing and want the best possible experience in those select titles, this card isn’t for you. But the AMD RX 7900 XTX is, by far, the obvious pick for the best graphics card for high-end 4K gaming. As the flagship GPU of AMD’s RX 7000 series, it’s a seriously powerful chip.

Its closest competitor, Nvidia’s RTX 4080, costs at least $100 more, and the RTX 4070 Ti costs almost $900, while being almost 30% slower. Despite Nvidia’s superior ray tracing and upscaling tech, the RX 7900 XTX stands alone in its performance class, due to the sheer value you’re getting. Compared to the RTX 4080, it’s faster in non-RT scenarios and only around 5% to 7% slower with RT.

AMD’s FSR still lags behind Nvidia’s DLSS, so enabling upscaling will give you better FPS on the RTX 4080 by around 10%. Despite some shortcomings, the RX 7900 XTX impressed me due to its top-tier rasterized and competitive ray tracing performance. It’s one of the best gaming PC parts you can invest in.

Tip: Graphics card not working? Here are the causes and fixes.

4. Best Aesthetic Motherboard – NZXT N7 B650E

Price: $320

You don’t spend over $200 on a gaming motherboard for performance or features. You do it if you want the best aesthetics in addition to all the gaming features you need. The NZXT N7 B650E is one of the best AMD motherboards leading to a cost that is significantly more than that of competing boards.

The N7 B650E is based on the B650E chipset for the Ryzen 7000 processors. The highlight here is the striking white inserts adorning the entire motherboard. But the motherboard is not all looks. You also get a 16+2+1 VRM design, PCIe 5.0 slots for your GPU and M.2 storage, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2.

You can often find this board for around $280, at which point it becomes very competitive with similar motherboards from other manufacturers. Value or not, the NZXT N7 B650E is undoubtedly one of the best-looking gaming PC parts you can buy.

FYI: curious about VRM for overclocking? Learn what VRM is and how it affects CPU performance.

5. Best Premium RAM – Corsair Dominator Titanium RGB

Price: $220

You can easily buy the best RAM for gaming for around $100, getting a 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MT/s CL30 kit for your AMD or Intel gaming PC. But the Corsair Dominator Titanium RGB justifies its high-end price with high-end performance and one of the most breathtaking designs.

This 7200MT/s CL34 kit gives you 32GB of blazing-fast performance in a premium RGB-infused aluminum design that’s even better than Corsair’s Vengeance RGB and Dominator Platinum RGB series. It also has replaceable top bars that you can buy from Corsair, but you can also 3D-print your own. Plus, you can buy the kit in white and grey variants.

The RGB lighting is customizable using Corsair iCUE software. If you’re building an enthusiast gaming PC and want the best-looking high-performance RAM, then the Corsair Dominator Titanium is, hands down, the best choice.

FYI: confused about which type of RAM to buy? Find out which RAM is better for you: DDR4 or DDR5.

6. Best High-Capacity SSD – Adata XPG Gammix S70 Blade 4TB

Price: $300

You’ll find great 1TB and 2TB options in our list of the best SSDs for gaming, but if you want a high-capacity drive, the Adata XPG Gammix S70 Blade 4TB is one of the best options. Often selling for $250, this Gen4 SSD with DRAM delivers read/write speeds of 7400/6800MB/s.

You can find 4TB options from Samsung and WD for around the same price, but the S70 Blade 4TB sees deeper price cuts than its competitors. If you snag it on a deal, it’ll be the best value high-capacity NVMe SSD you can buy, especially since you’re getting top-of-the-line Gen4 features.

You aren’t getting a heatsink at this price, but the high endurance rating, hardware encryption, and dynamic SLC caching more than make up for it. It’s also optimized for the PS5, thanks to its high speed, great thermals, and slim form factor.

Good to know: buying a new SSD? Find out the difference between DRAM and DRAM-less SSD.

7. Best ATX 3.0 PSU – MSI MPG A850G

Price: $135

Buying 850W power supplies with an 80+ Gold rating and a fully modular design is fairly easy below $100. But for a small premium, you can get the MSI MPG A850G to get the latest ATX 3.0 design, PCIe 5.0 rating, and 100% Japanese capacitors in addition to everything above.

What you get with ATX 3.0 standard is a native 12VHPWR connector so that you don’t need to use an adapter cable for your RTX 4000 graphics card. The PCIe 5.0 rating ensures that the PSU can handle twice the total power excursion. Besides the latest specs, you also get premium construction, top-notch internals, and a fairly competitive price.

While buying a cheap power supply is one of the top PC building mistakes you can make, buying a previous-gen PSU, if your budget allows for a newer unit, is also not recommended.

Good to know: ATX is a specification that refers to motherboard sizes.

8. Best Value Case – Phanteks NV5

Price: $110

While I frequently recommend pricier cases from NZXT or Lian Li, the new Phanteks NV5 case is, by far, the best value case I’ve seen in a long time. Priced at just over $100, it’s a premium white case with a seamless glass design, high airflow, and integrated RGB lighting.

You can easily accommodate a 360mm radiator at the top, three intake fans on the side, and a GPU intake fan at the bottom, next to the RGB-lit PSU shroud. With a GPU support bracket and ample cable management features, the NV5 is built with attention to detail.

The Phanteks NV5 allows for three 3.5″ HDDs and four 2.5″ SSDs to be mounted behind the motherboard. The software-free RGB control is simple to use and can be synced with the motherboard for use with your favorite RGB software.

The best gaming PC parts need not be the costliest or top-of-the-line in terms of features and performance. They need to deliver on one or more aspects better than, perhaps, any other part in their category. If you’re looking to maximize value even further, you can look at the best places to buy used PC parts, combining new and used components in your build.

Tip: hunting for the best prices? Check out these six useful PC price comparison websites.

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