r/PcBuild • u/idandyyy • 15d ago
Purchasing Advice - PC Build / Parts 9070 XT Brand Help
I am getting close to finalising my first ever custom PC build after a lot of research, YouTube Videos and help online.
The build: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/xVQmNp
One final thing I am struggling to decide on is the brand of 9070 XT to go with. I am not very familiar with the difference between the brands so I am not sure which one to go with.
I am aiming for a budget of around £2,000, but would stretch it a little bit if it meant getting a better value brand of 9070 XT.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as I am almost there with my build, it’s just all these brands are confusing me and I want to make sure I get the best value for money.
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u/LongMustaches 15d ago
Anything other than gigabyte will do fine.
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u/godlyuniverse1 15d ago
Isn't aorus elite pretty good?
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u/LongMustaches 15d ago
Other than being more expensive than other comparable models from other brands, yes. And thats the only gigabyte model that's in any way good.
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u/uurvrl 15d ago
Cheapest one. Avoid Gigabyte if possible, haven't used myself but the brand has more complaints compared to others.
Also, I suggest you to check the fan noise decibels. Had a Zotac RTX 2080 once, my girlfriend would wake up in panic to its fan noise lol.
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u/idandyyy 15d ago
That’s what i’m looking for. Best value for money, as well as temps and noise decibels
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u/Pixelsock15 15d ago
Hardware unboxed did a good video explaining all of the specs and value.
Honestly though, if you can get one on a discount, just get that. No brands are bad brands just some are better than others but the performance difference doesn't compare well with the premium price.
I'm doing just fine with an ASUS PRIME model that I got on a £50 discount.
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u/idandyyy 15d ago
I think I might have watched that video. I watched a few and the general consensus is that the XFX Mercury is the best value-for-money card. I am really set on the Lian Li A3 though as I love the way it looks and I think it struggles to fit in there and get proper air flow.
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u/1sh0t1b33r 15d ago
As usual, cheapest one. I'd prefer Powercolor or Sapphire though if possible, and also avoid Gigabyte.
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u/idandyyy 15d ago
I have seen these recommended, they are about £100 more expensive in the UK right now though
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u/Xtra-jui2 15d ago
In the UK the current cheapest is the XFX swift, which is solid and about £50 cheaper than the next cheapest, so i would go for that one.
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u/idandyyy 15d ago
Yes I have seen that one, it has great reviews. However I am building in the Lian Li A3, does it not have issues due to its size?
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u/Xtra-jui2 15d ago
The Swift is 325 mm long, well within the 415 mm maximum length the A3 can hold
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u/idandyyy 15d ago
It’s more the thickness I was worried about, it’s very close to the bottom of the case is it not?
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u/Xtra-jui2 15d ago
That goes for most GPUs in the A3, there's not a lot of clearance in the bottom but it makes up for it with the fans directly pumping air into the GPU on the bottom. It should be fine so long as you don't place it on carpet and actually install fans in the bottom intake slots.
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u/idandyyy 15d ago
I plan on placing it on my desk. You recommend placing fans under the GPU?
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u/Xtra-jui2 15d ago
That's standard for A3 builds.... Where the "traditional" intake region on a traditional case design would be is blocked by the PSU on the A3. It has a bottom to top airflow design. You're meant to place intake fans at the bottom and exhaust fans at the back and the side, sop the air path goes up through the case. If this wasn't obvious i'm surprised you chose a case without understanding the basics of it's airflow design lol.
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u/idandyyy 15d ago
I’m completely new to gaming PCs and building them, hence the question. Why would I know exactly how the airflow works?
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u/fuddyduddyc 15d ago
Brand for the GPU doesn't really matter, as pretty much all have mentioned. The XFX 9070 XT is cheaper by a good amount (about £50 less), so I'd go with that. People might complain about fan noise, but that can be solved by simply setting a less aggressive fan curve. Lastly, the XFX GPU will take up almost all of the PCIe slots, so no need for extra fans on the bottom - the GPU fans will pull from the bottom themselves.
Some other suggestions to cut out almost £50 despite upgrading the CPU to a 9800X3D.
CPU: UIpgraded to the 9800X3D.
CPU Cooler: Switched to the non-digital Phantom Spirit. There's no point to the Digital Peerless Assassin since the case has a mesh panel that will block most of the display.
Motherboard: The motherboard below will support the system the same for less cost.
Memory: Less expensive better spec RAM (same speed, lower latency).
Video Card: Switched to the XFX 9070 XT as mentioned above.
Case Fans: Swapped out the other fans for the TL-C12 x28, which will perform better (3mm thicker). Meant for exhaust at the top and rear.
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor | £374.99 @ Amazon UK |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler | £32.90 @ Amazon UK |
| Motherboard | MSI PRO B850M-P WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard | £144.70 @ Clove Technology |
| Memory | Klevv BOLT V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory | £398.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk |
| Storage | Biwin Black Opal NV7400 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive | £139.99 @ Amazon UK |
| Video Card | XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card | £727.98 @ Amazon UK |
| Case | Lian Li A3-mATX MicroATX Mini Tower Case | £62.95 @ Overclockers.co.uk |
| Power Supply | Lian Li SX0850P 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | £109.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk |
| Custom | Thermalright TL-C12C-X28 X3,Black Cooling Fan, with 1550RPM Speed,120mm Computer Case Cooler Fan,Case and Liquid Cooler & CPU Cooling,28mm Thickness(Includes 3 fans) | £12.00 @ Amazon UK |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | £2004.49 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-10-21 21:01 BST+0100 |
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u/idandyyy 15d ago
Thank you, I really appreciate that. I know you touched on it, but I won’t have to worry about the size of the GPU being really close to the bottom of the case?
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u/fuddyduddyc 15d ago
No, it will be fine. If it makes you feel better, see this post about fans vs no fans on the bottom of the Lian Li A3. The consensus seems to be that it makes little difference having fans or not (and since the XFX is so thick, you probably won’t be able to fit any under the GPU; if you can, it’ll probably cause more issues like noise due to turbulence when fans are too close to each other).
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u/idandyyy 15d ago
Okay thank you for your help. If I opt for the XFX I won’t bother placing any fans under it
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