Enthusiast Grade AM5 Gaming and Streaming Rig

We all know it, AMD rolled out AM5 and it was a terrible value proposition. The chips were overpriced, DDR5 and the new motherboards were expensive and the value proposition given the total platform cost looked grim.

Thankfully, Micro Center stepped in and things were looking up! With the purchase of a Zen 4 7 or 9 series processor, you could get 32GB of DDR5 RAM for free and $50 off any compatible motherboard...bringing total platform cost right where it should be. Now, the memory kit I got for free wasn't to my liking (5600 CL36) so I purchased the listed memory and sold the promotional kit to offset the cost. As of this writing, however, you can get a B650 board with DDR5 6000 CL30 with the purchase of a 7700x for right around $500.

So, I'm excited about this new platform, and I decided to let it show with a little flair in the form of some custom SSD covers, including one with my store logo! (Thanks to JMMods)

Yes, there's endless debate about the future of these next-gen platforms, but I personally feel AMD has done a good job with this one, aside from pricing it, of course. Right now the king of value belongs to the i5 13600K, I'll not deny that, but the 7700X is an impressive chip on a forward-looking platform that doesn't require you to go back in time to be cost-competitive, not to mention we have the X3D chips lurking in the shadow for you hardcore gamers out there.

Time Spy - https://www.3dmark.com/spy/31732378 Time Spy Extreme - https://www.3dmark.com/spy/31732860