Putting together a new gaming PC build often means taking a lot of things into consideration. Right now, it seems like AMD is the go-to for many, and there’s not much better than the vastly popular Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor for gamers right now. Well, Micro Center is currently running a few different bundles featuring this AMD CPU, offering excellent value for money and a cheap way to upgrade to AM5 for the first time.
As is often the case with these Micro Center PC hardware bundles, it’s only available to pick up in-store. This is not a problem if you’re local to one of them, and if you are, we’d always recommend this retailer for cheap PC hardware. Furthermore, Micro Center offers some exclusives such as the recently-launched 7600X3D.
What does the 7800X3D Micro Center bundle offer?
This 3-in-1 Micro Center bundle comes in two different variants. One with 32GB of RAM, and one with 48GB of RAM for just $10 extra. If you fancy the extra RAM for productivity reasons, we say: why not go for it? You can find both bundles on the retailer’s website directly (prices are correct at the time of writing):
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, ASUS B650-E TUF Gaming, G.Skill Flare X5 Series 32GB DDR5 6000 Kit – $599.99
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, ASUS B650-E TUF Gaming, G.Skill Flare X5 Series 48GB DDR5 5200 Kit – $609.99
You may notice that the 48GB version offers slower DDR5 5200Mhz RAM compared to the 32GB’s 6000Mhz. However, the ASUS B650-E TUF motherboard is only rated to support up to DDR5-5200 memory types outside of overclocking. This seems to be a strange blunder on Micro Center’s part, but it only makes the extra $10 spend for the 48GB more appealing in our eyes. Overall, the loss in speed isn’t the biggest deal in the world and the build should still deliver excellent performance.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Starting off with the centerpiece of the bundle deal, AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which we reviewed with a score of 4.5/5. This gaming-focused CPU has proven to be a fantastic choice for anyone who wants to benefit from the stacked 3D V-Cache design, allowing for a massive total of 96MB L3 Cache. That’s the main selling point of this chip over the non-X3D models and helps boost its gaming performance.
Aside from that, the 7800X3D offers 8 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock speed of 5GHz. This means it’s also suitable enough for productivity workflows, though the main focus remains gaming workloads. Do note that this CPU does not come with a stock cooler, so you’ll need to purchase an aftermarket option. Luckily, there are plenty of excellent CPU coolers for the 7800X3D to choose from.
Motherboard: ASUS B650-E TUF Gaming WiFi
Moving on to the (AM5) motherboard now, this bundle features an ASUS B650-E, which is one of the more common boards for your average consumer. It’s a good value choice and suitable enough for the majority of users outside of high-end enthusiasts.
Regardless, there is support for hardware overclocking via AMD Extended Profiles for Overclocking (EXPO) and the board offers 8 (60 A) + 2 (60 A) power stages with “enlarged VRM heatsinks” for sufficient support and stability if you do choose to overclock. Other features include PCIe 5.0 compatibility for M.2 SSD storage, with USB Type-C support among its connection types. And as the name would suggest, there is built-in support for Wi-Fi (6E), as well as 2.5Gb Ethernet.
RAM: G.Skill Flare X5 Series DDR5
Finally, the third component of this 3-in-1 bundle is the RAM. As we’ve explained, it comes in two different configurations – you can get either a 48GB DDR5 5200 Kit or 32GB DDR5 6000 Kit, with the latter costing just $10 extra for the bundle. It’s a pretty modest set of RAM without any fancy RGB or LED lighting. Despite that, both versions of this bundle come with fast DDR5 speeds and plenty of memory for productivity tasks as well as gaming.
A great AM5 bundle if you’re interested in the Ryzen 7 7800X3D
We’ve seen several fantastic Micro Center builds lately and this is yet another. For excellent gaming performance, there isn’t much better currently on the market than the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and it deserves to be among the best CPUs for gaming. As such, it’s the highlight of this bundle if you’re looking to put together an AM5 build. It gives you a headstart for your next gaming PC and saves you a decent chunk of cash while you’re at it.
Likewise, if you’re looking to upgrade from AM4 (or older) or are making the switch from Intel, check out either this or another, cheaper AM5 PC build bundle we covered recently. Finally, while you could go for a prebuilt if you don’t want the hassle, we’d still recommend checking out Micro Center’s recent 4-in-1 AMD bundle if you want to save some cash.
