A no-frills build that gives you solid performance now and a clear upgrade path for later. The Ryzen 5 8400F on AM5 puts you on AMD's current platform, so CPU upgrades down the road are a drop-in swap rather than a full rebuild. Paired with the 5060 Ti 16GB, it's a straightforward 1080p and 1440p machine with enough vram for future software updates such as DLSS 5.

16GB of RAM is the one trade-off here, but it's a smaller one than you'd think. This video by Hardware Unboxed shows 16GB performing nearly on par with 32GB, provided your GPU has enough VRAM to pick up the slack. The 5060 Ti's 16GB of VRAM does exactly that. The kit is running at its rated DDR5-5600 CL40 via EXPO, and moving to 32GB later is as simple as swapping the sticks.

RGB is handled exclusively through SignalRGB, covering the case fans and the AIO. SignalRGB recently switched to a purchase-as-you-go model where basic effects are free. If you fancy a more complex effect, you pay once and unlock it forever. No subscriptions for RGB software.

Performance-wise, PBO is enabled for a modest bump and I've set custom fan curves before shipping. The 360mm AIO keeps the 8400F well within safe temps, so there's plenty of thermal headroom should you ever swap in a beefier chip.

The darkFlash PMT 850W sits at B-tier on the SPL PSU tier list. A quality unit with a native 12VHPWR cable included, so you're ready for current and future GPUs without any adapters. With 850W on tap, there's room to grow into a stronger CPU and GPU combo down the line.

Specs:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (6C/12T - Stock Paste)
• GPU: PNY Dual Fan OC GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
• RAM: 16GB DDR5-5600 CL40 (2x8GB Kingston FURY Beast)
• Storage: WD Black SN770 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD
• Motherboard: MSI PRO B850M-VC WIFI6E Micro ATX AM5
• PSU: darkFlash PMT 850W 80+ Gold ATX 3.1 Fully Modular
• Case: Lian Li VECTOR V100R MINI MicroATX Mid Tower
• Cooling: Cooler Master Elite 360mm AIO
• Connectivity: Built-in WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.4
• Extras: M.2 Heatsink, Okinos Sleeved Extension Cables, Additional Accessories¹

This system comes with a fresh Windows 11 Home installation (other than preinstalled apps²) and will require initial setup on first boot.

¹WiFi antennas, remaining cooler and motherboard accessories.
²Preinstalled apps include SignalRGB, NVIDIA App, SanDisk Dashboard, and Steam.