Best PC Builds for Gaming, Streaming and Productivity

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I took advantage of Prime Day deals and was able to come in significantly under budget. As a matter of fact, I saved nearly $1000 for what I consider to be a High End build. These are my parts and prices:
MSI PRO Z690-A WiFi ProSeries Motherboard$184.99$249.99
SK hynix Platinum P41 2TB PCIe NVMe Gen4 M.2 2280 Internal SSD$207.99$259.99
Corsair iCUE H115i RGB Pro XT, 280mm Radiator$119.99$139.99
Thermal Grizzly - Kryonaut Extreme Thermal Compound Paste$18.30$20.49
SABRENT M.2 2280 SSD Rocket Heatsink$26.99$30.99
Intel Core i5-12600KF Desktop Processor$217.55$264.99
Corsair Vengeance 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-5600 PC5-44800 CL36$199.99$419.99
Dell S3222DGM$299.99$529.99
Corsair 5000D Airflow Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX$149.99$199.99
Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB$179.99$299.99
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX™ 3080 OC Edition 12GB GDDR6X$749.99$749.99
Tax$120.75$238.11
Total$2,476.51$3,404.50
Savings$927.99

I built it using the "Best of" recommendations from TomsHardware and Anandtech and reusing a PSU from my previous build since it is a quality Corsair RM1000i. You could easily swap out the monitor purchase for a similar RM1000x and still come out ahead.

I've also utilized priced matching and price protection from Microcenter to get an even lower purchase price on the DDR5 RAM from 219.99 to 199.99 as of yesterday.
 
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danlw said:
Wow, the $500 and $2000 PCs don't even need a power supply! Are those both using Intel's new Zero Point Energy chipset, the ZPE000?
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You notice how they fixed that ERROR right away, LOL. Also I suppose all these builds run without monitors, mouse & keyboard too, first time builders are not gonna have a monitor, keyboard & mouse just laying around for sh$ts and giggles.
 
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Nice builds. Not exactly one for me in there though. In example, a motherboard with 16x PCIe 4.0 lanes for GPU has 64GBps bandwidth there (of which half is for sending and half for receiving). And that is plenty even for the currently released top GPUs. But, if or when the next-gen GPUs take it up a notch, and one wants to upgrade specifically the GPU in that year or two, then such a motherboard would likely need to be upgraded too for full GPU performance (and with that possibly also the CPU and RAM).

Which is why I am looking only at motherboards with PCIe 5.0, including for NVMe SSD (while at it), and DDR5, to get within the next few months, as to have a sort of future-proof rig (for at least several years), so that the new GPU I will get some time later won't get bottle-necked.

And I am not saying that my approach is the only reasonable to take. Just meaning to point out that such an approach arguably has some logic to it too, where I soon may pay a bit more than needed for reasonable components, but won't fall behind with it for quite some time.
 
Please fix the RAM suggestion for the "Super High-End PC Build". There is DDR4 with reasoning about AMD CPU not supporting DDR5, but in reality, the build uses the latest Intel CPU and there should be DDR5.
 
For the high end pc, the cost could be reduced by swapping the 3080ti for an RX 6950. Also, would all that fit in the compact version of the Meshify 2? Just asking.
 
JarredWaltonGPU said:
There are frequent openings, we just hired a new person in fact. She's located in LA, and she may not know as much about tech as you or I would like. As a person who has built literally hundreds of PCs over the years, I totally get that mistakes can be made in component selections, and I get that trying to maintain every article that deals with this sort of stuff is a pain. If you can write coherently without condescending to people, maybe even bring some entertainment into play, and you can also make good component choices and have time available to write for us during the day (flexible hours, as we're basically a global website), by all means drop me a note. Because I would love to have competent people helping to take care of things and we are continually looking for new talent.

Also FWIW, I have fixed any issues (I hope) with the extreme build and updated its prices, which thankfully are almost universally lower than just a few weeks ago.
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Ya might want to fix the $1000 build! I was unaware that Intel CPU's are now made by AMD "Intel Core i5-13400F (AMD) or Intel Core i5-12400 (Intel) "
 
Psiboy69 said:
CPU SNAFU in there Since when do AMD make Intel CPU's? "Intel Core i5-13400F (AMD) or Intel Core i5-12400 (Intel) " Idjits!
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Also the Ryzen 5600 is $30 AU cheaper in Australia than the 12400f! The 5600 is also a WHOPPING $120 AU cheaper than the 1400f in Australia! Assuming this is loosely based on US prices + exhange rate and importer markups this should similiar to percentage difference in Price in the US yes? You're still looking like Intel shills here.
 
JarredWaltonGPU said:
There are frequent openings, we just hired a new person in fact. She's located in LA, and she may not know as much about tech as you or I would like. As a person who has built literally hundreds of PCs over the years, I totally get that mistakes can be made in component selections, and I get that trying to maintain every article that deals with this sort of stuff is a pain. If you can write coherently without condescending to people, maybe even bring some entertainment into play, and you can also make good component choices and have time available to write for us during the day (flexible hours, as we're basically a global website), by all means drop me a note. Because I would love to have competent people helping to take care of things and we are continually looking for new talent.

Also FWIW, I have fixed any issues (I hope) with the extreme build and updated its prices, which thankfully are almost universally lower than just a few weeks ago.
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SO Many basic stuff ups in this article. In the $1000 build manufacturers of BOTH the 3060ti and the 6700xt have been recomending 650w PSU's NOT 600w ffs! Also you should be pointing out that the 6700xt is pretty much on par with a 3070 in raster so would be the better choice of the 2 as RayTracing really isn't much chop on EITHER the 6700xt or the 3060ti. I've only been coming here for News since Thomas Pabst sold off the site. Poorly researched articles like this are simply re-inforcing that habit!
 
Tom Sunday said:
Overall it was a very poor report, presentation and tiered system recommendation. I was also surprised and disappointed in the selection of the hardware recommended throughout. They could have done much better. Amazing it slipped through! Not well thought out to say the least. But in the end we all need to remember that most 'tech-channels' are nothing but a big advertising banner and where products and reviews are highly influenced or dictated by advertising revenues and thus more income for the site owners. In contrast today in packing my lunchbox, I found that my sandwich and drink costs went up by 60% and then the ever rising gas costs at the pump. So in this respect my thoughts are not at all with any PC dreams and rather with staying ahead from the wolf on my doorstep!
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Whilst I agree the article is a poorly researched and written advertorial, now you're worried about lunch money and rising fuel costs but ya still went and bought a 4090 and a 13900k. Bra you got Mo money than Sense!🤣
 
Psiboy69 said:
SO Many basic stuff ups in this article. In the $1000 build manufacturers of BOTH the 3060ti and the 6700xt have been recomending 650w PSU's NOT 600w ffs! Also you should be pointing out that the 6700xt is pretty much on par with a 3070 in raster so would be the better choice of the 2 as RayTracing really isn't much chop on EITHER the 6700xt or the 3060ti. I've only been coming here for News since Thomas Pabst sold off the site. Poorly researched articles like this are simply re-inforcing that habit!
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This article gets updated on a regular basis, not generally by me. I'll try to go through and fix any issues today, though.
 
Has anyone tried to build the Super High End gaming PC? It seems... I dunno... physically impossible to assemble with the cables provided by Corsair for the HX1000 power supply unit? The CPU power cables are quite short and do not reach along the back of the case. They also do not reach around the (much uglier) method of going around the front of the case because the RTX 4090 is massive. What's the trick to this I am missing?

To be clear, this is the version of the article with:
Component TypeModelPrice (at Pub Time in USD)
CPUIntel Core i9-13900K$599
MotherboardAsus ROG Strix ZZ90-F$479
GPUNvidia RTX 4090$1,709 – $1,799
RAMG.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 (2 x 16GB) DDR5$199 x 2
StorageSamsung 990 Pro (2TB)$289
Secondary StorageKingston Fury Renegade (2TB)$189
CaseCorsair iCUE 5000T RGB$369
PSUCorsair HX1000$254
CoolerDeepCool LT 720 360mm$139
Total:Row 9 - Cell 1$4,425 - $4,500
 
ReallyBadDancer said:
Has anyone tried to build the Super High End gaming PC? It seems... I dunno... physically impossible to assemble with the cables provided by Corsair for the HX1000 power supply unit? The CPU power cables are quite short and do not reach along the back of the case. They also do not reach around the (much uglier) method of going around the front of the case because the RTX 4090 is massive. What's the trick to this I am missing?

To be clear, this is the version of the article with:
Component TypeModelPrice (at Pub Time in USD)
CPUIntel Core i9-13900K$599
MotherboardAsus ROG Strix ZZ90-F$479
GPUNvidia RTX 4090$1,709 – $1,799
RAMG.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 (2 x 16GB) DDR5$199 x 2
StorageSamsung 990 Pro (2TB)$289
Secondary StorageKingston Fury Renegade (2TB)$189
CaseCorsair iCUE 5000T RGB$369
PSUCorsair HX1000$254
CoolerDeepCool LT 720 360mm$139
Total:Row 9 - Cell 1$4,425 - $4,500
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Our review of the HX1000 says the EPS12V cables are 650mm long. That's seems like it should be plenty to reach from the PSU location to the top of the mobo, even with routing behind the tray. How long are the cables on your PSU? I'm wondering if Corsair changed something or if there are different models of the HX1000. The iCUE 5000T total height is 560mm, but about 150mm of that would be in the top and very bottom of the case, meaning 400mm of vertical length for the PSU cables and then you should still have 200mm for bends and routing. But I haven't personally tried to use that PSU and case, so I don't know how they'd work in practice.
 
JarredWaltonGPU said:
Our review of the HX1000 says the EPS12V cables are 650mm long. That's seems like it should be plenty to reach from the PSU location to the top of the mobo, even with routing behind the tray. How long are the cables on your PSU? I'm wondering if Corsair changed something or if there are different models of the HX1000. The iCUE 5000T total height is 560mm, but about 150mm of that would be in the top and very bottom of the case, meaning 400mm of vertical length for the PSU cables and then you should still have 200mm for bends and routing. But I haven't personally tried to use that PSU and case, so I don't know how they'd work in practice.
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I purchased your Super high end PC build for gaming to the letter.

I had no issues fitting the power supply cables from the HX1000 along the back of the iCUE 500T case into the slots in the back tray right above the PSU connectors on the motherboard. I'm not sure why this guy can't fit his cables - I had enough extra space to route my supplied power supply cables along the back edge of the case and securing them with the supplied fasteners to keep it looking neat and clean.

What I do have an issue with is your selection of the MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WIFI motherboard for this build (which is why I purchased it) along with your recommended 4 sticks of the G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 (64 MB total).

I just installed this motherboard and am reading through the manual only to find that it has the following limitations:
Max. overclocking frequency: • 1DPC 1R Max speed up to 7600+ MHz • 1DPC 2R Max speed up to 6600+ MHz • 2DPC 1R Max speed up to 6400+ MHz • 2DPC 2R Max speed up to 5600+ MHz

Why would you recommend 4 sticks of extremely fast overclock memory in a build that can't go over 5600+ MHz in 2DPC 2R?

Now I'm forced with a choice of trying to RMA the motherboard (already completely assembled in the case) and going with a better motherboard or returning two sticks of the memory so I can run the other 32GB of memory at 6600+. I'm not sure how this could have been overlooked in this build....It has been about 10 years since I used to rely upon Tom's for my PC builds but I'm finding it difficult to disbelieve the accusations I'm seeing here of these builds being designed around advertising revenue instead of your trusted and tested methodology of putting together the best builds for the money.
 
ezareth said:
I purchased your Super high end PC build for gaming to the letter.

I had no issues fitting the power supply cables from the HX1000 along the back of the iCUE 500T case into the slots in the back tray right above the PSU connectors on the motherboard. I'm not sure why this guy can't fit his cables - I had enough extra space to route my supplied power supply cables along the back edge of the case and securing them with the supplied fasteners to keep it looking neat and clean.

What I do have an issue with is your selection of the MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WIFI motherboard for this build (which is why I purchased it) along with your recommended 4 sticks of the G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 (64 MB total).

I just installed this motherboard and am reading through the manual only to find that it has the following limitations:
Max. overclocking frequency: • 1DPC 1R Max speed up to 7600+ MHz • 1DPC 2R Max speed up to 6600+ MHz • 2DPC 1R Max speed up to 6400+ MHz • 2DPC 2R Max speed up to 5600+ MHz

Why would you recommend 4 sticks of extremely fast overclock memory in a build that can't go over 5600+ MHz in 2DPC 2R?

Now I'm forced with a choice of trying to RMA the motherboard (already completely assembled in the case) and going with a better motherboard or returning two sticks of the memory so I can run the other 32GB of memory at 6600+. I'm not sure how this could have been overlooked in this build....It has been about 10 years since I used to rely upon Tom's for my PC builds but I'm finding it difficult to disbelieve the accusations I'm seeing here of these builds being designed around advertising revenue instead of your trusted and tested methodology of putting together the best builds for the money.
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They’re definitely an e-commerce play, as well as potential recommendations. I’m not the one doing most of the maintenance and updates, but I do follow the thread and have the ability to fix errors and make corrections.

The memory is probably a combination of trying to get the “best” while also getting higher capacity. If you get memory rated for DDR5-6400 and try to do four DIMMs, it may or may not work. Higher quality RAM will generally be better. What’s truly best? That depends on what you’re doing. For some, maybe 32GB is sufficient. If you’re after maximum speed, 32GB is definitely your best bet.

If you’re doing heavy video editing, or image editing, 64GB is better, but you might need to sacrifice some memory speed to get it stable. Also note that everything above 5600 MHz (or maybe 5200?) is overclocked. Basically, guaranteed.
 
Thanks for your recommendation, I have $1000 budget, i am looking for the best best PC builds within my budget , and i will save the money for windows 11, as I will buy it from keyingo.com, then i can have more budget for the hardware
 
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