How Much Should I Spend On A PC?

[NotAbhay]

I have an extremely nice (and expensive) build that I've been perfecting for a few months now on PCPartPicker, but I recently received a reality check: Am I going to utilize all the money spent on my gaming rig? I am currently 14 years old, and setting an ambitious goal such as getting into Harvard will take a lot of work. I haven't reached the "crucial" years of high school yet, but I am already beginning to receive 3 to 4 hours of homework a night. Combined with extracurricular activities and community service, that leaves gaming to weekends only. Although my expensive build seems enticing, I don't think a few hours of gaming a week will justify the price tag. How much should I spend on a rig that I will use mostly for schoolwork and occasional gaming? I don't want to spend 700 on a 1080 ti that will be outdated by the time I've finished a game or two.

 

[g-unit1111]

I guess the question is - how much is your proposed rig and what parts do you have in mind? The thing with GPUs is that they won't be outdated in 6 months. And that all entirely depends on what resolution your monitor is and how many monitors you run. If you run like a triple 4K monitor setup, you'll want to upgrade every 6 months. But triple 1080Ps you will only need to upgrade every other year or so. I would say look at how much you plan to spend, and how realistic your setup is with your given income.

For a first rig, spending $600 depending on what you plan to play at is spending too little, and you will be stuck with a system that will age quickly. I would say anywhere from $1000 - $1500 will get you a starter system that will last a while, and spending $3,000 or more is totally unrealistic if you don't think you will get much use out of it.

And in the day and age of the R7 and i7, what CPU you choose is pretty crucial. Intel has pretty much dominated gaming, and the R7 is a huge improvement over previous generations. The i7 - even previous generations like the 2XXX, 3XXX, and 4XXX are still viable. The 6XXX and 7XXX are going to last years. Even the R7 and R5 will last you a long time before a full upgrade is necessary.

 

[Insomniac Jack]

Well for one sounds like you've got a sound head on your shoulders. Secondly, You don't have build a super rig to play games at fast frame rates in 1080p. What's your max budget and we should be able build you something killer that's at or under it. A GTX 1070 will give excellent performance and even do 2k at a little more than half the cost of the 1080Ti. Choices like that make a huge difference. Another thing that'll help us is what are the main game you are looking to run? Some require a lot of power and others don't require much.

 

[ObelixThe]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.79 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - R1 Universal 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($88.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - MAXIMUS IX HERO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($215.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($247.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Black 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($198.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Xtreme Gaming Video Card ($442.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair - 780T ATX Full Tower Case ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus - PG279Q ROG Swift 27.0" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor ($749.99 @ Jet)
Total: $2703.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-10 20:55 EDT-0400

 

[NotAbhay]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.79 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - R1 Universal 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($88.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - MAXIMUS IX HERO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($215.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($247.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Black 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($198.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Xtreme Gaming Video Card ($442.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair - 780T ATX Full Tower Case ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus - PG279Q ROG Swift 27.0" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor ($749.99 @ Jet)
Total: $2703.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-10 20:55 EDT-0400

Actually I updated it lol.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.79 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - STRIX Z270H ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($147.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($126.94 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($107.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.89 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Founder Edition Video Card ($697.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT - S340 Elite (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Corsair - K70 LUX Wired Gaming Keyboard ($108.69 @ OutletPC)
Mouse: Razer - DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse ($49.96 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Razer - KRAKEN 7.1 CHROMA 7.1 Channel Headset ($74.50 @ Amazon)
Other: WenTop® Led Strip Lights Kit Waterproof SMD 5050 16.4 Ft (5M) 300leds RGB 60leds/m with 44key Ir Controller and 12V Power Supply for Kicthen Bedroom Sitting Room and Outdoor ($19.99)
Other: Acer XG270HU omidpx 27-inch WQHD AMD FREESYNC (2560 x 1440) Widescreen Monitor ($479.00 @ B&H)
Other: SteelSeries 63800 QcK Plus CS:GO Hyper Beast Edition Gaming Mouse Pad ($19.99)
Total: $2555.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-10 20:57 EDT-0400

 

[NotAbhay]

I guess the question is - how much is your proposed rig and what parts do you have in mind? The thing with GPUs is that they won't be outdated in 6 months. And that all entirely depends on what resolution your monitor is and how many monitors you run. If you run like a triple 4K monitor setup, you'll want to upgrade every 6 months. But triple 1080Ps you will only need to upgrade every other year or so. I would say look at how much you plan to spend, and how realistic your setup is with your given income.

For a first rig, spending $600 depending on what you plan to play at is spending too little, and you will be stuck with a system that will age quickly. I would say anywhere from $1000 - $1500 will get you a starter system that will last a while, and spending $3,000 or more is totally unrealistic if you don't think you will get much use out of it.

And in the day and age of the R7 and i7, what CPU you choose is pretty crucial. Intel has pretty much dominated gaming, and the R7 is a huge improvement over previous generations. The i7 - even previous generations like the 2XXX, 3XXX, and 4XXX are still viable. The 6XXX and 7XXX are going to last years. Even the R7 and R5 will last you a long time before a full upgrade is necessary.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.79 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - STRIX Z270H ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($147.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($126.94 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($107.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.89 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Founder Edition Video Card ($697.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT - S340 Elite (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Corsair - K70 LUX Wired Gaming Keyboard ($108.69 @ OutletPC)
Mouse: Razer - DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse ($49.96 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Razer - KRAKEN 7.1 CHROMA 7.1 Channel Headset ($74.50 @ Amazon)
Other: WenTop® Led Strip Lights Kit Waterproof SMD 5050 16.4 Ft (5M) 300leds RGB 60leds/m with 44key Ir Controller and 12V Power Supply for Kicthen Bedroom Sitting Room and Outdoor ($19.99)
Other: Acer XG270HU omidpx 27-inch WQHD AMD FREESYNC (2560 x 1440) Widescreen Monitor ($479.00 @ B&H)
Other: SteelSeries 63800 QcK Plus CS:GO Hyper Beast Edition Gaming Mouse Pad ($19.99)
Total: $2555.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-10 20:57 EDT-0400

What should I downgrade in order to get the best bang for my buck? Or should I just become a console peasant to avoid spending hours on games?

 

[NotAbhay]

Well for one sounds like you've got a sound head on your shoulders. Secondly, You don't have build a super rig to play games at fast frame rates in 1080p. What's your max budget and we should be able build you something killer that's at or under it. A GTX 1070 will give excellent performance and even do 2k at a little more than half the cost of the 1080Ti. Choices like that make a huge difference. Another thing that'll help us is what are the main game you are looking to run? Some require a lot of power and others don't require much.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.79 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - STRIX Z270H ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($147.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($126.94 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($107.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.89 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Founder Edition Video Card ($697.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT - S340 Elite (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Corsair - K70 LUX Wired Gaming Keyboard ($108.69 @ OutletPC)
Mouse: Razer - DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse ($49.96 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Razer - KRAKEN 7.1 CHROMA 7.1 Channel Headset ($74.50 @ Amazon)
Other: WenTop® Led Strip Lights Kit Waterproof SMD 5050 16.4 Ft (5M) 300leds RGB 60leds/m with 44key Ir Controller and 12V Power Supply for Kicthen Bedroom Sitting Room and Outdoor ($19.99)
Other: Acer XG270HU omidpx 27-inch WQHD AMD FREESYNC (2560 x 1440) Widescreen Monitor ($479.00 @ B&H)
Other: SteelSeries 63800 QcK Plus CS:GO Hyper Beast Edition Gaming Mouse Pad ($19.99)
Total: $2555.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-10 20:57 EDT-0400

I don't really have any games in mind, but my friends have recommended games like Battlefield One and Rainbow Six Siege. Would I be under-utilizing a PC at this price point by playing video games occasionally? I've been saving up some money, but I could find a use for any extra cash I save from adjusting this build.

 

[The Paladin]

@NotAbhay nice build, save your money for an education that will bring your pocket tens of thousands then you can blow almost 3K on a computer.

otherwise all you need for school, is a decent laptop 14-15" like a Dell XPS it will play some games, will do all you need will be portable to use at school and library and home for school work, cost about 400$...

 

[g-unit1111]

What should I downgrade in order to get the best bang for my buck? Or should I just become a console peasant to avoid spending hours on games?

Honestly you have too much money being spent in accessories. You have over 1/3 of your budget spent on things you don't need like mouse pads, case fans, LED lights, expensive keyboard / mouse / headset / mousepad, etc. If it's your first build you don't need everything to be top of the line. You could seriously spend about 1/2 of what you are spending and get the full experience.

 

[The Paladin]

NotAbhay said:
What should I downgrade in order to get the best bang for my buck? Or should I just become a console peasant to avoid spending hours on games?"

Well I trimmed your build in various ways to keep performance up and cut the fat from your build. your going to work and play some on the system I shaved on the K processor and motherboard? why? because this will give you a stable system with no distraction from Harvard dreams being busy spending days and weeks tweaking the CPU and GPU and Memory until it blows up and you end up back here asking us to help you save it, rinse and repeat...
also improved the SSD from SATA to a M/2 style with a 512M cache on it making it slick quick to load your OS. I also changed your Video card to the RX 580 since you choice of monitor uses FREESYNCH and that is use exclusively by AMD Video cards. if you want NVidia you need to get a Gsynch monitor. you choices in keyboard, mouse and headphones seems really driven by online publicity and "gaming world wants" the corsair keyboard and mouse are top notch highly praised, and the headphone are some of the high quality 7.1 stereo headphone you will enjoy for the "weekend spits of playing".
This system will be solid for years to come for school and gaming, and you saved over 700$ on the price tag.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($294.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B250M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($117.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($127.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.89 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus - Radeon RX 580 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox 5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.98 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Corsair - Vengeance K65 Compact Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Corsair - M65 PRO RGB FPS Wired Optical Mouse ($50.96 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Kingston - HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset ($96.79 @ Amazon)
Other: Acer XG270HU omidpx 27-inch WQHD AMD FREESYNC (2560 x 1440) Widescreen Monitor ($479.00 @ B&H)
Total: $1902.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-11 07:22 EDT-0400

 

[Icaraeus]

Get rid of any and all headsets, buy a $200 dedicated set of HEADPHONES and buy an attachable microphone.

 

[Icaraeus]

Don't listen to anyone who claims headsets with 7.1 surround sound are "high quality". Headphones have 2 sides. Stereo channel. Not 7. Good quality $100 headphones will be of far higher audio quality than a $100 headset

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Lot's of off topic junk removed from this thread. @0ldsch00l & @Icaraeus take the headphone discussion elsewhere.

 

[Insomniac Jack]

NotAbhay said:
What should I downgrade in order to get the best bang for my buck? Or should I just become a console peasant to avoid spending hours on games?"

Well I trimmed your build in various ways to keep performance up and cut the fat from your build. your going to work and play some on the system I shaved on the K processor and motherboard? why? because this will give you a stable system with no distraction from Harvard dreams being busy spending days and weeks tweaking the CPU and GPU and Memory until it blows up and you end up back here asking us to help you save it, rinse and repeat...
also improved the SSD from SATA to a M/2 style with a 512M cache on it making it slick quick to load your OS. I also changed your Video card to the RX 580 since you choice of monitor uses FREESYNCH and that is use exclusively by AMD Video cards. if you want NVidia you need to get a Gsynch monitor. you choices in keyboard, mouse and headphones seems really driven by online publicity and "gaming world wants" the corsair keyboard and mouse are top notch highly praised, and the headphone are some of the high quality 7.1 stereo headphone you will enjoy for the "weekend spits of playing".
This system will be solid for years to come for school and gaming, and you saved over 700$ on the price tag.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($294.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B250M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($117.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($127.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.89 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus - Radeon RX 580 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox 5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.98 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Corsair - Vengeance K65 Compact Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Corsair - M65 PRO RGB FPS Wired Optical Mouse ($50.96 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Kingston - HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset ($96.79 @ Amazon)
Other: Acer XG270HU omidpx 27-inch WQHD AMD FREESYNC (2560 x 1440) Widescreen Monitor ($479.00 @ B&H)
Total: $1902.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-11 07:22 EDT-0400

I don't think the RX580 is his best option to play in 1440p if he wants this to last a few years. The GTX1070 or 1080 is the obvious choice. I have the exact same monitor he has selected running on a GTX1080 and have taken it all the way up 144 FPS and above. I've seen no screen tearing with around 15 to 20 games that I've played with it. He'll be fine with an Nvidia on a freesync monitor. Unless he wants an AMD card and is will to wait for Vega.

 

[NotAbhay]

Get rid of any and all headsets, buy a $200 dedicated set of HEADPHONES and buy an attachable microphone.

What would you recommend?

 

[NotAbhay]

NotAbhay said:
What should I downgrade in order to get the best bang for my buck? Or should I just become a console peasant to avoid spending hours on games?"

Well I trimmed your build in various ways to keep performance up and cut the fat from your build. your going to work and play some on the system I shaved on the K processor and motherboard? why? because this will give you a stable system with no distraction from Harvard dreams being busy spending days and weeks tweaking the CPU and GPU and Memory until it blows up and you end up back here asking us to help you save it, rinse and repeat...
also improved the SSD from SATA to a M/2 style with a 512M cache on it making it slick quick to load your OS. I also changed your Video card to the RX 580 since you choice of monitor uses FREESYNCH and that is use exclusively by AMD Video cards. if you want NVidia you need to get a Gsynch monitor. you choices in keyboard, mouse and headphones seems really driven by online publicity and "gaming world wants" the corsair keyboard and mouse are top notch highly praised, and the headphone are some of the high quality 7.1 stereo headphone you will enjoy for the "weekend spits of playing".
This system will be solid for years to come for school and gaming, and you saved over 700$ on the price tag.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($294.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B250M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($117.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($127.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.89 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus - Radeon RX 580 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox 5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.98 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Corsair - Vengeance K65 Compact Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Corsair - M65 PRO RGB FPS Wired Optical Mouse ($50.96 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Kingston - HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset ($96.79 @ Amazon)
Other: Acer XG270HU omidpx 27-inch WQHD AMD FREESYNC (2560 x 1440) Widescreen Monitor ($479.00 @ B&H)
Total: $1902.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-11 07:22 EDT-0400

I don't think the RX580 is his best option to play in 1440p if he wants this to last a few years. The GTX1070 or 1080 is the obvious choice. I have the exact same monitor he has selected running on a GTX1080 and have taken it all the way up 144 FPS and above. I've seen no screen tearing with around 15 to 20 games that I've played with it. He'll be fine with an Nvidia on a freesync monitor. Unless he wants an AMD card and is will to wait for Vega.

Don't I need to turn off freesync in order for the monitor to reach 144 hz?

 

[Insomniac Jack]

NotAbhay said:
What should I downgrade in order to get the best bang for my buck? Or should I just become a console peasant to avoid spending hours on games?"

Well I trimmed your build in various ways to keep performance up and cut the fat from your build. your going to work and play some on the system I shaved on the K processor and motherboard? why? because this will give you a stable system with no distraction from Harvard dreams being busy spending days and weeks tweaking the CPU and GPU and Memory until it blows up and you end up back here asking us to help you save it, rinse and repeat...
also improved the SSD from SATA to a M/2 style with a 512M cache on it making it slick quick to load your OS. I also changed your Video card to the RX 580 since you choice of monitor uses FREESYNCH and that is use exclusively by AMD Video cards. if you want NVidia you need to get a Gsynch monitor. you choices in keyboard, mouse and headphones seems really driven by online publicity and "gaming world wants" the corsair keyboard and mouse are top notch highly praised, and the headphone are some of the high quality 7.1 stereo headphone you will enjoy for the "weekend spits of playing".
This system will be solid for years to come for school and gaming, and you saved over 700$ on the price tag.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($294.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B250M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($117.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($127.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.89 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus - Radeon RX 580 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox 5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.98 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Corsair - Vengeance K65 Compact Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Corsair - M65 PRO RGB FPS Wired Optical Mouse ($50.96 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Kingston - HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset ($96.79 @ Amazon)
Other: Acer XG270HU omidpx 27-inch WQHD AMD FREESYNC (2560 x 1440) Widescreen Monitor ($479.00 @ B&H)
Total: $1902.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-11 07:22 EDT-0400

I don't think the RX580 is his best option to play in 1440p if he wants this to last a few years. The GTX1070 or 1080 is the obvious choice. I have the exact same monitor he has selected running on a GTX1080 and have taken it all the way up 144 FPS and above. I've seen no screen tearing with around 15 to 20 games that I've played with it. He'll be fine with an Nvidia on a freesync monitor. Unless he wants an AMD card and is will to wait for Vega.

Don't I need to turn off freesync in order for the monitor to reach 144 hz?

Nope. It won't work with anything but an AMD card. like I said I have the same monitor and haven't changed a thing on it. The only thing you'll have to do is if you get an NVidia card you'll need to open the Nvidia Control panel and set the refresh rate to 144Hz otherwise it defaults to 60Hz

 

[Icaraeus]

Get rid of any and all headsets, buy a $200 dedicated set of HEADPHONES and buy an attachable microphone.

What would you recommend?

Sennheiser HD 598, AKG or BeyerDynamic

 

[Icaraeus]

For attachable microphone apparently AntLion ModMic is the best quality for attachable mics.

 

[The Paladin]

@ Icareaus I am not going to debate the value of blowing 200$ on headphone for a 14 year old playing video games, he isn't listening to Mozart here... I am sure if you had a son and asked to spend 200$ on headphone for gaming, your mind would be,, hum.. no.

 

[varis]

More likely it's asking dad for that $200 to spend

If you want to go cheaper, Koss PortaPro is some $30. OK it looks like something your dad was wearing when young - because it was designed around that time! But the sound quality is pretty much best in cheaper headphones, it's well portable, you get good bass and so on.

Pair with a table mic from Logitech, around $50 and you get good sound if you need that for multiplayer games.

By the way, I guess the population with the most expensive phones, headphones etc, may turn out to be people aged 15 to 25. It's people who have a lot of use cases and sampling different kinds of music and may consume it quite a bit. Older people just don't care, the phone is a tool for us and it's not likely we're going to change our musical tastes, besides we're busy with other stuff already.

 

[Icaraeus]

@ Icareaus I am not going to debate the value of blowing 200$ on headphone for a 14 year old playing video games, he isn't listening to Mozart here... I am sure if you had a son and asked to spend 200$ on headphone for gaming, your mind would be,, hum.. no.

I'd just give my son the $500 headphones I already own... ? Easy