[SOLVED] Looking to build a desktop to replace laptop ($1900-$2200 CAD)

Apr 28, 2020
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Hey guys so this is something I've been wanting to do for a while now. I've got an older Asus ROG laptop that I bought about 3 years ago that I'm looking to replace. I'm a graduating Industrial Design student so my main use for this computer will predominantly be CAD. Using software like Solidworks (Until student license expires), Fusion 360 (After SW license expires), Adobe Creative Suite (Mainly Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign), Rhino 6 3D, Keyshot, AutoCAD. I would like to make use of Keyshots GPU rendering but I believe that requires an RTX series GPU but that is not a deal breaker if there are better options available. Lately I've also gotten into a bit of gaming playing Warzone and COD multiplayer which I would like to continue. So CAD/Design work is the primary use but I'd also be playing the occasional game. I'm not very good at gaming so I really don't care about the frame rates and all that.

In terms of aesthetics im really not a huge fan of RGB unless i can change it to white/grey. I really like the stormtrooper aesthetic but any sort of clean look would work, not looking for something super flashy. This would be my first build so I don't have a ton of experience and knowledge. That being said I've started watching videos on the subject just to get a better understanding.

I don't know if it helps but my current laptop specs are:
17" Screen
Intel Core i7 6700HQ
Nvidia Geforce GTX 960M
From what I have read most things within my budget (listed above) will have much better performance than my current setup.

Really appreaciate any help you can give!
 
Solution
A bang for buck build of sorts. I'm pretty sure it doesn't cover all of your bases - just view it as a bare minimum kind of build:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($256.95 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($121.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN500 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($89.30 @ shopRBC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card...

Phaaze88

Titan
Ambassador
A bang for buck build of sorts. I'm pretty sure it doesn't cover all of your bases - just view it as a bare minimum kind of build:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($256.95 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($121.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN500 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($89.30 @ shopRBC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card ($619.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: NZXT H510i ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($106.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $1578.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-28 16:20 EDT-0400


If I were to stretch your budget to the max:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($636.95 @ shopRBC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($129.99 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME X570-P ATX AM4 Motherboard ($209.00 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($223.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Crucial P1 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($85.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card ($569.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Corsair 275R Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($110.22 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $2188.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-28 16:41 EDT-0400


If you really need RTX, replace the RX 5700XT with an RTX 2060.
 
Solution