Question Looking to build my son a high end rig

[ominous11]

Good morning everyone !

I'm looking to build my son the best computer he can get for $3000 CDN. I can install everything myself, but I'm not to familiar with whats the best hardware

-For high end gaming only
-windows 11 needed
-1080p or 1440p ( 27 inch monitor) not picky on size but that's the sweet spot i was reading
-tower doesn't need to be fancy at all, just needs good air flow
-RGB not needed at all
Basically needs everything minus keyboard and mouse
-all parts must be found in Canada please
-I know Black Friday is around the corner so I can always look up the parts later for a deal myself.

Also thanks in advanced for your help !

Approximate Purchase Date: end of Novemberish

Budget Range: 3kish

System Usage from Most to Least Important: High-end gaming

Are you buying a monitor: yes

Parts to Upgrade: Everything.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes.
Please note that if you're using an OEM license of Windows, you will need a new one when buying a new motherboard.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Doesn't really matter.

Overclocking: Maybe.

Your Monitor Resolution: 10 80p/1440p

Additional Comments: No RGB and and water cooling if possible

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: It's been a long time coming. My current system is getting really old and looking for a high-end, future-proof build for my son

 

[Lutfij]

Have a look at this;
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor ($438.25 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool LT520 85.85 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($111.99 @ PC-Canada)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard ($279.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($269.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($42.93 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($159.22 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Sapphire NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($739.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Case: Deepcool MACUBE 110 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($52.29 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($193.98 @ Amazon Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($154.05 @ Vuugo)
Case Fan: Deepcool FC120-3 IN 1 61.91 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($52.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Monitor: Gigabyte G27Q 27.0" 2560 x 1440 144 Hz Monitor ($259.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $2755.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-13 11:35 EST-0500
Obviously the above list isn't set in stone. Much more room for maneuvering though the smaller SSD is for the OS while the larger SSD is meant to be your game library.

 

[Ralston18]

I would not expect that there would be all that much to gain with respect to a "high end" build/rig.

And many products manage to somehow get labeled as "gaming" when there is likely little or no difference in the build from a computer that works well for just about any day-to-day use. "Gaming" being a buzzword. Much like "AI" now being applied to such things.

And very likely a well performing rig could be built for less than half the stated budget. However, I will have to defer to those much more familar with Canadian companies and their respective component pricing: regular or "on sale".

What games does your son play?

Most games and apps provide some listing of hardware specs in the form of "minimal", "recommended", and "best".

You do not want minimal and you do want as much "best" as you can afford. However, there is always a point of dimishing returns where excessive hardware (and higher costs) will not make any real difference in performance.

Reliability and stability are key as I view it all. Future - proof: subjectively understood but quantifying that is a bit trickier.....

A well-reviewed and rated PSU capable of providing peak wattage during game play being a crucial requirement.

Start here:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

Use the calculators.

Websites for parts - does matter. Research potential sources/vendors. Check return policies (RMA) before ordering.

Also: take the time and make the effort to read all component User Guides/Manuals before purchasing anything. Likely you will find any number of warnings, caveats, and other fine print that may influence your component choices.

Go directly to the manufacturer's websites. Find and read the manuals plus the Forums and FAQs - if any.

Look for what is said as well as what is not said.

Details matter.

 

[helper800]

I would personally go a different route than @Ralston18 did. I would spend a large portion on a very nice 1440p OLED monitor, however, if you do not like that there are a lot of optimizations in price for what you get from the following.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor ($378.98 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($51.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 UD AC ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Memory Express)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($144.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($95.89 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Intel 670p 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($104.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($674.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ PC-Canada)
Monitor: AOC AG276QZD 26.5" 2560 x 1440 240 Hz Monitor ($1099.00 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $3000.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-13 11:40 EST-0500

 

[Order 66]

I would personally go a different route than @Ralston18 did. I would spend a large portion on a very nice 1440p OLED monitor, however, if you do not like that there are a lot of optimizations in price for what you get from the following.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor ($378.98 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($51.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 UD AC ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Memory Express)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($144.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($95.89 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Intel 670p 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($104.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($674.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ PC-Canada)
Monitor: AOC AG276QZD 26.5" 2560 x 1440 240 Hz Monitor ($1099.00 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $3000.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-13 11:40 EST-0500

I agree with most of your part list, however, I would personally go for a 7600 as it can still handle pretty much any card at 1440p. I would also only use 1 higher capacity SSD than 2 smaller capacity ones. I would Instead of going for 2 drives, I would go for a 2TB Crucial P5 Plus. I would then use the money you save to get a 7900xt.
like this: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/VsmNyg
disclaimer: I know it is over budget, I (foolishly) wrote the above post before I knew how much more CA pricing was. I am leaving it as is if the OP decides they can stretch their budget. I don't want to assume anything, but if I am going to spend $3000 on a PC, $200 over wouldn't necessarily concern me, but that's just me.

 

[helper800]

I agree with most of your part list, however, I would personally go for a 7600 as it can still handle pretty much any card at 1440p. I would also only use 1 higher capacity SSD than 2 smaller capacity ones. I would Instead of going for 2 drives, I would go for a 2TB Crucial P5 Plus. I would then use the money you save to get a 7900xt.
like this: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/VsmNyg
disclaimer: I know it is over budget, I (foolishly) wrote the above post before I knew how much more CA pricing was. I am leaving it as is if the OP decides they can stretch their budget. I don't want to assume anything, but if I am going to spend $3000 on a PC, $200 over wouldn't necessarily concern me, but that's just me.

I personally do not like my games loading off my OS drive. This can cause stuttering and some loading performance hits. It's usually good enough to get a more mass storage NVMe drive for games and leave all programs and personal stuff on the OS drive. A 7900 XT is definitely a big step up but a 13600k is better for overclocking that they were interested in trying. Definitely a decent alternative build. As I originally said, there are a lot of optimizations that can be made depending on preferences that have not been completely expressed yet.

 

[geofelt]

How old is your son?
I would think you would want to get him involved for many reasons.
Cases, for example mostly work,, and Son is likely to want some "bling and rgb"(not my thing)
Go to newegg canada and access their pc builder tab.
There, you select components.

I might add that many who make recommendations here will recommend what they built.
Me included.
Human nature.
Fact is that intel and amd have comparable price/performance at every level.
Look at the sigs to see where they are coming from.

 

[Zerk2012]

500 under budget.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/jdwmxH

 

[helper800]

500 under budget.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/jdwmxH

Another decent build. I opted to put in an expensive monitor, because as @geofelt said, that is one of my preferences.

 

[Order 66]

500 under budget.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/jdwmxH

fair, but they said they wanted to maybe overclock which the CPU doesn't allow for.

 

[Zerk2012]

fair, but they said they wanted to maybe overclock which the CPU doesn't allow for.

About none of the new processors have enough overclocking room to really benefit.

Edit I even included the OS with it.

 

[Order 66]

About none of the new processors have enough overclocking room to really benefit.

You could make that argument, but the OP said they wanted to try it. Also, I overclocked my 7700x to 5.4GHz all-core and got about a 10% increase in performance. We could go on and on about how 10% isn't a worthy increase, but it is noticeable. Not to mention that being able to overclock a CPU keeps it relevant for longer. (whether it will matter ten years from now with current CPUs is speculation and a different discussion entirely)

 

[Zerk2012]

You could make that argument, but the OP said they wanted to try it. Also, I overclocked my 7700x to 5.4GHz all-core and got about a 10% increase in performance. We could go on and on about how 10% isn't a worthy increase, but it is noticeable. Not to mention that being able to overclock a CPU keeps it relevant for longer. (whether it will matter ten years from now with current CPUs is speculation and a different discussion entirely)

Overclocking: Maybe

AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Review - The Best Zen 4 for Gaming

With the Ryzen 7 7700X, AMD is introducing their fastest Zen 4 processor for gamers. In our review we found out that gaming on the 7700X runs better than the 7900X and 7950X, thanks to the single CCD design of the 7700X. Just like on other high-end AM5 CPUs, temperatures are a problem though.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[ominous11]

500 under budget.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/jdwmxH

How about this build but with a 7900xt ?

Some of the other builds had a 1 monitor that he doesn't need at the moment.

Also would like to stay away from HDD and stay with the M.2 drives

 

[Order 66]

How about this build but with a 7900xt ?

Some of the other builds had a 1 monitor that he doesn't need at the moment.

Also would like to stay away from HDD and stay with the M.2 drives

How about this one with a 7800x3d.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/jaydenmiller123/saved/#view=Jhr3RB

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($429.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($51.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte B650 GAMING X AX ATX AM5 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: *G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($144.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: *Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($159.03 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card ($1059.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case: *Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: *Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($156.99 @ PC-Canada)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($154.05 @ Vuugo)
Monitor: *MSI Optix G274QRFW 27.0" 2560 x 1440 170 Hz Monitor ($299.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $2775.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-13 21:21 EST-0500

A better look at those components.

https://lian-li.com/product/lancool-216/

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/psu...ular-low-noise-atx-power-supply-cp-9020263-na

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B650-GAMING-X-AX-rev-10-11-12#kf

https://www.amd.com/en/products/apu/amd-ryzen-7-7700

https://www.thermalright.com/product/peerless-assassin-120-se/

https://www.gskill.com/product/165/396/1673491242/F5-6000J3038F16GX2-FX5

https://www.crucial.com/ssd/p5-plus/CT2000P5PSSD8

https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N407TWF3OC-12GD#kf

MSI G274QRFW - All About Gaming | Esports Gaming Monitor | MSI

Meet MSI G274QRFW esports gaming monitor. Equipped with a 27 inch, 1440p, 170Hz, 1ms, Rapid IPS panel, and the adjustable stand. The G274QRFW will give you the competitive you need to take down your opponents.

us.msi.com

 

[Why_Me]

Intel version of that build I posted up above. Switch out the board, cpu and RAM with these.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($459.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($51.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Memory Express)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($149.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: *Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($159.03 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card ($1059.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case: *Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: *Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($156.99 @ PC-Canada)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($154.05 @ Vuugo)
Monitor: *MSI Optix G274QRFW 27.0" 2560 x 1440 170 Hz Monitor ($299.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $2820.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-13 21:30 EST-0500

A better look at that board, cpu and RAM.

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B760-AORUS-ELITE-AX-rev-1x#kf

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-30m-cache-up-to-5-20-ghz/specifications.html

F5-6000J3040F16GX2-RS5K F5-6000J3040F16GA2-RS5K - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Ripjaws S5 is a performance DDR5 DRAM memory series made with hand-screened memory ICs that passed G.SKILL rigorous validation tests. Each Ripjaws S5 memory kit strikes an ideal balance between performance, compatibility, and stability and is available in matte black or matte white aluminum...

www.gskill.com