Build Advice Mid-range sub-$1300 build

gardenman

Splendid
Moderator
I'm looking to do a mid-range build with a $400-ish CPU.

Location:
- U.S.A.

Preferred Websites for Parts:
- Amazon, Newegg, B&H, anywhere in U.S.

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
- An all around system --- web browsing, games, programming, movies, music, etc.

Parts I've chosen:
- Case: Fractal Design Focus G --- I am open to changing this, but I need to the two 5.25" drive bays + more space listed below
- Win 11 Home Retail

Parts I want suggestions on:
- CPU --- Ryzen 9 7900X3D --- Intel Core i7-14700K --- or something else
- Cooler --- Prefer water cooling without RGB
- Motherboard
- RAM --- Prefer 32 GB without RGB
- M.2 Storage --- 500GB or 1TB --- Maybe: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1 TB
- PSU --- Maybe: Corsair RM850e --- May add a 3070 or 4070 later.

Parts to be reused:
- GTX 980, or I will use iGPU until I can get a new GPU later on.
- 5.25" drive
- 5.25" device
- 2.5" internal SSD
- 3.5" internal HDD
- a PCIe device (1 slot)
- Monitor

Additional Comments:
- Not interested in RGB. PC will be under desk.
- Not interested in Glass window on case, but I'll accept it if I have no choice (Fractal Design Focus G).

A couple example builds:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jCCyBL --- AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ChY4vj --- Intel Core i7-14700K

I'd like to see a few more builds that are sub $1300 with a $400-ish CPU, that will fit the parts above that I plan on using.
 
AMD build

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($351.00 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: *ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($90.08 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($159.99 @ B&H)
Memory: *Silicon Power Value Gaming 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($95.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: *Acer Predator GM7000 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Case: *Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Power Supply: *be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $1016.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-20 21:16 EDT-0400


A better look at that cpu and board.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-ryzen-7-7800x3d-cpu-review

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/amd-ryzen-7-7800x3d/

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B650-GAMING-PLUS-WIFI
 
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Here is the list:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($351.00 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($194.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL32 Memory ($96.90 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial T500 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($152.09 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($162.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP 87.6 CFM 120 mm Fan ($21.28 @ Amazon)
Total: $1104.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-21 01:06 EDT-0400


All high quality components.

That Corsair RM1000x PSU is no overkill as I expect next gen RTX5000 series GPUs even the RTX5080 to draw decently more power than RTX4080. That be perfect.

And stick to AMD AM5 platform as you can upgrade to a better CPU after 2Yrs.