Build Advice PC Build - 1440p capable for $2000ish (AUD) ?

JesseC123

Distinguished
Dec 18, 2014
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1
18,695
Hey guys, been out of the game for a while now. My mate has asked me to build him a PC for around the 2k AUD price range, but I haven't been in touch with recent hardware for a little.

His old PC is currently blue screening randomly and is pretty old, so due for an upgrade.

He mainly plays league and other minimal games, but wants the flexibility to play newer released games with good settings as well. Just want to get the best out of his budget, which is why I have come to you guys!

Price does not have to include peripherals or monitor as he has got a new one recently, and can be upgraded later on.

Approximate Purchase Date: No time frame - sooner rather than later

Budget Range: around $2000 AUD

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming - Streaming

Parts Not Required: Peripherals, OS, Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Can use a mixture of websites in AUS - Preferably stores in Melbourne, VIC to make picking up easier

Country: Australia

Parts Preferences: No preference - best bang for the buck!

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1440p gaming

Additional Comments:


Look forward to the recommendations!
 

turtletarget111

Honorable
Dec 24, 2018
299
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10,890
For an AMD system, I started with the Ryzen 5 7600. The X variant is faster for a few dollars more, but it does not include a CPU cooler in the box, so I would stick with the base 7600 to cut some costs. The AM5 platform also provided a great upgrade path if your friend wants something with a little more horsepower down the line.

The motherboard doesn't really matter, as long as it has decent IO and built in WiFi 6E with Bluetooth. As such, I thought the MSI Pro B650M would be a solid choice. It has lots of USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports for fast transfer speeds, included WiFi 6E, and an onboard BIOS Flash back button for convenient troubleshooting.

The memory also doesn't really matter, as long as it has low latency for Ryzen to perform its best. I went with a 32 gigabyte kit of G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo with speeds of 6000 and low latency of 30. It's also AMD Expo certified for maximum compatibility.

For storage, Samsung make the best SSD's, so I went with a basic 990 Pro 1TB for your Windows installation with a 2TB mechanical drive thrown in for storing games.

Nvidia is not the right choice if you are after pure bang for buck performance, unless your friend really cares about Nvidia's proprietary features. The AMD Radeon 7800XT is a monster of a card with lots of memory for future game releases with larger textures and more expansive worlds.

The case is completely subjective, so I went with an inexpensive but reliable choice, the Month AIR 100. It has mesh on the front for solid airflow, and includes four case fans.

I wen tight the Corsair RM850e to power the system, which will provide enough juice for your friends system, while also having enough headroom for any potential storage, memory, or CPU upgrades down the road. I've linked the full build list here for your reference.
 
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PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($319.00 @ Mwave Australia)
CPU Cooler: *ID-COOLING FROZN A620 BLACK 78.25 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.00 @ PLE Computers)
Motherboard: *MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($307.39 @ Amazon Australia)
Memory: *Silicon Power XPOWER Zenith Gaming 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($159.00 @ MSY Technology)
Storage: *TEAMGROUP MP33 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Amazon Australia)
Video Card: *Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($799.00 @ JW Computers)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: *MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ MSY Technology)
Total: $2056.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-16 16:54 AEDT+1100
 
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($334.55 @ Amazon Australia)
CPU Cooler: *ID-COOLING FROZN A620 BLACK 78.25 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.00 @ PLE Computers)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte B660-AORUS-ELITE-DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($219.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: *TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($94.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: *TEAMGROUP MP33 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Amazon Australia)
Video Card: *Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($799.00 @ JW Computers)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: *MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ MSY Technology)
Total: $1918.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-16 17:23 AEDT+1100
 
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