[SOLVED] Tentative build for mid- to upper mid-range gaming build. Feedback? ~$1000-1300 budget (including monitor).

Apr 14, 2020
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Building my first rig. Been playing off of laptops for the past decade so this will be quite the upgrade. Looking forward to it.

Will be for gaming (no streaming) and other mundane tasks (e.g., web browsing, Microsoft Office, etc.). Mostly play competitive games (FPS' and MOBAs) as well as some (A)RPGs. Nothing super demanding but it would be great if I have the option to play some more intensive games in the future (maybe Cyberpunk 2077?). Not a big single player guy. Some stuff I've played in the past: Apex Legends, Realm Royale, PUBG, FN, CS:GO, Day of Defeat: Source, Overwatch, R6S, Insurgency, Killing Floor, Payday 2, World of Tanks, Path of Exile, Grim Dawn, Diablo 3, Borderlands 2, Warframe, Heroes of the Storm, Dota 2. Lots more but that's a pretty good snapshot. Games I'm interested in playing now (that I haven't been able to yet) include COD: Warzone, Valorant, and Borderlands 3. Maybe Cyberpunk 2077.

Would really like to give 144hz gaming a try but other than that I'm not entirely sure what performance specs I'm looking for. Best framerate possible at a reasonable price? Don't mind upgrading specific parts in the future but it would be great if what I build initially lasts a few years.

Budget is $1000-1300 (including monitor). I will need to buy a monitor as well. Any recommendations? Will be buying in US. Tower is currently around $1000 so would be willing to spend up to $300 on monitor. Have heard good things about the ASUS VG249Q.

Here's a quick build I threw together using PCPartPicker and Logical Increments. Let me know what you think! Open to any and all ideas. Definitely not married to any of these parts yet. If I can drop this price a bit that'd be great but don't mind spending my max if it's worth it.
 
Apr 14, 2020
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Thanks!

How critical is it to get an 80+ Gold PSU? Even if I can't get some deals/coupons...I'm willing to shell out a few extra bucks for a better PSU if it's needed.

Any recommendations for a budget (~$250-300) 144hz monitor?
 
The Corsair CX series are a reliable "entry level" PSU choice that won't get you in trouble. Most people don't make recommendations below that level though. A common mid-tier PSU would be Corsairs "TX" series, which are 80+ gold efficiency (slightly better internal components*) and modular.
EVGA GA series are another option at this tier (I'd put the GA series above the Corsiar TX). I honestly don't know if the GA is supposed to be the successor of the G5 or what....the G5 isn't very old...

On the upper end of things, Corsair RM series, EVGA G2/G3/G5, Seasonic Focus are the major players. There are certainly other good choices from other vendors, but because they're less known, people are less likely to have a firm understanding/memory on what to recommend. Watch for sales. PSU prices are fairly inflated currently, but you can still land a 550W 80+ Gold PSU for ~$70-$80.

*Efficiency rating (80+ _) alone doesn't dictate that one PSU is better than another. In general though, you need higher quality components to achieve a higher efficiency rating. You should either look up reviews that include tear-downs (jonnyguru is/was a great site) or get recommendations from people that do.
 
$105 for a Corsair TXM is a pretty rotten price. Somewhere around $70 is more in line with that unit.

Right this second, the Seasonic 550W Focus+ for $85 is the only PSU I think is worth even close to what they're charging. And even that isn't a fantastic price. (Scratch that, amazon has it listed for $115). PCPP is really awful on pricing lately in the US.

EVGA 550 GA = $95 is an option. I didn't link it before because I think that's still high.
 
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Apr 14, 2020
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That EVGA 550 GA would actually come out to around $75 after a coupon code and mail-in rebate. Thinking that might be my best option?

Also, do I have to worry about compatibility issues with 3600 memory?
 
I would do this. Much more performance with a pretty good monitor to boot:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($85.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($397.99 @ Walmart)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB511 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ B&H)
Monitor: Acer VG271 Pbmiipx 27.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1283.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-15 15:48 EDT-0400
 
Apr 14, 2020
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Ended up switching my build around a bit.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $939.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-16 20:31 EDT-0400


What do you guys think? The buggy cards and driver issues with the Radeon 5700 cards scared me away. Going with the 2070 instead. Got some cheaper RAM (3200mhz/16CAS) and a cheaper SSD (SN550 seemed to be pretty overpriced). Dropped the cooler for now. Still might get it, but also might just see how the card runs with the stock cooler. If I do get a cooler would probably get a Hyper 212 or a Freezer 34 DUO.

Still trying to find a reasonably priced PSU (<$100). Looking for something that's 550-650W 80+ Gold. Gigabyte's site recommended 550W. Everything seems to be overpriced, out of stock, or on special order. Any recommendations?
 
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1034.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-17 02:03 EDT-0400
 
Solution