[SOLVED] Which is the best Micro ATX gaming/rendering PC for ~1800 USD

[NovaTronMC]

I am planning a full new build for April-May 2021, and I wanted to know which are the best specs I could get for around 1600 to 2000 USD.
I will be using this PC for 1440p 144Hz gaming (Destiny, Warzone, Black Ops Cold War, Cyberpunk 2077, CSGO, R6S, Apex, Valorant, Minecraft, etc.) as well as 3D modelling and rendering (Rhino 6, 3DS Max, AutoCAD, SketchUp, V-Ray, Lumion, Enscape, and maybe some Premiere Pro).
My college dorm won't be very spacious so I a somewhat SFF PC would be best, Micro ATX as stated on the title.
I was perhaps considering a R7 5800X with a RTX 3080, yet im fully open to suggestions.
Thanks for your time!

 

[tennis2]

Are you shopping in the USA? If not, what country?

Does the budget need to include monitor, KB, mouse, headphones/speakers, Windows license?

Have you considered mITX and decided against that?

 

[NovaTronMC]

Are you shopping in the USA? If not, what country?

Does the budget need to include monitor, KB, mouse, headphones/speakers, Windows license?

Have you considered mITX and decided against that?

I will be shopping in Toronto, Canada.
And no, the budget is considered only for the tower itself. I already have KB, Mouse, Headset, Windows and the monitor goes in a different budget.

 

[tennis2]

Ok, so it's 1800USD = 2350CAD then?
Country of origin matters for providing recommendations based on availability and pricing, which varies by country.

Pricing is VERY likely to decrease significantly by the stated build date, so this is mostly a waste of time.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($629.99 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: Lian Li GALAHAD AIO 240 RGB 69.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($159.99 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($219.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($248.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($279.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card ($799.99 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 650 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($143.99 @ PC-Canada)
Total: $2592.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-17 13:02 EST-0500

Any thoughts on the mITX option?
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($629.99 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 120 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($106.07 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B550-I GAMING Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($283.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($248.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($279.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card ($799.99 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Lian Li TU150 Mini ITX Desktop Case ($114.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Corsair SF 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($204.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Case Fan: Cougar VORTEX SPB 43.54 CFM 120 mm Fan ($30.37 @ Vuugo)
Total: $2698.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-17 12:51 EST-0500

 

[gggplaya]

Ok, so it's 1800USD = 2350CAD then?
Country of origin matters for providing recommendations based on availability and pricing, which varies by country.

Pricing is VERY likely to decrease significantly by the stated build date, so this is mostly a waste of time.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($629.99 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: Lian Li GALAHAD AIO 240 RGB 69.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($159.99 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($219.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($248.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($279.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card ($799.99 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 650 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($143.99 @ PC-Canada)
Total: $2592.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-17 13:02 EST-0500

Any thoughts on the mITX option?
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($629.99 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 120 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($106.07 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B550-I GAMING Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($283.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($248.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($279.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card ($799.99 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Lian Li TU150 Mini ITX Desktop Case ($114.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Corsair SF 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($204.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Case Fan: Cougar VORTEX SPB 43.54 CFM 120 mm Fan ($30.37 @ Vuugo)
Total: $2698.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-17 12:51 EST-0500

I like that Lian TU150 case because of the top handle.

I would spend a little more on the video card and get the AMD Radeon 6800
and drop the processor down to a 5600x. I think the extra 8GB of video ram will play better into the future with how next-gen games will be designed using these new super fast NVME drives and direct to GPU memory API's now available to game developers.

 

[tennis2]

Like I said, it's not worth talking about right now because of future product releases and price drops.

 

[NovaTronMC]

Ok, so it's 1800USD = 2350CAD then?
Country of origin matters for providing recommendations based on availability and pricing, which varies by country.

Pricing is VERY likely to decrease significantly by the stated build date, so this is mostly a waste of time.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($629.99 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: Lian Li GALAHAD AIO 240 RGB 69.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($159.99 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($219.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($248.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($279.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card ($799.99 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 650 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($143.99 @ PC-Canada)
Total: $2592.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-17 13:02 EST-0500

Any thoughts on the mITX option?
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($629.99 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 120 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($106.07 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B550-I GAMING Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($283.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($248.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($279.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card ($799.99 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Lian Li TU150 Mini ITX Desktop Case ($114.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Corsair SF 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($204.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Case Fan: Cougar VORTEX SPB 43.54 CFM 120 mm Fan ($30.37 @ Vuugo)
Total: $2698.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-17 12:51 EST-0500

I know I might be planning this build a bit too early, this is because i'm not really sure when I will be moving to Toronto, may be this January or until may, so I prefer start the project now to plan accordingly.

The first build looks really appealing, however wouldn't a 3080 be better? I currently have 2 512GB NVMe ssds and a 2TB HDD which I might reuse, so I can use that towards the GPU. Additionally, will the B550 handle correctly the R7 5800X? Or a X570 would be better?
Finally, I really considered a Mini IXT build with a X570-I, but I find it a bit too restricted, not sure yet.

 

[tennis2]

I chose the RTX3070 because it's still plenty good at 1440p and there's almost no 3080s in stock. I'm not even sure the 3070 pricing is realistic in Canada. By April, we'll have a 3070 Super probably, so...

If you have storage to reuse, then certainly go for it. I had that nice big 2TB SSD in there since you've got the budget for it, and games are creeping over 100GB each these days.

B550 is perfectly fine for Ryzen 5000 and doesn't require a chipset fan.

There are a few different approaches to mITX available from case manufacturers. Some aim at smallest possible volume (where airflow becomes a major factor/consideration) and others relax on the compactness in aiming for ease-of-build and potentially more/better airflow. Certainly need to to more homework on case and component choices with mITX to make sure you don't get yourself into a situation where you have to return component(s). It's not like mATX or ATX where pretty much anything you buy will fit and work well. There are certainly other options besides that Lian Li TU150.

I constantly argue with people about what they think they need ATX for that mATX doesn't offer in terms of expand-ability (especially now with onboard WiFi). With mITX though, you obviously lose 2 RAM slots, so its better to buy up in RAM capacity at the start (unless you think you'll have somewhere to transfer your original 2 sticks to when you upgrade later). You also don't get ANY expansion slots (besides the GPU) which isn't a big deal for most users, but a small number may have issue.

 

[geofelt]

A lot of the fun in building a new pc is in the research.
A spring 2021 time frame is going to allow you lots of fun.

I love ITX builds and have done a few.
But they really are not suited to high performance components.
MATX is a bit bigger, but you will have no need for compromises.
Do some research MATX cases.
Silverstone builds some nice ones.
I use a TJ-08E.
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i3-10100/15.html
The cooling is superb, and I can fit a noctua NH-D15s in it.
The front 180mm fan only needs to run at half speed, and my stress tests are in the 65c. range.
I built one for my son using the PS07 which is also excellent.
They have easily removed front filters to keep your pars clean.
Fractal design Meshify C with mesh front might be even better.
https://www.newegg.ca/black-fractal-design-meshify-c-mini-micro-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352086?Item=N82E16811352086&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-CAN&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-CAN&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-PCPartPicker&AFFID=2558510&AFFNAME=PCPartPicker&ACRID=1&ASID=https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/JsKcCJ/fractal-design-meshify-c-mini-dark-tg-microatx-mini-tower-case-fd-ca-mesh-c-mini-bko-tgd&ranMID=44589&ranEAID=2558510&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-F4zvZAO3tdu0ouqQelajJg

Try to snag a FE version of a 3070. The blower coolers do a better job of getting hot air out of a small case.

As to the processor, the time frame is likely to let you see what rocket lake brings. It will also have something like the same 19% IPC boost and usually Intel clocks higher. They are not going to let AMD steal their lunch.