21 wrote PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($196.97 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 6700 10 GB Video Card ($314.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750x (2021) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: VIOTEK GNV27DB 27.0" 2560 x 1440 144 Hz Curved Monitor ($169.00 @ Adorama)
Mouse: Logitech G Pro Wireless Wireless Optical Mouse ($89.99 @ Adorama)
Custom: Keychron K8(RGB, Gateron Optical Brown hot-swappable switches) ($90.10)
Total: $1489.88

So, you could go with Ryzen 7000 or Intel 13000 if you really want to go brand new. However, all that money for a brand new motherboard and DDR5 just to have to spend even more money on the CPU just isn't worth it IMO. Ryzen 5000 is stonking good value right now, would be a no brainer to me if I was buying right now. Can adjust my recommendation if you really want brand new, but Ryzen 5000 is what I'd personally go for. Ryzen 5 5600 for $120 is great, 5700X for $200 is pretty damn good too. I went with 5700x for a little more 'peace of mind' but you'd be absolutely fine saving the $80 and just grabbing an R5 5600.

I didn't spend much time thinking about CPU cooler. Dark Rock Pro 4 is just a really solid, nice looking, quiet high end air cooler. Plenty of decent coolers though so if you'd rather go with an AIO or different air cooler, ~$100 is plenty. Honestly you could save a bunch of money, a decent $30ish cooler would do the job for an R7 5700x just fine.

There are alternative motherboard options. Can give some recommendations if you'd like. Personally I would stick with Asus, I just prefer Asus mobo's. B550 Strix is a solid board for the price, B550 Prime Plus or B550 TUF are also good if you want a cheaper Asus option but the rest of the budget Asus AM4 mobo's are pretty bad.

32GB RAM for $70 is a no brainer. I don't think I even need to explain this lol. Decent 3200MHz CL16 kit, you could spend more for something nicer but I wouldn't add much more than an extra $10-20 for nicer RAM.

2TB NVMe SSD for $100 is silly. No reason to get anything else IMO. Maybe spend $15-25 less for a faster 1TB SSD if you'd rather do that, then just add additional storage when you have more cash. Honestly though, 2TB 660p is likely perfect for your needs.

RX 6000 GPU's are incredibly good value at the minute. 10GB RX 6700 for $315 is a banger deal and a great GPU for 1440p high refresh rate. You can find 12GB RX 6700XT/6750XT's for $370-400. Maybe worth grabbing one of those if you can spend the extra, but the 6700 at $315 is a great option.

Case is one of the cheaper good cases you'll find these days. Plenty of good options from $90 and beyond, but the Pop Air will do the job. If you want something bigger or that looks different or has more fans, etc, I can give more recommendations.
PSU is what it is. I'd liked to have used something cheaper but doesn't seem to be anything that great under $90 or so. RM750x is a solid PSU and not a bad deal at $100 so that's probably what I'd go for currently.

RGB, hot swappable mech keyboard. If you want something with a NUM PAD, then look at the Keychron K4 or K10. Can change the mouse if you want, but G Pro wireless for $90 is definitely a solid choice.
1440p high refresh rate monitor is the absolute minimum I would go for. The one I've included obviously isn't particularly high end but it is a very good monitor and an amazing deal at $170. Alternatively, there are plenty of good 1440p high refresh rate monitors in the low $200's in 27" or 32" form.

Praduh wrote pcpartpicker.com/list/BBRrBj

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600x ($159.00)
CPU Cooler: MSI Mag CoreLiquid 240R V2 ($94.99)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570S Aorus Elite ($199.99)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR4-3600 ($69.98)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB ($119.99)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ($89.99)
PSU: Corsair RM750x ($99.99)
Operating System: Windows 11 (Can find online for $15)

Monitor: Asus TUF Gaming 24" ($159.99)
Keyboard: HyperX Alloy Origins Core ($89.99)
Mouse: HyperX Pulsefire Haste ($24.99)


This leaves around $380 for a graphics card. Can go brand new but that would net a 3060. If you went used, you can easily get a 3070 for around $350.

Hi wrote Sorry for the late reply, got super busy. I've been researching do you think upgrading to water cooled would be worth it? Even if I go slightly over budget? I hear it works a lot better than air. Plus it's a lot quieter and also looks really good. How hard would it be installing without any experience building pc's?

21 wrote

Hi wrote Sorry for the late reply, got super busy. I've been researching do you think upgrading to water cooled would be worth it? Even if I go slightly over budget? I hear it works a lot better than air. Plus it's a lot quieter and also looks really good. How hard would it be installing without any experience building pc's?

I personally wouldn't bother. My Dark Rock 4 is significantly quieter than my system used to be with a Kraken X61. My temperatures haven't been noticeably worse and the only thing that will really go wrong with my air cooler is the fan, which can be easily replaced. AIO CLC's have a limited life span. So, I definitely wouldn't buy into an AIO CLC for noise or performance. For looks, sure, if that's what you want then go for it. If you do decide to go for an AIO, then the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280-A RGB would be a pretty good shout, it's one of the better options currently available. However, if you're purely buying for aesthetics then I guess just buy whichever one you think looks the best, they're all going to perform very similarly.