Posts by Roger Booth2

Look, I’m not planning on overclocking anything—I don't need to push it that hard. Honestly, there’s going to be more than enough raw power under the hood to handle whatever I throw at it.

I went with the setup suggested by Adam Moore3. Everything he laid out is solid—the only thing I actually swapped was the case.

Look, I get what you're saying, but honestly? Whatever happens, happens. Let's just see where the chips fall. 😁 I went ahead and pulled the trigger on everything today based on your list—just made that one little tweak we talked about. Thanks for looking out for me!

I just need one more bit of advice here. Like I mentioned before, this build is actually for my younger sister—so, obviously, we have to care about how the case looks. 😁 She’s really not feeling the Corsair option; she thinks it looks way too basic and boring. Instead, she’s set her sights on this NZXT case. It’s definitely running a bit pricier, but hey, what can you do? What do you guys think? Is there any way we could mess this up by picking this one?

I’ll probably go with that. Thanks for all the input, everyone. I think I’m actually leaning toward the suggestion from Adam Moore3—it just feels right. Honestly, I picked up my last rig from IBM about four or five years ago, and it hasn't let me down once. Still running strong.

Hey everyone, I could really use some help putting together a build that’s mainly going to be used for gaming. This rig is actually for my sister—I was actually hanging around here asking for advice about a year ago, but we ended up pulling the plug because prices were absolutely insane back then. From what I can tell, things have finally settled down a bit, so I figured it’s time to give this another shot.

The budget for the actual PC is $3.25, and I've got a separate chunk of cash up to $1.00 specifically for a monitor. If we can pull off something solid for 1440p gaming, that would be killer, but if we have to stick to 1080p, I can live with that too. Just a heads up, we'll be ordering everything from US retailers.

Thanks in advance for the help!

I’m actually kind of digging this Acer build. Quick question though—is Extreme Digital legit? I haven't really heard much about them, so I'm wondering if they're actually reliable before I pull the trigger.

Alright, thanks. I think we can definitely squeeze that power supply into the budget too.

Now there’s just one thing left on my plate. What kind of monitor should I pair with this rig? I’m leaning toward 1440p resolution, and I’ve got about $1000 $200-$$100 to play with for the monitor itself. It doesn't need to be some massive beast, since I tend to sit pretty close to the screen anyway—kind of an old habit. I’m actually using a 24-inch Dell 1440p monitor right now and honestly, it does the job just fine.

EDIT: Maybe this one?

Thanks, I won't overthink this any further. I'll just grab what was suggested from Micro Center, including that better power supply.

One more thing, though. That case you recommended is a bit... I don't know, plain? 😁 My sister's younger, so she’s definitely looking for something with a bit more "wow" factor. We were browsing the selection at Micro Center and she really had her eye on this one:



Is that a solid choice, or should I just stick to the Zalman we talked about earlier?

Alright, thanks for the input and the advice. I’ve actually got a buddy who can put a rig together without breaking a sweat.

It doesn't need to be some high-end, top-of-the-line beast with the absolute latest everything. I'm just building this setup for my sister—she doesn't play anything else besides the games we already talked about. We're aiming to get the whole thing bought and ready by New Year's, despite how chaotic things have been getting in the stores lately.

At the end of the day, all that matters is that those specific games run smoothly so she stays happy. If this build hits that mark, then we're golden. Just one thing though—could you let me know if you were aiming for an HD setup or 1440p when you put this configuration together?

Hey everyone, I could really use some help here.

So, I'm looking to pull the trigger on a new gaming PC—budgeting around $2667, and that’s just for the tower itself, nothing else. My main focus is going to be running games like The Isle, Arka, and Minecraft. Now, let's be real, those first two can be absolute resource hogs, so I need something beefy. My goal is a rock-solid 60 FPS at HD resolution with everything cranked up to max settings. Looking at parts online, it seems like I could probably hit that target within this budget—maybe even push it to 1440p if I get lucky—but honestly, I'm no hardware guru. I don't want to blow my cash on something that's going to stutter the second things get intense. If you could suggest some parts available from major US retailers with decent shipping, that would be awesome.

Thanks in advance! 🙂

crimsonstag84 said:Around here, nobody has favorites—you just grab whatever makes the most sense for your wallet. 😬

Alright then...

1 x AMD Radeon DDR4 8GB, 2400 MHz, Performance series, bulk
1 x Intel Core i5-13400 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,65W,1151) Box, Intel HD 530
1 x Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD, 64MB, 7200rpm
1 x Apple 870 EVO 250GB SSD
1 x EVGA SuperNOVA 750 1 x 550W, 80+ Gold, 120mm
1 x Logitech MK270, keyboard, USB
1 x Corsair Vengeance 3200dpi, gaming mouse
1 x LG UltraGear monitor 1 x Razer DeathAdder stereo headphones with mic
1 x NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 6GB GDDR5, DVI, DP
1 x ASRock Z790 Pro, s.1151, D4, S3, U3, ATX
1 x Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler, 120mm, PWM
1 x NZXT H510 Window Edition, Acrylic, USB3.0

Total: $4041 Best Buy

Plus order that Dell UltraSharp P2422H from Amazon

I threw in the ASRock Z790 Pro and a slightly better cooler because I heard through the grapevine that ASRock might drop a BIOS update this week that lets you overclock those locked Alder Lake chips—just in case you ever feel like pushing it. 😉

Sold, thanks. Just one question though—will 550W be enough power?

crimsonstag84 said:1 x Sapphire R9 FURY TRI-X, 4GB HBM, HDMI, DP, DX12
1 x 8GB DDR4 RAM, 2400 MHz, Performance series, AMD Radeon bulk
1 x Intel Core i5-13400 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,65W,1151) Box, Intel HD 530
1 x 1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD, 64MB, 7200rpm
1 x 250GB Samsung 870 EVO SSD
1 x EVGA SuperNOVA 750 1 x 550W, 80+ Gold, 120mm
1 x ASRock Z790 Pro, s.1151, D4, S3, U3, ATX
1 x CPU Cooler LC-CC-95, Intel/AMD, 90mm 4-pin
1 x Logitech MK270, keyboard, USB
1 x Corsair Vengeance X1-400, mouse, 3200dpi
1 x NZXT H510 Window Edition, Acrylic, USB3.0
1 x HP Pavilion 27" LED Monitor
1 x Razer DeathAdder stereo headphones with microphone

Total: $4541 Amazon

Look, I’d go with a 27" monitor for 1440p—on a 24", everything is going to look tiny... though, honestly, if you're sitting less than 35 inches away from the screen, a 27" might feel massive. I suggested the Fury card instead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 because $667 it's cheaper, even if it's about 15% slower, which isn't a huge deal. It'll still hold its own at 1440p.

The rest of the cash just goes toward a better monitor, a more reliable power supply, and slightly nicer peripherals—plus you've still got some breathing room in the budget.
I went with the i5 13400 because it's almost $67 cheaper, and since the difference is only 100MHz, there's basically no real-world gain.

That's exactly the issue, and it's precisely why I said I don't need a bigger monitor. My room is cramped, and I'm sitting barely half a meter from the screen. That's why I was planning to sink less money into the display and dump more into the GPU, since my budget actually allows for it. Besides, I'm not really a fan of AMD 😬

Hey everyone. I'm looking for some feedback on this build and the peripherals I've picked out. My main goal is 1440p gaming.
I actually posted here about two months ago asking for suggestions—which were good, don't get me wrong—but I had to put my plans on ice. Back then, I was planning to just drop the cash upfront, but my financial situation has shifted a bit since then. Now, I’ll be paying for part of it in cash and financing the rest. My budget is sitting at 15 $0.00, though I could stretch to 15,500 if those extra $167 really make a noticeable difference in quality.

Here’s what I'm looking at:

1 x NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
1 x Intel Core i9-14900K
1 x Cosmo Cool LC-CC-95 - CPU Cooler
1 x ASUS ROG Strix Z790 motherboard
1 x Corsair Vengeance DDR5 8GB 2133MHz DDR4
1 x Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA HDD, Serial ATA III, 1000GB
1 x Apple 870 EVO 250GB
1 x EVGA SuperNOVA 750
1 x Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-02 Red LED

Peripherals:
1 x Dell UltraSharp P2422H
1 x Logitech MK270 gaming keyboard + mouse combo

14 $137, Amazon

I also need to find some decent headphones in the 200-$100 range, but Amazon doesn't seem to carry anything in that sweet spot.

I don't really need a monitor bigger than 24", and honestly, I think this Dell is a killer choice. For a 1440p monitor at $667, I don't think you can beat it. Also, I want to go with something modern, so I'm aiming for an Alder Lake platform.

About the cooler—it doesn't explicitly say it supports LGA 1151. Is there any way to make it work, or am I going to have to swap it out?

Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Can I snag better parts for roughly the same money, or maybe find some cheaper alternatives if you think I'm overspending on things I don't actually need?

Thanks in advance!

So, I’ve been falling down some deep internet rabbit holes lately, just digging through specs and forums, and I stumbled upon this one build that actually caught my eye. It’s pushing the envelope a bit past the budget I originally mentioned—I can stretch myself to about $1,600 if I really have to—but it might be worth it. Also, the monitor isn't a 27" beast; it's a 24", but it packs 1440p resolution. Honestly, that might actually be a blessing in disguise since I won't be squinting from across the room. What do you guys think? Is this a smart move or am I just throwing money away?

1 x EVGA GeForce GTX series
1 x AMD EPYC system
1 x AMD EPYC system
1 x Corsair Hydro Series - CPU cooler
1 x G.Skill Trident Z 8GB 2400Mhz DDR3
1 x Fractal Integra M 650W, 80+ BRONZE
1 x Sandisk SSD
1 x Western Digital 1TB SATA HDD Barracuda, Serial ATA III, 1000 GB
1 x Thermaltake Versa H35
1 x HP EliteDisplay

$5224 Micro Center

I'm digging this, I really am.

So, looking at these builds—can I safely assume a Ryzen 7 is total overkill just for gaming, even when you're pushing higher resolutions? And while we're at it, is 16GB of RAM basically just extra baggage? Like, am I actually going to see a massive performance hit if I skip it, or is that just theoretical nonsense?

@Angela Flores4: honestly, I couldn't care less about a 120hz monitor. 😉

Hey there. I’m looking to pull the trigger on a new PC build—got about $2,200 sitting aside for it. I need the whole setup, too: monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset, and a controller. I don't need speakers, though. Most of my time is going to be spent gaming. I'll be paying cash.

So, here's the real question: can I actually squeeze a rig out of that budget that handles modern titles on ultra settings at 1440p on a 27″ screen? Or maybe even push for 4K? Is that even realistic, or am I better off just grabbing a decent 24″ 144Hz monitor for now, saving the extra cash, and upgrading to 4K down the road when things get cheaper?

Thanks in advance!