Best PC build for around $1,200?

Hi everyone. About six or seven years ago, based on some advice from people here (I think it was cosmicseal98 or someone similar), I picked up a PC at Micro Center with an i5 4670, R9 280X, and 8GB of DDR. It’s pretty much on its last legs now, so I’m thinking about an upgrade. I need a machine strictly for gaming with a budget of roughly $1,100. I'll probably have to go with monthly installments since I don't have the cash upfront. If possible, I'd prefer to stick with Micro Center since I've had good luck there. I have no intention of overclocking or messing around with any of that stuff. I definitely need an SSD and an HDD, but I don't need peripherals or a monitor. I gave my current 24-inch monitor to a kid after mine died, so I'm planning to pick up a 27 or 30-inch model after this arrives, so please keep that in mind. Basically, I'm looking for the best value for the money—something that lasts as long as my current rig did.
Thanks and cheers.

Intel Core i5-9600K box, LGA 1151, 3.60-4.60GHz, 100-100000031BOX
Gigabyte B460 Aorus Elite V2, Intel B460, LGA 1151
DDR4 16GB (2x8) G.Skill 3600Mhz Ripjaws V, F4-3600C18D-16GVK
Western Digital 1TB 3.5" 7200rpm, 64MB, Seagate BarraCuda, HDWD110UZSVA
Crucial SSD 250GB P2, M.2 SSD, NVMe, CT250P2SSD8
Zalman S4 Midi Tower Window Black
EVGA 550 W1, 80 PLUS Bronze, B12-BC-550
Gigabyte GTX 1660 Ti Eagle 12G, 12GB, LHR, GV-N3060EAGLE-12GD 2.0

TOTAL:
$1,100.00
$2556 Best Buy

CDW is more expensive and their selection is pretty weak right now, especially when it comes to power supplies. If you can stretch your budget by another $87 bucks, the Intel Core i5-12400 is a much better deal.

1 * Intel Core i5-12400 box
SKU: 0001258709
1 * GIGABYTE Motherboard, Intel B460 (AM4, 2xDDR4, 1xPCI-E3.0x16, 2xPCI-Ex1, USB3.1, USB2.0, 4xSATA, 1xM.2, Raid, HDMI, VGA, GLAN) mATX Retail
SKU: B460M H
1 * 16 GB RAM, ADATA XPG D30 Black Edition, AX4U36008G18A-DB30, DDR4 3600Mhz, 2x8GB AX4U36008G18A-DB30
SKU: 010.504.013
1 * POWERCOLOR Fighter RX 6600XT 8GB GDDR6 AXRX 6600XT 8GBD6-3DH
SKU: 4247666
1 * KINGSTON NV1 500GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD SNVS/500G
SKU: 4158617
1 * 1TB Hard Drive Seagate BarraCuda 3.5" HDWD110UZSVA
SKU: 0140635
1 * Fortron HYDRO K PRO 600W Power Supply, 80+ Bronze PPA6005605
SKU: fsp-hydro-k-600
1 * MS FIGHTER V315 gaming case with 4 x 120mm fans
SKU: 0001197902

Total on monthly installments: $2638 (-2%=$2.50)
Free assembly and shipping

Here’s an example build from CDW—forum members get an extra 2% off.

TBD after seeing ray tracing in person, there is zero chance I'm picking up an Intel GPU. At least not until they get their RT performance somewhere near this level. Running Cyberpunk cranked to the max with all the details without RT, it doesn't even come close to how the game looks on medium settings with RT. It's a next-level visual experience.

Once you turn on DLSS (wherever it's supported), those raw performance advantages Intel has in this price range just melt away... I'm really not a fanboy, but for this generation, Intel needs to offer WAY better performance and pricing in the same bracket to make up for the lack of RT and DLSS. My two cents 🙂

What GPU did you actually use to test Cyberpunk with RT?

The real question is whether cards like the GTX 1660 Ti can even handle RT effectively enough to justify the cost.

Look, the GTX 1660 Ti is a solid card on its own, but for RT? Not really.

I was thinking the exact same thing—a GTX 1660 Ti isn't exactly winning any awards when it comes to ray tracing.
If we were actually talking about high-end, top-tier cards, then we’d have something real to discuss.

I've got a laptop running a Core i7 and a GTX 1650. With Ray Tracing set to medium-low and DLSS turned on, I'm pulling a steady 40 FPS in Blade Runner, and man, it looks incredible. This is just the 45W version of the card, so a 3060 would handle this even better.
DLSS is a total lifesaver; you get about 30-50% more frames in Blade Runner thanks to it. It seems like the latest drivers and optimization efforts really paid off—a 3060 should be able to handle Ray Tracing quite nicely if you have DLSS enabled.