New build without a GPU - budget around $750

My desktop (Intel Core 2 Quad, 4GB) is about eight years old now, so I’m looking to finally modernize things.

I'm currently running an R9 380 graphics card. I think I might just stick with it for now since GPU prices are pretty insane lately. Honestly, unless I can find something better than a GTX 1060 6GB, I don't see much point in upgrading yet—I'll probably just wait until next year for that.

Since I try to stay fairly up to date with hardware news, I was hoping to get some advice on putting together a "future-proof" system. Ideally, I want something that will keep me set for the next 6 to 8 years.

I already have a 128GB SSD and a 500GB HDD, so I'm thinking I might just swap one of those out for a beefier SSD down the road.

So, what would you recommend for a motherboard, CPU, RAM (should I go with 8GB or 16GB?), case, power supply... and cooling? Should I look into liquid cooling or stick to air?

Thanks!

EVGA SuperNOVA Case, MIDI, ATX, USB 3.0, window, no PSU, black
$196

ASUS ROG Maximus Motherboard, Intel Z370, DDR4, ATX, socket 1151
$400

PC-10666 Memory, 16 GB, G.SKILL
$367

250.0 GB CRUCIAL MX500 SSD, CT250MX500SSD1, SATA3, 2.5", up to 560/510 MB/s
$196

Intel Core i5 8500 box Processor, socket 1151, 3.0GHz, 9MB cache, HexaCore
$529

650W Power Supply, CHIEFTEC Proton Series, BDF-650C, ATX v2.3, 140mm vent, 80+ Bronze
$192

Total $1879

Does this look okay, or am I overdoing it? I guess I wonder if I really need a Z370 motherboard.

As for what I'll be doing with it, I love playing strategy games (Sid Meier's Civilization, Stellaris) and the occasional FPS, but I don't really care about ultra-high settings. I value stability and long sessions more than anything else, I suppose.

If you want some peace of mind for the long haul, I’d probably lean toward Ryzen and more threads.

Mobo: https://www.newegg.com/p/motherboard-amd-b450/
RAM: https://www.newegg.com/p/ddr4-memory/
CPU: https://www.amazon.com/amd-processor/
Cooler: https://www.amazon.com/arctic-cooler/
PSU: https://www.newegg.com/p/power-supply/

The case is really just down to what you like visually; everything else should run you about $167. You might have to flash the BIOS for those 2nd gen Ryzen chips. Or, I guess, you could just wait a week or two for some B450 boards to show up...

If they just want to handle this, they can simply shoot an email over to Newegg to request a BIOS update (assuming one is even necessary), and that should be the end of it.

Arthur Bishop24, looking at that RAM you found, I’d bet money it’s DDR3—it's labeled PC-10666 and the price point definitely suggests it. As for the specifics, everything really hinges on which graphics card you're running right now. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I'd stick to the plan; it’s still a pretty capable GPU, and you could always pick up something built on a 7nm process a year from now.

Thanks so much for the advice.

If I’m reading this right, maybe Ryzen is a better all-rounder than Intel?

In a broad sense, you won't notice any tangible difference in actual usage regardless of which path you take—even if you eventually pair it with a much more powerful GPU down the road. However, opting for an AM4 motherboard gives you much better longevity for future upgrades, allowing you to swap in beefier processors later on. Plus, if your board happens to die after the warranty expires, finding replacement parts for the AM4 socket will be significantly easier (judging by how Intel has handled their last five or six Z-series chipsets). While an i5 is technically superior for gaming, those are really edge cases—think something like running a GTX 1080 Ti or pairing a GTX 1080 with a 144Hz monitor at 1080p. Even then, in a real-world scenario, you can't truly feel the difference in that specific fps range.

Arthur Bishop24 said:Thanks for the advice.

So, if I'm getting this right, Ryzen is basically the better all-arounder compared to Intel?

Exactly. Like the new guy said, with AMD, you aren't constantly looking over your shoulder for hardware failures. You can actually buy a new motherboard years down the line. Intel isn't like that—they swap out platforms every single year, which pretty much kills any chance of finding a compatible board if something breaks in two or three years.

Which of these two power supplies would you guys recommend?

or maybe

People over at Newegg swear by Seasonic, but a buddy of mine who does some crypto mining says Fortron is absolutely indestructible.

I’d go with Seasonic—you just can't beat that double warranty. Honestly, you don't even need a power supply this beefy unless you're running some serious hardware. If you aren't buying the entire build from them to save on assembly costs, but you still want to cut down the price without sacrificing that long-term peace of mind, grab this

Arthur Bishop24 said:Which one of these power supplies should I grab?

https://www.newegg.com/p/750w-gold.html

or

https://www.newegg.com/gold&results=6

People on Newegg swear by Seasonic, but a buddy of mine who mines crypto says Fortron is unbeatable.

Seasonic... biggest player globally... they make the highest quality units.👍

I’m thinking about grabbing everything from them except for the graphics card, which I'm keeping. I'll probably go with Seasonic instead. I mean, their power supply is definitely top-tier, but since the price difference is so negligible, I guess I'm wondering if it's even worth opting for a lower-end unit—unless there's some huge issue with default power draw?

One last thing 🙂

I'm looking for some SSD recommendations for under $300 from what's available on Newegg.

Is Samsung really the gold standard here, or does it kind of not matter that much?

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?s=ssd-m2-250&results=65

Actually, maybe a 1TB HDD recommendation would work too, if there are some cheaper ones that are actually reliable. I've gone a little over budget already, I guess. 😁

Arthur Bishop24 said:I think I'll take everything from them except the GPU, which I'm keeping, so I'll go with Seasonic. It's a massive power supply, but since the price difference is so negligible, I don't know if it's even worth opting for a smaller one unless it's going to draw way too much power by default?

I hear you; I've seen those price gaps for the 550-750W Focus models, and they really aren't significant. Having extra headroom won't hurt you at all.

If we want to get technical, most power supplies hit their peak efficiency at about 50% load (though we're talking tiny fluctuations within 1% across various loads). So, if your system were running at, say, 30% load under a full workload—it wouldn't be operating at its absolute maximum efficiency point—but honestly, the differences are peanuts, nothing to worry about. The real perk of an overkill PSU is the "zero dB mode," where it features semi-passive cooling (which that Seasonic has). Up to a certain load—usually around 50%, though I can't recall the exact spec for that specific Seasonic model—the fan doesn't even spin. This means when you overspec your PSU, you practically guarantee a silent experience because the fan stays off most of the time. I run a Ryzen 1600 OC at 3.9GHz paired with an HD7850 2GB, and my RM550X (550W) fan almost never kicks in. With a beefier unit, you’re basically guaranteed that silent operation.

Arthur Bishop24 said:One last question: 🙂

Can I get a recommendation for an SSD up to $300 from what Newegg has available?

Is Samsung the best option out there, or does it not really matter that much?

https://www.newegg.com/p/ssd-m2-250...250&results=65

Actually, a recommendation for a 1TB HDD would also work if any of the cheaper ones are decent, since I've already stretched my budget a bit.😁

Regarding the SSD, Samsung is top-tier, but in my opinion, it would be a mistake not to grab a cheaper 480/500/512/525GB SSD given current prices. You can pack plenty of games on one without a second thought. Unfortunately, the best deals at Newegg are already gone, but if you're looking for the best value, check out this. If you want raw speed, then go with the one you linked, but honestly, speed is overrated for the average user (Windows, Office, gaming, etc.—you won't notice the difference). The real advantage there is actually the 5-year warranty (I believe Newegg isn't doing that 2-year limit anymore). If you want something larger and faster that still carries a 5-year warranty, then this is your best all-arounder. Or rather, You could get it from here, though you'll be paying a bit more for it.

After providing my specs and chatting with a rep over at Newegg, I’ve landed on this configuration:

https://www.newegg.com/asus-rog-strix-b550-f-gaming-wifi-atx/p/N82E16813142456
$246>

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-8500-box/p/N82E16813141102

$538

https://www.newegg.com/crucial-ddr4-16gb-3000mhz/p/N82E16813886123
$440

https://www.newegg.com/fractal-design-cases-black/p/N82E16813121234
$109

https://www.newegg.com/evga-supernova-750w-gold/p/N82E16813226912
$275

https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-cpu-coolers/p/N82E16813121122
$91

https://www.newegg.com/samsung-nvme-m2/p/N82E16813146421
$356

Total comes to $5,985... which I guess means I've blown my budget by about 20%.🙂

I was thinking about picking up a Crucial SSD somewhere else, but honestly, I’d much rather have them build the whole thing so I can just plug in the GPU and be done. This M.2 seems pretty fast, so I figured... maybe it's a decent choice.

The clerk recommended this motherboard. If the ASUS ROG is significantly better, I might just bite the bullet and pay the $67 difference.

Just doing a last-minute check to see if this looks alright before I send the order in tomorrow.

Thanks so much for all the help.

P.S. I just noticed the warranty on the SSD is only 2 years, while this slower Kingston https://www.newegg.com/kingston-ssd-sata/p/N82E16813886123 has 5... uhh. 🙂

My CPU is sitting at about $67 right now, which is definitely more expensive than it ought to be click (you probably just caught them on a bad day for pricing). As for the SSD, absolutely—though like I mentioned before, it’s a shame to pass up faster, smaller NVMe drives, especially if this one comes with a solid 5-year warranty. The cooler is this better option, it’s cheaper, and it includes an AM4 bracket. Everything else looks fine. If you really want to push for a better motherboard, try this or this

Purchased!

I ended up biting the bullet and grabbing the ROG X370 after all.

It turned out to be a classic case of a home renovation project going about 20% over budget. 😁

Thanks to everyone for the advice.