Budget gaming build around $1,500?

Hey everyone,
Anyway, I should finally have enough saved up within the next month to pull the trigger on a new build; I’ve already sold off my old parts, leaving me with nothing but an old HDD hanging on for dear life.
The budget I'm looking at covers both the PC and a monitor.
What I really want to know is whether this amount can actually handle 1440p gaming, or if I'd be smarter sticking to 1080p. My goal is to grab something somewhat future-proof so I don't have to stress about upgrades for a few years.

You really picked the worst possible timing 😁 GPU prices are up 40-100% because of the crypto mining craze, so shortages are everywhere. Even RAM prices aren't doing us any favors right now.

The best you can probably grab at the moment is a GTX 1060 6GB paired with an i5 8400 or a Ryzen 5 1600 and 16GB of RAM. I’d suggest sticking to a 1080p monitor if I were you.

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8) DDR4 3000MHz
NZXT H510 Midi Tower ATX case, integrated 7.1 sound card, no PSU, black
EVGA SuperNOVA 650 W Gold
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Gigabyte Z790 Gaming
ADATA Ultimate SU800 256GB Serial ATA III
iiyama ProLite XU2492HSU 23.8" Full HD IPS

~$2.25 - Micro Center

+ graphics card:

Thanks for the input on the assembly, though I think I’ll just sit this one out for a bit longer
It makes zero sense to drop $3000 on a build that topped out at maybe 7 or 8k max...
But hey, thanks anyway 😵

I suppose you could put together a build something like this. It’s a quad-core setup, but honestly, given the specs on that GPU at that specific resolution, I don't think you'd run into much trouble at all.

https://www.newegg.com/p/gaming-desktops/50

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/monitors-and-accessories/27plus/20995

I have to admit, some of those future bundles actually look like decent deals. Even with the Corsair TX included.

I’m feeling pretty good about this prebuilt setup, though I am wondering about the CPU choice—is there really a massive gap between an i3 and a Ryzen 5?

Also, I was reading up on this specific monitor, and apparently, a ton of people have been returning it because of ghosting issues... sounds like it might be a total bust for competitive gaming.
I'm planning to run CS2, Dota, and some RPGs like The Witcher or Skyrim. Honestly, I might need a better processor since I do music production on the side, too. Maybe I'm just overthinking things for a $100 budget.

Thomas Diaz7 said:This prebuilt looks solid to me, except for the CPU—it’s an i3 instead of an R5... is there actually a huge difference between an i3 and a Ryzen here?

Also, I was reading up on this monitor, and apparently, a bunch of people returned it because of ghosting issues... sounds like it's not great for competitive gaming.
I'm planning on playing CS:GO, Dota, and some RPGs like Witcher or Skyrim... plus, a better CPU would be nice since I do music production... maybe I'm asking for too much for $10k.

Under normal circumstances, no. A buddy of mine who streams put together a build for about $10k around a year ago with a 1070 and an R5 1600. But given how things are right now, yeah, in this economy, $10k is asking a lot.

Adam Moore3 said:Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't say so. A buddy of mine put together a streaming rig for about $1,000 just last year—nothing fancy, just a GTX 1070 paired with a Ryzen 5 1600. But given how much the market has been acting lately, I suppose you could argue that asking for more isn't unreasonable.

Is it actually safe to pick up a used GPU with a warranty on Craigslist? I spotted a couple of MSI 1080s listed for around $350 that supposedly still have coverage left.

Thomas Diaz7 said:Is it actually safe to buy a used graphics card with a warranty on Craigslist? I found a couple of MSI 1080s for $45.

If you get the whole kit—original box, receipt, warranty, all that—then yeah, it’s pretty safe. But $45 for a 1080? That isn't even a great deal; you can find newer ones for about $55.

Adam Moore3 said:If the whole kit comes with the warranty, receipt, and original packaging, then yeah, it’s probably a safe bet. But $4,500 for 1080p resolution? That isn't exactly a steal when you can pick up a brand-new setup for around $5,400 elsewhere.

Fair point. I'll sleep on it.
I'll likely pull the trigger on everything except the graphics card; once a better offer hits the market, I'll grab it then.

I wouldn't sweat the price tag too much if you're aiming for 1440p gaming.

The GTX1060 handles 1440p well enough in most scenarios.
Just leave the rig mining while you aren't playing; in a few months, you'll have made back whatever extra you paid for that inflated markup.