Build suggestions/advice for around $1,000 budget

Hey everyone,

I'm currently in the middle of picking out a new PC. I know my way around a computer reasonably well, but I figured I'd reach out to you all for some advice just to be safe. 🙂

Right now, I'm running a low-to-mid-range rig that I'll probably let go for about $500. It handles most AAA titles on low-to-medium settings with high textures, but it’s definitely time to upgrade to something more capable.

Here are the basics:
Budget: $2333 (+- $200)
One-time payment (cash/Visa)
I plan on playing pretty much everything—from PopPop Games and League of Legends to Call of Duty, PUBG, Overwatch, and so on.
I want this build to be as future-proof as possible given the budget.
Location: Washington, D.C.

I’ve put together this list over at ADM:

ASRock AB350M PRO4 Motherboard, s.AM4, 90-MXB520-A0UAYZ
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 BOX, 3.2GHz 16MB, AM4
240GB Kingston A400 SSD, SATA3, SA400S37/240G
MS PANTHERA midi tower case
8GB (1x8GB) DDR4 PC4-19200 2400MHz CL14 Corsair Vengeance LPX Black, CMK8GX4M1A2400C14
MSI GTX1060 gaming x 6 g, 6 GB DDR5, 192-bit, 1809/8100 MHz
450W Corsair VS Series VS450 Power Supply, ATX 2.31, CP-9020096

The total comes to 7700 after applying a 10% discount for paying upfront.

I'm not entirely certain if these parts represent the best bang for my buck. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them.
Also, does anyone know where the best place to buy this would be? Any reliable shops or websites you recommend?

By the way, I didn't include an HDD because I already have a relatively new 1TB SATA3 hard drive.

Thanks 🙂

Bradley Jones46 said:Hey everyone,

I'm currently in the process of buying a new PC. I know my way around computers well enough, but I wanted to reach out and get some advice from you guys just to be safe.🙂

Right now, I've got a low-to-mid range rig that I'm thinking about letting go of for about $500. It runs most AAA titles on low-to-mid settings with high textures, but it’s definitely time for me to upgrade to something better.

The basics:
Budget: $2333 (+- $200)
One-time payment (cash/Visa)
I plan on playing everything—from PopCap Games and League of Legends to COD, PUBG, Overwatch, etc.
I want it to be as future-proof as this budget allows.
Washington, D.C.

I put together this build over at ADM:

Motherboard: ASRock AB350M PRO4, s.AM4, 90-MXB520-A0UAYZ
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 BOX, 3.2GHz 16MB, AM4
SSD: 240GB Kingston A400, SATA3, SA400S37/240G
Case: MS PANTHERA midi tower
RAM: DDR4 8GB (1x8GB) PC4-19200 2400MHz CL14 Corsair Vengeance LPX Black, CMK8GX4M1A2400C14
GPU: MSI GTX1060 gaming x 6 g, 6 GB DDR5, 192-bit, 1809/8100 MHz
PSU: 450W Corsair VS Series VS450, ATX 2.31, CP-920096

It comes out to $7700 with a 10% discount for paying upfront.

I'm not entirely sure if these components are the best bang for my buck, so please feel free to chime in with suggestions.
Also, where would be the best place to buy this? Any good local shops or online retailers?

BTW, I didn't include an HDD because I have a relatively new 1TB SATA3 hard drive.

Thanks! 🙂

It's funny how everyone jumps on Corsair, specifically the VS series, like people think they can't be fooled when they hear the name. 😛The VS is actually their worst line; grab THIS or THIS if you hate dealing with extra cables (they're modular). I'd also pick up a case from at least Zalman; I don't even know how many fans come with that MS case.

The rest is fine, though personally, I wouldn't buy a PC right now because spending $3500 on a GTX 1060 is just absurd. Either wait a month or maybe keep an eye on Craigslist until you find a decent deal with a warranty.

EDIT: CLICK Given the circumstances, I'd rather go with something like this instead of dropping $3500 on a GTX 1060. You still get a year of warranty, and you might even be able to haggle the price down by a few hundred bucks.

EDIT2: CLICK This is a great price, considering the situation.

Adam Moore3 said:It’s funny how everyone jumps on Corsair, specifically that VS series. People hear the name Corsair and immediately assume they can't be fooled. 😛The VS line is actually pretty bottom-tier. You should grab THIS or THIS if you're bothered by extra cables (they're modular). As for the case, I'd at least look into a Zalman model. I'm not even sure how many fans come with that MS case.

Everything else seems fine, though personally, I wouldn't buy a PC right now. Paying $3,500 for a GTX 1060 is just absurd. I'd either wait a month or maybe keep an eye on Craigslist until a decent deal with a warranty pops up.

EDIT: CLICK Given the circumstances, I'd rather go with something like this than drop $3,500 on a GTX 1060. It still has a year of warranty left, and you could probably haggle it down by a couple hundred bucks.

EDIT2: CLICK This is a great price, considering everything.

Thanks for the reply. I had no idea the VS series was that bad. I'll swap out the power supply for one of the ones you listed, though I haven't decided which yet—not that the extra cables really bother me.
I didn't look too closely at the case, but I think it comes with three fans: two in the front and one in the back.

As for the graphics card, I wouldn't buy through Craigslist unless it was a truly incredible deal, and honestly, I can't be bothered driving all the way to Des Moines.

I also found this for $3,000 with a 3-year warranty:

I'll keep looking for a GPU; finding something reasonable is going to be tough. Anyway, thanks for the feedback.🙂

Bradley Jones46 said:Thanks for the reply. I didn't realize the VS series was such a bottom-tier choice. I'll swap out the power supply for one of the ones you listed—still deciding which one, though having extra cables isn't really an issue for me.
I haven't looked too closely at the case yet, but I think it comes with three fans: two in the front and one in the back.

As for the graphics card, I wouldn't buy through Craigslist unless it was an absolute steal, and honestly, I can't be bothered driving all the way out to Des Moines.

I also found this option for 3k with a 3-year warranty:

I'm still going to hunt for a GPU; finding something decent is going to be tough. Anyway, thanks for the feedback.🙂

You could go with that, it's not insanely bad, just a bad deal.😬 I'm telling you, your best bet is to wait a few months for things to stabilize because right now it's a total disaster. But if you're impatient, just try to keep the GPU under 3K if you're eyeing the 1060 6GB.

AMD Ryzen 5 1600
G. Skill Aegis 8GB DDR4 3000Mhz
ADATA Ultimate SU650 240 GB
Corsair CX550M 550 Watt Modular (2015 Edition)
Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming
Corsair Carbide 200R
Zotac GeForce GTX 970, 4GB (3.5GB+0.5GB) , DDR5, 256 Bit

Roughly $2.00 - Best Buy

Out of nowhere, they just pulled the last new GTX 970 out of stock for $567. I guess you should grab it fast before it’s gone 😬. You'll probably still want another 8GB of that same RAM to hit 16GB total.

You have assembled this quite impressively, if I do so say myself. In fact, if it were any better, it would almost feel unnatural; you truly deserve a great deal of credit for this. What they managed to achieve with that GTX 970 is nothing short of a minor miracle, honestly.

@Adam Moore3/">@@Adam Moore3
Thanks for the advice. I’d chime in with my own thoughts if I could, but honestly, the cash I have on hand is likely going to vanish within a few months anyway 🙂
My plan is to pull the trigger on an order this week, or next week at the absolute latest.

@Smartic
Thanks for getting back to me. You put together a really solid list here. I'm assuming the GTX 970 is still a smart buy at this point? From what I've been digging up online, it doesn't seem much slower than the GTX 1060—maybe only about 10%?
It looks like an absolute steal for the price.

CLICK

It's getting pretty close to the GTX 1060 3GB. It’ll be relatively weaker than the 6GB version, sure, but you're getting it for half the price. Either way, it's a great value.

Adam Moore3 said:CLICK

It’s pretty close to the GTX 1060 3GB. It’ll be relatively weaker than the 6 GB version, sure, but it costs about half as much. Honestly, it seems like a great value.

Thanks for the link. I’ve been hunting everywhere and somehow totally missed 😁this one.

Looking at this deal, it’s actually insane. A few extra FPS isn't worth paying a massive premium for. I still need to do some more digging, but if I pull the trigger on this, I’m grabbing it today.

My only real worry is how long this card will actually stay relevant. Is it enough to be future-proof?

Bradley Jones46 said:Thanks for the link! I've been searching everywhere, but I didn't think to check that specific site.😁

Based on this, the deal looks insane. A few extra FPS isn't worth paying an extra couple hundred bucks for. I still need to do some more digging, but if I pull the trigger, I'll grab it today.

My only real concern is how much "future-proofing" we're actually getting with a card like this.

Keep in mind that comparison is against the 3GB GTX 1060 version; the 6GB model is even beefier.

As for future-proofing, it’s hard to say because everyone defines that differently. The GTX 970 will definitely serve you for a few more years and run just about anything you throw at it, but you probably can't max out some titles right now. Who knows how many years until you're stuck playing on high/medium settings.

If you aren't a stickler for ultra settings and fine-tuning, you probably won't regret it. But if you expect it to breeze through everything effortlessly for several more years—that's a stretch.

When you talk about true future-proofing, there's no such thing as a GPU being too powerful for its price.🙂

Adam Moore3 said:Keep in mind that’s just compared to the 3GB GTX 1060 version; the 6GB model is actually quite a bit stronger.

When it comes to "future-proofing," it's hard to give a straight answer because that term means different things to different people. Your GTX 970 will definitely limp along for a few more years. It'll run whatever you throw at it, sure, but you probably won't be hitting max settings on many titles anymore. Who knows how long until even medium settings become a stretch?

If you aren't the type to obsess over tiny graphical details or specific settings, you likely won't regret your choice. But if you're expecting this card to just breeze through everything for several more years without breaking a sweat... well, that's a tall order.

In the real world, true future-proofing doesn't exist. There is no such thing as a card being "too powerful" or having too much money behind it. 🙂

Yeah, I took a look. In this case, I'm going to have to bump up my budget a bit to squeeze in that 6GB GTX 1060, or maybe even look for something a step higher.

Thanks anyway. Catch you later. 🙂

Are you truly keeping pace with the current volatility of the market? I find myself questioning whether one would reasonably consider paying $1000 for a graphics card that was priced at a mere $2,000 just last month. Given the present valuation, you could have almost secured a GTX 1070 for what people are asking for a GTX 1060 lately.

I’m just sitting here looking at how much my GTX 1060 3GB has gone up in price only three months after I bought it. It’s somehow €160 more expensive on Amazon now. Even over at Micro Center, it's costing more than $333.
Honestly, don't be crazy and drop that kind of cash on graphics cards that have been out for ages.

Of course, if consumers actually start paying these inflated prices, manufacturers will certainly take advantage of the situation; within two years, we’ll likely see some mid-range hardware, perhaps something comparable to a GTX 1060, costing $1167. Honestly, I suppose I am being a bit overly optimistic and naive here.

I see that GTX 970 is gone already—probably snapped up instantly. When deals like that pop up, there’s no room for second-guessing or hesitation; you just have to pull the trigger immediately.

As for the rest of the GPUs, I’d suggest holding off for a bit. Intel mentioned they've rolled out a new batch of chips, so NVIDIA will likely follow suit soon. Plus, crypto prices have been in a freefall for a while now... I don't think these inflated prices are going to stick around forever.

So, what kind of GPU are you running in your old rig? If it isn't absolute garbage—which, I guess, depends on your definition of bad—it might actually make sense to just pull the trigger on a whole new PC right now without a dedicated graphics card. You could just limp along using your old one or maybe some integrated graphics for a bit, then wait three to six months for prices to actually stabilize before picking up a real card at a normal price.

William Miller8 said:What kind of GPU are you running in your old rig? If it isn't total garbage, it might make sense to just grab a whole new build without a dedicated card right now. You could just stick with your old one or use integrated graphics, then pick up a decent GPU once prices stabilize in 3 to 6 months.

That's probably the smartest move. Trying to offload an old PC without a video card is like trying to sell a car without an engine—nobody's buying it.

I mean, they could just hold off on selling anything until they actually have the new card in hand. It’d probably make more sense to sell the whole rig right before picking up the new GPU—that way, they can just dump that cash directly into the upgrade.