Budget PC build for $1,500?

My current setup is getting pretty outdated for my late-night gaming sessions, so I’m looking to build something fresh and much more powerful. 🤔
I’m aiming for some mid-to-high-end components that can handle heavy gaming and serious multitasking. Specifically, I need a new CPU, motherboard, RAM, GPU, and an SSD with at least 128GB capacity. I'm targeting either 16GB or 32GB of RAM, a rock-solid motherboard, and a beefy graphics card capable of driving 3 or 4 monitors simultaneously without breaking a sweat. Most importantly, I want a processor that won't feel obsolete for at least 4 or 5 years. I'm already sitting on a Fractal Design XL R2 case, so I'd like to add two new fans to it—any suggestions? Please, give me the highest quality options you can find; I want fans that actually last and don't die on me after a month! 😵I also plan to round everything out with liquid cooling. My current power supply is an XFX 550W unit, and if it's not enough (which I'm assuming it isn't), I'll grab a new one.
*I'm planning to hook up 4-5 hard drives and 2 SSDs
**If necessary, my budget can stretch up to $1,500☕

What resolution and refresh rate are you planning to play on?

144Hz at 1440p is my main priority, and I’m planning on picking up another one just like it along with a 1920x1200 setup.
Right now I'm stuck with an R9 280, so I have no clue if I can even make use of this gear—honestly, it’s been a total disappointment.

What's the actual use case here? What kind of intense multitasking requires 32GB of RAM?

Basically, I'd go with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ASUS+ROG+Crosshair+Hero+x370 (you might need a BIOS update, though most boards come pre-updated these days). Honestly, this motherboard is a steal—it's High-end hardware at an upper mid-range price point...
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=AMD+Ryzen+7+2700x
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=FSP+Windale+6 - an air cooler should be plenty; you don't really need liquid cooling
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=NVIDIA+RTX+2070
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=16gb+3000mhz+ddr4 - grab some Aegis or Corsair Vengeance LPX (just grab two kits if you truly need 32GB)
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=samsung+960+evo - one of the best consumer SSDs out there, maybe get the 250GB or 500GB version...

If you're aiming for 1440p at 144Hz, you can't cut corners on the GPU. It’s just not happening. So, what’s the actual budget here? Honestly, those parts Kimberly Gomez34 linked are solid choices.

I don't get why you'd pick up another one like that. How are you even going to play on two monitors at once? Especially if they're both high-end refresh rate setups.

Honestly, if it were me, I’d go with the AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, even on this kind of budget, and then try to squeeze an NVIDIA RTX 2080 in there later.

The reality is, with new AAA titles, you're mostly going to hit a GPU bottleneck if you settle for an NVIDIA RTX 2070. The AMD Ryzen 5 2600X is a solid deal—minimal performance trade-offs and it sets you up perfectly to swap in a 7nm chip down the road.

Bottom line: more power right now, and an easier path to an upgrade later for roughly the same price.

The 2600 is a much better deal than the 2600X.

I suggested the AMD Ryzen 7 2700 under the assumption that he’ll need plenty of threads if he's also upgrading his RAM (assuming he's doing something productive with it). If this is strictly a gaming rig, then 16GB is the way to go—32GB would be total overkill. He could even opt for a cheaper CPU, provided it can still handle an NVIDIA RTX 2080...

True, the 2600X is better if you plan on overclocking it.

I suggested 6-core because "heavy multitasking" is such a vague term. Unless you're talking about heavy video rendering or high-end streaming while gaming, a 6-core/12-thread setup can handle just about anything. For a long time, 6c/12t was basically considered HEDT territory.

Look, when I buy gear like this, I try to invest in stuff that actually lasts, even if it means paying a massive premium upfront. I've wasted money on several "premium" CPU coolers in the past that turned out to be total junk, and my processor was still overheating regardless. What I really need is a setup capable of running two video monitors simultaneously while pushing some newer title on a third screen with everything cranked to the max.
I'm operating under the assumption that liquid cooling actually performs better, so that's what I'd go for. If that's not actually the case—which, let's be honest, I have my doubts about—then there's absolutely no point in me getting one.
Will my current power supply (XFX TS 550) even be able to handle all that?

And yeah, I mentioned multitasking because I’m not just looking for some budget build to play games. I don't want a cheap setup; I'm more than willing to shell out extra cash if there's something even better out there. I put down 15, but honestly, if I can get something twice or three times as powerful for 20, I'll gladly pay the 20...😉
I just want to know that once I've powered everything up, I can do whatever the hell I want—whether that's running two heavy games at once, streaming in top-tier quality, or whatever else—without anything stuttering or overheating on me.

The thing about liquid cooling is that the difference is practically nonexistent when you compare decent air cooling against high-end water cooling.

Kimberly Gomez34 gave you a cheaper air cooler simply because the suggested processor doesn't need more; its clock speeds aren't being throttled by heat.

If you want top-tier cooling and you're willing to drop the cash, just go for an absolute beast of an air cooler like the

https://www.amazon.com/noctua-nh-d15-se-...m_medium=click

Here’s a comparison of an even weaker air cooler versus the Corsair H115i, which is actually a pretty solid liquid setup.


Plus, liquid cooling is inherently less reliable for obvious reasons.

Look, it's basically a choice between pure practicality versus the "fancy factor" of water cooling. You can't really make a wrong move here.

Regarding the CPU, your requirements are incredibly broad.

Specifically, playing two demanding games at once while streaming—that's a scenario where you can't have a weak rig if you want it running smoothly across monitors at those resolutions and refresh rates.

Running dual 1440p 144Hz setups is brutal for any system. Based on those specs, you really should be looking at an i9 9900K paired with an NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti, since that's pretty much the gold standard right now.

But that requires a massive budget, and honestly, your demands might be unrealistic because trying to play two games simultaneously is tough (what, two mice and two keyboards?).

I think AMD Ryzen is a great choice for multitasking. If you go with the 2700, which is 8c/16t, it handles streaming and multitasking like a champ.
And if you're aiming that high, there's another perk: you can eventually upgrade to one of those future 12 or 16-core monsters (likely sometime in 2019), whereas with Intel, you'll probably be stuck with whatever 8-core chip is available now.

If we're talking about the more realistic needs you mentioned (one game plus dual video playback), it’s basically the same load as just the game itself. Video playback isn't heavy, so we're back to your actual bottleneck... realistically, the GPU. Since you're aiming for 1440p 144Hz, you need to grab the best graphics card you can afford.

The power supply should be fine with an AMD Ryzen build and, say, an NVIDIA RTX 2080, but if you pivot to something else, we'll have to take another look.

Let me make this simple for you:
I’m looking for an 8-core processor (preferably Intel), a motherboard with at least 6 USB ports, dual LAN, and 4 RAM slots, 16GB of RAM, a high-end NVIDIA graphics card, two high-quality 120/140mm fans, liquid cooling, and a brand-new power supply;
My budget is $2,700.

In my honest opinion, there isn't a single PC component more overrated than an AIO liquid cooler. You can try to squeeze some potential out of them, sure, but at the end of the day, they aren't any better than a proper air cooler. clickAnd then there was that one legendary old benchmark. click

For the most part, I ran Spire on an AMD Ryzen 5 1600 overclocked to 3.7 GHz, and I didn't run into any of those issues. It took me about a month to really get the hang of the learning curve, but I eventually figured it out.
I eventually upgraded to liquid cooling, and... It was actually louder than the Spire.

...

I didn't see any real difference in temperatures—maybe five degrees here or there—and honestly, it was actually louder than my stock cooler. Just to be clear, I wasn't using some budget AIO that costs a few bucks; I paid closer to... $267.

However, I’m running into some serious thermal issues. On stock settings, my temperatures are hitting crazy highs—idling around 40°C, but once I put it under load, they easily spike up to 85-90°C. At first, I figured it was just a sensor error or a bad reading, so I updated to the latest BIOS, but even with a beast of a cooler like the Corsair H115i, there’s no way this should be happening. It’s just not possible.

I double-checked that the Corsair H115i was seated properly, then went ahead and reinstalled it using slightly less thermal paste—even though everything looked fine the first time around. Despite that, I’m still seeing pretty high temperatures; under load, it hits 90 degrees without breaking a sweat.

I honestly started thinking there was something wrong with my CPU, like I might have been stuck with a defective unit. Then yesterday, I couldn't shake the feeling, so I decided to just slap on that pathetic stock cooler that came in the box. And BOOM—temperatures dropped by an average of 20°C! I even managed to set up a quick overclock to 4GHz without any issues; under load, it only hits about 80°C. Just a little test run, but man, what a difference.

I'd say the pump in my Corsair H100i is running, but it’s gotten significantly louder. My only real suspicion is that there's air trapped in the closed loop, which is chronically killing its heat transfer efficiency. At this point, I'm assuming it's ready for an RMA?

I’ve had some seriously bad luck with the Corsair H series lately. First, my H100 gave out when the pump died. Then, the controller inside the H100i fried, which made it impossible to even file a warranty claim. Now, following that same predictable pattern, I’m pretty sure my H115i is already starting to act up too.

...

Everything has finally clicked into place.

My refund for the Corsair H100i finally went through! To get things back up and running, I picked up a Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition instead. $117It looks great, and more importantly, it keeps everything running nice and cool.

I dialed it in to 1.25V at 4GHz, and after running an AIDA stress test for about 10 minutes, the max temperature hit 63°C. That’s excellent—exactly the kind of results I was looking for.

I was honestly floored at first—first by those insane temperatures caused by my faulty Corsair H115, and then by what I was seeing from this tiny stock cooler!

That's just how it is.

Who actually needs that kind of junk? An air cooler isn't going to crack or leak. At most, a fan might die, but even then, the odds of that happening are slim.

Just watch my video link above regarding liquid cooling and decide for yourself—short version: when it comes to performance and noise, water cooling doesn't offer any real advantage.

As for the CPU, you could go Intel, but if you do, you might as well push all the way to the i9 9900K since the 9700K lacks Hyperthreading.
You'll need a solid motherboard too, because that thing pulls a lot of power, so good cooling and a decent PSU are mandatory.
Assuming you can afford it, you won't be disappointed with the quality of the 9900K.

Honestly, though, I think what Kimberly Gomez34 recommended is a much more rational move. You still get an 8-core, 16-thread processor that handles everything you throw at it, but for way less money. Plus, you have an upgrade path to future chips built on 7nm that will likely hit 16 cores—more than anything else on the market right now.

Usually, I wouldn't suggest buying a chip just because you can upgrade to something better later, but with AMD on the AM4 platform, that's actually a viable strategy.

Basically, everything you guys have said so far checks out based on my own Google searches, so thanks for the advice. It looks like I’ll be following the path you've laid out for me.
I haven't really messed with AMD processors before. My history is mostly Intel—I've run an Intel Celeron 2.4, an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, and some random Intel Core i5. The last chip I picked up was actually an AMD FX-8320, and honestly? It was pretty terrible for what I actually need to get done. My graphics card is just as pathetic; it's an R9 280, which might have been a decent buy three or four years ago, but now? Not so much.
What I was trying to get at is that back in the day, maybe ten years ago, I paid $833 for a Q6600, and that processor stayed solid for five or six years without a single hiccup. When it comes to upgrading, I’d much rather invest in components that actually last for years instead of constantly swapping stuff out or building around future upgrades (which is why I'm leaning toward liquid cooling—I want to set it and forget it, though I won't go 😁).
Also, nobody has actually answered my question about the power supply yet...🤔

Your power supply should be fine, provided it's functioning correctly...

Regarding the liquid cooling, it’s exactly what I mentioned before—it's actually the opposite. You won't get that "set it and forget it" peace of mind for five years like you would with an air cooler.

Look, I know I might be getting on everyone's nerves by asking this again, but... where is actually the best place to buy gear? Is there any way to order stuff online from overseas without it being a total disaster or getting hit with some massive customs fee? And what's the deal with this AMD EPYC? Is that what you guys have in mind when you say you'll "upgrade soon"?
Actually, now that I think about it, maybe I should just grab an Intel Core i9 9900K. It feels like a safer bet to just get it and be set for five years rather than going with AMD and having to upgrade again in two or three. Besides, I’m definitely going to need a new GPU in three or four years anyway, so... maybe an NVIDIA RTX 2080? But which one specifically? I’ve always liked the ASUS models best—are they actually worth the premium? 😁
Which motherboard would pair best with a 9900K if I absolutely need dual LAN ports?
As for cooling, I'm definitely going with that top-tier Noctua NH-D15; it's easily the best in my book. I'll just have to build the whole rig myself to make sure nothing melts.

Our local shops—Centro, IT Futura, Uzishop, ADM—basically, if you just name a component on Nabava.net, you'll find it there.

In the States—you've got all the various Amazon sites (not the US .com version), or Alzashop—but since we aren't dealing with international customs issues here, it's straightforward. However, on Amazon, you often don't see the true final price including sales tax and shipping until the very last step of checkout. Because of that, it doesn't always make sense to order from overseas unless there's a massive sale; our domestic prices aren't actually bad, we just deal with high sales tax.

It all boils down to what you actually plan on doing.

Both the i9 9900K and the AMD Ryzen 7 2700 are 8-core/16-thread processors; the big difference is just that the i9 clocks higher.

You won't "have" to swap out that 2700 in two or three years because it’ll likely still be plenty for whatever you need.
But eventually, you'll have the option to jump to 12 or 16-core CPUs on a newer 7nm process, which will be absolute beasts for multitasking compared to the 9900K.

Plus, the 9900K pulls way more power.

EPYC is a server platform—don't even bother looking at it.
Threadripper is AMD's High-end desktop platform, so you could jump straight to a 16-core chip there, but I don't think it makes sense for you. Based on what you've said, you don't need a massive amount of PCIe lanes or memory bandwidth, and those things come at a much higher price.

Still, it's worth keeping in mind since what we're really waiting for from AMD on the AM4 platform is exactly that: getting those 16-core chips down to this level.

There’s already an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X available for $1000, and honestly, the price has dropped quite a bit lately. If you're running workloads that really push every single core to its limit, you might actually be better off going that route instead of picking up a 9900K.