Budget PC build for $1,500?

Right now, this specific setup is calling my name, and I’m going to lay out my reasoning so you guys can try and tear it apart—let’s see if I’ve actually made a mistake here:
ASRock X399 Taichi motherboard, TR4—it's the only one I've seen with dual LAN ports for the TR4 platform.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X processor ($1000it’s worth the extra cash since it gives me a TR4 socket to upgrade later).
PNY RTX 2080 XLR8 (this is the cheapest 2080 available; does that actually matter in the real world?)
16GB (1x16GB) DDR4 PC4-24000U 3000MHz CL16 Corsair Vengeance LPX (at least, that's what you guys suggested).
Three Noctua NF-A14 PWM 140mm fans (they seem like the gold standard).
Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3, AMD TR4 (same thing, right?).
At Micro Center, it’s about $1,500, though they don't have the 1920X in stock. If I go with the 1950X, the price jumps to nearly $1,900.
🤔🤔🤔

Grab two 8GB sticks of RAM. Recent benchmarks show that running in dual-channel makes a massive difference, especially if you're pairing it with a high-end GPU.
If you're strictly a gamer, there’s honestly no point in investing in the TR4 platform. You'll get a perfectly solid upgrade path on AM4, and you'll have more than enough cores to handle whatever you throw at it.
Since we're talking about Threadrippers, keep in mind that the 2000 series has been around since last summer. As for the 3000 series based on Zen 2 architecture, that isn't hitting the market until late summer or fall—think of the 2000 series more as a refined refresh rather than a total overhaul. So, saying the "1950X" isn't out is simply incorrect; it’s been available for quite some time. Whether a specific shop has it in stock or not is just a matter of inventory, not availability.

Basically, here's my proposal:

Graphics cards look like a total steal right now (though there are definitely a few other solid options out there):

I found this listing for an NVIDIA GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 memory. Check it out here: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/graphics-cards/

Aside from the 2080 Ti—and I’m not even counting the Titan for gaming purposes—this is effectively the second most powerful GPU out there. Don't go in expecting to crank every single setting to Ultra and maintain a steady 144fps at 1440p resolution; trying to push things like 8x MSAA or heaven forbid, Ray Tracing, simply isn't possible in certain titles, regardless of whether you're rocking a 2080 Ti that cost you a fortune. My advice? Wait another two or three years before upgrading to a more powerful GPU and a Zen 3 CPU. That way, you can extend the lifespan of your current rig without having to drop a massive amount of cash all at once.

To me, the AMD Ryzen 7 2700 makes the most sense because:

You don't actually need the TR4 platform. It isn't any better for gaming, and honestly, it's just going to cost you way more.
Intel is getting way too expensive. They're hiking up those prices mainly because they're struggling with manufacturing capacity, which means we're seeing either tiny batches of CPUs hitting the market or nothing at all.
Even if you decided to jump up to an i9, you wouldn't have enough left in the budget to afford an NVIDIA RTX 2080. You'd end up stuck with a weaker GPU, which means sacrificing fine details and lower FPS, or you'd be forced to make some serious compromises on a build priced between $10,000 and $15,000. $0.00 Trying to justify something that just doesn't make sense is a losing battle. You’re also looking at massive extra costs for a high-end motherboard and a solid cooler, which really drives the price up. Honestly, even the 6-core/12-thread setup isn't worth the investment; a pure hexa-core dual-thread configuration is much better for the long haul. We're already seeing bottlenecking issues pop up, especially when you try to run any kind of messy multitasking.
Generally speaking, an AMD Ryzen 7 2700 won't bottleneck an NVIDIA RTX 2080 or even a 1080 Ti when you're playing at 1440p resolution. You shouldn't run into any issues there—just look at the most CPU-intensive titles out there today, like Battlefield V with a 64-player multiplayer match. click).
Look, you don't actually need an 8-core, 16-thread setup just for gaming. If you head over to Best Buy, you could grab a Ryzen 5 with 6 cores and 12 threads for half the price. However, given that you have a massive budget to work with, you might as well go with the higher core count to ensure everything fits perfectly into your build without any of those potential headaches you're anticipating—which, frankly, seem a bit unnecessary to me. Plus, if you plan on keeping this rig for a long time, having 8 cores and 16 threads probably won't feel like overkill when future games start demanding more power.

Check out this breakdown of the AMD Ryzen processors. It’s a solid deep dive if you're looking to understand the architecture and performance specs of the lineup.

I’ve already shared my thoughts on the motherboard, but let’s be real—if you aren't looking to break the bank, this is hands down the best value purchase on the market right now.

I've been looking into this motherboard, and here’s the breakdown. It's a solid option if you're building a high-end rig. If you're aiming for peak performance, this is definitely worth your attention.

You might want to ask if they have a more recent BIOS available—and if they don't, you could always offer to pay them to flash the new version for you. That said, the guys working on the inside mentioned that all the older models should already be updated with the latest BIOS.

If you're looking for a total best-buy when it comes to RAM:

I found this listing for a 16GB kit of DDR4 memory (2x8GB modules) over at Micro Center. It looks like a solid option if you're looking to upgrade your current setup.

If you’re hunting for the absolute best RAM out there—specifically looking for those Samsung B-die chips, which usually show up as 3200MHz CL14—that's where the magic happens.

Check out this listing for some DDR4 memory: 16GB (2x8GB) kits available right now. It’s a solid option if you're looking to upgrade your current setup.

By the way, all those overpriced RAM kits aren't actually any better from a hardware standpoint. They just boast higher clock speeds because they’ve dialed back the latencies—something you can easily do yourself—or they come with flashy nonsense like RGB that just drives up the price tag.

Regarding SSDs, you could go with a combo—like a smaller NVMe paired with a larger SATA drive specifically for your game library—but this setup is perfectly fine. It’s a top-tier SATA SSD and provides plenty of capacity for gaming:

https://www.amazon.com/ssd-500gb-samsung...m_medium=click

If you're looking for a true best-buy on coolers, try this:

https://www.amazon.com/arctic-freezer-33...m_medium=click

There's really no need to overclock the X model; in a real-world scenario, you won't notice much difference. The Freezer 33 is more than capable of keeping temperatures in check. However, since you have a bit of extra breathing room in your budget, if you want something slightly higher-end without breaking the bank:

https://www.newegg.com/fortron-fsp-cp...m_medium=click

Now, if you want a premium air cooler that actually outperforms 99% of liquid coolers on the market:

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

Going with the most expensive options puts you right around $4.50. At that point, you might also consider swapping out the power supply for something modern with better features, rather than sticking with a ten-year-old unit that's seen better days.

https://www.amazon.com/napajanje-650w-co...m_medium=click

If any of these specific items aren't in stock at the retailers listed, just head over to Best Buy or similar sites to find an equivalent alternative (I tried to narrow this down to as few shops as possible for you).

What Kimberly Gomez34 told you is spot on.

With that platform, you can actually upgrade to a newer generation CPU later ON if you really need to.

TR4 is definitely the beefier platform, but for gaming plus multitasking? It doesn't make much sense. You only grab that stuff for the extra PCIe lanes, quad-channel memory, and those massive 12-32 core processors available right now.
To run quad-channel, you're looking at 4x8GB sticks, which isn't necessary for gaming. You won't see any real benefit from quad-channel since dual-channel is plenty. Better to stick with dual-channel using higher clock speeds that pair well with AMD Ryzen to keep internal latency low—ideally 3000-3200MHz.
For pure gaming, even though it’s overkill, the AM4 platform will generally give you higher clocks and is just better tuned for gaming.
The 2700 or 2700X are actually slightly better for gaming than a Threadripper.

I think what Kimberly Gomez34 wrote is the best advice here. Save the rest of your cash for now, then worry about a CPU upgrade later (if you even need one) and a GPU upgrade (which you'll definitely need sooner or later).

As for the motherboard and cooler, you could go with the ASUS ROG Crosshair Hero and a Noctua NH-D15. That's basically the gold standard right now, and they'll last you a long time.

I'm running an NH-D14 (slightly smaller than the NH-D15) on an Intel Core i7 920. That thing is a 130W stock CPU, and since mine is overclocked, it probably pulls closer to 200W. Even under full load during a stress test, temps don't cross 80C with the fans set at 800RPM. It's dead silent. At max speed, temps drop even more and the fans stay quiet.

Gaming never draws as much power as a stress test does. This is just the worst-case scenario using a CPU from 2008 that pulls twice the power of anything you'd put in an AM4 build.

Thanks for all the suggestions and for trying to save me some cash, but I’ve been planning to go absolutely wild from the jump, so that’s exactly what's going to happen. I’m still going to finish my homework, dig through some benchmarks and reviews, and then finally pull the trigger on either a TR4 setup or some insane Intel build, paired with a high-end NVIDIA card and a beast of a motherboard.
I know you guys are probably going to hate me for this, but that's just how it is...

The only Intel setup that actually makes sense here would be picking up an i5 8600K or an i5 9600K (they're essentially the same thing). Their prices haven't been inflated nearly as much as everything else. Pair that with a high-end Z390 motherboard—something like an ASRock Taichi to allow for future upgrades—which you can usually find for under $667. For cooling, just grab the top-tier Noctua option mentioned above; it’ll handle any future CPU swaps too.

As far as the CPU goes, it's fantastic for gaming. It isn't exactly "future-proof" with just six cores, but once prices drop, you can easily swap it out for an i9-9900K or whatever newer chips are supported down the road. Honestly, every other combination I see looks insane or just plain wasteful—you'd basically be throwing money down the drain. That's my two cents; I've laid it all out, so it's your call.