Gaming PC for $1,500 - $2,000?

Hey everyone!
A buddy of mine sent me this forum link, and I figured I’d drop in because I’m dying to know what you all think.
Here’s the deal: I just moved to the States, and as a gamer, I’m looking to pick up a serious rig. My budget is sitting somewhere around $1,500 to $2,000. Ideally, I want that top end of the budget to cover a decent, high-quality large monitor too, though maybe I can squeeze some breathing room in there...

So yeah, that's the gist! I'm starting from absolute zero here, so I'm looking for suggestions.
I remember tech being a bit cheaper last time we checked prices, but whatever, forget that—just base your math on a standard US budget and current market rates so I can get a fair comparison. Some people already pointed me toward https://www.newegg.com/ and https://www.microcenter.com/

Thanks in advance if anyone has any advice! 🙂

https://www.mwave.com.au/sharecart/c...9-e6dbc8cad415

If those prices are in USD, we're looking at roughly $2,600. I’d say this is a pretty uncompromising build. If you're really interested in heavy overclocking, you could always go with some high-end liquid cooling, but honestly, that feels like overkill for most people.

@Adam Moore3

You build someone a rig worth nearly $3,000 and then slap a CM 212X on it instead of a Noctua? It’d be more useful to give them an NH-D15 than that 750W power supply you suggested, especially considering how much juice this whole setup is actually going to pull.😉

Thanks! 🙂
Let's see if anyone else actually has something useful to add... I'm waiting to see a reply to this opinion in the post above 😁

I'd go for the EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 Ultra, especially since I could save $150 on an i5 8600k for my gaming build instead.

analogtiger19 said:@Adam Moore3

You build someone a rig worth nearly $3,000 and then slap a CM 212X on it instead of a Noctua? It’d be more useful to give them an NH-D15 than that 750W power supply you suggested, especially considering how much juice this whole setup is actually going to pull.😉

If he isn't planning on overclocking, there’s honestly zero point in getting a Noctua lol. I already mentioned that if he actually wants to OC, he should just go with something beefier or switch to liquid cooling. I get the feeling you didn't even read my post... 😵

A 500W power supply will get the job done, sure. But when you're dropping $20,000 on a build, you don't pinch pennies just to save thirty bucks on the wattage.

Nonsense. 😉

Adam Moore3 said:If he isn't planning on overclocking, there’s honestly zero point in getting a Noctua lol. I already mentioned that if he actually wants to OC, he should just go with something beefier or switch to liquid cooling. I get the feeling you didn't even read my post... 😵

A 500W power supply will get the job done, sure. But when you're dropping $20,000 on a build, you don't pinch pennies just to save thirty bucks on the wattage.

Nonsense. 😉

The same logic applies to the cooler 😉 ...except they don't actually need water cooling if they have a top-tier air cooler instead.

EDIT: just to be clear, I wasn't saying to skimp on the PSU, I was saying don't skimp on the cooler.

You could slap a Noctua NH-D14 on there and the CPU won't make a peep. If you really want to push it, you can overclock until the chip hits its limit.

The Cooler Master CM212X should be totally fine for a stock 8700K, though I guess the question is whether you'll mind the extra noise when it starts ramping up.

You can delid it, hit it with liquid nitrogen, and push it all the way to 7 GHz 😬

That’s specifically why I emphasized getting a better cooler if you're planning on overclocking. 🙂

Adam Moore3, you've got a point there.

I was just trying to point out how unbalanced this build feels...

Thanks for all the help so far!
I’m definitely not planning on overclocking, obviously... but I guess I'm keeping the possibility open just because why not? :P A friend of mine would probably walk me through the whole process anyway.
My friend's build—well, at least his initial suggestion, though he's still mulling it over.

Looks like analogtiger19 was right on the money, since overclocking is now an option 😛

As for liquid cooling, I don't think that even makes sense for you. Just grab a Noctua 14 or better yet an Alienware Aurora—you'll get cooling that's just as good, if not better, than water cooling, all while staying quieter and avoiding the headache of leaks and constant maintenance.
Unless you really want to mess around with circulating water inside your case, obviously. 🙂

Yeah, it’s always an option. I’m not exactly picky... as long as the thing actually works properly. Obviously, if I can get the best bang for my buck, I'm happy.
My friend is holding out for another 12 days until E3 hits, just waiting for those prices to finally drop.

The Noctua NH-D15 offers killer value compared to liquid cooling setups.

Here’s an older article from a few years back, but it still holds up. Check it out for yourself. 😉

Adam Moore3 said:Looks like analogtiger19 was right on the money, since overclocking is now an option 😛

As for liquid cooling, I don't think that even makes sense for you. Just grab a Noctua 14 or better yet an Alienware Aurora—you'll get cooling that's just as good, if not better, than water cooling, all while staying quieter and avoiding the headache of leaks and constant maintenance.
Unless you really want to mess around with circulating water inside your case, obviously. 🙂

👍👍👍👍👍

I wouldn't recommend going the liquid cooling route either; it’s louder, carries more risk of failure, and honestly, it isn't the magic bullet people think it is—click, click. You're better off grabbing a top-tier air cooler depending on what's in stock at your local Micro Center or Best Buy. If you aren't looking specifically at Noctua, some Thermalright coolers are absolute beasts, or you could look at the Scythe Ninja 4, which performs nearly as well as the Noctua NH-D15 but won't break the bank like the premium brands. Then there's the Scythe Fuma series. Ultimately, it just comes down to what your local retailer actually has on the shelf.

As for everything else, your build path is pretty clear: an RTX 3080, an i7-8700K, 16GB of RAM, a high-end Z370 motherboard, and a 27"+ 1440p 144Hz+ non-TN monitor. That's the standard. One piece of advice: you might want to hold off for a couple of weeks, as rumors are swirling that NVIDIA might unveil their next generation of GPUs by the end of the month.

The difference between an i5 8600k and an i7 8700k is about $150, and I'd much rather put that extra cash toward a better GPU.

Look, we're talking about a build worth $2 million here. What do you mean "better graphics card" or "better i5"? 🤣

Honestly, that Alienware board just looks ugly to me. Picking it over MSI or ASUS options seems pretty reckless if you ask me. Plus, whether you go liquid or air cooling really just comes down to your case and how much breathing room you have for airflow...

Take this motherboard, for example: https://www.mwave.com.au/product/msi...rboard-ac08910

With a setup like that, you can slap whatever extra cooling you want on it.

Adam Moore3 said:Look, we're talking about a build worth $2 million here. What do you mean "better graphics card" or "better i5"? 🤣

If you think a Core i7-8700K is overkill for gaming, then tell me if a Core i5-2500K can still run every modern title after eight years. And why would I bother buying a motherboard for a Core i7-8700K today if it's only going to matter eight years from now compared to an i5-8600K? Also, please don't call me "buddy"—my buddies are long gone...