Best gaming PC build for $5500-$6000?

Hey there,
I’m looking to drop about $5,500 on a new gaming rig. I don't necessarily need a beast that can handle the most demanding AAA titles at max settings; I'm mostly interested in newer roguelikes and RPGs. Honestly, running things on medium or even low settings would be perfectly fine with me. I already have my peripherals, so I just need the tower and the internal components. (I assume the monitor budget doesn't need to be part of the actual PC build cost, right?)

Here is what I'm thinking:
At least 8 GB of RAM, though I'd much rather go with 16 GB if possible.
I don't really need an SSD, just a 1TB HDD should do the trick.
Windows 10, and I don't actually need a license included.

MSI B360M motherboard, LGA 1151 8th Gen
Intel Core i5-8400 processor (9MB Cache, 2.80GHz), LGA 1151, BX80684I58400
8GB DDR4 (1x8GB) PC4-24000U 3000MHz CL16 G.Skill Aegis, F4-3000C16S-8GISB
EVGA GTX 1060 graphics card, 3 GB GDDR5, 192-bit, 1809/8008 MHz
500W FSP Fortron/Hyper-V power supply, ATX 2.31, HP500, PPA5005003
Zalman Z1 mid tower case
1TB WD Blue HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, WD10EZEX

Total: $2.00 - ADM

Maybe you could drop down to a weaker GPU and go with 16GB of RAM instead, though I guess it might not really be worth the trade-off.

crimsonstag84 said:MSI B360M motherboard, LGA 1151 8th Gen
Intel Core i5-8400 processor (9MB Cache, 2.80GHz), LGA 1151, BX80684I58400
8GB DDR4 (1x8GB) PC4-24000U 3000MHz CL16 G.Skill Aegis, F4-3000C16S-8GISB
EVGA GTX 1060 graphics card, 3 GB GDDR5, 192-bit, 1809/8008 MHz
500W FSP Fortron/Hyper-V power supply, ATX 2.31, HP500, PPA5005003
Zalman Z1 mid tower case
1TB WD Blue HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, WD10EZEX

Total: $2.00 - ADM

Maybe you could drop down to a weaker GPU and go with 16GB of RAM instead, though I guess it might not really be worth the trade-off.

Thanks a lot!

Do you actually have an SSD, or are you just assuming you don't need one? Because, I guess, it's really that specific component that provides the kind of noticeable speed boost to a PC when compared to an HDD.

Amy Vaughn12 said:Do you actually have an SSD, or are you just assuming you don't need one? Because, I guess, it's really that specific component that provides the kind of noticeable speed boost to a PC when compared to an HDD.

I honestly don't think I need one. To be perfectly blunt, an SSD is just way too expensive for my current budget.

Nah, 120GB is $83, 240GB is barely $133, but they're cheaper than ever. I'd definitely recommend it; the system feels a lot faster overall. Especially when you're booting up, restarting, or just opening a bunch of large files and programs.

It’s not actually that expensive. $100 For an average user, 120GB should be plenty, and if you ask me, you'll definitely notice the speed difference. As far as those requirements go, I don't think you really need 16GB of RAM at all.
If you just swap in a 120GB SSD into the build my buddy put together, you'll probably have a solid system that lasts you for several years.

How are you paying for everything, and which stores are you hitting up? I see you're based out of San Diego.

Regarding the SSD stuff, they're actually pretty affordable these days—you can grab a decent 256GB one without breaking the bank. Honestly, I still run all my heavy AAA titles off an HDD and I don't feel the need to upgrade to an SSD myself. But hey, to each their own, right?

Generally speaking, everyday tasks feel significantly snappier on an SSD compared to an old-school HDD—we're talking things like launching File Explorer, firing up Chrome, moving photos around, or just grinding through some work in Office. I actually keep my entire Adobe CC suite on an SSD, and it pops open in just a few seconds; back when I was running it off an HDD, I’d be sitting there staring at a loading screen for nearly 30 seconds. Plus, Windows boots up incredibly fast. I hit the power button, grab my phone, and by the time I look back, the system is already up and running. If you're looking at a budget around $5,500-$2000, just make sure to throw a 120GB SSD into the build and install Windows, Chrome, and whatever programs you use daily onto it, and you'll be more than happy with the results.

crimsonstag84 said:MSI B360M motherboard, LGA 1151 8th Gen
Intel Core i5-8400 processor (9MB Cache, 2.80GHz), LGA 1151, BX80684I58400
8GB DDR4 (1x8GB) PC4-24000U 3000MHz CL16 G.Skill Aegis, F4-3000C16S-8GISB
EVGA GTX 1060 graphics card, 3 GB GDDR5, 192-bit, 1809/8008 MHz
500W FSP Fortron/Hyper-V power supply, ATX 2.31, HP500, PPA5005003
Zalman Z1 mid tower case
1TB WD Blue HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, WD10EZEX

Total: $2.00 - ADM

Maybe you could drop down to a weaker GPU and go with 16GB of RAM instead, though I guess it might not really be worth the trade-off.

So, how does this look $1967?

Take a look at this photo—does everything look alright to you guys?

Chloe Roberts2 said:

Take a look at this photo—does everything look alright to you guys?

You need to select cash as your payment method to get that extra 10% discount on the whole cart. Also, you picked out a Zalman Z11 instead of a Z1 (I have no idea how crimsonstag84 even found that Z1, since the shop doesn't carry it), so you should probably grab something like THIS instead of the Z1.

Adam Moore3 said:You need to select cash as your payment method to get that extra 10% discount on the whole cart. Also, you picked out a Zalman Z11 instead of a Z1 (I have no idea how crimsonstag84 even found that Z1, since the shop doesn't carry it), so you should probably grab something like THIS instead of the Z1.

It comes out to $5,900 with the discount, or $6,600 if you're paying full price.

EDIT: Actually, it just dropped even lower...

Then it goes right into the 🙂

Amy Vaughn12 said:It’s not actually that expensive. $100 For an average user, 120GB should be plenty, and if you ask me, you'll definitely notice the speed difference. As far as those requirements go, I don't think you really need 16GB of RAM at all.
If you just swap in a 120GB SSD into the build my buddy put together, you'll probably have a solid system that lasts you for several years.

If we're talking about gaming, then we aren't exactly talking about an "average user" anymore. I personally run a 120GB drive, which leaves just enough room for the operating system and one single game—Deus Ex, if my memory serves me right, takes up about 80 GB. Once that's on there, you're out of luck for anything else, like Fallout 4. It isn't necessarily a bad setup, though; Windows boots up in a matter of seconds, and you're ready to jump straight into the action.

It’s not like I’m out here downloading massive 80GB games every other day, but if I actually had to choose between raw speed and having a full 1TB of space, I'd honestly take the extra capacity any day of the week.

SSDs are incredibly cheap right now—cheaper than they've ever been. If you can squeeze $83 out of your budget while you're at it, grab one; it’ll make your system feel lightning fast.

Even putting gaming aside, just having your OS, Chrome, and your daily drivers on one is totally worth it. Once I swapped an SSD into my laptop, going back to a standard drive felt impossible.
Granted, that was a 5400RPM HDD, but even then, the difference was massive.
If you really don't want to do it now, you can always just pop one in later whenever you feel like it.

Ordered everything, just missing the SSD. 👋

Missing an SSD isn't exactly something to celebrate 😬

Saying you don't need an SSD is basically like saying you don't need fiber optic internet at home 😁 Sure, you can crawl along on a 4 Mbit/s connection if you really want to, but this just saves your sanity—running everything on an old HDD or slow DSL is just asking for trouble 😁