PC build ideas for $2,000?

Hey everyone! I'm looking to put together a gaming rig with a budget of around $2,200 to $2,300.
I've been messing around on Newegg and pulled this rough list together, but I really need some advice! Please, let me know what you think or if there are better parts out there.
Thanks!

- Intel Core i5 8400 BOX, LGA 1151, 2.8GHz, 9MB cache, HexaCore
- GIGABYTE B360 AORUS gaming 3, Intel B360, DDR4, ATX, LGA 1151
- 16 GB DDR4 2800MHz, G.SKILL Trident Z series, F4-2800C15D-16GTZB, 2x8GB kit
- SSD Samsung 500 GB 970 evo, SATA 3, 550/520 MB/s
- 2 TB Western Digital, WD2005FBYZ, SATA, 128MB cache, 7200rpm, 3.5", Desktop HDD
- Gainward GeForce GTX 1070, 8GB DDR5
- ANTEC P110 Luce, ATX, window, black, no PSU included
- 850W CHIEFTEC Proton Series, BDF-850C, ATX v2.3, 140mm fan, 80+ Bronze
- Dell Alienware AW2518H, 25" monitor, Nvidia G-Sync, 1ms, 400cd/m2, 1000:1, black

$5167

First off—you absolutely have to hunt down a cheaper retailer. You can order from one of those big, well-known budget shops; they’ll usually handle the assembly for free and cover shipping, plus you can just pay cash on delivery when the package hits your doorstep. Are you even paying with cash upfront?

Timothy Kim60 said:First thing's first—you absolutely have to find a cheaper retailer. You can order from maybe three or four big-name shops that offer better prices; they’ll usually build the PC for you for free and handle shipping, plus you can pay cash on delivery when the package arrives. Are you even paying with cash?

Which shops do you recommend? I haven't bought anything at all in years, so I don't even know where to start looking! Probably going with cash.

Newegg, look through the components if you think you can build it yourself.

Besides, I don't think that setup is actually going to cut it for a high refresh rate monitor.

Neither the GTX1070 nor the I5 8400 can handle that kind of speed; for that budget, you really ought to be looking at much stronger parts.

New CPUs and GPUs are dropping soon anyway. Might be worth just waiting.

So, about graphics—is the 1080 actually a massive step up from the 1070Ti?
And what’s the deal with all the different brands like MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, and Palit anyway? Is there really a big difference?

Here’s the breakdown, assuming you've already settled on a monitor:



Newegg, they offer free assembly

So, I finally ditched my old case! Now I'm looking for some fresh ideas on what might be worth swapping out. Does anyone have suggestions for budget-friendly parts that don't sacrifice quality? Also, can I squeeze in a decent, reasonably priced GTX 1080? Silence is also a huge priority for me—does anyone have experience with those be quiet! power supplies? Are they actually quiet?
I am open to any and all suggestions!

Thanks a bunch! 🙂

Intel Core i7-8700 3.2 GHz Socket 1151 processor .................. $867
Asus MB PRIME Z370-A .................................. $467
DDR4 16GB (2x8GB), DDR4 3000, CL15, Corsair Vengeance LPX ... $467
SSD Samsung 500 GB 970 evo, M.2 2280 PCIe .......................... $400
Western Digital Black, 2TB, SATA3, 7200rpm, 64MB Cache ........... $333
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 Ti WINDFORCE 8GB DDR5 ........... $1333
Corsair Carbide Series 330 R blackout edition Ultra Silent ........... $283
Corsair RMx Series RM750x .................................................. . $300
monitor Acer XF270HU, 27", IPS, 2560x1440, 144Hz, 4 ms ........... $1333
Cooler Noctua NH-L12S .................................................. .................. $133

Total value $5917

Save $167 and just grab a standard 2TB drive.

Personally, I’d go with the 8700K paired with a cheaper cooler. That specific cooler is really designed for ITX builds anyway.

What Kimberly Gomez34 put together is the better move, especially if you swap in an 8700K for about $1000 and stay within your budget.

If you're chasing high refresh rates, just go with a K-series processor.

If there’s any room left in the budget, you might consider stepping up to a motherboard with a more robust VRM—even if you aren't planning on pushing for 5GHz speeds (something like an extreme 4 Z370 from Asus or similar)
. Also, opting for a semi-passive power supply, such as a Seasonic Focus or a Corsair RM series, would be a smart move.

Timothy Kim60 said:If there's extra cash left over, maybe grab a better motherboard with beefier VRMs—even if you aren't planning on pushing for 5GHz (like an extreme 4 Z370 from Asus or something similar). Also, a semi-passive power supply like a Seasonic Focus or a Corsair RM would be a smart move!

That Asrock extreme is actually a little cheaper than the board I posted. Do you really think it's the better choice?
I'm definitely swapping out the HDD. By the way, how do you like that monitor?
Also, should I go with a 1070ti or one of those 1080s? It looks like there are plenty of them available online right now, so I'm torn on which one to pick!

The headline says $14k, then you build it for $15.5k, and before you know it, you've somehow blown through $17k. 😁



Price tag is sitting at $13 $100.
With this motherboard, you can easily push that processor past 5 GHz if you're feeling ambitious—though honestly, you don't even need to bother.
And hey, they actually make this case in black too, if you want to go dark.

As for the monitor...
https://www.nabava.net/monitori/aoc-...4-169-35848371

$967.
It doesn't have G-Sync, but your Nvidia hardware will play nice with FreeSync just fine.
You won't even notice the difference.

(With a budget this beefy, you might actually be better off just waiting for the next generation of GPUs and CPUs to drop)

You can't really bank on hitting 5GHz, let alone pushing past it, especially if you aren't delidding. That said, an i5 8600K paired with a GTX 1080Ti definitely makes more sense if you're aiming for 1440p at 144Hz.
Personally, I wouldn't waste money on a Zalman case within that budget; just grab a Phanteks 400s for around $60.

@Joshua Hall14/">@@Joshua Hall14 They're around there somewhere—just look at the competitors.

Look, it really depends on which specific chip you grab. My whole point was that even though this motherboard is a total budget pick ($317) compared to those high-end monster boards running $300+, it still delivers rock-solid, high clock speeds. You don't have to sit there sweating that your board is gonna choke out your CPU; it’ll let you squeeze every bit of overclocking juice out of that processor without breaking a sweat.

I’ve never actually delidded a CPU myself, nor have I ever messed around with a pre-delidded unit, but from everything I’ve read online, you're looking at dropping temps by maybe 10 to 20 degrees. I noticed that Newegg sells some of them with a warranty included, so I can't figure out if they're getting them pre-done like that, or if they're just delidding and testing them in-house, slapping their own guarantee on it, and then shipping them out.

They’re delidding. It’s becoming a massive trend with Intel builds lately; a buddy of mine dropped his Haswell temps by over 20°C using this method, and you can definitely pull off similar results on Coffee Lake. Honestly, it's ridiculous how stingy these manufacturers act with their thermal paste when better options exist.

There's this guy over at PC Gamer (who probably runs ads on Craigslist too) who spent a few hundred bucks on a top-tier delid kit, high-end thermal compound, and all the necessary gear. To make his money back, he sends these kits out to people for $17 so they can just follow a tutorial and handle the job themselves.