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$2500 USD Gaming Build

Why_Me

Why_Me

Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
2,083 (1.29/day)
Location
Alaska USA
Thoughts and/or changes? The cpu and gpu choices are pending reviews from Wizard of course. You can tell tax return time is nearing. Peeps coming out of the woodwork for gaming build advice. A console player I know was not wanting to go over $2000 but I talked him into stretching his budget. He was going to use his TV as a monitor and I was like 'oh h3ll no'. I figure the RTX 4070 Ti 12GB will sit between the 3080 Ti and 3090 at 1440 ... that and it's obviously a board favorite on here.

https://www.newegg.com/p/2AM-000Z-000A7
LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 X Mid Tower Case $99.90

www.newegg.com

CORSAIR RMx Series (2021) RM850x CP-9020200-NA 850 W Power Supply - Newegg.com

Buy CORSAIR RMx Series (2021) RM850x CP-9020200-NA 850 W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com
CORSAIR RMx Series (2021) RM800x 850W 80+ GOLD Modular Power Supply $139.97

www.techpowerup.com

Leaked MSI Intel B760 Chipset Motherboard Pricing Puts them Between $170-$230

At CES, Intel is expected to launch the bulk of its 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" processor family, consisting of "locked" 65 W SKUs; along with two cheaper motherboard chipset options than the Z790—the B760 and H770. The Bx60 chipset options are sought after by the mainstream desktop crowd that...
www.techpowerup.com www.techpowerup.com
MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR5 ATX Motherboard $230

wccftech.com

Intel Core i5-13400 CPU Is Up To 30% Faster Than The Core i5-12400 While Consuming 30% More Power

Intel's Core i5-13400 Desktop CPU has appeared within tests by Indonesian tech outlet, Jawara, and shows up to a 30% improvement.
wccftech.com wccftech.com
Intel Core i5-13400F $210 if I had to guess

www.newegg.com

DeepCool GAMMAXX AG620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler, 2x 120mm Fan, Six Copper Heat Pipes, Intel/AMD Support - Newegg.com

Buy DeepCool GAMMAXX AG620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler, 2x 120mm Fan, Six Copper Heat Pipes, Intel/AMD Support with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com
DeepCool AG620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler $49.99

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr5-sdram/p/N82E16820374371
G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series DDR5 6000 32GB (2x16GB) CL32 $168.99

Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 Internal SSD $124.99

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-ti-3dmark-performance-leaks-out
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB Graphics Card $800+

ASUS TUF GAMING VG27AQL1A 1440 HDR 170Hz IPS G-SYNC Compatible Gaming Monitor $319.99

Total: $2144 USD

www.asus.com

TUF GAMING VG27AQL1A｜Monitors｜ASUS USA

Discover the TUF Gaming VG27AQL1A Monitor. Elevate gaming with 27' WQHD, 170Hz refresh rate, ELMB SYNC & HDR for an exceptional tech experience.
www.asus.com www.asus.com
 
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I'd go Kingston NV2 over the P3 Plus. More endurance, faster, similar price, and doesn't drop to 50 MB/s after 130s of writes exceeding the native speed of the QLC (which is 50 MB/s)

13700F is going to be overkill unless those cores are specifically needed and you'd loose performance to the cooler anyways. This isn't an eSports build so no need to chase every last frame at the cost of value. The 12400F is a great processor at a great price. You can also find deals on last gen Ryzen processors as well.

Graphics card is overkill for the resolution and refresh rate. A 3080 / 6800 XT is more than enough for 1440p 144Hz.

Depends which TV he has really, if it's an OLED it may very well be good.
 
evernessince said:
I'd go Kingston NV2 over the P3 Plus. More endurance, faster, similar price, and doesn't drop to 50 MB/s after 130s of writes exceeding the native speed of the QLC (which is 50 MB/s)

13700F is going to be overkill unless those cores are specifically needed and you'd loose performance to the cooler anyways. This isn't an eSports build so no need to chase every last frame at the cost of value. The 12400F is a great processor at a great price. You can also find deals on last gen Ryzen processors as well.

Graphics card is overkill for the resolution and refresh rate. A 3080 / 6800 XT is more than enough for 1440p 144Hz.

Depends which TV he has really, if it's an OLED it may very well be good.
Click to expand...
I was thinking the i5 13400F as another choice to help bring the cost down seeing how Windows is going to be needed.

wccftech.com

Intel Core i5-13400 CPU Is Up To 30% Faster Than The Core i5-12400 While Consuming 30% More Power

Intel's Core i5-13400 Desktop CPU has appeared within tests by Indonesian tech outlet, Jawara, and shows up to a 30% improvement.
wccftech.com wccftech.com

Paired up with this cpu cooler.

www.newegg.com

DeepCool GAMMAXX AG620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler, 2x 120mm Fan, Six Copper Heat Pipes, Intel/AMD Support - Newegg.com

Buy DeepCool GAMMAXX AG620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler, 2x 120mm Fan, Six Copper Heat Pipes, Intel/AMD Support with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com
DeepCool AG620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler $49.99
 
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Hard to say, since this is for a client rather than you.

Everyone has their own priorities (and perhaps different eyesight), but the last time I did a >$2k build that included a monitor, $800 went to basically the nicest display I could get. I enjoyed that display on a daily basis for well over a decade. Perhaps one of the best tech buys I’ve ever made.

So the feedback I’d give is to spend money on a display that’s so enjoyable to look at, it’s something you appreciate every time you use the computer.

So maybe that would be something like the below if >60Hz is demanded.

Alienware 34 Inch Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor - AW3423DWF | Dell USA

View the Alienware 34 Inch Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DWF) featuring VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 400, or shop all Gaming Monitors at Dell.com.
www.dell.com
 
DrCR said:
Hard to say, since this is for a client rather than you.

Everyone has their own priorities (and perhaps different eyesight), but the last time I did a >$2k build that included a monitor, $800 went to basically the nicest display I could get. I enjoyed that display on a daily basis for well over a decade. Perhaps one of the best tech buys I’ve ever made.

So the feedback I’d give is to spend money on a display that’s so enjoyable to look at, it’s something you appreciate every time you use the computer.

So maybe that would be something like the below if >60Hz is demanded.

Alienware 34 Inch Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor - AW3423DWF | Dell USA

View the Alienware 34 Inch Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DWF) featuring VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 400, or shop all Gaming Monitors at Dell.com.
www.dell.com
Click to expand...
That's a nice monitor no doubt but it eats up almost half the budget.
 
Why_Me said:
I was thinking the i5 13400F as another choice to help bring the cost down seeing how Windows is going to be needed.

wccftech.com

Intel Core i5-13400 CPU Is Up To 30% Faster Than The Core i5-12400 While Consuming 30% More Power

Intel's Core i5-13400 Desktop CPU has appeared within tests by Indonesian tech outlet, Jawara, and shows up to a 30% improvement.
wccftech.com wccftech.com

Paired up with this cpu cooler.

www.newegg.com

DeepCool GAMMAXX AG620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler, 2x 120mm Fan, Six Copper Heat Pipes, Intel/AMD Support - Newegg.com

Buy DeepCool GAMMAXX AG620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler, 2x 120mm Fan, Six Copper Heat Pipes, Intel/AMD Support with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com
DeepCool AG620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler $49.99
Click to expand...

That should be a great choice assuming reviews are good.
 
Why_Me said:
That's a nice monitor no doubt but it eats up almost half the budget.
Click to expand...
That’s my point. For me a personal computer is only as good as my display, keyboard, and mouse connected to it. And other factors too like ergonomics.

If I had to choose between the latest PC hardware and the above factors because my budget couldn’t do both, I’d choose the above.

But again, different priorities for everyone and for different things. For example, I’m currently running on a potato, but yet my personal display setup for my work laptop is >$1k, not even sure really at this point.
 
DrCR said:
That’s my point. For me a personal computer is only as good as my display, keyboard, and mouse connected to it. And other factors too like ergonomics.

If I had to choose between the latest PC hardware and the above factors because my budget couldn’t do both, I’d choose the above.

But again, different priorities for everyone and for different things. For example, I’m currently running on a potato, but yet my personal display setup for my work laptop is >$1k, not even sure really at this point.
Click to expand...
The guy plays a game called Apex Legends and whatever if any other games he plays I have no idea. He was adamant about the $2000 budget until I linked him to a few threads including one on here so I don't want to press him on going over the $2500 limit.

www.nvidia.com

Play Apex Legends With NVIDIA GeForce RTX

Equip Yourself for Competitive Games!!!
www.nvidia.com
 
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Why_Me said:
The guy plays a game called Apex Legends and whatever if any other games he plays I have no idea. He was adamant about the $2000 budget until I linked him to a few threads including one on here so I don't want to press him on going over the $2500 limit.
Click to expand...
Hey, no worries. You can get a lot for $2000/2500. It was certainly easier to have your cake and eat it too when upper mid-range GPU wasn’t $800.

In addition to stepping down to the 13400F, you shouldn’t need to spend $800 for Apex Legends I wouldn’t think? I’ll differ to esporters, but it would seem something markedly cheaper can nicely serve this purpose?
Random search result:
 
DrCR said:
Hey, no worries. You can get a lot for $2000/2500. It was certainly easier to have your cake and eat it too when upper mid-range GPU wasn’t $800.

In addition to stepping down to the 13400F, you shouldn’t need to spend $800 for Apex Legends I wouldn’t think? I’ll differ to esporters, but it would seem something markedly cheaper can nicely serve this purpose?
Random search result:
Click to expand...
Good call ^^ I'm going to switch cpu's in that build. The i7 looks to be overkill.
 
I have a a couple console playing friends that just last night approached me about building them systems to specifically play Apex Legends (among other games). Apex does not have very demanding specs, even it's recommended specs aren't high.

APEX LEGENDS RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
  • OS: 64-bit Windows 7.
  • CPU: Intel i5 3570K or equivalent.
  • RAM: 8GB.
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon R9 290.
  • GPU RAM: 8GB.
  • HARD DRIVE: Minimum 22 GB of free space.
So your build is actually well beyond the recommended specs. I have a couple questions/suggestions about it.

Go with a faster CPU. At least a 13600k for future proofing. The owner will have the CPU/MB/RAM combo longer than the video card you put in the build.

RTX 4070ti is absolute overkill for Apex Legends. Go with a RTX 4060 or even a 3060ti. There is no need to be pushing well over 200 FPS in Apex if the monitor can only do 170 refresh rate.

A $150 850 watt PSU? Why? 650 watts is plenty. Hell, a RTX 4080 only needs a 750 watt PSU. I literally just installed a RM850x yesterday in my i9/4080 computer. Yes, the RM850x is one of THE best PSUs you can get, but it is not needed in this build. Save money here with a lower wattage PSU and spend it else where.

This is what I'm looking at for Apex Legends builds for my friends (and it's under your friend's $2k budget)- https://pcpartpicker.com/list/cYfpk9

Oh, and for the OS, get your key here (I have bought multiple keys on multiple occasions from here and never had a issue)- https://royalcdkeys.com/collections/operating-system
 
BarbaricSoul said:
I have a a couple console playing friends that just last night approached me about building them systems to specifically play Apex Legends (among other games). Apex does not have very demanding specs, even it's recommended specs aren't high.

APEX LEGENDS RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
  • OS: 64-bit Windows 7.
  • CPU: Intel i5 3570K or equivalent.
  • RAM: 8GB.
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon R9 290.
  • GPU RAM: 8GB.
  • HARD DRIVE: Minimum 22 GB of free space.
So your build is actually well beyond the recommended specs. I have a couple questions/suggestions about it.

Go with a faster CPU. At least a 13600k for future proofing. The owner will have the CPU/MB/RAM combo longer than the video card you put in the build.

RTX 4070ti is absolute overkill for Apex Legends. Go with a RTX 4060 or even a 3060ti. There is no need to be pushing well over 200 FPS in Apex if the monitor can only do 170 refresh rate.

A $150 850 watt PSU? Why? 650 watts is plenty. Hell, a RTX 4080 only needs a 750 watt PSU. I literally just installed a RM850x yesterday in my i9/4080 computer. Yes, the RM850x is one of THE best PSUs you can get, but it is not needed in this build. Save money here with a lower wattage PSU and spend it else where.

This is what I'm looking at for Apex Legends builds for my friends (and it's under your friend's $2k budget)- https://pcpartpicker.com/list/cYfpk9
Click to expand...
I don't know if Apex Legends is the only game he plays. He brought it up in a Facebook convo and said he wanted to try going the PC route after he got his tax return. I figure anything with a $2000+ budget calls for a DDR5 build. I'm just hoping that there's less expensive B760 DDR5 ATX boards due to be released because that MSI board in the OP is nearing Z790 prices. I more or less used it as an example. Looking at the build in your link I don't think that cpu cooler is going to handle that unlocked cpu. I'd look at a dual tower cooler tbh.
 
recheck the link, my build has a Dark Rock Pro 4 heatsink that would handle my i9's heat. If you want DDR5- change the MB and RAM in my suggested build to this for only $35 more (and still under the $2k budget)

www.newegg.com

GIGABYTE Z790 UD AC LGA 1700 Intel Z790 ATX Motherboard with DDR5, Triple M.2, PCIe 5.0, USB 3.2 Gen2X2 Type-C, Intel Wi-Fi, 2.5GbE LAN, PCIe EZ-Latch, Multi-Key - Newegg.com

Buy GIGABYTE Z790 UD AC LGA 1700 Intel Z790 ATX Motherboard with DDR5, Triple M.2, PCIe 5.0, USB 3.2 Gen2X2 Type-C, Intel Wi-Fi, 2.5GbE LAN, PCIe EZ-Latch, Multi-Key with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com
www.newegg.com

CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 6000 (PC5 48000) Desktop Memory Model CMK32GX5M2D6000C36 - Newegg.com

Buy CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 6000 (PC5 48000) Desktop Memory Model CMK32GX5M2D6000C36 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!
www.newegg.com www.newegg.com

 
Why_Me said:
Good call ^^ I'm going to switch cpu's in that build. The i7 looks to be overkill.
Click to expand...
I was referring to the GPU as well i.e. something half as expensive may be just fine. And that would be another allotment of funds you could consider allocating to a sweet display.
 
Hi, would definitely go with Ryzen 7000, especially in microcenter PC shop you will get free ram with Ryzen.

My friend in USA got Ryzen 7900x for 450 USD with 32gb ram from g skill 6000mhz. Definitely best deal.

You can get also bundle with Ryzen 7000 + Mobo + ram in micro center PC shop.

I would not watch to Intel even.
 
Best bang for your buck hsf you can get is the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120se, $37 on Amazon. It hangs with the beastie's for a fraction of the cost.

As an aside, how frequently do you see him upgrading his core components? Specifically cpu, mb and gpu. That's a big factor as far as where to put your money today. If he's unlikely to upgrade for say the next 4-5 years. Performance wise, CPU and mb generally age well, GPUs not so well especially if underpowered from the start. Just something to chew on while your researching.
GL!
 
maxfly said:
Best bang for your buck hsf you can get is the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120se, $37 on Amazon. It hangs with the beastie's for a fraction of the cost.

As an aside, how frequently do you see him upgrading his core components? Specifically cpu, mb and gpu. That's a big factor as far as where to put your money today. If he's unlikely to upgrade for say the next 4-5 years. Performance wise, CPU and mb generally age well, GPUs not so well especially if underpowered from the start. Just something to chew on while your researching.
GL!
Click to expand...
This is his first PC or at least his first gaming PC as far as I know.
 
Don't buy a CPU without iGPU if you don't have a spare dedicated GPU.
 
P4-630 said:
Don't buy a CPU without iGPU if you don't have a spare dedicated GPU.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, Big time. I'm glad AMD included iGPU on Zen 4.
 
Don't buy a Raptor Lake CPU lower than the 13600K in a $2500 build, they're not Raptor Lake, they're rebadged Alder Lake, only the top three SKUs use the new architecture.

There's several significant changes between the generations including significantly different memory support (Raptor Lake having about a GHz difference), V/F curves being different due to process changes, significantly more cache in Raptor Lake, E/P core and ring clock frequencies being less tied (on Alder Lake if you disabled E cores you could clock the ring much higher and therefore get better P core performance) amongst other things.

The rest looks reasonable although as others have said there's better alternatives for SSDs etc.

As for the budget - if he's got $2-2.5k to spend, spend $2-2.5k.

Cheaping out on CPU/CPU Cooler/GPU etc isn't going to do him any favours in the long term.
 
My recommendation:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NqrqMb

7700x, 6000MHz ram, Asus B650E Mobo with pbo enhancement feature in bios, solid platinum PSU, solid air cooler, solid and fast SSD, very good 1440p gaming monitor for 300 USD.

Whole PC without GPU - 1600 USD, you will have 900 USD fot RTX 4070 Ti.
 
dgianstefani said:
Don't buy a Raptor Lake CPU lower than the 13600K in a $2500 build, they're not Raptor Lake, they're rebadged Alder Lake, only the top three SKUs use the new architecture.

There's several significant changes between the generations including significantly different memory support (Raptor Lake having about a GHz difference), V/F curves being different due to process changes, significantly more cache in Raptor Lake, E/P core and ring clock frequencies being less tied (on Alder Lake if you disabled E cores you could clock the ring much higher and therefore get better P core performance) amongst other things.

The rest looks reasonable although as others have said there's better alternatives for SSDs etc.

As for the budget - if he's got $2-2.5k to spend, spend $2-2.5k.

Cheaping out on CPU/CPU Cooler/GPU etc isn't going to do him any favours in the long term.
Click to expand...
I'm holding out for the reviews of that cpu to see how it plays with DDR5. Same goes for the gpu .. pending the reviews of that card.
 
Why_Me said:
I'm holding out for the review of that cpu to see how it handles DDR5. Same goes for the gpu .. that's pending the reviews of that card.
Click to expand...
I have 7600x + Corsair ram 6000Mhz + Asus strix b650e Mobo. No problem for me.

Check my PC specs on member account.

With AMD platform you will have future ability to update next gen CPU. With Intel you can't . 13 gen is last generation CPU for b760/z790
 
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