Trollsong

So I am basically looking to make a gamecube. Lately i have kind of unofficially sworn off AAA games mostly because keeping up with having the best computer is exhausting to me. There really are only three types of games I get, F2P style games(smite, Paladins, technically Atlas Reactor), mmos like WoW and GW2, and finally couch multiplayer games like towerfall, speedrunners, gugamoth lives, worms, awesomenauts, brawlhalla, jackbox etc. The problem with the couch games is that I have to use my laptop and fiddling and moving my tv around is kind of a pain, plus it makes my laptop work hard displaying two monitors unless I again fiddle with it some more. So I want to make a computer that is pretty much dedicated to playing couch based MP games. So far it doesnt look like I need too much power for such a thing, most of the games dont even list a graphics card needed. The problem I am running into is an odd one. On one hand I dont want to waste money making it too powerful but I dont want any of the games to chug. I know there are a lot of budget steam os builds for about the price of a PS4 but I want to see how far I can push the budget. So I am looking to go under 500 as cheap as we can get it. I know this is probably silly but I figure it might be an interesting challenger, it would be useful, and be a simple intro to building a computer before I try and eventually make a bigger budget one.

How difficult is water cooling to deal with?

I am thinking between 1500 and 2000 but of course the lower the better.

So aside from installing new graphics cards or ram into already built pcs(usually a dell) I havent really fiddled with building a PC much. Me and my fiance recently got married and we have some spare wedding money from gifts, she is looking to get a new laptop. I however am looking to get a decent PC. I would mostly use it for gaming, usually games like WoW and Smite. I will also be using it for graphics programs like After Effects, Illustrator, and if I can afford a copy maybe Cinema 4D maybe even try streaming at some point. However I haven't really kept up with the tech in awhile so figuring out what I need is a bit of a challenge, especially because while I do have a bit of disposable income I dont want to spend to much. My skill level has mostly involved installing ram, graphics cards, and power supplies. So I am looking for advice and recommendations on what I should get, or if there are any videos you recommend I watch so I can refresh my memory on doing things other then plugging things into each other. The few things I do know, SSDs are recommended but I dont know if I should have that as well as a normal hard drive. I dont need a graphics card that screams but I want a decent one. And I know I need a lot of ram but I dont know when it becomes over kill. Heck if anyone has a shopping list even better lol. Thank you in advance for any assistance or guidance you can give.