Budget (including currency): $1200 USD
Country: United States
Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for:
I'll be majoring in computer science, focusing on game programming. Needs to not just play games well, but also work as a dev machine.
Unfortunately, this means I can't give great details about specific games I'll play/write (it'll likely be a mix of everything). However, in my free time now, I usually work on small unity games or Minecraft mods, play heavily modded Minecraft, and sometimes play various RPGs (both new and old).
Other details:
Like the title said, my laptop I've been using just died. I was looking to buy a new PC before I start my first semester in the spring anyway, but I guess that's happening sooner rather than later.
I have 2 very similar lists of parts on pcpartpicker:
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Bedrockbreaker/saved/2vVLyc
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Bedrockbreaker/saved/xc24gs
The only differences are the CPU (AMD Ryzen 5 7600X vs. AMD Ryzen 7 7700X) and the SSD (1 tb vs. 2 tb.)
My main decision between these will be based on how well my PC will survive over a few years with few to no upgrades (the dreaded "future-proofing" word), and local secondhand part prices.
The second list goes above my budget, but like I mentioned, I'm planning on buying the CPU, GPU, ram, and possibly case used. Any leftover budget will be dedicated to a secondary monitor. I already have all other necessary peripherals.
Here's my rationale for each part, feel free to aid in my understanding:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X or AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
basically just a solid CPU, for both gaming and multi-core tasks like frequent compiling.
Cooler: Peerless Assassin
I seem to recall an ltt video using this as a benchmark against other coolers. Also seems to be pretty cheap on eBay/Facebook.
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650 AORUS ELITE AX ATX AM5
I sorted the motherboards from cheapest to most expensive and chose one with many reviews. Seems to provide adequate io for my needs.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600 CL36
Same as the motherboard, but I specifically need at least 32 gb. However, I believe Linus has previously stated it's difficult to find >3600 DDR5 megatransfer ram, so I'm curious why 5000+ seems to be all I can find. I could be be crazy though.
SSD: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2 nvme, or 2 tb version of same model.
Just seemed like a well reviewed and cheaper SSD from a brand I recognize.
Graphics card: Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 6700XT
Afaik, basically the best bang-for-your buck card right now. I just sorted the list from cheapest to most expensive for the specific vendor. Should I look for any specific vendors when looking at used cards?
Case: NZXT H510 Flow
I recall this being mentioned as a "savvier option" from an ltt video. I don't particularly care about the looks of a case.
PSU: MSI MPG A650GF 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX PSU
Seems to meet my power needs. Again, basically sorted cheapest to most expensive, with good reviews.
If there's any better parts while staying under budget (with hopefully enough headroom for another monitor), obviously feel free to let me know. I'll likely be buying today, if not tomorrow.
One final thing, what are good places to buy a windows 11 key for cheap? I see some from a quick search listed for $30, and even $5, though I'm fairly weary of the first, and pretty confident the second are a scam.