Hi Guys,
first time posting, but long time lurker here.
I'm planing my first build since early 2015, and a lot of things have changed since then, specially because the last build was for my brother with a $500 budget, so, nothing fancy was used there, just trying to squeeze every penny.
This time, I have around double that in my budget, give o take, since I'm in Mexico, and currency change, import fees, local availability and the chance to buy used parts are variables in the game.
Early this week I found some interesting stuuf on newegg's newsletter and decided to take the plunge on a mobo, cpu and ram sticks to take advantage of the current sale, so those parts are pretty much written in stone but the res is in the air still since I'm waiting for the next check to buy the rest of the parts.
My goals for this build are:
Workstation for graphic design that can also do some 1080p (maybe low-detail 4k) gaming, and that can, in the near future, do some VR too if possible.
It will be air-cooled for the moment
RGB should if possible be controlled from Aura Sync (I have 2x 12v headers in the mobo)
An optical drive is a BIG plus
Aesthetics and performance should be balanced
I'm targeting an elegant build on a tight budget than can be expanded and do some upgrades from time to time
Overclocking is a must, but it will be my first time
Now, for the parts I already have:
PCPartPicker Part List
Type
Item
Price
CPU
Intel - Core i5-9600KF 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor
$229.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard
Asus - PRIME Z390-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
$182.69 @ OutletPC
Memory
G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory
$187.99 @ Newegg
Storage
Gigabyte - 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
$38.60 @ OutletPC
Storage
Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
$43.71 @ OutletPC
Power Supply
Corsair - CXM 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply
$78.89 @ OutletPC
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total (before mail-in rebates)
$801.87
Mail-in rebates
-$40.00
Total
$761.87
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-18 01:34 EDT-0400
Ignore the prices on the list, since I got everything cheaper than that.
Also, on a second note, I haven't bought the SSD, HDD nor PSU, but probably will stick to those on the list.
Graphics
I have the following options available for almost the same price:
ASUS Strix GTX 1660 Ti (New)
ASUS Dual RTX 2060 (New)
ASUS Strix RTX 2060 OC (Used)
ASUS Strix GTX 1080 (Used)
Gigabyte Aorus GTX 1080 Ti (Used)
CPU Cooling
I can choose a low profile cooler that won't allow me to OC, and later on upgrade to an AIO, or buy a cheap, but good looking tower with ARGB that will limit the options for the case.
DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX GTE RGB
Cooler Master i71C RGB
There are also these options from a local manufacturer, but I have little information about them, other than they sell really good online.
Yeyian STORM 1200 CPU Cooler
Yeyian VATN 1200 AIO
Computer Case
Here things are a bit more complicated since some of the cases won't fit the GAMMAXX GTE, and others come with one or none fans and I need to buy them separately.
Bottom line about his is thta I don't know if I should buy something nice that I can later pimp with all the ARGB fans it can fit, or something barely adequate that will give me some slack to buy more fans and the RGB stunt from the get-go.
Another thing is that almost all cases that are in the budget limit ($50 dlls top, maybe more if I opt for a cheaper cooler and no OC) won't have room for an optical drive.
Acteck Volta X GP001 (Almost ugly, unknown company, but can fit everything including optical drive)
AeroCool Cylon RGB (Cheap materials, RGB not compatible with MOBO, no 5.25" bay)
Thermaltake V200 Tempered Glass RGB (Good quality, exceeds the budget so I would need to skimp elsewere, RGB compatible with mobo)