$3000 CAD 1440p Gaming Build

[Statik]

Hey guys, so I'm looking at building my first new rig in like 6 years. I want to game at 1440p Ultrawide, and my budget all in (for the rig and monitor) is about $3000 CAD, though under budget is always cool. My main goals for the rig are gaming on high settings at 21:9 1440p at high FPS, as well as just having as aesthetically pleasing rig in general. Here's what I currently have as a build, what are your opinions?

 

Also I'm not building this instantly, I won't have the chance to order for about 3-4 weeks+ so if it's worth it to wait slightly longer for possible sales, I'm totally game.

 

NOTE: The GPU there is somewhat of a place holder, as I'm not sure which AIB 5700 XT is the best right now, so I'm open to suggestions there. Thanks a bunch.

 

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/kwkrHB

[emosun]

there appears to be quite a few many parts that are padding the budget here as opposed to parts that are increasing the speed of the machine.

Are there visual/other requirements you have as well for the machine that we should know before recommending changes?

[Statik]

4 minutes ago, emosun said:

there appears to be quite a few many parts that are padding the budget here as opposed to parts that are increasing the speed of the machine.

Are there visual/other requirements you have as well for the machine that we should know before recommending changes?

Not necessarily no. I wanted some RGB just to light the case up and make it aesthetically pleasing, so that’s why I made a few choices. But thats it

[emosun]

Just now, Statik said:

Not necessarily no. I wanted some RGB just to light the case up and make it aesthetically pleasing, so that’s why I made a few choices. But thats it

 

In that case I'd recommend normal fans to save about 60$

A 2 fan coolermaster water cooler without rgb saves another 120$

A LIAN LI lancool 1 will save another 70$

you appear to have two nvme drives that are almost identical withonly the size being different so I would swap the smaller drive for a real hdd so the machine has some storage somewhere that is far larger so that'll be about another 90$ saved.

That'll be 340$ extra you now have to increase the actual speed of the machine. and or 340$ you save while having a machine that is the same exact speed.

with the extra money i'd recommend a faster cpu , gpu , or more memory depending on what your load is.

[Statik]

24 minutes ago, emosun said:

 

In that case I'd recommend normal fans to save about 60$

A 2 fan coolermaster water cooler without rgb saves another 120$

A LIAN LI lancool 1 will save another 70$

you appear to have two nvme drives that are almost identical withonly the size being different so I would swap the smaller drive for a real hdd so the machine has some storage somewhere that is far larger so that'll be about another 90$ saved.

That'll be 340$ extra you now have to increase the actual speed of the machine. and or 340$ you save while having a machine that is the same exact speed.

with the extra money i'd recommend a faster cpu , gpu , or more memory depending on what your load is.

I forgot to mention, I'm taking a 1TB HDD out of my old rig for mass storage, so the 250gb NVMe is going to be my boot drive, and the 500GB is going to be for games. 

 

I dropped to a cheaper CM 240mm cooler and saved $130

 

In regards to the case, I really don't like the style of that case. And while performance is important to me, I still want this build to look really nice. And while with this next build (only down $130) I still need case fans.

[emosun]

50 minutes ago, Statik said:

 

In regards to the case, I really don't like the style of that case

Again , if you have some sort of visual requirements then please outline them so we arent recommending things that arent a consideration

[Statik]

4 minutes ago, emosun said:

Again , if you have some sort of visual requirements then please outline them so we arent recommending things that arent a consideration

I don't really know what you mean by visual requirements other than what i stated. I like that case. Want good lighting. That's all I can really say. I guess if you want me to be specific I like the 2 glass panels and the simplistic of that case.

[brob]

38 minutes ago, Statik said:

I forgot to mention, I'm taking a 1TB HDD out of my old rig for mass storage, so the 250gb NVMe is going to be my boot drive, and the 500GB is going to be for games. 

Consider instead using something like an Intel 660p NVMe drive. For roughly the same cost as the two 970 Evo drives one can get a 2TB Intel 660p drive. If you really feel a need to have separate book and game drives you can create multiple partitions.

 

A 650W psu provides more than enough capacity for the build with ample room for upgrades. G3 psu are not in favor these days because of issues with overcurrent protections. Consider instead Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply.

 

Check the MSI Canada web site for a possible promotion on the motherboard. Currently the web page for the motherboard is suggesting a promotion starting on 2019-10-07. With luck it is similar to the one run in the US a little while ago that offered a CM RGB 240 aio with motherboard purchase.

 

The motherboard should be capable of controlling RGB fans using Mystic Light. Consider getting compatible fans so they can be synced with the motherboard RGB. https://www.msi.com/Landing/mystic-light-rgb-gaming-pc/compatible-products

 

If you get a gpu with RGB, consider a model that supports Mystic Light.

[Statik]

31 minutes ago, brob said:

Consider instead using something like an Intel 660p NVMe drive. For roughly the same cost as the two 970 Evo drives one can get a 2TB Intel 660p drive. If you really feel a need to have separate book and game drives you can create multiple partitions.

 

A 650W psu provides more than enough capacity for the build with ample room for upgrades. G3 psu are not in favor these days because of issues with overcurrent protections. Consider instead Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply.

 

Check the MSI Canada web site for a possible promotion on the motherboard. Currently the web page for the motherboard is suggesting a promotion starting on 2019-10-07. With luck it is similar to the one run in the US a little while ago that offered a CM RGB 240 aio with motherboard purchase.

 

The motherboard should be capable of controlling RGB fans using Mystic Light. Consider getting compatible fans so they can be synced with the motherboard RGB. https://www.msi.com/Landing/mystic-light-rgb-gaming-pc/compatible-products

 

If you get a gpu with RGB, consider a model that supports Mystic Light.

Thanks, that was super helpful. It doesn’t show any promotions on right now, but I’ll keep my eye out for the next few weeks. 

 

I tweaked my build to make everything compatible with Mystic Light.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$429.99 @ Memory Express
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$79.95 @ Vuugo
Motherboard	MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard	$289.00 @ Canada Computers
Memory	Team Night Hawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$118.99 @ Newegg Canada
Storage	Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$129.95 @ Vuugo
Video Card	PowerColor Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Red Devil Video Card	$600.00
Case	Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic ATX Full Tower Case	$179.99 @ Newegg Canada Marketplace
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$104.99 @ Canada Computers
Case Fan	Cooler Master MF120R ARGB 3in1 59 CFM 120 mm Fans	$59.99 @ Memory Express
Monitor	MSI Optix MAG341CQ 34.0" 3440x1440 100 Hz Monitor	$637.50 @ Vuugo
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$2660.35
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$2630.35
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-06 17:06 EDT-0400

 

[RodrigoRS]

Hello, bud. I have bad news for you. The MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI has really poor VRMs. It will not break your parts but why paying more for something with temperature issues?

 

See the list of max temperatures in the minute 5:15 and choose anyone that reaches 80°C as maximum. There are plenty options with wifi and rgb control included, I suppose.

 

 

[Statik]

29 minutes ago, RodrigoRS said:

Hello, bud. I have bad news for you. The MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI has really poor VRMs. It will not break your parts but why paying more for something with temperature issues?

 

See the list of max temperatures in the minute 5:15 and choose anyone that reaches 80°C as maximum. There are plenty options with wifi and rgb control included, I suppose.

 

 

Thanks for the input. Which would you recommend. I thought in x570 MSI was like the only good option, but my knowledge isn’t really that great. What are your thoughts around my price point. Max I would consider going would be around $350 CAD

[RodrigoRS]

I really don't know know much about X570. I've read that the Asus TUF WIFI is good but can't can't tell first hand. MSI is really good but the PRO CARBON and the MPG X570 (at least this first version) are not. The new one (UNITY), the one featured in the video, seems pretty good. MSI is a brand that listen to the customer and fix their products. Nevertheless, look for specs and price for any of the ones in the video or ask for help in the motherboard forum. I really can't choose one, just say which you should not get.

 

Sorry.

[Statik]

1 minute ago, RodrigoRS said:

I really don't know know much about X570. I've read that the Asus TUF WIFI is good but can't can't tell first hand. MSI is really good but the PRO CARBON and the MPG X570 (at least this first version) are not. The new one (UNITY), the one featured in the video, seems pretty good. MSI is a brand that listen to the customer and fix their products. Nevertheless, look for specs and price for any of the ones in the video or ask for help in the motherboard forum. I really can't choose one, just say which you should not get.

 

Sorry.

Thanks! I’m looking into the asus prime x570-pro as we speak

[brob]

56 minutes ago, RodrigoRS said:

Hello, bud. I have bad news for you. The MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI has really poor VRMs. It will not break your parts but why paying more for something with temperature issues?

 

See the list of max temperatures in the minute 5:15 and choose anyone that reaches 80°C as maximum. There are plenty options with wifi and rgb control included, I suppose.

 

 

 

In the context of this build the video is a bit misleading. The cpu used was a 3900X. This build will be using a 3700X.

 

@Statik According to 

the motherboard is fine for the 3700X. If you want something with better VRM that fits your budget you may want to switch to something like the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (WiFi). (Note: not to be confused with it's mini-ITX cousin with a very similar name.)

 

If you do change to a different manufacturer you will have to review all the RGB components for compatibility with its lighting scheme.

[RodrigoRS]

1 minute ago, brob said:

 

In the context of this build the video is a bit misleading. The cpu used was a 3900X. This build will be using a 3700X.

 

@Statik According to 

the motherboard is fine for the 3700X. If you want something with better VRM that fits your budget you may want to switch to something like the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (WiFi). (Note: not to be confused with it's mini-ITX cousin with a very similar name.)

 

If you do change to a different manufacturer you will have to review all the RGB components for compatibility with its lighting scheme.

I know, and I agree with you in that. But if you want to be future proof with ryzen and be able to upgrade in 3 or 4 years just changing the processor, then he should get something better. If he DOES NOT wish to upgrade in some years, why is he using a X570 to beging with? He could get a B450 Tomahawk Max and save a lot of money or even an X470 with flash bios and be ready to go.

If he is really into X570 and wants to be future proof only with x570 (can do it with x470) the he better choose something that can support high end processors of the 3xxx series and even of the next 4xxx series.

[Guest]

Swapped a few things around. Added 6 fans in case you want to fill up all the fan slots. They match the ones on the cooler.

Better X570 board and a good RX 5700 XT as well.

No need for 850W, so swapped it to the 650W. 

Good value NVMe SSD and a bit bigger overall.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($429.99 @ Memory Express) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($194.99 @ Canada Computers) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($289.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Memory: Team T-Force Delta RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($102.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Storage: HP EX920 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($146.99 @ PC-Canada) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card  ($549.00 @ Powertop) 
Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic ATX Full Tower Case  ($179.99 @ Newegg Canada Marketplace) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($124.99 @ Canada Computers) 
Case Fan: Cooler Master MF120R ARGB 3in1  59 CFM 120 mm Fans  ($59.99 @ Memory Express) 
Case Fan: Cooler Master MF120R ARGB 3in1  59 CFM 120 mm Fans  ($59.99 @ Memory Express) 
Monitor: MSI Optix MAG341CQ 34.0" 3440x1440 100 Hz Monitor  ($645.20 @ Amazon Canada) 
Total: $2784.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-07 07:33 EDT-0400

[Statik]

2 hours ago, lee32uk said:

Swapped a few things around. Added 6 fans in case you want to fill up all the fan slots. They match the ones on the cooler.

Better X570 board and a good RX 5700 XT as well.

No need for 850W, so swapped it to the 650W. 

Good value NVMe SSD and a bit bigger overall.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($429.99 @ Memory Express) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($194.99 @ Canada Computers) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($289.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Memory: Team T-Force Delta RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($102.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Storage: HP EX920 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($146.99 @ PC-Canada) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card  ($549.00 @ Powertop) 
Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic ATX Full Tower Case  ($179.99 @ Newegg Canada Marketplace) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($124.99 @ Canada Computers) 
Case Fan: Cooler Master MF120R ARGB 3in1  59 CFM 120 mm Fans  ($59.99 @ Memory Express) 
Case Fan: Cooler Master MF120R ARGB 3in1  59 CFM 120 mm Fans  ($59.99 @ Memory Express) 
Monitor: MSI Optix MAG341CQ 34.0" 3440x1440 100 Hz Monitor  ($645.20 @ Amazon Canada) 
Total: $2784.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-07 07:33 EDT-0400

Thanks man, that’s awesome. I was considering doing a Sabrent Rocket 4.0 SSD to use the x570 to its full extent, is that worth it?

 

As well as I want a 360mm rad, but my only concern is that the 240mm rad is $79, while an extra 120mm is an extra $120, over twice the price. And I like the Red Devil 5700, is there a reason that makes the Gaming OC better?

 

Heres what I came up with:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$429.99 @ Memory Express
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$79.99 @ Canada Computers
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard	$289.99 @ Newegg Canada
Memory	Team Night Hawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$118.99 @ Newegg Canada
Storage	Sabrent Rocket 4.0 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$271.82 @ Amazon Canada
Video Card	PowerColor Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Red Devil Video Card	$600.00
Case	Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic ATX Full Tower Case	$179.99 @ Newegg Canada Marketplace
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$104.99 @ Canada Computers
Case Fan	Cooler Master MF120R ARGB 3in1 59 CFM 120 mm Fans	$59.99 @ Memory Express
Case Fan	Cooler Master MF120R ARGB 3in1 59 CFM 120 mm Fans	$59.99 @ Memory Express
Monitor	MSI Optix MAG341CQ 34.0" 3440x1440 100 Hz Monitor	$637.50 @ Vuugo
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$2863.24
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$2833.24
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-07 09:59 EDT-0400

 

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, Statik said:

Thanks man, that’s awesome. I was considering doing a Sabrent Rocket 4.0 SSD to use the x570 to its full extent, is that worth it?

 

As well as I want a 360mm rad, but my only concern is that the 240mm rad is $79, while an extra 120mm is an extra $120, over twice the price. And I like the Red Devil 5700, is there a reason that makes the Gaming OC better?

 

Heres what I came up with:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$429.99 @ Memory Express
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$79.99 @ Canada Computers
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard	$289.99 @ Newegg Canada
Memory	Team Night Hawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$118.99 @ Newegg Canada
Storage	Sabrent Rocket 4.0 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$271.82 @ Amazon Canada
Video Card	PowerColor Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Red Devil Video Card	$600.00
Case	Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic ATX Full Tower Case	$179.99 @ Newegg Canada Marketplace
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$104.99 @ Canada Computers
Case Fan	Cooler Master MF120R ARGB 3in1 59 CFM 120 mm Fans	$59.99 @ Memory Express
Case Fan	Cooler Master MF120R ARGB 3in1 59 CFM 120 mm Fans	$59.99 @ Memory Express
Monitor	MSI Optix MAG341CQ 34.0" 3440x1440 100 Hz Monitor	$637.50 @ Vuugo
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$2863.24
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$2833.24
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-07 09:59 EDT-0400

 

I would avoid pcie 4.0 for the time being as they get really hot under load. And for gaming it won't make any difference anyway. Even a pcie 3.0 NVMe makes little difference over a SATA. 

 

That 240mm CoolerMaster isn't as good as the ML240R and it doesn't have ARGB fans they are just standard RGB. So if you are going with that size I would get the one below instead. Just remember though with a 240mm you will have a spare fan mount so it won't look as clean as a 360mm would. Not a big issue but I know it would trigger my OCD 

 

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/Vx22FT/cooler-master-masterliquid-ml240r-rgb-667-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-mlx-d24m-a20pc-r1

 

The Gigabyte card has a good cooler on it and gets good reviews. The Powercolor might be a touch better but it costs and extra $50. And if you are wanting RGB then the Gigabyte card will sync with the board when you use the RGB Fusion software.

[Statik]

4 hours ago, lee32uk said:

I would avoid pcie 4.0 for the time being as they get really hot under load. And for gaming it won't make any difference anyway. Even a pcie 3.0 NVMe makes little difference over a SATA. 

 

That 240mm CoolerMaster isn't as good as the ML240R and it doesn't have ARGB fans they are just standard RGB. So if you are going with that size I would get the one below instead. Just remember though with a 240mm you will have a spare fan mount so it won't look as clean as a 360mm would. Not a big issue but I know it would trigger my OCD 

 

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/Vx22FT/cooler-master-masterliquid-ml240r-rgb-667-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-mlx-d24m-a20pc-r1

 

The Gigabyte card has a good cooler on it and gets good reviews. The Powercolor might be a touch better but it costs and extra $50. And if you are wanting RGB then the Gigabyte card will sync with the board when you use the RGB Fusion software.

Haha yeah that’s true. So I might go for then 360 then, and with the money I save dropping from that nvme to an intel 660p it’s the same price. Then in the coming weeks I’ll look over GPUs and make a decision. 

 

So if I don’t have a 4.0 nvme what is the difference between getting a x570 board vs a B450 or x470? Just future proofing?

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Statik said:

Haha yeah that’s true. So I might go for then 360 then, and with the money I save dropping from that nvme to an intel 660p it’s the same price. Then in the coming weeks I’ll look over GPUs and make a decision. 

 

So if I don’t have a 4.0 nvme what is the difference between getting a x570 board vs a B450 or x470? Just future proofing?

Not that much difference between the chipsets. Obviously with X570 you get pcie 4.0 and wifi 6 on the higher end boards. Ram support might also be better especially if you are wanting to overclock it as far as possible. 

 

A B450 board like the MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX is good value if you don't plan on ever running a 16 core. It can easily run a 3600/X/3700X and even a 3900X.