Help needed for friends new PC

[ioafc]

Budget (including currency): 1000 USD

Country: US

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Gaming (War Thunder, EU4, Valorant) at 1080p

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

Here's a link to the build:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hMdcRv

This will be their first actual PC, coming from a old work laptop with integrated graphics, so I'm trying my best to not screw this up lol. 

They already have a external keyboard and mouse so there is no need for buy new ones. The monitor they want is included in the parts list (they don't really care about having a high hz monitor).

I'm looking for help to squeeze the most amount of value out of the budget as to make the system last as long as possible. 

Points of contention:

Motherboard: I'm pretty sure it can be cheaper but built in WiFi is needed.

Graphics Card: 2060 vs 3060. I've found listings on eBay where the 3060 is only 50$ more expensive but I don't know if the cpu would be able to take advantage of it.

Case: I know absolutely nothing about cases so any and all help here will be appreciated.

Thanks!

(Side note: Any tips for buying things used off of eBay?)

[RONOTHAN##]

3 minutes ago, ioafc said:

Motherboard: I'm pretty sure it can be cheaper but built in WiFi is needed.

MSI B660M-A Pro DDR4 WiFi is currently $50 cheaper. That $50 would be better spent on a better GPU like a 6600 XT or maybe a used 6700 XT. Stepping the CPU up to a 12400F is also not a bad option. 

 

I'd step the SSD up to a 1TB model, it's not a ton more expensive but 500GB runs out really fast. 

 

The case you've got two real options, either going new and getting either a Focus G or preferably a P360A (the cheapest cases I'd even consider) or you can go used and hope you find someone who is just getting rid of some used cases (due to case shipping prices, only locally makes sense for used cases). It's up to you which way you want to go. 

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/vjzRgb

 

This should be good for what you're trying to do. 

[An0maly_76]

Ebay is always risky. Used can save money, but you never really know what you're getting either.

 

I notice no cooler in your list, OP -- do you already have one? That processor may be 4-core, but its Intel spec page shows it is rated to run 100C. Also, for M.2s, I tend to recommend the WD Blue SN570, and more recently the WD Black SN750 / SN770 as prices have dropped, as these seem to be a better bang for the buck.

Edited July 14, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised, more info

[ioafc]

1 hour ago, RONOTHAN## said:

MSI B660M-A Pro DDR4 WiFi is currently $50 cheaper. 

 

The case you've got two real options, either going new and getting either a Focus G or preferably a P360A

Didn't know about that motherboard, thanks! Also those cases look much better than the one I was planning on using, will definitely check them out.

[ioafc]

24 minutes ago, An0maly_76 said:

Ebay is always risky. Used can save money, but you never really know what you're getting either.

Was hoping for a different answer but hope can only take one so far. Oh well. 
Also I'm planning on using the stock cooler for the cpu because overclocking isn't really needed for their use case. But if you think it's necessary to buy a cpu cooler, I'm happy to take suggestions!

[An0maly_76]

9 minutes ago, ioafc said:

Was hoping for a different answer but hope can only take one so far. Oh well. 
Also I'm planning on using the stock cooler for the cpu because overclocking isn't really needed for their use case. But if you think it's necessary to buy a cpu cooler, I'm happy to take suggestions!

Stock coolers will work fine up to a point. Granted, there's a huge difference between a 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 5900X and a 4-core, 8-thread i3-12100F (seems like a hot-rodded version of the i7-2600 I just upgraded my web / media NAS project to). Nevertheless, it's always a good idea to add a little extra cooling in case OC is needed. The LGA17000 has several options in the $20-$30 range that should do quite nicely. And even without OC, an aftermarket cooler will lower the core temps that much more, delivering a more consistently peak core speed.

[Somerandomtechyboi]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wzPH8r

¯\_ (ツ) _/¯ 

 

Case is unimportant, all it does is protect and house the parts, so i suggest buying a decent used case or whatever case with decent airflow <40$, if you choose a no airflow case that can be fixed by removing the sidepanel

 

Rest of the budget can go to monitor ig