$800-$1,600 recommendations

[Juan Cabrera]

Budget (including currency): $800-$1,600

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: I'm not a professional/competitive gamer but I do enjoy the occasional video game. I would like to play the new God of War games now that they are available for PC and the occasional racing game.  I am a plant scientist and extension educator, so I will be analyzing data and creating educational video content (DaVinci Resolve).

Other details My current system consists of an Asus ProArt PA278QV monitor, a Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 with a 4k display (waste of money but I was young and gullible) & the 960M, and a standard Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse.

The IdeaPad is showing it's age and I'm finding it hard to fight the temptation of buying the parts with the highest numbers on paper and product names. That's why I'm trusting in this community's criteria.

I'm open to the idea of forgoing some parts right now if it means staying within budget (GPU as a future purchase). I prefer a desktop over a laptop due to the flexibility of being able to fix and upgrade the computer easily since a highly value a platform that is not a dead end (I chose a laptop for my current system because I was in grad school and moving around).  I would entertain the idea of a prebuilt system if it stays within budget but not using parts that are two generations old. I would like to get the opportunity of building the system myself. If laptops are recommended, 15 inch is the largest I would go and nothing bulkier than my current laptop, but with plenty of ports. I plan to make the purchases within a month or two from getting the groups recommendations. Please include a decent ups in the budget.

 

[Fendrick]

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tWMDv3

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($247.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Vetroo V5 52 CFM CPU Cooler  ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B660 DS3H DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($187.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($52.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: ASRock OC Formula Radeon RX 6900 XT 16 GB Video Card  ($829.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A850GF 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($122.36 @ Amazon)
Total: $1616.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-14 02:44 EST-0500

[greeatzy]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($298.73 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($52.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Trinity GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card  ($799.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1646.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-14 03:28 EST-0500

 

OR 

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($298.73 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($52.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 319 Radeon RX 6950 XT 16 GB Video Card  ($729.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1576.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-14 03:31 EST-0500

[SteveGrabowski0]

9 hours ago, greeatzy said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($298.73 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($52.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Trinity GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card  ($799.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1646.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-14 03:28 EST-0500

 

OR 

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($298.73 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($52.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 319 Radeon RX 6950 XT 16 GB Video Card  ($729.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1576.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-14 03:31 EST-0500

Much better than I was going to post with an RX 6800. Though I would make a couple of changes:

 

1. I'd use an Asus board so I'd know I could update the BIOS via USB for the 13600k

2. I'd upgrade the cooler to a DeepCool AK620

[SteveGrabowski0]

10 hours ago, Fendrick said:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tWMDv3

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($247.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Vetroo V5 52 CFM CPU Cooler  ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B660 DS3H DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($187.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($52.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: ASRock OC Formula Radeon RX 6900 XT 16 GB Video Card  ($829.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A850GF 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($122.36 @ Amazon)
Total: $1616.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-14 02:44 EST-0500

Will the DS3H handle a 12600k at full power without throttling? The B660m DS3H can't handle a locked 12700 without throttling.

 

 

[Juan Cabrera]

17 hours ago, greeatzy said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($298.73 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($52.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Trinity GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card  ($799.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1646.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-14 03:28 EST-0500

 

OR 

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($298.73 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($52.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($79.98 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 319 Radeon RX 6950 XT 16 GB Video Card  ($729.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1576.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-14 03:31 EST-0500

 

17 hours ago, Fendrick said:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tWMDv3

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($247.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Vetroo V5 52 CFM CPU Cooler  ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B660 DS3H DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($187.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory  ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($52.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: ASRock OC Formula Radeon RX 6900 XT 16 GB Video Card  ($829.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A850GF 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($122.36 @ Amazon)
Total: $1616.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-14 02:44 EST-0500

 

7 hours ago, SteveGrabowski0 said:

Will the DS3H handle a 12600k at full power without throttling? The B660m DS3H can't handle a locked 12700 without throttling.

 

 

Thanks for the great suggestions! I knew I could trust you guys. One thing I wanted to ask you is if this build is future proof. The reason I ask is because I was made aware there is new DDR5 ram and I noticed that the recommended motherboards support DDR4. Do you think it's worth paying the early adopter tax on DDR5, is it worth the performance upgrade? I never thought I could get a 4070 in my budget bracket.

 

 

 

Also, I noticed that none of the recommended builds are based on AMD platforms and I'm curious about the reason why? I always got the impression that they ran a couple of bucks cheaper than Intel builds.

[SteveGrabowski0]

3 hours ago, Juan Cabrera said:

 

 

Thanks for the great suggestions! I knew I could trust you guys. One thing I wanted to ask you is if this build is future proof. The reason I ask is because I was made aware there is new DDR5 ram and I noticed that the recommended motherboards support DDR4. Do you think it's worth paying the early adopter tax on DDR5, is it worth the performance upgrade? I never thought I could get a 4070 in my budget bracket.

 

 

 

Also, I noticed that none of the recommended builds are based on AMD platforms and I'm curious about the reason why? I always got the impression that they ran a couple of bucks cheaper than Intel builds.

Would be nice to do a DDR5 build, especially so you can possibly use your RAM for another cpu upgrade down the line, but I wouldn't do it at the cost of your gpu. For 1440p 75Hz gaming that system should give you some good years, as the 4070 Ti is honestly more like a 4k 75Hz gpu right now. So it should age pretty well for 1440p 75Hz. Good chance the system will last you the rest of the console generation I would expect, though you'll be turning settings down a bit at the end obviously. But especially only having to push 75Hz, seems like a minimal chance the cpu is going to become a bottleneck there in the next 4-5 years.

[greeatzy]

12 hours ago, SteveGrabowski0 said:

Much better than I was going to post with an RX 6800. Though I would make a couple of changes:

 

1. I'd use an Asus board so I'd know I could update the BIOS via USB for the 13600k

2. I'd upgrade the cooler to a DeepCool AK620

1. MSI Z690-A DDR4 MOBO supports USB BIOS Flash https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z690-A-DDR4/support 

2. Here are some screenshots from Gamersnexus benchmarks showing AK620 temps but only shows single fan peerless assasin spirit. So here is a screenshot from hardware canucks showing Peerless Assasin performance. Using these two screenshots and cross-referencing we can see in my opinion that the peerless assasin is a better option regarding price to performance ratio.

[greeatzy]

14 hours ago, Juan Cabrera said:

 

 

Thanks for the great suggestions! I knew I could trust you guys. One thing I wanted to ask you is if this build is future proof. The reason I ask is because I was made aware there is new DDR5 ram and I noticed that the recommended motherboards support DDR4. Do you think it's worth paying the early adopter tax on DDR5, is it worth the performance upgrade? I never thought I could get a 4070 in my budget bracket.

 

 

 

Also, I noticed that none of the recommended builds are based on AMD platforms and I'm curious about the reason why? I always got the impression that they ran a couple of bucks cheaper than Intel builds.

For this kind of a budget DDR5 for me is a no go reason being - wasting precious money not so big of a performance difference.

Here is video from Gamersnexus benchmarking Ryzen 7 7700 and 13600K and others.

 

[Juan Cabrera]

Thanks for the suggestions and answers to my questions! 

 

I'll begin purchasing the parts and hopefully have a complete build within the next 3 months.