Need help with a build

Dracolithfiend · May 23, 2018

My computer just died after about 6-7 years of daily use. I need to start a new build however these days I am clueless as to what I should build. I need liquid cooling because I live in the southern US. Also GPU prices are still absurd right now (it's a bit late in the cycle to get excited about hitting MSRP) so I am thinking a cheap GPU that I can upgrade in a year or two.

I need a good CPU, Mobo, and psu. I don't care about the case. I have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Possibly ram that's worth saving but I'm not gonna hold my breath. Prebuilt is fine too. Actually it might be better. $1000 - $1500 USD. I can go a bit higher but only if the gain is substantial. The computer will be used for gaming. Eu4, HOI4, star citizen, various FPS games etcetera.

Thanks for any help

Herman Mcpootis · May 23, 2018

any streaming/rendering/editing?

Herman Mcpootis · May 23, 2018

if you only have a 1080p 60hz monitor:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($178.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B360M DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($72.27 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.79 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Mini Video Card ($529.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: AOC - AG241QX 23.8" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor ($318.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1491.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-23 01:21 EDT-0400

if not:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg Business)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK - TISIS 70.2 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($72.27 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.79 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Superclocked Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($549.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair - Carbide Series 275R (Black w/Tempered Glass) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1501.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-23 01:24 EDT-0400

Taf the Ghost · May 23, 2018

Not sure you "need" water cooling, just because you live in the SW. You'll want some extra case fans and a good air cooler, at minimum.

Probably want to run with an Intel-based system, given the games listed are in the "the engine is actually broken, we just unbroke it enough to run on Intel" options.

RAM555789 · May 23, 2018

For straight 1080p gaming I recommended

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg Business)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z370 AORUS GAMING WIFI (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg Business)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($148.50 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.79 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Dual Video Card ($299.89 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1308.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-23 01:25 EDT-0400

For streaming/recording at 1080p I recommended

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard ($129.03 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg Business)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($148.50 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.79 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Dual Video Card ($299.89 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - H440 (Matte Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1343.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-23 01:28 EDT-0400

If you plan to game at higher resolutions I recommend this: Note, I could not fit an SSD into this so instead I used 2 drives which you could run in raid 0 for faster speeds will also increasing the chance of greater data loss.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant