Hello, I live in the US and im looking for a PC build for 1500 USD. I live near a Micro Center (DFW) and I play FPS games like Siege and CS, so im looking for high frames. Im fine with 1080p. Dont need wifi since i have an ethernet cable and already have a BT adapter. Would like RGB and my first build was a white theme so ideally for aesthetic preferences this build can be black. Thanks :)

• New build or upgrade?

  • New Build

    • I currently have a pre built I bought 2 years ago but, I am now looking to build my wife a "budget" PC so she can play PC games with her friends and I

• Existing parts/monitors to reuse? (List with models/links)

  • Only a monitor at this time. MSI MAG 321UP (bought it for her for console gaming in a small area)

    • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9HY3JH2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

• PC purpose? (Gaming, editing, etc. List apps/games)

  • Purely Gaming... Maybe some document storage

• Purchase country? Near Micro Center?

  • United States

    • Have two Micro Centers that are each 5 hours from us

• Monitors needed? (Number, size, resolution, refresh rate)

  • No monitors needed but, would like to aim for a goal of max settings on let's say Destiny 2 at 1440p 120hz +

• Budget range? (Include tax considerations)

  • I would like to stay between the $1,500 - $2,000 range

• WiFi or wired connection?

  • Hard wired connection preferred

    • WiFi available (currently running 500 Mbps Down, 400 Mbps Up)

• Size/noise constraints?

  • No XL builds, moderate noise at max

• Color/lighting preferences?

  • Big Lian Li Infinity fan... fan but, those can be upgraded at a later time

  • She really likes the NZXT Kraken Elite pump display

• Any other specific needs?

  • Prefer AIO over Fan CPU cooler

  • 2 sticks of 32GB of ram to keep space for expansion

  • Plenty of space for SSD M.2 NVME expansion

  • would like it to last her at least a few years before needing major component upgrade

I’ve enabled parametric filters and choices for some sections. A quick note on the motherboard: make sure you get one with solid VRMs. It should be able to handle a potential future 170W+ CPU with 12+ cores(11700x3d or whatever they call it) without breaking a sweat. I'm avoiding asrock for the time being due to high instances of X3Ds burning with no resolution.

For CPUs, the Ryzen 5 9600X / 7600 / 7600X are excellent AM5 starters. They give you a cheap, powerful entry point now while leaving the door open for an eventual upgrade to something like the 11700X3D or 11800X3D. Just don’t miss out on deals like the 5700X3D at $140,that’s the kind of value that disappears fast(just look at the number of people asking if they should get a $250 5700x3d or upgrade to AM5 rn). On the flip side, overspending on a 7800X3D or 9800X3D doesn’t make sense for most people. Modern demanding titles are still GPU-bound, especially once you crank up ray tracing and upscaling. The only exception is if you can snag a heavily discounted 7800X3D at Microcenter, but that doesn’t apply to most.

The Thermalright Royal Pretor is currently one of the best air coolers on the market, and for $45 it’s basically a no brainer. It’s a solid step up from the Phantom Spirit in performance.

On the GPU front, the RX 9070 16GB at $600 is fantastic value. With a little undervolting/overclocking, it can perform close to a 9070XT. If you can stretch your budget, the 5070 Ti is another stellar option at MSRP. DLSS, path-tracing performance, and Frame Generation are often underrated, especially combined with Reflex 2, which massively reduces latency. Just make sure your native framerate sits at 45 FPS or higher before enabling Frame Gen, and you’ll be golden.

For storage, a 2TB Gen4/Gen5 NVMe SSD is the sweet spot. Game load times aren’t sensitive to NVMe speeds, and the handful of DirectStorage titles out there barely show a difference between Gen3 and Gen4 anyway. Grab whichever is the best deal.

Cases are down to personal preference. I’ve picked airflow-focused and well-priced options, but MATX is also a fantastic choice if you want to keep things compact. The Dan A3 didn’t make it into this list, but it’s still one of my personal favorites.

Power supplies are simple: grab an 850W 80+ Gold ATX 3.1 unit with at least a 10-year warranty, Tier B+ or higher. The 750W variants are often just $10-$15 cheaper, so it’s worth stepping up to 850W for peace of mind.

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