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 :)

Hi guys! My friend and I are planning to build our first PC and would appreciate any help or advice on what we should add/change. This is what we found online. Any opinions are appreciated!

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Photonman1/saved/DFRyFT

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.

PCPartPicker Part List

want to build a pc cause right now I'm playing games on a crappy laptop and I can afford to spend up to $1500. I have no idea what parts to get. the computer will mainly be used for gaming like Minecraft and Fortnite but also stuff like CAD modeling in fusion360 for my 3d printer, and I want to be able to connect my quest 2 headset to the PC to play games. and stuff like raytracing and better lighting in games would be nice. and I want to be able to get good fps on any game and actually be able to play and load everything.

Hello! I am planning to build a PC for the first time in hopes of upgrading from a basic desktop. I mostly chose what I liked from other builds and referenced some videos online. I am hoping to have someone check over everything real quickly and possibly give me some pointers or state if I've missed anything that I should have taken into consideration.

Here are some notes:

• Budget: $1500 (Around this price, I don't mind going a little higher but I would prefer not to).

• I am going for a mostly all white build. However, I am not necessarily willing to sacrifice hundreds of dollars just for aesthetics. If there are better options, I will try and go for them.

• I want to avoid buying used products and I mainly want to purchase from Amazon.

• I don't plan to go crazy with gaming, around 1080p 30 fps is fine with me. I definitely don't plan to overclock anything. However, I do want something to support heavier games if and when necessary.

• I sometimes do some video editing and rendering.

• I am not too familiar with bottlenecking, so I'm not too sure which components may bottleneck another, or which areas should be upgraded or downgraded for cost and efficiency reasons.

• I don't really plan on upgrading anything in the future unless it breaks.

Thank you for everyone's time in advance!

PCPartPicker Part List

I currently have two builds in mind, wondering which one is better. Welcome to any suggestions and part swaps. I'm just looking for the maximum gaming performance I can get for around $1500.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mZbbyg

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sjFvsh

He already owns a 144hz monitor, a mouse and keyboard set, and headphones. He intends to use it for gaming. The build must include a copy of Windows 11. Preferably a build with a 2 Tb SSD, and 32 Gb of ram if that fits within the budget. I was thinking possibly a 3060 ti or 3070, but that may be out of his price range including everything else.

Looking to build a pc and i want it to be just around $1500 not including the monitor. I had to sell my last one due to losing my job last year but I’m back at a spot where I can build a new one. I’ll play mostly fps but i want the option to run higher end single player games in the future.

The gpu i have on here is the one i had in my last computer. I enjoyed it and didn’t have any problems but I’m open to other options.

The monitor is just a good value one i found but again I’m open to anything else that would pair well.

The only think i won’t change is the case. I work from home and this the fractal north will look good in my office.

All help would be appreciated to get this price down even further compromising performance.

I also want to get into editing a bit as well and wondered if i need to have a better cpu for my build.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FvMK7R

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

• Looking to run AAA games on high settings for the next couple of years. Ex: Total Warhammer 3, Apex, Cyberpunk 2077

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

• $1500 but I am willing to go to $1650 if need be

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

• Next week or two

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

• Need everything

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

• South Louisiana. No access to microcenter

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

• My current moniter as a side moniter for the new build

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

• No

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• Still new to this so I'm really not sure if there's any specifics I need

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

• Some colors would be sweet, but I'll sacrifice power over colors any day

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

• Yes

Extra info or particulars:

• One thing that I've been told is to worry about having enough fans because of how hot it gets here. Besides that, this would be my first build ever so any help would be welcomed!

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

Almost exclusively gaming and emulation (mostly of handheld consoles, using programs like mGBA and DeSmuME). My goal is to be able to run recent modern and upcoming games (Mount & Blade: Bannerlord, Red Dead Redemption 2, Borderlands 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate, Elden Ring, and Dragon’s Dogma 2) at a stable 60+ FPS at 1080p or 1440p on medium-to-high settings.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

$1500 USD

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

Within the next week or two

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

Only the PC. I have all the peripherals and the OS accounted for.

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

Alabama, United States. I do not have a Microcenter near me.

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

I’ll be reusing my Logitech G502 mouse, a Thermaltake wired mechanical keyboard I don’t know the exact model of, and a 1080p ASUS monitor with an HDMI port. I’ll likely be upgrading the monitor to a 1440p one sometime in the future, but I’m not including that in this build.

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

No.

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

At least 2TB of SSD storage with the option to add more in the future. I don’t know what the standard number of rear USB ports is, but my current build has eight and I’d like at least four, though preferably more.

What type of network connectivity do you need? (Wired and/or WiFi) If WiFi is needed and you would like to find the fastest match for your wireless router, please list any specifics.

Wired

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

No color preference. I don’t like RGB lighting, but I assume any case with lights will allow me to either turn them off or just not plug them in. I’d like a headphone jack and at least two USB (not USB-C) ports on the top or front. Preferably the front, but them being on top is certainly no deal breaker.

I would really, really like to avoid tempered glass. I don’t really care whether or not the case has a side panel window to begin with, so I’d be perfectly happy to have no window at all rather than have one made of tempered glass.

I’d also like a case that isn’t too difficult to dust. It doesn’t have to be easy to dust, per se, just not a nightmare. My current build uses a Corsair SPEC-01 case and HOO BOY are those front ridges annoying to get clean. I don’t think there are many cases where this will be an issue, but I thought I’d mention just in case.

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

No

Extra info or particulars:

Most of the games I play seem to be more on the CPU-intensive side than the GPU-intensive side. Specifically, games like Warband that have hundreds of AI enemies and allies running around at once. I can run Warband with high battle sizes even with a CPU that’s about a decade old, so this probably won’t be relevant to a build using much more recent cards. I just thought I’d mention it on the off chance it does matter.

ok, I know that anybody who is reading this is probably tearing their hair out reading the title, as this probably have been asked a billion times on this subreddit, but people who build pc's for hobbies, what genuinely is the best cheap build for people who are just getting into it?

I've been wanting to buy a gaming pc for years now, but money has always been a huge issue. That and my lack of knowledge assembling one. It always felt like a huge risk, saving so much money only to build a non functioning useless piece of machinery.

But I've finally decided to try to get one, for multiple reasons. For Like video editing, gaming, potentially streaming and work etc. I have a MacBook, but to say that its performance is lackluster would be an understatement.

Hearing that prebuilt pc’s are ”over priced garbage”, I’ve decided that maybe building one myself isn’t such a bad idea.

The question is, where do I begin? I genuinely want a pc with as lowly viably specs as possible. Like I just want something to reach (1080p) /hd/, that can play games smoothly, with a bit of storage. I don’t want any 4k ray tracing nasa computer, i want something within a realistic price pool.

However, me Being new to this, I’m left with a couple of questions. What’s the best place to start? Is there like a website out there that focuses specifically on finding compatible, relatively cheap pc parts for you? Do i have to start from scratch, doing all the research on my own? Any recommendations?
IS there an assortment of specs that is the most bang for your buck that the community here has generally agreed on?

(Sorry for the dumb format, but i’m genuinely clueless when it comes to specs lol)

(Is it realistic getting one for 1500$, or a little beneath?”)

As the title says, I'm trying to build a decent gaming PC. I tweaked some of the components on a site that sells PC's, but I am not super knowledgeable in building PC's. While I do know a little bit, you can sum up my level of understanding to "Higher numbers = Newer and most likely better components".

I'm not a 100% sure if all these things are compatible and/or if there are better components for the same value. Note that the CPU cooler is different than what I could choose, but I put in the closest/similar cooler in pcpartpicker.

Is this good for around that ~1.5k budget? https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Zk4wJy

Hope to find some help here.

BACKGROUND

I am building a new pc to replace my 10 year old pc. I mostly use it for gaming, but also some personal light productivity, multitasking, streaming movies/tv etc.

Currently I play some fps games like cs go, pubg, MW. I also play HOTS and will be playing diablo 4. I'm also considering games like hogwarts and even getting into a driving sim down the road.

I've been an intel and Nvidia fan boy because this is what I've used in the past with success. I've had an i5-2500k chugging along for 11 years that I've been happy with. But with the state of things with gpus, I think I'll be going Radeon this time around for a bit of longevity due to more vram.

BUDGET

Regarding budget, I've gone back and forth but pretty much decided to build a mid range pc that'll efficiently run 1440p for at least a few years (the longer the better) . So I'd like to keep the pc build (minus monitors) between $1400-$2000, but cheaper is always better.

BUILD

I live near a microcenter, so I plan to bundle the cpu, mobo and ram and then add another 16gb of ram. I'm sure it's user error, but I was struggling to get ddr4 ram on pcpartpicker.com which is why you see the ddr5. I'd love to build it this upcoming weekend, but we'll see. Linked is the build I created as of now.

EDIT: LATEST BUILD

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fzGsDq

Let me know what you think and if I can improve anywhere. Thank for your help!

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

This pc is not for me but a girl I am close to;The games she will be playing is along the lines of battlefield, Arma reforger, COD and probably more graphic intensive games. Not 100% on which games she will play.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

maximum budget is $1500

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

Asap

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

All of the above (Only thing I’m not sure about is the monitor, but can be included anyway)

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

U.S.A. - South Georgia - probably not, it is 5 hours away

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

N/a

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

Overclocking will not be necessary

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

SSD for sure

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

Preferably black mid tower case with window. LED’s are optional

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

Do not need a copy of windows

Extra info or particulars:

Hello, I'm finally ready to build my second pc wanted to upgrade but never knew what, how, or anything, and I feel like it would be better to just build a PC, so here I am with a budget of about $1500. It can be a little less or a little more.

• New build or upgrade? - New build

• Existing parts/monitors? - Yes (I have all needed peripherals).

• PC purpose? - Gaming: Arma Reforger (60 fps, 1080p, and max settings I can do while still having a stable 60 fps), DayZ (60 fps, 1080p, and same as Arma, max settings I can do while still having a stable 60 fps, and sometimes testing some other games but rarely.

• Purchase country? Near Micro Center? - Poland, we don't have those here. :(

• Monitors needed? - No, but if there were a good one for max $300 that was at least 24 inches, 144hz 1080p or higher, I could buy it.

• Budget range? - About $1.5k ±- $100 (or more if really needed or recommended)

• WiFi or wired connection? - WiFi (I can switch to wired if recommended and if cheaper)

• Size/noise constraints? - Not any

• Color/lighting preference? - I don't really care about RGB because I want pure performance, so I wouldn't bail out on RGB.

• Any other specific needs? - min. 2TB NVME, 32GB RAM (best if DDR5)

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

Web browsing, some code compilation and CAD software for school. Mostly play games like Tekken 7 and COD. Some video editing and screen recording with OBS.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

$1500

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

1 week

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

Tower, windows 10, speakers (not very large), cpu, gpu, RAM, nvme ssd, mobo, psu cooler/fans, and anything else required for a complete pc (not sure if heatsink or thermal paste will be provided/necessary).

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

California. Yes Microcenter is accessible.

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

LG 1080P monitor. Will upgrade next year (not part of $1500 budget). Reusing mechanical keyboard, mouse and monitor.

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

No overclocking.

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

I am inclined to use Ryzen 7700x bundle with 32gigs ram and mobo for $399 from microcenter. Open to other suggestions. Need 2tb nvme ssd preferably samsung 980 pro.

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

[ ] Midtower size preferred but open to larger case if it helps (black or white color). RGB, colors etc not needed but don't mind if it comes with case/cooler etc.

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

Yes windows 10 pro preferred.

Extra info or particulars:

I tried pc parts picker using the ryzen 7700x bundle. I don't know if the build will work well for my needs and hopefully upgradeable in the future.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wDyrrv

Hi guys. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YZFJjZ this is my build. I build PC for games and work in photoshop

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

• Gaming. Chivalry 2, Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and all upcoming PC games

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

• $1500.

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

• ASAP like in a day or two.

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

• Tower and OS.

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

• Chicago, IL. I do have a Microcenter near me.

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

• I'll be using a 43" Gigabyte FV43U. I have a keyboard and a mouse as well.

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

• Not interested in OCing

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• None.

What type of network connectivity do you need? (Wired and/or WiFi) If WiFi is needed and you would like to find the fastest match for your wireless router, please list any specifics.

• Wired.

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

• No case preference.

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

• Yes. Windows 11 should be included in the budget.

Extra info or particulars:

I'm definitely getting the I9-12900k bundle from Microcenter for $400. Here's the build I'm thinking:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tLkXHG

Total price will be $1500. If we could optimize and lower it down to $1300 some more then that would be great.

I am finally going to build a gaming PC. I have put together a build I think seems promising, I was hoping to get some critique on it, do you think it seems like a good build? Is there anything you would change? The budget isn't set in stone, I could probably go all the way up to 2k USD but I don't need anything insane. I'm mostly looking to play games, and also do some work in blender and godot.

Here's what I have so far.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3KLz28

New build or upgrade? - new build

Existing parts/monitors to reuse? (List with models/links) - I have nothing so far except a mouse, but I am not worried about peripherals, I can figure this out myself.

PC purpose? (Gaming, editing, etc. List apps/games) - gaming (getting into PC gaming, I currently play easy stuff like fortnite, minecraft, maybe some COD, 3d modeling, game development in godot (but also maybe unreal now that I have a decent pc).

Purchase country? Near Micro Center? (If not US, list local vendors) - in the US, I am pretty close to a microcenter

Monitors needed? (Number, size, resolution, refresh rate) - I would like two, but I'm able to figure this part on my own, just want help with building the actual machine.

Budget range? (Include tax considerations) - I am pretty happy with this budget, but could go all the way up to $2000 if it is warranted.

WiFi or wired connection? - Definetely looking for WIFI so I picked a motherboard with it already.

Size/noise constraints? - No constraints really, should be fine with a regular ATX.

Color/lighting preferences? - I don't really care I'd prefer less RGB and more simple tbh.

Any other specific needs? Not really.

>**What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.**

Gaming and schoolwork

Games: CS2, Fortnite, Rust, DayZ, Rainbow Six Siege, COD, PUBG, (pretty much any mainstream game)

>**What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?**

$1,500 (I can stretch to $1,600 if it is really worth it.

>**When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.**

Within the month of December 2023

>**What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc.)**

I need everything included except for peripherals. I have a headset, mouse/keyboard, and monitors already. I will just get a windows license off a third party site for cheap.

>**Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?**

U.S. and yes Micro Center is a 20 minute drive.

>**If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.**

I will be reusing a Corsair STRAFE keyboard, glorious model D, an HP omen monitor and an MSI Opticx monitor (both 144Hz)

>**Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?**

I am unfamiliar with it and do not want to break anything. So probably not.

>**Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)**

I prefer intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs since I prefer their driver support and I am much more fluent in the software for these brands.

>**Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc.), or a particular color theme preference for the components?**

Mid tower size, ATX, RBG/LED is fine but not necessary. I want to keep a darker color scheme (Black if possible).

>**Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?**

I will get a windows 11 home key from a third party site.