Example Builds
So you either have exhausted your way through this guide or just want me to give you a breakdown of a build cost wise. All prices are based on Amazon or Newegg (sometimes prices change but take a day or 2 to update). A few things to note however. Prices do not include the cost of Windows. There are many ways to obtain a license such as a system builder, discounts from school or discounts from work.
I use a few specific cases, but since these carry such personal preference, do not take that as the only case to buy. Simply the 275R is a great midranged case and the H700 has great airflow for a higher end case.
The Cheapskate
This build has evolved. It keeps in mind budget, but made a few upgrades. Now it has a full Quad Core CPU and the graphics is twice as powerful. Should play popular Esports Games, GTA V, Fortnite, WoW, etc on decent settings and FPS. Worth the extra $$$.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Case: DIYPC Solo-T2-BK Black USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Case ($31.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($59.53 @ Amazon)
Total: $348.46
The Sub $600 Gaming-Editor
So this takes the original and adds some nice quality upgrade to help with gaming. The board is slightly better with better VRM's so it can handle some automatic OC. Th has enough memory for some streaming/editing and is just an overall solid around $600 system for gaming/light streaming.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte A520M S2H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($74.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Silicon Power A60 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB Ventus XS OC Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB311L ARGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.84 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($59.53 @ Amazon)
Total: $604.32
How to Stream/Edit for under $900
This takes my specialty to the next level. We increased the graphics power a bit, beefed up the PSU 100W, upgraded the case for more room, upgraded the SSD to NVME and a decent B550 board. This is the perfect under $100 editing/streaming builds, especially when looking at 1080p 60Hz and even 120-144Hz gaming on some newer titles.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($289.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Za 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Silicon Power A60 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ Walmart)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB311L ARGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.84 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 500 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($85.99 @ B&H)
Total: $995.77
I Will Take Wow For 1000
This PC is designed with only 1 purpose, World of Warcraft. The goal of this PC is to max out WoW under $1000. While a 10600k would be slightly better, the amount of GPU horse power you would give up for a better cooler and more expensive CPU would reduce your performance..
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($58.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Silicon Power A60 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ Walmart)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB311L ARGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.84 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($59.53 @ Amazon)
Total: $947.31
Anti Red Gaming
So if you hate team red and your focus is gaming, this is about the best you can get before the value really starts to drop off. Should push 100 FPS+ at 1440p in most games!
CPU: Intel Core i5-10600K 4.1 GHz 6-Core Processor ($292.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML240L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: GeIL Evo X II RGB SYNC 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Silicon Power A60 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB GAMING X Video Card ($429.99 @ Walmart)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB511 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1319.42
The Best of All Worlds
This PC should be about the highest end system you need unless you're pushing competitive 144Hz gaming where the extra speed/single threaded performance of Intel would make a difference. Thre board has good OC potential, cooler should keep the CPU chilly to boot! This would stream fine, edit well and game well. If you're doing serious editing, increasing the memory to 32GB would make sense. The 5700 XT is a place holder for the custom cooled ones coming soon!. Should do 1440p 100Hz+ Gaming no issue!
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($429.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA Swordfish 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL II-X ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Cooler Master MWE Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1785.92
The Gaming Monster
This PC is designed with only gaming in mind. You'll be pushing the CPU near 5GHz, the GPU is designed for 1440p 120-144Hz (mix of high/max settings). The NVME SSD is rated at 2000/1700 read/write, the case has excellent airflow to handle an overclocked RTX 2070 and the PSU is also a Tier 2 PSU. While this is not an ideal setup for streaming, it is the best monster gaming PC money can buy for around $1500.
CPU: Intel Core i9-10850K 3.6 GHz 10-Core Processor ($486.85 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 360 ARGB Sync Edition 56.45 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($163.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ELITE ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P1 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($224.95 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL II-X ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 700 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($109.90 @ B&H)
Total: $1990.66
The PCBS PC
This is my current PC and the prices I paid. I got mostly everything on sale and the CPU Cooler used. I have the memory running @ 3733MHz CL18.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($499.00 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Fractal Design Celsius S36 87.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($50.00)
Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($219.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($150.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($96.02 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Awaiting 5700 XT Custom Cards
Case: Lian-Li PC-O11 Dynamic ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99)
Power Supply: EVGA 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($114.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer ET241Y Abmir 23.8" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor ($109.99)
Custom: Acer ED323QUR Abidpx 31.5" WQHD (2560 x 1440) Curved 1800R VA Gaming Monitor with AMD Radeon FREESYNC Technology - 4ms | 144Hz Refresh Rate | Display Port, HDMI Port & DVI Port ($299.99)
Custom: Pccooler 120mm Fan 3-Pack Moonlight series, PC-3M120 RGB LED Computer Case Fan - PWM PC Cooling Fan - Dual Light Loop Quiet Fan/Multiple Light Modes with Controller for PC Cases, CPU Coolers ($34.99)
Custom: Pccooler 120mm Fan 3-Pack Moonlight series, PC-3M120 RGB LED Computer Case Fan - PWM PC Cooling Fan - Dual Light Loop Quiet Fan/Multiple Light Modes with Controller for PC Cases, CPU Coolers ($34.99)
Total: $1789.81
I use a few specific cases, but since these carry such personal preference, do not take that as the only case to buy. Simply the 275R is a great midranged case and the H700 has great airflow for a higher end case.
The Cheapskate
This build has evolved. It keeps in mind budget, but made a few upgrades. Now it has a full Quad Core CPU and the graphics is twice as powerful. Should play popular Esports Games, GTA V, Fortnite, WoW, etc on decent settings and FPS. Worth the extra $$$.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Case: DIYPC Solo-T2-BK Black USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Case ($31.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($59.53 @ Amazon)
Total: $348.46
The Sub $600 Gaming-Editor
So this takes the original and adds some nice quality upgrade to help with gaming. The board is slightly better with better VRM's so it can handle some automatic OC. Th has enough memory for some streaming/editing and is just an overall solid around $600 system for gaming/light streaming.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte A520M S2H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($74.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Silicon Power A60 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB Ventus XS OC Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB311L ARGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.84 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($59.53 @ Amazon)
Total: $604.32
How to Stream/Edit for under $900
This takes my specialty to the next level. We increased the graphics power a bit, beefed up the PSU 100W, upgraded the case for more room, upgraded the SSD to NVME and a decent B550 board. This is the perfect under $100 editing/streaming builds, especially when looking at 1080p 60Hz and even 120-144Hz gaming on some newer titles.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($289.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Za 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Silicon Power A60 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ Walmart)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB311L ARGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.84 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 500 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($85.99 @ B&H)
Total: $995.77
I Will Take Wow For 1000
This PC is designed with only 1 purpose, World of Warcraft. The goal of this PC is to max out WoW under $1000. While a 10600k would be slightly better, the amount of GPU horse power you would give up for a better cooler and more expensive CPU would reduce your performance..
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team T-FORCE DARK Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($58.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Silicon Power A60 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ Walmart)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB311L ARGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.84 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($59.53 @ Amazon)
Total: $947.31
Anti Red Gaming
So if you hate team red and your focus is gaming, this is about the best you can get before the value really starts to drop off. Should push 100 FPS+ at 1440p in most games!
CPU: Intel Core i5-10600K 4.1 GHz 6-Core Processor ($292.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML240L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: GeIL Evo X II RGB SYNC 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Silicon Power A60 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB GAMING X Video Card ($429.99 @ Walmart)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB511 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1319.42
The Best of All Worlds
This PC should be about the highest end system you need unless you're pushing competitive 144Hz gaming where the extra speed/single threaded performance of Intel would make a difference. Thre board has good OC potential, cooler should keep the CPU chilly to boot! This would stream fine, edit well and game well. If you're doing serious editing, increasing the memory to 32GB would make sense. The 5700 XT is a place holder for the custom cooled ones coming soon!. Should do 1440p 100Hz+ Gaming no issue!
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($429.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA Swordfish 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL II-X ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Cooler Master MWE Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1785.92
The Gaming Monster
This PC is designed with only gaming in mind. You'll be pushing the CPU near 5GHz, the GPU is designed for 1440p 120-144Hz (mix of high/max settings). The NVME SSD is rated at 2000/1700 read/write, the case has excellent airflow to handle an overclocked RTX 2070 and the PSU is also a Tier 2 PSU. While this is not an ideal setup for streaming, it is the best monster gaming PC money can buy for around $1500.
CPU: Intel Core i9-10850K 3.6 GHz 10-Core Processor ($486.85 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 360 ARGB Sync Edition 56.45 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($163.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ELITE ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P1 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($224.95 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB AORUS MASTER Video Card
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL II-X ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 700 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($109.90 @ B&H)
Total: $1990.66
The PCBS PC
This is my current PC and the prices I paid. I got mostly everything on sale and the CPU Cooler used. I have the memory running @ 3733MHz CL18.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($499.00 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Fractal Design Celsius S36 87.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($50.00)
Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($219.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($150.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($96.02 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Awaiting 5700 XT Custom Cards
Case: Lian-Li PC-O11 Dynamic ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99)
Power Supply: EVGA 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($114.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer ET241Y Abmir 23.8" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor ($109.99)
Custom: Acer ED323QUR Abidpx 31.5" WQHD (2560 x 1440) Curved 1800R VA Gaming Monitor with AMD Radeon FREESYNC Technology - 4ms | 144Hz Refresh Rate | Display Port, HDMI Port & DVI Port ($299.99)
Custom: Pccooler 120mm Fan 3-Pack Moonlight series, PC-3M120 RGB LED Computer Case Fan - PWM PC Cooling Fan - Dual Light Loop Quiet Fan/Multiple Light Modes with Controller for PC Cases, CPU Coolers ($34.99)
Custom: Pccooler 120mm Fan 3-Pack Moonlight series, PC-3M120 RGB LED Computer Case Fan - PWM PC Cooling Fan - Dual Light Loop Quiet Fan/Multiple Light Modes with Controller for PC Cases, CPU Coolers ($34.99)
Total: $1789.81