Building A Gaming / Streaming / Video Editing PC (Budget: $3000)

• 

  dapt on 31/08/2020 - 20:23

  +2

  https://www.logicalincrements.com/
  Select "Australia", scroll down to your budget (monitor/monitors and peripherals excluded)

  Helps with balancing - a 3900X is wasted in your budget level

  • 

    the shadow on 01/09/2020 - 20:15

    That website is amazing and really helpful. Thank you! I'll get the 3700X. :)

• 

  alberto2345 on 31/08/2020 - 20:43

  +3

  Honestly, 10 years is a very long time. I'd argue even high end systems purchased today, would last around 5 years, then you would really want to start considering upgrading things. So in my opinion, 10 years is just pushing too far.

  If we are talking 5 years, in my opinion, what you have chosen so far is pretty good. There is always going to be pros and cons with all parts as there is just so much to choose from.

  One change I'd make is the GPU. I'd either save a couple hundred and get something like this or this, or pay more and get a GTX 2080 Super for more graphics performance.

  Also the 3700x should be plenty.

  For PSUs, try not to skimp, as its literally the part that is powering everything in your system. 80+ Gold and above is what I would recommend for a PC costing this much. Some good brands that I know of are Silverstone, Seasonic, Corsair. Other people might be able to recommend other brands they have had good experience with too. Here is what I think is a good choice

  For cases, it will come down to preference as there are some great cases, and it all depends on what you think will look best. Here is a reference to find some good performing cases.

  CPU Cooler will depend on what case you get. If you have the room and just want air cooling (which will arguable last longer than an AIO water cooler), I'd suggest a big Noctua Air Cooler like the NH-U14S or NH-D15 (you will also need to buy the mounting kit if it doesn't support AM4).
  If you instead want to water cool, you can get an AIO (All In One) CPU water cooler. Again, your choice will also depend on what case you get, but I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 240mm radiator. Try and get a 280mm if it can fit in your case.

  Monitor is a tough one in my opinion (at least for me). Do you want high refresh rate and low latency, or do you want high colour accuracy (maybe even HDR support) and don't really care for refresh rate or low latency? Would you like the best of both and want to spend quite a bit of money?
  I'd at least say that looking at an IPS monitor is a good start.

  Mouse and keyboard is really preference. I don't really have any specific recommendations, but I like Logitech mice. I use a Logitech G710+ keyboard (haven't used any of logitechs new keyboards with their own mechanical key switches so can't comment on what they are like).

  This is all my own opinion and what I reckon is best based on what you've asked for help on. People will have other opinions and might have better alternatives.

  • 

    the shadow on 01/09/2020 - 20:28

    Thank you so much for typing all of that up! It's really appreciated. :)

    I'll probably end up buying quite a few of your specific recommendations. You've helped me out a tonne! :)

    For the monitor, I just want games to play smooth enough that I'm not lagging or anything? I just play games for fun, not competitively, so I don't need super insane accurate shots in an FPS, for example. Most of the games I play aren't shooters but adventure-type games or party games. I'm not particularly hung up on it having to look absolutely stunning either.

    At the moment, because I've never owned one, I'm looking at a curved ultrawide - the Xiaomi Mi Curved 34" for $500 from eBay Plus (if I can manage to snag one). I'm thinking maybe I can just have this one monitor (instead of two) so I can play the game, but also have space to have another window open as well for stream chat? Or do you think I would still need another monitor for that?

    Thanks again for taking the time to help me out - you're awesome. :)

    • 

      alberto2345 on 02/09/2020 - 21:30

      +1

      I've never used the Xiaomi Mi Curved 34" but it looks nice. I've also never owned a curved ultrawide either so I can't comment.

      I personally use 3 monitors haha, and I sometimes wish I had a 4th in rare instances, but that's just me :).
      Best bet would be to get the monitor, see if it works out for you, and if you think a 2nd monitor will be good (and you have the room), then get a cheap one just for your stream chat and any other things you need open to the side.

      Also thought I'd mention that Nvidia has just announced new RTX graphics cards, so if I were you, I'd wait and see what the performance is like of these cards before you go and purchase a 2000 series card. You might end up buying the new generation cards, or find discounts on previous generation cards from sellers trying to get rid of stock.

• 

  pongobyte on 01/09/2020 - 15:53

  +1

  Good build, although as others suggested the 3700x should give you enough power.
  Air cooling is more reliable in the long term and easier to fix if something goes wrong - Noctua is a great choice.
  Look for a B550 motherboard - should be cheaper depending on model. ASUS TUF is probably not a great model, maybe look at Gigabyte Aorus versions.
  Samsung is great, but you can save some money with the Kingston or other - keep looking for the faster NVMe SSDs
  G.Skill RAM is a good brand.
  The RTX 2070 is great for 1440p gaming, but there is a bunch of new cards from both AMD and Nvidia launching soon or later in the year. Either wait and get new models (they will be expensive though) or some discounts for the 2070 - it's still a great card and should last you for some years.
  A Bronze PSU between 500W and 700W from a good brand Corsair, Seasonic, EVGA and don't spend less than $100 on it - it is an important part of your system. If you can get a Gold even better, with likely longer warranty.
  Good luck

  • 

    the shadow on 01/09/2020 - 20:48

    Thank you for your help, I appreciate it! :)

    Yep, definitely going for the 3700X. I'll be sure to compare the prices of the B550 boards and any X570 on sale as well, to keep costs down. Going for Gold for the PSU too.

    The Samsung SSD is apparently faster than the Kingston … but is that it? I would think any SSD would be fast to me, compared to a HDD. I just didn't want to purchase the cheaper Kingston if it meant it was a lot more likely to die on me.

    Do you happen to know of any good surge protection boards? Since this will be the most expensive PC I've ever owned, and my last PC died on me due to a power surge, I'm a bit anxious about another one just killing a $3000 machine. XD;

    • 

      pongobyte on 01/09/2020 - 21:44

      +1

      You can use comparison sites for SSDs to give you a better idea on performance, look for parameters like speed of course, but also endurance and warranty.
      https://www.hwcompare.com/ssd/c/970-EVO-Plus-NVMe-SSD-500GB-…
      Kingston is a respected brand, it's not as fast as the Samsung but for your usage it's plenty fast
      If your budget allows it then go for the Samsung, but your focus should be on the GPU, CPU and RAM - mostly in this order

      Surge protection, look for Belkin and APC but don't go for the cheapest versions. Check the surge energy rating, aim for close to 1000 joules or higher.
      These won't protect in case of blackouts or other power issues, a UPS is something to consider then, but it's more expensive.