Help with a Gaming PC Build Please - Budget $3,000

Shaquille Oatmeal on 01/11/2022 - 12:18
Last edited 01/11/2022 - 15:44 by 1 other user

Hello Cool People.

I'm hoping to build my 11 year old a mid-level gaming rig, and any suggestions/guidance you may have would be greatly appreciated.

He is mostly a Fortnite, Rocket League and C.O.D guy.

So, the budget was originally something in the low $2K mark, but I have bumped that up to $3K maximum.

I was looking at some of the pre-built systems out there, but I'm not a big fan of some of the brands used in the configurations, and by the time I swapped things around, the budget starts to blow out.

My personal non-negotiables are an Asus Intel MoBo, an Intel CPU and an Asus Graphics card. The reason for this is that I've always used those particular brands, and they have always been trouble free for me.

As much as I would love a 3080 Asus Graphics card, reality is that I just can't get the right balance to fit one into my budget, which is driving me crazy.

For my last PC build, I purchased from six or seven places to get the pricing right, which was great until I had a warranty issue, which became a nightmare because some of the parts were bought from Amazon and other online sites, rather than the computer store which put it all together for me.

I don't know if I should start pushing for price matches with the one store to get to my magical $3K budget, or if I should hold out for Black Friday in the hopes that a few of my items come down.

Below is the current build pricing that I have put together (and shuffled around many times).

All of the pricing is through Scorptec for reference but may not necessarily be where it's purchased from.

Thankyou in advance

MOTHERBOARD - ASUS TUF GAMING Z790-PLUS D4 Motherboard - $549
CPU - Intel Core i5 12600K - $439
CPU COOLER - Noctua NH-D15 Chromax CPU Cooler Black - $205
RAM - Kingston FURY Beast RGB KF436C17BBAK2/16 16GB (2x8GB) 3600MHz DDR4 - $119
PRIMARY HDD - WD Black SN850 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD - $239
SECONDARY HDD - WD Black 2TB 3.5" SATA HDD, WD2003FZEX - $189
GPU - ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 V2 OC Edition, 12GB - $699
PSU - EVGA SuperNOVA 850 P5 Fully Modular Platinum - $299
CASE - NZXT H7 ELITE Mid Tower ATX Case - $319
EXTRA FANS Noctua 120mm NF-F12 PWM Chromax Black Swap 1500RPM Fan x 3 - $55 each

Have an awesome day!!!

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • Fergy1987 on 01/11/2022 - 12:37
    +16

    I'd spend less on the following and put more into GPU
    - Fans
    - CPU Cooler
    - Power Supply
    - Case (unless you're really set on it)

    Also why are you getting a Z790 for a 12th Gen - $550 for a motherboard seems outrageous.

    There are way too many high spec things here for a 3060.

    • scrimshaw on 01/11/2022 - 13:00
      +3

      Yeah. The PSU is three times more expensive than it should be, the CPU cooler about 2 times more and the NZXT Elite and Noctua fans, while nice, also very pricey relative to the GPU being used.

      The WD Black 2TB spinning rust is also a very odd choice. Recommend grabbing a 2TB SSD instead, maybe a QLC-based one from Kingston or Crucial to keep the costs low.

      As much as I would love a 3080 Asus Graphics card, reality is that I just can't get the right balance to fit one into my budget, which is driving me crazy.

      yes that's because there's maybe $400~500 dollars being spent on unneccessary stuff

      • Fergy1987 on 01/11/2022 - 13:02
        +9

        I also missed the part where its only playing Fortnite etc. Could literally do the whole build for 1200 bucks for those games.

        • Out24q on 02/11/2022 - 21:01

          Now $1200 is more my budget that I'm also looking at building a PC for my Fortnite playing kids…
          Looks like I have some searching to do.

      • Shaquille Oatmeal on 01/11/2022 - 13:49

        This is the exact sort of stuff I need to hear.

        Thanks legend

    • Fergy1987 on 01/11/2022 - 13:13
      +3

      https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/mRtfC6

      $2700 and you get your 3080

  • iamherenow on 01/11/2022 - 12:43
    +2

    you might be interested in one of these (evga clc 280 aio cpu cooler): https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/727458

    I just bought and installed. I like it. But did swap out the fans to some arctic p14s because the stock fans are noisy.

    • Shaquille Oatmeal on 02/11/2022 - 13:22

      Cheers mate.

      I've always been a Noctua guy, but I noticed recently that some of the Arctic fans had a 10 year warranty! That's confidence

      I've swapped out the Noctua idea now

  • Switchblade88 on 01/11/2022 - 12:57
    +2

    You're going to blow $55 per case fan, and then put in a 2Tb SATA hard drive??

    • Shaquille Oatmeal on 01/11/2022 - 13:55

      That's why I'm here..

      Cheers for your comment

  • Zorololo on 01/11/2022 - 13:01
    +4

    I'd dial back the motherboard and get a better GPU.

    ASUS S1700 PRIME Z790-P can be had for like $400 seeing as you want ASUS. You could then get a ASRock 6800 for like $60 more and get way better FPS. (Unfortunately sticking with ASUS for 6800 would mean a $190 GPU budget increase)

  • tonyamazing on 01/11/2022 - 13:17
    +4

    $2908.00, all from Scorptec, all your personal non-negotiables met. RTX 3080 10GB LHR.

    PCPartPicker Part List

    Type Item Price
    CPU Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor $269.00 @ Scorptec
    CPU Cooler be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black CPU Cooler $69.00 @ Scorptec
    Motherboard Asus TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard $429.00 @ Scorptec
    Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory $99.00 @ Scorptec
    Storage Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive $359.00 @ Scorptec
    Video Card Asus ROG STRIX GAMING OC V2 GeForce RTX 3080 10GB LHR 10 GB Video Card $1299.00 @ Scorptec
    Case be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Mid Tower Case $155.00 @ Scorptec
    Power Supply Corsair SF750 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply $229.00 @ Scorptec
    Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
    Total $2908.00
    Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-11-01 13:16 AEDT+1100
    • Shaquille Oatmeal on 01/11/2022 - 14:04

      Thanks legend !

      I was actually chatting to a guy from Computer Alliance yesterday who talked me out of the Z690, as they were two seconds from extinction apparently.

      He wasn't even a fan of 1700 motherboards because apparently the current ones, are the last of them

      • tonyamazing on 01/11/2022 - 14:26
        +1

        I haven't done much research in to them, but if I were serious, I'd find the best Z690 that is guaranteed to work with 13th gen to give you a clear upgrade path in the future.

        What does he mean by not being a fan of 1700 motherboards? Both 12th and 13th gen are using LGA1700?

        • Shaquille Oatmeal on 01/11/2022 - 16:10

          Apparently this will be the last run of 1700 Mobos?

          I think he was just mad that I didn't have the same $6K budget as his own PC.. Hahaha

  • rainbowunicorn on 01/11/2022 - 13:40
    +1

    if the system is purely for gaming and school work/internet browsing, probably a bit overkill in some places.
    It's important to ask yourself what monitor and resolution you plan to game at, assuming 27" 1440p which mid/high tier. if 1080p much less gpu is required.

    recommended system for the requirements

    12400f or 12600k
    B660 board
    cooler - NH-D15 is overkill, even more so if you decide to go 12400f. Look for an aircooler under $80
    ram is fine.
    sn850 is great, 1tb goes on sale sometimes and similar gen4 m.2s
    secondary hdd - get a 2tb ssd if it's for games, you can get away with a low/mid tier.
    gpu, this is where you look a little underpowered. 3060ti to 3080 12gb
    PSU - 850W is ok, the 80plus is not necessarily an indicator of quality. aim for under $200 here.
    Case seems expensive but that's a style choice
    noctua fans are excellent but do you need them? probably not, budget options like the arctic pwm pressure fans are good.

    • Shaquille Oatmeal on 01/11/2022 - 14:00

      You're awesome mate !

      His monitor is a Dell S2721DGF

      • rainbowunicorn on 01/11/2022 - 14:31
        +1

        happy to help.

        13400 should be around the corner, hopefully. Should be a great budget gaming cpu and can still use ddr4 on B660 board.
        Other thoughts, get a 2tb m.2 as games are massive nowadays, you seem to have the budget for it.
        Dell S2721DGF 1440p 165hz, pick gpu that gets you 165fps to make the most of your monitor.

  • scottb721 on 01/11/2022 - 13:42
    +1

    If you like the NZXT case check out this one.
    https://www.amazon.com.au/Elite-Compact-Mid-Tower-Matte-Whit…

    and I'm using the single fan version of this cooler.
    https://www.amazon.com.au/ARCTIC-Freezer-34-Esports-Duo/dp/B…

    • Shaquille Oatmeal on 01/11/2022 - 13:58

      That's the exact case I was looking at originally, but we have the space to go a little bigger.

      I have an older NZXT case, and vaguely remember that it restricted some of the things I was hoping to put inside it

      • scottb721 on 04/11/2022 - 00:20

        What do you hope to put inside ?

  • garetz on 01/11/2022 - 13:47
    +1

    You are spending way too much on the cpu/motherboard compared to the video card.

  • jk82 on 01/11/2022 - 14:55
    +3

    I'm seconding what everyone else is saying re: spending too much on unnecessary components.

    I recently built a 3080 rig with an i5 12600k for under $3k. This is the mobo I went with. Did a decent amount of research and for me it was the best bang for buck while being super reliable

    https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/motherboards/intel-socke…

    850w power supply would only be needed if you're planning to overclock everything. I would say a 750 would do you fine.

    If you get a good case that has good airflow like this one

    https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/cases/atx/85228-cc-90112…

    you shouldn't need any extra case fans

    if you want to bring your price down you could consider going an i5 12400 with a 3070. That would still play fortnite, rocket league and cod really well!

    • Shaquille Oatmeal on 01/11/2022 - 15:39

      Cheers mate.

      I was originally looking for a 750W PSU, but I couldn't see a platinum grade in their listings

  • jk82 on 01/11/2022 - 15:13
    +2

    Here's a build that hits your brief for the low $2k mark. hits your asus/intel wants too ;)

    https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/7QCXW4

    Also - I've got a WD SN850 SSD and also a Samsung 870 SSD with games on both, and honestly the difference in load times is negligible. I'd go with a single 2TB SSD for around the same price as what you'd spend on the SN850 and call it a day.

    • Shaquille Oatmeal on 01/11/2022 - 15:41

      I think that's exactly what I'm gonna do.

      I was always told to have one drive for Windows and Programs and one for storage, but I think those days are gone

      • tonyamazing on 01/11/2022 - 16:04
        +1

        Once upon a time it was common to re-format and re-install Windows for those performance gains but those days are long gone. I've also succumb to having everything on the same drive.

        • Shaquille Oatmeal on 02/11/2022 - 13:14

          Username checks out !

          Thanks Tony, I'm considering to go to the one 2TB Samsung Evo SSD after the guidance

      • Forkinhell on 02/11/2022 - 08:48

        "I was always told to have one drive for Windows and Programs and one for storage…" - Yes, that's right

        "…but I think those days are gone"- No, that's wrong

        The least you should have is a separate partition for your operating system, drivers etc and apps.
        Think about having a system image that includes all updates and drivers for your backup!

        You do not want the same system image to include your 'storage' items, it would be far too big and time-consuming to restore.

        Also, as Windows is so poor at searching for files, you do not want to search a multi-TB disk for a particular file.
        Your system contains three (3) types of files: System files, Apps and Data files - if you can separate them on different partitions, that's good.

        MCSE, MCP, MCP+I (retired)

        • Shaquille Oatmeal on 02/11/2022 - 13:12

          I've just noted all of this to pass on to the shop that builds it !

          Thanks legend

      • [Deactivated] on 02/11/2022 - 13:28

        Nope, i still do that on every PC i make for me or for others….SSD for Windows and Programs, HDD for bulk storage and user profile. But to do it properly you have to do it at Windows install time, every other method is a hack and non-supported

        https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1964-move-users-folder-l…

  • StingyBritches on 02/11/2022 - 09:43
    +2

    What the heck is wrong with this forum?

    Everyone was polite, kind, and helpful to the OP! There were sensible, well-thought alternatives offered.

    The OP was also generous in his/her praise and took suggestions on board.

    Are you crazy kids finally mellowing and being nice to each other?

  • [Deactivated] on 02/11/2022 - 11:19
    -8

    An 11 year old, a $3,000 PC????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

    Jesus, im a 51yo IT Professional with 30+ years in the game and even my PC doesnt cost that much - for the record i just upgraded my old i7-4790 to an i7-8700K (and 3060TI) and it does everything i need it to, so why does an 11yo need more?

    Spoiled generation alert!

    I thought the 9yo daughter of a friend who whined until her mother coughed up a MacBook Pro was bad enough, now this……..

    For the record, i didnt have my 1st laptop till i was 25….

    This is madness…what happened to parenting? Or is it all just now all about giving in? Fudge me….

    • jk82 on 02/11/2022 - 12:25
      +4

      Wait till you hear about the custom Porsche being hand built for their 16th b'day.

    • Shaquille Oatmeal on 02/11/2022 - 13:16
      +4

      Thankyou for your concern Adrian.

      Have an awesome day

  • StingyBritches on 02/11/2022 - 12:42
    +1

    Oh dear. I spoke too soon….

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