The Not-So PC Breakdown on Budget PCs: Part III
By Zach Crawford
The build this week is one that goes above and beyond the price range of the average consumer. This is for the people who are very into gaming and making a setup that suits them. This PC is one of the most powerful on the market and can run almost any game you throw at it at a comfortable fps rate. Furthermore, as this setup has two monitors, it is great for work as well as other objectives in which multitasking would be advantageous.
Buying a new PC can be a big commitment and thus, I wanted to explain why the parts in the list down below are the right choice for you. I will go down the list from one part to the next so it is easy to understand for someone who might be new to building a PC.
PC Parts:
Central Processing Unit:
First, we went with the Intel Core i9 -9900K which is the second most powerful series that Intel has released as of the writing of this article. While there are going to be new intel processors soon, this CPU can hold its own for gaming as well as multitasking.
CPU Cooler:
For our CPU cooler, we went with the NZXT Kraken X53. This is the first water-cooled CPU we went with. However, this is simple to install as it is an AIO cooler (all in one). This cooler has RGB lighting to make the PC look clean.
Motherboard:
The motherboard we decided to go with was the MSI MPG Z390 GAMING EDGE AC ATX. For the price point, this motherboard provides great intel support, however, it doesn’t provide much support for heavy overclocking. This motherboard does provide support for WiFi as well as ethernet clocking in at 1000 Mbit/s
RAM:
For our RAM, we decided to go with G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB, a reliable set of RAM sticks, that provides high speed and RGB just as the set in the previous build. The speed of this RAM clocks in at one of the highest in the average consumer market. While the 3600 MHz is not necessarily required for an intel CPU, it provides great support to the upgraded CPU.
Solid State Drive:
Next for our SSD, we decided to pick the Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB. This NVME SSD is the same as the last build but storage will not change much as users shouldn’t need more than 1 TB of storage. If you need more storage, there is plenty available on the market and an upgrade can be made easily.
Graphics Card:
The graphics card that we decided to go for was the new and powerful GPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER. This graphics card is a bit under-tuned for this PC but is far more readily available for purchase than the new 30 series or a better GPU. This GPU can run all of your games very well on the 2k 165Hz monitor thus making your gaming experience very enjoyable.
Case:
For our case, we went with the Corsair iCUE 4000X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case. This case provides extra fans for cooling the PC which is a requirement when it comes to more powerful parts such as the graphics card.
Power Supply Unit:
Lastly, for our power supply, we went with a Corsair RM 750 W Fully Modular Power Supply. This PSU will provide plentiful power, and it will not need any changing for a while. The estimated wattage that this PC will use is the only 434W, and thus, an upgrade for this PSU will not be necessary for a long time.
Peripherals:
Keyboard:
The keyboard that was chosen for this build is the Ducky One 2 Mini RGB Wired Standard Keyboard. This is simply one of the best keyboards on the market for a high-end buyer. However, the stock of these keyboards is limited so if you want one, make sure to look out for when the restock occurs.
Mouse:
For the mouse, we went with the Logitech G Pro Wireless Optical Mouse. This mouse is widely accepted to be one of the best mice from Logitech on the market. The wireless factor of the mouse allows for great cable management (as you won’t need to manage anything) and a cleaner desk space.
Headphones:
The headphones we chose for this build are the SteelSeries ARCTIC 57.1 Channel Headset. While these may not have been the best on the market, in order to make room for the rest of the top end items, we had to budget on the headphones a little. That, however, is not to say that these headphones are bad at all. The sound quality is great and they also have a microphone that is great for communicating with people over voice chats such as discord.
Monitors: For this build, we went with two different monitors that work great for multitasking while working or gaming. The first of the two is the ASUS TUF Gaming 27” 2k 165Hz monitor. I personally use this monitor every day and it provides great gaming and work experience as everything on the display is customizable. Furthermore, the monitor can be put on its side or raised if you wish to do that. The other monitor we chose was the ASUS PG27AQ 27” 4k 60Hz monitor. This monitor is not great for gaming, but rather would be used for watching videos or reading notes while writing an essay. This second monitor is a great choice as it provides the user with the ability to multitask on their setup.
The list to buy all Pc parts is listed below: