1000$ Gaming PC for high-performance gaming needs
1000$ Gaming PC for high-performance gaming needs
She asked me to design a gaming PC for her friend with a $1000 budget. I created a parts list and wanted to know if the R5 2600 fits well within that range. She also mentioned wanting a 1660 Ti but wasn’t sure which component to cut costs on. The PC part picker link is here: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/gbXJ8J
PCPartPicker list includes various components priced across different categories. Key items feature processors, motherboards, memory, storage, and graphics cards with specific details about models and retailers. Prices reflect current listings with applicable taxes and shipping. Total amounts summarize all offers before rebates. Each entry provides essential specs to aid in selection.
The 1660 Ti offers better performance overall, while the 1660 Super may be slightly less powerful but provides better value than the Ti version. I’d go with the 1660 Super since it can help boost your limited funds.
The Ryzen 5 2600 and 3600 are great options for a mid-range budget build. Avoid skimping on the case—it might cost you later. Wait for AMD’s upcoming GPU release around October 28th. Pair it with a 2TB hard drive and an SATA SSD; SSDs mainly matter for boot and game loading speeds, which are nearly identical. You don’t need a SATA SSD if you’re not concerned about those times. A decent PSU like the $50 750W one I own is affordable because it’s not even bronze-rated. Going all-in on AMD will save you money on extra parts like a solid SSD, better motherboard, case, and PSU if you want. Just stick with the basics until the new lineup arrives.
@boggy77 's suggestion looks pretty solid to me. With the budget your friend has, I'd definitely go with an mATX build. It looks like there's a surprisingly high price discrepancy between mATX and full ATX boards in Canada. Here in the US it's only like a $15-20 USD (~$20-26 CAD) difference, but you're saving a good $50-75 CAD going with a mATX build in Canada. You may have already known that but I just found it interesting since it hadn't come to my attention before.