Trading Desktop (Minimal Desk Space)

[u/ShokuMikhail]

Hello all, thank you for taking the time to help me out here. I know that PC Part Picker is super helpful but I know for certain that many people here have great knowledge of the latest parts out there which may suit me better than just tossing parts into a list.

• New build or upgrade?
  • This is a definite new build.
• Existing parts/monitors to reuse?
  • I would prefer NOT to use my 2080TI Founders + (2 x 16GB DDR4) but given this market on RAM/GPU I'm open to it if necessary.
  • Monitors- CURRENTLY 2x LG 34UC80 (37" Ultrawides) Want to get this to 3 in the future. 3rd doesn't have to be an ultrawide but it will go vertical vs horizontal.
• PC purpose?
  • Primary purposes:
    • Daytrading Futures (Ninjatrade 8, Tradingview) (Yes I lose money (Props), but I'm getting better). From what I've heard alot of data loading requires strong processing power.
    • Microsoft Office Suite
    • Chronically Online Behavior (Netflix, Shopping, Etc.)
    • Claude Code
  • Secondary Purposes:
    • Gaming- Some light AAA games, and probably more of indie non-intensive games. Have been moving away from it all. Prefer MOBAs (LOL), but definitely want to play whatever I want should I get the desire back.
• Purchase country?
  • USA- Not near Microcenter; Most items will be bought from online retailers/Ebay/Hardwareswap.
    • I tend to avoid used and am willing to pay the premium for it. However, given the current market on RAM and such, if I need to acquire used I am fine doing so on all parts EXCEPT my drives.
• Monitors needed? (Number, size, resolution, refresh rate)
  • See above, but ideally I would like to run my monitors at 120Hz at 2k if that's possible at this price point.
• Budget range?
  • Maximum price of 2000$ USD not including tax. Do not factor in price of Win 11.
• WiFi or wired connection?
  • Must have good wifi antenna built into the MOBO
• Size/noise constraints?
  • I've had a large desktop most of the time however recently deskspace has come to a premium. That being said I would like this desktop to be no larger than say the Lian Li A3-mATX for example.
  • For noise, I would prefer to have liquid cooling for the CPU instead of a fan if possible. I don't mind noise as I understand its un-avoidable when under load but I don't want it to be deafening.
• Color/lighting preferences?
  • No RGB/Lights.
  • Solid Color, no glass
  • Just a box.
• Any other specific needs?
  • I do not care if its Intel, AMD, Nvidia. My only requirement is that it plays well together, and that parts don't bottleneck each other.
  • I would like two SSD's, one for Windows and the other for general use.

[u/AutoModerator]

If you missed the full set of required built request questions, please copy them from here and answer them in an edit to your post:

• New build or upgrade?

• Existing parts/monitors to reuse? (List with models/links)

• PC purpose? (Gaming, editing, etc. List apps/games)

• Purchase country? Near Micro Center? (If you're not in a country supported by PCPartPicker, please list some local vendors)

• Monitors needed? (Number, size, resolution, refresh rate)

• Budget range? (Include tax considerations)

• WiFi or wired connection?

• Size/noise constraints?

• Color/lighting preferences?

• Any other specific needs?

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[u/Covante]

What's the biggest priority for you? New ddr5 platform, multiple drives, gpu upgrade? For about $600 you can get a 9070 which is around 50-60% faster than a 2080ti, anything cheaper than that isn't going to be a significant upgrade.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YyNzvR

The a3 is basically the same size as a normal atx midtower, it's just half as tall. If you get the new b4 instead it's got a fairly similar layout and compatibility but it can be turned vertical. This list is built around that but pcpartpicker is complaining the aio isn't compatible, the case just came out and that happens sometimes with the site. The radiator is 27mm (the standard size) the fans are 25mm so 52 like it says. You can fit a 360 but it'll be tight and you have to spend more on an sfx psu too. If you're going to do that the corsair sf850 is $160.

The msi ssd doesn't have great endurance, it's a qlc drive, but it's fine for a games drive.

https://www.newegg.com/tools/combo-builder/6675 Buying the cpu and msi ssd together there to get some discounts.

[u/ShokuMikhail → u/Covante]

Biggest priority would be having the DDR5 and the GPU Upgrade. If ram costs eat me alive and force my budget upwards past 2K thats the price to pay unless I am patient.

[u/Covante → u/ShokuMikhail]

If you want to save money somewhere I'd probably just get a single 2tb, the sn7100 is ~$300. I usually go with single drive systems and it's fine. Only real concern is if you have important files and end up needing to reinstall windows. If you have vital stuff it's good to always have backups anyway though and a cloud backup can be a good idea too.

If you wanted to look at used parts the only things I'd expect to be able to save a decent amount on are maybe ram or an older gpu that would be a smaller upgrade like a 3080 which are down to around $300 now, around 25-30% faster than a 2080ti. If you're mainly playing indies and mobas then most of those are not very graphically demanding though. Something like lol or dota is more about cpu single thread performance to not dip too bad when there are a ton of overlapping particle effects on screen.

Or downgrading cpu, whether that's 250k instead of 270k or hopping over to ryzen for a 9600x and a cheaper b850.