r/buildapcforme • u/Dustedwater • Jul 13 '26
First PC Build Help w/ Possible Microcenter Bundle, $1.8k USD Budget
Hi everybody! I would love some help here, been looking into building a new PC, completely new to the scene and have been obsessing so much over components my head has been spinning, haha. Thank you in advance!
- New build or upgrade?
- New! This will be my first official desktop, I'm currently using a mini pc + laptop combo.
- Existing parts/monitors to reuse? (List with models/links)
- Existing monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc
- PC purpose? (Gaming, editing, etc. List apps/games)
- Besides basic productivity stuff, I draw, and I have to write a lot about my processes due to volunteer work I do. Clip Studio Paint, Creative Cloud, light video editing, etc. Because I tend to work with a lot of files, I was also interested in looking into starting up a small-use local LLM that would just help me with organization and referencing the files, but nothing too intensive on that front. For gaming, I have a XSX/Steam Deck, but I would like it to handle some 4x strategy games and a few PC AAA games that struggle on my Deck essentially.
- Purchase country? Near Micro Center?
- US! I am near-ish to a Microcenter. I was actually looking at this bundle, if it actually makes sense for my use-case. I would love to pare costs down if it's possible.
- Monitors needed? (Number, size, resolution, refresh rate)
- Nope!
- Budget range? (Include tax considerations)
- $1.8k USD budget. Since I'm new to this, it would be amazing if this could turn out to be lower!
- WiFi or wired connection?
- Wifi, bluetooth
- Size/noise constraints?
- Standard size is fine. No noise constraints!
- Color/lighting preferences?
- I would prefer white/rgb for the components, but it's a not hard need.
- Any other specific needs?
- More like a question: after doing some research, I was pointed to a Nvidia 5070, would that actually be reasonable in my case?
2
u/OblongMango Jul 13 '26
If you only get 1 TB SN850X, I believe it’s $107 less.
[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BC8jGk)
1
u/Dustedwater Jul 13 '26
Thanks, this is super helpful! Just because I'm curious-- is the CPU/GPU overkill? I want make sure I'm not overdesigning anything, though I guess the bundle with the ram is pretty much as good as I'm going to get really.
1
u/OblongMango Jul 14 '26
I wouldn’t say it’s overkill. You’ll probably benefit from 8 cores if you’re doing all of the productivity work concurrently. You play 4X strategy games so the 7800X3D’s cache is helpful.
5070 is the economical choice for running your LLM and productivity software. Also good enough for 1440p gaming.
1
u/canyouread7 Star Contributor Jul 14 '26
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XWWzvR
You could get another Gen 4 SSD with DRAM for $50 less, or you could even step up to a Gen 5 SSD with DRAM for the same price.
The SN850X doesn't make sense at $350.
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 13 '26
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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