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• $1500 Gaming PC Build – August 2017
• $1000 Gaming PC Build – August 2017
• $600 Gaming PC Build – August 2017

Gaming PC Builds of the Month: August 2017

Hello and welcome to the New Computer Build’s August 2017 gaming pc builds of the month. You are most likely here because you are looking to build the most up-to-date affordable gaming pc capable of playing the games you like to play on the highest possible settings. The following builds are crafted to provide you the best possible value as chosen by myself and based on proven hardware benchmarks.

The following includes pc builds for either $600, $1000 or $1500 non-inclusive. This means that if you have a budget at or in between those budgets, you should be able to used the following to choose the perfect budget gaming pc build for you this August 2017. You will also notice that each build table is following by more hardware suggestions should you have more to spend or want upgrade ideas for the future.

If you are have been planning your build for sometime and are still in the research process – then you will notice some very significant changes to the builds this month. First, the highest budget build at $1500 now has had a major change in processor; we now have upgraded the previous Intel i5 7600K with the Intel i7 7700K as to compete with newer AMD Ryzen processors. This has also affected the other two pc builds significantly. The $1000 mid-range build has now switched from the Intel i5 7600K to a Ryzen 5 1600X, which also accounts for a motherboard change and a cpu cooler change (to include the AMD AM4 socket implementation). The entry level $600 gaming pc build has also switch over to the AMD Ryzen processor, going with the new Ryzen 3 1300x.

These gaming pc builds will perform anywhere from standard 1080p gameplay all the way up to 1440p resolutions on maxed out game settings depending on which build you choose (you can see each builds capability by looking above each build table below.

As a note, the following gaming pc builds don’t include monitors, mice or monitors. If you are in need of these you can check out the menu above for some options, or you can leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to help you out. This months builds have the most significant changes in a while, so I hope you enjoy and if you are looking to make the very best gaming pc build for you and have any questions, do feel free to ask in the comment form below.

Best of luck building!

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Click here to view all the previous 2017 Gaming PC Builds of the Month

Click here to learn more about building a Gaming PC Build

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$1500 PC Build August 2017

Performance: Game with Extreme settings and High FPS at resolutions of 1920×1080 (1080P) & 2560×1440 (1440p) + good gameplay at 4K

	Hardware Link	Price	Image
Estimated Price :	$1484 – (August 2017)
Processor	Intel 7th Gen Intel Core Desktop Processor i7-7700K (BX80677I77700K)	$306.89
Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan	$29.99
Motherboard	ASUS PRIME Z270-A LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 USB 3.1 Z270 ATX Motherboard	$149.99
Graphics Card	GTX 1080: ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Turbo Graphic Card TURBO-GTX1080-8G	$539.99
RAM	HyperX FURY Black 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 2133MHz DDR4 Non-ECC CL14 DIMM Desktop Memory (HX421C14FBK2/16)	$125.91
SSD	SanDisk SSD PLUS 480GB Solid State Drive (SDSSDA-480G-G26) [Newest Version]	$144.99
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova G2 750W 220-G2-0750-XR Fully Modular Power Supply	$115.92
Computer Case	NZXT S340 Mid Tower Computer Case, White (CA-S340W-W1)	$69.99

Overview: Gaming PC Build for $1500

This build has been upgraded significantly this month. As you can see above we now have switched over to an Intel i7 7700K processor, switching from the previous Intel i5 6600K – this is a significant change and really makes the $1500 build a solid pick for a premium gaming pc for now and into the future.

For our high-end graphics cards, we have a GTX 1070. This graphics card is made to max out games at 1400p resolutions. As a plus the GTX 1070 has also proven playable performance for VR platforms (like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive) should you be interested. Previously in this build we also recommended the GTX 1080, which is still a great choice, we have just moved it to the below hardware upgrades table below instead.

For the motherboard we have a quality Z270 chipset board – the ASUS PRIME Z270-A. This motherboard is one of Asus’s best Z270 motherboards and very well balanced. This board does literally anything most mainstream gamers will ever need. If you want to learn more please visit the ASUS Prime Z1270-A page at Asus.com, which states the following highlughted specifications:

• 5-Way Optimization with Auto-Tuning and FanXpert 4 automatically tailors overclocking profiles to your unique build for maximum OC performance and dynamic system cooling
• Maximize your connectivity and speed with integrated Dual M.2, Intel® Optane™ Memory compatibility, USB 3.1 Type A / Type C connections, and Intel® Thunderbolt 3 support
• Dual Patent-pending SafeSlots featuring an injection molding process that integrates metal framing for a stronger, firmly anchored PCIe slot built for heavyweight GPUs
• AURA Sync RGB lighting features a nearly endless spectrum of colors with the ability to synchronize effects across an ever-expanding ecosystem of AURA Sync enabled products
• On-board 3D-printing mounts for creating unique designs on your customized build

The included RAM/memory, we have 16GB (two 8GB sticks) of HyperX Fury Black DDR4 RAM, which is a healthy amount of memory for this high performing gaming pc build.

There has been a change in storage this month to a SanDisk Plus 480 GB SSD – plenty of space to get started with your build. If you think you want to milk as much speed and performance as possible you could also opt for a PCIe SSD (as shown in the hardware upgrades/alternatives below).

For the PSU / Power Supply Unit for this build we have a total of 750Watts provided through the EVGA Supernova G2 750W psu – plenty of power for this build and a solid PSU.

I really like the case included in this months build (which has also been included in many many previous builds) – the NZXT S340 PC case. I truly love the aesthetic of this case, one that just boasts confidence in style and quality. To lean more please visit the product page at NZXT.com where they state the following specifications:

• 360° of steel casing surrounding the all-steel chassis
• Grommet-less cable management bar keeps cables tidy with ease
• Full 280mm radiator support for the latest Kraken cooler
• Compact form factor coming in two inches below competing mid towers
• Detailed design and engineering with tons of small touches
• Very easy to build in for new and experienced users alike
• Integrated PSU shroud for an ultra clean build
• Fully filtered intakes

August 2017 ($1500) PC Build Upgrade Suggestions

The hardware upgrades you see here are recommendations for the above $1500 budget August 2017 PC Build. You can choose one or all of the hardware and it will be compatible with the above build and improve it’s performance in some way.

We don’t have a cpu upgrade this month as we have now upgraded to the i7 7700K cpu in the base build. We do have an upgraded PSU though, should you want a higher efficient power supply – if you feel this would be of importance to you then you can go with the EVGA SuperNOVA 750 P2.

The above gaming pc build does include an SSD, which is perfectly suited for most gamers and pc builders, but if someone were searching for the fastest and one of the most efficient methods of storage, you could consider a premium PCIe Solid State Drive, such as the Plextor 512Gb M.2 PCIe SSD below.

If you want more than the included air cpu cooler included in the main build, then below is the Corsair Hydro Series H100i V2 liquid cpu cooler. This cooler would be a substitute for the above included Hyper 212 EVO air cpu cooler and would provide a quieter, more efficient / more customized cooling experience. This option would be best purchased now rather then later so as to save on buying only one cooler for your PC.

The final upgrade you see below is an EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, which is a newly release card that now replaces the previous Titan X graphics card. The GTX 1080 Ti performs very similarly to the Titan X, but at a fraction of the cost. Another option here could also be the GTX 1080 graphics card, which will definitely provide more performance for a little less than the GTX 1080 Ti seen below.

CPU UPGRADE *New EVGA SuperNOVA 750 P2, 80+ PLATINUM 750W , Fully Modular , EVGA ECO Mode, 10 Year Warranty , Includes FREE Power On Self Tester, Power Supply 220-P2-0750-X1 – Higher Efficiency Power Supply ($139.99)	GRAPHICS CARD UPGRADE Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING OC 11GB Graphic Cards N108TGAMINGOC-11GD *New– For the best possible 4K gaming experience  –  Performance of a Titan X at a fraction of the cost! ($719.99)
CPU COOLER UPGRADE Purchase a liquid CPU cooler (instead of the included air cooler): Corsair Hydro Series H100i v2 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler CW-9060025-WW ($109.99)	STORAGE UPGRADE PCIe SSD (faster): Plextor M8Pe 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid-State Drive with Heatsink (PX-512M8PeG) ($260.99)

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$1000 August 2017 Gaming PC Build

Capability: Game with Extreme settings at 1920X1080 resolutions up to Higher Settings at 2560×1440 (2K)

	Hardware Link	Price	Image
Estimated Price:	$1004 (August 2017)
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X Processor	$229.99
Cooler	CRYORIG H7 Tower Cooler For AMD/Intel CPU’s	$34.99
Motherboard	GIGABYTE GA-AB350-Gaming 3 AMD RYZEN AM4 B350 RGB Fusion Smart Fan 5 HDMI1.4 M.2 SATA 6Gbps USB 3.1 Type-A ATX DDR4 Motherboard	$109.99
Graphics Card	ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Dual-fan OC Edition VR Ready Dual HDMI DP 1.4 Gaming Graphics Card (DUAL-GTX1060-O6G)	$309.89
RAM	Ballistix Sport LT 8GB Kit (4GBx2) DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DIMM 288-Pin – BLS2K4G4D240FSE (Red)	$69.99
SSD	SK Hynix Flash Memory 2.5″ 250 GB Internal Solid State Drives HFS250G32TND-N1A2A	$94.23
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1 80+ GOLD, 650W Continuous Power, Fully Modular 10 Year Warranty Power Supply 120-G1-0650-XR	$93.89
Computer Case	Raidmax Delta Gaming Case (Black Orange or Blue)	$59.99

Overview: $1000 2017 Gaming PC Build

If you’re not new here, then you will notice that the $1000 gaming pc build for August 2017 has been changed significantly. We have now included an AMD Ryzen 1600X cpu for this build, which has proven to be an equivalent to the previously included Intel 7600K cpu that held the previous spot in this build. Don’t worry though if you had purchase the Intel 7600K already, because the performance differences are very close.

The $1000 gaming pc build for August 2017 is for those who want to game at 1080p into 2K resolutions for under $1000. This pc build is the “mid-range” build, as it does sit nicely below the budget and high-end builds in this article, but don’t let that deceive you. This PC build that will probably cover most of any average gamers needs. Who is an average game you might say – well those who want an affordable pc that they get to custom build to play the most modern games at the highest settings on the most used resolutions (such at 1080p into 1440p).

We have also switched up the CPU cooler for this build (after a long long time of using the Cooler Master Hyper 212) to a CRYORIG H7. The Hyper 212 if still a fantastic cooler, however with the CPU change the Cryorig cooler seem to have been included the required brackets, whereas through Cooler Master you will have to order the AM4 socket brackets separately through their website.

The graphics card has stayed the same and included is the GTX 1060 6GB gpu. This card allows you to play on high settings at 1080p and can even play into 1400p resolutions if you wanted to.

With a change in processor, comes a required changed in motherboard type. We have included the Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming 3 motherboard supporting the Ryzen CPUs along with overclocking of the included 1600x in this build. The Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming 3 support the following specifications (learn more are gigabyte.com):

Gigabyte supplied Overclcking Guide for the Ryzen CPUs

• Supports AMD Ryzen™ & 7^th Generation A-series / Athlon™ Processors
• Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
• Fast 2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 with USB Type-A
• 2-Way CrossFire™ Multi-Graphics Support with Ultra Durable™ Metal Shielding over PCIe Slots
• Ultra-Fast PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 with PCIe NVMe & SATA mode support
• ALC1220 120dB SNR HD Audio with Smart Headphone Amp
• Realtek^® Gigabit LAN with cFosSpeed Internet Accelerator Software
• USB DAC-UP 2 & 2 Front USB 3.0 Ports with Adjustable Voltage
• RGB FUSION with Multi-Zone LED Light Show design
• Swappable Overlay for Accent LED
• Smart Fan 5 features 6 Temperature Sensors and 5 Hybrid Fan Headers
• GIGABYTE™ UEFI DualBIOS™
• APP Center Including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station™ Utilities

The RAM included is the affordable kit of Ballistix Sport LT 8GB kit, which is enough memory for most standard gaming pc builds, and you always have the option to upgrade more in the future if need be with the extra couple of slots on the included motherboard – so if you do want that ful 16GB memory in the feature just keep an eye out for RAM deals.

For this pc builds storage, we have a SK Hynix 256GB SSD, which is a great value SSD. Should you want more than the 250GB, then you can look at the high-end build for another SSD option as well or in the hardware alternatives table below.

The included power supply unit used in this months $1000 pc build is the EVGA SuperNOVA G1 650W power supply, which is a great PSU with all modular cables and it provides the perfect amount of power for this build along with room for some upgrades. For it’s price, quality and the fact that it’s modular makes this a perfect choice.

Again, for the pc case, we have a second Raidmax cases included in this month gaming pc builds of the month article for August 2017 – for this build we have the Raidmax Delta gaming case that comes in either the profiles orange, blue or black. The reason why I love this case is that aside from its good looks, it’s actually a very simple case that Tomshardware even states as being “a reasonable case option for buyers who’ve spent most of their limited budget on graphics”. Learn more about the Raidmax Delta at raidmax.com. *Note: this case does come with 1 fan, but has plenty of space for up to 8 – so you can always add more to keep this case flowing nicely.

August 2017 $1000 PC Build Upgrade Suggestions

If you want more than the included 256GB storage SSD in the main build, you could consider bumping your SSD up to the 500GB Sandisk Ultra II  giving you nearly double the space and a slight bump in your read/write storage speed.

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$600 August 2017 Gaming PC Build

Capability: Game at Smoothly with High settings and FPS at 1920X1080 resolutions in most games.

	Hardware Link	Price	Image
Estimated Price:	$609 (August 2017)
Processor	AMD Ryzen 3 1300X Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler (YD130XBBAEBOX)	$129.99
Motherboard	MSI Gaming AMD Ryzen B350 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard (B350 PC MATE)	$89.99
Graphics Card	EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti SC GAMING, 4GB GDDR5, DX12 OSD Support (PXOC) Graphics Card 04G-P4-6253-KR	$159.99
RAM	Ballistix Sport LT 8GB Kit (4GBx2) DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DIMM 288-Pin – BLS2K4G4D240FSE (Red)	$69.99
SSD	SanDisk SSD PLUS 120GB Solid State Drive (SDSSDA-120G-G26) [Newest Version]	$59.99
Power Supply	Corsair CX Series, CX500, 500 Watt (500W) Power Supply, 80+ Bronze Certified	$59.33
Computer Case	Rosewill Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Challenger S	$39.99

Overview: $600 Gaming PC Build

The August 2017 $600 budget gaming pc build is able to game at HD / 1080p resolutions smoothly at high settings. Most general gamers will most likely be gaming on a 1080p monitor and this will actually be all they need to play the games they want to play.

The cpu included has also been changed in this build this month (see a trend), to a new Ryzen 3 1300X cpu.

Again we have a GTX 1050 Ti graphics card. This is a very affordable gpu that provides you wil good 1080p game play.

And as we have switched up the cpu this month to an AMD Ryzen, we now need to switch up the motherboard type. The motherboard included in the $600 gaming pc build is the MSI B350 PC MATE. This is an affordable B350 motherboard that even comes with some neat features. To learn more please visit msi.com where they state the specifications for the this board as follows:

• Supports AMD^® RYZEN Series processors and 7th Gen A-series / Athlon^TM Processors for socket AM4
• Supports DDR4-3200+(OC) Memory
• DDR4 Boost: Give your DDR4 memory a performance boost
• VR Ready: Best virtual reality game experience without latency
• Audio Boost: Reward your ears with studio grade sound quality for a HI-FI experience
• Multi-GPU: With Steel Armor PCI-E slots. Supports AMD Crossfire™
• EZ Debug LED: Easiest way to troubleshoot
• Turbo M.2: Delivering Speeds Up to 32Gb/s
• X-Boost: Great tool to boost your USB & Storage performance
• Military Class 4, Guard-Pro: Latest evolution in high quality components for best protection and efficiency
• Click BIOS 5: Award-winning BIOS with high resolution scalable font, favorites and search function
• WHQL certified for Windows 10

For RAM, we have a kit of Ballistix Sport LT 8GB kit, which is enough memory for most standard gaming pc builds, and you always have the option to upgrade more in the future if need be with the extra couple of slots on the included motherboard

The storage included is a 120GB SanDisk SSD. This may not b a ton of starting storage space, but does work for an OS and some games – so if you feel you need more storage for your gaming pc build right off the bat, then you could easily upgrade to the 256Gb or 500Gb versions of the SK Hynix SSD for a little more.

To actually power this pc build, the power supply unit has been switched up again this month to the Corsair CX Series, CX500, with enough juice to power this build and for a good cost.

The PC case included is an affordable Rosewill Challenger S, that even for a budget case – looks great with included blue leds, 3 included fans / 2 front fans, tool free installation and more. To learn more about the Challenger S case please visit Rosewill.com.

August 2017 $600 PC Build Upgrade Suggestions

Here you will find the upgrade suggestions should you have more to spend o want ideas for hardware upgrade when you have the need in the future for the $600 August 2017 PC Build.

If you are wanting a different style to your pc enclosure or want a higher quality pc case, you could consider going with a Phanteks Enthoo PRO M. This is just an example of a different case that you could choose from, as there are hundreds to choose from out these to suite your style (although this case is a very well rated case!).

One of the more important performance upgrade solutions could be to the GTX 1060 graphics card, for a little bit more than the included GTX 1050 ti already included in the above build.

You can increase your storage space by going with a larger capacity SK HYNIX 256Gb SSD or even the 500GB one. This would be recommended if you think you will need more than 120GB as included in the SSD in the base build above.

For a further bump in performance, you could consider getting a slightly higher-performing CPU such as the AMD Ryzen 5 1400 (this cpu also comes with its own cpu cooler).

CPU COOLER UPGRADE Upgrade your case: Phanteks Enthoo PRO M Acrylic Window Computer Case, Anthracite Gray Edition PH-ES515PA_AG ($84.99)	GRAPHICS CARD UPGRADE ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Dual-fan OC Edition VR Ready Dual HDMI DP 1.4 Gaming Graphics Card (DUAL-GTX1060-O6G) ($309.99)
CPU UPGRADE  Higher performing Processor – AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler (YD1400BBAEBOX) (Price: $164.99)	STORAGE UPGRADE SK Hynix Flash Memory 2.5″ 250 GB Internal Solid State Drives HFS250G32TND-N1A2A ($94.23)

 

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Operating Systems for the August 2017 Gaming PC Builds

If you don’t already have an operating system for your new gaming pc build, then you’re going to have to either invest in purchasing a standard OS such as Windows 10. Otherwise, there are some free alternatives that you could consider below as well. Keep in mind that it is recommended to purchase Windows online or as a USB stick and install it that way as optical drives are not included in any of these builds and nor would you generally need one for any modern gaming pc.

Included below is a USB copy of Windows 10, which is probably what most people need. I have also included two other operating systems that are both currently free – so could be worth the time trying out. Ubuntu is a Linux based operating system. The last OS is SteamOS, which is also a Linux OS being developed by Valve Corporation.

	OS Link	Price	Image
Windows 8.1	Microsoft Windows 10 Home USB Flash Drive *This is the USB version, you can also purchase the DVD (which requires an Optical Drive) or purchase a downloaded copy, which would require you to install on to a USB or hard drive from another PC.	$109.98
Ubuntu	Ubuntu – Desktop	Free
SteamOS	SteamOS – “Build your own Steam Machine”	Free

August 2017’s Gaming PC Build Hardware Overview Video:

*In creation!

Best of luck Building Your Gaming PC Build!

Thanks for visiting us for the August 2017 gaming pc builds of the month over here at Newb Computer Build. These gaming pc builds are updated every month to give you the most up to date builds in these respective budgets, giving you a range of the best gaming pc builds to choose from. If you have any questions or comments do feel free to leave them below. Good luck building!