[Akshay6988]

I've the usual question that most of us are seeking answers for in this thread - how to make laptop perform faster !
I've a Lenovo Ideapad 320 laptop (4gb DDR4 RAM, 1TB HDD Intel I3 processor ). It has become very slow in all the aspects, be it booting up or browsing, opening any applications. My sister will need a laptop for her new job as HR, so I think it would not run any heavy applications (code editors or games as such ) Browsing and mails would be majority of the tasks performed on the laptop. So what should I update , RAM or SSD or both ? Will 128gb SSD suffice, as it already has 1TB of HDD

[Amien]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Even with these limitations, can it be a decent gaming laptop? I just saw fellow member blackwasp mention the cost of his desktop build and I am starting to think that a gaming laptop is the only way to get a decent system at a reasonable price till at least 2022.

Based on the sort of questions you're asking, you may be trying to optimize a choice that isn't ideal to begin with. Nothing will ever beat the value/performance that a desktop can offer. Normally, only reason to consider a laptop is for mobility.

However, these are not normal times. WIth the current GPU shortages, you may have to buy a pre-built desktop inorder to not get completely ripped off. Its either that or rely on integrated graphics(which have considerably improved) till the market normalizes. Laptop or desktop, an approximate budget is required to be able to effectively prioritize.

Originally Posted by NPV

How common are SSD failures ? One never knows till one experiences it

Due to lower heat/lack of moving parts, an SSD is less prone to failure if all else is equal. That said, any drive/electronics can fail and back-ups are important regardless of storage type.

Originally Posted by navin

My son is also a gamer and looking at gaming laptops. He also needs something that is light enough to carry to class (college student). Space is a constraint as he will be in a dorm room.

I see 3 options

Option 1 makes the most sense. Build in a SFF/Mini-ITX case so that he can easily move it around as/when needed.

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

RAM or SSD or both ? Will 128gb SSD suffice, as it already has 1TB of HDD

Both. If you have a free slot, the extra RAM will also enable dual-channel mode apart from increasing total memory size. The SSD will make the biggest difference when it comes to responsiveness. 128GB is enough for just the OS but not a whole lot more.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Amien

Due to lower heat/lack of moving parts, an SSD is less prone to failure if all else is equal. That said, any drive/electronics can fail and back-ups are important regardless of storage type.

Not sure if you saw my subsequent update, in the end I was pleasantly surprised, happy it wasn't a SSD failure
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadge...ml#post5051710 (The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions)

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

My sister will need a laptop for her new job as HR, so I think it would not run any heavy applications (code editors or games as such ) Browsing and mails would be majority of the tasks performed on the laptop. So what should I update , RAM or SSD or both ? Will 128gb SSD suffice, as it already has 1TB of HDD

Two options:-
1. No need to spend a penny, ditch Windows, Install Linux and you all set with a responsive working machine which boots quickly and shuts down fast. You can even install Linux in dual boot configuration by keeping Windows.

2. Spend some money on RAM and SSD and convert the existing 1TB HDD into external HDD (converter case available in the market). These days Windows needs 3-4 GB of RAM so 8GB is bare minimum for a computer having Windows. When an OS uses such heavy RAM then it means there is lot of data transmitted and cached, especially during the booting process. SSD comes handy in such scenario which speeds up the heavy data transmission process by multiple folds compared to normal HDD, the difference is dramatic.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Akshay6988

I've the usual question that most of us are seeking answers for in this thread - how to make laptop perform faster !
I've a Lenovo Ideapad 320 laptop (4gb DDR4 RAM, 1TB HDD Intel I3 processor ). It has become very slow in all the aspects, be it booting up or browsing, opening any applications. My sister will need a laptop for her new job as HR, so I think it would not run any heavy applications (code editors or games as such ) Browsing and mails would be majority of the tasks performed on the laptop. So what should I update , RAM or SSD or both ? Will 128gb SSD suffice, as it already has 1TB of HDD

The reasons for slowing down of a computer are
1. Too much bloatware
2. Too many temporary files
3. Antivirus or other memory resident programs hogging CPU cycles

All of these can be addressed by cleaning up the system using many utilities available online. Of course the best recourse is to make a clean reinstall of the OS. That gets rid of all the above problems.

[navin]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

This is not just about the cost, but it's more about usability. Just think what is your priority - everyday usability or hassle of packing the desktop once in a while?

The bulk will be there with the gaming laptop as well since you are considering an external monitor, you will also have to buy a gaming mouse and a proper mechanical keyboard for gaming which are usually available in wired versions only, and maybe you gonna end up with a gamepad as well. So the argument of portability is ruled out here.

Another bonus with the desktop is the long term performance, stability, cooling and upgradability. And mind it, the so-called gaming laptop gonna end up contributing in day by day increasing e-garbage in 3-4 years when its battery will die. On the other hand, you can keep upgrading and using the desktop for years.

If this would have been for all-in-one kind of purpose and budget was constraint with the preference of mobility in mind then a gaming laptop would have been the ideal choice, none of these seems to be the restriction in your case.

If you go for a desktop in any case then just keep one thing in mind that the CPU cabinet these days come with one or more glass panels at sides, avoid them to reduce the risk of damage during frequent transportation.

But I think currently it's not about what you prefer or need, now it's more about what you can get in the market. Even if you make your mind about desktop then you gonna have a tough time building or finding one since the GPUs are kind of an alien thing currently due to non-availability.

You make some valid points. My son is currently in Mumbai (studying remote). When he was in his 3rd or 4th standard we got him a basic desktop from Lenovo.

Later in his 9th standard, he wanted a faster machine so we got him a powerful laptop. However, within about 6 months, he found that the laptop wasn't great for gaming so a friend of his and he, went to the local markets and bought parts to build 2 desktops (the friend is a hardware whizz kid). I don't remember all the specifics about this desktop (I have a hands-off approach to raising kids - aka if no one is bleeding, it's ok) but I do remember paying some ridiculous amount for a "graphics card" called the GTX1080. I did not mind as the kids were learning how to build stuff.

Then one day when I was called to the school in his 11th grade (the principal requested me because she hadn't met me yet) I realised I made a mistake. We should have gotten him a thinner lighter laptop for school. His laptop was way too huge and heavy compared to those of his peers.

So now he has this old (2016) heavy laptop and that 1080 Desktop. He cant take the desktop to college so I figured he can buy new machines there - a thin and light laptop and another heavy laptop or desktop to game with.

My son raised the same question as you did: given that he will not be using the monitor, keyboard or mouse or even the speakers of the laptop why not get a desktop (since he will be buying an external keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers/headphones anyway).

My only questions were how does he transport this desktop when he has to vacate his dorm room between semesters? Given that his whizz kid computer friend is not in the same college how would he source parts and build a desktop? Are there companies in the US that will do this? Additionally, my son told me that the new RTX3070 Graphics Card is in very short supply.

Originally Posted by Amien

Nothing will ever beat the value/performance that a desktop can offer. Normally, the only reason to consider a laptop is for mobility.

However, these are not normal times. With the current GPU shortages, you may have to buy a pre-built desktop in order to not get completely ripped off.

Option 1 makes the most sense. Build an SFF/Mini-ITX case so that he can easily move it around as/when needed.

The laptops I chose only use SSD. These SSDs are blazing fast compared to Hard disks.

How much would one save if one could get a pre-built gaming-oriented SFF Desktop with the RTX3070 Graphics card? Do you know any companies in the US that can build and deliver such a machine?

4 years ago, for a few minutes, I watched my son and his friend build their 1080 based PCs. The CPU cooler (which looked like a mini-radiator for a car) was huge and looked like it could just tear off the motherboard. If my son has to transport this desktop between semesters how does he ensure that the desktop innards are not damaged by flying parts. Come to think of it, the 1080 graphics board was also huge and looked rather unstable in its slot with just one screw holding it in place.

Desktop Wins
Price / Performance ratio
Expandability and Upgradeability

Desktop Cons
Availability (who will build it)
Damage in transportation

Laptop Wins
Transportability (he can even bring it to India and take it back).

Laptop Cons
Wasted monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers

[rkv_2401]

Hey guys,

My laptop(Lenovo Yoga 3 14 - i7 5500U, GT 940M, one stick of 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD) died recently after a power surge. This has been a fairly frequent occurrence in the past, but this time around, the boys at the service center couldn't resuscitate it.

I've needed to get a new laptop for a while, but due to the massive second corona wave I've decided to take a rain check on that idea.

In the meantime, I discovered my uncle's old Inspiron 1564 from 2010. This one is equipped with an i5-430M, 4GB of RAM and a 7200RPM hard drive. The last time I checked, it was awfully slow and couldn't even open Word documents in a meaningful amount of time, but I've decided to upgrade the hard drive + RAM(if possible) with the components from my dead laptop. I've plugged the SSD in, and it works, but the main problem is that the laptop is getting too hot and thermal throttling - CPU temperatures are always in the 90s, even at idle, and it runs at 1.3Ghz now instead of the 2.27-2.53Ghz it's able to do.

The question I'd like to pose is, do you guys think this machine is worth the effort of taking to a service center & asking for a thermal repaste? I'll mostly be using it to study/code/play games over Steam Remote View when I'm away from home. I feel like the 4GB of RAM is a bottleneck, but thanks to the SSD I'm hoping it'll be fine - not to mention, I can try plugging in my RAM module/another 4GB of RAM would cost merely 1300Rs. The i5-430M is a 2C/4T processor that seems to be clocked right around the speeds of my old i7, so I'm expecting similar performance from the CPU.

The last time I did this, the costs were minimal(900Rs. in 2019) and it gave a new lease of life to my Yoga. But now, I'm not sure how much it would cost, and there's a pretty big risk involved thanks to the pandemic. I won't go now anyway, but I'd like to know if it's worth paying a visit after the situation settles down. I have a couple of Surfaces, but I don't like the ergonomics of playing games on them - the display is too small and sits too low to make for a comfortable gaming experience. If I can get this laptop to work reasonably well, I can hold off on purchasing a new laptop for 6-8 months and get one equipped with a RTX 3060/3070 abroad.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by navin

So now he has this old (2016) heavy laptop and that 1080 Desktop. He cant take the desktop to college so I figured he can buy new machines there - a thin and light laptop and another heavy laptop or desktop to game with.

If the 1080 desktop is still there then I don't see any reason to buy new for gaming. I am even alive with 1070 (1 grade lower than 1080) based system which I not only use for fare bit of regular gaming, but use it for professional 3D graphics and renderings. I have postponed my upgrade plans for atleast one year or more till the pandemic and Bitcoin mining mania settles down, only then the GPU prices and availability will settle down. There is nothing which a GTX 1080 based system can't do except the rare realtime ray-trace based tasks which are still in development phase.

For eg 3D softwares used by me got some new ray tracing features to improve the performance after the introduction of RTX tech, but since the features are in development phase, I am not missing them. There are also few new games which use the new RTX tech but such games are very few and the difference is not deal breaker yet.

IMO if anyone already has fare bit of capable computer then this is not the right time for any building a new system.

My only questions were how does he transport this desktop when he has to vacate his dorm room between semesters? Given that his whizz kid computer friend is not in the same college how would he source parts and build a desktop? Are there companies in the US that will do this?

Now seems like only concern left is to figure out the transportation of your existing desktop. Maybe your son gets help of some of his new friends, or there must be some movers and packers kind of service providers in the US.

Originally Posted by rkv_2401

The question I'd like to pose is, do you guys think this machine is worth the effort of taking to a service center & asking for a thermal repaste? I'll mostly be using it to study/code/play games over Steam Remote View when I'm away from home. I feel like the 4GB of RAM is a bottleneck, but thanks to the SSD I'm hoping it'll be fine - not to mention, I can try plugging in my RAM module/another 4GB of RAM would cost merely 1300Rs. The i5-430M is a 2C/4T processor that seems to be clocked right around the speeds of my old i7, so I'm expecting similar performance from the CPU.

If you could change the SSD yourself then I think you can change the thermal paste as well, especially the old laptops are easy to play with. No harm trying that, clean the fans and ventilation holes and see.

If hardware is fine then this Dell laptop should be capable enough to do the rest of the tasks, though can't say about performance during remote-gaming since I never used this feature, neither I know how to use it. But if the remote-play feature is platform independent then you can install some Linux distro in the Dell laptop, even Steam has it's on OS which is based on Linux. A decent Linux distro uses barely 1GB of RAM and minimal resources.

Would like to learn how this steam remote-play thing works, steam says your can even remote play on mobile, is that true?

[rkv_2401]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

If you could change the SSD yourself then I think you can change the thermal paste as well, especially the old laptops are easy to play with. No harm trying that, clean the fans and ventilation holes and see.

Okay, yeah, I'll take a look at it and see if it's easy enough and whether that makes any noticeable change. It's been abandoned in a cupboard for the last 5 years, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was significant dust buildup, at the least.

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Would like to learn how this steam remote-play thing works, steam says your can even remote play on mobile, is that true?

I'm not sure how good it is, I'm looking for insights from someone who's tried it before. But I mostly play old AAA games(pre-2015), the screen resolution is limited to 1366*768 on this laptop, and I have access to high speed internet at both the places I'll be frequenting, so I'm going to give this a shot. I've never had to use it before, because my Yoga with the 940M was more than good enough to handle anything I could throw at it.

I think Remote Play on mobile requires a dedicated controller, because otherwise it would make no sense. I have tried logging into my home computer with TeamViewer mobile before and whilst it worked, it was an unpleasant experience. Couldn't do much more than open and close programs and observe my computer's temperatures(I was running Folding@home).

[navin]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

If the 1080 desktop is still there then I don't see any reason to buy new for gaming.

I have postponed my upgrade plans for atleast one year or more till the pandemic and Bitcoin mining mania settles down, only then the GPU prices and availability will settle down.

Now seems like only concern left is to figure out the transportation of your existing desktop. Maybe your son gets help of some of his new friends, or there must be some movers and packers kind of service providers in the US.

His 1080 desktop is in India where he is currently schooling online. He is scheduled to complete the rest of his college in the US. It makes little sense to carry the desktop to the US.

In short, he will need to get a new machine to game on (either a laptop or a pre-built PC).

Additionally, he will need a thin and light laptop for classwork as lugging a 3kg laptop all over campus can be quite a detriment to carrying it at all.

For the thin and light, the options are the Dell XPS 13, Surface Notebook 4, or some other "1kg" machine. Any recommendations?

Given the crypto mining craze that's on right now, desktop GPUs are in short supply and even many pre-built Desktops are costing as much as their laptop counterparts.

For example, compare the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 laptop and ASUS ROG Strix GA15DH Desktop below
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-GeForce-.../dp/B08SJQZVGR

https://www.amazon.com/GA15DH-Deskto.../dp/B08H4Q7546

Even system integrator built PCs arent much cheaper
https://www.amazon.com/Skytech-Chron.../dp/B08WVWPW14

moving away from Nvidia to AMD Radeon doesn't help much either
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gami...p/wdryzr10v20h

What am I missing? Why are Ryzen 7 / RTX3070 based laptops not a whole lot more expensive than a similarly equipped PC (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD or 512 SSD + 1TB Hard disk)?

Of course, AMD and Nvidia are probably laughing all the way to the bank. This shortage isn't going to abate soon.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by navin

His 1080 desktop is in India where he is currently schooling online. He is scheduled to complete the rest of his college in the US. It makes little sense to carry the desktop to the US.

But he can carry the 1080 GPU with him, hope no one arrests him on the airport in accusation of GPU smuggling.

In short, he will need to get a new machine to game on (either a laptop or a pre-built PC).

GPUs are in Shortage, rest of the stuffs still available. So another idea is either use the existing 1080 to build a new desktop in the US, or buy something easily available like GTX 1660ti, or maybe RTX 20xx series GPU (if available). You can buy any other entry level GPU for the old desktop.

For the thin and light, the options are the Dell XPS 13, Surface Notebook 4, or some other "1kg" machine. Any recommendations?

Add Asus Zenbook also in your list, some gorgeous thin-books available with them having some innovative features.

many pre-built Desktops are costing as much as their laptop counterparts.

For example, compare the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 laptop and ASUS ROG Strix GA15DH Desktop below

This desktop is bit of outdated and overpriced for what its offering. Biggest downside is the B450 motherboard which is too old and limits the CPU upgrade. You should look at B550 or ideally should get x570 motherboard which allow the installation of of 4th gen Ryzen CPUs, or maybe next generation as well.

Other cost effective alternative to it is this one:
https://www.amazon.com/OMEN-Generati.../dp/B08KHD3Q5Z

Strangely first time in my life I am seeing that Intel systems are costing lower than equivalent AMD systems, have even seen this at my local market as well.

What am I missing? Why are Ryzen 7 / RTX3070 based laptops not a whole lot more expensive than a similarly equipped PC (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD or 512 SSD + 1TB Hard disk)?

Reason is same - performance, stability, cooling, reliability during long stressful sessions compared to a similarly equipped laptop. The specifications may seem same on the paper but in real life there is big difference in the performance and usability. The same reason triggered shortage of desktop GPUs because crypto mining puts continuous stress on the hardware, laptops can't sustain for long in such scenario.

Also the crypto mining machines are custom built where multiple GPUs are put in a row, so the desktop GPUs are bought in bulk by the the mining houses. Such customisations are not possible with the laptops.

[navin]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

But he can carry the 1080 GPU with him, hope no one arrests him on the airport in accusation of GPU smuggling.

Add Asus Zenbook also in your list, some gorgeous thin-books available with them having some innovative features.

This desktop is bit of outdated and overpriced for what its offering. Biggest downside is the B450 motherboard which is too old and limits the CPU upgrade. You should look at B550 or ideally should get x570 motherboard which allow the installation of of 4th gen Ryzen CPUs, or maybe next generation as well.

Other cost effective alternative to it is this one:
https://www.amazon.com/OMEN-Generati.../dp/B08KHD3Q5Z

Reason is same - performance, stability, cooling, reliability during long stressful sessions compared to a similarly equipped laptop. The specifications may seem same on the paper but in real life there is big difference in the performance and usability.

Firstly, thank you for the time and energy you are spending on this. I am both, flattered and obliged.

I know very little about PCs (I had graduated college when the IBM PC was first created by Don Estridge and his small team of 15 or so engineers in Boca Raton FL) so it's nice to be guided by someone who knows more.

My son's initial budget for both machines (a thin and light for class and a gaming machine) was $4000. I assumed the thin and light would cost around $1500 and the gaming PC $2500 with monitor, keyboard and mouse.

I realise now that he might have to stretch that budget to $4500. Sometimes by paying a little more you get a lot more. For example the Asus B9 laptops below. For 1699 you get 16GB + 1TB, but for $1999 you get 32GB + 2TB which should serve him longer.
https://store.asus.com/us/item/20201...-B9450CEA-XH75

https://store.asus.com/us/item/20201...-B9450CEA-XH77

The Zenbook with the i7-1165G7 (12M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 4 cores) is very comparable to the XPS 13 with the i7-1185G7 (12MB Cache, up to 4.8 GHz) with 2TB SSD.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell...0-1e76e3ef5676

I found the Surface Pro 4 does not come with more than 512GB of SSD.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/stor...&previewModes=

Coming to the Gaming PCs you make valid arguments. I think the best option would be to order a pre-built PC but I have no idea what to order.

I don't know which motherboards or power supplies to look out for all I know is my son told me that the RTX3070 might be the sweet spot between power and price. The games he plays are Riot - Valorant, League of Legends, Overwatch Go (he is waiting for Overwatch 2), and DOTA 2 - Dragon's Blood.

Could you assist me in (a) configuring a machine with a budget of $2500-2700 (with keyboard, mouse, and 24-27" monitor) and (b) finding this machine online (should I just use companies like Asus or system integrators like OMEN, Skytech, Redux etc.)

Just for fun, I built a $2300 PC using the following specs on Redux.
https://buildredux.com/pages/build-your-pc?build=best

This includes Windows 10 Home + USB Recovery + Build, Testing and Warranty.

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core $329
X570 Chipset | AMD $200
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB $855
32GB DDR4 Dual Channel $205
1TB NVMe M.2 + 2TB HDD $173
CM MasterLiquid ML240L + MasterFans $75 + FREE 4x CM MasterFans RGB Cooler Master TD500 RGB $99
850W ATX 80 Plus Gold $149

I assume a good 27" monitor (QHD) would be about $300-400.
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-XV272U-P...11&s=pc&sr=1-5

https://www.amazon.com/LG-27GL83A-B-...11&s=pc&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.com/LG-27GN800-B-...11&s=pc&sr=1-8

What do you think?

[Mortis]

I think the best bet for him would be a thin and light gaming laptop. A 15 inch one would do. That way he can game and it's also portable enough for him to carry around.
The games that he plays are not the most demanding so compromising on slightly cut down laptop GPU won't be much of an issue.

The best option for him would be the ASUS ROG FLOW X13 I think it's called. It's a 13 inch thin laptop with a touchscreen and also a mid range 1660ti GPU and it also comes with a dock and external RTX 3080 for when serious horsepower is required. This can be connected to an external monitor and keyboard too if required.

This would be ideal for him. The MSRP was around $2700 and maybe a couple 100 more for a monitor. Obviously availability and the actual selling price is a ?
No point spending USD 4500 and having two separate PCs when one well selected laptop will suit him just fine. The ASUS Zephyrus duo 14/15 is another option.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Mortis

I think the best bet for him would be a thin and light gaming laptop. A 15 inch one would do. The games that he plays are not the most demanding so compromising on slightly cut down laptop GPU won't be much of an issue.

The best option for him would be the ASUS ROG FLOW X13 I think it's called. It's a 13 inch thin laptop with a touchscreen and also a mid range 1660ti GPU and it also comes with a dock and external RTX 3080 for when serious horsepower is required. This can be connected to an external monitor and keyboard too if required.

No point spending USD 4500 and having two separate PCs when one well selected laptop will suit him just fine. The ASUS Zephyrus duo 14/15 is another option.

Actually, a machine that has an outboard GPU makes a lot of sense. This way he has a thin and light 13" laptop to carry to class and can plug the same laptop into an outboard GPU and monitor/keyboard/mouse and game.

My son's rationale for getting a bigger GPU was that he wanted a machine that does not become obsolete in 4-5 years as he adds new games to his list.

The ROG Flow series I think has been discontinued. But the idea of having an external GPU is a valid one.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by navin

I don't know which motherboards or power supplies to look out for all I know is my son told me that the RTX3070 might be the sweet spot between power and price. The games he plays are Riot - Valorant, League of Legends, Overwatch Go (he is waiting for Overwatch 2), and DOTA 2 - Dragon's Blood.

3070 is the right choice if availability and price is not an issue. The games mentioned above are not much demanding in terms of graphics power but they are competitive games so again you cannot compromise on hardware, especially the ergonomics have to be spot on which are non existent on the laptop.

Could you assist me in (a) configuring a machine with a budget of $2500-2700 (with keyboard, mouse, and 24-27" monitor) and (b) finding this machine online (should I just use companies like Asus or system integrators like OMEN, Skytech, Redux etc.)

The above budget is very much doable, though you should avoid the big brands like Asus, Dell etc since they don't offer much customizations and often a buyer end up with few compromised key components like motherboard and power supply which limit the possibility of future upgrades or the cost of upgrades turn out higher since you also have to replace the motherboard and/or power supply.

I searched top customized PC companies in USA and landed up on this link:
https://techguided.com/best-custom-pc-builders/

I even found a small form compact size cabinet on Origin PC site. Though I found that future upgradability is pretty limited, which is obvious. For eg only 750W power supply was available, you can't install second GPU at later stage if you want to improve the performance further.

Just for fun, I built a $2300 PC using the following specs on Redux.
https://buildredux.com/pages/build-your-pc?build=best
This includes Windows 10 Home + USB Recovery + Build, Testing and Warranty.

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core $329
X570 Chipset | AMD $200
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB $855
32GB DDR4 Dual Channel $205
1TB NVMe M.2 + 2TB HDD $173
CM MasterLiquid ML240L + MasterFans $75 + FREE 4x CM MasterFans RGB Cooler Master TD500 RGB $99
850W ATX 80 Plus Gold $149

Motherboard
For the AMD builds, x570 MB is the right choice currently. Though I am not much familiar with intel terminology so can't tell which motherboard should be chosen for future proofing here.

CPU
the 3700x CPU is from the previous generation. 5700X is also launched though availability might be a concern right now. But if price difference is significant then you can go with the 3700x or even lower from the 3xxx generation since you can easily upgrade the CPU at later stage when price go lower.

Cooling
Stock CPU cooler are often noisy and not adequate to handle long stressful sessions. Even an entry level air cooler like Cooler Master 410R does wonders. I am using Corsair H100i liquid cooler and Cooler Master 410R on two of my computers. Both are doing their job well, though surprisingly the 410R makes lower noise compared to the H100i.

RAM
Ensure that you get the RAM with highest possible FSB speed fitting in your budget. Like 3000-3600 FSB RAM are easily available at dirt cheap price these days so don't choose RAM lower than 3000 FSB speed. Though 4000+ FSB RAM is also available but maybe bit costly so can be avoided for now. If you plan to upgrade the RAM in future with better speed and capacity then I will say to stick with 16GB 3000 FSB for now in dual channel configuration (8+8GB). Again the motherboard is crucial component to support higher speed RAM. For example Asus TUF Gaming x570 supports 4400FSB RAM upto 128GB with 3rd gen Ryzen CPU, maybe it supports higher speed RAM as well with next generation CPU. So going by the currently supported RAM specs, you can replace the currently bought 16GB 3000 FSB RAM with 4400 FSB in future with the capacity of 32, 64 or even 128GB RAM if needed.

Power Supply
850W Gold is more than enough for single GPU configuration but you talked about future proofing in your next comment. So there is consideration of installing second GPU (same) at later stage to improve the performance without need of building the whole desktop tower again. For example if you start feeling some lack in graphics performance of your current 1080 desktop then you can add another 1080 GPU and performance can almost be doubled up if the power supply can handle the second GPU and space is available inside the cabinet.

Monitor

I assume a good 27" monitor (QHD) would be about $300-400.
What do you think?

Tech is constantly evolving in the monitors and panels. 144hz has become the current standard for gaming and QHD is enough and pretty much getable with the IPS panel in the above budget. Though you should add Asus, Dell, Benq, MSI also in the list of monitors. You need to look out typical features like eye protection, blue light reduction, widest possible color gamut and all.

Keyboard
Keyboard and mouse are most important components in a gaming setup which are often ignored, even should be considered carefully for the work machines as well since they are the components which you touch and use directly.

For the keyboard, get anything with Cherry MX, the German switches are the gold standard in mechanical keyboards. Though superior switches are also available these days from other brands, some of them are even lubricated (can you imagine the feel of pressing the switch ).

I still have old HCL keyboard with Cherry MX Black switches which came with my first PC in 1995, its still in perfectly working condition. Though it doesn't have anti-ghosting and can not not be connected to USB or PS/2 so lying unused. Currently have a full size keyboard with Cherry MX Brown switches.

I wanted a keyboard with tactile feedback and minimal sound so got the Brown. Got another tenkeyless keyboard with Blue switches for son from Gamidas brand. The switch manufacturer is unknown, though switches are replica of Cherry MX Blue.

Blue switches have one additional member in them which kind of improves the sliding at the midway resistance point but also make a prominent clicking sound, they are the loudest amongst all type of switches. the ancient HCL keyboard I have got Black switches which are linear and non-tactile so no resistance felt midway while pressing, so not much noisy as well. But the Blacks require heaviest stroke, still far smoother and pleasant to use compared to the regular membrane based keyboards. REDs are lighter than Black and Silver are lightest.

One more option to be considered here here is the keyboards with hot swappable switches. You can literally take the switches out without need of opening the keyboard and install other compatible one. People even use this feature to configure the keyboards with different type of switches.

There are many brands which offer keyboards with Cherry MX switches like Corsair, Asus, Steelseries, XPG, HyperX, Cooler Master and many others. There must be many other options in USA, even customized keyboards also available. Get your preferred one from any reliable brand.

Mouse
I have Logitech G402 and Redragon M610 mouse with me. The logitech is more expansive, has more buttons and better shoes which slides much smoother. Though I found it just okay for studio task but not suitable for gaming after months of usage. The ergonomics are big failure, its super big in size, the slope below the right click button is not enough so I have hard time keeping the right click pressed which is needed for aiming in the shooting games. Unfortunately all the Logitech G series above 402 have similar form factor. I wonder how such a big company could not address such a big ergonomic flaw yet. Though the G102 has conventional Logitech form factor so maybe comfortable for most people.

On the other hand the Redragon M610 is used by my son. Ergonomically I find it super fit in my hand when I use it, its just perfect. This mouse has two buttons less that the Logitech G402 but its got DPI adjust button and extra two buttons which can be customized as mouse button 4 and 5.

Well, choosing the mouse-keyboard is similar like choosing speakers. your hands are best judges, same like your ears.