Building PC for $2000

Check /r/buildapc/, plenty of great ideas there. ^_^

Heres my current build its aged a bit now and thinking about updating the mobo/ram and cpu at some point but is still a beast:)

CASE -Thermaltake Armor Revo
MB-x79 Sabertooth
CPU -i7-3820 - OC @ 4.3
GTX EVGA-1080
RAM-32Gb Corsair
SSD-256Gb Samsung Evo Pro 840
SSD-256Gb(game drive) Samsung Pro 850
PSU-Corsair AX1200
COOLING-H100
OS-Win 10
KB/Mouse- K70-RGB / G700s

But for 2k i would defiantly go with a i7,gtx1080 and a newer motherboard using ddr4 i wont list parts as you dont have the cash now and things change pretty quickly in the pc world but as a rule my brands for parts that i trust go as: Asus for motherboards;Corsair for ram and psu;Intel for cpu's and Evga for Gpus;samsung for SSD's,seagate for Hdd's.

What about dual GPU's guys? \o/.

$2000 is wasteful. Unless you have nothing and need even dual 90" monitors/11.1 surround sound speakers/wireless super headset, then maybe.

I have built a new PC on June and it is awesome, but a bit cheaper (a live in a country where everything is more expensive that anywhere else, so got my build for 1500$ without GPU instead of 1300$ like in a normal country).
http://pcpartpicker.com/list/sBhb8K
Okay, so take a look at this one. Yep, it is a bit more than 2000$, but it packs quite a punch on gaming. Although, even I do think it is a bit overpriced. What you can do to reduce it's price?

So, the CPU is just fine. It will do for next ~4-5 years, although I'm a developer, so I chose this one as it is really best one for power/price. And it is K, it means you can overclock it easy as making a few clicks.

For the overclock I chosen Noctua. It is just the best you can get. You can look for something cheaper. I have Cooler Master, really quite and keeps my not overclocked processor really cold. Damn, it is summer and my PC is quite colder than my surroundings.

Motherboard. Quite an arguable choice, everyone have it's own preference for motherboards, I just like Gigabyte (I have Z170 Gaming-3), have some nice built-in overclocking capability, also quite a good sound from Sound Blaster with an ability to plug another amplifier. Much better than default Realtek (also based on it's drivers). You can take Gaming-3 if you like, it is almost like Gaming-5 but have a bit different port config.

RAM. I personally have 24 Gb Kingston DDR4 2400, as almost everything else is sold at 50% more here. Quite a good RAM, also I would like to note that you won't get some real boost from more frequency, just a small, almost "invisible" one, IMHO.

SSD. Well, SSD is a must-have. Man, I still receive immense amount of satisfaction when my PC loads for like 10 seconds (UNIX takes even less). 500 Gb is quite okay for today, for you apps and some games. Of course, if you prefer to keep A LOT of games, you should mind buying an HDD for 1-2Tb. If you have one already, like I did - that's just great. I can't recomend anything less than 500 Gb for gaming, also some users are okay with 250 Gb. Well, it is your own choice.

Most arguable thing. If you want to get into 4K gaming and VR - 1080 is your choice. Titan X is shit compared to this thingy. Although you might want to wait for some pricedrop, I believe new GPUs should cost really less. I'm currently gaming on built-in CPU graphics, well, for indies it goes pretty much okay :D Although, if you're okay with 2K (WQHD) as I do - you might want to stop with 1070, which is much cheaper and still packs a massive punch. Again, you choice.

Fractal Design. Well, this is the only thing I insist on. I have one, different from Define S, can't remember what exactly, a bit cheaper (well, it is MUCH cheaper here, in fact it is the only case that cost only 30% more than in US instead of 70-100% more, and it is window-less :( ) - but I can say it is freaking awesome. Classy design, awesome cable management, lots of free space, nice drives mounts (also note that you can't use angled cables for drives, only straight ones) - and awesome built-in coolers. I have to of 7 possible - and they are even more quiet than my CPU cooler. You don't have to change them at all, and that's like ~20$ economy. Windowed version is also awesome!

PSU. I have this one, it has modular cables, which is great, and quite a lot of power. For GTX 1080 you might want it 100W more, also I'm sure this one will do fine. Also should note, that packaging is really awesome :)

Monitor. Well, it depends. If you're okay with 2K - I recommend this one. Yep, it is expensive. But, god dammit, it has 144Hz with IPS! Almost no monitors have that right now. Also you may want to wait a year or two - and this one should became much cheaper.
If you want 4K - than you can choose some AOC or Dell monitor. I have Dell at 2K (WQHD), it looks good, feels good, also have it's downsides. It have bad mount (also really sturdy, I just don't like one of the latches does not snap in, I have another one at my workplace and it have same problem) and also I had some issues with DP cable (also I am, and no one in fact, is sure whether is problem with the built-in CPU graphics, cable or monitor). But no issues with HDMI 1.3 at 2K, so I really like it.

It took a damn hour to build up this post so I hope it helps you at least a little bit. Really, it is past midnight now, I'm not sure why I'm doing this but I really hope it helps you :D

I might take some flak for this since it's an unpopular opinion, but I believe the PC gaming community has a kind of "hot rod" big ego mentality when it comes to hardware. I mean, just look at the common vernacular being bandied about... "peasant" and "master race"... Now, don't get me wrong, it's perfectly fine if hardware is your primary hobby or you have a ton of expendable income, but my sense is that a lot of gamers that spend a significant amount of time hunting for gaming deals on sites like Steamgifts or r/gamedeals are spending more than they have to on hardware because of this mentality.

There's a bit of a fixation with having the best, newest, shiniest stuff, even though in terms of cost performance buying used a generation or two behind can be quite satisfactory for the majority of people, and likely fits their budgets a little more comfortably while still allowing for an enjoyable gaming experience. Additionally, I'm not a big believer in "future-proofing" because it's pretty hard to actually tell where things will be in 2-3 years.

Especially if you are interested in learning about hardware and tinkering and you don't have endless amounts of cash, $650 all-in can get you a pretty nice complete system these days that will play almost all current-gen games quite comfortably at 1080p high to ultra settings. And in a few years when the machine does become obsolete for the newest games and you are ready to buy something new, you can still use the hardware for other purposes like building a home server or other such spare/test machine. Something like this:

Total = $650 USD

• [$200] Used but well cared for i5 3570k + 16GB RAM + quality motherboard bundle
• [$175] Used but well cared for GTX970
• [$50] New 128GB SSD
• [$50] New 1TB HDD
• [$50] New, decent quality 80+ certified 500w+ PSU
• [$25] Used, functional no-frills case
• [$50] Used, 1080p 22" 60hz+ monitor
• [$50] Keyboard, mouse, gamepad, cables

Sometimes if you search around you can find full desktops which are sold even more cheaply than above with some decent components, then just replace some of the things that need replacing.

Here's some gameplay footage of a rock-solid system like above:
Doom 3 - Max Settings @ 1080p (80-120 fps)
Fallout 4 - Ultra Settings @ 1080p (80-120 fps)
Just Cause 3 - Ultra Settings @ 1080p (60-90 fps)
Witcher 3 - Ultra Settings @ 1080 (40-60 fps)

Really not the place to ask for a PC build that you can't even afford imho ._.
There's sites out there that will have budget build competitions and whatnot that are better suited and more knowledgeable.
Also, including monitor and peripherals really messes with budget comparisons. Monitor itself is a beast to tackle if you want to be picky. Are you using only a single monitor? How big of a monitor do you want? Resolution? G-Sync? TN vs IPS? Latency? 60Hz vs 120Hz? Curved?
Then peripherals are highly subjective. Do you like mechanical keyboards? If so, are you picky about manufacturer (Cherry MX vs other brands)? Blues, Reds, Browns etc? Also what about form factor? Numpad? LEDs/Chroma? Additional keys/functions? I think you get the picture as similar things apply for headsets and mice. Budget building works well for PCs since you're mainly using performance as your measure.

The GPU, monitor(s), and storage are the biggest driving factors in how much the price of your imaginary PC can fluctuate.
Here's a rough breakdown on what you might be expecting to spend on each piece for a $2000 budget.
Keyboard + Mouse + Headset +/- (Optional) Speakers - $150; you're building a high-end gaming PC so I'd expect gaming equipment as well
Case - $20 - 100; cheapo case is $20, typical case is maybe around $60, high end is around $100, enthusiast $200+
CPU - $200-250 i5 or $300-350 i7, don't really know the AMD side of this tbh
Mobo - $80 - $200, $80 for good brand and basic bells and whistles, $200 for features you've probably never even heard of and never use
PSU -$60-80
RAM - $60 (2x8gb) or $120 (4x8gb)
Storage - $150 Samsung 850 Evo 500GB SSD and/or $80 HDD, Samsung 950 Pro ($300) if you like burning cash
GPU - $700-800 essentially you're looking only at the 1080 at this budget ($400 for next step down)
Monitor - $100 for a basic 24" monitor, $200-400 for something slightly more fancy, then 800 if you want something crazy.

Optional
Aftermarket Cpu Cooler - $25 (Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo) to $100 Water Cooling
CD/DVD/Blue Ray Drive - $0, because you really don't need one

I'd buy a 1000€ PC incl GTX 1080, a VR headset and a Logitech G 27 Racing Wheel :)

you can make a perfect PC that can run all next gen games for 700 bucks, but if you wanna waste tons of money for nvidia and stuff that are just over-priced, be my guest...

A EVGA Nvidia GTX 980 FTW will be good, If it goes faulty then they might send you a newer and better card. My friend had a 280gtx and they sent him a 980 ftw. Also get a fan with a lot of fans, and if you need to buy more, thy sell them for $10