CPU

For the Enthusiast Intel build we chose the newly released Intel Coffee Lake i5-9600k as our processor.

CPU Cooler

To cool the i5-9600k while overclocking we selected the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 to match our case. The Dark Rock Pro 4 is an excellent choice for our build aesthetically and will allow us to reach our maximum potential for overclocking without watercooling.

Motherboard

To allow overclocking on the processor, we set the parametric filters for Z390 ATX motherboards that support up to 64GB of DDR4 memory, six SATA 6Gb/s devices, multiple expansion cards, and crossfire or SLI functionality.

Memory

With our increased budget we selected 16GB of RAM. The parametric filter finds the best price on 16GB kits of memory that are within Intel’s recommended specifications from DDR4-2800 to DDR4-3400.

Storage

Using the parametric filters this build will incorporate an m.2 SSD with at least 500GB of space and a minimum 3TB of mechanical storage at 7200rpm.

GPU

With this budget we decided to go all out on the graphics card. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 is one of the single best cards on the market right now. At 1080p or even 1440p you will not have any problems with AAA games and the RTX 2080 is perfectly suited for VR gaming as well. When using an RTX 2080 you should consider stepping up your monitor to a 120/144hz screen for the best gaming experience.

For streaming, the newly-updated NVENC encoding will offload the task to the GPU with a minimal performance hit using OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) while providing image quality similar to or better than x264 Fast quality.

Case

All of our components are housed in the Fractal Design Meshify C Dark TG case. This case has a tempered glass side panel, room for enthusiast CPU coolers, watercooling radiators, and front panel USB3.0.

PSU

For our power supply, we're using a parametric selection of well-reviewed fully and semi-modular units, all of which are 80+ Gold certified, have two EPS cables, and provide more than enough power for this system while at stock clocks or overclocking.