first timer gaming PC

Critical to your configurations to get you the most bang for your bucks is the monitor resolution you both are using. For instance, at 1440p the 2070 SUPER would perform extremely well at nearly $400 less than the 2080 you selected.

"Not exploding" is a cinch. A properly coole modern PC can easily run harder and longer than you can.

When I advise, I try to set you up with the best performance at the lowest cost. The simple fact is that tech never stands still. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to overspend in the futile pursuit of over kill or future proofing. Seems to me you're bound to be disappointed.

Case in point: take a look at this from PC World Mag:

"The GeForce RTX 2060 Super starts at $399; the GeForce RTX 2070 Super at $499; and the GeForce RTX 2080 Super at $699. We’ve already reviewed the GeForce RTX 2060 Super and RTX 2070 Super, and well, they live up to their moniker, essentially bumping each card up a performance tier. The GeForce RTX 2060 Super falls within spitting distance of the original $499 RTX 2070, while the new RTX 2070 Super greatly closes the gap with the original $699 RTX 2080. The RTX 2060 Super also shores up weak points in its $349 non-Super cousin, bumping the memory capacity from 6GB to 8GB and the memory interface from 192-bit to 256-bit, justifying its $50 price premium."

Now imagine that you just spent around $900 for an RTX 2080, not so much for the games you play, but for the games that might come out later. You're looking at a 2070 SUPER that costs considerably less, but performs just as well most of the time.

Then there's the brand new offerings from AMD. Until now, AMD had no presence here at all. These new cards, however, are killer at the price point, and DS has seen that. I'm still looking them over, but it may be the 5700XT rivals a 2070 SUPER for significantly less.

Lot of info, but these choices are brand new here, and I'm trying to get my mind around them as well. Thanks for bearing with me.

So, what resolutions are we looking at?

Hello jazz2714...

Lol...want them to be different I see...I get that...lol.   You could select a different case for your boyfriends rig, but I think the Lumos is better than both choices.    The Velox case would cost more, Lynx less.    With the Lumos case you can use different Corsair Fan RGB LED customization to make the two rigs look quite different...lol.     We can use the top of line Corsair ML Series (magnetic levitation bearings) RGB fans and standard DS RAM in your boyfriends rig...will look different from your Corsair LL Series RGB fans that have a double LED light ring and Vengeance RGB RAM selection.   You will both download the Corsair iCUE software to personalize and control the fan colors.   Can also add white cables to your rig to reflect those colors for an emphasis on aesthetics for you...lol.

As you will be using 4K resolution monitor, I would suggest you upgrade to the new RTX 2080 Super GPU for you both.....NVidia claims it has about 15% better performance over the reference 2080...oddly a little less expensive as well.   Should keep you both playing at high game settings at 4k for a very long time.

We generally tell folks 16 GB RAM is the most you will ever need or use for gaming, but for your editing and multi-tasking work you might find 32 GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM helpful... and RAM is very inexpensive right now.   Boyfriends gaming rig will be fine with 16 GB Ram, and he can always add more RAM if he develops the need.

As yours will be an Adobe editing work rig too, I think you could also justify a little bump up in CPU to the other excellent I9-9900K 8 core /16 thread CPU.

Lumos1 (hers)...(3,573) Config # 2471287

I9-9900K CPU (+$168) Overclocked to Stage 1
Corsair H115i 280mm AIO cooler - no maintenance
Asus Strix Z390-H motherboard
32 GB Corsair Vengeance RAM
1 TB Samsung Evo M.2 NVME Drive1
2 TB SATA III Drive2
Corsair LL Series 120mm RGB LED Case Fans
850w Corsair Modular PSU Gold Efficiency
White Cable/cable combs
DS RGB Case Lighting

Lumos2 (his)...(3,386) Config # 2471305

I7-9700K CPU Overclocked to Stage 1
Corsair H115i 280mm AIO cooler - no maintenance
Asus Strix Z390-H motherboard
16 GB DS RAM
1 TB Samsung Evo M.2 NVME Drive1
2 TB SATA III Drive2
Corsair ML Series 120mm Case Fans
850w Corsair Modular PSU Gold Efficiency
DS RGB Case Lighting

See what you think, or come up with your own new config.   

Edited by HockeyBuck - 13 Jul 2019 at 8:01pm

Can we unpack this? My point was that one need not throw budget to the winds in pursuit of some ideal gaming set-up that is fleeting at best, soon to be outdone. In other words, there is no ideal. This is not the pursuit of "the next great whatever", it is the reality that sometimes budgets matter, and ALWAYS there will be affordable advances that get us to the performance we couldn't quite get initially. If you've never done this before, high level performance will definitely impress you even when it's not the best money can buy.

My friends went the other way. The choice is entirely yours, but perfectly acceptable performance is attainable within your budget, and conforming to your needs as well as "a good gaming PC that won't lag for ... web browsing and streaming on Twitch."

The i7 9700k is more than adequate for you both.

The 2070 Super performs very much like the 2080 "regular" which is considered to be "less than ideal" for 4K gaming. "Ideal" is not for budgets. PC Magazine says, "The GeForce RTX 2070 Super hits the sweet spot between near-consistent 60fps frame rates at 4K for 60Hz monitors, and solid 144fps-plus esports performance at a price primed for the upper-midrange market." in other words, it's ideal for 1440p (aka 2K) and no dog at 4k. Going with those cards saves the budget.

I absolutely do recommend 32 GB of RAM for your use, while your BF is good to go with 16GB

Otherwise, I think your choices are well done. If you keep everything the same and go to the RTX 2070 SUPER and 32 GB of RAM on your configuration, it comes in at $3032.

You could consider a Lynx case for one of you for variety. The Lynx already offers RGB fans, so you need no upgrade there.

You should get the stage one overclocks.

If the BF does not have a monitor yet, a 1440p is the ideal choice for the 2070 SUPER. IPS panel is best, high refresh rates will play.

Hope it helps

Edit: I have seen that the discount and free shipping are still in effect. That presents a golden opportunity for one of the rigs to get the stronger 2080 SUPER GPU and remain within budget. Go for it!

Edited by Cretae - 16 Jul 2019 at 4:04am