Just wait until October. Get a quad core i3 +1070. Play games at 144 fps for less than $1000 and have fun.

The rule of thumb for gaming PCs is usually to get a fast quad core CPU, and invest the rest of the money on a better GPU... and given how the GPU prices have skyrocketed because of miners, that's more important than ever.

With that in mind, a Ryzen 5 1500X (4 cores/8 threads) or an Intel i5 7500 (4 cores/ 4 threads) could be your better choices, and they are also similarly priced. Couple them with a low end motherboard, B350 for AMD or B250 for Intel, and you'll have more money for your GPU.

As for building your own PC, it's true that it's not hard and that, unless you use too much force, the risk of damaging something is low. Here are a few more articles/videos about building a PC:

https://www.pcper.com/reviews/Systems/My-First-PC-Build-Going-Zero-Gaming-3-Steps

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601.html

http://techreport.com/review/31846/the-tech-report-system-guide-may-2017-edition

Hi there, back again now that the new CPUs are out, and more confusion:

New generation i5 - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zrLYvV
Last generation i5 - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CW7dyf

Why is it that there are no motherboards listed for the new generation, but there are motherboards for the old generation, when they seem to use the same socket? Is there more to CPU -> Motherboard compatibility than just the socket type?

The new CPUs cannot be put on the old boards.
Intel are doing the rushed launch thing.

So the CPUs are out, but only really technically.

With the new Coffee Lake chips having 6-core variants, Intel has changed the way power is delivered to the CPU through the pins, making old s.1151 motherboards incompatible with the new processors.

And as of yet, only Z370 motherboards have been launched.

To the OP (and of course, the rest): Are you in a hurry to get the new PC? I'm asking because Hexus.net in running a competition until November 9 to win a PC with an i7-8700K and a GTX 1080Ti card, open to everybody.

http://hexus.net/tech/features/systems/110774-win-core-i7-8700k-gaming-rig-scan-asus/

This are the complete specs of the PC:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K overclocked to 5GHz
• Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4-3000
• Motherboard: Asus RoG Strix Z370-F Gaming
• CPU Cooler: Fractal Design Celsius S24
• Graphics Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Strix Gaming
• Primary Storage: 500GB Samsung 960 Evo M.2 SSD
• Secondary Storage: 2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
• Power Supply: Corsair RM650X (650W, internal)
• Chassis: Fractal Design Meshify C
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10

I feel like f you are going to build a PC build it a strong and "future proof" (*notice the quotes*) as you can. If not, you might as well buy a console, that's if you want the PC for gaming purposes. My thinking is that you put $1000 on a PC, that will be slowish in a few years and won't be able to run good games, then you are going to want to upgrade, which means more money. With a console, you should be set for a longer period of time, with less money.

I build my PC in 2015, intel 6700k, with 2 MSI 980ti and 16 GB of DDR4 RAM and I expect that setup to last me a few more years before I need to upgrade.

CPU    
Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor
   
Motherboard    
ASRock - Z370 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
   
Memory    
GeIL - SUPER LUCE 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory

Storage    
Hitachi - Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card    
MSI - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card
   
Case    
NZXT - S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
   
Power Supply    
EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply


Total:     $1047.80  (after cashback/rebates) - PCParktpicker.

Upto date machine though I'd personally wait a little longer for the 1070ti AiB cards to launch. Its only a little more expensive than an OG 1070 and offers similar performance to of a GTX 1080.

You could also save another $50-60, by waiting for the more budget friendly B360 motherboards to launch. Which is probably a better match for that non overclockable cpu.

Building PC's at first may seem daunting, but tbh theres tonnes of step by step tutotials and guides to help you. If not, I'm sure you'd be able to find a local PC shop who can assemble it together (like what other people have said) for a small cost.