First time building a PC
I am looking to build a gaming PC (I am also going to be using it for my new degree). I have a budget of about $2000. Could someone help me pick what is needed? (Essentially build a PC). I have played around with the builder but find myself going over budget or unsure of certain items. Thanks
This is me playing with a build
https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=5a142e5d-07a4-43b9-bc0d-b468716df943
This is me playing with a build
https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=5a142e5d-07a4-43b9-bc0d-b468716df943

Comments
If you're just gaming, you can easily go with the i5-10600k instead of the i7-10700k. It's basically identical in gaming performance but quite a bit cheaper. I would use that leftover to upgrade to a higher quality power supply. There's nothing wrong with the one you chose, but in a high-end build I'd go with a nice 80+ Gold certified PSU like these:
https://www.microcenter.com/product/513600/seasonic-usa-focus-plus-650-watt-80-plus-gold-atx-fully-modular-power-supply
https://www.microcenter.com/product/503517/evga-supernova-650-g-650-watt-80-plus-gold-atx-fully-modular-power-supply
Does your degree require the use of any special software beyond the basic Microsoft Office type stuff?
I have a few questions:
Would AMD Ryzen be a good fit (based on cost?)
For CPU cooling, would the water cooling kit I chose be all I would need?
Is this list complete for a build or am I missing anything?
Could I build this on my own with no experience building PCs? (I have watched YouTube videos).
These are not dumb at all. You're doing the smart thing if anything. And for the optical drive question? No. Not necessary. If anything, purchase an external drive if you really need to access old software or play a DVD on your computer
Do you think now is a bad time to build a PC with new graphics cards coming out? Some rumors are saying they will be out in about a month. Will this make my build "obsolete?"
The next gen cards aren't going to suddenly make a computer you build now unusable. A PC built with a budget of $2000 is going to last for years regardless of if you purchase a 3000-series or 2000 series GPU.
Now I personally would wait just to see what the new line of cards looks like performance and pricing wise to have more options available if you can wait, but that's just me. If you don't need to build a PC right now it might be worth it to wait, but if you can't or just don't want to, don't stress too much and build the PC you want now and realize that you'll still get an awesome system either way.
Is this a common issue? What alternative suggestions would you have?
https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=f5b37892-ac46-41e4-9400-ec952b3f148f
However, failures are very rare, even the more "common" failures like pumps not working. It's technically correct to say there's more risk with a liquid cooler, and if something goes bad it would probably be worse than if an air cooler goes bad, but that's a little bit like saying you're at higher risk of getting struck by lightning because you're a lot taller than other people. It's not significant enough of a difference that I think it should be something to worry about.
That said, high-end air coolers can compete with AIO liquid coolers so if you're concerned, there's nothing wrong with going that route. Coolers like the Noctua NH-D15 are just as effective as AIO liquid coolers, so it really comes down to preference