Cant really say what the best way is, but this is how i always went about things to end up with a well specced system with room to grow. I started by setting myself a rough budget ($2k) and kept track of costs using a spreadsheet and read alot of reviews. Also, there’s a lot of sites performing benchmark testing that’ll show whether or not it’s worth the $$ to level up on any component - I did alot of massaging to try and find the best value for money.
CPU: ive always gone with minimum i7, not much point going top tier - i usually go 2nd best. I tend to look for on board graphics to save on the need for GPU since I’m not using a ton of fancy VSTs. i9 is pretty rad, but youre prolly better off spending the extra money elsewhere plus I’ve heard they run bloody hot. Can’t really say anything about core usage apart from check the software specs - ev I’ve had (water modelling) software specify quad core.
Cooling: read reviews and buy the best you can afford - stock standard fans and heatsinks are pissweak when it comes to i7 and above if you’re doing audio processing. It’s not overly expensive but has made a huge difference in performance in Australian summers with no aircon.
Case: read reviews and look for something highly rated for airflow. If you’re getting a big ass cooling system, make sure it physically fits. Oversized cases are way easier to work with - my latest build uses a Corsair Carbide 540 (crazy ass cube style) and has been an absolute joy to work on (google it and you’ll see what i mean). Before that was a Cooler master HAF932 that never ran out of room and looked fkn badass.
Hard Drive: main drive has to be SSD, faster bus speeds better, stick with well known manufacturers (read reviews on failure rates etc). I like Samsung drives - have never had a problem. Don’t need to fork out for the biggest drive, can always add more later and backup storage is cheap.
RAM: faster speed is better. When it comes to how much, check your software to see what they recommend. My rule of thumb is to try and double the required amount but its better to use the initial budget on the other components first and upgrade later.
Motherboard: look for one that matches specs in terms of speeds etc. Some cpu chipsets may be better than others for audio performance- google is your friend here. Shouldn’t need to max out ram but it’s good to have the capability to add more later. I’ve always been satisfied with Gigabyte boards. If you’re not using a gpu, make sure it can support on board graphics. Back when i had a firewire interface, options were kinda limited so this was the most important component but with usb audio, not so much.
GPU: cant advise here, but check your software specs. Sometimes a cheap GPU will be plenty of power if you’re not gaming - no idea what video making would require (rendering animation could be a lot, video editing a lot less)
Power: use an online calculator and give yourself some headroom for upgrades. You can always upgrade if necessary. Ive always been happy with thermaltake.
Don’t forget to include the price of the OS in your budget. Some people are happy with Windows Home, but i prefer having greater control over the update process so I’d rather use Pro. Linux is a bit of a fuck around so I’m running a dual boot system with windows for the DAW side of things.
Lastly, dont stress. If you’ve got a decent budget, remember to check your software requirements and give yourself some headroom then it’ll be fine.