First $1500 gaming PC tower: 1440p high refresh rate, CPU/GPU choices, cooling, futu

[JosephTM]

I'm finally ready to build my first gaming PC after years on a console, and I have a budget of around $1,500 for just the tower. My goal is to play new AAA titles at 1440p with high refresh rates, but I'm getting analysis paralysis trying to choose between the latest AMD and Intel CPUs and the different tiers of graphics cards. For experienced builders, what would you prioritize in a best gaming PC build within that budget for future-proofing the next few years, and are there any specific component combinations or common bottlenecks I should absolutely avoid? I'm also unsure about cooling—whether a good air cooler is sufficient or if I should go for an AIO liquid cooler for a quieter system.