Category: PC Builds

It’s a common misconception that building your own gaming PC can cost a small fortune. While it may be true that a gaming PC at the higher end of the scale will cost more than a console upfront, it’s not true that a gaming desktop has to cost you the earth. 

Today we’re going to show you how to build your own gaming PC for under $500. We’re also going to cover its specs and what you can expect from your new gaming PC.

That’s right! You can build your very own gaming PC from as little as $500. It will even give you an arguably better performance than a PS4 or Xbox One!

We’ve listed all the components you’ll need for your new gaming PC build down below. These will be ideal for those of you who are trying to stick to a budget, but still want to play your favorite games. These components should be able to handle medium resolution settings on a 1080p monitor.

Building a PC for under $500 overview

It may not surprise you to learn that building your own PC from scratch will work out much cheaper than if you buy a pre-built model. This is because you can pick and choose which components go into your PC case.

Building your very own PC isn’t that hard to do, either!

Of course, if you don’t want to build your own gaming PC, you can opt for a pre-built model. However it’s worth remembering that you won’t be able to choose the components you get in these desktops.

You will have to spend additional money if you want to swap anything out for a better performing alternative. We’d recommend opting for the Kepler gaming PC for a similarly priced pre-built model.

A gaming PC that you build yourself will have much better components. This particular gaming PC can be built for around $500, and comes with a range of great specs to give you the more immersive gaming experience that you’re looking for.

It’s also worth remembering that prices can differ for certain components depending on supply and demand of certain materials.

The great specs include an Intel Core i3-10110f quad-core (eight-thread) processor, 8GB of DDR4 memory, a GTX 1650 Super graphics card, and a 480GB SSD. This custom built gaming PC will be able to max out the high frame rate of non-demanding games such as Fortnite, League of Legends, Rocket League, Valorant, and other games of this type.

What’s really great about this gaming PC build is that it can also give you 60 FPS or higher for your favorite more intensive games, too.

Our custom built gaming PC is the ideal choice for those gamers who want to build their very own model without spending a small fortune.

This will give you a solid entry level gaming PC that will be much better than most of the pre-built gaming PCs available on the market. It should also allow you to play all of your favorite games without too many issues.

This particular gaming PC build also comes with a 650W power supply. This should easily allow you to upgrade for a higher end graphics card in the future.

All in all, if you’re looking for a powerful machine that won’t cost you an arm and a leg to put together, this is the gaming PC build for you. We’ve listed all of the parts you’ll need for your new gaming PC in the graph below.

Parts list for a $500 build

Part	Name	Price
Processor	Intel Core i3-10100f	Check Price on Amazon
Motherboard	ASUS H410M	Check Price on Amazon
Graphics card	MSI GTX 1650 Super	Check Price on Amazon
Memory	Patriot Signature 8GB	Check Price on Amazon
Solid State Drive	ADATA 480GB	Check Price on Amazon
Case	Zalman T6	Check Price on Amazon
Power supply unit	Gigabyte 650W	Check Price on Amazon
Operating system	Windows 10	Check Price on Amazon

Frequently Asked Questions About Building This PC For Under $500

Below we’ll cover some of the questions that you may be thinking about after seeing the components we’ve selected for our gaming PC build under $500.

Why not choose AMD’s new APU?

The new AMD Ryzen Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) is one of the more popular choices of processing units that those working with a budget usually opt for.

This is because it can bring your build in under a certain budget. The integrated graphics are also powerful enough to cope with most games when they’re playing on the lowest settings.

So while it’s true that AMD’s Ryzen APUs are an excellent choice if you’re looking for a budget processor and graphics combination, the Intel Core i3-10100f and GTX 1650 Super combination give you a more powerful pairing.

The components we’ve picked for our build will deliver a much more impressive performance overall than an AMD Ryzen APU and Ryzen 5 3400G combination.

APUs can of course make a great choice if you’re looking for an even cheaper custom gaming build. But to get the better results from your gaming, we think that our selected GPU/CPU combo is the better choice out of the two.

Ryzen 3 3100 vs Intel Core i3-10100f

It is of course a difficult decision when it comes to choosing between the impressive Ryzen 3 3100 and the Intel Core i3-10100f. You may even be thinking to yourself that the Ryzen 3 3100 is the better processing unit.

However, it mostly comes down to market price and general availability. At the time of writing, the Intel i3-10100f was on the whole much easier to find, and not to mention cheaper than the Ryzen 3 3100. There is also a whole range of affordable motherboard options that are suitable for use with the Intel i3-10100f more readily available.

We found that the Ryzen 3 3100 tended to fluctuate in and out of stock too frequently. It is also slightly more expensive than the Intel i3-10100f. This might not seem much at first glance, but it will all add up once you’ve bought all of your other components. 

So yes, you could argue that both of these processors are suitable for your needs. However, the Intel i3-10100f is the better choice out of the two at the moment.

GTX 1650 vs RX 580 vs GTX 1650 Super

It’s true that the GTX 1650 and the RX 580 are great choices when it comes to building your own gaming PC. However, at the time of writing, the GTX 1650 Super is the best graphics card at a reasonable price point. This makes it the better option out of the three for your custom gaming PC.

Our preferred graphics card also gives you an impressive performance. It’s able to battle on par with the RX 580 for the majority of games, and it also beats its cousin the GTX 1650 in terms of performance.

Providing that the GTX 1650 Super is able to stick to this lower price point, it makes the perfect choice for your gaming PC under $500.

It’s also worth noting that either of the alternative options are a great choice. If you prefer the RX 580, you can of course opt for this instead. Or if you wanted to cheapen the overall cost of your PC build, you can always opt for the GTX 1650 instead of the GTX 1650 Super.

Personally, we would stick with the GTX 1650 Super, but it does of course come down to personal preference and what you like to get out of your graphics card!

Why does the price differ from $500?

Unfortunately the downside to trying to build your own gaming PC is that the components can fluctuate in price. The prices won’t stay the same as they appear at any one time because of how the demand for certain materials differs.

So you shouldn’t be surprised if at any one time the prices will push this custom gaming PC build under or over the $500 limit. They should stay in the same region, but it will be dependent on the availability of the components that you’re after. The price could even be vastly different in just a couple of hours’ time!

If the components that we’ve highlighted go over your budget, you may need to adjust the models you’re after. This should help you to bring the price of your build down. Your other option will be to be patient and wait for the price to come down again, but there’s no way of knowing when that will be.

At the time of writing, the easiest way to lessen the price is to swap out the graphics card. The GTX 1650 Super can easily be switched for the GTX 1650, RX 560, or even the RX 570.

Windows 10 isn’t included in the price?

You may have noticed that we haven’t included the price of Windows 10 in our gaming PC build. There are a couple of reasons for this. You will of course need an operating system for you to use your new gaming PC build to play your favorite games. 

Of course, the easiest option is to pay for a Windows 10 license. However, there are a couple of cheaper alternatives that you can use to get an operating system installed on your PC build.

We’ve covered three alternative solutions to paying for a Windows 10 license upfront or show you how to get it for a discounted price.

Linux as an alternative

It’s important to note that Windows 10 isn’t the only operating system that you can use for your custom gaming PC build. It is of course one of the more readily available systems, but you can instead opt for the free Linux-based operating system instead.

The only downside to Linux is that it isn’t able to support as many PC based games as Windows 10 can. However, if you really don’t have the money to pay for that Windows 10 license, Linux offers a great free alternative for you to use in the meantime.

It’s an excellent starting point to get your gaming PC up and running until you can afford the Windows 10 license you need for your favorite PC games.

Cheap Windows 10

You should also be aware that you don’t necessarily have to pay the full asking price for Windows 10. If you were to go straight to Microsoft, you would of course have to pay between $90-$100 upfront.

However, you can find a copy of Windows 10 on sites such as Kinguin.net. This can have Windows 10 keys for as little as $30. 

There is some question as to whether sites such as these are legit, so it’s always best to exercise some caution when you purchase keys from here.

If you don’t mind the somewhat morally questionable nature of sites such as Kinguin, then you should make sure to opt for the Kinguin Buyer’s Protection to keep yourself protected.

It’s also worth noting that if you serve in the military or are a college student, you can get Windows 10 at a discount. The Microsoft store will offer you a 10% discount when you buy Windows 10 directly from them.

Getting Windows 10 for free

Surprisingly you can also get a copy of Windows 10 for free. You can head straight to the Microsoft Windows download page to find the Windows 10 media creation tool.

Download this straight to a USB drive, and you can boot this from your new computer. This should allow you to install a copy of Windows 10 onto your new gaming PC without having to use a key.

Plus you’ll actually get a copy of Windows through this method! The only issue with this free version of Windows is that it won’t be officially licensed until you buy a legitimate key. Some people argue that you don’t actually lose much in terms of functionality if you don’t register this copy of Windows, though.

Another option is that you can carry on with building your gaming PC as normal and install this free version of Windows 10. This allows you to use a version of Windows so that you can play your favorite games until you can save up for an official license.

It will also give you an extra $100 or so that you can spend on your PC build, which will give you much better performance overall. 

Additional accessories for your new gaming PC

So now that you’ve got all the essentials that you need to build your gaming PC, you will need to think about the additional accessories you will need to go with it.

These will of course include a monitor, a mouse, and a keyboard. It would be a bit difficult to try and play your favorite games without one of each to go with your new gaming PC build!

You can find plenty of 1080p monitors to suit a budget that will still work extremely well with the gaming PC build for under $500 that we’ve detailed above. There is also a range of keyboards and mice that will be perfect for your needs. 

We’ve listed our top picks for you down below.

Best budget monitor

As much as you might like it to be, your new gaming PC build for under $500 won’t be suitable with 4K gaming. This is because it can’t push a 144Hz 1440p monitor. 

Remember that even though this is a cheaper alternative, and you can play your favorite games on it, it still won’t be able to cope with the more demanding games that use higher resolutions and graphics. 

To get the right monitor for your new gaming PC, you should opt for a 1080p monitor. This should be more than a match for your new gaming PC build, as it will be able to perfectly handle games at 1080p.

You should be able to find plenty of affordable 1080p monitors on the market. Even if you don’t already have one ready for you to use, you should be able to find one that doesn’t cost you a small fortune.

If you’re not sure where to get started, we can highly recommend the Acer G226HQL 21.5-inch LED monitor.

Best budget gaming keyboard

Your keyboard is a very important aspect of your gaming experience. You’ll be hard pressed to do anything if you don’t have one attached to your computer!

You may think that a gaming keyboard is more of a luxury item in terms of PC gaming. However, there are plenty of affordable options on the market so that you can game properly.

If you’re looking for a fairly inexpensive gaming keyboard that won’t break the bank, we’d suggest opting for the Redragon K552 KUMARA. This particular keyboard will be the perfect combination with your new $500 gaming PC build.

Best budget gaming mouse

It’s incredibly important that you have a high quality gaming mouse in your possession. This is because if you can’t handle your mouse properly, it will affect your gaming. You won’t be able to reach the high scores that you’re after if your mouse is of poor quality.

So it’s always important to opt for a better quality mouse. You should choose a mouse that has a good range of DPI adjustments as well as several programmable buttons.

These should help you to better tune your mouse to suit your preferences. So you’ll be able to smash through your favorite games!

We’d highly recommend opting for the Redragon M711 Cobra gaming mouse.

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In Summary

So there you have it! You can indeed build a gaming PC for under $500. The custom gaming PC build that we’ve detailed above should be perfectly suitable for a 1080p monitor. You can even swap out any components as and when you need to over time to increase the power of the PC build itself.

This is of course one of the main advantages in opting for a gaming PC over a console. You can’t exactly upgrade aspects of a console. This system will give you an excellent entry point into PC gaming if you’re trying to stick to a budget.

If you’re the type of PC gamer to go after the latest games after they’ve been announced, there’s no doubt that you need the best gaming PC possible. We’re talking about a powerful gaming machine, regardless if it’s a prebuilt gaming PC or a fully-customized gaming PC.

But sometimes, you don’t need to spend more than a couple thousand dollars to build powerful gaming PCs. Budget gaming PCs can still be powerful as long as you know what you’re looking for.

This article will cover the different budget gaming PC builds with some sample hardware specifications for easier shopping. And by BUDGET, we mean getting you to a sweet spending spot that allows you to invest practically in these hardware.

$300 Budget – Entry Level and Cheap Gaming PCs

$400 Budget- Best Cheap Gaming PC

$500 Budget – A Gaming PC that Slays Consoles

$600 Budget – Mid Range Gaming PC

$700 Budget – VR Ready Budget Gaming PC

$800 Budget – Best Budget Gaming PC

$300 Budget – Entry Level and Cheap Gaming PCs

$300 for an entry-level gaming PC may not be considered as one of the best cheap gaming PCs, but it’s a good start nonetheless.

Prebuilt Gaming PC $300 budget

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In hindsight, you could technically purchase a gaming console and run the most played games at high settings, but there’s something about a gaming PC that does the job does right.

Build Your Own Gaming PC $300 Budget

If you want to build your own, here’s a shopping list for a $300 budget:

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Unlike most of the best budget gaming PCs on this article that run on an Intel CPU, this build has you running on AMD Ryzen 3 3200G, which is both discrete GPU and CPU altogether.

To help provide gaming power, you’re running this system on 8GB DDR4 RAM and on 240GB SSD storage. You should be able to run games without waiting on load times.

At $300, this is a good start for new PC gamers who’re transitioning from consoles. But there’s nothing wrong with stretching the budget either.

Later in the article, we’ll show you what kind of power you can expect from different price points. At $300, you shouldn’t be expecting much because this is the literal definition of a budget PC. You don’t even have a separate GPU. With the shortage of supplies worldwide, an Nvidia Geforce RTX can cost you double than the entire cost of this entire PC. That’s why you don’t have a dedicated GPU.

$400 Budget – Best Cheap Gaming PC

At a $400 budget, you’re still making compromises in terms of 0verall performance. You’re limited with your choices for graphics cards, RAM, and other important hardware that affects your gaming experience.

Prebuilt Gaming PC $400 Budget

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Budget gaming PCs at this price point aren’t exactly capable of giving you high FPS most modern games, but it doesn’t really hurt your overall gaming experience either. Just manage your expectations here and there when it comes to the best gaming PCs priced at $400 or so. You’re not exactly getting the high end PC cases here with this budget because you’re after function over form.

Here’s what your shopping list will look like:

• CPU – Intel Core i3-10100F
• MOBO – ASUS H410M
• GPU – XFX RX 550 4GB
• RAM – 8G.Skill Aegis 8 GB
• SSD –Kingston A400 240GB
• CASE – Compucase HEC HX300
• PSU – Thermaltake 650W 80+ Bronze Certified 650W
• ODD – N/A – Install using flash drive
• OS – Windows 10

Even at $400, there’s still some impressive gaming power here. You’ll probably not be able to play the latest games, but playing older games on your library should not be an issue.

The build comes with an Intel Core i3-10100F processor, at least 8GB DDR4 RAM and 240GB SSD for storage. Expanding both RAM and storage will push your budget by a hundred bucks or more.

As for the GPU, you’re looking at the XFX RX 550 4 GB. Note that you might have issues with getting one because this is one of many graphics cards that are affected by the global shortage. But if you’re able to get your hands on this graphics card, this should tide you over until your next upgrade (which should be one of the RTX or GTX series, or from AMD Radeon.

For the most demanding games on this build and budget, your graphics settings might be scaled down to low and hover at about 20 to 30FPS, but you should still experience smooth gameplay overall.

All in all, $400 is not exactly a bad start to decent PC gaming. Manage your expectations when it comes to building budget gaming PCs because you’re skipping some power for budget.

$500 Budget – A Cheap Gaming PC For Slaying Consoles

This section is not intended to hate on consoles and their power. Rather, we’re here to provide you with a cheap gaming PC that could compete with one of the latest gaming consoles in the market right now.

And you can do that for $500 budget, give or take. The next-generation consoles, such as the PS5, are giving gaming PCs a run for their money. Despite being portable, these next-gen consoles are capable of running modern games at 1080p resolution or 4K even without any difficulty. Needless to say, not even the best cheap gaming PCs can go against the likes of these consoles.

But don’t worry because we’re here to give you a spec list for a best budget gaming PC that can go toe-to-toe against next-gen consoles.

Here’s your shopping list:

• CPU – Intel Core i3-10100F
• MOBO – ASUS H410M
• GPU – MSI GTX 1650
• RAM – G.Skill Aegis 8 GB DDR4
• SSD – ADATA 480GB
• CASE – Compucase HEC HX300
• PSU – Thermaltake 650W 80+ Bronze Certified 650W
• ODD – N/A – Install using flash drive
• OS – Windows 10

When you’re about to spend above $500 for a cheap gaming PC or a gaming laptop, you’re about to take your gaming experience to the next level.

You’re getting an Intel Core i3-10100F processor, backed by an 8GB DDR4 RAM and 480GB SSD for storage. Even at limited RAM, you’re still getting intense gaming experience using 1080p resolution.

As for the graphics card, you’re getting the budget friendly MSI GTX 1650, which is not as powerful as some of the video cards on here, but it does an incredible job for playing your favorite games at high-resolution.

Stretching your budget to above $600 will give you more power and should be able to play even the most demanding games at low to medium setting.

$600 Budget – Mid Range Gaming PC

Now we’re at the $600 budget, which is pushing specs and pricing a bit further past what’s considered a cheap gaming PC. And based on video game statistics, users spend an average of about $600 or more for building their PCs.

This kind of budget hits the sweet spot for ample gaming performance. You should be able to stretch your budget more if you’re planning to upgrade. Here’s your shopping list:

• CPU – Intel Core i3-10100f
• MOBO – ASUS H410M
• GPU – XFX RX 5500 XT
• RAM – Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4
• SSD – ADATA 480GB
• CASE – Compucase HEC HX300
• PSU – Thermaltake 650W Bronze+ Certified
• ODD – N/A – Install using flash drive
• OS – Windows 10

You’re getting a 10th generation Intel Core i3-10100F CPU, which is a bit older and a bit of a downgrade compared to the i5-11400F. But make no mistake because this CPU still packs some punch, especially when gaming at 1080 resolution.

To boost its gaming performance further, you’re running on 16GB DDR4 RAM and 480GB SSD for storage. Load times on this bad boy are greatly shortened while giving you multi-tasking capabilities.

For GPU, you’re getting the XFX RX 5500XT, capable of handling most of the demanding games at 1080p (albeit slightly scaled down to low or medium). Note that just like the high-end GPUs from Nvidia and AMD Radeon, the XFX RX 5500XT is one of those cards hit by the shortage.

You also have a 16GB DDR4 RAM and 480GB SSD for storage, so you should be gaming without waiting on horrendous load times.

$700 Budget – Best VR Ready Budget Gaming PC

Whoever said VR gaming is expensive is probably lying through his teeth. You don’t need to spend a thousand dollars to get a gaming PC that’s capable of VR gaming. You can actually do it for $700 or so, and here’s your list:

• CPU – Intel Core i5 11400F
• MOBO – ASUS H510M
• GPU – ASUS GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6GB
• RAM – Corsair Vengeance LPX16GB DDR4
• SSD – PNY 500GB SSD
• CASE – Compucase HEC HX300
• PSU – Thermaltake 650W 80+ Bronze Certified
• ODD – N/A – Install using flash drive
• OS – Windows 10

For its CPU, we have the Intel Core i5-11400F because you actually need serious processing power to run VR games. To speed things up further, you’re running on 16GB DDR4 RAM and 500GB SSD storage.

But the highlight of this build is the GPU, which is the ASUS GTX 1660 Super, which is one of the best forming graphics cards in the industry right now. It’s capable of handling latest games at high settings and is completely VR ready.

$800 Budget – Best Budget Gaming PC

This is probably the best price you can spend to build a desktop that’s meant for some heavy PC gaming.

At this price range, you’re getting high-quality parts that have serious power behind them. You’ll be able to carry out 1080p gaming at high FPS and at high settings, or some gaming at 1440p resolution at medium settings.

Let’s take a look at what you’re shopping list will look like:

• CPU – Intel Core i5 11400F
• MOBO – ASUS H510M
• GPU – Powercolor RX 5600XT
• RAM –  Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4
• SSD – ADATA 480GB
• CASE – Zalman S2
• PSU – Thermaltake 650W 80+ Bronze Certified 650W
• ODD – N/A – Install using flash drive
• OS – Windows 10

The Intel Core i5-11400F is one of the best CPUs in the market right now, completely outpricing the AMD Ryzen 5 cards but not without providing serious performance. The CPU sits at a base clock speed of 4.6GHz, but unfortunately, this CPU can’t be overclocked.

For the GPU, you’re getting the Radeon RX 5600XT graphics card, which puts up some serious competition against Nvidia GeForce GTX cards. The card runs on a 650W Power Supply, which is a 60+ Bronze Rating for efficiency.

For storage, you’re getting 480GB SSD, which should you give you enough room to accommodate most of the newer games while storing video and audio files. You can upgrade to a higher storage capacity, but you’ll need to stretch your budget by about $50 or so.

To add more speed to this beast, you’re running on 16GB DDR4 RAM, which is kind of like the bare minimum for intense PC gaming sessions.

What’s Up With Graphics Cards And Their Prices?

Before we continue with the discussion on buying or building the best budget gaming PCs, let’s talk about the prices of graphics cards and why they severely affect your budget.

As of this writing, graphics cards prices have skyrocketed by as much as 200% to 300% their MSRP. This is caused by several factors, but the biggest factor is international supply. And there’s no denying here that the main reason why there’s a shortage is because of cryptocurrency miners and scalpers.

You can’t even get an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 without paying two or three times its SRP. The Nvidia GeForce RTX series are worse in terms of supply and pricing. The total price of any best gaming PC deals will have at least 50% of its cost covering just the GPU.

If you’re planning to build your own gaming desktop to play games or do some video editing, then you might have trouble securing stocks for a powerful GPU. And no, a dedicated graphics card will not suffice for either games or videos.

Prebuilt Or Build It Yourself?

Without a doubt there is an ongoing debate as to which option is better though: is it worth it to purchase a prebuilt gaming PC, or are you better off building your PC on your own?

It depends on which you have access to in the market, be it locally or online. One PC Gamer might find it easier to order an entire prebuilt gaming PC from Amazon, while another PC gamer might find it easier to just order the parts themselves from sites like Amazon or NewEgg.

If you’re undecided between going for a prebuilt gaming PCs or assembling your own gaming desktop, take a look at these several factors.

Go for prebuilt gaming PCs if you:

• don’t know how to assemble a gaming desktop from the ground up.
• are unfamiliar with different hardware specifications
• have the budget to purchase a high-end prebuilt gaming PC
• don’t have access to certain pieces of hardware due to market supply (i.e. PC cases, GPUs, CPUs)
• plan to put your PC on the carpet.

On the other side of the spectrum, go for DIY gaming desktop assembly if you:

• know how to navigate your way through the many options for CPUs, GPUs, etc.
• understand different hardware specifications and how well they work together or against (i.e. bottlenecking, overclocking, etc.).
• have access to different parts locally or online without worry.

Note that in this article, we have not considered liquid cooling because this is an additional expense and is only meant for high-end PCs. You’ll also find liquid cooling on a prebuilt PC, depending on the leading digital publisher.

You’ll probably spend a couple hundred dollars more over your budget to accommodate liquid cooling, so that’s also one thing to consider.

Planning on building a gaming PC? What if we told you that you could build one right now that maxes out the latest games at 1440p and all you have to spend is $1,200?

Granted, trying to find any of the high-end graphics cards at reasonable pricing may be a challenge right now, so we’ve done our best to research the best possible alternatives without compromising quality, power, and performance.

The gaming PC build that you’re about to see might be the best gaming PC you’ll ever see, at least for the $1,200 price range. And with all these great games coming from the gaming industry, there’s no better time to build than now.

Without further ado, let’s get on with the build.

CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme – The Best Gaming PC (Prebuilt)

If you’re not up to DIY building a powerful gaming PC, you might as well go the prebuilt route. For this one, we’re going to show you one of the best prebuilt gaming PCs.

Introducing the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme, the best prebuilt gaming PC that you can find for the $1,200 price range. Here’s a look at the specs, which is more or less similar to the builds that we’re about to list down:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-11600KF
• GPU: RTX 3060 12GB
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 RAM
• Storage: 500GB SSD + 1TB HDD

The CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme comes with Windows 11 64-bit installed, along with 1-year parts and labor warranty and lifetime tech support. Of course, there are other prebuilt gaming PCs out there that are within the same price range as the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme.

First $1,200 Gaming PC Build

The core concept of the first gaming PC build is to ensure that all possible future upgrades are to be done within the next 3 to 5 years. We’ve done research on how to best futureproof your new PC.

For these specs, you can always upgrade some of the other components when you see fit. Maybe you want more RAM, higher SSD storage capacity, or you want to add large storage drives for storing video content.

A Breakdown Of The Gaming PC Build

This $1200 gaming PC build is a good combination of the AMD Ryzen R5 processor along with a Zotac RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC. This DIY build is more than capable of giving you 1440p gaming experiences, or even at 4K resolution without breaking a sweat.

Take note that the price of the DIY build is only for the CPU only. You’ll still need to purchase an operating system, a monitor, and gaming peripherals if you don’t have them yet.

Case – NZXT H510i

First off, we have the NZXT H510i, a decent mid-tower ATX case and considered a decent upgrade from the S340 casing. The NZXT H510i comes with everything you need, from the mounting hardware and the inclusion of 2 pieces of 120mm fans. The case itself can support both AIO and custom liquid cooling systems, accommodating radiators up to 280mm.

This is also a personal recommendation as I own a H510i Elite myself. The tempered glass has always been a favorite of mine because I can see the RGB insides of my unit.

CPU – AMD R5 3600

We’re not cutting corners with the build, so you’re getting the AMD R5 3600 processor, which is a 6-core and 12-thread monster with a boost clock speed of up to 4.2GHz across all cores. This is also an unlocked CPU, meaning you can overclock this beast without issue.

We’re only going to utilize the AMD R5 3600’s stock cooler because it’s decent enough for what you want to achieve here and that’s for intense gaming. But if you want to overclock, you’ll need to set up a liquid cooling system or AIO liquid cooling system maximize its processing power without blowing it up.

Motherboard – MSI B450 Tomahawk Max

The MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX is our motherboard of choice for this build. This is an ATX sized, B450 Chipset, and AM4 Socket motherboard. It has all the slots you need for the other components in this build, as well as more room for potential upgrades.

You have multiple USB 3.1 ports, M.2 NVMe slot in case you want to add SSD storage, 6x SATA ports, and 4 RAM slots. You also have on-board RGB with Crossfire GPU support and integrated 7.1 audio. Unfortunately, there’s no integrated WiFi in this motherboard, so you’ll need an adapter.

Graphics Card –Zotac RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC

For the graphics card, we’re getting the 12GB RTX 3060, which is a powerhouse for 1440p and 4K gaming experiences. The Zotac RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC provides solid performance for the price you’re paying and with solid stock cooling.

However, you’ll be hard-pressed to know that the Zotac RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC is one of the more difficult graphics cards to find in stock right now. A decent graphics card alternative would be an RTX 2080 (Non-Super edition) that can give you the same 1440p and 4K experience as the Zotac RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC.

RAM – Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB

For this PC, you’ll only need 16GB of RAM and we’re giving you the Corsair Vengeance LPX, which is 2x8GB sticks of 3000MHz RAM. With the motherboard, you’ll have room for future upgrades for RAM if you want to expand the RAM capacity further. If your purpose for this PC is to do more than just play your favorite games and you want to take advantage of the multi-threading powers of the Ryzen processor, consider adding another pair of Corsair Vengeance LPX for a total of 32GB of RAM.

But not everyone will probably add another pair of RAM because 16GB is decent enough for 4k and 1440p gaming.

Power Supply – EVGA 650 B5 80+ Bronze

The EVGA 650 B5 80+ Bronze is a modular power supply that’s reliable enough to power the RTX 3060 and its bigger brothers. Because it’s a modular PSU, you don’t have to worry about unused cables. Just plug everything that you’re using into the EVGA 650 B5 80+ Bronze and you’re good to go.

Storage – Samsung 860 EVO 500GB

Much like having a 16GB RAM is more than enough for a great gaming experience, you only ever need 500GB of SSD storage to skip out on those long load times. You can also opt to add more, especially with the NVMe slot that this build’s motherboard has. All you need to do is buy the drives and plug them in yourself.

Second $1200 Gaming PC Build

The second gaming PC build is for the Intel fan boys as it utilizes a 10th generation Intel Core i5 processor and still allows you to play your favorite games at 1440p and 4k resolution easily.

We also consider this as the best $1200 gaming PC for its futureproof qualities, processing power and overall aesthetics.

A Breakdown Of The Gaming PC Build

Case – Phantex Eclipse P400A

If you want a spacious and stylish case, the Phantex Eclipse P400A is a solid choice. The case dons a classic all-black color with tempered glass panel and a stylized front panel. It doesn’t have those fancy RGB fans attached to it that you usually find in a prebuilt PC, but it’s a non-issue. You can easily customize the fans if you want to by buying RGB ones instead, or add in RGB led strips.

The Phantex Eclipse P400A comes with 2 pre-installed fans, which help with the overall airflow and heat dissipation. After all, you’re going to be running an RTX 3070 on this build and your processor doesn’t have a stock CPU cooler. But regardless, you shouldn’t have any heating issues here (unless you overclock).

There’s also enough room on the Phantex Eclipse P400A to accommodate an EATX motherboard and for the other bigger GPUs in the market. The panel contains all the Power Button, Reset Button, 2x 3.0 USB ports, and a controller for the fan speed.

CPU – Intel Core i5-10600KF

Don’t underestimate the Intel Core i5-10600F just because it’s a Core i5 processor. It’s still a powerful processor with six cores and 12-threads. The base and max frequency is at 4.1GHz for base and 4.8Ghz boosted. It’s also an unlocked processor so you can overclock it much like the AMD processor listed above.

For multi-core performance, you probably still want the AMD Ryzen processor but as far as gaming experience is concerned, the Intel Core i5-10600F is a beast in itself that can’t be beat at the $200 price tag.

This processor has everything you need to play most games (the latest AAA games and possibly future releases) at the highest settings possible, enjoy VR immersion, or multi-task various programs. The only downside here is that there’s no stock cooler that comes with the Intel Core i5-10600F, so you’ll have to adjust your budget to get an aftermarket cooler.

Motherboard – MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus

The MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus is one of the best motherboards within the $200 price range. This motherboard does not support overclocking features and there aren’t any Thunderbolt ports included, but it’s not a bad motherboard all in all. There are other choices out there within the same $200 price range if you want to do some overclocking.

But for the build we have, the MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus is decent enough to provide you with everything you need to house these components. The MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus has a 6-layer PCB and stable power system that should run your processor as smooth as possible. The BIOS itself can be navigated with ease and you’ll be able to unlock your RAM’s full potential without any difficulty.

Other notable features include Twin Turbo M.2. slots, pump fan support, 2.5G LAN, and reinforced graphics card slot. Sadly, there’s no integrated WiFi. If you want integrated WiFi, we suggest the MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge, but it might cost you extra.

If you can’t find stocks of the MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus, there are more options such as the MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk and the Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Elite. Note that they’re about $20 higher than the MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus, but it’s completely negligible at this point.

This motherboard does not PCI 4.0 but it should be capable of handling 11th generation Intel processors, so you could upgrade this build from a 10th generation Core i5 to an 11th generation Core i5 (or i7).

The MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus is a solid choice for a motherboard for this build and it should fit your budget without forcing you to spend more money on unnecessary components.

CPU Cooler – Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition

We mentioned that the CPU for this build does not have a stock CPU cooler, so you’re going to want to purchase one.

We recommend Cooler Master Hyper 212 comes with RGB lighting. If you’re into the whole RGB backlighting thing, this is a great choice of an aftermarket cooler. It’s considered by enthusiasts as one of the rare but slightly more affordable and effective coolers out there. It’s not the best one but it’s enough to cool the Intel Core i5-10600KF processor.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition with RGB lighting is smaller and installation is easy. Its aesthetics is a good mix of a solid black with some RGB backlighting, so it’s one of the right components for those who’re particular about minimalist aesthetics too.

Their cooling performance is no laughing matter as the Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB provides an excellent cooling solution to the CPU, so your frame rate is more or less stable at all times. However, the noise can become too overwhelming especially when you’re carrying out heavy tasks (e.g. video rendering or 3D editing).

Graphics Card – EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 XC3 BLACK GAMING

For the GPU, we’re going to have to recommend the EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 XC3 Black Gaming. This GPU is considered by many as “stronger than the RTX 2080Ti” at half the price. The EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 proves itself to be the best value graphics card in the market.

It may not be as powerful as the new RTX 3090, the EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 is still a powerful GPU and could play most games at the highest settings possible at either 4K or 1440p.

You could argue that you could just settle for the RTX 3080 because the futureproofing is a lot better than the EVGA GeForce RTX 3070, but we’re talking about best value graphics card here and is perfect for those who have to follow a strict budget for their new PC build.

The EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 has 8GB of VRAM with a boost clock of 1.73GHz, so it can definitely play most games at the ultra or highest settings, including Crysis.

RAM – Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB)

Similar to the first PC, we’re satisfied with our choice of RAM and that’s the Corsair Vengeance LPX. Corsair is a reliable and trustworthy manufacturer and has proven itself to be one of the best manufacturers for the right components for building a new PC.

Again, you don’t really need anything more than 16GB unless you really need more RAM speed for purposes other than gaming. If you have to upgrade, go for a pair of 8GB RAM as opposed to getting just one stick of 16GB of memory. The former is what builders would consider a fail-safe option. In case one stick fails, you still have 8GB for back up as opposed to losing the entire stick of RAM.

Power Supply – Thermaltake Toughpower GX1 600QW 80+ Gold

To power all of the components on here, you’ll need the Thermaltake Toughpower GX1. It has enough wattage for this build, while providing you more room for upgrades in the future. The Thermaltake Toughpower GX1 has an 80+ gold certificate, which is to assure people that this is not going to give up anytime soon.

The quality of life features are also impressive. One worth mentioning is the fluid dynamic bearing fun that provides lower noise levels than the other PSU brands out there for the same price. It also has short circuit and over voltage protection, so you don’t have to worry about your other components getting fried when the next power surge hits.

However, the Thermaltake Toughpower GX1 is a non-modular PSU, so you’ll have to put in some work for managing the excess cables.

SSD – Western Digital Blue SN550 1TB

The first build only had 500GB of storage, but for this one, we’re going all out with 1TB of SSD storage. This is a must-have for gamers who just want all of their games to have little to no loading times.

NVMe SSD’s are still faster than the SATA III SSDs, so if you need a quick boost of load time speed for many games, the Western Digital Blue SN550 should suffice. But note that not all SSDs, or NVMe SSDs, are made equal. Some brands are faster than the others, but Western Digital still comes close to performing as good as Samsung and Kingston brands. But if you really want the top of the line SSDs, go for the Samsung 970 EVO Plus.

Can These Builds Handle 4K Gaming?

There’s no doubt here that any of the builds we listed, or the prebuilt PC that we mentioned, can handle 4k gaming without any problem. The gaming performance of both these builds is excellent and they’re both capable of handling 60FPS for games, albeit you’d have to decrease the graphics settings a little if you’re going for 4K.

Even at ultra settings and 4k resolution, you should be hitting about 50FPS on average for many games, and you shouldn’t even experience a huge dip in FPS for most AAA games.

For what it’s worth, the two builds we listed here are more than capable of playing many games, demanding or not, at 4K resolution or at 1440p even and hitting close to 60FPS or higher for older game titles.

What About VR and Streaming?

These PC builds can definitely handle VR and Streaming, maybe even 4k streaming without any difficulty. As for VR, you only need the bare minimum specs of a PC to run VR games, but the builds we have on here are far from bare minimum.

Should Prebuilt Gaming PCs be Considered For This Budget?

If stocks for certain components are not available within your immediate vicinity, or anywhere online, then a prebuilt gaming RIG might be a decent alternative.

The upside to purchasing prebuilt gaming rigs is that you only need to do a one-time purchase to get everything. Some of the prebuilt PCs within the $1,200 share more or less the same specs as the two builds in this article. You might even land a decent case with a tempered glass side panel and other goodies. The operating system also comes with purchasing any prebuilt unit too.

The downside here is that the parts inside a prebuilt PC might be overblown by markup, and that you might end up paying more for something that’s less powerful than the PCs we’ve built. But then again, majority of prebuilt units already come equipped with 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and Nvidia RTX 3000-series graphics cards (or AMD Radeon 6000-series). t

Closing

For $1,200, you’re getting an extremely powerful PC that gives you the best gaming experiences possible. If you want to secure your rig today, you better start shopping because these components are popular choices for a lot of builders.

If you want the best gaming PC, you can always search around the Internet and see better and more powerful alternatives for the computer parts we’ve listed on here.

Whether you’re looking for your first-ever PC or seeking a total reboot of your existing setup, finding a quality new PC can be really difficult.

A lot of people don’t have the time or energy to sift through massive amounts of information about the latest hardware, how they compete with each other and how they perform in different games and applications. 

This is one of the difficult things about the PC marketplace, it’s super competitive and full of data and statistics that can be impossible to keep up with.

Despite this, it’s well-known that getting a PC built offers a lot of benefits that buying stock computers can’t offer. 

Pre-built PCs can’t be tailored to your specific performance needs, and they often offer pretty poor value compared to building a PC yourself.

Luckily there’s a perfect middle-ground for enthusiasts who want the flexibility and choice of PC building without having to spend time and effort learning how to install the parts themselves.

This middle ground comes in the form of PC building services. These companies offer enthusiasts a wide range of selection for components and once you’ve chosen your preferred options, they will build and ship the completed PC to you so that it’s pretty much ready to go straight out of the box. 

There are many benefits to using a PC builder, chief among them being that you don’t have to research and attempt to install expensive and sensitive components that cost several hundred dollars.

People who build their own PCs take a risk every time they build themselves as if any components are damaged while installing there isn’t any coverage. If you break something, no one is going to provide you with a replacement or fix your problem for you.

This is where PC builders are really worth their weight in gold. Having a professional team of expert technicians working on your PC takes all of the stress and worry out of buying a custom PC.

You can rest easy knowing that an experienced team is handling everything, and using their knowledge to make sure everything is put together exactly as it’s supposed to be.

Another huge advantage of using these services is that they will often test your PC before shipping, to ensure that your system has been built correctly and is functioning exactly as it’s supposed to.

This gives maximum reassurance to you and enables you to boot up at home with full confidence in your system, which is something that most home builders will admit is truly nerve-shredding.

Hitting the power button and suddenly remembering you forgot to apply thermal paste is not an experience we’d like to repeat, and we certainly wouldn’t recommend this to anyone else!

The other great thing about custom builders is that they are experts in overclocking, allowing you to get the most out of your components without having to spend hours experimenting with voltages and trying to balance your temperatures.

This means you get a super powerful setup arriving ready to go, with no need to worry about stability or performance issues. 

Another great benefit is that these experts will be confident when setting up efficient cooling systems, using their knowledge of cable management and airflow to create optical fan setups and cooling profiles, and also being able to set up water cooling systems with confidence. 

To top it all off, many of the best builders offer warranties to cover everything from labor to parts, giving you total peace of mind not only when you buy but into the future too. 

With their ability to handle various orders and cater their builds to every customer’s needs, it’s no surprise that these services are wildly popular among beginners and enthusiasts who want the absolute best performance and componentry without needing to spend a lot of effort and time researching and building.

The popularity of these services has led to a wide array of custom PC builders expanding and becoming very well known.

There are a vast number of different builders to choose from, and apart from your required parts list, the only thing you need to do is decide which PC builder is best for you.

In this article, we’re going to look at some of the biggest and best custom PC builders to help you find a team who will offer amazing value, parts, and build quality as well as superb customer service.

PC Builders – A Rundown

iBUYPOWER

iBUYPOWER is well known among gamers thanks to their prominent sponsorship deals with major gaming events, as well as content creators and professional gamers.

They have a great reputation for quality and are definitely one of the go-to choices for experienced computer users, particularly those interested in high-performance gaming setups.

They do offer builds to suit other needs, however, from workstations to streaming PCs and an array of other options.

iBUYPOWER provides a great array of parts and accessories and frequently offers exclusive deals and sales that offer amazing value.

They also provide robust warranties that range from a 3-year labor warranty and 1-year parts warranty, a 4-year labor warranty and 2-year parts warranty, or even a five-year labor and 3-year parts warranty, each of which provides you with reassurance should something go wrong. 

Purchasing from iBUYPOWER is quick and easy, and they have a truly staggering selection of options, as well as order tracking to let you see how your build is progressing.

They also offer an easy building tool to help beginners put together an advanced system without needing a lot of prior knowledge about components which is a really handy tool for younger users or those with specific parts in mind.

They also offer debit packages for customers who prefer to spread the cost of their purchase. 

If you have second thoughts about your choices and want to refund, iBUYPOWER also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, however, they don’t cover shipping and do charge a 15% restocking fee so keep this in mind before you buy.

OriginPC

OriginPC has been creating excellent custom PCs for a long time now, and they are known to produce some of the sleekest and attractive custom builds available. 

They have a deep parts list allowing for maximum flexibility and have helpful recommendations to allow you to find a rig that will do everything you need it to without coming with a lot of unnecessary features and add ons.

They have frequent special offers that eagle-eyed customers can take advantage of, maximizing the value you get from this building service.

OriginPC also offers a range of warranties that start at a year and extend to three years, however, their coverage doesn’t include software issues or damages that are caused by things outside of the companies control.

Their prices range from around $1000 to $8000 dollars and are able to build gaming systems, workstations, laptops, and even media setups.

They also offer 4K gaming setups, overclocking, VR Ready systems, and water cooling installation to give you maximum performance and access to the latest technology and features.

Like a lot of custom builders, OriginPC offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, however, there is a 15% charge to cover restocking and certain aspects of the translation such as service fees aren’t refundable. 

There are several great templates to choose from here, however, you can also put together bespoke parts lists to give you a lot of control over your system and performance. 

Digital Storm

Digital Storm is one of the longest-running custom PC builders in the game and they put this vast experience to use building various systems from custom gaming laptops to ultra-quiet desktop workstations and everything in between.

They have a price range of around $700 to $3000 and are capable of fitting water cooling systems as well as overclocking your parts to make sure you’re getting every drop of performance possible.

They also offer fairly good warranties, such as a 3-year limited warranty for labor and a 1-year parts warranty, however, there are other packages available that range all the way to 6 years for labor and 4 years for parts, which gives amazing peace of mind for users who rely on their systems for work as well as fun.

Digital Storm also offers lifetime technical support which is available during working days from 9 till 5, which allows users with questions or issues to potentially solve problems without needing to worry about sending their equipment back to the manufacturer.

Overall Digital Storm offers some of the best warranties available, as well as a great array of build templates and custom options and many of the specialist services you’d expect from a quality custom pc builder.

They also offer a range of accessories at great prices and have an active community to turn to for advice and comparisons.

Falcon Northwest

Falcon Northwest was founded all the way back in 1992, which means they’ve seen all of the change and development computers have gone through over the last 29 years.

It’s a testament to their knowledge and quality that they have managed to navigate through a fast-changing industry and still produce some of the best custom PCs available.

They typically focus on high-end systems with a price range starting at $2000 and which extends up to $12000, meaning that these builds are some of the most powerful as well as truly stunning to look at.

Their focus on achieving stunning visual aesthetics alongside industry-leading performance has built Falcon a strong reputation for quality, and several of their builds have won industry awards over the last few years.

They offer laptop builds and desktops in a variety of form factors, allowing you to fit high-tier performance into a size that suits your needs.

Speaking of cases, Falcon actually uses some of the best paint – of automotive quality – in order to add a personal touch to your rig while also giving it long-lasting durability. They even offer custom artworks to really give you the chance to express yourself with your newest build.

They offer lifetime technical support as you’d expect from a well-established building service, and will answer any questions you have from 9 am to 6 pm pacific time, and these services are available 7 days a week which is really reassuring. 

It’s also possible for you to get a 30-day money-back guarantee, however, the cost of some services such as custom artwork is non-refundable. 

CyberPowerPC

CyberPower is a well-known brand that has built a strong image thanks to its superb gaming PCs and prominent sponsorship deals in the eSports community. 

They cater to a range of prices from budget rigs at around $700 to high-performance 4K gaming setups worth over $6000. 

They offer pretty standard warranties that are comparable to many of the other major builders, including 3-years of labor coverage, as well as lifetime technical support.

While they do cater to a more entry-level area of the market they are capable of also producing extremely well-finished products at all price points and also offer overclocking services, water-cooling installation as well as very high-quality cable management.

Alienware

Alienware is best known for its outstanding prebuilt gaming laptops and their excellent marketing across the industry, however, they do offer some customization on their website, allowing you to tweak their excellent existing designs so that they better suit your needs and preferences.

They offer pretty standard warranties and can produce systems capable of 4K gaming as well as providing overclocking.

If you’ve been won over by their iconic design and aesthetics then you’ll be in safe hands as their machines are some of the best looking and best performing available and can be found at various price points.

EcollegePC

EcollegePC is far less well known than some of the industry-leading brands we’ve looked at so far, and they actually made their name focusing on helping college students get excellent and affordable systems to help students access the power of custom systems. 

They provide a range of options at prices from $500 to $1800 and also offer excellent warranty coverage which has 3 years labor and 3 years of parts coverage, one of the best packages available.

Xidax

Xidax is one of the best builders due in large part to their comprehensive lifetime warranty on parts and labor, which sets them well apart from their competitors in this regard. 

It is a real sign of quality and craftsmanship that they have so much faith in their builds. The only downside is that AMD video cards aren’t included in this warranty, and have a separate limited 2-year warranty, while liquid parts have a 1-year warranty. 

Besides this Xidax offers comprehensive cover giving you maximum peace of mind about your components.

The drawback is that while the 45-day money-back guarantee period seems generous, it is subject to approval which can mean you may not be able to return your rig so easily if you’d prefer a full refund.

Velocity Micro

Velocity Micro is another good builder that offers a wide range of options catering to various budgets, however, it’s their customer service that really makes them stand out.

They actually include lifetime in-house tech support available from 11 pm to 8 pm EST, with 24/7 support available for critical issues that prevent you from using your PC, such as boot failures, crashes, or systems failures. 

Things to Consider

Budgets

Making sure you have the right budget is very important when planning to use a custom builder, as not all companies offer the same prices.

It’s also important to note that the services these companies provide do come at a premium, so you may find that some parts and builds are a little more expensive – however, the warranty coverage and tech support is often worth it.

Customizability

Choosing a company that has ample customization options will make it far easier for you to cater your build to your needs, and will make your budget stretch further.

Some companies have more options than others so if you have a particular parts list in mind, make sure to check several builders for quotes and availability to avoid disappointment.

Warranties

Most builders offer warranties of various lengths and styles to suit different budgets. Always make sure you’re getting the right coverage for you.

Typically longer warranties are more expensive but do give excellent peace of mind and value if something goes wrong.

Customer Service

One of the most important aspects of choosing a company to build your PC is their brand’s reputation for quality service, particularly when things have gone wrong.

Making sure they are responsive to queries and offer good post-sales care is important to ensure you aren’t left stranded with a faulty system.