If you want a computer that fits your needs and budget, building your own is the way to go. Building a gaming PC gives you full control over every component — choose the exact motherboard, a case that suits your style, and customize RGB or non-RGB fans. While buying a pre-built gaming PC saves time, it limits flexibility and costs more.
By building your own PC, you can often save hundreds compared to pre-built systems. For example, a desktop with specs similar to our $1,000 PC build would cost about $200 more at retailers like Best Buy.
To help you maximize your budget, we’ve curated parts lists for every price range. Whether you’re building a sub-$500 system, a sub-$1,000 rig, or a $4,000+ dream machine, we’ve got recommendations for gaming and productivity builds.
Choosing the best PC builds
Our recommendations combine expertise, market research, and testing of key components like CPUs, GPUs, and SSDs. For detailed performance data, check out our CPU, GPU, and SSD benchmarks. While we aim for specific price points and update these lists frequently, we haven’t tested every part of each build together.
Components like cases, motherboards, and PSUs — less critical for performance — may not have been reviewed directly.
The PC market is changing fast, with new Nvidia and AMD graphics cards often hard to find. Intel launched its Core Ultra “Arrow Lake” chips, but they offer less value compared to 14th Gen CPUs, which is why we don’t recommend them.
For builds under $2,000, we focus on readily available graphics cards. For $2,000 and $4,000 builds, we recommend the powerful RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5090 cards, though they can be hard to source unless you resort to eBay scalpers. Hopefully, availability improves soon.
For GPUs, we link to search results (e.g., all Radeon RX 7800 XTs on Amazon) rather than specific models, as inventory changes often.
Note: We don’t include the cost of an operating system, as Windows 11 can be obtained for free or cheaply. Peripherals like monitors, keyboards, and mice are also excluded. If you’re new to PC building, check out our guide on how to build a PC.
Best $500 gaming PC build
Building a gaming PC on a $500 budget is easier than you might think. With the right parts, you can enjoy 1080p gaming at modest settings — far better than relying on integrated graphics. Here’s how to get the most performance for your money.
Graphics card: Intel Arc A380
The star of this build is Intel’s Arc A380, available for $119 on Amazon. While it didn’t impress at launch, its low price and improved drivers make it a great choice today. It beats AMD’s RX 6400, offers more VRAM, and supports full video encoding/decoding, including AV1. In benchmarks, it averaged 54.7 FPS at 1080p medium settings, with recent drivers improving performance by 5–10%.
If you can spend more, the AMD RX 6500 XT is a solid upgrade at $164, delivering 65.8 FPS at the same settings. However, it lacks video encoding support and only supports two displays.
CPU: Intel Core i3-14100F
The Intel Core i3-14100F is a fantastic value at under $125. With four performance cores and a 4.7 GHz boost clock, it’s great for gaming and everyday tasks. It includes a stock cooler, saving you money. Performance is comparable to AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600, which costs about $30 more.
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760M DS3H
The Gigabyte B760M DS3H pairs well with the i3-14100F. It supports DDR4 memory and offers solid features at an affordable price, though it lacks built-in Wi-Fi. If Wi-Fi is essential, consider a USB or PCIe adapter ($25–$40) or upgrade to the MSI Pro B760-P WiFi motherboard for $149.
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus
The Crucial P3 Plus PCIe 4.0 SSD is an excellent choice for storage. With read speeds up to 5,000 MB/s and write speeds of 3,600 MB/s, it’s fast and affordable. It also offers a durability rating of 220 TBW.
Memory: 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM
No gaming PC should have less than 16GB of RAM. A 16GB kit (2x8GB) of DDR4-3200, like Silicon Power’s, is reliable, inexpensive, and perfect for this build. Just ensure it’s compatible with your motherboard.
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L
The Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L is a budget-friendly case with great airflow, dust filters, and support for up to a 240mm AIO cooler. Its modular design allows you to reposition the I/O panel. The only downside is its acrylic side panel, which isn’t as durable as tempered glass.
Power supply: Thermaltake Smart 500W
The Thermaltake Smart 500W PSU costs just $40 and powers this low-power build (around 200W peak) reliably. While basic with just an 80 Plus rating, it gets the job done. For $20 more, consider the Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600W, which offers 80 Plus Gold certification and better quality — though it may be overkill for this build.
The ultimate $4000+ Gaming PC build
If you’re aiming for the best gaming PC, this build sets the standard. At its core is the Nvidia RTX 5090, the top graphics card on the market. With an MSRP of $2,000, it delivers unmatched performance — if you can find one.
Availability is limited, with many being sold at inflated prices by scalpers. However, the RTX 5090 is worth it. In our tests, it handled 4K gaming with ultra settings and ray tracing, averaging 90.2 fps across six games — 20 fps better than the RTX 4090.
For the CPU, we’ve picked AMD’s Ryzen 9 9800X3D, the best gaming processor available, outperforming Intel’s Core i9-14900K. With 16 cores, 32 threads, and 140MB of cache thanks to AMD’s 3D V-Cache, it delivers blazing speed. In our 1080p gaming benchmarks, it outpaced the 14900K by 50 fps. While the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a solid choice, the 9800X3D raises the bar.
We paired this CPU with the Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro Ice AM5 motherboard. It offers premium features like Wi-Fi 7, four M.2 slots for fast storage, and USB4 support. For cooling, we’re using the Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 FLUX, priced at $129, which delivers excellent performance at a great value.
For memory, we chose G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5, clocked at 6,400 MHz. This 64GB kit (2x32GB) offers top-tier performance and overclocking potential. For storage, the 4TB Samsung 990 Pro is the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSD available, making it a smarter choice than PCIe 5.0 drives, which offer minimal gains even in this high-end build.
The case is the Fractal Design North XL, featuring a wood-paneled front for a unique, modern aesthetic, plus a tempered glass side panel to showcase your build. It also offers excellent airflow, room for extra drives, and support for E-ATX motherboards, ensuring upgrade potential.
For power, we’ve selected the Corsair RM1000e, a fully modular 1000-watt power supply with Cybenetics Gold certification for reliable, efficient power delivery and room for future upgrades.
With these top-tier components, this $4000+ build promises unmatched gaming performance and room for growth. Whether you’re chasing 4K frame rates or future-proofing for tomorrow’s games, this build has it all.
