Best PC builds for gaming 2025: From $500 budgets to $4,000+

If you want a computer that meets your exact needs and budget, you need to put it together yourself. When you build a gaming PC, you get total control of the parts, choosing the exact make and model of the motherboard, the case with the look you like, and even the layout of RGB (or non-RGB fans). You could save time by purchasing one of the best pre-built gaming PCs, but you'll give up control and spend more.

By constructing your own PC from components, you'll likely save hundreds of dollars over the cost of buying a prebuilt system. For example, right now, getting a desktop with specs similar to those in our best $1,000 PC build will cost you about $200 more at Best Buy.

To help you assemble the best PC build for gaming or productivity that you can get, we've created recommended parts lists for every budget: from a super-cheap sub-$500 system to an affordable sub-$1,000 build to a $4,000+ dream machine for those with deep pockets.

Picking and Pricing the Best PC Builds

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Note that our best PC build recommendations are based on our component expertise, market research, and testing we've done of the key components in each build — namely the CPU, GPU, and SSD. You can find performance details for each of those in our CPU benchmarks, GPU benchmarks, and SSD benchmarks. Because we are trying to hit price points and frequently changing these lists to accommodate price changes, we have not tested all of the parts in each build together. Some of the less performance-centric parts such as the case, motherboard, and PSU may be ones that we have not reviewed.

This is a time of great transition in the PC industry with new graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD coming out but hard to obtain. Intel also recently came out with its Core Ultra "Arrow Lake" chips though we found that they don't offer as much performance for the money as the prior, 14th Gen CPUs so we're not recommending them.

On the GPU front, we have some good news! You can finally get the latest Nvidia cards from reputable retailers such as Newegg. Just a few weeks ago, you could only find RTX 5070 Ti or 5090 cards on eBay where they were being sold by scalpers. Now you can get these cards, but you are still paying a hefty premium over their MSRPs of $749 and $1,999 respectively.

Also note that we don't include the cost of an operating system, because you can get Windows 11 for free or cheap. Nor do we include the price of peripherals such as the best gaming monitors, best gaming keyboards or best gaming mouse. And if you've never built a computer before, you should start with out guide on how to build a PC.

Building PCs since the 1990s

Building PCs since the 1990s

Avram Piltch

I've been building computers since I put together my first x386-powered system in the early 1990s. Since then, I've built numerous systems both for work and in my personal life. I always look for the best value and performance for the money when choosing components.

Best $500 PC Build for Gaming

For around $500, you can build a PC that has a discrete graphics card. You won't get the fastest GPU around, but you will be able to play games at 1080p with modest settings. That's a big improvement over relying on integrated graphics.

For the graphics card in this system, we're going with AMD's Radeon RX 6500 XT, which is better than the Intel Arc A380 we previously had on this list (and is now sold out). This is a low-end, older card, but it still managed to get an average of 30.6 fps at 1080p Ultra settings. That rate more than doubled, going up to 65.8 fps, when we dropped the settings to Medium.

For our CPU, we're going with Intel's Core i3-14100F, which is just under $125 but delivers plenty of pep for the price. This CPU has four cores, all of them performance cores, and a solid boost clock of 4.7 GHz. It comes with a cooler in the box so there's no need for a third-party one. We found that the 13100F was about on par with AMD's Ryzen 5 5600, which costs about $30 more.

To work with our 14100F, we need an Intel 600- or 700-series motherboard. Finding the right balance of features and pricing is critical, and you need to be careful that you pick a board that uses the correct type of memory. DDR5 boards can sometimes be $10 cheaper but then the memory can cost $20 more. The best overall value right now is the Gigabyte B760M DS3H.

At this price, the motherboard has one big trade-off, which is that you don't get built-in Wi-Fi. So, if you need wireless, you'll need to buy your own USB or PCIe Wi-Fi dongle (see our list of best Wi-FI cards), which usually costs between $25 and $40. You may already have one or maybe you'll be using Ethernet. Alternatively, you could look for a similar board that includes Wi-Fi, but the least expensive DDR4 board we could find is this MSI Pro B760-P WiFi for $149 — a $30 bump for that one feature.

We chose the Crucial P3 Plus for storage, a very affordable PCIe 4.0 SSD that delivers up to 5,000 MB/s for sequential reads and 3,600 MB/s for sequential writes. It's not the fastest drive on the market, but it's from a trusted brand and is rated for 220 TBW (terabytes written).

We selected 16GB of DDR4-6400 RAM in a 2x8GB configuration for our memory. Again, choosing RAM that works with your motherboard is critical. The Silicon Power Value RAM we chose isn't the flashiest, but it's inexpensive and memory has become a commodity item. Whatever you do, don't build or buy a gaming PC with less than 16GB of RAM.

Our case is the Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L. Available in black or white, the chassis has solid build quality for the price, including built-in dust filters, support for up to a 240mm AIO cooler on the top, and plenty of mesh to allow airflow in. It even has a modular I/O panel you can place in six different locations. One small trade-off is that its clear side panel is acrylic rather than tempered glass.

Finally, we need something to power the whole system, and this is an area where we opted to compromise in pursuit of the $500 price point. The $40 500W PSU should be fine for this basic build, which will likely peak at around 200W of power use, but the Thermaltake Smart series isn't exactly highly regarded, the listing mentions Haswell support (circa 2014), and it only has 80 Plus certification, which are clear drawbacks. If you want a quality PSU, check out the Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600W that costs $20 more. It's an 80 Plus Gold certified PSU, from a reputable brand, albeit perhaps overkill for a build like this.

Best $800 PC Build for Gaming

If you can stretch your budget up from $500 to $800, you can enter a whole new world of gaming performance and productivity that will be good enough for some serious 1080p gaming (without ray tracing). Here we're stepping up from a Core i3 to the Core i5-14600KF, which has 6 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores and 20 total threads, along with a boost clock of 5.3 GHz.

As you can see in the chart below, the 14600KF (listed as the 14600K, but the F model is just the SKU without integrated graphics), was behind some competitors but still turned in solid performance.

To go with this Intel processor, we're sticking with the same Gigabyte B760M CPU as on our sub-$500 build. It uses cheaper, DDR4 memory so that's a savings.

Our graphics card at this price point is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 which comes in at around $329. The 7600 has solid performance at 1080p, ultra settings, having averaged 84.9 fps on our suite of tests. It ranks just above the RX 6600 XT and below the RTX 4060, which has jumped in price, on our GPU benchmarks hierarchy.

The card is really good at 1080p rasterized (non ray-tracing) gaming as on our tests it delivered a strong 82 fps on a suite of games at 1080p ultra settings.

For our storage, we're going with the 1TB WD Black SN770. This budget-oriented PCIe 4.0 SSD can't beat the top-of-the-line drives like the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X, but it has really strong performance for the money, promising sequential reads and writes of 5,150 and 4,000 MBps.

We're going with 32GB of Patriot Viper Elite DDR4 RAM and we're stepping up to a 700W version of the Thermaltake Smart power supply so we can support our higher wattage CPU and GPU.

Our case is the Thermaltake Versa H18, which is a budget-oriented mesh case with a single fan and a tempered glass window. It's not glamorous but it keeps us under budget.

Best $1,000 PC Build for Gaming

If you can stretch your budget up to around $1,100, you can build a PC with the ability to play games really well at 1080p and competently at 1440p. The best GPU option in this price range right now is the Nvidia RTX 5060, which goes for as little as $319. Unfortunately, we haven't yet gotten our RTX 5060 card for testing, but we know that it is at least a small generational leap over the RTX 4060 which we previously recommended for this build. So take the RTX 4060 numbers and add at least 5 to 10 percent to them.

In our 8-game rasterization test suite at 1080p ultra settings, the RTX 4060 offered an impressive frame rate of 91.9 fps which was still strong at 65.9 fps when we jumped to 1440p.

Our recommended CPU for this build is the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D, which is one of the best gaming CPUs you can get, particularly for the price. This 8-core, 16-thread CPU has 96MB of L3 cache, which makes it great for 1080p gaming. On our tests, it edged out more-expensive competitors like the Ryzen 5 7600X and the Core i5-14400.

To support our Ryzen 7 57003XD, we're using a Gigabyte B550M K motherboard. This board doesn't have Wi-Fi but it has Q-Flash Plus, which allows you to update the BIOS, before you install the CPU. This may be necessary as the 5700X3D just came out a few months ago.

The Ryzen 7 5700X3D doesn't come with a stock cooler so we're adding an inexpensive, 240mm AIO cooler to the mix.

We're sticking with 32GB of DDR4-PC3200 RAM here. There's no real need to go faster or increase the capacity at this price point. Using DDR4 saves us money over DDR5.

For storage, we're stepping up to a faster, higher-capacity SSD: the 2TB version of WD Black SN580. This PCIe 4.0 drive promises sequential read and write speeds of 4,150 MBps, along with random read / write IOPS of 600K and 750K respectively. It's not the fastest drive on the market, but it gets the job done.

We're going with the Phanteks XT Pro as our case, because it has a quality, mesh design, room for up to a 360mm AIO up top and the ability to support back-connecting motherboards, should you get one in the future. For $20, you can get the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra, which comes with four ARGB fans.

Finally, we've stepped up to a 750-watt power supply and we're going with Corsair CX750M, which is 80+ Bronze certified and semi-modular. You can get a modular PSU or one that's 80+ Gold certified for a bit more, but that's money you don't need to spend at this price point.

Best $1,500 PC Build for Gaming

As we step up to a build that should be brilliant at 1080p gaming, really strong for 1440p gaming and capable of running ray tracing games well, we're looking at around a $1,500 budget, depending on the current prices on graphics cards. We recommend going with an Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti with 16GB (avoid the 8GB model) at this price point.

The RTX 5060 Ti is more than capable of handling 2K gaming, returning rates of around 61 or 62 fps at 1440p with Ultra settings on 14 games.

With ray tracing on at 2K and Ultra settings, those frame rates were a still-playable 51 fps.

We're also upgrading the CPU to Intel's Core i5-14600KF, an overclockable processor that has 6 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores, 20 threads and a boost clock of 5.3 GHz. That's before you attempt to overclock it.

We're going with the Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X AX motherboard, which allows overclocking with a 16+2+1 phases digital VRM design. It also comes with built-in WI-FI 6E, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps), 2.5 GbE LAN and Q-Flash Plus BIOS updating ability.

Though Intel 14th Gen CPUs can use DDR4 or DDR5 RAM, this motherboard utilizes DDR5 RAM. So we're going with an affordable 32GB kit from Crucial with a top speed of 5600 MT/s.

We're going with one of the best PCIe 4.0 SSDs you can buy, WD's Black SN850X at 2TB. In our tests, it was neck and neck with the other top drives, including the SK hynix Platinum P41 and the Samsung 990 Pro.

Our case for this build is the Lian Li Lancool 216. When we reviewed the Lancool 216, we praised its included dual RGB 160mm front and single 140mm exhaust fans, excellent cable management and attractive looks. There's also plenty of room for a top-mounted radiator that's up to 360mm.

Our power supply is a 750-watt Corsair CX750M. This 80 Plus Gold certified PSU packs enough power to support our GPU with plenty of juice to spare. However, it's not fully modular, with some of the wires being built-in.

Best $2000 PC Build for Gaming

At a current price of $2,002, our high-end gaming PC build should provide enough performance to play games at 1440p ultra settings with strong frame rates, and 4K ultra with playable frame rates. The system gets its GPU muscle from an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti which is now available at major retailers for around $899, just $150 above its MSRP. The card is backed by AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which has 8 cores, 16 threads and a whopping 104MB of cache to help with gaming.

In our tests, the RTX 5070 Ti averaged 100.3 fps at 1440p on our 16 game rasterization test. It also was capable of 61.2 fps at 4K.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers a superior experience thanks to its 104MB of 3D cache, along with its 8 cores, 16 threads and 5-GHz boost clock. Yes, AMD makes the Ryzen 9 7950X3D which has 16 cores, but it costs a lot more money. There's also now the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, but that is almost always out of stock (see where to buy the Ryzen 7 9800X3D).

On our suite of Windows 11 tests, running at 1080p with an RTX 4090 card, the 7800X3D averaged 224 fps, putting it slightly behind the Ryzen 9 7950X3D (222 fps) and way ahead of Intel's top offering at the time we tested (and currently).

To cool the CPU, we're using an ID-COOLING FX360 360mm Cooler. When we tested the FX360, we were impressed with its low noise output and fantastic cooling output. It has attractive RGB and you get all of that for a measly $69.

Our motherboard is Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi which is one of the more affordable AM5 motherboards you can buy but it still packs in Wi-Fi 6E radio. AMD Zen 7000 chips require DDR5 RAM so we're going with 32GB of G.Skill Trident Z5. The Trident Z5 kit tops our list of best RAM, thanks to its tight-timings, fast performance and overclocking potential. In our tests, the Z5 also had the lowest memory latency of its competitors.

For the SSD, we're sticking with the WD Black SN850X at 2TB. You really can't do much better without spending a lot more money on a PCIe 5 drive or a 4TB capacity.

Our case is Hyte Y40, which is a great showcase for our components. It has beautiful wraparound glass that extends from the front to the left side. The case is available in three colors but we really like it in red.

To power all these high-end components, we're using a Corsair RM750e PSU which is 80+ Gold certified and fully modular.

Best $4000+ PC Build for Gaming

Our top-of-the-line build features Nvidia's top-of-the-line GPU, the RTX 5090. It's now available from reputable retailers -- no dealing with scalpers required -- but prices are way higher than its MSRP. The cheapest RTX 5090 at press time was $2,919, just $920 above the $1,999 MSRP. But if you want the best, you have to pay a premium these days.

On our tests, the RTX 5090 was fully capable of playing games at 4K with ultra settings and ray tracing enabled. On our 6-game test, it averaged 90.2 fps, a full 20 fps more than its predecessor, the RTX 4090.

Our CPU is AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D, which offers faster gaming than any Intel CPU on the market, including the Core i9-14900K. It has a whopping 140MB of cache, thanks to AMDs innovative 3D V-Cache and it boasts 16 full-power cores and 32 threads, which is more regular cores than the 14900K's set of 8 (to go with 16 E-Cores).

On our tests, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D beat Intel's flagship, the 14900K by a full 40 fps on our 1080p suite of gaming tests. The last-gen, Ryzen 7 7800X3D is also really good at gaming, but doesn't hit these highs.

We're using an Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro Ice AM5 motherboard, which comes with built-in Wi-Fi 7, four M.2 slots for storage and USB4. To cool the CPU, we're using a Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 FLUX, which is very affordable at $129 and will do a solid job.

Because we're fattening our budget for this build, we're going with some speedy DRAM in the form of G.Skill's Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 , which operates at up to 6,400 MHz. In our review of the G.Skill Trident Z5, we lauded the kit's strong performance and excellent overclockability. In our table, we are linking to a 64GB kit (2 x 32GB DIMMs as that is the highest capacity it is sold in.

We're going with a 4TB Samsung 990 Pro, which has plenty of capacity and is the fastest PCIe 4.0 drive you can buy. Sure, we can go up to a PCIe 5.0 drive but we don't see enough performance gains to justify one, even in this high end build right now.

We decided to go with a case that has a unique, premium look in the Fractal Design North XL. With its wood paneled front, this chassis looks more like a mid-century modern piece of furniture than a gaming PC, which is a nice subtle touch. However, it also has a tempered glass side panel which you can use to show off all of your RGB components (or you can buy it with a solid panel and no window). It also has fantastic thermal performance and plenty of room for more drives and fans. The XL model can accommodate up to an E-ATX motherboard, giving you plenty of room for future upgrades.

With these high-end components, we don't want to skimp on the power supply, and having something that's fit for a future graphics card upgrade makes sense. We're going with a full 1000-watts of power and the Corsair RM1000e. This power supply is Cybenetics Gold certified and fully modular.

Building a PC: What to Look For in Each Component

• CPU: This is the brains of your computer and heavily affects 1080p gaming. Look for one with strong gaming benchmarks and, at the higher end, with lots of L3 cache.
• GPU: This is the most important component for gaming, but it's also the most expensive component. Get the best GPU available in your price band that's actually for sale. Most of today's very best GPUs are frequently out of stock and available only for scalper prices.
• RAM: We generally look the best value in RAM as performance differences are slight. Ideally, you want at least 32GB of RAM. You can save money by going with DDR4 over DDR5 RAM. But you need to make sure your CPU and motherboard support the kind of RAM you're considering.
• Motherboard: Most importantly, make sure the board accommodates your CPU. If your CPU is newer than the motherboard chipset, make sure you get a motherboard that can receive firmware upgrades without a processor on board (often called BIOS Flashback). Built-in Wi-Fi is a big plus.
• SSD: You need at least 1TB for a solid experience, with 2TB preferable. Shoot for an M.2 PCIe 4.0 drive. PCIe 5 drives are a little faster, but not worth the extra money.
• Cooling: We try to save money on cooling when possible by purchasing CPUs with stock coolers in the box. Otherwise a 360 or 240mm AIO (all-in-one) is good, but there's no need to spend a lot of money on one.
• Power Supply: On lower end builds, you need wattage more than anything else. For higher-end builds, you not only need at least 750 or 850 watts, but you want a Gold or Platinum supply for top energy efficiency.
• Case: First and foremost, you need a case that will fit your motherboard so, if you are buying an ATX motherboard, don't get a case that only supports micro ATX mother boards. After that, look for lots of case fan placements, room for a 360mm AIO cooler, a tempered glass side panel and both USB-C and USB Type-A ports on the front panel.

Finding Discounts on the Best PC Components

To find savings on components of all types, check out our lists of the best PC hardware deals, along with the latest Newegg promo codes, Corsair coupon codes and Best Buy promo codes.