Gaming PCs can come in all shapes, sizes, and more importantly budgets. Not all gaming PCs are built equal and user needs and budget might not match with most prebuilt PCs on the market. It is therefore nearly always better to build a gaming PC in terms of cost, flexibility, and customization potential.
When one is considering a $2000 gaming PC build, they are ideally targeting 2K resolution gaming since most 4k-ready games will see them easily push past the $3k mark regularly in terms of hardware required to sustain a stable high frame rate at that resolution. If users are targeting a Full HD resolution, most $1000 gaming PCs and build guides would help them achieve that easily, and the team at Game Rant has gamers covered with advice for builds in that price range.
What Do Users Need To Build A Gaming PC
When considering whether or not to build a gaming PC versus purchasing a prebuilt alternative, gamers need to focus on these particular components (not necessarily in the order below) and how to work together to ensure they get the best value out of their gaming system:
- CPU/Processor
- GPU/Graphics Card
- Motherboard
- RAM Modules
- SSDs/Alternate Storage
- CPU Cooler (Some CPUs do come bundled with a cooler)
- Power Supply Units (PSUs)
- PC Cases
What Gaming PC Build Should I Get?
We have divided our build guides into multiple tiers to allow you to choose the best builds possible while catering to different budget and performance classes:
Game Rant’s Best 3 Gaming PC Build Suggestions Under $2,000
Best Overall Gaming PC Build Under $2000
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Intel Core i5 14600KF 14-Core, 20-Thread CPU
$290 $350 Save $60
The Intel Core i5 14600KF 14-Core, 20-Thread CPU is a powerful mid-range CPU that replaces the last generation Intel Core i5 13600KF with higher clocks on both its performance and efficiency cores.
Like all its siblings, it does offer better performance out-of-the-box versus its predecessors but replaces them at the same price points they sold last year. Unlike the Intel Core i5 14600K, this model trades at a small discount thanks to it skipping out on integrated graphics.
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MSI MAG Coreliquid P240 AIO Liquid Cooler
$79 $90 Save $11
The MSI MAG Coreliquid P240 is an affordable dual 120 mm fan AIO liquid cooling system that brings with it plenty of innovation. Compatible with the latest LGA 1700 socket, the Coreliquid P240 relies on an aluminum radiator with a split-flow water cooling system. The pump is placed directly on the radiator away from the central heat source, which also reduces noise levels to as low as 14.3 dBA.
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GIGABYTE Z790 UD AC Gaming Motherboard
$160 $180 Save $20
The GIGABYTE Z790 UD AC Gaming Motherboard is an entry-level Z790 Motherboard that offers DDR5, Wi-Fi AC bundled with 3 M2 slots. Priced around the same range as most B760 motherboards, it promises exceptional value from a price-to-performance perspective.
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Silicon Power XPOWER Zenith RGB Gaming 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL40 Memory
The Silicon Power XPOWER Zenith RAM has faster frequencies, greater capacities, and lower voltages offering excellent gaming performance. In addition, the aluminum heat sink, available in black or white, quickly dissipates heat from the RAM and allows for long-term high performance.
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Kingston FURY Renegade 1TB PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe M.2 Internal Gaming SSD
$86 $113 Save $27
This version of the Kingston FURY Renegade SSD has a storage capacity of 1 TB and is designed to work with both laptops and desktops. It operates on PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe technology, which allows it to achieve read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s and write speeds of 7,000 MB/s. The cooling solution on this one is a low-profile graphene aluminum heat spreader, but the SSD is also available with a heat sink.
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PNY RTX 4070 Ti 12GB XLR8 Gaming Verto Epic-X
$800 $840 Save $40
The PNY RTX 4070 Ti 12GB XLR8 Gaming Verto Epic-X is a good-looking RTX 4070TI GPU that essentially goes for the same price as the MSRP of the founder’s edition while clocking in at the same base clocks coupled with subtle RGB lighting and an excellent but quiet cooler in tow that enables it to boost higher than the stock unit.
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NZXT C1000 PSU
$155 $180 Save $25
The C Series fits any ATX case and supports most of the latest NVIDIA 30 series and AMD 6000 series GPUs. This PSU uses DC-DC technology to allow the operation to generate less heat to reduce the fan RPM. The 135 mm PWM silent fan ensures the power supply can silently operate at a high load.
The fully modular design eliminates clutter at the bottom of the case, ultimately keeping your PC cooler.
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Corsair iCUE 4000X ATX Mid Tower Case
$120 $145 Save $25
The Corsair iCUE 4000X ATX Mid Tower case is a beautiful case that is easy to build in, making it a perfect starting point for any PC build. In addition, this case has excellent cooling potential with space for 6x 120 mm or 4x 140 mm cooling fans and multiple radiators, including a 360 mm in front and 280 mm in the roof.
The tempered glass side panel makes it easy to admire your PC build, and there is way less of a scratch risk than there is with plastic side panels.
Total Estimated Cost: $1,802
The gaming PC build above is built for a singular purpose: Gaming at the maximum value one can get under $2k, and it excels at that task. Pairing Intel’s best budget gaming CPU, the Core i5 14600K with the considerably powerful PNY RTX 4070TI does yield impressive dividends. This is not a gaming PC build to scoff at in terms of raw computing power under the hood.
While there are plenty of RTX 4070TI GPUs out there, PNY’s SKU clocks in at exactly MSRP while offering a decent overclock in play. The Intel Core i5 14600K’s 14-core, 20-thread configuration does require some serious cooling to allow gamers to benefit from its ability to boost higher thanks to its unlocked offering that already offers higher clocks versus its predecessor.
The Corsair iCUE 4000X can easily be the home for each build we will go over here. While not overly imposing, this mid-tower case is easy to build in and will comfortably fit a full-length GPU and larger CPU coolers. For storage, we chose the cost-effective Kingston FURY Renegade in a 1 TB config. As one of the fastest PCI-E 4.0 SSDs on offer, it is an excellent starting point for most gamers looking to build a gaming PC, but if more space is needed, users can always throw in a second drive or go for the higher capacity 2 Terabyte version of the same.
The Gigabyte Z790 UD AC offers a balanced, budget option with built-in Wi-Fi, decent VRMs for users looking to upgrade down the line and as many as 3 M2 slots on offer to ensure gamers can upgrade their storage based on their own needs from time to time.
The bundled 32 GB of fast DDR5 RAM clocking in at 6000 MHz is more than enough for all games, and one would find it hard to need more than that for most creativity or productivity-centric applications any time soon. However, if users want to upgrade down the line, the motherboard in this build has 4 DIMM slots, so they can buy another set of this RAM to go up to as much as 64GB by doubling down on another RAM kit.
Finally, the PSU from NZXT can handle up to 1000 watts of power delivery, is fully modular, and is 80+ Gold certified without reinventing the wheel when it comes to the price tag. With up to 1000 watts of available power, this PSU should be good for a couple of upgrades unless we see another massive spike in power requirements from the next generation of GPUs which seems relatively unlikely to show up any time soon.
Best Productivity-Centric Gaming PC Under $2000
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Intel Core i7 14700KF 20-Core, 28-Thread CPU
The Intel Core i7 14700KF is the iGPU-less version of the unlocked Intel Core i7 14700K CPU, offering the 4 additional efficiency cores and a lower price thanks to it skipping the integrated Intel UHD 770 that the latter offers.It requires a discrete graphics card for display and adequate cooling for what is one of the most power-hungry CPUs on offer in 2023.
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DeepCool Liquid Cooler LS720 360MM ARGB Liquid Cooler
$100 $147 Save $47
The DeepCool Liquid Cooler LS720 360MM ARGB Liquid Cooler is one of the best-looking ARGB liquid coolers available on the market, and it delivers excellent cooling that can handle some of the most powerful CPUs on the market without costing the part as some of the more premium ARGB liquid coolers.
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MSI PRO Z790-A WiFi Gaming Motherboard
$200 $280 Save $80
The MSI PRO Z790-A Wi-Fi Gaming Motherboard is an excellent, well-rounded Z790 motherboard with plenty of connectivity while supporting Intel’s 12th and 13th-generation processors. In addition, it has a decent 16+1+1 phase power delivery mechanism at a price that makes it comparable to Intel’s more budget B760 motherboards.
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TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Alpha DDR5 Ram 32GB Kit CL38
The TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Alpha DDR5 Ram 32GB Kit is a stable DDR5 Memory kit that does not cost an arm and a leg to purchase while delivering acceptable performance with a CAS latency of 38-38-38-78. With acceptable latency, excellent value, and AMD Optimized EXPO profiles in tow, the Vulcan Alpha Rams are an excellent purchase for users on a budget looking to move to DDR5 this generation.
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Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB
The Samsung 990 PRO is a top-tier solid-state drive designed for exceptional performance, featuring significant speed enhancements over its predecessor. It offers a massive boost in random read and write speeds that are 40% and 55% faster than the 980 PRO.
In addition, it provides high input/output operations per second (IOPS) up to 1400K/1550K, and sequential read and write speeds that reach up to 7,450 and 6,900 MB/s, approaching the maximum performance of PCIe 4.0. This SSD is not only high-performing but also energy-efficient. It provides up to 50% improved performance per watt over the 980 PRO.
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XFX Radeon RX 7900XT GPU
The XFX Radeon RX 7900XT is based on AMD’s latest and most powerful graphics chips. The AMD RX 7900 XT is powered by the new RDNA 3 architecture, which delivers AI acceleration, a new AMD Radiance display engine, and a Chiplet design. There’s also an improved 2nd generation of ray-tracing and AMD Infinity Cache features.
This specific XFX GPU features 20 gigabytes of graphics memory on a 320-bit memory interface, a clock speed of 2535 MHz, and a powerful triple fan cooling solution.
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Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 850 W
$110 $140 Save $30
The Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PSU offers 850 W of power with full modular cables. This power supply is certified 80 plus gold, and it keeps cool with a 140 mm fan. Using a powerful single +12V rail ensures a stable and reliable supply to other PC components.
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Corsair 4000D Airflow
The CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW is a mid-tower ATX case with easy cable management and exceptional cooling. A steel front panel with triangular cutouts offers optimal airflow to components, accompanied by two included 120 mm AirGuide fans designed with anti-vortex vanes that enhance cooling. The CORSAIR RapidRoute cable management system makes it effortless to route major cables through a single channel, with 25mm of routing depth.
Total Estimated Cost: $1,958
This gaming PC build combines the power of Intel’s latest 14th-generation CPU and AMD penultimate RX 7000 series GPU, picking the current generation’s favorite Intel CPU for gaming and coupling it with an excellent value-centric GPU from Team Red. Not only is the Intel Core i7 14700KF one of the fastest CPUs available currently, but it is the only current-gen CPU that receives a core bump this time around with Intel adding 4 additional efficiency cores (E-Cores) to bring it closer to the Core i9 than ever before. The XFX Radeon RX 7900XT can handle pretty much any game thrown its way in 2023, even if it does struggle somewhat with Ray Tracing. Once again, for this build, we went for a 32 GB, 6000MHz CL38 kit from TeamGroup, and the MSI motherboard in this build has 4 RAM slots to easily upgrade the memory capacity in the future if need be.
For storage, Samsung’s 990 Pro SSD is available at a price point it has not seen previously, and buying the 2TB SKU makes a lot of sense given its current price point and value proposition. All of these components will easily fit in the Corsair 4000D Airflow case. As the name implies, this case offers excellent cooling performance and leverages the excellent, but cost-effective DeepCool LS720 cooler to keep its powerful Intel Core i7 14700KF CPU in check.
Best Premium Gaming PC Under $2000
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AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
$359 $449 Save $90
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is AMD’s latest and greatest CPU when it comes to gaming. With an excellent and highly efficient gaming performance that tops the charts currently, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is here to stay and has a crown to claim thanks to its 3D V-Cache-enabled prowess when it comes to gaming on a PC.
The octa-core CPU currently happens to be the fastest in the business for gaming even as it leads efficiency charts at the top, making it a very sought-after gaming upgrade.
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ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 240 Snow CPU Cooler
The ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 240 Snow CPU Cooler is an excellent budget cooler that offers a somewhat longer tubing than most competing brands’ 360 mm coolers while offering decent cooling and acceptable LED lighting that can help players build an excellent system without punching their wallet repeatedly.
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G.Skill Flare X5 Series (AMD Expo) 6000MHz 32GB (CL36)
The G.Skill Flare X5 Series RAM kits are DDR5 RAMs that operate at an overclocked 6000MHz sweet spot for AMD AM5 processors with a lower latency EXPO profile available to allow users to overclock their memory with a push of a button while costing significantly lower than the competition.
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NZXT N7 B650E Gaming Wi-Fi 6 Motherboard
$280 $320 Save $40
The NZXT N7 B650E Gaming Wi-Fi 6 Motherboard is an excellent AMD socket AM5-based motherboard based on the 650E chipset with decent overclocking, excellent power delivery, and above-average expansion slots in tow. It comes in a white or all-black design that is enthusiast-friendly in terms of its design and feature set.
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SAMSUNG 990 PRO w/ Heatsink SSD
The Samsung 990 Pro is the fastest PCI-E Gen 4 SSD that Samsung has to offer, and it comes with a new, bold design on the heatsink that should blend in with most gaming PCs and allow the PlayStation 5 to use it optimally. Trading at an impressive discount over MSRP, the Samsung 990 Pro is pretty much the maximum performance that users can eke out on most modern gaming PCs from the 2TB SSD.
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ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 4070 Ti OC Edition
The Asus TUF RTX 4070TI is a silent but top-tier performer that builds on the TUF lineup’s advantages while trading at a minor premium from Nvidia’s stock Founders Edition that brings no-nonsense overclocking to a very capable vapor chamber to maintain tight thermal control over excellent performance.
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MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5 PSU
$170 $200 Save $30
The MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5 PSU is built from the ground up to support the ATX 3.0 spec while also being PCI-E 5.0 compatible in a fully modular design without costing an arm and a leg unlike some of its nearest competitors, making it a viable contender for a gaming PC.
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LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 PC Case
$100 $105 Save $5
The LANCOOL 216 is a mid-tower case with all-around mesh panels for optimal airflow. Thanks to its modular rear panel, it can be optimized for air or water cooling. It includes 2 x 160mm and 1 x 140mm pre-installed PWM fans and an innovative rear PCIe fan bracket to maximize airflow.
Total Estimated Cost: $2,043
This is the most powerful gaming PC build on the menu, and it aims to use the best available AMD gaming CPU currently in a package that can play the latest games at 2K with ease, and even push sub-4K resolutions at a decent frame rate on most modern titles. To do so, it leverages the 7800X3D’s market-leading performance for games and uses an excellent ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4070TI OC to handle games at high resolutions.
It is supported by an excellent B650E-based NZXT N7 motherboard designed by ASRock that offers plenty of expansion potential, decent networking, and an aesthetic that rivals that of considerably more expensive motherboards. This, while leveraging 2TB of Samsung’s 990 Pro SSD storage with a heatsink in tow makes sure there is very little, if any waiting time for games to load.
The PC saves money by using a decent entry-level liquid cooler from ID-Cooling, and a mid-range Lian Li Lancool 216 case both of which can be swapped out or upgraded in the future with ease. With a 1000W PCI-E 5.0 and ATX 3.0 MSI PSU to power anything up to an RTX 4090 GPU upgrade, the PC can handle anything in terms of power requirements as an upgrade and cool significantly higher TDP CPUs if required down the line with a simple AIO upgrade, making it an excellent, modularly upgradable option to start or continue a PC gaming journey from.
Note: If users are aiming for a more powerful version of the same build, they can switch from the RTX 4070TI listed above to a more performance-centric RTX 4080 GPU from MSI by adding another $400, or an RX 7900XTX that is about $200 more expensive than Nvidia’s mid-range offering. This would allow the build suggested above to be built for approximately $2450 or $2250 respectively using prices available at the time of writing.
FAQ
Q: Is A $2000 PC Good For Gaming?
If you are looking to game at resolutions at 1440p or 1080p at high refresh rates $2,000 is an excellent budget. These components should also keep up with gaming trends for at least 3 years so you won’t have to worry about replacing anything anytime soon.
Q: Is It Cheaper To Build A Gaming PC?
Building a PC yourself is a great way to save on a variety of products on sale. It also provides more fine-grained control over the components one needs for a build.
Prebuilt PCs charge a building fee most of the time, so you can pick up PC parts for close to the same price most PC building companies can, and you save the cost of building.
You just have to be comfortable putting the components together, but with the amount of build guides available today it is easier than ever to build your own PC.
