Updated: July 14th, 2025

PC Builds that make sense

Gaming PC Builds

Gaming PC Builds with logical tier steps, from extreme budget to the best

Tier 1 - Budget Entry Graphics: 1080p, Mid-High ~$650 CPU AMD RYZEN 5 5500 6 Core Ryzen 4th Gen (Zen 3) 6 cores 12 Threads 4.2 GHz Boost 65w TDP AM4 $70 GPU Arc B580 12GB Intel Arc B580 12GB Battlemage 20 EUs 190w TDP AV1 Encode $250 MOBO AM4 B550 Micro ATX MSI PRO B550M-VC WIFI AM4 B550 Micro ATX WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2 $110 RAM 32GB DDR4 3600 TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB DDR4 2x16GB 3600 MHz CL18 $57 SSD 1TB NVMe SSD TEAMGROUP T-FORCE G50 1 TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 4.0 $58 PSU 550 Watt Power Supply MSI MAG A550BN 550 Watts ATX 80+ Bronze $55 COOLER Air Cooler - Basic AMD WRAITH STEALTH Included in CPU Box $0 CASE ATX Mid Tower Cooler Master Elite 301 Lite Micro ATX 1 Rear Fan Included $40

Notes

I'd recommend this setup for those looking for decent PC gaming on a tight budget or those looking to get into PC Gaming. Graphics wise, you should be able to play most games at 1080p high, or even 1440p low-medium in most games. However in "Next Gen" games like Starfield or any Unreal Engine 5 game, expect to play on 1080p Low/Medium settings.

Do not buy Arc B580 above MSRP This GPU should be around $250. Do not pay more than $260 for this GPU. It is often Out of Stock from popularity. View Build Tier 2 - Performance Entry Graphics: 1440p - Mid, 1080p - High ~$930 CPU AMD RYZEN 5 8500G 6 Core Ryzen 5th Gen (Zen 4) 6 cores 12 Threads 5 GHz Boost 65w TDP AM5 $145 GPU Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB ASRock Challenger OC Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB 160w TDP RDNA 4 32 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode $370 MOBO AM5 B850 mATX ASRock B850M-X WiFi R2.0 AM5 B850 Micro ATX WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2 2.5G Ethernet $130 RAM 32GB DDR5 6000 G.SKILL FLARE X5 32GB 6000 DDR5 2x16GB 6000 MHz CL36 $82 SSD 2TB NVMe SSD TEAMGROUP T-FORCE G50 2 TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 4.0 $105 PSU 550 Watt Power Supply MSI MAG A550BN 550 Watts ATX 80+ Bronze $55 COOLER Air Cooler - Basic AMD WRAITH STEALTH Included in CPU Box $0 CASE ATX Mid Tower Cooler Master Elite 301 Lite Micro ATX 1 Rear Fan Included $40

Notes

This would be the recommended build for the majority of people for PC Gaming on a budget. Graphics settings on this build are expected to be 1440p medium on any game. This also provides a platform with future CPU upgrades, and enough PSU wattage for future GPU upgrades. The CPU cooler may need to be upgraded for better CPUs later.

 View Build Tier 3 - Best Bang for your Buck Graphics: 1440p High or 4K Mid + Ray Tracing ~$1450 CPU AMD RYZEN 5 9600X 6 Core Ryzen 6th Gen (Zen 5) 6 cores 12 Threads 5.4 GHz Boost 65w TDP AM5 $179 GPU Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB ASRock Steel Legend Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB RDNA 4 64 CUs 304w TDP AV1 Encode $700 MOBO AM5 B850 ATX ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi AM5 B850 ATX WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2 2.5Gb Ethernet $150 RAM 32GB DDR5 6000 G.SKILL FLARE X5 32GB 6000 DDR5 2x16GB 6000 MHz CL30 $105 SSD 2TB NVMe SSD TEAMGROUP T-FORCE G50 2 TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 4.0 $105 PSU 750 Watt Power Supply MSI MAG A750BE 750 Watts ATX 80+ Bronze Modular $85 COOLER Air Cooler - Entry Tier Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE 120mm $18 CASE ATX Mid Tower FRACTAL DESIGN POP AIR ATX Fans Included $80

Notes

This build is the best cost to performance value currently. Ray Tracing is solid at this level. Play in 4K/2160p in many titles is possible. Future upgrades to higher end GPUs may require a 1000w PSU.

 View Build Tier 4 - High End Graphics: 4K, High, Ray Tracing ~$2600 CPU AMD RYZEN 7 9800X3D 8 Core Ryzen 6th Gen (Zen 5) 8 cores 16 Threads 5.2 GHz Boost 120w TDP 3D V-Cache AM5 $480 GPU GeForce RTX 5080 16GB Zotac GAMING SOLID OC GeForce RTX 5080 16 GB Blackwell 10752 CUDA Cores 360w TDP AV1 Encode $1400 MOBO AM5 X870 ATX GIGABYTE X870 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 AM5 X870 ATX WiFi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 2.5Gb Ethernet $226 RAM 32GB DDR5 6000 G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo 32GB 6000 DDR5 2x16GB 6000 MHz CL28 $135 SSD 2TB NVMe SSD TEAMGROUP T-FORCE G50 2 TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 4.0 $105 PSU 850 Watt Power Supply MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 Watts ATX 80+ Gold Modular ATX 3.0 - 12VHPWR $130 COOLER Water Cooler - Mid Tier Thermalright Frozen Prism 250w Max TDP 240mm AiO $48 CASE ATX Mid Tower FRACTAL DESIGN POP AIR ATX Fans Included $80

Notes

This build is for those that want 4K gaming. Ray Tracing is quite solid at this level.

 View Build Tier 5 - I Hate Money Graphics: 4K, Max, Ray Tracing ~$5000 CPU AMD RYZEN 9 9950X3D 16 Core Ryzen 6th Gen (Zen 5) 16 cores 32 Threads 5.7 GHz Boost 170w TDP 3D V-Cache AM5 $700 GPU GeForce RTX 5090 32GB Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 5090 32 GB Blackwell 21760 CUDA Cores 575w TDP AV1 Encode $2900 MOBO AM5 X870E ATX Gigabyte X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7 AM5 X870E ATX WiFi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 $305 RAM 48GB DDR5 6000 G.SKILL TRIDENT Z5 NEO RGB 48GB 6000 DDR5 2x24GB 6000 MHz CL26 $265 SSD 4TB NVMe SSD Corsair T705 PRO 4TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 5.0 $389 PSU 1250 Watt Power Supply MSI MEG A1250GL PCIE5 1300 Watts ATX 80+ Gold Modular ATX 3.0 - 12VHPWR $215 COOLER AiO Water Cooler - 360mm Thermalright Frozen Warframe PRO ARGB 360mm Radiator LCD Display $110 CASE ATX Mid Tower Lian Li O11D EVO RGB ATX Fans Included Full two-sided Window $165

Notes

If you want the absolute best and you have no budget, this is it.

 View Build

Disclaimers

Prices change EVERYDAY I have approximated or rounded prices here. Things could be cheaper or more expensive. Sometimes it's just the specific model part that is out of stock, or now more expensive, or a different manufacturer with the same specs is cheaper now. You should double check part prices if you can. I try to keep up to date on market prices but I'm not a machine. You can add more storage Most if not all boards have two M.2 NVMe slots, and the ability to add SATA drives. Most cases have support for at least two 2.5" SATA SSDs and/or two 3.5" HDDs. You are not obligated to follow these builds 100% You can swap in and out compatible parts, especially cases, which are as aesthetic preference you have to live with daily. These prices do not include Taxes and Shipping costs Those vary by location, by item, and by retailer. Windows license key prices are not included in these builds Some users may be using Linux or their own Windows key they already have. Back to top

GPUs and Market Prices

Recent GPUs with retail market prices sorted by performance, lowest to highest

Gaming GPUs Sorted By Avg FPS @ 1440p in Raster - Recommended Highlighted Low Tier Arc A580 8GB vRAM $170 175w TDP Alchemist 384 EUs AV1 Encode + Decode Low Tier Radeon RX 6600 8GB vRAM $190 130w TDP RDNA 2 28 CUs AV1 Decode Low Tier GeForce RTX 3060 8GB/12GB vRAM $280 170w TDP Ampere 3584 CUDA Cores AV1 Decode Low Tier Arc A750 8GB vRAM $200 225w TDP Alchemist 448 EUs AV1 Encode + Decode Low Tier Radeon RX 6650 XT 8GB vRAM $230 176w TDP RDNA 2 32 CUs AV1 Decode Low Tier Arc B570 10GB vRAM $240 150w TDP Battlemage 18 EUs AV1 Encode + Decode Entry Tier Arc A770 16GB vRAM $300 225w TDP Alchemist 512 EUs AV1 Encode + Decode Entry Tier GeForce RTX 4060 8GB vRAM $330 115w TDP Ada Lovelace 3072 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Entry Tier Radeon RX 7600 8GB vRAM $270 165w TDP RDNA 3 32 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode Top Intel Arc B580 12GB vRAM $250 190w TDP Battlemage 20 EUs AV1 Encode + Decode Low Tier GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB vRAM $345 200w TDP Ampere 4864 CUDA Cores AV1 Decode Low Tier GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB vRAM $400 160w TDP Ada Lovelace 4352 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Low Tier GeForce RTX 5060 8GB vRAM $300 145w TDP Blackwell 3840 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Entry Tier Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB vRAM $310 230w TDP RDNA 2 40 CUs AV1 Decode Low Tier Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB 8GB vRAM $300 150w TDP RDNA 4 32 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode Entry Tier GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB 8GB vRAM $380 180w TDP Blackwell 4608 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Entry Tier GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB vRAM $410 290w TDP Ampere 6144 CUDA Cores AV1 Decode Entry Tier Radeon RX 7700 XT 16GB vRAM $400 245w TDP RDNA 3 54 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode Entry Tier Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB 16GB vRAM $370 160w TDP RDNA 4 32 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode Entry Tier GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB 16GB vRAM $430 180w TDP Blackwell 4608 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Mid Tier GeForce RTX 4070 12GB vRAM $550 200w TDP Ada Lovelace 5888 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Mid Tier GeForce RTX 3080 10GB vRAM $760 320w TDP Ampere 8704 CUDA Cores AV1 Decode Mid Tier Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB vRAM $500 300w TDP RDNA 2 72 CUs AV1 Decode Mid Tier Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB vRAM $490 250w TDP RDNA 3 60 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode Mid Tier GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB vRAM $600 220w TDP Ada Lovelace 7168 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Mid Tier Radeon RX 6950 XT 16GB vRAM $600 335w TDP RDNA 2 80 CUs AV1 Decode Mid Tier GeForce RTX 3090 24GB vRAM $1300 350w TDP Ampere 10496 CUDA Cores AV1 Decode Mid Tier GeForce RTX 5070 12GB vRAM $600 250w TDP Blackwell 6144 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Mid Tier GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB vRAM $740 285w TDP Ada Lovelace 7680 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Mid Tier Radeon RX 9070 16GB vRAM $600 220w TDP RDNA 4 56 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode High Tier GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB vRAM $800 285w TDP Ada Lovelace 8448 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode High Tier GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB vRAM $1700 450w TDP Ampere 10752 CUDA Cores AV1 Decode High Tier Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB vRAM $690 315w TDP RDNA 3 84 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode High Tier Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB vRAM $700 304w TDP RDNA 4 64 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode High Tier GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB vRAM $840 300w TDP Blackwell 8960 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode High Tier GeForce RTX 4080 16GB vRAM $1185 285w TDP Ada Lovelace 9728 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode High Tier GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16GB vRAM $1030 320w TDP Ada Lovelace 10240 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Top AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB vRAM $930 355w TDP RDNA 3 96 CUs AV1 Encode + Decode High Tier GeForce RTX 5080 16GB vRAM $1299 360w TDP Blackwell 10752 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Enthusiast Tier GeForce RTX 4090 24GB vRAM $2300 450w TDP Ada Lovelace 16384 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode Top NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 32GB vRAM $2669 575w TDP Blackwell 21760 CUDA Cores AV1 Encode + Decode

Notes

These are only currently available new GPUs from retailers. This is only showing typical rasterization performance, not ray tracing performance. Per game performance varies. Some games perfer Radeon or GeForce.

 View GPUs What is Low, Mid, High, and Enthusiast Tier Defined as here? While the model name typically indicates whether something is mid tier, for example an NVIDIA GEFORCE xx60 (1060, 2060, 3060, 4060) model card is typically mid tier, I classify a card based on it's actual relative performance in modern games. While a 3060 and 2060 Ti would have been mid tier before, they are now low tier. The new 4060 is so close in performance to a 3060 Ti, and considering it's using xx50 (1050, 2050, 3050) model tier specs, it is now considered a low tier card technically. AMD RADEON cards tend to have a model number skew in their tier performance. the x600 (5600, 6600, 7600, 9060) cards tend to be low tier always, and the mid tier doesn't start until the x700 (5700, 6700, 7700, 9070). Enthusiast GPUs are extremely high priced but extremely high performance models and that's usually the xx80 Ti or Super and xx90 for Nvidia and x900 or xx90 for AMD.

Do know that all GPUs on this list will play modern games at least 1080p medium, so even if the card is labeled low tier, don't be fooled into thinking it is a "bad card". Value for performance is important Back to top

Workstation Builds

Workstation builds for amateur and professional use like video production, 3D modeling, etc

Tier 1 - Amateur ~$1500 CPU AMD RYZEN 7 9700X 8 Core Ryzen 6th Gen (Zen 5) 8 cores 16 Threads 5.5 GHz Boost 65w TDP AM5 $305 GPU GEFORCE RTX 5060 Ti 16GB Gigabyte WINDFORCE GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB Blackwell 4608 CUDA Cores 180w TDP $430 MOBO AM5 B850 MicroATX ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi AM5 B850 ATX WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2 2.5Gb Ethernet $150 RAM 64GB DDR5 6000 G.Skill Flare X5 64GB 6000 DDR5 2x32GB 6000 MHz CL30 $188 SSD 2TB NVMe SSD TEAMGROUP T-FORCE G50 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 4.0 $105 PSU 750w Power Supply MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 750 Watts ATX 80+ Gold Modular ATX 3.0 - 12VHPWR $110 COOLER Water Cooler - Mid End Thermalright Frozen Prism 240mm AiO 250w Max TDP $48 CASE ATX Mid Tower FRACTAL DESIGN POP AIR ATX Fans Included $90

Notes

Good entry workstation for professional workloads like compiling, photo editing and graphic design, occasional video editing, occasional 3D rendering.

 View Build Tier 2 - Prosumer ~$5200 CPU AMD RYZEN 9 9950X3D 16 Core Ryzen 6th Gen (Zen 5) 16 cores 32 Threads 5.7 GHz Boost 170w TDP 3D V-Cache AM5 $700 GPU GeForce RTX 5090 32GB Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 5090 32 GB Blackwell 21760 CUDA Cores 575w TDP AV1 Encode $2900 MOBO AM5 X870 ATX GIGABYTE X870 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 AM5 X870 ATX 2.5Gb Ethernet 4x M.2 Slots $290 RAM 96GB DDR5 6000 G.Skill Flare X5 64GB 6000 DDR5 2x48GB 6000 MHz CL30 $300 SSD 4TB NVMe SSD TEAMGROUP T-FORCE G50 4TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 4.0 $220 SSD 4TB NVMe SSD TEAMGROUP T-FORCE G50 4TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 4.0 $220 PSU 1250w Power Supply MSI A1250GL PCIE5 1250 Watts ATX 80+ Gold Modular ATX 3.0 - 12VHPWR $220 COOLER Water Cooler - High End Thermalright Frozen Prism 360mm AiO 280w Max TDP $55 CASE ATX Mid Tower Fractal Design Torrent ATX Fans Included $205

Notes

This is the best tier for price to performance for workstations, before you start getting into much more expensive Threadripper based systems. You can also game on this and use this for AI generation like Stable Diffusion.

 View Build Tier 3 - Professional $13,300 CPU AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7980X 64 Core Ryzen 5th Gen (Zen 4) 64 cores 128 Threads 5.1 GHz Boost 350w TDP sTR5 $4800 GPU 2 x NVIDIA RTX A5000 24GB 2 x PNY RTX A5000 24GB Ampere 8192 CUDA Cores 230w TDP $4600 MOBO TRX50 EATX ASUS Pro WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI CEB sTR5 TRX50 CEB/EATX WiFi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 10Gb + 2.5Gb Ethernet 20Gb USB-C IPMI $900 RAM 192GB DDR5 6000 ECC Registered G.SKILL G5 Neo 192GB DDR5 4x48GB 6000 MHz CL30 ECC $1100 SSD 4TB NVMe SSD Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB NVMe SSD M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 5.0 $450 SSD 4TB NVMe SSD Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB NVMe SSD M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 5.0 $450 PSU 1600w Power Supply MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 1600 Watts ATX 80+ Titanium Modular $700 COOLER Water Cooler - High Tier ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 360mm AiO $85 CASE ATX Mid Tower Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL EATX Fans Included $205

Notes

This is where we get into a more crazy high end workstation performance and pricing. You can also choose to do 3 or 4 of these workstation GPUs or get a better single GPU in this setup. The PSU setup allows it and the motherboard has plenty of PCI-E slots. The RTX A5000 is not as powerful as the RTX 4090, but this is a workstation card with ECC memory and can easily be mixed with multiple GPUs. The precision and stability will be wanted for serious production work.

 View Build Tier 4 - Godspeed $27,300 CPU AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX 96 Core Ryzen 5th Gen (Zen 4) 96 cores 192 Threads 5.1 GHz Boost 280w TDP sTR5 $11,000 GPU 2 x NVIDIA RTX A6000 48GB 2 x PNY RTX A6000 48GB Ampere 10752 CUDA Cores 300w TDP $11,000 MOBO sTR5 EATX ASUS Pro WS WRX90E-SAGE SE EEB sWRX8 WRX90E EEB/EATX WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2 2 x 10Gb Ethernet 2 x 40Gbps USB-C IPMI $1250 RAM 384GB DDR5 6000 ECC G.SKILL G5 Neo 384GB DDR5 8x48GB 6000 MHz CL30 ECC $2200 SSD 4TB NVMe SSD Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB NVMe SSD M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 5.0 $450 SSD 4TB NVMe SSD Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB NVMe SSD M.2 2280 NVMe PCI-E 5.0 $450 PSU 1600w Power Supply MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 1600 Watts ATX 80+ Titanium Modular $700 COOLER Water Cooler - High Tier ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 360mm AiO $85 CASE ATX Mid Tower Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL EATX Fans Included $205

Notes

This is probably the best workstation build you can do for now until a new generation of Threadripper comes along. You could technically do a dual socket EPYC setup, but it is much more complex to setup since it's not designed for workstation use.

 View Build

Disclaimers

Prices change EVERYDAY I have approximated or rounded prices here. Things could be cheaper or more expensive. Stock availability varies. My Confidence in these Workstation Build recommendations is not high Workstations and workstation needs vary a lot. It's not as simple as a Gaming PC to just notch things up a tier. Every workload is unique. That said, I believe these builds to be pretty decent in universal usages I can think of. Additionally, when it comes to serious work, you may want to consider just going with an OEM or professional builder that will provide support for your mission critical needs, especially for Threadripper, such as Lenovo Threadripper Pro workstations. NVIDIA GPUs were selected for their universal support This will depend on your applications and needs. Some applications may be better with RADEON PRO GPUs. Linux works a lot better with AMD RADEON GPUs these days. If you plan to use RADEON, do not get consumer RADEON GPUs, get the RADEON PRO W series GPUs. Back to top

Laptops

Recommended laptops for various needs

Coming Soon This section will be populated soon Laptops Back to top

Monitors

Recommended monitors for Gaming AND Creative work

MSI G272QPF E2 1440p - 27" $210 Resolution 1440p 2560 x 1440 Size 27" 16:9 Curved Panel Refresh Rate 180Hz FreeSync Premium Panel IPS 125% sRGB - 94% DCI-P3 DisplayHDR 400 Connections 1x DP 1.2a, 2x HDMI 2.0b Audio Out View Monitor MSI MAG 341CQP QD-OLED 1440p - 34" - Ultrawide $700 Resolution 1440p 3440 x 1440 Size 34" 21:9 Ultrawide Curved Panel Refresh Rate 175Hz FreeSync Premium Pro Panel QD-OLED 139.1% sRGB - 99.3% DCI-P3 DisplayHDR True Black 400 Connections 1x DP 1.4a, 2x HDMI 2.1 2x USB and Audio View Monitor GIGABYTE AORUS FO32U 4K - 32" $710 Resolution 4K 3840 x 2160 Size 32" 16:9 Flat Panel Refresh Rate 165Hz FreeSync Premium Pro Panel QD-OLED 99% DCI-P3 DisplayHDR True Black 400 Connections 1x DP 1.4, 1x USB-C DP, 2x HDMI 2.1 2x USB View Monitor LG 45GX950A-B 5K - 45" - Ultrawide $2000 Resolution 5K 5120 x 2160 Size 45" 21:9 Ultrawide Curved Panel Refresh Rate 165-330Hz FreeSync Premium Pro Panel QD-OLED 139.1% sRGB - 99.3% DCI-P3 DisplayHDR True Black 400 Connections 1x DP 2.1, 2x HDMI 2.1 1x USB-C PD and Audio View Monitor

Disclaimers

Prices change EVERYDAY I have approximated or rounded prices here. Things could be cheaper or more expensive. Stock availability varies. FreeSync works on Nvidia A monitor no longer has to be listed a G-SYNC to work with Nvidia. Nvidia now supports AMD FreeSync Variable Refresh Rate technology. Back to top

Tips and Resources for PC Gaming & Building

Tips, Tricks, Wikis, Videos, and other resources for PC Building and Gaming

Coming Soon This section will be populated soon PC Gaming and Building Information Resources Back to top

About & FAQ

You have questions. I might have answers

FAQ

Why was this made? People always ask me for recommendations for PC Builds. While PC Build recommendation sites like Logical Increments exist, I have never liked their recomendations and to this day I am still very confused on why their builds are trash. Their budgets don't make sense, their recommendations and layout are confusing for people. They won't even recommend more than 8GB until you're spending $1200. Absolute madness. How could I send friends there for them to piss away their money on garbage. They also have too many steps and each step has a ton of options. Death By Choice. I wanted something simpler to understand, that makes the most out of someone's budget and doesn't waste money on parts that don't matter as much. Are these builds bias? These builds are opinonated but still based on objectivity. I have a bias for AMD but where I recommend them, they are the price to performance king in that category anyway. I also have bias towards specific motherboard and GPU manufacturers (Gigabyte and ASRock for Motherboards for Ryzen for example) based on experiences with them as a long time PC builder and seller with 100 builds to date. Are you making money from this? Nope. There is no ads, no affiliate links, no referrals, no sponsorships. I do provide a link to prebuilt versions of these tiers on my BlueGem Shop where PC purchases have build fees for profit. PCPartPicker makes money on the affiliate buy links on the build links if you use those. Why is the minimum memory 16GB? Won't 8GB do? 8GB might suffice in low to mid tier gaming, but you won't have anything else open in the background. 8GB is not enough and I wouldn't damn anyone to suffer with it when 16GB is only a few bucks more. With so many electron apps these days, going over 16GB of memory usage is easy. Why are water coolers only on high end builds? Good water coolers are quite a bit more expensive than great air coolers. I use water coolers when I build and ship PCs to avoid damage in shipping. But if you're building your own PC iat home, this is not a concern. Water coolers are also a bit more complex to install so this helps less experienced people. If I get more expensive specs, will I be good for X years? Future proofing is not really a thing. New software technologies come out sometimes and older GPUs or CPUs can't support that tech, and they get left behind. New games become more demanding. Don't expect even the best gaming PC to play well in 10 years. The expected optimal performance lifespan of a Gaming PC can range from 4-7 years. I don't know if I can build this myself. Is there a guide? Here's a video from a trusted tech youtuber on how to build a PC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5jFXl0GZJo Do you have builds for my currency or country? No, I'm just one man. That's too much for me to compile. But the specs should translate well just about anywhere. What US Retailers are used for these prices? I have my PcPartPicker set to show from these retailers: Newegg - Amazon - BestBuy - B&H. Back to top