The Best Gaming PC Builds Under $2000 (2024)

Modern gaming PCs can come in all shapes and sizes, offering varying levels of utility to end users depending on the titles they wish to play. Not all gaming PCs are built equally, and one's needs and respective budgets might not match up 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 because of the premium hardware required to sustain a stable high frame rate at that resolution. If users are targeting a Full HD resolution, most $1000 gaming PCs will help them achieve that easily, leaving plenty of options for gamers browsing within that lower price range.

What Do Users Need To Build A Gaming PC

When considering whether to build a gaming PC or purchase a prebuilt alternative, gamers need to focus on these particular components (not necessarily in the order below) and think about how they will 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 users to choose the best build possible, while also catering to different budget and performance classes:

• The Entry Level $500 Gaming PC Builds that target Full HD Gaming
• The Mid-Range $1000 Gaming PC Builds that can handle Full HD and 2K Gaming along with Entry-level VR Support
• High-end $2000 Gaming PC Builds aiming to deliver stellar 2K Ray Traced Performance along with mid-range VR Support
• The Enthusiast-Grade $3000 Gaming PC Builds that can handle 4K Gaming with Ray Tracing (with DLSS/FSR at times)

Game Rant's Best 3 Gaming PC Build Suggestions Under $2,000

Best Overall Gaming PC Build Under $2000

• 

  Intel Core i5 14600KF 14-Core, 20-Thread CPU

  TheIntel 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.

  See at Amazon$303 at Newegg

• 

  MSI MAG Coreliquid E360 AIO Liquid Cooler

  TheMSI MAG CoreLiquid E360 AIO is a value-packed liquid cooler with a rotating water blockhead and three 120 mm ARGB fans. This cooling system benefits from an enlarged copper base which maximizes contact with CPUs for amplified heat exchange. The radiator also utilizes a split pathway design to distribute warm and cold liquid more effectively. Thanks to a water pump with a three-phase motor, the MAG CoreLiquid E360 can balance its cooling power with noise levels and avoid excess vibrations.

  $140 at Walmart$140 at MSI

• 

  GIGABYTE Z790 UD AC Gaming Motherboard

  $180 $200 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.

  See at Amazon$180 at Walmart$180 at Newegg

• 

  TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5 Memory

  $105 $115 Save $10

  The TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta is another great RAM to pair with RTX 4060/4060 Ti GPU. It comes in two 32GB modules that provide up to 64GB of memory after installation. It also features RGB lighting support, 120-ultra-wide lighting, and support for several software for lighting effects. It supports Intel XMP 3.0 one-click overclocking and is compatible with the Intel 600 Series Chipset for the motherboard and CPU.
  

  See at Amazon$105 at Newegg

• 

  SAMSUNG 990 PRO NVMe 4.0 SSD 1TB

  The Samsung 990 Pro is Samsung's latest and greatest PCI-E 4.0 SSD endeavor. It delivers blazing-fast read and write speeds with a solid 5-year warranty and excellent software support in tow via the Samsung Magician software suite allowing for fine-grained control to users giving them the ability to tweak, benchmark, and customize how their SSDs function.

  See at Amazon

• 

  ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GPU

  The Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is powered by Nvidia's Ada Lovelace architecture. It also utilizes DLSS 3 technology for enhanced performance. The card comes with full ray tracing capabilities for realistic visuals. It also features 4th generation Tensor cores. These cores deliver up to four times the performance compared to brute-force rendering of the previous generation. Axial-tech fans are used in the design to facilitate better airflow.

  See at Amazon

  See Also

  How Much RAM (Memory) Do You Need? Different Workloads exploredWhat do you think computers will be like in 2050?The best smart home devices in 20234 Things to Do Before Selling Your Windows PC or Laptop

• 

  GIGABYTE GP-UD1000GM PG5 Rev2.0 1000W PSU

  $145 $160 Save $15

  TheGIGABYTE GP-UD1000GM PG5 Rev2.0 1000W is the second revision of the successful PG5 PSU with the addition of a native 16-pin PCI-E 5.0 power connector and compliance with Intel's new ATX 3.0 PSU standards in a fully modular design backed by as much as 10 years of warranty at an affordable price.

  See at Amazon$145 at Newegg

• 

  Corsair iCUE 4000X ATX Mid Tower Case

  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 120mm or 4x 140mm cooling fans and multiple radiators, including a 360mm in front and 280mm 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.

  See at Amazon

Total Estimated Cost: $2,043

The gaming PC build above is built for a singular purpose: Gaming at the maximum value one can get just a shade under $2k (while slightly exceeding it thanks to higher SSD prices in 2024), and it excels at that task. Pairing Intel's best budget gaming CPU, the Core i5 14600KF, aggressively cooled by the MSI MAG CoreLiquid E360 AIO with the considerably powerful 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, The ASUS ROG Strix 4070TI OC is a cut above, offering a cooler that beats the competition and some of the highest advertised boost clocks in tow. 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 clocks than 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, the top-tier Samsung 990 Pro 1TB is handpicked as the premium weapon of choice for gamers. 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 three M2 slots on offer to ensure gamers can upgrade their storage based on their own needs from time to time. While it might limit serious overclockers, most users would be more than happy to have a Z790 chipset, considering all its convenient USB ports and PCI-E lanes under the hood.

The bundled 32 GB of fast DDR5 RAM clocking in at 6400 MHz from TeamGroup is more than enough for all current games and meets most, if not all, requirements in 2024 with ease. One would be hard-pressed to find a requirement 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 does house 4 DIMM slots, so they can buy another kit of this RAM to go up to as much as 64GB by doubling down on another RAM kit.

Finally, the PCI-E 5.0 and ATX 3.0 compliant Gigabyte GP-UD1000GM Gold PSU can handle up to 1000 watts of power delivery, is fully modular, and 80+ Gold certified. It accomplishes this without an eye-popping price tag and while still offering a native 16-pin connector that the RTX 4070 TI requires. With the available power, this PSU should be good for a couple of GPU and CPU upgrades, unless another massive spike in power requirements from the next generation of GPUs happens, which seems relatively unlikely until 2025 at the earliest.

Best Productivity-Centric Gaming PC Under $2000

• 

  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 four 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 one of the most power-hungry CPUs.

  See at Amazon$394 at Newegg

• 

  MSI MAG Coreliquid E360 AIO Liquid Cooler

  TheMSI MAG CoreLiquid E360 AIO is a value-packed liquid cooler with a rotating water blockhead and three 120 mm ARGB fans. This cooling system benefits from an enlarged copper base which maximizes contact with CPUs for amplified heat exchange. The radiator also utilizes a split pathway design to distribute warm and cold liquid more effectively. Thanks to a water pump with a three-phase motor, the MAG CoreLiquid E360 can balance its cooling power with noise levels and avoid excess vibrations.

  $140 at Walmart$140 at MSI

• 

  CORSAIR Vengeance DDR5 16G x 2 Kit (CL36)

  TheCORSAIR Vengeance DDR5 5600MHz 16G x 2 Kit is a capable DDR5 RAM kit that delivers the performance that Intel's latest 13th-generation processors demand at 5600MHz while not being too heavy on the wallet while being compatible with Intel's latest market standard for XMP (3.0).

  See at Amazon$120 at Newegg$120 at Walmart

• 

  MSI PRO Z790-A WiFi Gaming Motherboard

  TheMSI PRO Z790-A Wi-Fi Gaming Motherboard is an excellent, well-rounded Z790 motherboard with plenty of connectivity features while supporting Intel's 12th and 13th-generation processors. In addition, it has a decent 16+1+1 phase power delivery system at a price that makes it comparable to Intel's more budget B760 motherboards.

  See Also

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  See at Amazon$240 at Best Buy$220 at Newegg$220 at Walmart

• 

  XPG 1TB GAMMIX S70 Blade SSD

  TheXPG 1TB GAMMIX S70 Blade SSD is an excellent value-added SSD that offers some of the fastest possible speeds one can get on PCI-E 4.0 making it a great addition to both PCs and game consoles for those looking to spruce up their PS5's storage this summer. With a heat spreader that the company states works well for the PS5 console and a powerful controller able to handle the highest possible read/write speeds one could need as a consumer, the Gammix S70 Blade is a complete package with a price no one can argue with.

  See at Amazon

• 

  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 2560 MHz, and a powerful triple fan cooling solution.

  See at Amazon

• 

  MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5 PSU

  $170 $200 Save $30

  TheMSI 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.

  See at Amazon$170 at Newegg

• 

  LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 PC Case

  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.

  $100 at NeweggSee at Amazon

Total Estimated Cost: $1,995

This gaming PC build combines the power of Intel's latest 14th-generation CPU and AMD's 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 any game thrown its way even in 2024, though it struggles somewhat with Ray Tracing at higher presets. The build uses a low-latency Corsair 32GB (16G x 2) DDR5 kit clocked at 5600MHz to keep things fast and affordable at the same time. For users requiring more RAM, the MSI motherboard in this build has 4 DIMM slots to allow for easy upgrades in the future.

For storage, a budget-priced, fast XPG Gammix Blade SSD is used to keep the price under $2000, but users can go for a larger 2TB SKU for an additional $50 if they require it. All of these components will easily fit in the airflow-centric Lian Li Lancool 216 case. This case offers excellent cooling performance and leverages the excellent, cost-effective MSI MAG Coreliquid E360 cooler that can be mounted in 2 different directions to keep the CPU's temperature in check.

For users wanting more RGB lighting control, the Lancool also offers support for a dedicated RGB controller built into the case. This allowsallowing for better cable management and fewer wires in the front of the PC, giving it a more professional look for a productivity-centric system in 2024.

Best Premium CPU-Centric Gaming PC Under $2000

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  AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

  $400 $450 Save $50

  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.

  See at Amazon$400 at Newegg$397 at Walmart

• 

  DeepCool Liquid Cooler LS720 360MM ARGB Liquid Cooler

  TheDeepCool 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.

  See at Amazon$140 at Newegg

• 

  G.Skill Flare X5 Series (AMD Expo) 6000MHz 32GB (CL36)

  TheG.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.

  See at Amazon$103 at Newegg$98 at Walmart

• 

  NZXT N7 B650E Gaming Wi-Fi 6 Motherboard

  TheNZXT 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.

  See at Amazon$418 at Newegg

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  Kingston NV2 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe Internal SSD

  This internal solid-state drive from Kingston has 1 TB of digital storage capacity. The NV2 series SSD is designed to be compatible with laptops. It operates on PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4 technology, features an M.2 2280 form factor, and delivers read speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s. It has lower power requirements, generating minimal heat, which makes it perfect for compact devices.

  See at Amazon$63 at Newegg

• 

  ASUS Dual RTX 4070 SUPER OC 12G

  ASUS's dual-fan take on the RTX 4070 SUPER is possibly one of the most cost-effective launch units with a decent factory overclock.

  The RTX 4070 SUPER itself adds 15 to 20 percent gains in terms of raw performance to Nvidia's first RTX 4000 series SUPER GPU release versus its predecessor.

  The 2.56 Slot GPU offers a relatively compact take on the RTX 4070 SUPER which also sees itself featured in larger premium tri-fan SKUs even as it sees a significant performance increase versus the RTX 4060 Ti thanks to its GDDR6X memory on offer.

  See at Amazon$610 at Newegg$610 at Best Buy$610 at Walmart

• 

  GIGABYTE GP-UD1000GM PG5 Rev2.0 1000W PSU

  $145 $160 Save $15

  TheGIGABYTE GP-UD1000GM PG5 Rev2.0 1000W is the second revision of the successful PG5 PSU with the addition of a native 16-pin PCI-E 5.0 power connector and compliance with Intel's new ATX 3.0 PSU standards in a fully modular design backed by as much as 10 years of warranty at an affordable price.

  See at Amazon$145 at Newegg

• 

  LIAN LI PC-O11 Dynamic Razer Edition PC Case

  The Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Razer Edition PC Case is an ATX mid-tower case that perfectly combines style and function. Lian Li has customized its incredibly popular PC-O11 Dynamic Case to please fans of Razer gaming peripherals. The case features a dual chamber chassis design and front and side tempered glass for a modern sleep look. The Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Razer Edition fully supports the Razer Synapse 3 RGB ecosystem to sync up case lights with Razer keyboards, mice, and headsets.

  $212 at WalmartSee at Amazon

Total Estimated Cost: $1,936

This is the most powerful gaming PC build on the menu in terms of CPU power. It aims to use the best available AMD gaming CPU in a package that can play the latest games at FHD and 2K with ease, and even pushes 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 the newly launched ASUS RTX 4070 SUPER Dual OC, which comes very close to an RTX 4070 TI's performance to handle games at high resolutions.

It is supported by an excellent white-themed 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, along with 1TB of Kingston's reliable, affordable PCI-E 4.0 SSD storage makes sure there is very little, if any, waiting time for games to load.

The PC saves money on a cooler compared to its peers by going for a reliable tri-slot offering from DeepCool (LS720) that costs just under $100, opting to spend more on the premium Lian Li O11 EVO Dynamic case featuring a Razer theme. With a 1000W PCI-E 5.0 and ATX 3.0 Gigabyte PSU to power anything up to an RTX 4090 GPU upgrade, this PC can handle anything in terms of power upgrades. It can also cool significantly higher TDP CPUs 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 4070 SUPER listed above to an RX 7900XTX, which would cost about $2250, 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.