Crafting the Ultimate Gaming PC in 2024
Building a gaming PC allows for total customization to meet specific gaming needs and budget constraints. In 2024, the choices range from modest $500 builds to extravagant setups exceeding $4,000. This guide provides comprehensive insights into constructing the best PC for gaming or productivity, catering to a wide range of budgets.
The Art of Choosing and Pricing PC Builds
Our recommendations are grounded in extensive component expertise, market research, and performance testing of crucial components like CPUs, GPUs, and SSDs. While striving to meet specific price points, it's important to note that the builds are dynamically updated as market prices fluctuate.
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GPU Recommendations: Flexibility in Choice
When selecting GPUs, our approach is to recommend types rather than specific models. For instance, we might suggest an RTX 4070 Ti, linking to a variety of available cards rather than a specific brand like Zotac. This strategy accommodates the ever-changing prices and stock availability in the graphics card market.
Excluding OS and Peripheral Costs
Our build costs do not include the operating system, as Windows can be obtained for free or at a low cost. Additionally, peripheral expenses like monitors, keyboards, or mice are not factored into the build prices.
Building a PC: A Step-by-Step Guide
For those new to PC building, our article on how to construct a PC provides a detailed guide, ensuring even first-timers can confidently assemble their gaming rig.
Best $500 PC Build for Gaming
At this budget, a discrete graphics card is attainable, enabling 1080p gaming with moderate settings. We recommend Intel's Arc A380 for its balance of performance, VRAM, and encoding capabilities. It averages 54.7 fps at 1080p medium settings, with potential improvements thanks to driver updates.
Selecting the Right CPU
The Intel Core i3-13100F, priced just over $100, offers excellent value with four performance cores and a boost clock of 4.5 GHz. It competes well with AMD's Ryzen 5 5600 but at a lower cost.
Motherboard and Memory Choices
An Intel 700 series motherboard like the ASRock B760M-HDV, priced at $89, complements the 13100F CPU. We pair this with 16GB of DDR4 PC-3200 RAM in a 2x8GB configuration, emphasizing that a gaming PC should not have less than 16GB of RAM.
Storage and Case Selection
For storage, the Crucial P3 Plus SSD offers an affordable option with PCIe 4.0 support. The Thermaltake Versa H18 case provides a tempered glass side panel and ample cooling space, all within a budget-friendly price.
Best $800 PC Build for Gaming
Increasing the budget to $800 unlocks significantly better gaming and productivity performance. This build features the Core i5-13400F, a potent mix of performance and efficiency cores, providing impressive gaming capabilities at 1080p.
Performance and Value of the Core i5-13400F
The Core i5-13400F stands out for its value, offering high frame rates in 1080p gaming tests. Its blend of price and performance makes it an ideal choice for various builds.
