How these lists are made
Each list comes from our budget planner: it spends most of the money on the graphics card, keeps every part compatible (socket, memory type, case size, power) and re-prices the whole list every day from recent US listings. The totals below are today's estimates in dollars, before sales tax.
Gaming PC under $800
The entry point for gaming at 1080p: medium to high settings in most new games and very high frame rates in esports titles.
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Processor AMD Ryzen 5 5600X $115 -
Graphics card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 8GB $250 -
Motherboard ASUS Prime B550M-A (mATX) $90 -
Memory Dell A9321912-OEM 16 GB DDR4 Memory $105 -
Storage Verbatim Vi3000 PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD 256GB $85 -
Power supply MSI MAG A650BN 650W 80+ Bronze $60 -
Cabinet Chieftec AS-02B-OP Mid-Tower Case $50
Gaming PC under $1,000
The most popular budget: a faster graphics card for high refresh 1080p or comfortable 1440p.
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Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700X $115 -
Graphics card AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT 12GB $450 - Motherboard ASUS Prime B550M-A (mATX) $90
- Memory Dell A9321912-OEM 16 GB DDR4 Memory $105
- Storage Verbatim Vi3000 PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD 256GB $85
- Power supply MSI MAG A650BN 650W 80+ Bronze $60
- Cabinet Chieftec AS-02B-OP Mid-Tower Case $50
Gaming PC under $1,500
For 1440p at high refresh rates and a platform with room to upgrade.
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Processor Intel Core i5-14400F $180 -
Graphics card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB $800 -
Motherboard MSI PRO B760M-E DDR4 (mATX) $135 - Memory Dell A9321912-OEM 16 GB DDR4 Memory $105
- Storage Verbatim Vi3000 PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD 256GB $85
- Power supply MSI MAG A650BN 650W 80+ Bronze $60
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Cabinet ASUS A21 Case $90
Buying tips for the US
- Watch Black Friday, Prime Day and back-to-school sales; graphics cards and SSDs drop the most.
- Check the return window before you buy. Open-box deals can save money on cases and power supplies.
- Budget for Windows, a monitor and peripherals separately; none are in these totals.
FAQ
Can you build a good gaming PC for $800 in 2026?
Yes, for 1080p. The list above shows today's parts and total; most new games run at high settings at 1080p on a build at this level.
Is $1,000 enough for a 1440p gaming PC?
Yes for many games, especially with upscaling (DLSS or FSR). For high refresh 1440p in demanding games, the $1,500 list is the safer pick.
Do these prices include tax?
No. They are estimates before sales tax, and they change daily. Press a store button to see the real price.
