Best 1440p gaming PC build: parts, budget and FPS

Why 1440p is the sweet spot

1440p (2560 × 1440) looks clearly sharper than 1080p on a 27-inch monitor, and it costs far less to run than 4K. A 27-inch 1440p monitor at 144–180 Hz is the most popular upgrade for gamers right now.

It needs a stronger graphics card than 1080p, roughly a class higher, but the rest of the PC stays about the same.

The parts that matter

• Graphics card: aim for a current mid-to-upper card with 12 GB or more of video memory. 8 GB cards can run 1440p, but new games on high settings already run short of memory.
• Processor: a 6- or 8-core chip such as the Ryzen 5 7600, Ryzen 7 7700 or Core i5-14600K. At 1440p the graphics card does more of the work, so a mid-range CPU is fine. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the fastest gaming CPU if the budget allows.
• Memory: 32 GB (2 × 16 GB) DDR5 is the comfortable choice for a new 1440p build.
• Storage: 1–2 TB NVMe SSD.
• Power supply: 650–750 W from a known brand, more for the biggest cards.

What it costs

A complete 1440p gaming PC (no monitor) costs about this much. Each budget page lists the parts with today's price, updated every day:

See our ₹1,00,000, ₹1,20,000 and ₹1,50,000 builds.

See the $1,000 and $1,500 builds.

See the £1,000 and £1,500 builds.

See the €1,000 and €1,500 builds.

Check your games first

• The FPS calculator estimates frame rates at 1080p, 1440p and 4K for any CPU and graphics card pair.
• Each game page, for example in games, lists the cards that hit 60 FPS at 1440p.
• Compare two cards side by side in compare before you decide.

Common mistakes

• Buying an 8 GB card for a new 1440p build you plan to keep for years.
• A cheap power supply with a power-hungry card. Check the PSU calculator.
• Forgetting to set the monitor to its full refresh rate in Windows display settings after setup.