Best gaming PC under $1000 build 2024

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Table of Contents

With this build, our main goal was to provide the best gaming PC for under $1,000! It’s at this price range that you start to make fewer and fewer compromises and can instead focus on gaming performance. You’re now officially at the higher end of the mid-range category where maxing out AAA titles at 1440p becomes a doddle, with a decent foray into 4k performance too.

The great thing about this build is that the GPU and storage will be sufficient for years. While the CPU and motherboard offer reliability and solid performance too – they are from the previous generation and may be the first part of the build you want to upgrade in the future. Overall, we believe this is one of the best all-around builds for around the 1000-dollar mark. Please note that prices of the hardware do fluctuate daily, our team works tirelessly to try and ensure the price is as close to $1,000 as possible.

Build of the month

This is the ultimate 1000-dollar gaming PC, packed full of the most advanced hardware possible primed to give you an edge in whatever workload you undertake. The Ryzen 5 5600X gives unparalleled performance for a CPU at this price point and offers plenty of go-power to support the RTX 4070. Speaking of, the RTX 4070 has more than enough power to play games at 60 FPS in 1440p, you might be able to get some 4k gameplay out of this GPU if you’re playing older titles or turn down the graphics. The inclusion of DLSS 3 makes 4k upscaled gameplay evermore achievable for less and less money. 

You might be a little worried about the fact that we’re choosing to build this $1000 gaming PC on the AM4 platform, well don’t worry. AM4 is here to stay, at least for the next 3 years, and there’s still plenty of room for a CPU upgrade beyond the 5600X, which should suit your needs for some time. However, if there were something we’d suggest you upgrade to future-proof your system, it would be the upgrade to AM5, but this upgrade will be costly. 

How we test

We build our office PCs from scratch to make sure all the parts we recommend work well together and fit comfortably into the recommended case. Once built, our custom-built PCs are used in the office every single working day. We also get a good amount of testing in for games – from light to heavy-duty. In the process of testing, we also conduct some benchmarking tests to see how well our builds perform, all while keeping an eye on component temperate and general stability of the system.

If at any point you’re ever worried about the performance of your system, you can always dabble in the world of overclocking, we have selected components in this build that can all easily be overclocked to squeeze a bit extra performance from them. A word of caution though, please read our how-to overclock guide before trying to over-task your new custom build.

Now you have chosen your desired build, there are a few things to discuss before you make that all-important purchase. To take any stress away, we have outlined a few different factors for your consideration below.

The WePC experts that worked on this build

Benchmarking Specialist
Team Seb

Sebastian Kozlowski

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Seb is a Mechanical Engineering Graduate who has always been passionate and involved in gaming and computers. Ever since tinkering with the family computer and being the tech wizard in the family, he’s had an interest in PCs and all things tech. So while at University build his own computer, became tech support for others and finally found a career working with them daily.

Benchmarking Specialist
Team Jack

Jack Howarth

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Jack has has a keen interest in computers and video creation for a little over 10 years, and with a professional background in PC building, an education in cyber security and a life long love for gaming,
he really likes to not only play games but to know what makes the PCs driving them tick! The perfect pick for a Benchmarker.

Custom Build Specialist
Team Shaun

Shaun Conroy

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Shaun is a gaming enthusiast and computer science graduate who has been working with computers for the last 15 years. He took a shine to competitive FPS back in the mid-2000s and hasn’t looked back since.

Prebuilt gaming PC under $1000

Not everyone is fond of building their own PCs; this is where the prebuilt gaming PC comes in. Whether you can’t find the time, worry about breaking your new components, or just want to take advantage of those company warranties, a prebuilt can be a good option. Our recommendation for the best-prebuilt gaming PCs under $1000 offers great value for money.

As it stands, this prebuilt with an RTX 4060 is going to give you some reasonable in-game results for the price, however, nowhere near the power of our recommended build but this PC will cut through any game in 1080p, with some passable 1440p performance too.

PC Parts List

  • Last Updated - Apr 22, 2024

We’ve talked about what this build can do and what the requirements are. Now, let’s talk about what makes up the insides of this $1,000 gaming computer.

Corsair iCUE 4000D RGB

Our $1000 Custom Gaming PC

Our best custom gaming PC for under $1000 offers a great combination of performance and value. This is an excellent example of well-invested cash, with solid gaming capability at an affordable price. With this RTX 4070 build we need to squeeze in an older generation CPU, however, you are getting one of the best gaming CPUs on the market.

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We are trying to keep the price of this build as close to the $1000 mark as possible while also still recommending components we would choose. This means we have had to stick with AM4 and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X. Just to be clear, it is a fantastic CPU all-round, however, it is from the previous generation. Despite this, it’s still one of the best CPUs at this price point.

Regardless, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a solid price-to-performance CPU and comes with a max boost speed of 4.6GHz. We’ve run various benchmarking tests on the new-gen lineups and found the Ryzen 56/56X variants offer the best performance for the price.

We have opted for the MSI B550M PRO-VDH Wifi motherboard, a budget-friendly motherboard that still makes a solid pairing with the Ryzen 5 5600X. This best motherboard might seem like a compromise, but there are still more than enough features on this board to bring the build together. The MSI PRO features some room for future expansions and storage upgrades, M.2 compatibility, wifi, and fast RAM support. However, if you want the new PCIe Gen 5 storage option, you’ll have to upgrade to AM5.

 

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No cooler was selected. This is because the Ryxen 5 5600X comes with an AMD Stealth cooler in the box.

A powerful gaming PC needs a fast, reliable memory kit. This is one of the best DDR4 RAM kits from Corsair, with a 16GB capacity and speeds of 3200MHz. The performance of this RAM kit has been proven to enhance the PC’s gaming potential, especially when paired with an AMD Ryzen processor. This is because a 5000 series Ryzen’s core communication speed is directly tied to RAM speed, so faster memory is better for Ryzen.

41rU4XIK2eL. SL500

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 White OC Edition 12GB

GPU Clock Speed

2550MHz (OC) 2520MHz (Default)

Vram Capacity

12GB GDDR6X.

Output

1x (Native HDMI 2.1) 3x (Native DisplayPort 1.4a) HDCP Support (2.3)

DLSS?

DLSS 3.0

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41rU4XIK2eL. SL500

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 White OC Edition 12GB

GPU Clock Speed

2550MHz (OC) 2520MHz (Default)

Vram Capacity

12GB GDDR6X.

Output

1x (Native HDMI 2.1) 3x (Native DisplayPort 1.4a) HDCP Support (2.3)

DLSS?

DLSS 3.0

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The RTX 4070 graphics card hails from Nvidia’s most recent RTX 40 series, offering exceptional performance in 1440p. With some optimizing and graphical tweaks, there is some room for 4K gaming, although this GPU is at its best in 1440p.  This model sports 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM and an efficient cooling solution. This GPU will enable you to play any modern title, while also providing those who love esports with high FPS counts for high refresh rate monitors.

For the Ray-tracing connoisseurs out there, this GPU performs exceptionally with RTX enabled, although, as it is the norm with Ray-tracing, you can expect to lose a chunk of FPS. If you have a little more cash lying around, you can always opt for the RTX 4070 Ti, which we’ve reviewed extensively. Now that the super version of the 4070 is out, the vanilla  4070 Ti can be picked up at a hefty discount.

An SSD is the way to go if you want to decrease the loading times of your operating system and games dramatically.  This 1TB NVMe SSD is renowned for being extremely reliable, meaning you won’t be worrying about a failed drive anytime soon. Furthermore, the size is more than enough to store windows and a few larger games.

NVMe SSDs are the fastest and most reliable storage solution we have right now. So we’re confident that the WD Black will serve you well in this build.

Corsair 4000D Airflow

Corsair 4000D Airflow Black

Type

Mid-tower

Motherboard Support

ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX

Dimensions

17.83 x 9.06 x 18.35 inches

Included Fans

2 x 120mm AirGuide fans

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Corsair 4000D Airflow

Corsair 4000D Airflow Black

Type

Mid-tower

Motherboard Support

ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX

Dimensions

17.83 x 9.06 x 18.35 inches

Included Fans

2 x 120mm AirGuide fans

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Corsair’s 4000D Airflow PC case is one of the best sub-$100 options out there. There is no compromising with this case, it is ready to go straight out of the box, with 2 x 120mm none-descript Corsair fans pre-installed for cooling and airflow.

The 4000D also has a sleek, stylish tempered glass side panel for PC admiration. Whilst this is the norm for most PC cases these days, it’s important to mention that some more budget “airflow” options do not offer this feature. This Corsair PC case is one of the simplest cases to build in, with plenty of cable management opportunities built into the case.

Now, you are going to need a reliable PSU to power $1000 gaming PC, that’s exactly where the Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 comes in. Aside from being a brand you can trust, this PSU can put out 750W with a gold efficiency rating, features ATX 3.0/ PCIe 5 compatibility, and is built to last.

The recommended power supply for this build is about 600W leaving you ample capacity to upgrade your rig with a better CPU, GPU, or Memory in the future.

Corsair iCUE 4000D RGB

Our $1000 Custom Gaming PC

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Things To Consider

What you get for your $1000

We know the budget in this case is around $1000, but it is still important to make sure it’s the right budget for your gaming needs. For the hardcore gamers out there, it could be worth considering the next step up to truly enhance your overall gaming experience in those AAA games. It is worth mentioning, that at the $1000 mark, you’re getting an excellent price for performance and great value for your hard-earned cash. The cost of this build may slightly change from time to time as the prices on Amazon can fluctuate, but in any case, it’s a top gaming build.

At this price point, there is a little bit more planning required to get the absolute best experience out of the system. That being said, you are still going to get a high-end gaming PC for your $1000. Nvidia’s RTX 4070 graphics card brings ray tracing and Nvdia’s cutting-edge DLSS 3, plus exceptional results for gaming in all resolutions. At this price range, you’re going to struggle to get the very best graphics cards out there, but the RTX 4070 is a fantastic option. 

You could easily go for AMD or Intel CPUs in this build, however, AMD’s 5000-series still offers excellent price to performance. Graphically, you can expect excellent results in 1440p while playing in max settings or with a high refresh rate monitor, and even 4k with moderate expectations – although we recommend this build for those with a 1440p monitor and below.

With this build, you are getting a 1TB Samsung 980 NVMe SSD, which is more than enough to store your operating system and games. This SSD will not only give you quicker boot times, but it will also improve the gaming performance. While we are talking about performance, it is important to mention the 16GB RAM kit in this build too. A high-capacity memory kit is essential, and while this kit only features a clock speed of 3200MHz, it will still increase your gaming performance and serve you well for years.

Non-Gaming Performance

So how do these powerful gaming builds stack up for non-gaming performance? The AMD CPU and its twelve threads make light work of multitasking and give you great workstation potential. That being said, both paths will handle whatever you throw at them. With that being said this $1000 build powered by AMD offers great flexibility and performance no matter the workload. 

How to upgrade your $1000 gaming PC

There are an infinite number of possibilities when it comes to upgrading PCs, you can usually find a better part than what you currently have, and even if you have the best of the best, there will be more parts out in a year or so. 

Upgrading this gaming PC will be costly if you want to upgrade the platform to AM5, for the Ryzen 7000 series or LGA 1700, to accommodate for Intel 12 – 14th gen. Both of these upgrade paths will require new motherboards, memory, and CPUs. So it’s the dealers’ choice. If you want the best of the best Intel has to offer, you can always grab an i9 with a Z790 motherboard. Or if you want to stick with AMD, a Ryzen 9 with an X670 motherboard might be worth considering. 

The trick is to do all this upgrading without introducing a bottleneck to your system. 

Overclocking on a $1000 budget

This $1000 gaming PC may not feature the same level of components you would see from the $2000 gaming PC, but it is still high-end and features plenty of room for overclocking. Squeezing extra power out of your PC becomes a bit more important for some, especially when the budget is tight. With that in mind, we have selected products we know can handle overclocking.

Both processors are ‘unlocked’ and ready to roll with a clock boost if you need a little more performance. To back up the CPUs, we have selected motherboards that can handle such tweaks. It is also worth noting that you will need to XMP overclock your RAM to get it running at its advertised speed of 3600MHz. This can be done in the BIOS, most manufacturers have simplified the process, and it takes less than a few clicks to apply the standard XMP profile.

Can you get nice Aesthetics on a $1000 budget?

This gaming PC features a sleek case and gives you some fantastic aesthetics out of the box. Of course, if you desire extra style, you can always add touches of RGB here and there. Not everyone wants to pimp out their PC, but RGB fans or even lighting strips can make a tempered glass case look even better.

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Upgrade options

  • Last Updated - Apr 22, 2024

At the $1000 mark, there is always going to be room for upgrades. While this gaming PC performs brilliantly, there is nothing wrong with boosting the build to further future-proof it for the years ahead. Below we have outlined some upgrades to take this build to the next level.

We’ve tried to keep these upgrade components within the realm of a $1000 build without straying into the $1500 or $2000 build marks, hence why you’re not seeing any AM5 here, despite that being the wise choice when upgrading this $1000 gaming PC build. 

Note: These upgrades will raise the price of the build and push it over the $1000 mark, but if you have some cash to spare, these will make great additions.

At the $1000 mark, there is always going to be room for upgrades. While this gaming PC performs brilliantly, there is nothing wrong with boosting the build to further future-proof it for the years ahead. Below we have outlined some upgrades to take this build to the next level.

We’ve tried to keep these upgrade components within the realm of a $1000 build without straying into the $1500 or $2000 build marks, hence why you’re not seeing any AM5 here, despite that being the wise choice when upgrading this $1000 gaming PC build. 

Note: These upgrades will raise the price of the build and push it over the $1000 mark, but if you have some cash to spare, these will make great additions.

Operating System & Peripherals

Now, ideally, you’ll already have a pre-existing OS and peripherals to transfer over from your old machine to your new one. But, in case you don’t, we’ve included this section on peripherals for this 1k rig.

Note: These will raise the price of the build!

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Building Tips

This $1000 rig might be nice, but the act of physically placing the components together is just as important as carefully choosing the right components.

For first-time builders, it is important to be aware of the common mistakes that newbies make. It’s also not unusual to have some questions about PC building common, so don’t feel silly for needing the extra help.

FAQs

Should you consider newer generation parts?

When it comes to the newer generations, there comes a higher cost with this new hardware. AMD’s platform of AM5 has inflated costs with DDR5 only that is yet to come down. Whilst Intel or GPU’s newer hardware is more expensive overall with the improvements they bring. So there is nothing wrong with looking back to get some parts.

Is it better to build a gaming PC for $1000?

The choice between build and buy has been one that many have asked for a long time. The main points to consider are whether or not you’re comfortable building a PC, and whether or not you can be bothered. 

There are more advantages to getting a prebuilt, mainly the fact that you don’t have to build the PC, and it usually comes with a warranty of some kind. On the flip side, building a PC yourself will save you some money, because you don’t have to pay for labor putting your PC together. 

Closing Thoughts

This $1000 PC is one you don’t want to miss out on, we have designed this PC to offer an excellent price to performance and value for money, you certainly won’t find a pre-built out there for the same price that offers the same performance. The Ryzen 5 5600X and the RTX 4070 offer a fantastic pairing with a minimal bottleneck. You now have a PC with the ability to play practically any game in high settings, this rig supports both 4k and VR gaming and has all the future-proofing you’ll need. Except maybe the CPU and motherboard platform, that might be something you’ll want to look into upgrading in a few years.

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