Need the best gaming PC for 2019? This guide gives you five of the best gaming computer builds and pre-built gaming PC options at a variety of price points.
With modern PC games advancing at such a rapid rate, there is no surprise that there are multiple games that have been released that most standard cookie-cutter computers (cheap pre-built systems) can barely handle. And, as PC gamers we like to have and experience the best… We like to play our games on the highest settings possible, with the highest framerate possible.
Fortunately, in this day and age, even a budget gaming PC build will allow you to play most games on higher settings on an affordable 1080p monitor. (Although, in this guide, we’ll be talking about high-end gaming computers, rather than budget-friendly systems.)
This is especially true when you take it upon yourself to build your own custom gaming desktop, which will ultimately save you a ton of money on the markup prices that you would’ve paid for a prebuilt gaming computer (like an Alienware or Cyber Power PC system) or a high-end gaming laptop.
The good news is that building a computer is a very doable thing for just about anyone. Seriously… if you can operate a screwdriver and read, then I’m pretty confident that you can build your own PC.
In this guide, we’ve given you part lists for the most powerful gaming PC builds at five different price ranges. We’ve also linked to similarly-priced high-end pre-built gaming computers as well so that if you don’t want to build your own desktop, you can go the pre-built route as well. These pre-built systems won’t offer quite the same performance as if you were to build a computer for the same amount of money. However, they should still give you a fairly high-end experience.
Table of Contents
1. Quick-Look: 5 of the Best Gaming Desktops
2. Elite $2,000 Gaming Desktop
4. High-End $1,500 Gaming Computer
Quick-Look: Our Top Picks for the Best Gaming PC Builds
For those of you who just want to get right into ordering the parts for your system, I’ve put together five different pre-made part lists ($1,000, $1,250, $1,500, $1,750, & $2,000) so that you can bypass the component selection process and get right into building your new high-end, self-built gaming PC for 2019.
These part lists are updated with the top components at the best prices on a regular basis. So, if you’re looking at these builds you can bet they’ll give you maximum performance for the budget you’ve set. And, if you’re looking for a similarly priced pre-built gaming computer, just click on the “PRE-BUILT »” link to check out an alternative desktop option.
*Note: As all of these PC builds come with high-end NVIDIA graphics cards, make sure you pair them with a solid G-Sync monitor in order to take full advantage of the power they offer.
| NAME | SPECS | |||
EXTREME |  | $2,000 Gaming PC | ||
ULTRA |  | $1,750 Gaming PC | ||
HIGH-END |  | $1,500 Gaming PC | ||
BALANCED |  | $1,250 Gaming PC | ||
VALUE 4K |  | $1,000 Gaming PC |
*These components are updated about once per week. If the lists contain components that are out-of-stock or if the price is higher than listed, either search for similar replacement components or use the comment form below to ask for advice on alternative options.
Elite $2,000 Gaming Desktop Build
So you’ve decided to go all out… You’re not spending a dime under $2,000 on computer parts for your new ridiculously awesome computer build. Alright… that’s cool…
I guess some people just have to have the best!
Fortunately, for $2,000 you can really max out your build. You can run a high-end video card. You can utilize a processor with eight cores and threads (which will really help you with stuff like video rendering and image editing.) And, you can leave yourself with a ton of options for upgrading in the future.
This is a high-end 4K gaming computer that can easily handle virtual reality games with the Oculus Rift headset and can serve as a powerful workstation as well. Also, if you’re going to drop this much on a PC, be sure to pair it with some high-end peripherals as well, like a solid computer gaming chair, a G-Sync monitor, and a nice-sounding PC gaming headset.
This build comes with an Intel Core i7-9700K processor, an RTX 2080 graphics card, and 16GB of RAM. The combination of the RTX 2080 and the i7-9700K CPU will be more than powerful enough to have you maxing out games on a 4K monitor or a 1440P 144Hz monitor.
This system also comes with a 500GB NVME SSD, a 4TB hard drive, and an 850W Platinum power supply. And, while there are a wide option of computer cases that would be able to accommodate this part list, we’ve included the Thermaltake Core X71 for its large size, tempered glass side panel, and its above-average air flow. You can check out our guide on the best full tower cases for more options.
Ultimately, this gaming PC build will be able to handle anything you throw at it; both now and in the years to come.
*If you’re not sure whether to get a laptop or a desktop, you might also want to check out our guide on the Best RTX 2080 Laptops to see what kind of high-end laptop options you have.
Part List for $2,000 PC Build
 |  |  |  |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-9700K | |
| AIO | EVGA CLC 280 | |
| MOBO | ASUS Z390-E | |
| GPU | EVGA RTX 2080 | |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance 16GB | |
| SSD | Samsung 970 500GB | |
| HDD | Seagate 4TB | |
| CASE | Thermaltake Core X71 | |
| PSU | EVGA SN P2 850W | |
| ODD | Use USB to Install O.S. | |
| OS | Windows 10 |
Grand Total: $1,970-$2,030
*Prices on PC components change on a daily basis. Click here for the most up-to-date pricing.
**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.
$1,750 RTX 2080 Gaming PC Build
For $1,750 the sky is the limit in terms of performance. Seriously, with a RTX 2080 this build is ready to push games on a 4K monitor…
$1,750 will also give you plenty of other options as well.
For instance, if you’re planning on doing some system tuning, this kind of budget will allow you to hit some decent overclocks. And, it’s definitely a VR-ready PC build (Oculus Rift or HTC Vive).
Along with the RTX 2080 graphics card, this build also comes with an Intel Core i7-9700K, a high-end CPU cooler, and a 650W Gold power supply. You will also get a 256GB SSD, a secondary 1TB hard drive, and 16GB of RAM. While 16GB of memory won’t be used in most games, newer games are starting to utilize over 8GB of RAM and so the extra memory will ensure that you have enough to meet their demands.
This PC build is powerful enough to handle any game on max settings on a 1080P monitor. But, if you are going to go with this build, you’d be better off pairing it with a 1080P 144Hz monitor, a 1440P 144Hz monitor, or a 4K monitor. Because, this system will be overkill for a standard 1080P 60Hz monitor.
And, if you don’t want to build this PC, the pre-built system we’ve linked to below will serve as a nice alternative.
This build comes with the following components:
Part List for $1,750 PC Build
|  | |  |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-9700K | |
| FAN | CRYORIG H5 | |
| MOBO | MSI Z390 Pro PRO | |
| GPU | EVGA RTX 2080 | |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance 16GB | |
| SSD | WD Black 256GB | |
| HDD | Seagate 1 TB | |
| CASE | Cooler Master H500 | |
| PSU | EVGA SN GQ 650W | |
| ODD | Install O.S. from USB | |
| OS | Windows 10 |
Grand Total: $1,720-$1,780
*Prices on PC components change on a daily basis. Click here for the most up-to-date pricing.
**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.
High-End $1,500 Gaming Computer
For $1,500 you’re getting a very similar build to our $1,250 build. The only difference? You get a better CPU!
While the Intel Core i7-9700K in this build won’t give you a significant performance increase in games over the Ryzen 5 2600X found in the $1,250 build below, it is a better overall processor that should give you a small bump in FPS while gaming and will serve you better for non-gaming tasks as well.
This system also comes with an RTX 2070 video card, 16GB of DDR4 memory, a 256GB SSD, a secondary 1TB hard drive, and a 650W power supply.
Ultimately, this build is capable of maxing out anything on a 2560×1440 monitor, handling pretty much anything on a 4K monitor, will work well with a 1080P 144Hz monitor, and will allow you to play VR games with the Oculus Rift. It has plenty of storage for your needs and it has enough space to allow you to upgrade in the future as well.
The following is a list of components that will help you build the best computer for gaming under $1,500:
Part List for $1,500 PC Build
| |  |  |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-9700K | |
| FAN | CRYORIG H5 | |
| MOBO | MSI Z390 Pro | |
| GPU | MSI RTX 2070 | |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance 16GB | |
| SSD | WD Black 256GB | |
| HDD | Seagate 1 TB | |
| CASE | Phanteks P400S | |
| PSU | EVGA SN GQ 650W | |
| ODD | Install O.S. from USB | |
| OS | Windows 10 |
Grand Total: $1,470-$1,530
*Prices on PC components change on a daily basis. Click here for the most up-to-date pricing.
**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.
4K/VR Monster $1,250 Gaming PC
With a budget of $1,250 or more, you can expect to get a truly awesome custom gaming desktop.
At this price range, you will be able to put together a machine that will be able to handle games on 1080P 144Hz monitors. It will also serve as a 4K gaming PC as well.
However, playing on the highest settings is just one of the many benefits you will receive when you drop $1,250 on parts for a custom gaming computer.
You can also expect your computer to stay relevant for a long time and you can be sure that you have high-quality components all throughout your build. That means along with a great processor and excellent video card, you will also get a high-end motherboard and a well-built power supply.
And, this system easily meets the Oculus Rift requirements so it is definitely a VR-ready PC.
For specs, this gaming PC build comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 2600X procesoor, an RTX 2070 graphics card, 16GB of memory, a 256GB SSD, and a secondary 1TB hard drive.
While this system doesn’t quite have the same power that the $2,000 and $1,750 builds listed above have, the combination of parts will still give you a ton of performance right now and well into the future as well.
Here’s the part list for this gaming PC build:
Part List for $1,250 PC Build
 |  | | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
| FAN | CRYORIG H5 | |
| MOBO | MSI X470GPLUS | |
| GPU | MSI RTX 2070 | |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance 16GB | |
| SSD | WD Black 256GB | |
| HDD | Seagate 1 TB | |
| CASE | Phanteks P400S | |
| PSU | EVGA SN GQ 650W | |
| ODD | Install O.S. from USB | |
| OS | Windows 10 |
Grand Total: $1,220-$1,280
*Prices on PC components change on a daily basis. Click here for the most up-to-date pricing.
**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.
Balanced 1440P $1,000 Gaming PC
For $1,000 you can expect to put together a system that can max out any game on 2560×1440 resolution and is ready for VR gaming and the Oculus Rift headset. And, you can even expect a $1,000 gaming PC to handle 4K gaming just fine.
The $1,000 mark is the sweet spot for building your own computer, as $1,000 in components is enough to provide optimal in-game performance while still maintaining a reasonable budget.
This PC build comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 CPU, an RTX 2060 video card, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 240GB SSD, and a 1TB hard drive.
Overall, this is the perfect gaming PC build for anyone who is looking to max out games on a 1080P 144Hz monitor, or even a higher 1440P resolution monitor, too. Again, this build should be able to handle games at 4K resolution as well. However, for more demanding games, at 4K resolution, you’ll have to turn down some settings in order to maintain a higher framerate.
*If you’re considering a gaming laptop as well as a desktop, check out our guide on the Best RTX 2070 Laptops, as they will offer a high-end gaming experience as well.
Part List for $1,000 PC Build
|  |  | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 | |
| MOBO | ASUS Prime B450M-A | |
| GPU | MSI RTX 2060 | |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance 16GB | |
| SSD | PNY 240GB | |
| HDD | Seagate 1 TB | |
| CASE | Phanteks P400S | |
| PSU | Corsair CX 650M | |
| ODD | Install O.S. from USB | |
| OS | Windows 10 |
Grand Total: $970-$1,030
*Prices on PC components change on a daily basis. Click here for the most up-to-date pricing.
**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.
If you need help picking out parts for your build, leave your questions below!
Jason Boyd says
Hey, read the article reviewing the 7 custom build rig companies and enjoyed it, but it also led me here as the comments about doing my own build got me to thinking that might be a fun project to do with my son and the article speaks to being able to save some good money as well. My previous three PC’s were two cyberpowers and one iBuyPower. Loved them all and had great experience ( based on some reviews maybe “luck” is a better word, haha) in all cases. Regarding the above $1500 rig vs your link to the pre build option, they seem to be pretty much the exact same in spec which I am sure was the general idea, however, the pre build is actually a little cheaper. Is there no money to be saved in a DIY? Your article comments sort of led me to believe there would be, and I definitely was surprised to see it as actually more expensive when parted out. Thanks again for the comparison article and for the diligent work of keeping this article up to date.
Juan says
Hi I’ve been looking to getting a PC for gaming. Is the $1250 build good for streaming games too?
Chris says
Would the (Asus Prime B450-Plus) work to replace the (MSI B450 Tomahawk) in the $1000 build?
Brent Hale says
Hey Chris, yep, that would work fine.
Chris says
Thank you!
Chris says
Hi I purchased all the parts for the $1000 build except for the MSI B450 Tomahawk. It has a long lead time for shipping on amazon and was unavailable on newegg. Do you have an suggested alternative? I’m planning to use the build for gaming with oculus rift. Thanks
Chris says
Hello. I’m working on the $1,500 build and had a question about the CPU. My rig will be used for gaming mostly. I’m currently using an i5 4690 and was wondering if the i5 9600k is a viable option. I’m open to an i7 but the 9600k is $200 cheaper than the 9700k where I am and I’m not sure if the 9700k is overkill just to use for gaming. If the i7 is the way to go, would 8700k be a good option vs 9700k? Thank you for your time, I love the layout and detail of your build lists.
Chris says
The 8700k would be the best bang for the money, not much performance difference between the 9 and 8 series.
Chris says
Perfect thank you for your response. The 8700k is actually what I ended up getting last week. Thank you again!
Jamie says
Hi, do you know a website that sells pc parts cheap but are also reliable.
Thanks in advance
Yoeku says
Is there any screwdriver kit you can recommend for 12 dollars for all round pc building?
Chris says
So im working on the $1500 build and am actually skeptical about purchasing the RTX card due to the absolutely frightening reviews Im seeing about it. i.e. “I thought this was going to be a good option, but after two cards that started showing artifacts and locking up my computer I am sorry that I upgraded”. Even looking at the EVGA 1070 scares me a bit as the “thermal pad” problem (“my card exploded and took motherboard with it!”) seems to still exist and the prices of these cards are fluctuating wildly.
Im trying to build something really good this time around that will last me years instead of becoming outdated in 2 or 3.
Any thoughts?
Brent Hale says
Hey Chris, thanks for reading and commenting.
Unfortunately, that’s kind of the nature of buying any computer component. For every 100 items sold, there are going to be anywhere from 1-5 people who have a bad experience with the product (product is dead on arrival, malfunctions, etc.) And, those 1-5 people will feel that they have more incentive to write a review than the 95 who got products that work just fine.
Not sure if that review you’re pointing to was specific to the Gigabyte RTX 2070 or not. If so, there are other brands of the RTX 2070 you could consider (EVGA, ASUS, MSI, etc.)
The RTX lineup of cards really hasn’t had the best launch or post-launch, so if you wanted to avoid those cards altogether I don’t think anyone would blame you. Still, though, when you compare the RTX lineup to the similarly-priced alternative from the previous generation of NVIDIA cards (RTX 2080 -> GTX 1080 Ti / RTX 2070 -> GTX 1080), the newer RTX cards offer a small bump in performance for the same price. So, if future proofing is a concern, your best option in terms of performance is an RTX card.
That being said, a GTX 1080 Ti, 1080, 1070 Ti, or 1070 wouldn’t be bad options and should serve you well for longer than 3 years. The problem is that the 1080 and 1080 Ti are tough to find right now (unless you bought them used—which would bring its own risks) and the 1070 Ti and 1070 won’t offer as much performance as the RTX 2070.
Ultimately, if it were me, I’d go with an RTX 2070. If the reviews are scaring you off a bit, you can take solace in knowing that if your card were to malfunction, any of the top brands will fix the issues (not to mention, returning stuff on Amazon within 30 days of purchase is incredibly simple)—and, if they don’t, you can always use the nuclear option: blast them on social media and reddit until one of their PR reps solves your problem to avoid a publicity nightmare.
If you’re turned off by the RTX reviews, though, a GTX 1070 Ti will be a solid alternative.
Hope this helps give you a bit more insight on which direction would be best for you. Let me know if you have any other questions.
All the Best,
Brent
MarcO says
Hey, im looking in building the 2,000 dolars one, the parts that you’ve listed, can it support 3 monitors?
Brent Hale says
Hi Marco, sorry this is a bit late, but, yes, the $2,000 build can support triple monitors.
Levi says
Hello. Im interested in building the $2000 pc but the intel i7 9700k is out of stock. What would be the best alternative? Also what is the brand of the graphics card? Is it as good as the name brand card? Im new to pc building and greatly appreciate any help you can give me.
Cody says
Hi there, I’ve been looking into building a pc for awhile. Won’t lie I still don’t know a lot about pc’s in general. But I’m looking 2 spend around 2,000$ on my set up. Could you help point me in a good direction for that?
Tom Flickinger says
Brent, never built before. Is there a video tutorial you recommend? Thanks! Tom
Brent Hale says
Hey Tom, there are a ton of video guides out there. Newegg used to have one of the better step-by-step video tutorials, but I think Bitwit’s is one of the better options right now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhX0fOUYd8Q
Carey Holzman’s channel is excellent as well and he does new build tutorials all the time:
https://www.youtube.com/user/CareyHolzman/
Also, you might want to check out this guide I put up on the common mistakes people make when building a PC, so you can have a good idea of the pitfalls to avoid:
https://techguided.com/pc-building-mistakes/
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Truman says
For the $1,000 build, GPU is unavailable. Any alternatives? Thanks!
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Mini 8GB GDDR5 VR Ready Super Compact Gaming Graphics Card (ZT-P10700G-10M)
Brent Hale says
Hey Truman, this one will work:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075DF4PTF/tag=thowisguy-20
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Tom says
Why use DVD format windows 10 ? How could you boot it off a new pc build with no optical drive ? . Wouldnt it be better to use the flash drive version windows 10? Will it be possable to put optical drive I to this build at a later time ? Thanks
Brent Hale says
Hi Tom, yes, you could use the USB flash drive version of Windows, but it does cost a little more (at least through Amazon.)
The DVD version costs less and comes with the license key. So, if you already have a USB flash drive lying around, you can just use that to download the media creation tool (as outlined in the post that is linked to from “Use USB to Insall O.S.” and then use the activation key that comes on the DVD box to activate Windows.
Hope that makes sense! Let me know if you have any other questions.
John Schimon says
On the first build with the: EVGA CLC 280 Liquid/Water CPU Cooler, RGB LED Cooling 400-HY-CL28-V1
Are the any issues with mounting the radiator on top of the Thermaltake case and reaching the CPU from there?
Brent Hale says
Hey John, thanks for reading! Nope, there shouldn’t be any issues mounting the CLC 280 on top of the X71.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
abeid says
where is the Ryzen 7? is it not a top processor.
Brent Hale says
The Ryzen 7 2700 or 2700x could easily be swapped out for the 8700K in the $1,500, $1,750, and $2,000 builds (just switch to an X470 motherboard). I go with the 8700K in those instances for the better single core performance (which results in a small in-game performance gain) and because the budget is so high that you can fit it in without sacrificing GPU performance. But, the in-game difference between the Ryzen 7 options and the 8700K is marginal and the Ryzen 7 lineup is a great option as well—especially for gamers who will also be doing productivity-related tasks as well as gaming.
So, if that’s the route you want to go, it’s a great option, too.