Best Buy is currently having their Black Friday sale and some of the Gaming PCs are on sale. My budget is around ~1000 for a PC and Monitor. Though, the lower the better!
For instance, I see this product "iBUYPOWER Gaming Desktop - TraceMR286a - AMD Ryzen 3 3100 - 8GB DDR4 Memory - NVIDIA GT 1030 - 500GB NVMe SSD - Black" for 619.99, is it a good deal?
I'm only looking to play 4x games like CIV or HumanKind. Or maybe FIFA career mode, I just want to make sure it can play the games I need it to. Thanks.
I’ve only ever bought gaming laptops, because my previous playing habits were better mobile(moving around a lot and going a lot of places). However, now I’m starting to look into buying a desktop but I have no idea what to look for.
I’ve never REALLY looked into specs or studied what affected what but I’d like to now. I know plenty of people have probably posted about this, but I need it dumbed down. Talk to me like I’m 5.
What specs are considered good and which specs are most important for a PC?
For reference of budget and games I play: Preferably not over $1000 but if possible I’d like the 5-800 range. I play a lot of Modded MC, Elderscrolls, a ton of management sims. Although I know these aren’t hefty games persay, but I have a lot of games in my library that my nitro won’t play well unless I put the settings way down and that doesn’t even always help. I’m cool to play at potato graphics, but sometimes I really want that immersive experience to be real lol.
TL:DR What specs do I look for and what are considered “good” for a PC? Talk to me like I’m 5 please.
I got an Xbox earlier in the year, and now I want to dip my toe into PC Gaming with an UltraWide monitor. I am stuck between 2 PCs that are or will be on sale for Black Friday. They are basically the same configuration, except for the CPU. I would like something that’s not going to have to be upgraded for a while. Thoughts on which CPU is better or do you have a suggestion for a better alternative.
Costco currently $1699.99, will be $1299.99 staring 11/28
iBUYPOWER SlateMesh 8 Gaming Desktop - 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900F - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super - Windows 11 - 32GB RAM - 2TB SSD
https://www.costco.com/ibuypower-slatemesh-8-gaming-desktop---14th-gen-intel-core-i9-14900f---nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-super---windows-11---32gb-ram---2tb-ssd.product.4000291940.html
Best Buy currently $1429.99
CyberPowerPC - Gamer Supreme Gaming Desktop - AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D - 32GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12GB - 2TB SSD
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-supreme-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-7-7800x3d-32gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-super-12gb-2tb-ssd-white/6575113.p?sb_share_source=PDP&skuId=6575113
UPDATE I had originally bought the one from Costco last week and it was good, but not great in some games. Star Wars Jedi Survivor was really bad on the Epic graphics setting. It would skip, freeze, and dropped frames. I had to put it on Medium graphics to get it to work well, and even then I had some random issues. I picked up the one from Best Buy this afternoon based on everyone’s feedback. For one, all the updates installed without issue (it took me 4 hours of troubleshooting to get the one from Costco updated properly). I tested the one from Best Buy with Star Wars Jedi Survivor on Epic graphics settings on that game played smooth with no issues. It plays better and looks better. Thank you all so much for your input.
is it better to build a pc or buy it? if the former, how does one build a pc? ive been wanting to have a pc but have been pushing it aside for a while mainly bc i dont even know where to start. i know basic parts like the monitor(i have been eyeing xiaomi's 2020 27", is that good?), motherboard, cpu, gpu, ram – literally just the basic things.
im on a budget of 2k+(US currency) but not going 3. ive also tried looking into what components i would need but again, im not really entirely sure what. brand? type? how do i know if the monitor i bought is compatible with the pc? does the cpu and gpu have to balance each other out? all sorts of things
I want to get a gaming pc and am so confused on what to get. I might be overthinking it because I keep going in circles. I know people say to just build your own but I have no idea what parts to get and what are compatible etc. so I’ve been looking all over for pre built ones. I’ve widdled it down to this one. I know it’s an Alienware and there’s bad sayings about it or whatever. But for the specs it does have, I cannot find a better deal. What do I do with my life.
And what components should it have if I want to play apex, GTA V/IV, sims, Mario, Minecraft, Skyrim, legends of Zelda, thrillville, and possibly more games?
I’m also a cs student and would want to use it to practice programming and possibly music production.
Super conflicted between msi, asus, hp, or Alienware.
I’m definitely going for RTX graphic card because of the ray tracing. I looked into 3060 but I don’t know if that’s too much? Especially for a beginner? I looked into a ram no less than 16GB, intelcore cpu. Conflicted if I should go for air or liquid cooling. But I heard air cooling is safer and more convenient for a beginner.
Any help appreciated. Also if there’s anything you want to add about the components I listed and if there’s anything better I want to hear it. Have no problem receiving different ideas that could be better than the ones I stated.
I’m aware building your own is better but it’s my understanding that prebuilt is cheaper and obviously easier
Hi, I'm looking for a gaming PC tower and my budget is between $1500 and $1600. Can you please share your recommendations? Thanks
I can't build it myself but everywhere i look or ask, it just says to build one yourself.
I really need some suggestions for good PRE-BUILT gaming computers, so can I get some suggestions for websites where I could get one please?
I’m on the fence of saving up and want some people who are educated on the matter
Im looking to get a good experience playing games like rocket league on PC, but i have no idea what parts to get, like, how much RAM and storage do i need to get a smooth experience? Can anybody help?
2025 Update:
This easy tutorial has been ported to TopRigz. A quicker and more convenient method is to visit Toprigz, enter your budget, and it’ll automatically show you the best value and most powerful gaming PC for your budget, including options for the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia.
How to buy:
Find vendors that sell reasonably priced prebuilt PCs in your country.
Choose your price ranges, I'd recommend at least 2 price ranges. Sort by "Price Low to High".
Your graphics card is the most important component in any gaming PC, it has the biggest impact on performance. Always pick the PC with the fastest GPU you can afford. Check out the GPU comparison chart here.
When comparing PCs with GPUs of similar performance, choose the one with the stronger CPU. For mostly single-threaded workloads, such as gaming, you can compare CPUs by their single-core performance using this site.
RAM: 16GB is recommended, 8GB still does the job. 3000Mhz RAM is recommended for AMD's CPUs, and 2666Mhz is good enough for Intel's CPUs. Don't choose the more expensive 3200Mhz RAM because 3000Mhz CL15 and 3200Mhz CL16 have the same absolute latency.
TL, DR:
Don’t overspend on hardware, people often forget they’ll need money for games too. They focus too much on the specs and forget that games themselves can be a large expense.
Don't listen to dissenting opinions from PC elitists on Reddit. They will trash people who have budget systems and don't overspend on overpriced, useless parts. In fact, a reasonably priced prebuilt PC will still have the same performance and upgradability as an overpriced one.
Stay away from terribly overpriced Cybertron, CLX SET, NZXT, MSI, Acer, MainGear, Digital Storm, and Build Redux PCs. Those companies leverage their successful marketing in order to upcharge their PCs.
Tips:
Don't overspend on CPUs. Games tend to be more forgiving of older CPUs than of previous-generation GPUs, so even a CPU that's several generations old should still be okay.
You don't need to buy Windows, you can use it for free forever without activation. Follow these steps to create installation media (USB flash drive) you can use to install Windows 11 for free: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d
Always update your Windows and GPU drivers to the latest version:
AMD Radeon graphics card drivers
Intel Arc graphics card drivers
NVIDIA graphics card drivers
Please don't install antivirus software. The built-in Windows Security is lightweight and really effective.
I’ve been thinking about building a PC the past few years but have been sitting on the fence about what I should do. I currently have a PS5 that I played for months when I first got it but haven’t touched it at all recently. The main reasons that I’ve been interested in getting a PC is the cheap games, emulation, customisation, free online and overall freedom of choice/variety that comes with a PC. I am well aware that PC Gaming hasn’t been in a good state recently due to the poor ports and expensive hardware being released but that doesn’t put me off getting a PC yet. The majority of people that switch to PC Gaming seem to be happy with their choice but there are a few I’ve seen that always prefer a console in the end.
Would love to hear some advice from people that have been in my predicament, what should I do? All feedback is appreciated! (Sorry if this isn’t an appropriate subreddit for this post)
EDIT: Thanks for all the replies, I never expect all this feedback it’s amazing! Based off of what a lot of people have said, I think the most sensible thing to do will be keeping my PS5 and continue looking for the best priced PC parts to buy a PC. After that I will see if I use my PS5 enough to justify keeping it around or not and possibly get some money from selling it. Thanks everyone!
EDIT: If I decide to build a PC I will make a follow-up post about the parts and the build process.
EDIT: This is the final edit I promise haha! I am fully aware I’m posting in a PC enthusiast subreddit which will most likely result in biased feedback. I asked this subreddit because it was the biggest I could find that would accept my post. The majority of the replies are fine and from unbiased people.
Been a console player my entire life and finally have the money to upgrade from the PS4. Looking at the price of the PS5 pro, I was thinking I should probably just move to PC gaming since the types of games I like to play would be better on there, anyways. I was thinking about financing a pre-built. It would be better if I didn't have to spend the money all at once. Charlie or penguin0 on YouTube partnered with starforged. I don't know anybody that's ever purchased from them but I do remember some controversy when Charlie first partnered with them. If I remember correctly I'm pretty sure they improved from the criticism and people ended up liking them.. I would love some advice. I honestly don't care too much about graphics. I would rather computing power that could run City Builder games or simulation games. Would be willing to learn to properly build the computer myself if it would ultimately be the best or most cost-effective option
THIS GUIDE IS OUT OF DATE, PLEASE VISIT THE MOST UP TO DATE ONE ON THE FRONT PAGE!
As it's been asked a lot over DM's: If you want to buy me a coffee, you're more than welcome to. These guides will ALWAYS stay free for everyone, and I will never directly ask for any payment. PayPal or BuyMeACoffee are both possible.
Hi everyone, it's been a while! Welcome to the Summer 2025 PC best buy guide!
I've been out of the running due to injury on my arm, but the fast few months also haven't been great for those wanting to buy a PC - or a GPU in particular. As prices have been slowly going and stock going up, I'm hesitantly optimistic on making a new guide. Although it's far from where prices were, and with tarriffs going left and right, there's no telling where things will go, the Winter 2025 guide is now so out of date it warrants replacement.
Before commenting, please read the following:
I have been getting a lot of comments of people being confused what the lists are actually for, and how the parametric selections work on PCPartpicker.com . Please use this flowchart to guide you through the website before commenting some frequently ask questions
I want to reiterate that these lists are here to give you an indication on what you can expect for a certain budget; what kind of value you can get for your money with that budget. That does not only mean pure performance, but also features, expandability, and future upgradability. Some of these are hard to quantify in words, but I have tried my best through my own judgment to make some weighted decisions on each list.
To give you an example, in the $1100 list I might recommend a Ryzen 7600(X) with an RTX 5060 Ti, 32GB RAM, paired with a 1TB SSD, and a relatively value-oriented case, cooler & motherboard. This is my vision of the best 'value' PC you can get, but if you have a different PC with a high end case with RGB, expensive cooler, and 2TB SSD, that is 100%, utterly and completely, fine! I just want you to have a reference point.
Gaming PCs
| Budget | Note / compared to previous budget | Possible upgrades with leftover budget (in order of priority) |
|---|---|---|
| ~ $400 | This is the cheapest gaming PC I can somewhat recommend. Do note that this PC does NOT have WiFi, and if you do need WiFi you need to either buy a WiFi enabled motherboard or add a (preferably PCIe x1) WiFI module. This PC uses the Arc A380 which is a pretty basic GPU. | A faster - but second hand - GPU like a used RTX 2070 (Super) or RX 5700XT. WiFi / Bluetooth capabilities on the motherboard, 1TB SSD, extra RAM (2x16GB) |
| ~ $500 (iGPU) | If you're planning on buying a GPU later on, or are only a very light gamer, this might be interesting for you. You're getting an AM5 CPU with 32GB of DDR5 RAM which means great upgradability in the future. This list also ensures a fast Wi-Fi connection (as opposed to just wired Ethernet) | Ryzen 8700G (which has 8 cores and a faster iGPU). 1TB SSD. |
| ~ $650 | With $250 extra to spend compared to the $400 list, you're getting a huge upgrade, mainly in the form of the AMD Radeon RX 7600. As the stock and availability of the Radeon RX 6600, 6600XT, and 6650XT withers over time, the 7600 comes the more logical choice, even though it's quite expensive. You're also getting 32GB RAM which is really nice to have in 2025. | My first priority would be getting a 1TB SSD. We have a motherboard that supports as least 2 M.2 SSDs, so you can also add another SSD later on. If you have the i5 12400F selected, you could get a DDR5 motherboard and DDR5 RAM for better longevity as DDR5 is continuously getting faster than DDR4 in games. |
| ~ $850 | We're making a few nice to have upgrades here. The Intel Arc B580 is a fantastic value GPU, though it's still too expensive to be added in more budgets. If you can find a good deal on an RX 6750XT, 7600XT4060 Ti (16GB), or 7700XT, I'd pick that instead. We're also guaranteeing a 1TB SSD (finally), a much quieter cooler, 32GB RAM, a roomier case and a better quality power supply. The con of using the B580 with this specific build would be that the B580 really likes having more CPU overhead. | As mentioned, I'd prefer a 7700XT here if possible. A DDR5 motherboard + RAM is also a nice upgrade to make here. A better case would also be nice. |
| ~ $1000 | The main jump we're making here is in terms of CPU gaming performance, future upgradability, and DDR5 RAM. The Ryzen 7600(X) / 9600(X) are still the best overall value CPUs out there. They have fantastic gaming performance, a great upgrade path (to the 9800X3D or future AM5 socket generations), and are great to use. The starting price is a lot higher though, and we don't have a ton of GPU overhead anymore. I would love to add the 7600/9600 to lower lists, but that's hard to justify with current GPU prices. | You could 'future proof' the PSU to an 850W model. |
| ~ $1100 | Although the $1000 is a nicely rounded budget, I think that this $1100 list is a noticeably better PC due to the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti. Even though there's been a lot of drama on the 5060 Ti due to the 8GB variant, objectively speaking the 16GB version is one of the best Nvidia cards you can currently get in terms of value. With current prices that's not saying much, but it's something. All in all you're getting a nicely rounded PC | 2TB SSD, dual tower cooler (like a Thermalright Phantom Spirit) |
| ~ $1300 | The AMD RX 9070 would be a nice upgrade over the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB. It's currently still a bit too overpriced, but would be a nice middle-of-the-road upgrade nonetheless. | Check the price on the AMD Ryzen 5 9600(X). If it's within $25 of the 7600(X), I'd upgrade tot that if you have the slack. 2TB SSD, dual tower cooler (like a Thermalright Phantom Spirit), higher end case. |
| ~ $1500 | Upgraded to the RTX 5070 Ti. If the 9070 XT is much cheaper, I'd grab that instead. | Check the price on the AMD Ryzen 5 9600(X). If it's within $25 of the 7600(X), I'd upgrade tot that if you have the slack. 2TB SSD, dual tower cooler (like a Thermalright Phantom Spirit), higher end case. |
| ~ $1800 | Upgraded to the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D for much faster CPU gaming performance, with the added bonus of a much beefier cooler. Also upgraded the motherboard to an ATX model with at least 3 M.2 slots and Wi-Fi 6E, and a 2TB SSD. | For $100 extra you could consider the 9800X3D. Also look into a higher end case. |
| ~ $2000 | Upgraded to the 9800X3D and an extra 2TB SSD. Also clamped down the PSU to a more limited selection of premium brands | Higher end case, liquid cooling. |
| ~ $2250 | Upgraded to the RTX 5080. | |
| ~ $3000 | High end liquid cooling, a higher end motherboard, double the RAM, a larger single SSD, a higher end power supply and a higher end case. | |
| ~ $5000 | RTX 5090, an extra (PCIe gen 5) 2TB SSD, an even higher end motherboard, and top of the line power supply. | Anything you want! |
Workstations
| Budget | Note / compared to previous budget | Possible upgrades with leftover budget (in order of priority) |
|---|---|---|
| ~ $850 | Very fast and high quality Workstation without 3D acceleration. Although the new Intel Core Ultra CPUs aren't that interesting for gaming, with the reduced prices they're quite appealing for workstations. | If you want a 3D accelerated machine, you can add any GPU you like. For a high end (70-class and higher) you might want to consider a higher capacity PSU. If 2D is all you need but have budget left over, the Core Ultra 9 285K is a good upgrade too. |
| ~ $1700 | Upraded to the Core Ultra 9 285K added the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti. This gives you a relatively large VRAM buffer that's nice to have for 3D workstation applications. | Extra RAM, more storage, higher end case. |
| ~ $3000 | Upgraded to a 360mm radiator for CPU cooling, extra 2TB storage, an RTX 5080, a crap-load more RAM, and a much higher end case. If you don't need such a high amount of RAM, you can remove a set, or even go for a faster set of 2x32GB if that's enough for you. | RTX 5090 if you can stomach it. Spend more budget on storage if you don't need the RAM. |
| ~ $5500 | Changed to the Noctua NH-D15 G2 for ultimate air-cooling. Motherboard with Wi-Fi 7 and faster networking. Set of 4x48GB to guarantee stability over 2 sets of 2 x 48GB. More RAM. RTX 5090. More storage. Titanium rated power supply. | Anything you want! |
The choice is obvious yes... A Pc would run much much better. For the price of a rtx 4080 laptop I could build an i5 14th gen 32 GB ram RTX 4090 24gb ram pc.. Almost double the perfomance.
However, I really love the portability of a laptop and always wanted one but if I wanted to, I can a get a 4080 PC for 2k and get a low level rtx 4060 laptop for the price of an 4080 laptop...
I can't really upgrade my PC for another 6 years. Do you think an RTX 4080 PC w 16 vram will last that long with 1080P mid ? or do i need to get a 4090 PC for another 500 $ for that ?
Hey Gamers welcome to tilted towers
TLDR Have Boomer Parents, want safety nets and warranties before into investing into such a "frivolous luxury that is just going to waste my time." Need advice/facts.
In all seriousness though, I am looking to Purchase a gaming/"work" PC this coming christmas (or maybe black friday if the deal is better?) and before I say anything else, let me explain why I can't just build one myself. I have boomer white parents who are in their late 50s. Mom barely knows Technology, and Dad likes to think he knows technology but has been a Macophile since the Ipod released. He hates PCs with an arguable passion and really only uses one because it's mandatory for his work and his IT guy made it for him (Dad's a pool designer/salesperson) however, this hasn't remedied the fact that he is now onto his 3rd Alienware laptop. (shocker there)
As such, I have to debate, tooth and nail, to even have a shot of getting one. However, My parents DID drop ~1500$ on a PC laptop from best buy for my brother since he spilled water on his previous 2015 macbook pro (the same one I am still using, we got ours at the same time), so I don't think a PC is out of the question, just as an eldest sibling I have to prove that it is worth getting one and that it won't be a waste of money, etc etc. I'm sure those of you that are eldest siblings here understand.
ANYWAY this is where you guys come in. I need suggestions for places/companies that make the "best" gaming PCs (tower specifically). I've previously looked into Ironside gaming (as recommended by TheRussianBadger) but of course, more evidence-based opinions are always welcome. Some other things to note:
I have a German
ShedderShepherd so need advice on precautions to keep hair out of the case.I live in Arizona, but luckily I also live in a basement. Advice/Recommendations on optimal/necessary cooling systems would be appreciated. Over the hottest months the basement tends to stay at 74* farenheit but obviously I don't want anything on the inside to get damaged from overheating.
Warranty/Insurance. Something my parents can't seem to grasp is the fact that all parts come with a 3 year warranty (Afaik) so having a Warranty on the Computer as a whole is a much safer investment for them.
Extra RGB/Flashiness is unnecessary. I'd Rather Function over Form.
I mainly intend on using it for World of Warcraft, Destiny 2, and some engineering software that I need for school that can't run on mac or the mac versions just suck. So for those of you thinking specs, I'm not trying to run like Warzone or anything on the highest graphics or anything. I just need something to get me by. 1500$ is the upper limit.
I have zero experience on building them aside from connecting the wires and HDMI ports. I do indeed have a good PC with a 3060 graphics card, but I find it tempting to upgrade it to a 4090 and expand the storage, but I do not want to go into the hassle of simply upgrading it because I have no experience and YouTube tutorials are still confusing as hell.