Here’s the hardware you need for a gaming PC around $1,000

I get the chance to review a lot of pre-built gaming desktops and gaming laptops, many of which are not in my usual price range. Though there are plenty of affordable pre-built rigs that can deliver a satisfying gaming experience, the beauty of building your own machine lies in the extensive customization and the ability to cut costs by buying everything separately and putting it together yourself. I did just that a couple of years ago, and while the exact same build is no longer attainable due to new hardware and new prices, you can still build a great gaming PC for around the same price. I’ve collected everything you’ll need right here, and I’ve included some performance results below to help you get an idea of what this PC can do.

What kind of performance can you expect from this PC?

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600X CPU and the Radeon RX 5600 XT GPU are going to run great together, with minimal bottlenecking at 1080p and 1440p. You’re going to get the best result at the lower FHD resolution, but QHD is certainly feasible in most games. For example, playing Call of Duty Warzone at 1080p with mostly High in-game settings will net you around 60 frames per second (FPS). Going down to Medium settings will hit closer to 90FPS. Jumping up to 1440p you should expect around 60 FPS on Medium settings.

As for something far less intensive, like Fortnite, you can expect somewhere around 85 FPS at 1440p with High in-game settings. Dropping down to 1080p with the same High settings boosts the number up to about 115 FPS.

Not quite the performance you’re looking for? Don’t want to build a PC on your own? Be sure to have a look at our roundup of the best gaming desktop PCs that come assembled and ready to tackle a life of performance gaming.

Once you’ve built (or bought) your own gaming PC, don’t forget to invest in a quality gaming mouse, a mechanical keyboard, and a gaming monitor to complete the setup.