Best PC build under $2000, high-end 2K gaming PC

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Our Best Gaming PC Build Under $2000
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Best Gaming PC Under $2000

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Looking for the best gaming PC under $2,000? One that’s more than capable of smashing through 4K games with ease, and dominating any work-load you can throw at it? Well, look no further, as we show you the best parts you can pick today to build your own power-house of a machine.

This $2,000 build, is, without a doubt, one of the best gaming PC‘s out there for the price today, and it comes packed with an incredible CPU and GPU combination, that’ll hit that 60fps sweet spot at 4K with room to spare. Future-proof? Absolutely, but more on that in a bit.

With a $2,000 price tag, there are very few compromises to be made here. Ultimately, you’ll get a top-of-the-line gaming PC and, with it, one heck of a gaming experience for the price. Ray Tracing? 100% DLSS? You bet! Enough cores to become the next big twitch streamer or YouTuber sensation? All that, and then some.

What You Get For Your $2000

For $2,000, there’s no doubt, you’ve entered the realm of high-end pc gaming. This build comes packed with a ton of premium features. From a potent processor, to an incredible GPU from Nvidia, and some of the latest and greatest PCIe 4.0 storage from the likes of Western Digital (who manufacture some of the best SSDs in the business), you’ll be more than well-equipped to take on any AAA 4K game imaginable. At this price, we’ve also made sure this build features an impressive motherboard as well, just to tie the system together. Not only will this allow you to potentially upgrade your system later on down the line, but it’ll also give you a huge rear I/O and allow you to take advantage of all the latest and greatest peripherals out there.

Performance

We mentioned earlier that this build comes packed with one killer graphics card, and that comes in the form of a potent RTX 4080. This recent launch from Nvidia, certainly came with its fair share of concern in the news world, particularly over the power-cable. But as long as you take your time with the installation, and use a direct PSU to 12VHPWR cable, you’ll be golden. Because of that we’ve specifically paired this with one of CORSAIR’s latest RM850e 2023 PSUs, which comes, as standard, with a direct 12VHPWR cable included.

That aside, the RTX 4080 is still an absolute beast, across our testing we regularly saw framerates hit over 100 fps in multiple 4K games, with lows hovering around the 70 fps mark, well above that 60fps sweet spot. Although affordable high refresh 4K gaming monitors aren’t available just yet on mass, it’s good to know that the RTX 4080 has your back for when they do.

Aside from the GPU, the AMD Ryzen CPU also makes this gaming PC sing, while also delivering incredible performance in all of those processor-heavy games and tasks.

Team Red or Blue?

Overall, we recommend our AMD build as the best option for those looking to build a strong gaming PC at this price point. With both the AMD and Intel builds, we see excellent CPU performance for both gaming and your general multitasking. Of course, the AMD processor smashes the Intel CPU in the workstation department and with AMD closing the gap on single-core performance, there is no better chip for this build.

How We Choose

Our team has years of experience behind them building PCs for a range of needs and budgets. All this knowledge combined with hours of research, user feedback, and onsite benchmarking is what goes into choosing the best components for our builds.

We look for value for money, how the components perform together, and focus on gamer’s needs to make sure our builds are the best your budget can buy.

We build all these PCs ourselves, in-house, so trust us when we say we want to make them as good as possible. We actually use all these builds ourselves day-to-day in the WePC offices.

How We Test

We build each of our selected PC’s from scratch to make sure all the parts we recommend work well together, fit into the selected case, and provide the best performance possible for the price range.

Once built, the PCs are used in the office for everyday work as well as a range of games from light to heavy-duty. While we test, we also run benchmarking tests to see how well our builds perform, all while keeping an eye on the temperature of the components themselves.

We know how much some of our readers enjoy overclocking their PCs, so we made sure to test that out too. So, you can feel safe knowing that these machines can be pushed beyond their basic capabilities. But, please make sure you know how to overclock before trying to over-task your builds.

Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000

For the less experienced builders out there, building a high-end gaming PC can be a daunting task. The last thing you want to do is break an expensive component by installing it incorrectly. Here at WePC, we encourage you to build your own PC as we feel it is the best for you, your games, and let’s face it, your wallet. For further information on the companies behind these prebuilt gaming PCs, we have listed the best custom PC builders currently in the market.

Because of this, some people prefer to order a pre-built PC instead. Here are some prebuilt gaming PCs with similar specs for under $2000

Our Recommended Custom Build Details

  • Last Updated - Aug 8, 2023

This high-end gaming PC is a powerhouse. We have tried to ensure this machine gives you the best results while gaming and all for around $2000!

Phanteks p600s

Our Best Gaming PC Build Under $2000

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Our $2000 gaming PC build is fully in the high-end of the gaming PC spectrum and comes packed with premium features. Along with a strong AMD processor, you get a powerful GPU from Nvidia with unrivaled gaming performance in every game and setting.

With excellent single-core performance and top multithreading abilities, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is one of the best CPUs money can buy. With an impressive 8 cores and 16 threads, this CPU is ready to handle anything you throw its way.

This powerful Ryzen 7000 chip features a base clock of 4.5GHz and a max boost speed of 5.4GHz.

With great overclocking capabilities and room for expansion, the Gigabyte X670 AORUS ELITE AX is the perfect motherboard to accompany the Ryzen 7 7700. The board comes with PCIe 5 support, fast RAM support, and Wi-Fi6E. With this product from Gigabyte, you are getting a reliable and sturdy board that oozes quality.

Noctua NH D15 Chromax Dual Tower CPU Cooler

Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Dual Tower CPU Cooler

Item Dimensions LxWxH

5.31 x 5.91 x 6.5 inches

Brand

Noctua

Cooling Method

Air

Compatible Devices

Desktop

Noise Level

24 dB

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Noctua’s legendary pedigree for cooling is well proven by this point, and its NH-D15 line of coolers in particular have been a staple for those not quite so keen to trust their processors to the world of AIOs and liquid-cooling, yet still want the same levels of performance.

Once only available in beige and brown, Noctua’s Chromax Black line, do exactly what it says on the tin, and swap out that iconic color scheme, for something a little more low-key.

This 32GB memory kit from Kingston offers more than enough in terms of capacity and speed for gaming. With this kit, you can be sure there is no compromise when multitasking. In addition to the large capacity of this RAM, we have also ensured we include fast-acting clock speeds of 5600MHz.

With this speed, you are guaranteed never to be bottlenecked by your RAM, even when running RAM-hungry applications.

ZOTAC Gaming RTX 4080 16GB Graphics Card

Zotac GAMING Trinity OC RTX 4080 16GB

Architecture

Ada Lovelace

Boost Clock

2,520 MHz

VRAM

16GB GDDR6X

PCIe Standard

PCIe 4.0

Output

3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.1a

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The RTX 4080 is one of the best graphics cards on the market right now. To put it simply, this card is one of the highest performing GPUs to ever grace the benchmarks and will handle any game you throw at it, with incredible performance across the board.

You can expect stable frames, in max settings, while playing in 4K. Everything below 4K  is a breeze for this GPU.

We’ve decided to go for WDs 1TB NVMe SSD for this build as it offers lightning-quick load times and comes to shelves at an extremely affordable price point.

With speeds of up to 7,400 MBs, this M.2 drive is one of the fastest on the market. With a hefty 1TB of storage capacity, this SSD is the perfect pairing for this already impressive build.

NZXT H5 Flow Black

NZXT H5 Flow Black

Form Factor

Mid-Tower

Motherboard Support

ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX

Dimensions

464 x 227x 446 mm

Fan Support

2x 140/120mm front, 2x 120mm top, 1x 120mm rear, 1x 120mm bottom

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Three things matter when it comes to choosing the PC case for your build. Airflow, product compatibility, and style. Oh and a decent price too.

For this $2000 build, we’ve gone with the NZXT H5 FLOW ATX chassis. With fantastic internal airflow, impressive yet easy internal design features, and support for a wide variety of products, the H5 Flow Black is a perfect pick.

Every high-end build needs a solid and reliable power supply to keep things ticking over. While some may think more watts are better, 850W is more than powerful enough to supply this gaming rig with all the juice it needs. While you may not need the most efficient PSU out there, the bronze level of efficiency for this power supply is one of good quality.

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Things To Consider

Budget

Of course, all the builds here at WePC are already split into different budget categories, but it is still important to check it is the right budget for your gaming needs. For the hardcore gamers out there that just can’t get enough of those AAA games, this $2000 build is going to have you covered for a considerable amount of time. You can expect this to handle any game you can think of. For the casual gamers out there that play less intensive games and aren’t quite interested in 4K gaming, you may want to consider one of our other options. It is important to remember that the prices on Amazon can fluctuate and bring the build slightly over or under budget. You may wonder why we haven’t just included the components in our upgrade path, and that is simply due to the compromises we have had to make to keep this build close to the budget.

Upgradability & Future-Proofing

Being a high-end gaming PC, there is little room for upgrades on this powerful rig. That being said, there are still some areas that can be improved, which will give you the future-proofing you may require. Remember, though, with any upgrade comes extra costs, which will almost always push you over budget. If your budget can accommodate said upgrades, then you should always try and improve your system to best suit your needs.

Overclocking

Being a high-end PC, we know that some of our customers may wish to squeeze extra power out of their PC with overclocking. This is why we have carefully selected products that have overclocking capabilities. Both the AMD and Intel build paths feature CPUs with overclocking potential and motherboards to handle such tweaks. Remember to consider a CPU cooler upgrade if you start overclocking your processor as it will run considerably hotter.

We also recommend fast RAM, which a lot of motherboards simply cannot handle, so we have made sure to include boards that will cope with an XMP overclock to the faster speeds of 3600MHz and above. It is worth noting that your fast RAM will often come out of the box at a lower speed, so make sure you enter your BIOS settings and overclock it to its full potential.

Ease of Building

Building this gaming PC was extremely easy, as there is nothing overly complicated included. The case manufacturers that feature in our high-end builds have your best interests at heart and ensure the physical process is as simple as it can be. Of course, all the components were compatible, so there were no clearance issues while building. When it comes to building, you want to ensure you are prepared with the right set of tools. You may want to invest in anti-static equipment to protect your expensive components, and you will certainly need a screwdriver.

Thanks to the case manufacturer having cable management in mind, this was very easy to tidy away these cables, improving the airflow and general look of the build. If you plan on cable managing your PC, then you may also want to invest in some cable ties and tie bases to help you tuck away those unsightly wires. While the stock coolers on AMD and Intel will have pre-applied thermal paste, you may want to consider buying yourself a fresh tube.

Often applying fresh thermal paste can improve the temps on your CPU, an easy win-win. This build comes with an aftermarket air cooler to accommodate the high-powered CPUs. Like most aftermarket CPU coolers, you will get a spare little tube of thermal paste for you to replace at various intervals.

Non-Gaming Performance

So we know both the AMD and Intel builds are excellent in the gaming department, but how well do they do in other areas? Well, to put it simply, they are superb. Both processors feature multithreading and have superb ability when it comes to multitasking. Of course, the AMD build path blows the Intel path out of the water in this respect, but you can be sure to get solid performance from both regardless.

You can expect both build paths to handle your media editing, streaming, and home entertainment needs without issue.

Aesthetics

With the selected case and components, this build is already looking like a premium gaming machine, but you could expand on this and add a touch of RGB flare if you desired. Of course, this is all down to personal preference, but you can pimp your PC if you wanted to. The build features a tempered glass case that expertly showcases the components inside. If you are considering adding extra case fans, you may want to add ones that feature RGB lighting to shine through that beautiful glass panel.

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Related Prebuilt Gaming PC Guides

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Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Brands

Every recommended prebuilt gaming PC in this article is from a reputable manufacturer. You are probably wondering how we know what the best gaming PC brands are? Well, we have done our research and purchased PCs from these brands.

Most notable brands:

Alienware
Corsair
CyberPowerPC
SkyTech
iBUYPOWER
Thermaltake
MSI
Scan 3XS
Overclockers UK

Calculating The PSU Wattage

Making sure your PSU provides the correct amount of wattage to your custom build PC is an essential part of the build process. For that reason, we’ve created a handy PSU calculator which will work out exactly what PSU wattage your components require – no matter how many changes you make.

Upgrade Options

  • Last Updated - Aug 8, 2023

With both the AMD and Intel build paths of this gaming PC featuring such high-end components, there is little room for improvement. Of course, there are a couple of upgrades that can enhance your overall experience with this build, which we have outlined below. It is worth noting that any upgrades will increase the total amount of your new gaming PC build.

Note: These will raise the price of the build!

Corsair Hydro Series H100i Pro RGB

Corsair Hydro Series H100i Pro RGB

Air or Liquid?

Liquid

Max RPM

2400 RPM (+/- 10%)

Max Noise

37 dBA

Dimensions (with fan/height x width x depth)

276 x 120 x 27mm (radiator)

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Related Custom PC Builds

Operating System & Peripherals

This section is separate from the $2000 PC build since we only factor in the cost of the base hardware and most people already have their own peripherals laying around.

If you don’t, though, that’s fine- we’re still here for you

Note: These will raise the price of the build!

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Building Tips

When building a PC, you need to handle it with care. This is especially true if this is the first PC you’ve ever built; definitely read various online tips to clear up any questions you have before starting.

Closing Thoughts

So there you have it, the best gaming PC for around $2000! Both build paths are ready to smash any game you can think of, with some excellent gaming credentials. Aside from gaming, you also get some superb multitasking performance and could easily use both build paths for much more without breaking the budget. We highly recommend the AMD build path, as the new Ryzen CPU is simply fantastic with a higher core and thread count than its Intel counterpart. Aside from better overall performance, you are also giving your build a slightly greater life span when going down the AMD route.

You now have a build your friends will truly envy and all the gaming performance you could ever need! If you have any further questions or would like to share your build experiences with the team and our friends, then head over to the WePC community and let us know!

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The Team That Worked On This Build

Team Shaun
Custom Build Specialist
at
WePC

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.

Independent, transparent, rigorous and authentic, our reviews are the most thorough and honest in PC gaming. Learn about our review process.