$2000 Build Guide
With $2000 to spend, this will easily be able to dominate any game in 1440p, and most titles will be able to run nicely in 4K as well. We’re keeping the same CPU as the $1500 template, but now we’ll have a much more powerful GPU.
There’s no better choice than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Not only is it one of the most powerful CPUs on the planet for gaming right now, but the AM5 upgrade potential is fantastic as well. I wouldn’t consider any other CPU for this price range of a build, unless somebody requires Intel for a specific software.
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Even with Ryzen 9000 series being available, the 7800 X3D is the top choice for gaming until the 9000 series launches X3D models. Currently we do not not know when that will be.
With a $2000 budget, I wouldn’t want to get the cheapest available 240mm AIO like we did with the $1500 template. For a step up, I like the Arctic Liquid Freezer III for pure performance builds, but there’s a ton of other options at this price range as well. If you don’t want to go with water cooling though, then the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 is a fantastic choice for higher end CPU’s as well.
Because of the high-end 7800X3D, we’ll want a good motherboard to pair with it. I like the MSI MAG X670E Tomahawk WiFi in this situation because it’s a great option but we’re not going too overboard on the budget and sacrificing performance.
We’re specifically looking for a 2x16GB kit that’s clocked at 6400MHz+, with the lowest CL rating as possible. Usually you’ll be able to find a 6400MHz CL30 or CL32 kit pretty easily for just over $100. The G.Skill Ripjaws S5 kit is usually available.
For a $2000 gaming PC, I like targeting a “Highly Rated NVMe” drive from the SSD Tier List, as well as going with 2TB. The Acer Predator GM7000 is consistently one of the higher rated, but still affordable options. This is a great drive for the price. I also like the T-Force Cardea A440 2TB if you can’t find the Predator in stock.
With this high-end of a system, we are able to go with the best gaming graphics card that AMD has to offer. Usually there’s a good comparison between the RX 7900 XTX and the RTX 4080 Super, but the price of the XTX continues to drop below $900, so there’s no real comparison to be made. If you want to spend the extra money for Nvidia, feel free to go with an RTX 4080 Super that you find a good deal on.
For our CPU and GPU combo, I’d recommend a 850W power supply. With this healthy budget, I’d recommend only sticking to Tier A power supplies. The XPG Core Reactor II 850W is almost always one of the cheapest available models that fits our description The Corsair RM850x is also a good pickup depending on pricing.
The case selection is always personal preference, but with a $2000 build price we need to go a little higher in quality. I really like the ATX sized Fractal Design Pop Air. This is a very minimal and clean non-fish tank layout, and it comes preinstalled with 3 black fans. This keeps everything nice and simple, and if you add a 240mm AIO up at the top (which is what we’re doing for this build) it’ll be fully maxed out with 5 total fans. There’s also a little drawer system up at the front to store USB dongles, SD cards, etc.
Last updated: August 6, 2024