$1500 Build Guide
With $1500 to spend, we’re specifically trying to build a 1440p Ultra gaming machine. This will be a significant boost compared to the $1000 template for both CPU and GPU performance.
Despite being a generation old, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is still a top tier choice. It’s not quite as good as the 9800X3D, but being about $100 cheaper means it’s still packing some serious value. If pricing eventually changes so the 9800X3D is only a few dollars more then absolutely get that, but for right now the 7800X3D seems like a more realistic choice.
I would not consider Intel right now for this price bracket.
There are a lot of 240mm options that aren’t super expensive these days. The ID-Cooling Frostflow is a great affordable option, and the ID-Cooling Dashflow is only a bit more expensive. 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.
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Because of the high-end 7800X3D, we’ll want a good motherboard to pair with it, but we don’t need to go overboard. If you want to spend extra money on an X670 or X870 then feel free, but for a pure performance build I like to save some money in this department. The MSI B650 Gaming Plus WiFi is the least expensive option that I’d go with for an X3D CPU, and we’ve used that exact combination plenty of times. If you do want to spend some extra money, then I also like the MSI MAG X670E Tomahawk WiFi.
We’re specifically looking for a 2x16GB DDR5 kit that’s clocked at 6000MHz, with the lowest CL rating as possible. Usually you’ll be able to find a 6000MHz CL30 or CL32 kit pretty easily for less than $100. The G.Skill Flare X5 kit is usually available.
Prices of storage have gone up recently, and might continue to do so. Right now for a PCIe Gen 4 NVMe 1TB drive we’re looking at around $60. SSD pricing usually stays very “grouped up” so there’s usually a lot of models around the $60 mark. For Gen 4 drives, I typically use the Silicon Power UD85, but I also like the Silicon Power UD90, Klevv CRAS C910, and the Teamgroup MP44L.
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This is where things get tough for these more expensive builds. The mid-range to higher end GPUs are farther away from MSRP compared to the budget cards, so this selection comes down to what kind of deals you find. In a nutshell, for a $1500 gaming PC I would be searching for an RX 9070 XT (MSRP $599) as the best case scenario, but I would consider settling for an RX 9070 (MSRP $549) depending on the situation. Both GPUs deliver extremely solid 1440p gaming results, and they beat Nvidia’s price to performance compared to the 5070/5070Ti.
For what it’s worth, my favorite 9070 XT that I’ll sometimes see for a good price is the ASUS Prime OC 9070 XT, and for a cheaper alternative I like the ASRock Challenger RX 9070.
For our CPU and GPU combo, I’d recommend a 750W power supply. We’re specifically looking for a Tier B or A rated unit, and I like spending a little extra money on the MSI MAG A750GL. This is a PCIe 5/ATX3.0 unit so it’s up to standard, it’s 80+ Gold, and fully modular.
The case selection is always personal preference, but with a $1500 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: June 18, 2025