$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. Compared to the $1500 build, we won’t be getting a ton of extra GPU processing power (due to GPU supply issues) but we’ll be getting better ray tracing performance, as well as a better CPU.
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For a $2000 pure performance gaming PC, going with the best option for gaming is a must. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the top tier choice right now, and the only CPUs that beat it are just for extra cores and not necessarily gaming performance. (9900X3D, 9950X3D). If for whatever reason you can’t squeeze a 9800X3D into your budget, then feel free to also consider a Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
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I would not consider Intel right now for this price bracket.
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.
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It’s hard to believe I’m putting an Nvidia GPU in this type of build, but it’s simply because of availability and pricing with the GPU supply issues going on right now. If you prefer to go with AMD, then the RX 9070 XT from the $1500 template will work perfectly fine here. But since the only other card that we can reasonably fit in this price range is the RTX 5070 Ti, I’d rather go with that. The 5070Ti and 9070 XT compete in most titles, but if you want the better upscaling support, and way better ray tracing technology, the 5070 Ti is the clear winner.
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I’ve been liking the MSI Ventus 3X OC RTX 5070Ti, as well as the MSI Shadow 3X OC RTX 5070Ti, but with GPU availability I would concentrate on just finding the best deal. The exact brand doesn’t matter a whole lot, as long as you go with a reputable one.
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Unfortunately we should be able to fit a $1000 GPU in here like an RTX 5080, but that card is nowhere close to MSRP so it’s unrealistic in a $2000 build at the time of writing this guide.
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: June 18, 2025