The Tech Buyer's Guru

The Best $1000 Mid-Range Gaming PC Build – February 2026

The Best $1000 Mid-Range Gaming PC Build – February 2026

By Ari Altman | Published February 1, 2026 | Updated February 1, 2026

SilverStone PS15 RGB

A Mainstream Gaming PC to Grow With!

Looking to build the best gaming PC possible for $1000? This guide will set you up! We recommend components that offer excellent performance, quiet operation, and ease of assembly, all at a great price. If you’re ready to build a PC that can handle any game you throw at it, just follow this guide to get the best component picks.

This Month’s Build, Powered by Intel and AMD!

For February 2026, we have worked mightily to keep the $1000 Gaming PC Build within striking distance of its namesake $1000 pricepoint! That is no simple task these days, but we’re pretty happy with what we’ve come up with. You get Intel’s legendary Core i3-12100F, a four-core, 8-thread CPU that is the best gaming CPU available in its price range. It will be supporting the best GPU available for around $300, AMD’s Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB. Simply put, the 12100F/9060 XT combination provides unbeatable gaming value.

But this system is about more than a fast CPU and GPU. Keeping this build fed are 16GB of DDR4 RAM (now a much better price than newer DDR5), plus a 500GB PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive, which provides plenty of fast storage to get your system running. This build is housed in an affordable and high-airflow SilverStone micro-ATX case and powered by an efficient, high-output 550W power supply.

Parting Thoughts

If you need a monitor or peripherals, you can check out our dedicated guides, although we also have some great recommendations for you at the end of this guide. Note that we provide dedicated links to Amazon in the US, which will auto-convert for readers in Canada, the UK, and parts of the EU, with regional substitutions made based on availability. To support this site, please use these links if you purchase any of the products we list.

The Pre-Built Option

  • Cyberpower
    Click to Buy
    The High-End Gaming PC –

    CyberpowerPC GXiVR8060A40 13400F/RTX 5060

    $988
    This pre-built gaming system from CyberpowerPC will get you gaming today at a great price. It packs in the Intel Core i5-13400F ten-core, 16-thread CPU, the powerful GeForce RTX 5060 8GB video card, plus 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB NVMe solid-state drive.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This pre-built PC is a great alternative to the DIY PC we spec out below. It will perform similarly to the the DIY option below - the CPU is much stronger, while the GPU is a touch weaker.

The DIY Option

  • Intel Core i3-12100F
    Click to Buy
    CPU –

    Intel Core i3-12100F

    $90
    While AMD ruled the budget sector for a while, Intel has come roaring back, and its Core i3-12100F is simply the best CPU ever released anywhere near its pricepoint, thanks to its 4 cores and 8 threads based on the cutting-edge Alder Lake architecture. Note that the “F” version does not include built-in graphics, which is just fine given that this system has a separate video card!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This CPU comes with a cooler, saving you money!
  • Gigabyte B760M
    Click to Buy
    Motherboard –

    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX DDR4

    $129
    This board is an amazingly low-cost way to step into Intel’s socket 1700 platform. It’s the perfect match for a budget build, offering up a PCIe x16 Gen 4 slot for graphics cards, two PCIe x1 slots, dual M.2 slots (both Gen 4), four RAM slots, and five USB ports. It also has built-in WiFi 6.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This board uses cheaper DDR4 memory, which makes a huge difference in the current memory market!
  • 9060 XT
    Click to Buy
    Video Card –

    PowerColor Radeon RX 9060 XT Reaper 8GB

    $310
    Get into serious PC gaming today with the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB. It has plenty of power to tackle any modern game, and has no competition from Nvidia GPUs at its pricepoint – it’s a far better pick than the RTX 5060 8GB!

    The Guru’s Tip

    One of the keys to this GPU's success is that it works quite well with 8GB of VRAM, unlike Nvidia's competing 8GB models, which have worse memory management.
  • Oloy
    Click to Buy
    Memory –

    Oloy 2x8GB DDR4 3200

    $115
    Because games and other applications can take serious advantage of RAM speed on the latest CPUs, we’re spec’ing a fast DDR4-3200 kit for this build. The kit offers a sleek look and comes in at a lower price than all of its competition!

    The Guru’s Tip

    Truth be told, the price on this isn't great if you consider what RAM was selling for in mid-2025, but as of our latest update, it's the best price you will find for this system!
  • MP44L
    Click to Buy
    Solid-State Drive –

    TeamGroup MP44L 500GB

    $96
    Experience blazing-fast drive performance at a bargain price with the MP44L 500GB solid-state drive. Utilizing the PCIe-interface and the NVMe protocol, it can achieve sequential speeds of up to 5,000MB/s, making it nearly ten times faster than any SATA-based SSD! To install this drive, affix it in the motherboard’s M.2 slot using a jeweler’s-type screwdriver.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This drive gives you enough space to get started, and you can add more later to the second M.2 slot.
  • SilverStone PS15 Pro
    Click to Buy
    Case –

    SilverStone PS15 Pro

    $82
    This stylish, modern mATX case offers great performance and flexibility in a compact package. Mesh panels in the front and top provide great ventilation, and the three included 120mm fans (two with ARGB lighting) will make the most of it! On top you’ll find two USB ports plus microphone and headphone jacks, and on the side is a tempered glass panel that offers great views of the interior. It has space for a CPU cooler up to 154mm tall, and a video card up to 12.3″ long.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Being a micro-ATX case, this will only fit micro-ATX motherboards, which is what we spec for this build.
  • MSI A550BN
    Click to Buy
    Power Supply –

    MSI MAG A550BN

    $55
    This PSU easily beats every competitor in its price class, offering top-notch quality and Bronze-rated efficiency. With 550W of power on tap, this unit has plenty of headroom to keep this system going for years, even with significant upgrades, including more powerful video cards.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Please avoid no-name PSUs from brands like RaidMax, Apevia, and Aresgame. They are complete junk, but this one is the real deal!
  • Microsoft Windows 11
    Click to Buy
    Operating System –

    Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg

    $139
    Windows 11 built on everything people loved about Windows 10, and then took it to 11! It adds significant under-the-hood changes to make it faster and more secure, and of course, the interface is sleek too! Note that we’re linking to Newegg, because Amazon long ago stopped selling this physical USB version of Windows, which is the most convenient one to use.

    The Guru’s Tip

    With the end of support for Win10 having been announced, Win11 is definitely what you what you want on your new PC!

Optional Products

  • E248B-FPT168
    Click to Buy
    The 24-inch 165Hz Gaming Monitor –

    Sceptre E248B-FPT168 24″ 165Hz

    $100
    If you want to pick up a true “gaming” monitor, you want something with a high refresh rate. Luckily for you, Sceptre has been busy breaking down price barriers for high-refresh-rate monitors. This model features a 24″ 1920×1080 IPS panel (superior to TN or VA!), capable of displaying images at up to 165Hz, which makes it infinitely smoother than a standard 60Hz monitor that costs just a bit less. And thanks to its FreeSync technology, it will run with zero lag or screen-tearing.

    The Guru’s Tip

    A monitor like this would have cost well over $200 a year ago!
  • Apex 3
    Click to Buy
    The Budget Gaming Keyboard –

    SteelSeries Apex 3

    $50
    Pick up a great keyboard at a great price with the Apex 3. It’s quick, quiet, and responsive, and it also has sweet RGB backlighting, of course!

    The Guru’s Tip

    There are a lot of knock-off keyboards on the market selling for around the same price - our advice: avoid them!
  • Click to Buy
    The Mid-Range Gaming Mouse –

    Logitech G502 Hero

    $38
    Get a jump on your competition with this awesome gaming mouse from Logitech, which features a next-gen 16,000dpi sensor and a classic ergonomic shape!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This mouse has been copied but never duplicated!
  • HyperX Cloud Stinger 2
    Click to Buy
    The Bargain Gaming Headset –

    HyperX Cloud Stinger 2

    $30
    HyperX absolutely revolutionized the budget gaming headset market with the original Cloud Stinger, and has taken it up a notch with the Stinger 2. It retains the original’s big 50mm drivers, but has an updated rotating cup design and swing-down mic for better comfort and control. It also adds DTS Headphone:X for virtual 7.1  surround sound, making it is an unbeatable value.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This headset's ultralight weight makes it easy to wear all day!