The Best $3500 Ultimate Gaming PC Build – February 2025

By Ari Altman | Published January 27, 2025 | Updated January 27, 2025

Jump Into Ultra-High-End Gaming Today!

If you’re looking for the ultimate $3,500 Gaming PC Build, truly the best of the best, then this is the build for you! Sure, you could spend more, but in most games you won’t see better performance than what this PC Build can provide. It’s a showcase of the very best tech available in PC gaming today. And while the $3,500 Gaming PC Build isn’t exactly a bargain, it’s custom-tailored to deliver flat-out extreme gaming performance!

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

For February 2025, the Ultimate $3,500 Gaming PC Build offers incredible performance, anchored by AMD’s mind-blowing Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the world’s fastest gaming processor. It will have no trouble allowing you to get maximum frames out of the powerful new Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GPU!

Of course, the rest of the system is up to the task of keeping this system fed with data, including an incredible 64GB of DDR5-6000 RAM and a fast 4TB Gen 4 solid-state drive to store your game collection! Completing the $3,500 Build is an ultra-high-airflow case from be quiet!, a powerful 360mm liquid cooler, and a massive 850W Gold-rated power supply!

Parting Thoughts

Note that we list a number of “Optional Components” at the end of this guide that highlight the accessories we think best match a system of this caliber, including our favorite keyboard, mouse, and monitor picks. To browse even more options, check out our Monitor Buyer’s Guide, Peripherals Buyer’s Guide and Speaker/ Headset Buyer’s Guide, which provide our picks for the best accessories at every pricepoint.

Throughout this guide, we provide direct links to Amazon or Newegg, and our Amazon links will auto-convert for readers in the UK, Canada, and parts of the EU, with automatic substitutions being made where necessary. To help support the continued development of this guide, please use the links we provide if you purchase products we recommend.

The Pre-Built Option

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The Ultra-High-End Gaming PC –
Skytech King 9800X3D/RX 7900 XTX Gaming PC
$2500

Want amazing performance but not ready to go the DIY route? Then pick up this stellar system from Skytech! While Skytech always offers a lot of bang for the buck, with the King, it’s offering seriously-premium gear at a discount! It features a liquid-cooled AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-core CPU (yeah, the fastest gaming CPU on the planet!), AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB GPU, 32GB of DDR5-6000 RAM, a 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive, and a 1000W Gold-rated power supply.

The Guru’s Tip
The CPU and GPU in this system are nearly impossible to find at retail, so this system isn't just saving you the time in building, it's saving you time in hunting down parts!

The DIY Build

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CPU –
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
$589

AMD’s 7800 X3D was impressive enough, easily beating every other CPU ever released in gaming. And despite it still holding the crown after the release of many other CPUs, AMD went and did it again, giving gamers the 9800X3D with enhanced 3D cache technology, redesigned to allow higher clockspeeds and manual overclocking. This CPU is the ultimate gaming processor, regardless of price.

The Guru’s Tip
This CPU is so far ahead of everything else that we're likely to see above-MSRP prices for quite some time.
Click to Buy

Motherboard –
Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master
$450

This X870E board from Gigabyte allows you to tap into the full potential of AMD’s cutting-edge AM5 platform. You get a potent 16+2+2 power design with 110A Smart Power Stage , a PCIe Gen 5 video card slot plus two additional PCIe slots, four M.2 slots (three being Gen 5, one being Gen 4), and built-in WiFi 7. On the back you have 12 USB ports, including two cutting-edge USB 4 (40Gbps) ports. And unique among motherboard manufacturers, Gigabyte backs this with an incredible 5-year warranty!

The Guru’s Tip
This new board will have the necessary firmware to support the 9800X3D, so no flashing should be required.
Click to Buy

Video Card –
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 16GB Aorus @Newegg
$1200

The RTX 5080 is the ultimate GPU ever sold for under $1500. It has advanced Ray Tracing and DLSS technology, and this Aorus model from Gigabyte has extreme cooling and fantastic looks!

The Guru’s Tip
This GPU is going to be hard to find in stock for a while - grab it if you can!
Click to Buy

Memory –
G.Skill 2x32GB Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO
$205

To get the most out of AMD’s latest CPUs, you want fast RAM, and DDR5-6000 is the sweetspot not only in terms of price, but in terms of making the most of the AM5 platform. It allows for the highest overall performance thanks to running in 1:1 sync with the memory controller. And this 64GB Trident Z5 Neo kit from G.Skill is specially designed for AM5, thanks to the extraordinary 30-40-40-96 AMD EXPO timings. It offers tremendous capacity and speed in a single package!

The Guru’s Tip
This kit offers speed, capacity, and style perfect for the $3500 build!
Click to Buy

Solid-State Drive –
Samsung 990 Pro 4TB
$320

For serious storage, you don’t just want high-end, you want ultra-high-end, and that means going for the 990 Pro PCIe 4.0. It offers mind-blowing performance, up to 7,450MB/s read and 6,900MB/s, plus blistering random speeds that no other drive can touch. The 990 Pro will go down in history as the drive that truly maxed out the PCIe Gen 4 bus.

The Guru’s Tip
As much as you may be tempted to splurge on a Gen 5 drive, you get a lot more capacity per dollar with this stellar Gen 4 drive, and here's the honest truth - for gaming, you won't see a difference.
Click to Buy

Case –
be quiet! Shadow Base 800 FX ARGB Black @Newegg
$190

The Shadow Base 800 FX is a thoroughly modern case, packing in the very best in design advancement to produce class-leading performance and silence. There’s no other case that can match it. Plus it has great customizable looks, thanks to the built in ARGB light strips plus the four Light Wings 140mm ARGB fans, which are also a key ingredient in this case’s chart-topping cooling!

The Guru’s Tip
Another thing you get with every be quiet! case is simply impeccable craftsmanship!
Click to Buy

Power Supply –
SilverStone DA850R White
$105

Offering up 850W of power and top-notch build quality, this PSU is a great value among high-end models. Thanks to its fully-modular cables and compact 150mm length, it’s very easy to install, allowing you to minimize cable clutter by leaving out cables you don’t need for this build. It’s also forward-looking, with both traditional video card power cables and a 12V-2×6 connector (an improved version of the 12VHPWR connector), allowing you to directly connect to any current or future GPU. The best part: thanks to its Gold-rated efficiency and zero-fan mode, the power supply will operate in silence most of the time!

The Guru’s Tip
Given the massive firepower of this system, we've given it an equally-massive PSU. The PC will draw about 500W at load, meaning you'll make good use of this unit's capacity!
Click to Buy

CPU Cooler –
SilverStone IceMyst 360
$136

There has been tremendous innovation in the AIO liquid cooler market over the past few years, and the IceMyst 360 is the perfect example of this. Not only does its advanced pump, radiator, and fan design provide a tremendous leap over previous-generation coolers on a noise-normalized basis (which is what counts!), you also have the option of adding up to three 70mm accessory fans to the pump to cool RAM, VRMs, or SSDs. This is a truly unique feature that sets the IceMyst apart and makes it the clear choice among 360mm AIOs!

The Guru’s Tip
You should mount this radiator to the top of the chassis as an exhaust, which means you'll also want to move the pre-installed top case fan to the front of the case.
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
This is absolutely the OS you want on your cutting-edge gaming rig!

Optional Products

Click to Buy

The 34" Ultra-wide OLED –
Alienware AW3423DW
$700

Welcome to next-gen gaming, here today! The AW3423DW features an incredible 34″ ultra-wide QD-OLED panel, able to hit 175Hz while also offering the most colorful images ever seen on the desktop. At this point, if you want an ultra-high-end monitor, you’ve got to go OLED!

The Guru’s Tip
This monitor will allow you to truly take advantage of all the power your new PC can deliver!
Click to Buy

The Ultimate Gaming Keyboard –
SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3
$212

SteelSeries is establishing itself as the king of gaming keyboards with the Apex Pro Gen 3, which builds upon the strengths of prior offerings, but adds even more tech! In addition to incredible build quality and lots of configuration options, it features Hall Effect Switches for the smoothest, fastest response, plus bold RGB effects, and a built-in OLED screen to monitor PC vitals!

The Guru’s Tip
Corsair has owned the high-end gaming keyboard market for years, and yet it continues to innovate, keeping a step ahead of the competition!
Click to Buy

The Ultralight Gaming Mouse –
Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro Wireless
$120

Sometimes a product is so far ahead of the competition comes along that it resets the entire industry. So it is with the DeathAdder V3. Featuring the same ergonomic grip as the original from years ago that set the gaming world on fire, this is nonetheless leagues ahead of that classic. Weighing in at a scant 63g, while offering up a 30K DPI sensor, optical switches, wireless operation, and an incredible 90 hours of battery life, this is as cutting-edge as it gets. To have all of this in a mouse that weighs half as much as the best wireless mice from a few generations ago shows you just how far the bar has been raised!

The Guru’s Tip
This mouse is all business - if you want tons of RGB, you'll need to look elsewhere, but you won't get the same performance!
Click to Buy

The Deluxe PC Headset –
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless
$158

PRIME DAY DEAL – SAVE $25 TODAY! From humble beginnings as a mousemat manufacturer, SteelSeries has come to absolutely dominate the gaming headset industry. And that’s because it’s not rocket science, it’s audio science! SteelSeries took a careful look at what gamers needed and and then applied all the proven techniques to get them everything they wanted. That includes ultra-high-fidelity audio, 360-degree surround sound for immersive gaming, dual audio streams for simultaneous connection to a PC and a smartphone, multi-platform support, and amazing 38-hour battery life plus quick-charge over USB-C, providing a 6 hour boost in 15 minutes! It also has among the best microphones in business, providing clear audio for everyone you’re talking to!

The Guru’s Tip
No headset can touch this in terms of value in the premium market!