The Best $3000 Elite RGB Gaming PC Build – March 2024
Game Hard and Look Good Doing It!
If you want a $3,000 Gaming PC Build that’s a true showcase, not just another black box, then this is the one for you! In addition to the best gaming components available, we’ve pushed the limit on aesthetics with this build more than any other – it sports a sleek cable-less look, sweet RGB lighting, and a compact glass-enclosed interior to put your components front and center!
This Month’s Build, Powered AMD and Nvidia!
For March 2024, the $3,000 Gaming PC Build gets a complete and total overhaul to the newest, cutting-edge standard on the DIY PC market: behind-the-motherboard cables. While this may sound like a minor change, cable management inside the main section of a PC case has been the bane of every PC builders’ existence since the beginning. Now, with ground-breaking new standards pioneered by MSI and Corsair, you can build a system practically devoid of any visible cables. This system combines MSI’s Project Zero for motherboards with the first compatible case on the market, Corsair’s sleek 2500X, plus Corsair’s iCUE Link system for fans, which similarly eliminates fan cabling. The result: the absolutely sleekest PC you can build, with practically no cable management required!
Of course, this system has to have the performance to back up its looks, and it does: it uses AMD’s dominating Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which is still the fastest gaming processor on the market even after the release of Intel’s latest 14th-Gen Core processors. The 7800X3D is paired with a seriously-fast GPU, the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16GB, which equals AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX in legacy games and blows it away in Ray Tracing titles.
For storage, we go with a blazing-fast 2TB PCIe Gen 4 drive, along with a massive 64GB of DDR5-6000 RGB RAM. To make this system really stand out, this case uses the compact mATX form factor, which means all you’ll see are your awesome components, no dead space, and this has a side benefit of much better airflow to your components from the fans we spec. Keeping the CPU cool is Corsair’s highest-performing 360mm liquid cooler (with integrated LCD screen!), and powering this system is an ultra-modern 850W ATX 3.0 power supply. And the last thing: every component in this build is white, making this a true dream build!
Parting Thoughts
If you’re looking for new accessories to add to your $3,000 Gaming PC build, check out our Monitor Buyer’s Guide, our Peripherals Buyer’s Guide and our Speaker/Headset Buyer’s Guide for all the latest and greatest accessories, although we list our top recommendations for the $3,000 Gaming PC Build later in this guide.
Throughout this guide, we provide direct links to Amazon or Newegg, and the Amazon links will auto-convert for our readers in the UK, Canada, and parts of the EU, with regional substitutions made automatically when 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
The DIY Build
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CPU –
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
$390 The Guru’s TipThis CPU does not come with a cooler, so make sure to pick up the capable liquid cooler we recommend later in this guide!
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Motherboard –
MSI B650M Project Zero
$230 The Guru’s TipRemember, this is a unique motherboard and will only work with the case we recommend - do not try to mix and match here!
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Video Card –
Zotac GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16GB White @Newegg
$1070 The Guru’s TipThis GPU will look great in the all-white build we've spec'd out!
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Memory –
G.Skill 2x32GB Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO White
$223 The Guru’s TipThis ultra-fast kit will make the most of your AMD-based system!
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Solid-State Drive –
WD_Black SN850X 4TB NVMe
$294 The Guru’s TipBecause this system uses the mATX format and has only two M.2 slots, we're upping our recommended capacity here to 4TB, which will mean far less capacity constraints over time.
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Case –
Corsair 2500X White
$160 The Guru’s TipKeep in mind that this case does not include fans, so make sure to pick up the ones we spec below - they will make this system look great, and match the fans on the CPU cooler as well!
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Case Fan –
Corsair iCUE LINK QX120 3-Pack White
$140 The Guru’s TipMount these to the bottom of the case, blowing upwards towards the GPU.
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Power Supply –
SilverStone DA850R White
$150 The Guru’s TipThis PSU even has white cables, which while mostly hidden in this system, will complete the look! The only one visible will be the GPU cable.
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CPU Cooler –
Corsair iCUE Link H150i LCD CPU Cooler White
$285 The Guru’s TipThe fans on this GPU are identical to the case fans we recommend, meaning they match perfectly and can be controlled together.
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Operating System –
Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg
$139 The Guru’s TipThis is absolutely the OS you want on your system to take full advantage of a modern gaming system!
Optional Products
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The Ultimate Gaming Keyboard –
Corsair K100 RGB Optical-Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
$200 The Guru’s TipYou can set up the RGB on this keyboard to integrate with the lighting in your system!
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The Ultimate Wireless Gaming Mouse –
Logitech G502X Plus Lightspeed Wireless
$143 The Guru’s TipThe lighting on this mouse can be controlled via Logitech's GHub software.
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The Deluxe PC Headset –
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless
$137 The Guru’s TipThe Arctis series truly has a lock on performance!
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The 32" 4K 144Hz Gamer's Dream Monitor –
LG 32GR93U
$598 The Guru’s TipThere's no better way to show off brutal gaming horsepower than with a big 4K monitor!
Total Cost: $3005
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D ($390)
- Motherboard – MSI B650M Project Zero ($230)
- Video Card – Zotac GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16GB White @Newegg ($1070)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x32GB Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO White ($223)
- Solid-State Drive – WD_Black SN850X 4TB NVMe ($294)
- Case – Corsair 2500X White ($160)
- Case Fan – Corsair iCUE LINK QX120 3-Pack White ($140)
- Power Supply – SilverStone DA850R White ($150)
- CPU Cooler – Corsair iCUE Link H150i LCD CPU Cooler White ($285)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)