The TBG DIY PC Build Guides

Introduction to the TBG PC Build Guides

Welcome to TBG’s DIY PC Build Guides! This is where you’ll find all the best PC builds on the ‘net, from ultra-compact home office PCs to screaming-fast gaming towers. In total, we offer 18 distinct DIY PC Build guides, constantly updated with the latest and greatest components.

The April 2025 Updates

A lot’s been happening in the PC world as of late, but it’s been a little puzzling, to say the least. There’s been plenty of good gear launched, but it’s all so hard to get! AMD launched is mesmerizing Ryzen 7 9800X3D late last year, and ever since it’s been constantly sold out. Then in January 2025, Nvidia launched its first new lineup of GPUs since 2022, and they advanced the ball just enough to be considered a new generation of products, but promptly also sold out due to lack of supply. So what’s an enthusiast to do? Find the best deals available on the best products you can buy right now, which is what you’ll find in our guides! And here’s some inside knowledge that you won’t find elsewhere – with the current GPU shortage, in many cases the best way to score the latest gear is with a pre-built PC, because OEMs get first dibs on many of the most in-demand GPUs. We therefore list great pre-built alternatives in many of our DIY guides.

But we know some of you want the details on gear we recommend, so let’s dive in on where the market sits today… When it comes to CPUs, it’s easy. We’re going all in on AMD, because while its 9000 series didn’t blow away critics, the subsequent launch of the shockingly underwhelming Intel 200 series made AMD look really, really good. Intel’s chips offered performance regressions in gaming, and overall seemed like a stopgap measure until Intel can figure out what its next best thing actually is. And interestingly, this also leaves AMD’s older 7000 series looking very good, along with a handful of Intel’s last-gen CPUs at the budget end of the spectrum, given the big discounts on them. Overall, it’s a mix of old and new, and at the very top for content creators is the Ryzen 9 9950X, while at the very top for gamers is no doubt the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which is simply in another league versus Intel’s offerings. There’s also a Ryzen 9 9950X3D at this point that isn’t quite as fast for gaming but is amazing for content creation, but it’s so niche (and unobtainable) that we’re not going to recommend it for now.

On the GPU side, things are even more complicated. Nvidia is really more of an AI than a gaming company now, and using its precious, limited production capacity for AI chips nets it much bigger margins. That unfortunately is the reality of the situation. At this point, you’ll likely have to pay a bit too much for Nvidia’s newest GPUs, if you can even find them in stock. Their MSRPs are a fiction, to put it mildly. AMD has some great offerings in its RX 9000 series (particularly the RX 9070 XT starting at $600), which offer more bang-for-the-buck than Nvidia, but unfortunately with their MSRPs also a fiction and their availability at retail near zero, giving them the solid nod over Nvidia isn’t really possible.

Using the TBG PC Build Guides

Whether it’s your first, tenth, or hundredth time building a PC, these guides will set you up with the best components you can buy. To find the right PC for you, feel free to browse all of the options below, or alternatively choose specific criteria from our filter browser below, which will display just the builds that meet your needs. You can then click on the “View Specs” button to see a quick view of prices, parts, and dimensions, or click the “View Guide” button to jump straight to the full Build Guide for that build. Happy hunting, and good luck with whichever build you choose!

Our DIY PC Build Guides are updated monthly, and sometimes daily, to ensure you get the most up-to-date info. If you appreciate the work we do on these, don’t forget to use our Amazon and Newegg links to support continued publication of these guides.

We’d like to express special thanks to SilverStone Technology Co., which sponsors the TBG PC Build Guides. Founded in 2003, SilverStone has made major contributions to PC case design, small form factor PC development, and power supply innovation!