The Best $1000 eSports Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build – May 2022
The Super-Slim Powerhouse!
While sales of PCs have been up and down over the past few years, there’s one area that’s growing at an amazing rate, and that’s eSports gaming PCs. What makes a gaming PC an eSports gaming PC? It’s simple: hitting the sweet spot on portability, price, and performance. This build will give you all that, along with the win in your next competition!
This Month’s Build, Powered by Intel and AMD
For May 2022, the $1,000 Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build is better than ever thanks to continued price drops. It all starts with Intel’s value-packed Core i3-12100F, a quad-core, 8-thread CPU that offers tremendous gaming performance for the price, beating its predecessor by 50%, while also out-performing most six-core CPUs in games! We’re recommending you pair it with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 8GB GPU for this build, which is plenty fast for any eSports title, and comes in at a very fair price, now that it’s fallen back to its original MSRP!
In terms of storage, this build gets an ultra-fast 500GB PCIe-based solid-state drive, along with 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM. Once you have all your new gear in hand, you’ll be installing it in the easily portable SilverStone RVZ02 chassis, and powering it up with a 450W Gold-rated power supply. You can learn more about this build and ask any and all questions in our YouTube assembly guide featuring the nearly-identical ML08 case.
Parting Thoughts
We also list some of our very favorite peripherals for gamers looking for maximum performance at a fantastic price. Scroll all the way down to check them out! And if this build isn’t quite what you’re looking for, we have a feeling we have another solution that will for for you, so just flip over to our Introduction to Small Form Factor PCs to learn more about our other compact options.
We provide Amazon or Newegg links for our readers in the United States, and our Amazon links will auto-convert for readers in Canada, the UK, and parts of the EU, with automatic substitutions made where necessary. If you decide to purchase any of the products listed below, please use the links provided, which helps support continued development of this guide.
The DIY Build
-
CPU –
Intel Core i3-12100F @Newegg
$108 The Guru’s TipThis CPU includes a cooler that will work perfectly in this system!
-
Motherboard –
ASRock B660M-ITX/AC @Newegg
$120 The Guru’s TipAll ITX motherboards are in short supply, so if you see this one in stock, grab it!
-
Video Card –
XFX Radeon RX 6600 Speedster 8GB
$330 The Guru’s TipThis card has dropped back down to its MSRP, after spending much of 2021 at more than double this price!
-
Memory –
G.Skill 2x8GB RipJaws V DDR4 3200
$66 The Guru’s TipDDR4-3200 is a sweet spot for price/performance.
-
Solid-State Drive –
WD Blue SN570 500GB NVMe
$50 The Guru’s TipDue to this drive's M.2 form factor, it will slip right into the motherboard, taking up zero space in your case, and eliminating typical SATA cable clutter!
-
Case –
SilverStone RVZ02B
$110 The Guru’s TipNote that this case has a maximum CPU cooler clearance of 58mm, and the stock Intel cooler measures 47mm tall.
-
Power Supply –
EVGA Supernova 450GM
$85 The Guru’s TipThis system will draw around 225W at load, putting it right in the sweet spot of this PSU!
-
Operating System –
Windows 11 Home USB
$139 The Guru’s TipIt took Microsoft about 6 months to release Win11 to retail after launching it as an upgrade-only option, but it's finally here, and it's what you want for a modern gaming PC!
Optional Products
-
The Budget Gaming Keyboard –
Logitech G213 Gaming Keyboard
$45 The Guru’s TipNote that while we really like wireless mice, we typically recommend wired keyboards unless you're shopping in the ultra-premium market, as wired keyboard don't need to move around much!
-
The Pro Gaming Mouse –
Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed Wireless
$40 The Guru’s TipThis mouse is priced like bottom-basement clones, but has the specs to compete with the very best! Don't be fooled into buying the no-name gear for a few dollars less (or more!).
-
The 24-inch 144Hz Gaming Monitor –
AOC 24G2
$170 The Guru’s TipOnce you've experienced a frame-synced image, you'll never want anything else!
-
The Budget Wireless PC Headset –
SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless
$97 The Guru’s TipThe Bluetooth functionality of this headset gives it much more flexibility, allowing it to be paired with smartphones and tablets.
Total Cost: $1008
The DIY Build
- CPU – Intel Core i3-12100F @Newegg ($108)
- Motherboard – ASRock B660M-ITX/AC @Newegg ($120)
- Video Card – XFX Radeon RX 6600 Speedster 8GB ($330)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x8GB RipJaws V DDR4 3200 ($66)
- Solid-State Drive – WD Blue SN570 500GB NVMe ($50)
- Case – SilverStone RVZ02B ($110)
- Power Supply – EVGA Supernova 450GM ($85)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home USB ($139)