The Tech Buyer's Guru

The Best $1000 Mid-Range Gaming PC Build – September 2024

The Best $1000 Mid-Range Gaming PC Build – September 2024

By Ari Altman | Published September 10, 2024 | Updated September 10, 2024

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 September 2024, the $1000 Gaming PC Build gets a massive upgrade in CPU power, jumping to the vaunted Intel Core i5-12600KF, a ten-core, 16-thread gaming mega-bargain. It will be supporting the best GPU available for under $400, the awesome AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT 12GB, which recently got a big price cut and easily beats Nvidia’s RTX 4060 Ti 8GB at the same pricepoint, while offering 50% more VRAM for much better future-proofing. Simply put, the 12600KF/7700 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 DDR4-3200 RAM, plus a 1TB PCIe Gen 3 solid-state drive, which provides plenty of fast storage to get your system running. This build is housed in an attractive, affordable, and high-airflow SilverStone micro-ATX case and powered by an efficient, high-output 600W 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

  • CyberpowerPC
    Click to Buy
    The Mainstream Gaming Desktop –

    CyberPowerPC Gamer Master 7600/RTX 4060 (GMA2700A)

    $1061
    CyberPowerPC delivers shocking value with this gaming PC. It has AMD’s potent Ryzen 5 7600 6-Core, 12-thread processor, the powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 8GB video card, a 500GB solid-state drive, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and 802.11ac networking. It also has Windows 11 pre-installed.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This system will be nearly as fast as the one we spec out below, and comes fully-assembled, meaning it will be ready on day one for gaming!

The DIY Option

  • Intel Core i5-12600K
    Click to Buy
    CPU –

    Intel Core i5-12600KF

    $140
    The 12th-Gen “Alder Lake” CPUs came in as Intel’s most impressive release in a decade, and the Core i5-12600KF offers the best value of the bunch. Packing in a total of 10 cores (6 performance and 4 efficiency), plus an additional 6 threads, it offers awesome gaming performance, and has productivity power on par with the best previous-gen 8 cores. Note that this “KF” version does not have onboard graphics, but is otherwise identical to the 12600K.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Intel is driving serious gaming value, bringing this legendary chip down to a super-low price!
  • H610
    Click to Buy
    Motherboard –

    MSI PRO H610M-G WiFi DDR4

    $90
    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, a PCIe x1 Gen 3 slot, an M.2 slot, two RAM slots, and six USB ports. This model also has built-in WiFi 5.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This board is an mATX model - make sure not to purchase an ATX board, which will not fit in the case we recommend.
  • 7700 XT
    Click to Buy
    Video Card –

    Gigabyte Radeon RX 7700XT 12GB Gaming OC

    $400
    The Radeon RX 7700 XT 12GB has impressive gaming power, beating Nvidia’s similarly-priced offerings by a huge margin. Plus, it has the added advantage of 12GB of VRAM, which makes it much more future-proof too! This model from Gigabyte uses three powerful fans, includes a metal backplate, and features a factory overclock, all for a great price!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This video card is under 12" long, so it will fit easily in the compact case we recommend. Note that not all 7700XT models will!
  • Silicon Power
    Click to Buy
    Memory –

    Silicon Power 2x8GB DDR4-3200

    $29
    You can now squeeze a whole lot of performance and capacity into your system by going with this budget-priced 16GB DDR4-3200 kit. It will help you make the most of your snazzy new system!

    The Guru’s Tip

    The motherboard we recommend uses DDR4 memory - and that's of course what we spec here.
  • Click to Buy
    Solid-State Drive –

    Silicon Power 1TB NVMe Gen 3

    $54
    This PCIe Gen 3-based solid-state drive offers great performance at an affordable price, and is a perfect match for M.2 slots operating at Gen 3 speeds. It has read speeds up to 2,200MB/s and write speeds up to 1,600MB/s, which are both far and away greater than any older-style SATA drives.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This drive gives you plenty of storage for games at a great price!
  • SilverStone PS15 Pro
    Click to Buy
    Case –

    SilverStone PS15 Pro

    $73
    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.
  • GX2
    Click to Buy
    Power Supply –

    Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W

    $62
    Thermaltake offers a ton of value in its GX line, and this model is no exception. You get 600W of Gold-rated power, a quiet 120mm fan, and a solid 5-year warranty.

    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

    $130
    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!
  • Click to Buy
    The Budget Gaming Keyboard –

    Logitech G213 Gaming Keyboard

    $50
    Pick up a great keyboard at a great price with the G213. It’s quick, quiet, and responsive, and it also has sweet RGB backlighting, of course!

    The Guru’s Tip

    The lighting on this keyboard can be controlled via Logitech's GHub software.
  • Click to Buy
    The Mid-Range Gaming Mouse –

    Logitech G502 Hero

    $35
    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

    $40
    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!

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