The Tech Buyer's Guru

The Best $1000 Mid-Range Gaming PC Build – September 2022

The Best $1000 Mid-Range Gaming PC Build – September 2022

By Ari Altman | Published August 31, 2022 | Updated September 6, 2022

SilverStone Fara H1MA 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, Featuring Intel and AMD!

For September 2022, The $1000 Gaming PC Build starts with Intel’s Core i5-12400F, by far the best gaming chip available for under $200. It features six cores and 12 threads, along with the cutting-edge Alder Lake architecture. The 12400F is the perfect CPU to support our GPU of choice, the awesome AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB. It’s the best value on the entire GPU market, now that it costs the same as the vanilla 6600 and far less than its GeForce competitors!

Keeping this build fed is 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and a 1TB PCIe solid-state drive, which provides plenty of fast storage to get your system running. This build is housed in an attractive and affordable SilverStone micro-ATX case and powered by an efficient, high-output 550W 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

  • Asus ROG Strix G10
    Click to Buy
    The Mainstream Gaming Desktop –

    Asus ROG Strix G10 11400F/3060

    $985
    If you don’t want to build your own, Asus has the answer in its ROG Strix G10 gaming desktop! This tower comes equipped with the potent Intel Core i5-12400F 6-core, 12-thread CPU, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 3060 12GB video card, plus a 512GB PCIe solid-state drive and 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM. It also has built-in WiFi, sweet RGB lighting effects, plus Windows 11 pre-loaded.
    The Guru’s Tip

    This PC will be slightly slower on the whole than the DIY build we feature below, but it's still a quality pick if you'd prefer not to build your own.

The DIY Option

  • Intel Core i5
    Click to Buy
    CPU –

    Intel Core i5-12400F

    $176
    The 12th-Gen “Alder Lake” CPUs are Intel’s most impressive release in a decade, and the Core i5-12400F offers the best value not only among Alder Lake CPUs, but among any CPU ever released! Packing in 6 performance cores and 6 additional threads, it can easily beat any CPU at its pricepoint, including everything from AMD! The “F” version of the 12400 does not include onboard graphics, but that’s fine for this build, which uses a separate video card.
    The Guru’s Tip

    This CPU includes a cooler, and for this build we recommend you use it to save some money!
  • Gigabyte B660M Gaming X
    Click to Buy
    Motherboard –

    Gigabyte B660M Gaming X AX DDR4

    $135
    This stylish Socket 1700 board from Gigabyte is a perfect match for Intel’s latest CPUs. It features a potent 8+1+1 VRM design, two PCIe Gen 4 M.2 slots, a PCIe Gen 4 video card slot, eight USB ports, and integrated WiFi 6 plus 2.5Gbs LAN. Note that it conforms to the DDR4 RAM standard, allowing the use of less expensive memory while maintaining similar performance to DDR5-based systems.
    The Guru’s Tip

    Note that we're going with a micro-ATX board here, to match the micro-ATX case in this build.
  • PowerColor RX6600
    Click to Buy
    Video Card –

    PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 XT Fighter 8GB

    $300
    Get into serious PC gaming today with the Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB. It has plenty of power to tackle any modern game, easily beating any Nvidia GeForce GPU anywhere near its pricepoint.
    The Guru’s Tip

    Thanks to a recent price drop, this card is by far the best deal on the market!
  • G.Skill RipjawsV
    Click to Buy
    Memory –

    G.Skill 2x8GB Ripjaws V DDR4-3200

    $55
    Because games and other applications can take serious advantage of RAM speed on the latest CPUs, we’re spec’ing a fast DDR4-3200 kit for this build. The Ripjaws V set looks awesome and comes in at a lower price than all of its competition!
    The Guru’s Tip

    This system can easily take advantage of high-speed RAM like this kit.
  • WD Blue SN570
    Click to Buy
    Solid-State Drive –

    WD Blue SN570 1TB NVMe

    $80
    WD knocked it out of the park with its high-performance yet bargain-priced SN570. Optimized for excellent real-world performance thanks to WD’s years of SSD development, it easily keeps up with much more expensive drives. This 1TB model can provide sequential read speeds of 3500MB/s and write speeds of 3500MB/s. Note that you’ll need a jeweler’s-type screwdriver to affix it.
    The Guru’s Tip

    Because this mounts in an M.2 slot on the motherboard, it requires no cables at all!
  • SilverStone H1M
    Click to Buy
    Case –

    SilverStone Fara H1M

    $60
    This stylish, modern mATX case offers great performance and flexibility in a compact package. Mesh panels provide great airflow and plentiful fan-mounting positions. On top you’ll find three USB ports plus microphone and headphone jacks, and on the side is a tempered glass panel that offers great views of the interior. All in all, this case is amazing for the price!
    The Guru’s Tip

    Being a micro-ATX case, this will only fit micro-ATX motherboards, which is what we spec for this build.
  • Click to Buy
    Case Fan –

    Arctic P12 PWM

    $8
    Want to cooler your system without a noise penalty? Look no further than the excellent P12 PWM from Arctic. It offers fantastic performance at low noise levels, and comes in at a shockingly-low price, despite a market-leading 10-year warranty.
    The Guru’s Tip

    This low-cost fan will vastly increase the performance of the case - just install it in the front, centered vertically, to lower CPU and GPU temps.
  • Click to Buy
    Power Supply –

    Silverstone ET550-B

    $55
    This PSU easily beats every competitor in its price class, offering top-notch quality and Bronze-rated efficiency. With 550W of power on tap, this unit has plenty of headroom to keep this system going for years, even with significant upgrades, including more powerful video cards.
    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

    $139
    Windows 11 take everything people loved about Windows 10, and then takes 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!
    The Guru’s Tip

    It took a while for Win11 to arrive at retail after launching as an update to existing users, but now that it's here, it's definitely what you want to load on your new system!

Optional Products

  • Click to Buy
    The Budget Gaming Keyboard –

    Logitech G213 Gaming Keyboard

    $45
    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 Pro Gaming Mouse –

    Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed Wireless

    $35
    Offering cutting-edge performance, there’s nothing like the Basilisk X for anywhere near the price. Ultra-sensitive sensor, Razer’s awesome HyperSpeed wireless system, and perfect ergonomics. It’s a great mouse!
    The Guru’s Tip

    Given how low the price is on this wireless mouse, there's no reason to go wired!
  • HyperX Cloud Stinger 2
    Click to Buy
    The Bargain Gaming Headset –

    HyperX Cloud Stinger 2

    $50
    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!
  • AOC 24G2
    Click to Buy
    The 24-inch 144Hz Gaming Monitor –

    AOC 24G2

    $170
    If you want to pick up a true “gaming” monitor, you want something with a high refresh rate. And this is the very best value out there in high-refresh-rate monitors. It features a 24″ 1920×1080 IPS panel capable of displaying images at up to 144Hz, 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. Another nice feature of this model is the height-adjustable stand, which allows you to dial in just the right setup!
    The Guru’s Tip

    A monitor like this would have cost well over $200 a year ago!

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