The Best $1500 High-End Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build – May 2025
Serious Gaming Power in a Tiny Box!
Are you a gamer who wants extreme gaming capability in a tiny package? Then the $1,500 High-End Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build is for you! This system takes up barely 1/3 the space of a typical gaming tower while packing in the same performance, making it perfect for gaming on the go or in your living room. In other words, despite its compact size, the $1,500 Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build is a totally legit high-end gaming PC, the equal of massive PCs that cost the same or more!
This Month’s Build, Powered by AMD and Nvidia!
For May 2025, this build features the Ryzen 5 9600X six-core, 12-thread CPU, which is the perfect choice for a compact gaming-focused system, given its great performance and newly-discounted price. It’s supporting the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, which is the fastest GPU you can currently buy that fits in the case we recommend.
Also on the build list is 32GB of speedy DDR5-6000 RAM, along with a quick 1TB PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive. The build comes together in the compact SilverStone SG16 chassis and uses a 120mm liquid cooler to maximize the system’s cooling performance. Finally, feeding this system is a quiet, efficient 650W power supply. Learn more about building in the SG16 case in our full review.
Parting Thoughts
We list our favorite accessories for the $1,500 Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build at the end of this guide, including a great keyboard and mouse, so don’t forget to scroll down to check those out! Note that in our buyer’s guide below, we have dedicated links to Amazon for our US readers, which will auto-convert for readers in Canada, the UK, and many countries in the EU. Your use of these product links is the only thing that will keep this site going!
The DIY Build
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CPU –
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
$185 The Guru’s TipThis CPU does not include a cooler, so make sure to pick up the model we list later in this guide.
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Motherboard –
Gigabyte A620I AX
$150 The Guru’s TipThe A620 chipset doesn't support manual overclocking, so we go with the pre-overclocked 7700X CPU above!
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Video Card –
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB @Newegg
$550 The Guru’s TipAt just 9.7" long, this card is a perfect fit for the ITX case we recommend for this build - most RTX 5060 Ti models will be too long.
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Memory –
TEAMGROUP 2x16GB Vulcan DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO
$90 The Guru’s TipThis DDR5 kit is a perfect match for the motherboard we recommend.
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Solid-State Drive –
TeamGroup MP44L 1TB PCIe 4.0
$60 The Guru’s TipRemember to install this drive before you install the motherboard in the case!
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Case –
SilverStone SG16
$108 The Guru’s TipThis case is also available in a sleek white finish, which is listed on the same product page.
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Case Fan –
Arctic P12 PWM
$9 The Guru’s TipYou'll be mounting this fan to the front of the chassis to provide cool intake air to the motherboard, RAM, and CPU.
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Power Supply –
SilverStone SST-SX650-G
$141 The Guru’s TipWhile the case we recommend can technically fit a full-size ATX power supply, going with this ultra-compact SFX model will make the PC so much easier to build and keep cool thanks to all the extra room it frees up inside, like the awesome cooler we recommend!
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CPU Cooler –
Thermalright Aqua Elite 120 V3
$35 The Guru’s TipMount the radiator and fan to the rear of the chassis. There's plenty of space, as the case we recommend is perfectly designed for 120mm liquid cooling!
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Operating System –
Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg
$139 The Guru’s TipWindows 11 is the OS to get for a new DIY gaming PC!
Optional Products
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The 27" 1440p 180Hz Gaming Monitor –
Acer XV271U
$200 The Guru’s TipThis monitor will let you get the most out of your new high-end gaming PC!
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The Budget Gaming Keyboard –
SteelSeries Apex 3
$43 The Guru’s TipThere are a lot of knock-off keyboards on the market selling for around the same price - our advice: avoid them!
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The Pro Gaming Mouse –
Razer Basilisk V3 X HyperSpeed Wireless
$49 The Guru’s TipWhether you're using your PC from a desk or the couch, this is the perfect mouse!
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The Budget Wireless PC Headset –
HyperX Cloud Stinger Core
$80 The Guru’s TipWe figure if you're building a small PC, it's very likely going to be tucked far enough away from you that using a wired headset will be a no-go!
Total Cost: $1466
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 5 9600X ($185)
- Motherboard – Gigabyte A620I AX ($150)
- Video Card – MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB @Newegg ($550)
- Memory – TEAMGROUP 2x16GB Vulcan DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO ($90)
- Solid-State Drive – TeamGroup MP44L 1TB PCIe 4.0 ($60)
- Case – SilverStone SG16 ($108)
- Case Fan – Arctic P12 PWM ($9)
- Power Supply – SilverStone SST-SX650-G ($141)
- CPU Cooler – Thermalright Aqua Elite 120 V3 ($35)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)