The Best $2000 Premium Gaming PC Build – March 2023
Treat Yourself to a Premium Gaming PC Experience!
Looking to build the best gaming PC possible for around $2,000? This is it! Incredibly stylish, ultra-quiet, and most importantly, brutally fast, this build offers the very best balance of CPU power, GPU power, and cooling performance out of any of the gaming PCs we profile. We call it “premium” for a reason! And take note: this build doesn’t skimp on the wheels and chassis just to cram in a “big engine”. We’re all about long-term thinking here at TBG, and this is a seriously long-term build!
This Month’s Build, Powered by Intel and AMD!
For March 2023, the $2,000 Premium Gaming PC Build gets a big upgrade, moving to Intel’s incredible Core i5-13600KF, a 14-core, 20-thread gaming specialist that blows away everything AMD offers in its price range. It will be driving the beastly AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB, which offers extreme performance for the price, beating the previous king-of-the-hill GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. From a gaming point of view, the 13600K/7900 XT combo delivers unbeatable value per dollar.
And the quality runs deep in this system, as proven by the 1TB PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive, 32GB of DDR5-6000 RAM, and a 750W Gold-rated power supply. Bringing it all together is the Lian Li Lancool 216 high-airflow case and a powerful yet quiet tower cooler from Scythe.
Parting Thoughts
We also list plenty of ways to accessorize the $2,000 Premium Gaming PC Build – just scroll down to the end of this guide to see our top picks among gaming keyboards, mice, and monitors. If you want to see even more options, check out our Monitor Buyer’s Guide and Peripherals Buyer’s Guide!
We update this build every month, and provide direct links to Amazon or Newegg. Our Amazon links will auto-convert for readers in the UK, Canada, and several countries in the EU, with regional substitutions made where necessary. Your use of these links is the only thing that keeps this site on the ‘net!
The Pre-Built Option
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The Premium Gaming PC –
Skytech Siege 12700F/RTX 4070 Ti Gaming PC
$2000Not ready to build your own? No problem! Skytech is offering up tremendous value as always with its latest Siege desktop. It’s equipped with the Intel Core i7-12700F 12-core, 20-thread CPU, a 240mm AIO liquid cooler, and comes packing serious heat with a GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB! Also on the build list is 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, a 1TB PCIe SSD, and an 850W Gold-rated PSU.This system is nearly as fast as the DIY build we spec out below, so don't feel bad if you decide you'd rather just skip the whole building process!
The DIY Build
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CPU –
Intel Core i5-13600KF
$297 The Guru’s TipThis chip does not include a cooler, so make sure to pick up the powerful model we list later in this guide!
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Motherboard –
MSI PRO Z790-P WIFI
$230 The Guru’s TipWe are very intentionally going with a DDR5 version of this motherboard, due to the huge performance boost DDR5 RAM provides over DDR4!
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Video Card –
XFX Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB MERC310 Ultra
$821 The Guru’s TipThe 7900 XT got a bad name when released due to what seemed like a price that was too high - but now that it's come down in price and Nvidia's far slower RTX 4070 Ti sells for more, the XT has a clear place in the Premium PC Build!
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Memory –
G.Skill 2x16GB Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6000 CL32
$135 The Guru’s TipRemember to engage this kit's XP profile to take advantage of its speed!
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Solid-State Drive –
WD_BLACK SN770 1TB NVMe
$78 The Guru’s TipWhile you don't really need Gen 4 speed for gaming, the amazing price on this drive makes it irresistible!
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Case –
Lian Li Lancool 216 RGB
$125 The Guru’s TipThis case's stylish ARGB lighting can be controlled using the motherboard's lighting controls.
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Power Supply –
SilverStone ST75F-GS-V3 Gold
$116 The Guru’s Tip750W offers plenty of headroom for this build, which will pull about 500W at full load.
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CPU Cooler –
Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. C
$57 The Guru’s TipThis cooler includes the adapter required for use with the latest Intel platform.
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Operating System –
Windows 11 Home (Download)
$140 The Guru’s TipRunning Windows 11 ensures you'll get the most out of your gaming rig!
Optional Products
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The Mechanical Gaming Keyboard –
Razer BlackWidow V3
$100 The Guru’s TipOnce you go mechanical, you won't go back!
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Mouse –
Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro SE
$80 The Guru’s TipSync the mouse's lighting using the Corsair iCUE software!
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The Budget Wireless PC Headset –
SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless
$74 The Guru’s TipWe've long believed that wireless is the only way to go with a gaming headset - no getting tangled up in the heat of the action!
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The 34-inch Gaming Monitor –
AOC CU34G2X
$400 The Guru’s TipStepping up to an ultra-wide will give you a whole new view on gaming, and luckily the $2000 Gaming PC Build can drive it to the max!
Total Cost: $1999
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Build
- CPU – Intel Core i5-13600KF ($297)
- Motherboard – MSI PRO Z790-P WIFI ($230)
- Video Card – XFX Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB MERC310 Ultra ($821)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x16GB Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6000 CL32 ($135)
- Solid-State Drive – WD_BLACK SN770 1TB NVMe ($78)
- Case – Lian Li Lancool 216 RGB ($125)
- Power Supply – SilverStone ST75F-GS-V3 Gold ($116)
- CPU Cooler – Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. C ($57)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (Download) ($140)