The Best $2000 Ultimate Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build – May 2022
Small Footprint, Big Performance!
This system is designed for gamers who want a compact system but aren’t willing to sacrifice performance to get it. The $2,000 Ultimate Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build has all the power of a full-blown desktop gaming PC, packed into a compact, stylish case that’s dwarfed by standard towers. Amazingly, there’s no price premium to pay to get such a unique PC, making this PC a pretty good value too.
This Month’s Build, Powered by Intel and Nvidia!
For May 2022, the $2,000 Ultimate Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build features Intel’s awesome Core i7-12700KF 12-core, 20-thread CPU, which is the perfect processor for an ITX gaming system, thanks to its prodigious speed and reasonable power draw. It’ll have no trouble maxing out our GPU of choice, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB, now down to its lowest price ever!
Just as important as all the computational firepower used in this system is the case, which truly defines this build. The Cooler Master NR200 brings high-end capabilities down to a compact size and a very reasonable price. With competitors only available from boutique manufacturers at over twice the price, the NR200 stands alone. Inside, you’ll be installing 16GB of fast DDR4-3600 RAM, a speedy 1TB PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive, and a fantastic air cooler from Scythe. Keeping the system running is a compact 700W Platinum-rated SFX power supply, which will have more than enough power for all the gear in this build.
Parting Thoughts
To see recommended accessories for this build, just scroll down to the bottom of this page, or check out our dedicated Monitor Buyer’s Guide and Peripherals Buyer’s Guide. Throughout this guide, you’ll see direct links to Amazon or Newegg for US readers, and our Amazon links will auto-convert for readers in the UK, Canada, and parts of the EU, with automatic reginal substitutions made where necessary. To support continued development of these guides, please use these links when you’re ready to buy your ITX machine!
The DIY PC Build
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CPU –
Intel Core i7-12700KF
$351 The Guru’s TipThis CPU 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 –
ASRock Z690M-ITX/ax @Newegg
$230 The Guru’s TipThis board uses the DDR4 standard, which allows you to use much more affordable RAM while maintaining the same performance level.
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Video Card –
Zotac GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Trinity 8GB
$770 The Guru’s TipNote that at 12.5" long, this will fit easily in the ITX case we recommend, which has a card limit of 13".
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Memory –
Patriot 2x8GB Viper Steel DDR4-3600 14-16-16
$88 The Guru’s TipBe wary of other DDR4-3600 kits out there... most have weak 18-22-22 timings that make them slower than DDR4-3200! This RAM, on the other hand, is DDR4-4400 by another name!
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Solid-State Drive –
WD_Black SN850 1TB NVMe
$150 The Guru’s TipDo you need this absurdly-fast Gen 4 drive in this system? Of course not, but thanks to a recent price drop, it's an easy pick for a high-end system!
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Case –
Cooler Master NR200
$100 The Guru’s TipNote that Cooler Master also sells a more expensive "NR200P", which we strongly discourage you from buying. It has a tempered glass panel that not only cuts down on airflow tremendously, it also cuts into interior space, meaning you cannot use the CPU cooler we recommend in this guide.
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Power Supply –
SilverStone SX700
$134 The Guru’s TipThis PSU has plenty of headroom for the high-powered components in this system, which will pull about 500W at load.
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CPU Cooler –
Scythe Fuma 2 Rev. B
$66 The Guru’s TipThis cooler is 155mm tall, which is a perfect fit for this system.
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Operating System –
Windows 11 Home USB
$139 The Guru’s TipMicrosoft took its sweet time releasing Win11 to retail after announcing the upgrade version in 2021, but it's here now and it's what you need on a system running Intel's latest hybrid CPU architecture!
Optional Products
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The Mechanical Gaming Keyboard –
Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Rapidfire
$133 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 34-inch Gaming Monitor –
AOC CU34G2X
$410 The Guru’s TipYou'll have no trouble taking advantage of the full resolution of this monitor with the $2,000 ITX Gaming PC Build!
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The Deluxe PC Headset –
Corsair Virtuoso Wireless Headset
$180 The Guru’s TipWe've used these since they were released in late 2019, and they have never let us down.
Total Cost: $2028
The DIY PC Build
- CPU – Intel Core i7-12700KF ($351)
- Motherboard – ASRock Z690M-ITX/ax @Newegg ($230)
- Video Card – Zotac GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Trinity 8GB ($770)
- Memory – Patriot 2x8GB Viper Steel DDR4-3600 14-16-16 ($88)
- Solid-State Drive – WD_Black SN850 1TB NVMe ($150)
- Case – Cooler Master NR200 ($100)
- Power Supply – SilverStone SX700 ($134)
- CPU Cooler – Scythe Fuma 2 Rev. B ($66)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home USB ($139)