The Best $2000 Premium Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build – February 2024

By Ari Altman | Published January 28, 2024 | Updated January 28, 2024

CoolerMaster NR200 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 Premium 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 Exclusively by AMD!

For February 2024, the $2,000 Premium Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build features AMD’s blazing-fast Ryzen 7 7800X3D 8-core, 16-thread CPU, the best gaming CPU on the market. Particularly notable for this build is its insane efficiency, which allows this system to run cool and quiet despite its small dimensions. The 7800X3D will have no trouble maxing out our GPU of choice, AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XT 202GB, which offers excellent performance and a new lower price, making it the right GPU at the right time! Yes, Nvidia released a new GPU recently, the RTX 4070 Ti Super, to try to catch up, but shockingly added almost no performance despite selling for far more than the 7900 XT.

Just as important as all the computational firepower used in this system is the case, which truly defines this build. The NR200 from Cooler Master 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 32GB of fast DDR5-6000 RAM, a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive, and a 120mm tower cooler from Scythe. Keeping the system running is a compact 650W Gold-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 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

  • CPU

    AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

    $356
    AMD has done it again with its 3D cache technology, turning an average CPU, the 7700X, into the 7800X3D, the best gaming CPU ever released! This CPU can take on any CPU, regardless of price, when it comes to gaming, thanks to its advanced stacked cache design. It also has a leg up on Intel by offering the latest connectivity standards thanks to the AM5 platform.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This CPU does not come with a cooler, so don't forget to pick up the high-powered cooler we list later in this guide!

  • Motherboard

    Gigabyte B650I AORUS Ultra

    $250
    This board has all the features you need for a high-end build on the AM5 platform, despite its reasonable pricepoint. It features 8+2+1 power stages, dual M.2 PCIe slots (one Gen 5, one Gen 4), 2.5Gbps LAN, built-in 802.11ax wireless networking with Bluetooth, the premium ALC4080 audio codec, and seven USB ports, including a Type-C port.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This board requires DDR5 memory, so make sure to follow our RAM recommendation in this guide.

  • Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB Pulse @Newegg

    $700
    AMD broke new ground with its RX 7900 series, and the 7900 XT is a perfect showcase for that. Offering RTX 3090 Ti-stomping performance for far less money, it immediately put every last-gen GPU in its price range out of contention. And with 20GB of VRAM, it’s future-proof too!

    The Guru’s Tip

    With a cooler that's 313mm long, this model is an easy fit in the case we recommend, while most other RX 7900 XT models are simply too big.

  • Memory

    G.Skill 2x16GB Flare X5 DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO

    $107
    To get the most out of AMD’s latest CPUs, you want fast RAM, and DDR5-6000 is the sweetspot not only in terms of price, but in terms of the AM5 platform. It allows for the highest overall performance thanks to running in 1:1 sync with the memory controller. And this Flare X5 kit from G.Skill is specially designed for AM5, thanks to the enhanced 30-38-38-96 AMD EXPO timings.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This DDR5 RAM is the perfect match for the motherboard we recommend.

  • Solid-State Drive

    Lexar NM790 2TB

    $150
    Lexar knocked it out of the park with its ultra-high-performance, bargain-priced NM790 PCIe Gen 4 drive. Optimized for excellent real-world performance, it easily keeps up with much more expensive drives. This 2TB model can provide sequential read speeds of 7400MB/s and write speeds of 6500MB/s.

    The Guru’s Tip

    We recommend that the first thing you install on the motherboard is the SSD. This will ensure you have access to the M.2 slot.

  • Case

    Cooler Master NR200

    $83
    This amazing case is one of a kind. Coming in at 18 liters, it has space for just about every component you could imagine, and looks fantastic too! That includes a huge GPU, a variety of powerful cooler options, and an SFX-class PSU.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This case can fit GPUs up to 330mm long, and we've confirmed that the GPU we recommend will fit!

  • Power Supply

    SilverStone SST-SX650-G

    $138
    For a high-powered build like this one, you need a serious power supply, and this awesome 650W Gold-rated unit is our top pick. It’s incredibly powerful for its size, with more than enough output to handle the CPU and GPU featured in this build (including 4 PCIe power connectors – a single GPU can use up to 3!).

    The Guru’s Tip

    This PSU will have plenty of power for this system, which will draw under 450W at load.

  • CPU Cooler

    Scythe Fuma 3

    $50
    With the Fuma 3, the best gets better, and amazingly enough, cheaper too! Perhaps the most innovative of all 120mm tower designs, the third incarnation of the Fuma returns to its roots, coming in at a price very similar to the original Fuma, but with far greater performance, better looks, and the best compatibility of any high-performance cooler. Thanks to its offset design, it’s just 154mm tall, and completely clears the RAM slots on any board. The Fuma 3 improves upon even the Fuma 2 with its on-trend blacked-out look, along with its updated Kaze Flex II fans that spin at up to 1500RPM. They continue to feature a trick no other manufacturer has grasped – counter-rotating blades for a “vortex” effect. Frankly, this is our favorite cooler at any price!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This is the perfect match for the case we recommend, maxing out the height limit while providing exceptional cooling!

  • 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

    Win 11 is absolutely the OS you want on a modern PC.

Optional Products

  • The Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

    SteelSeries Apex 7

    $149
    SteelSeries has always delivered an amazing blend of performance and value for gamers, and the stylish and responsive Apex 7 is a perfect example of that. It has Cherry MX Red linear switches, an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy chassis, RGB illumination, and a premium magnetic wrist rest. And it has one thing none of its competitors offer: an OLED smart display for adjusting and tracking settings.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Once you go mechanical, you won't go back!

  • The Ultimate Wireless Gaming Mouse

    Razer Basilisk Ultimate HyperSpeed

    $105
    Razer is legendary in the gaming mouse market, and the Basilisk Ultimate, now discounted from its original introductory price, is an ultra-high-end bargain! Featuring a 20,000dpi sensor, Razer’s awesome HyperSpeed wireless system, and a perfect ergonomic design, this model can’t be beat! And in addition to its 100-hour battery life, it’s also incredibly light, at just 107g!

    The Guru’s Tip

    No other mouse offers ultra-high-end performance at such a low price!

  • The 34-inch Gaming Monitor

    Asus TUF Gaming VG34VQL1B

    $394
    Are you ready for serious big-screen gaming? Then feast your eyes on this 34″ monitor from Asus, which breaks new ground in terms of features and performance per dollar. It has an ultra-wide 3440 x 1440 curved VA panel, a fast 165Hz refresh rate, and FreeSync Premium technology to keep your frames running smoothly. It also offers a height-adjustable stand (unusual at this pricepoint), plus built-in speakers (which are more for convenience than incredible performance, but hey, they can be useful in a pinch!).

    The Guru’s Tip

    You'll have no trouble taking advantage of the full resolution of this monitor with the $2,000 ITX Gaming PC Build!

  • The Deluxe PC Headset

    SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless

    $140
    From humble beginnings as a mousemat manufacturer, SteelSeries has come to absolutely dominate the gaming headset industry. And that’s because it’s not rocket science, it’s audio science! SteelSeries took a careful look at what gamers needed and and then applied all the proven techniques to get them everything they wanted. That includes ultra-high-fidelity audio, 360-degree surround sound for immersive gaming, dual audio streams for simultaneous connection to a PC and a smartphone, multi-platform support, and amazing 38-hour battery life plus quick-charge over USB-C, providing a 6 hour boost in 15 minutes! It also has among the best microphones in business, providing clear audio for everyone you’re talking to!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This headset easily beats similarly-priced models from the popular "gaming" brands.

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