The Best $2500 Extreme 4K Gaming PC Build – January 2025

By Ari Altman | Published January 4, 2025 | Updated January 4, 2025

Game to the Extreme!

If you’re looking to play all the latest games on a 4K or ultra-wide monitor, you’re going to need extreme processing power. And that’s what the $2,500 Gaming PC Build delivers – every component has been selected with one and only one goal in mind: maximum high-resolution performance for $2,500, with a healthy dose of style thrown in!

This Month’s Build, Powered by AMD!

For January 2025, the $2,500 Gaming PC Build features AMD’s shockingly-fast Ryzen 7 7800 X3D, still the second-best gaming processor on the market (next to the heavily-scalped 9800 X3D). It’s taken on renewed relevance given that Intel’s newest processors couldn’t come close to it. The 7800 X3D is backing up a powerhouse of a GPU, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB, which is AMD’s finest offering.

But this build is about more than just a fancy CPU and GPU. For starters, you’re getting an amazing 32GB of DDR5-6000 RAM and a high-end 2TB PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive to store your entire gaming collection. Defining the build is the high-airflow, glass-enclosed Corsair 3500X case, in which you’ll be mounting a 360mm liquid CPU cooler and a potent 750W Gold-rated power supply. In other words, this build is great in every way!

Parting Thoughts

We highlight our favorite accessories for this build in the optional components section at the end of this guide, including the best high-end peripherals and monitor. If you’re looking for more options, feel free to browse our Monitor Buyer’s Guide, Peripherals Buyer’s Guide, and Speaker/Headset Buyer’s Guide for all our favorite picks!

Throughout this guide, we provide direct links to Amazon or Newegg in the US, and our Amazon links will auto-convert for readers in other regions, including Canada, the UK, and parts of the EU, with substitutions made where necessary. To help support the continued development of this guide, please use the links we provide if you purchase products we recommend.

The Pre-Built Option

Click to Buy

The Ultra-High-End Gaming PC –
iBUYPOWER Gamer Xtreme VR 14900KF/RTX 4080 Super
$2700

iBuyPower is offering up an awesome PC with a striking aesthetic design in its Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming Desktop. It comes ready to play the hottest games at the highest resolutions thanks to the liquid-cooled Intel Core i9-14900KF 24-core, 32-thread CPU, along with the GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16GB video card. Also onboard are a shocking 64GB of DDR5 RAM and a tremendous 4TB NVMe solid-state drive!

The Guru’s Tip
This is an amazing value - grab it while you can!

The DIY Build

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CPU –
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
$449

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
The 7800 X3D is so dominant that Intel's next-gen CPUs can't come close to it in gaming!
Click to Buy

Motherboard –
ASUS Prime X870-P WiFi
$250

This X870 board from Asus allows you to tap into the potential of AMD’s cutting-edge AM5 platform at a great price. You get a potent 14+2+1 phase power solution, a PCIe Gen 5 video card slot plus three PCIe additional slots, four M.2 slots (one being Gen 5, two being Gen 4, and one being Gen 3), and built-in WiFi 7. On the back you have 10 USB ports, including two cutting-edge USB 4 (40Gbps) ports.

The Guru’s Tip
This new board features the latest connectivity - the main differences between it and the still viable B650E boards we used to recommend are USB4 and WiFi 7.
Click to Buy

Video Card –
XFX Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB Mercury
$930

AMD broke new ground with its RX 7900 series, and the 7900 XTX is a perfect showcase of that. Offering 50% more VRAM than Nvidia’s competing GPUs and a lower price, it’s an easy choice for serious gaming. And this awesome model from XFX uses the stylish and effective Mercury cooler, which is far better than the reference cooler from AMD!

The Guru’s Tip
As of our latest update, this custom high-end GPU is one of the few you can still grab after the holiday rush.
Click to Buy

Memory –
TeamGroup 2x16GB T-Force Delta RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO
$103

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 kit from TeamGroup features extraordinary 30-36-36-76 AMD EXPO timings.

The Guru’s Tip
This RAM is the optimal speed for an AMD system, leaving nothing on the table!
Click to Buy

Solid-State Drive –
Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
$180

For primary storage, you don’t just want high-end, you want ultra-high-end, and that means going for the 990 Pro PCIe 4.0. It offers mind-blowing performance, up to 7,450MB/s read and 6,900MB/s, plus blistering random speeds that no other drive can touch. The 990 Pro will go down in history as the drive that truly maxed out the PCIe Gen 4 bus.

The Guru’s Tip
While running the very best Gen 4 drive isn't necessary for gaming, the performance of this blazing-fast model is hard to pass up!
Click to Buy

Case –
Corsair 3500X ARGB
$90

Corsair has always been on the cutting-edge of case design, and the 3500X represents the latest innovations, including a glass-enclosed “fishbowl” design for a perfect view of your components, along with behind-the-board cable compatibility, which is being phased in over time with new motherboards. With the potential to be virtually “cable-free”, this case is very “component-forward”! And it allows for a huge variety of fan and radiator positions for maximum airflow!

The Guru’s Tip
Unlike with many previous Corsair cases, this one's fans can be controlled by the motherboard, which vastly increases compatibility.
Click to Buy

Power Supply –
SilverStone DA750R Gold
$104

A power supply is about so much more than just a wattage rating, and with the DA750R, you get a modern platform to last you many builds. Of course it has an impressive 750W of capacity, but it also offers Gold efficiency certification, a fully-modular design, and an ultra-silent 120mm FDB fan. But perhaps most important, and what really sets this unit apart, is the Gen5 12V2x6 PCIe connector, meeting the Intel ATX 3.0 specification standard. It means no adapters are required when paired with the latest power-hungry GPUs from Nvidia!

The Guru’s Tip
This PSU will easily handle the CPU and GPU in this system, which together will draw around 500W at max load.
Click to Buy

CPU Cooler –
SilverStone IceMyst 360
$129

There has been tremendous innovation in the AIO liquid cooler market over the past few years, and the IceMyst 360 is the perfect example of this. Not only does its advanced pump, radiator, and fan design provide a tremendous leap over previous-generation coolers on a noise-normalized basis (which is what counts!), you also have the option of adding up to three 70mm accessory fans to the pump to cool RAM, VRMs, or SSDs. This is a truly unique feature that sets the IceMyst apart and makes it the clear choice among 360mm AIOs!

The Guru’s Tip
You'll be mounting this cooler to the top of the case, with the fans set to blow through the radiator and out of the system.
Click to Buy

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
Win11 is what you want on a new system!

Optional Products

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The 32" 4K 144Hz Gamer's Dream Monitor –
LG 32GR93U
$600

LG makes the best LCD-based gaming monitors, bar none. Known for its high-end TVs, it didn’t take long for LG to dominate the gaming monitor market once it entered the field, and its Ultragear line is synonymous with quality. The 32GR93U may not have a catchy name, but it certainly has the goods! Get a load of these specs: a 32″ 3840 x 2160 4K IPS panel, 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms (GTG) response time, FreeSync Premium, 10-bit color, 95% DCI-P3, and VESA DisplayHDR 400. While other products may seem similar on paper, LG’s Ultragear line is always a cut above!

The Guru’s Tip
There's no better way to show off what your 4K gaming rig than with this awesome, value-packed 4K monitor!
Click to Buy

The Mechanical Gaming Keyboard –
Corsair K70 RGB Pro MX Red
$100

The Corsair K70 set the standard for mechanical gaming keyboards and is still the benchmark by which all others are judged. With its solid aluminum construction and detachable wrist rest, it’s a truly premium option. It features Cherry’s classic MX Red switches, PBT Doubleshot keys for durability, a magnetic soft-touch palm rest, and 8,000Hz hyper-polling for amazing responsiveness. And yes, it also is fully blinged out with RGB!

The Guru’s Tip
Once you try a mechanical board, you'll never go back!
Click to Buy

The Ultralight Gaming Mouse –
Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro Wireless
$120

Sometimes a product is so far ahead of the competition comes along that it resets the entire industry. So it is with the DeathAdder V3. Featuring the same ergonomic grip as the original from years ago that set the gaming world on fire, this is nonetheless leagues ahead of that classic. Weighing in at a scant 63g, while offering up a 30K DPI sensor, optical switches, wireless operation, and an incredible 90 hours of battery life, this is as cutting-edge as it gets. To have all of this in a mouse that weighs half as much as the best wireless mice from a few generations ago shows you just how far the bar has been raised!

The Guru’s Tip
Download the Synapse software to control parameters of this mouse.
Click to Buy

The Deluxe PC Headset –
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless
$158

PRIME DAY DEAL – SAVE $25 TODAY! 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 offers sound quality on par with much more expensive headsets!