The Tech Buyer's Guru

The Best $3,000 Corsair RGB Gaming PC Build – September 2021

The Best $3,000 Corsair RGB Gaming PC Build – September 2021

By Ari Altman | Published August 25, 2021 | Updated September 8, 2021

Game Hard and Look Good Doing It!

If you want a $3,000 Gaming PC Build that’s a true showcase, not just another black box, then this is the one for you! In addition to the best gaming components available, it sports the latest in addressable RGB lighting and case design! We didn’t just add “RGB” to the name of this build without making sure it delivered on the looks front. The case fans, cooler, RAM, and motherboard can all be color-coordinated to make your build more than just blingy… it will be a work of art!

This Month’s Build, Featuring Corsair and AMD!

With high-end AMD Radeon GPUs now back in stock and shipping daily, it’s time to get building (and gaming) again! No more waiting for the cryptocurrency crisis to end! For September 2021, the $3,000 Gaming PC Build features AMD’s blazing-fast Ryzen 7 5800X 8-core, 16-thread CPU and a high-end Asus X570 motherboard. For the GPU, you can finally jump into gaming today with the ultra-fast Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB video card. This AMD combo will have you maxing out every game today!

For the rest of the gear, we go all in on Corsair’s iCUE system for amazing performance and the best, most advanced RGB lighting on the market. It all starts with the slick Corsair iCUE 5000X RGB, combined with Corsair’s premier 360mm Capellix RGB AIO liquid cooler, which makes this system stand out like no other build. For storage, we go with a 1TB PCIe solid-state drive along with 16GB of Corsair DDR4-3600 Vengeance RGB RAM. Finally, keeping this system powered up is an awesome Corsair RM850X Gold-rated power supply. See this build and post your questions in our YouTube review of the 5000X case.

Parting Thoughts

If you’re looking for new accessories to add to your $3,000 Gaming PC build, check out our Monitor Buyer’s Guide, our Peripherals Buyer’s Guide and our Speaker/Headset Buyer’s Guide for all the latest and greatest accessories, although we list our top recommendations for the $3,000 Gaming PC Build later in this guide.

Throughout this guide, we provide direct links to Amazon, Newegg, or B&H for our US readers, and the Amazon links will auto-convert for our readers in the UK, Canada, and parts of the EU, with regional substitutions made automatically when 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

  • Skytech Prism II
    Click to Buy
    The Ultra-High-End Gaming PC –

    Skytech Prism II 5800X/RTX 3080 Ti Gaming PC

    $3250

    EXTREME DEAL! Not ready to build your own PC? No problem! As of our latest update, this awesome system from Skytech is in stock, and will definitely sell out fast. It’s equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-core, 16-thread CPU, a 360mm AIO liquid cooler, and comes packing serious heat with the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB GPU! Also on the build list is 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, and an 850W Gold-rated PSU!

    The Guru’s Tip

    The GPU in this system on its own is worth at least half the cost of the system, which makes buying a pre-built a logical choice at this point!

The DIY Build

  • AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
    Click to Buy
    CPU –

    AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

    $394
    Based on AMD’s revolutionary Zen 3 architecture, the Ryzen 7 5800X is a truly fantastic processor. It has 8 core and 16 threads all running from a single complex for maximum efficiency, with boost up to 4.7GHz. That means it’s actually the fastest processor available for single-threaded tasks, which many tasks still are.
    The Guru’s Tip

    This CPU does not come with a cooler, and anything you'd get in the box couldn't handle it anyway, so make sure you pick up the massive liquid cooler we recommend later in this guide!
  • Click to Buy
    Motherboard –

    ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming

    $329

    Featuring AMD’s most advanced chipset, the X570, this board is built to be the best! It offers up a robust 12+4 power solution, dual PCIe Gen 4 M.2 slots, 802.11ax networking, 2.5Gbps LAN, eight USB ports (including Type-C), and onboard diagnostics.

     The Guru’s Tip

    Most importantly for this build, this board has the best RGB controller and software in the industry, and it's fully compatible with Corsair gear too!
  • PowerColor RX 6800 XT Red Devil
    Click to Buy
    Video Card –

    PowerColor Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB Red Devil

    $1418

    It’s time to get gaming again! This Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB has impressive gaming power, matching the RTX 3080, while actually being in stock and ready to game today! Sure, the price is above the original MSRP, but it’s pretty clear at this point that prices have been reset permanently, so rather than wait for a price drop that will never come, grab a great GPU today and get into your games!

     The Guru’s Tip

    Note that on any given day, different 6800 XT models are available, so we'll update as often as possible to help ensure you actually find them in stock!
  • Corsair Vengeance RGB
    Click to Buy
    Memory –

    Corsair 2x8GB Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4-3600 C16

    $115

    We go for slick, ultra-fast RAM for this build. At 3600MHz with 16-19-19-39 timings, this kit provides incredible speed in addition to its capacity. Of course, it also looks the part, with the best looking RGB lighting on the market!

     The Guru’s Tip

    The lighting on this RAM can be easily controlled with Corsair's iCUE software.
  • Click to Buy
    Solid-State Drive –

    Samsung 980 1TB

    $130

    There’s lots of competition in the SSD market, but SSD pioneer Samsung has put all the other mid-priced offerings to shame with its 980 1TB. It uses the speedy PCIe 3.0 interface and Samsung’s superior TLC NAND to vastly outperform every other PCIe 3.0 drive! To achieve performance any faster, you’d have to spend at least 50% more!

     The Guru’s Tip

    This drive will provide amazing gaming performance without the high price of Gen 4 drives.
  • Click to Buy
    Case –

    Corsair iCUE 5000X RGB

    $205
    There’s simply no better case to use as a high-performance RGB showcase than the glass-covered 5000X from Corsair. It has four glass panels (front, top, and two sides), and includes three SP Elite RGB fans and a Node Core RGB controller pre-installed. Load it up with the additional gear we recommend in this guide and you will have an amazing performer and a system with looks that can’t be touched!
    The Guru’s Tip

    Corsair's iCUE software, which is what this case is named for, allows extensive control over RGB gear, including Corsair coolers, fans, RAM and peripherals, and even Asus motherboards like the one we recommend! Speaking of that board, we made sure to spec one with a Type-C header, so you can use this case's top-mounted USB Type-C port. Details matter, and we've got you covered!
  • Click to Buy
    Fan –

    Corsair iCUE SP120 RGB Elite

    $25
    This fan will connect right up with the controllers built into the case, allowing it to sync both for RPM and lighting control with the stock fans.
    The Guru’s Tip

    In this build, you'll be mounting this fan in the rear of the chassis, where it will complement the three SP Elite front fans and the fans on the Corsair 360mm CPU cooler.
  • Corsair RM850X 2021
    Click to Buy
    Power Supply –

    Corsair RM850x (2021)

    $150

    Corsair is legendary in the PSU market, being among the first to develop truly-premium offerings. This 850W Gold-rated unit power supply is the latest in a long series of RM850x units, redesigned in 2021 for even better performance. It offers fully-modular cables, extreme efficiency and stability, and a magnetic levitation fan for low noise and long life!

     The Guru’s Tip

    This model is fully-compatible with the slick individually-sleeved cables listed in our optional products section below, which will give your system a truly custom look!
  • Click to Buy
    CPU Cooler –

    Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix Black

    $168

    For this build, we recommend you go for the amazing H150i Elite Capellix from Corsair. It offers up three ML120 fans equipped with magnetic levitation bearings, along with awesome ARGB lighting that can be sync’d directly with the rest of the components spec’d in this build.

     The Guru’s Tip

    Note that this cooler includes its own RGB controller box, and you'll be mounting it next to the one pre-installed in the case.
  • Click to Buy
    Operating System –

    Windows 10 Home USB Flash Drive

    $130
    Windows 10 was a big step up from Windows 8.1, and Microsoft continues to support Windows 10 users not only with regular security updates, but with major content releases every six months. And the USB version installs in under 5 minutes, meaning you can get right into using your system!
    The Guru’s Tip

    This is the USB 3.0 version of Windows, which loads in just 5 minutes!

Optional Products

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