The Best $5000 Dream Machine Gaming PC Build – June 2022
Build the Gaming System of your Dreams!
If you want to build a dream gaming system, but can’t stand the idea of having another huge desktop by your side, stop dreaming and jump into a new reality! This build has all the power you could want, packed into an awesomely-compact high-end chassis. It’s everything you want in a killer gaming PC!
This Month’s Build, Powered by Intel and Nvidia!
For June 2022, the $5,000 Dream Machine Gaming PC Build offers the best of the best… what else would you expect?!? It starts with the insanely-powerful Intel Core i9-12900KS, a 16-core, 24-thread CPU that puts everything AMD offers to shame. It’s the fastest processor ever released. The 12900KS is joined by Nvidia’s awe-inspiring GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB GPU for extreme gaming potential!
This build is also packing a massively-fast 2TB PCIe Gen 4 solid-date drive, plus 32GB of ultra-fast DDR5-6400 RAM. To keep things cool, this system uses an awesome Corsair 360mm liquid CPU cooler with integrated LCD display, offering immense cooling capacity along with unlimited customization options. Powering the system is a quiet and ultra-efficient 1200W Platinum-rated power supply. Finally, the system comes together in the best-looking ATX chassis ever released, the glass-enclosed Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo, which will allow you to truly show off this build!
Parting Thoughts
We list all of our top picks to accessorize your Dream Machine in the optional products section later in this guide, including our personal favorite keyboard, mouse, and headset. To support continued development of this guide, please use the links we provide in the guide. For readers in the US, we list either Amazon or Newegg links, and our Amazon links will auto-convert for readers in Canada, the UK, and parts of the EU, with automated substitutions made by region where necessary.
The DIY Build
-
CPU –
Intel Core i9-12900KS
$750Intel already claimed the top spot among gaming CPUs with the 12900K, based on the 12th-Gen “Alder Lake” architecture. But that clearly wasn’t good enough, because now it’s gone and outdone itself with the special “KS” model, which increases speed by nearly 10% thanks to a much more advanced boost algorithm. With its 8 multi-threaded performance cores plus 8 efficiency cores, it’s also a beast for content creation or multi-tasking!
The Guru’s TipThis CPU draws a ton of power, so the 360mm liquid cooler we recommend for this build will not go to waste!
-
Motherboard –
MSI MEG Z690 ACE
$550Step into extreme performance and features with the Z690 ACE from MSI! It offers up mind-blowing specs: a 19+1+2 phase power design, quintuple M.2 slots (four being full PCIe Gen 4 x4), dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, WiFi 6E networking, dual Intel 2.5Gbps LAN ports, and just for fun, genuine 24K-gold foil heatsink wraps!
The Guru’s TipThis board will guarantee incredible stability no matter how hard you push the CPU and RAM!
-
Video Card –
EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB FTW3 Ultra
$2000Hail to the king! The absolutely mind-blowing RTX 3090 Ti 24GB goes beyond extreme, beating the original 3090 by 10% thanks to an increase in CUDA cores and faster VRAM. And this model from EVGA is the best of the best, offering exceptional cooling, a big factory overclock, and the best customer support in the business! You’ll even get a 3% discount at checkout by using our link to the EVGA store!
The Guru’s TipWith this card, you are stepping up to the best, at a price far below what vanilla 3090s were selling for just a few months ago!
-
Memory –
G.Skill 2x16GB Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 CL32
$430For the ultimate in speed, you must go with DDR5 RAM, but not just any DDR5 RAM, because you need high-frequency DDR5 to blow past DDR4 RAM performance. And that’s what you get with G.Skill’s TridentZ5 kit running at DDR4-6400 with timings of 32-39-39-102 at 1.40V. This is the real deal when it comes to DDR5 performance!
The Guru’s TipTo get DDR5 to run this fast, you can't use just any motherboard, and the one we picked is a proven RAM overclocking monster!
-
Solid-State Drive –
Corsair MP600 Pro XT 2TB
$293Corsair leverages the most advanced controller and NAND flash in the business with its MP600 Pro XT 2TB to hit 7,100MB/sec sequential read and 6,800MB/sec sequential write speeds. And by the way, the chunky heatsink isn’t just for show, it’s required because the MP600 Pro XT would otherwise overheat when hitting those massive transfer speeds!
The Guru’s TipWhile you don't really need a drive this fast for gaming, for the dream machine, nothing else will do!
-
–
Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Evo
$190Lian Li put itself back on the enthusiast map after years of relative anonymity when it launched the immensely-stylish 011 Dynamic, which offered glass panels arranged to provide an unparalleled view of the interior of the system. The 011 Dynamic Evo is a further refinement of the design, with a larger interior volume plus classy integrated RGB effects on the front panel. And with radiator and fan mounts on the bottom, top, rear, and sides, it’s also an airflow champ!
The Guru’s TipThe layout of this chassis is truly unique, and we suggest the best fan and radiator placement for each component throughout this guide.
-
ARGB Fan –
Corsair iCUE SP120 RGB Elite 3-Pack
$70Add a ton of airflow and style to your system with Corsair’s 3-pack of SP120 RGB Elite fans!
The Guru’s TipMount these fans to the bottom of the chassis, with the frames pointing upwards. This will provide a huge rush of air that pushes up and out of the case.
-
Power Supply –
be quiet! Straight Power 11 Platinum 1200W
$214be quiet! originated the silent PSU, and the Straight Power 11 is a perfect example of the latest innovations the company has to offer. Featuring 1200W of Platinum-rated power, a fully-modular cable design, and a high-end Silent Wings 3 135mm fan with funnel-shaped intake shroud, this is an exceptional choice for a premium PC build!
The Guru’s TipThis PSU will have more than enough power for you to overclock all the gear in this system to the max!
-
CPU Cooler –
Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD CPU Cooler
$290Corsair’s H150i Elite LCD offers more performance and features than any other 360mm cooler. Its big radiator is equipped with triple ML120 RGB Elite fans, which offer a great balance of performance and noise, and its pump has an awesome built-in LCD display, allowing you to monitor just about anything in your PC using the Corsair iCUE software.
The Guru’s TipMount this radiator to the top of the chassis as an exhaust. Note that this cooler includes the Socket 1700 adapter required for use in this system, as well as an advanced 6-fan hub that will control the fans on the cooler along with the case fans we recommend.
-
Operating System –
Windows 11 Home USB
$139Windows 11 take everything people loved about Windows 10, and then takes 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!
The Guru’s TipThis is absolutely the OS you want on your system to take full advantage of the Intel 12th-Gen CPU!
Optional Products
-
The Ultimate Gaming Keyboard –
Corsair K100 RGB Optical-Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
$200 The Guru’s TipYou can even sync this keyboard's lighting with the lighting inside the case!
-
The Ultimate Wireless Gaming Mouse –
Razer Basilisk Ultimate HyperSpeed
$120 The Guru’s TipWhen the battery needs a charge, all you need to do is set this mouse on the included charging stand!
-
The Deluxe PC Headset –
Corsair Virtuoso Wireless Headset
$180 The Guru’s TipThis is the headset we use every day for hours at a time, and it never lets us down!
-
The Ultimate Gaming Monitor –
Samsung Odyssey Neo G9
$1841 The Guru’s TipThe best gaming PC deserves the best gaming monitor!
Total Cost: $4926
The DIY Build
- CPU – Intel Core i9-12900KS ($750)
- Motherboard – MSI MEG Z690 ACE ($550)
- Video Card – EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB FTW3 Ultra ($2000)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x16GB Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6400 CL32 ($430)
- Solid-State Drive – Corsair MP600 Pro XT 2TB ($293)
- – Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Evo ($190)
- ARGB Fan – Corsair iCUE SP120 RGB Elite 3-Pack ($70)
- Power Supply – be quiet! Straight Power 11 Platinum 1200W ($214)
- CPU Cooler – Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD CPU Cooler ($290)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home USB ($139)