The TBG DIY PC Build Guides

The Builds

DIY PC Builder's Update, May 29, 2020

CRITICAL COVID-19 NOTICE: We are updating our recommendations constantly to find in-stock options at MSRP or below, but a few component categories will require a backorder, particularly power supplies, video cards, and motherboards. In fact, every AMD motherboard between $100 and $300 is backordered, and we're revising our builds to keep the wait time as short as possible. Luckily, we know based on our proprietary data that Amazon is currently shipping all available products, so if it's in stock, you WILL get it within a few days!

Welcome to TBG's DIY PC Build Guides! This is where you'll find all the best PC builds on the 'net, from ultra-compact home office PCs to massive gaming towers. In total, we offer up 24 distinct DIY PC Build guides, updated with the latest and greatest components. And while we know our readers stumble upon a lot of other sites during their research, what we do is completely different: we professionally curate every build based on relationships we have with dozens of manufacturers and our constant testing of the latest products. That means our PC Builds are the most up-to-date builds you'll find anywhere.

The latest news is that Intel has finally released its new Comet Lake line of 10th-Gen Core CPUs, and we'll roll them out into our guides where appropriate. Our favorite CPU of the bunch is the Core i7-10700K, which is last-gen's 9900K in disguise (and at a much lower price!). The problem is that availability has been near-zero since release on May 22nd, so we can't recommend it at this point.

The SFF Builds

Note that many of the PC builds we profile are Small Form Factor models, and while they are all listed below, you can learn more about SFF PCs by jumping over to our monthly guide to the Small Form Factor PC Market. Another quick note for long-time readers of TBG: all of our editorial content going forward will be available exclusively on our YouTube channel. That's also where we'll be answering all build questions going forward, as we've shut down the old TBG Forum. We'll be rolling out videos for most of our builds over time, but you can post all your questions on full-size PCs here, and Small Form Factor PCs here. And don't forget to subscribe while you're there to make sure you don't miss out! Moving forward, only our very popular build guides will continue to get the "written" treatment, and if you appreciate the work we do on these, don't forget to use our Amazon links to support continued publication of these guides.

Using the TBG PC Build Guides

Whether it's your first, tenth, or hundredth time building a PC, these guides will set you up with the best components you can buy. Our build guides fall into five price ranges:

  • The Low-Cost Builds ($500-$750): if this is your first build, or you have modest needs, these systems will be ideal for home office, home theater, or gaming.
  • The Mid-Range Builds ($1,000-$1,250): you want a PC that will be faster and quieter than just about any off-the-shelf system, but you still want it to be easy to build.
  • The High-End Builds ($1,500-$2,000): you're looking for serious gaming chops, or a very powerful office PC.
  • The Ultra-High-End Builds ($2,500-$5,000): you're looking for cutting-edge technology and extreme gaming performance.
  • The Supreme Dream Machine (~$10,000): you have a truly unlimited budget, or you just want to know what you could buy if you did!

To find the right PC for you, feel free to browse all of the options below, or alternatively choose specific criteria from our filter browser below, which will display just the builds that meet your needs. You can then click on the "View Specs" button to see a quick view of prices, parts, and dimensions, or click the "View Guide" button to jump straight to the full Build Guide for that build. Happy hunting, and good luck with whichever build you choose!

We'd like to express special thanks to SilverStone Technology Co., which sponsors the TBG PC Build Guides. Founded in 2003, SilverStone has made major contributions to PC case design, small form factor PC development, and power supply innovation!

 

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