The TBG DIY PC Build Guides
Introduction to the TBG PC Build Guides
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 screaming-fast gaming towers. In total, we offer a dozen distinct DIY PC Build guides, constantly updated with the latest and greatest components.
The February 2026 Updates
Well, what can we say? Things are not exactly ideal for system builders right now. We’ve been tracking and reporting on the rise in RAM prices since September (currently stabilizing at about 4x prices at that time). Then we noted that SSD prices were going up in December (now up on average 2x from their low point), and at this point even GPU prices are going up, with about a 10% increase in the new year (so far).
While other components have dropped in price to compensate (particularly motherboards, as motherboard makers are in big trouble right now with RAM prices being so high), it’s not enough to balance out the price hikes mentioned above. So, in short, DIY PCs are more expensive today than 6 months ago.
The good news is that the pre-built systems we list in a lot our guides are an absolute steal (as in, we’re not sure why they haven’t doubled in price yet, but they probably will!). Also check out our Desktop PC Buyer’s Guide, which lists all our favorite pre-built options in one place.
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. 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!
Our DIY PC Build Guides are updated monthly, and sometimes daily, to ensure you get the most up-to-date info. If you appreciate the work we do on these, don’t forget to use our Amazon and Newegg links to support continued publication of these guides.
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!
The Best $600 Home Office PC Build – February 2026
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Option
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 5 3400G w/ Vega Graphics ($81)
- Motherboard – MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi ($103)
- Memory – Oloy 2x8GB DDR4 3200 ($115)
- Solid-State Drive – TeamGroup MP44L 500GB ($96)
- Case – Cooler Master Q300L ($40)
- Power Supply – Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+ ($40)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $1000 Mid-Range Gaming PC Build – February 2026
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Option
- CPU – Intel Core i3-12100F ($90)
- Motherboard – Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX DDR4 ($129)
- Video Card – PowerColor Radeon RX 9060 XT Reaper 8GB ($310)
- Memory – Oloy 2x8GB DDR4 3200 ($115)
- Solid-State Drive – TeamGroup MP44L 500GB ($96)
- Case – SilverStone PS15 Pro ($82)
- Power Supply – MSI MAG A550BN ($55)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $1,000 High-End Home Theater PC Build – January 2026
Required Components
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 5 9600X ($185)
- Motherboard – Gigabyte B850 Eagle WIFI6E ($180)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x16GB Flare X5 DDR5-6000 CL36 EXPO ($390)
- Solid-State Drive – TeamGroup MP44 1TB PCIe 4.0 ($171)
- Case – SilverStone GD11 ($187)
- Power Supply – MSI MAG A650BE ($60)
- CPU Cooler – Thermalright Aqua Elite 240 V4 ($42)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $1500 High-End Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build – November 2025
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 5 9600X ($185)
- Motherboard – Gigabyte A620I AX ($150)
- Video Card – MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12GB Ventus 2X ($540)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x8GB Flare X5 DDR5-6000 C30 ($248)
- Solid-State Drive – TeamGroup MP44 1TB PCIe 4.0 ($171)
- Case – SilverStone SG16 ($97)
- Case Fan – Arctic P12 PWM ($9)
- Power Supply – Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold ($140)
- CPU Cooler – Thermalright Aqua Elite 120 V3 ($34)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $1500 High-End Gaming PC Build – February 2026
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 5 9600X ($185)
- Motherboard – Gigabyte B850 Eagle WIFI6E ($180)
- Video Card – PowerColor Radeon RX 9060 XT Reaper 16GB ($470)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x8GB Flare X5 DDR5-6000 C30 ($248)
- Solid-State Drive – Klevv Cras 1TB PCIe 4.0 ($155)
- Case – Lian Li Lancool 207 ($83)
- Power Supply – Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W ($70)
- CPU Cooler – Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120SE ($36)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $2000 Premium Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build – November 2025
The DIY PC Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D ($399)
- Motherboard – MSI B850I Edge Ti WiFi ($290)
- Video Card – Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB ($720)
- Memory – Silicon Power 2x16GB DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO ($315)
- Solid-State Drive – Lexar NM790 2TB ($135)
- Case – Cooler Master NR200 ($63)
- Power Supply – Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold ($140)
- CPU Cooler – Scythe Fuma 3 ($40)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $2000 Premium Gaming PC Build – February 2026
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 7700X ($250)
- Motherboard – Gigabyte B850 Eagle WIFI6E ($180)
- Video Card – Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 12GB ($600)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x16GB Flare X5 DDR5-6000 CL36 EXPO ($390)
- Solid-State Drive – Teamgroup MP44 2TB PCIe 4.0 ($240)
- Case – Lian Li Lancool 216 Black ($103)
- Power Supply – SilverStone DA750R Gold ($84)
- CPU Cooler – ID-Cooling FX360 Pro ($65)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $2000 High-End Creator PC Build – December 2025
Required Components
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 9 9900X ($390)
- Motherboard – Asus TUF Gaming B850-PLUS WiFi ($190)
- Video Card – Asus GeForce RTX 5070 12GB Prime ($550)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x16GB Flare X5 DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO ($450)
- Solid-State Drive – WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB PCIe Gen 5 ($511)
- Case – Lian Li LanCool 217 ($120)
- Power Supply – SilverStone DA750R Gold ($84)
- CPU Cooler – ID-Cooling FX360 Pro ($65)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
Optional Products
- Sound Card – Creative Sound Blaster AE-7 ($192)
- The 32-inch Professional 4K Monitor – ASUS ProArt PA329CV ($599)
- The Ultimate Business Keyboard – Logitech MX Keys S Wireless Illuminated Keyboard ($110)
- The Deluxe Wireless Mouse – Logitech MX Master 4 ($120)
- The Deluxe PC Headset – SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless Gen 2 ($180)
The Best $2500 Extreme 4K Gaming PC Build – February 2026
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D ($444)
- Motherboard – ASUS Prime X870-P WiFi ($180)
- Video Card – Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB ($720)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x16GB Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO ($495)
- Solid-State Drive – Teamgroup MP44 2TB PCIe 4.0 ($240)
- Case – Corsair 3500X RS-R White ($100)
- Power Supply – Corsair RM850x Shift White ($150)
- CPU Cooler – Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 ARGB White ($105)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $3,000 Extreme Mini-ITX Gaming PC Build – November 2025
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D ($444)
- Motherboard – MSI B850I Edge Ti WiFi ($290)
- Video Card – Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 Gaming 16GB ($1500)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x16GB Flare X5 DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO ($450)
- Solid-State Drive – WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB PCIe Gen 5 ($511)
- Case – Cooler Master NR200P V3 ($128)
- Power Supply – Corsair SF850 ($190)
- CPU Cooler – be quiet! Pure Loop 3 280mm ($110)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $3500 Ultimate Gaming PC Build – February 2026
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D ($500)
- Motherboard – Gigabyte X870 AORUS Elite WIFI7 ($253)
- Video Card – Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 Gaming 16GB ($1500)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x16GB Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 EXPO ($495)
- Solid-State Drive – Crucial T705 2TB PCIe Gen 5 ($268)
- Case – Antec Flux Pro Black ($180)
- Power Supply – SilverStone DA850R Black ($149)
- CPU Cooler – Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 ARGB ($99)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
The Best $5000 Dream Machine Gaming PC Build – January 2026
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D ($444)
- Motherboard – Asus ROG Strix X870E-E ($360)
- Video Card – MSI GeForce RTX 5090 32G SUPRIM Liquid SOC ($3058)
- Memory – KLEVV 2x16GB Urbane V RGB DDR5-6400 CL30 EXPO ($419)
- Solid-State Drive – Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB PCIe Gen 5 ($470)
- Case – ARCTIC Xtender VG (Mirror Black) ($233)
- Power Supply – be quiet! Straight Power 11 Platinum 1200W ($232)
- CPU Cooler – Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 420mm ($113)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)