Updated August 2nd, 2023
It is now possible to build a solid virtual reality gaming and workstation desktop PC for under $1000 this Christmas with manufacturers having released their new generations. AMD’s RX 6750XT is now our top value graphics card for this year, taking the 6700XT’s spot. Our build kit resembles a value build we would build ourselves with no compromises, even coming with a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD and 32GB of CL16 DDR4 memory.
With a top-of-the-line Intel Wi-Fi 6E card, the build will also seamlessly connect wirelessly to Bluetooth and 2.4GHz/5.8GHz/6GHz Wi-Fi bands, 6Ghz connection speeds up to 5400Mbps! On the graphic side the build is able to max-out and record almost all games including GTA 5 and Arma 3 at 1440p 90 FPS, with AMD’s 6750XT being ~28% more powerful than Nvidia’s GTX 1080 Ti; our build will smoothly run VR games as well.
Deep Value Products has done extensive research to provide you with the best value desktop part list with guaranteed part compatibility. GPU prices have fallen ~70%+ since July 2021; get the same card for 70% off! Now, we can buy a powerful brand new desktop without having to worry about buyer’s remorse.
Navigation
In this article, we will be focusing on a budget build which can run even the most demanding games at 1440p 90+ FPS or 1080p 120+ FPS with maxed out graphic settings, and almost all competitive multiplayer games such as CS:GO, Dota 2, PUBG, and Overwatch at 150+ FPS.
Our value build will feel the same as a more expensive build while playing modern games in 1440p 90FPS, browsing the internet, streaming, recording, or using other software.
Have a higher budget of $1200?
Although the 6750XT is plenty capable to run even the most demanding virtual reality games, our budget build will be worse in video editing, and higher resolution/FPS gaming compared to a more expensive build. If you have a 4K monitor, we suggest to purchase a more powerful graphics card at least as powerful as the 6950XT. The CPU in this build won’t bottleneck the 6950XT or even the 7900XT.
NVIDIA alternative – RTX 4070
Have a higher budget of $1500?
Want to further future-proof your PC? – Upgrade the GPU in our build with AMD’s RX 7900XT. There is no need for any other changes, except for the option of more SSD’s (up to three) and an upgraded air cooler to overclock the unlocked CPU.
NVIDIA alternative – RTX 4070 Ti
Monitor:
1080p monitors are cheaper and achieve higher FPS than the higher resolution alternatives, which will be another source of saving money. At a 24″ screen size, it is very hard to tell the difference between 1080p and 4k, however 120 FPS is much smoother than 60 FPS. We would suggest the quality and reasonably priced at $180, ASUS 23.8″ 1080p 144hz monitor with this build.
Remember, you will need an HDMI or DisplayPort cable if you do not have one to connect your PC to your display.
Operating System:
The list does not include an operating system. We suggest to use a USB to install Linux Mint (Free) or a Windows 10 installation/license key from a reputable Ebay seller (<$50).
How to make a bootable USB with Rufus
The Best Budget Gaming PC Build with 32GB RAM
It includes a reliable 4th generation 1TB TLC NVME SSD, 32GB of DDR4 3200mhz memory, fully-modular energy efficient Corsair 750W GOLD Certified PSU, and a minimalistic case with 3 120mm fans pre-installed for optimal thermals. Three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots allow the option to increase storage capacity.
The provided cooler is enough to cool the power efficient i5-12400F, so there is no need to purchase a 3rd-party CPU cooler.
The 6750XT outputs as much FPS in games as the RTX 3070 for about $100 less, a great value. This PC will last years into the future, and be able to run/stream/record all of your favorite games smoothly at 1440p 60FPS for many years.
This build includes only high quality parts, and is aimed to provide the most value for your money.
For video-editing, machine learning, and AI image generation applications, we suggest the NVIDIA RTX 4000 series due to software, encoder, and driver support. Nvidia cards also contain CUDA cores which are much better for machine learning and artificial intelligence applications.
The Best PC Build Part List under $1000 Budget
| Component | Model and Link | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel i5-12400F | $150 |
| Motherboard | ASRock Motherboard H670 PG Riptide | $120 |
| Wi-Fi Card | WiFi 6E AX210 PCI-E WiFi Card BT5.2 160MHz Tri-Band | $35 |
| Memory | Silicon Power 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 | $50 |
| Storage | WD BLACK 1TB SN770 NVMe Gen4 SSD – TLC w/ 325GB SLC cache | $45 |
| GPU Option #1 | MSI Gaming Radeon RX 6750 XT 12GB GDDR6 | $340 |
| GPU Option #2 | XFX Speedster MERC319 RX 6950XT 16GB GDDR6 | $599 |
| GPU Option #3 | ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6 | $299 |
| Case | Zalman S2 Mid Tower w/ 3 120mm Fans Pre-Installed | $60 |
| Power Supply | Corsair RM750x, 750 Watt, Gold, Fully Modular | $120 |
| Total Cost without Tax as of 8/2/2023: | $919 | |
Suggested Add-On Options
| Component | Model and Link | Price |
|---|---|---|
| DisplayPort Cable | Amazon Basics DisplayPort Cable 1.4 | $10 |
| Mouse | Logitech G203 Wired Gaming Mouse, 8,000 DPI | $20 |
| Keyboard | FL ESPORTS FL980 96% Wired Mechanical Keyboard with Number Pad, Hot Swappable Programmable Keyboard w/Light Tactile Kailh Box White Switches | $90 |
| Monitor | ASUS 23.8″ 1080p 144hz | $180 |
| Power Surge Suppressor | Tripp Lite ISOBAR8ULTRA | $85 |
3070 vs 3070 Ti vs 6950XT on 1440p Ultra Graphics
AMD’s RX 6750XT is even in games with Nvidia’s RTX 3070. Below is a list of FPS estimate comparisons between the 3070, 3070 Ti, and 6950XT in Red Dead Redemption 2, Elden Ring, God of War, and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. High Graphic settings will result in much more FPS.
How Reliable is the WD BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD?
The 1TB version of the WD BLACK SN770 is warrantied for 5 years and 600 Terabytes Written (TBW), and implements TLC flash with one of the highest in the market SLC cache (325GB on an empty drive). TLC flash is considered the premium flash technology, as well as being more reliable over the more common, cheaper, and denser QLC flash. SLC is the most reliable and long-lasting of the flash technologies (SLC, MLC, TLC, QLC, PLC).
Data engineers will say WD is one of the lowest failure rate brands in line with Samsung. In the very low chance of failure, you can count on WD to fulfill their warranty quickly and kindly. Usually Hard Drives will have a 3-5 year warranty, but they are so slow (250 MB/s vs 5000 MB/s) that I do not think HDD’s are worth purchasing in the present time.
With no moving parts, SSD’s will last longer in the long-run compared to the old spinning Hard Drives, and should last at least up to the flash’s rating of 600 TBW. From CrystalDiskInfo on my personal 1TB Gen3 SSD, after 3 years, I’ve written 20 TB and the drive has 96% health left. It will take a very long time to write 600 TB even for the most demanding uses!
Expensive vs. Cheap Desktop PSU
A higher wattage PSU will have future upgrade capability as well as less fan noise and more efficacy, as PSU’s are the most efficient at 50% capacity. The capacitors will have more reliability and longevity due to the lower load, increasing the lifespan of the PSU. Reliable brands such as Corsair use top quality Japanese capacitors. Corsair is a known respected brand which will not let you down in terms of reliability.
An unreliable PSU at the worst can harm your desktop components with electrical surges, and at the least will require a replacement.
Best Value Pre-built PC
If you do not wish to build your own PC, check out our value pre-built PC article.