I'm buying my first gaming PC and have a total budget of $2,000 for both the computer and a monitor. I put together a parts list, but it ended up about $700 over budget. I'm in the United States and would really appreciate suggestions for bringing the cost down without sacrificing too much gaming performance. I'm also about three hours from a Micro Center, so I could make the drive if one of their bundles would save money.
3 Answers
Check Micro Center’s CPU, motherboard, and RAM bundles before buying everything separately. They can offer good value, especially if you’re willing to travel, but compare the complete price with regular online parts lists. For gaming, prioritize the graphics card and choose a solid midrange CPU rather than spending most of the budget on flagship components.
The Samsung 990 Pro is an excellent SSD, but it’s overkill for a first gaming build. A cheaper PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive will feel nearly identical in games and free up money for the graphics card or monitor. Dropping to 16GB of RAM or using a 1TB SSD temporarily could also help get the total under $2,000.
The budget is getting blown up mostly by choosing a very high-end processor and premium-priced brands for parts like the RAM and SSD. You can save a lot without noticing much difference in gaming performance by choosing a less expensive CPU, a more affordable 2TB NVMe drive, and reasonably priced memory.
I could make the drive to Micro Center if one of their bundles makes sense. Thanks for the suggestions!