I'm in the United States and have around $1,000 to spend on a new gaming PC, though I could stretch to $1,500 if the improvement or upgrade potential would be significant. I currently use an HP Omen 15 with an i7-9750H, RTX 2070 Max-Q, and 16GB of DDR4 memory. A 25–50% performance improvement would be excellent.
My main goals are playing Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2 at low-to-medium settings, running older games at medium-to-high settings, and handling newer demanding games at low-to-medium settings when possible. I mostly play single-player games, many of them a decade old, but I also want to play Wardogs and Helldivers 2. My current laptop struggles with Wardogs even on its lowest settings and cannot run Cyberpunk properly.
I'd like the system to last for several years and leave room for future upgrades. I'm particularly interested in an AMD processor because I've heard Linux support is generally good. Ideally, I'd like two SSDs: roughly 1–2TB for Windows gaming and around 512GB for Linux and other files. I'm not sure whether dual-booting this way creates any problems, especially since some games use kernel-level anti-cheat and may require Windows.
I also use several USB devices, including a keyboard, mouse, headset dongle, charging hub, storage devices, and an SD-card reader. I'd prefer a motherboard and case with plenty of USB ports, including at least two USB-C ports if possible. My current display is 1920×1080 at 60Hz.
I'm open to either building the PC or buying a prebuilt. I'd also appreciate advice on finding legitimate deals, evaluating used components, and deciding which parts are safe to buy used versus worth purchasing new.
5 Answers
A used AM4 setup could offer excellent performance for this budget. A Ryzen 7 5800X3D paired with a used RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6900 XT would comfortably handle your target games at 1080p, and probably give you a substantial improvement over the laptop. A typical build might include 16–32GB of DDR4-3600 memory, a quality new 850W power supply, a reasonably priced case, and one 1TB SSD to start. You could usually fit that kind of tower somewhere around $1,000–$1,200 if you shop carefully.
The drawback is that AM4 is a mature platform, so upgrading the processor later would generally mean replacing the motherboard and possibly the memory. It’s still a strong value choice, but a newer AM5 system would offer a better upgrade path. For used parts, inspect seller history, ask for testing information, check graphics cards for excessive heat or damaged fans, and avoid used power supplies. Linux works well for many games, although AMD graphics cards generally provide a smoother experience than Nvidia under Linux.
A two-drive setup is completely reasonable. You could use a 1TB or 2TB NVMe drive for Windows and games, then add a second 512GB–1TB drive for Linux. Windows is larger than a minimal installation once updates, drivers, launchers, and a few games are included, so I wouldn’t recommend relying on a 128GB drive unless it is only temporary. A 500GB Windows drive would be more comfortable.
You can select the operating system from the boot menu, and keeping each operating system on its own drive makes reinstalling or troubleshooting simpler. Just disconnecting the other drive during installation can help prevent the installer from placing boot files on the wrong disk. Be aware that games using kernel-level anti-cheat may still require Windows regardless of how the drives are arranged.
A Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X with a modern 16GB graphics card can meet the basic 1080p target for under $1,000, but I’d try to spend more on 32GB of RAM and a stronger graphics card if the budget allows. Since the laptop already has an RTX 2070 Max-Q, don’t choose a graphics card that is only marginally faster. The GPU will make the biggest difference in Cyberpunk and Red Dead Redemption 2, so prioritize it over an unnecessarily expensive CPU.
For USB connectivity, check the motherboard’s rear I/O and its internal front-panel headers rather than just the case. Many midrange boards have plenty of USB-A ports and at least one rear USB-C port, while the case may add more ports on the front. A powered USB hub is perfectly fine for keyboards, mice, headset dongles, and charging devices; high-speed external storage is the main thing that benefits from a fast, directly connected port. If you need more USB-C ports, expansion cards or a case with a suitable front-panel connector can help.
Don’t overlook current-generation parts or a prebuilt. A Ryzen 5 9600X-class processor with a newer midrange Radeon card, 32GB of DDR5, a decent B650 motherboard, and a 1TB NVMe SSD can fit close to the upper end of your budget. That gives you a newer platform and better future CPU options than AM4.
A prebuilt can also be worthwhile if the pricing is competitive, especially when component prices are high. Compare the exact CPU, graphics card, power supply, motherboard, memory, and storage rather than judging by the headline model alone. A local electronics retailer may have good deals, but a four-hour drive is only worthwhile if the savings are substantial after fuel and time.
Building isn’t automatically cheaper anymore, so I’m open to a prebuilt. I’ll compare the parts list carefully and probably start with one larger SSD rather than paying extra for a tiny secondary drive.
The older platform is my main concern too, but it may not matter much if the goal is to keep the system for several years rather than upgrade the CPU soon. For Linux, I’d favor a Radeon card if possible, while keeping Windows available for games with kernel-level anti-cheat.