I'm planning to save up for a solid gaming PC that strikes a balance between performance and price, especially since most of the games I play don't require ultra-high graphics. I want to eventually try games like Sea of Thieves and Baldur's Gate 3, so I'm looking for recommendations on specs. My budget is between $2,000 and $3,000, and I've been struggling to find consistent options with similar prices.
4 Answers
With your budget of $2,000 to $3,000, you can definitely snag a fantastic gaming PC! For games like Sea of Thieves and Baldur's Gate 3, aim for an RTX 4070 or 4070 Super paired with a Ryzen 5 7600 or an i5-13600K. You should also consider getting 32GB of RAM and at least a 1TB SSD which will allow you to run them smoothly at 1440p. This investment will also set you up for the future, just don’t overlook components like the PSU and cooling, whether you're going for a pre-built or building it yourself.
You can definitely grab a great prebuilt PC in that price range! For instance, check out this prebuilt option with a 7800X3D processor, 32GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and a 9070 XT, all under $2,000. That leaves you some wiggle room to grab a quality OLED monitor, which is a great addition for gaming!
Liquid cooling isn’t necessary for everyone, basic cooling works just fine! OLEDs can be hit or miss depending on your taste.
A few things to consider: what monitor are you planning to use? Resolution and refresh rate matter a lot when picking the parts. Also, are you leaning towards building it yourself or going for a pre-built? And do you have a preference for AMD or Nvidia for the GPU?
Just a heads up, make sure you know if your budget includes peripherals like a monitor or keyboard. That can change what you need in terms of PC specs.

That sounds like a solid deal! But I’ve heard mixed things about liquid cooling—do I need it or will basic fans do?