I'm saving up some money and should have around $1000 by the end of the year to build a gaming PC. I'm mostly into indie games, and I'm interested in titles with realistic physics but don't need to run anything like Cyberpunk at max settings. What can I expect to get for that budget?
4 Answers
Prices shift all the time, so I’d suggest holding off until you have all your funds together before you start looking seriously. But when you're ready, a $1K budget should set you up pretty well for a decent gaming rig!
$1000 is actually a solid budget to work with! Generally, you'll want to allocate about half of that to a good GPU, so keep an eye out for options in the $400-$450 range as market prices can fluctuate a lot. It might be best to check back right around when you've got your cash ready to see the latest deals.
If you're open to it, browsing the used market can lead to some fantastic finds! For instance, I've seen 3080s on r/hardwareswap for around $450. Just last week, I spotted an EVGA 3080 FTW3 for sale. I almost snagged it myself because it was such a steal.
$1K is usually my target when I build new systems too. With some strategic shopping—like taking advantage of sales, looking for bundle deals, or considering refurbished parts—you can definitely put together an impressive machine!
I actually found a 6900XT on eBay for similar pricing, and I think it's got better performance with more VRAM than the 3080. I wish I'd gone that route, but either way, both are great cards!