What’s the Minimum Budget for a Gaming PC That Can Handle Modern Games?

Choose the computer based on the monitor you actually plan to use. A 1440p 240Hz display requires much more performance than a 1440p 144Hz or 4K 60Hz monitor. If the PC produces far more frames than the monitor can display, you may be spending money on performance you won’t notice, so decide on the resolution and refresh rate first.

Assuming that budget is in U.S. dollars, you can build an extremely powerful system. You won’t need to spend the full $3,000–$4,000 to run those games well; a strong modern CPU, a high-end graphics card, 32GB of RAM, and a fast 2TB–4TB SSD should be plenty. Put the most emphasis on the GPU, then choose the CPU and other parts around it rather than automatically buying the most expensive components.

For a new build, around $1,200–$1,400 is a reasonable starting point for a good gaming PC, although component prices change. Buying used can bring the minimum closer to $600–$800, but you’ll need to inspect the parts carefully and account for warranty and reliability concerns. With your budget, you could comfortably build a high-end system with room for quality cooling, a reliable power supply, and plenty of storage.

A high-end build is possible within that budget. One example would be a recent high-performance gaming CPU, 32GB of RAM, a top-tier graphics card, and a 4TB SSD, while still leaving money for a good motherboard, power supply, case, and cooling. A small-form-factor, or SFF, build is another option if you like compact systems. SFF means the components are built into a much smaller case; the main benefits are saving space and having a portable-looking setup, but the parts can cost more and cooling and upgrades are usually more difficult.