Forget style, set aside bragging rights. High-end game PCs are massive overkill at stratospheric prices. If all you want is to brag to your buddies that's okay. Just remember: Six months or so you'll have to lay out thousands of dollars or someone else will pass you.
And it is thousands of dollars. $5000 is common for a 'high end' game PC. Some of them go for $10,000 or more. Some graphics cards cost over $1500 and even fancy cases can cost $300.
Here are some of the expensive pc as of today:
Do you really need that kind of PC to play games? Clearly no.
- Even some people in the industry are starting to agree. According to one NVIDIA executive, gaming machine companies are pushing expensive machines rather than less expensive, but perfectly adequate computers, and hurting the PC gaming industry in the process.
- NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang is even more blunt. Buyers of high-end game PCs aren't gamers, he says. ''They're enthusiasts''. And he compares them to the people who buy $250,000 sports cars.
- $10,000 'God boxes' may be great for the computer makers, but they hurt the gaming industry. Not to mention what they do the poor gamers who buy them.
- And the gamers are suffering. When a big new game comes out gamers flood the forums bemoaning the need for expensive hardware to run it.
- Worse, these super gaming PCs are totally unnecessary. If you're spending more than about twice the cost of a basic computer for a gaming machine, you're overpaying. If you're spending more than three times the price you're really overpaying.
- Does anyone really believe a case with flames on the outside and blue LEDs on the inside makes games run better? If you want to be cool, find an airbrush artist who can customize your case for you.
- The one thing you're virtually guaranteed to get with an extreme gaming PC is trouble. From drivers to strange incompatibilities, gamers forums are full of people seeking help with high-end machines. They don't call it the ''bleeding edge'' for nothing.
- Even if you're not immersed you very likely can't tell the difference between a scene rendered with the latest graphics features and one or even two or more generations back -- unless you put the screens side by side and examine them closely. ExtremeTech couldn't find any difference in quality when they carefully compared the DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 versions of Bioshock. (Well there was one difference. The game ran 20 frames a second slower on DirectX 10).
- More to the point: Do you really care that the grass looks more realistic on a $6000 machine with a $1000 graphics card?
- The easy way to improve game play on a less expensive machine is to lower the resolution. If the game is any good you'll be too wrapped up in the experience to notice the difference.
- You probably don't need the frame rate these machines produce either. A $600 graphics cards can crank out frame rates of 50 or 75 or even more. But you've grown up looking at frame rates of 30 frames a second or less. Movies are only 24 fps. Generally 30fps is all you need for a game.
- Buying for the future is usually a waste of money. The time lags are too long and the price drops are too steep. Maybe in six months there will be a game that really uses these new features. Of course in six months you can get the same capabilities cheaper when there are more than two or three games available that use it.
- Save your money and spend it on games. You'll get a lot more buying more games instead of a system loaded with stuff you don't need.
FAQs
$1000 is a great spot to find a gaming PC that delivers on what you are looking for. With the money saved you can put that towards more games to play, or accessories to complete you gaming setup, like a mechanical keyboard or gaming monitor.
Is 500 dollars enough for a gaming PC? ›
Absolutely! With careful selection of components and a bit of savvy shopping, building a gaming PC for under $500 is entirely feasible.
Is $2000 too much for a gaming PC? ›
$300-550 is plenty for basic games in 720p. $1000-$1,800 is a good range if you want to game in 1080p. $1,500-$2,500 for the PC itself and another $400-$600 on peripherals for gaming in 1440p or higher. $2,000+ budget for 4K gaming.
How to reduce the cost of a gaming PC? ›
Want to Save Money When Building a Gaming PC? Here's Our Top Five Tips!
- Prioritise Your Graphics Card.
- Work Out Your PSU Wattage.
- Don't Splurge on a PC Case.
- Consider Using a Previous-Gen CPU and Motherboard.
- Utilise Used or Open Box Hardware.
- Got Any Tips to Save Money?
While the average desktop PC lasts between 2 to 3 years, through good maintenance, it could last from 5 to 8 years. But even under good maintenance, you'll want to consider upgrades as even the best desktop computer that's well maintained will show a lot of these signs. And HP can help find your next future-proof PC.
What PC can I get with $1,000 dollars? ›
is 1000$ a good budget for a pc?
| Type | Item |
|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler |
| Motherboard | MSI PRO B650M-P Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard |
| Memory | TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory |
8 more rowsFeb 22, 2024
Currently, the average cost of electricity is 24.50p/kWh. If your gaming PC has an 80 PLUS Gold rated 500W power supply and you play games for 3 hours a day, it could cost you up to nearly £11.78 a month to run your computer.
How much to build a gaming PC in 2024? ›
As we step up to a build that should be brilliant at 1080p gaming, really strong for 1440p gaming and capable of running ray tracing games well, we're looking at around a $1,500 budget, depending on the current prices on graphics cards. We recommend going with an RTX 4070 at this price point.
How much is a gaming PC if you build it? ›
Building a Gaming PC – Costs
An entry level gaming PC will start at around $500. A more mid range system will run you anywhere from $1000 to $1500. From $1500 upwards you are reaching the enthusiast space where the price can keep rising higher and higher depending on how high end the components you are getting are.
How cheap can you go with a gaming PC? ›
The average gaming PC price will typically fall between $1,000 and $4,000 when considering a budget. However, a reasonable budget for a gaming PC can range between $1,000 and $2,500, although getting a PC below $1,000 and even $500 is possible. Here are some of the best budget gaming PCs you can get below $3,000.
Calculating Costs
| Cost to run a PC Monthly (24 hours /day) if… |
|---|
| i9-10900K / 2080 Super | i3-10100 / 5500 XT |
|---|
| Idle | $8.62 | $3.73 |
| Gaming | $37.54 | $18.39 |
| CPU Stress Test | $26.71 | $9.01 |
1 more row8GB RAM: Good for moderate multitasking, light gaming, and basic photo/video editing. 16GB RAM: Ideal for heavy multitasking, advanced gaming, and professional-level content creation. 32GB RAM and above: Best for high-end gaming, professional video editing, 3D rendering, and other demanding tasks.
What's a good starter gaming PC? ›
What is the best cheap gaming PC?
| Cheap gaming PC | Price | CPU |
|---|
| HP 40L | $1.030 | Intel Core i5-14400F or AMD Ryzen 5 7600 |
| CyberPowerPC Gamer Master | $700 | Up to AMD Ryzen 9 5900X |
| Asus ROG G13CH | $1,300 | Intel Core i5-13400F |
| Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 | $1,000 | AMD Ryzen 5 7600 |
1 more rowAug 20, 2024
Gaming PCs can range in price, anywhere between $600 to $2,000+. However, if you're on a tighter budget, you can get a decent gaming PC for around, or under, the $1,000 mark.
Is $1000 dollars enough for a gaming laptop? ›
PC games themselves might be getting more expensive, but you can save big on hardware by snagging one of the best gaming laptops under $1,000. The best gaming laptop under $1,000 right now is the Dell G15, which offers a solid AMD CPU and Nvidia RTX graphics card and a vibrant screen that lets every game look its best.
How long does a $1,000 dollar gaming laptop last? ›
During gaming sessions, complex cooling systems, powerful graphics cards, and high-performance computers are tested to their limits. Because of this, a gaming laptop's lifespan is often less than that of a regular laptop. A gaming laptop should last three to five years on average.
Is 1000 GB good for a gaming PC? ›
What's the best storage for gaming PCs? There's no absolute answer. If you use cloud storage and don't stream or download many games, a hard drive with 500GB to 1TB capacity is enough. If you like downloading a lot of games and having multiple games installed simultaneously, a 2TB hard disk would be good.
What is considered expensive for a gaming PC? ›
The average gaming PC price will typically fall between $1,000 and $4,000 when considering a budget. However, a reasonable budget for a gaming PC can range between $1,000 and $2,500, although getting a PC below $1,000 and even $500 is possible. Here are some of the best budget gaming PCs you can get below $3,000.
