Building a gaming PC with $1500 should give you a high-end gaming experience – this build does that and more! You’ll be able to game comfortably in either 1440p or 4K with the help of the powerful RTX 3070, the i710700KF, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM!
The following $1500 build is going to last you an extremely long time in terms of gaming desktops, and I’m pretty sure that it’ll completely blow your mind with the sheer gaming power it possesses. If you’re trying to build a gaming PC with a new Intel i7 10700KF processor and at least an RTX 3070 graphics card, this is without a doubt the build you’re looking for!
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comment section.Â
$1500 Prebuilt Gaming PC Option
Skytech Chronos
Not feeling the DIY approach? Just want the best prebuilt gaming PCÂ that’ll work right out of the box? Have no fear, The CyberPowerPC Extreme is here. It comes fully assembled with Windows already installed. The only thing left for you to do is plug it in and turn it on!
With that in mind, here’s a good prebuilt alternative with similar (not the exact same) specs and pricing as the DIY build found on this page.
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
- RTX 3070
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 4 x RGB RING Fans for Maximum Air Flow | Powered by 80 Plus Certified 500 Watt Power Supply
- 1TB NVME M.2 SSD
- 8 USB ports
- 1 Year Warranty on Parts and Labor
- Free Tech Support
- Gaming mouse and keyboard included
The Best $1500 Gaming PC Build
Updated: October 24th, 2021
Case
NZXT H510i
Mid-tower ATX case, great layout, big tempered glass window, comes with 2 120 mm fans.
CPU
Intel i7 10700KF
8-core, 16-thread 5.1GHz monster of a CPU.Â
Does not come with a CPU cooler – see below.
CPU Cooler
Arctic Freezer eSports DUO
A great heatsink including 2x 120mm fans for awesome cooling performance overall.Â
Motherboard
MSI Z590-A Pro
A top-level LGA 1200 socket motherboard running the Z590 chipset. 6x SATA + 1x M.2 NVMe. Integrated 7.1 audio. 6x USB ports.
GPU
MSI RTX 3070 Gaming Z Trio
6GB GDDR6 graphics card, 4 display outputs, great 1080p and good 1440p performance!
RAM
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
2x8GB sticks of 3000MHz DDR4 RAM. Adding more ram is completely possible!
PSU
EVGA 650 B5 80+ Bronze
Fully-modular 650W 80+ Bronze power supply. Comes with a 5-year warranty.
Storage
Samsung 870 EVO 500GB
The Samsung 870 EVO is the best and fastest conventional SSD you could be running.
The tools you need:
- A small Phillips screwdriver
Size #2 works well as a general rule. - An anti-static wristband
Optional but recommended. - Patience
And lots of it.
That’s really all you need to assemble your new desktop. All of the mounting hardware and cables will come with the parts listed above. The only time you might need something extra is if you’re modifying the build on this page.
HOW TO BUILD YOUR PC…
Super Simplified Build Steps:
- Install the power supply into the case
- Install the processor (CPU)
- Seat RAM in the motherboard
- Mount the CPU cooler (don’t forget thermal paste if you’re not using a stock cooler!)
- Insert the motherboard’s rear I/O plate into the case’s rear I/O slot
- Mount the motherboard in the case (get your i/o ports through and use the middle standoff as a guide)
- Plug your graphics card into the motherboard
- Install storage drives
- Plug all power and data cables in where they’re required (storage, case, motherboard, graphics card, etc)
- Turn your PC on
- Install your OS
- Install and update ALL drivers
- DONE!
Complete Build Breakdown
For right around $1200, this R5 3600 + RTX 2070 Super-powered gaming PC is absolutely insane! It has more than enough power to completely blow your mind over and over again as you try your favorite games on it in either 1440p or even 4K!
Keep in mind that the price above is for the core components only, you will still need an operating system, and any other peripherals you don’t currently have.
Case:Â The NZXT H510i is an good mid-tower ATX case that takes everything the S340 did well and improves almost everywhere. It comes with everything you’ll need right out of the box, including the mounting hardware you’ll need and 2x 120mm fans. It can easily support custom or AIO watercooling setups with radiators up to 280mm.
That all being said, there are lots of other cases that would work great for this build, so to make sure that your build is really your build, make sure you pick the case that you like best!
CPU & Cooler:Â Intel’s new 10th gen i7 10700KF is an absolute beast when it comes to gaming, content-creation, CAD, video editing, streaming, and pretty much anything else – especially overclocking. This is thanks to its incredibly fast 8 cores+8 threads that’ll push up to 5.1GHz without even requiring any overclocking. With overclocking, you can hit 5GHz without a problem.
Since the i7 10700KF does not come with a CPU cooler, I’ve included Arctic’s awesome Freezer 34 eSports DUO. However, there’s a lot of other options available, so why not check out my list of the best CPU coolers to use in 2021?
It’s worth noting that the i7 10700KF does not include an integrated GPU. However, being that this build is running a dedicated graphics card, the lack of an iGPU is a nonissue.
Motherboard: MSI’s Z590-A Pro is a great motherboard for the price that boasts all of the features we need for this build and them some. It features a great integrated audio chipset and a very good built-in ethernet controller. It has 6 SATA ports for added storage and it’ll support 4000MHz+ RAM without an issue on the stock XMP profile. You’re also getting a total of 6 USB ports, multiple fan headers and everything else you’ll need in a build at this level.
Graphics Card:Â The 8GB RTX 3070 is a complete and utter powerhouse when it comes to 1440p or even 4K gaming. The MSI RTX 3070 Gaming Z Trio is turning out to be a great performer with solid cooling and it’s easily one of the best-priced options available right now.
Performance-wise, this card is easily capable of maxing out all games in 1080p without even trying. In 1440p, expect a mix of medium-high settings to maintain 60fps+ in graphically intensive games.Â
Note: Due to their popularity, all models of the RTX 3070 Super are fairly difficult to find right now.
RAM: 16GB of RAM is the perfect amount for a gaming PC at this level. With that in mind, this build is running 2x8GB sticks of Corsair Vengeance LPX at 3000MHz. This leaves you with lots of room for future expansion and if you wanted to run more than 16GB that’s completely possible – when you do upgrade try to stick to the same speed as your RAM will automatically change its speed to match your slowest stick.
Power Supply: EVGA’s 650 B5 fully-modular power supply is a good, reliable, power supply. It’s rated to 80+ Bronze and comes with a 5-year warranty + 24/7 technical support from EVGA.
Being fully-modular, you don’t have to worry about hiding unused cables – you just plug in what you’re using and leave everything else in the box. Fully-modular is the way to go if you’re a stickler for clean cable management.Â
Storage: As far as storage goes, I picked you out the best 500GB SSD you could own –Â Samsung’s 860 EVO. Although 500GB is a fair amount of storage, you may want to consider adding more. With that in mind, you should know that it’s very easy to do. All you have to do is buy more drives and plug them in. The motherboard in this build will support up to 6 total drives between M.2 and SATA.
Peripherals
If this is the absolute first gaming PC you’ve ever owned, then chances are high that you don’t have a very good keyboard + mouse combo, or that your monitor is sub-par/non-existent. To really enjoy your experience, you’re going to want some high-quality peripherals to accompany this high-quality build.
Picking a good monitor can be a very subjective decision, especially with so many different designs and price points. To help ease your decision making process, I’ve put together this guide on how to pick the best monitor for gaming!
Even more important than picking a good monitor is picking a good chair. Sitting in an uncomfortable chair is the quickest way to stop enjoying your gaming sessions. To make sure that doesn’t happen, I’ve put together this buyer’s guide showcasing the 16 best chairs to use for gaming!
Monitor
ASUS VS247H-P 23.6″
23.6″, 1080p 60Hz, 2ms response time – Great for gaming
Keyboard
Redragon K556 RGB
A good full sized mechanical keyboard with RGB backlighting and a very attractive price point.Â
Mouse
Logitech G502 Hero
One of the absolute best gaming mice you could buy. The G502 is a tried and true platform that’s only been improved to where it’s at now with the HERO.Â
Headphones
HyperX Cloud 2
The HyperX Cloud 2 headset is undeniably one of the best you could own. They use audiophile-grade headphones with a high-quality detachable microphone.Â
Operating System
When it comes to picking an operating system, we’re pretty limited in our choices. We have Linux-based choices that’ll work alright for the most part as a free solution, or we have Windows.
On one hand, a Linux-based OS can be a great and affordable solution when you’re on a tight budget, but on the other hand, Linux isn’t entirely compatible with everything and you’ll have to take some extra steps to get some programs/games to work.
So, that being said, we’re pretty much limited to Windows if we want complete compatibility with everything out of the box. Not only that, but if you want to take advantage of DirectX12, then we’re even more limited to just Windows 10.
Windows
Windows 10
The most recent version of Microsoft’s operating system, Windows 10 is your best bet for across-the-board compatibility.Â
Linux
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a great, open source operating system rooted in Linux. It’s known as one of the most user-friendly and easiest to learn.Â
WiFi
If you have the option, you should definitely be using a wired connection over WiFi for the simple reason that a wired connection is generally faster and more reliable. But, if you have to use WiFi then you’re also going to need a WiFi adapter.
Picking an adapter is a little more complicated, but it doesn’t have to be something that gives you a headache. Your first course of action is to determine what kind of WiFi router/adapter you’re working with. Does it support both 2.4GHz as well as 5GHz, or only 2.4GHz? If it supports both 2.4 and 5GHz it’s an AC, if it only supports 2.4GHz it’s an N.
If you only have an N router/modem, you only need an N adapter to go with it, an AC adapter will work but it won’t give you any added benefits. If you have an AC modem/router, you should definitely pair it with an AC adapter in your PC so you can take advantage of the faster 5GHz band.
Sometimes internal adapters are better and sometimes USB adapters are better, it really depends on how your setup is and how far away you are from your WiFi modem. If you’re going to be tucking your PC away underneath of a desk or something similar, you’ll probably want to use a USB adapter with a USB extension for the maximum amount of reliability. If your PC is going to be on a desk free of obstructions, an internal adapter will be more suited for you.
Internal WiFi Adapter
TP-Link Archer T6E
A good internally mounted (PCIe) AC1300 WiFi adapter. Make sure your build has enough room!
External WiFi Adapter
Netgear A6210-100PAS
A reliable AC1300 USB WiFi adapter. Capable of operating on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
Conclusion
When everything is said and done, this $1500 custom gaming PC is a complete beast for the price. Buying a prefabricated desktop equivalent of this would easily run you upwards of $2000 if not closer to $2500 or more!
Investing around $1500 into a gaming PC should ensure flawless 1440p gaming along with a great 4K experience – this build does just that. The 6GB RTX 3070 Super won’t break a sweat rendering most games, and the Intel i7 10700K is just the cherry on top when combined with 16GB of fast DDR4 RAM.
All-in-all, this build is exactly what you’re looking for, if what you’re looking for is a high-end gaming experience that can double as a strong workstation to boot.
Have any build questions? Ask me below and I’ll answer ASAP!Â
Not your build?
Not the build you were looking for? No worries. Check out the rest of our builds and you’re guaranteed to find yours.Â
I think instead of building, we can get a really good prebuilt gaming setup.
Why would the placement of the build affect which type WiFi adapter to use? (I’ve never built a pc before so sorry if this is a dumb question)
hi
penis
Does this have rgb
Do you think the case will be able to fit the new 3070 gpu?
pog