Best $2000 Ultimate Gaming PC Build (2023 Guide)

While any gaming PC you might buy for $2000, will still be a pretty good build. You're going to get a PC with gaming capabilities comparable to our $1500 gaming PC builds while paying hundreds more. So you're essentially being charged $500 for someone to put your PC together. Does that sound fair to you? Not everyone is going to build a gaming PC, but if you've come to this site, you're more than capable of building a PC.

One of the biggest misunderstandings is that building a gaming PC is insanely difficult, and only professionals can do it. We're here to tell you that's anything but the truth. Building a PC might be difficult if you go at it by yourself, but there's an enormous amount of information that makes building a gaming PC super-simple. 

Here are some supplies you'll need to have handy:

• Screwdriver - Any random Phillips head screwdriver will work just fine
• (Optional) Static Wrist Band - As long as you build your PC on a solid surface away from anything that can transmit static, such as a carpet, you should be fine. However if you want to be extra safe, pick one up as, they're not that expensive.

This video goes step-by-step, so if you're on the fence about the whole PC building process, give it a look. You'll be amazed at how simple it is. If you'd like a more in-depth guide, check out our How To Build A PC Page.

The Best $2000 Ultimate Gaming PC Build - The Beast

If you're looking for a PC build that's going to provide you the ultimate gaming experience, then The Beast is a fantastic option. It can easily handle 1080p, 2k ,and even to some extent, 4k gaming. There's not much a gamer could really want out of a gaming PC that this doesn't provide.

This is a serious gaming PC for gamers who're looking for something that's top of the line. You will be the envy of all who lay eyes on this magnificent build. Even those who have no clue of what actually makes a good gaming PC will admire this build due to its case alone. We also recommend this build for gamers who want to do things such as streaming and even video editing. The CPU in this build is one of the best you can get and may even be overkill for gaming at the moment.

Compared to all of our cheaper builds, The Beast dominates! If you're looking for something that's going to last you for a long time, this is a stellar choice.

The Build

Case - Corsair Graphite Series 780T

The 780T is a full tower case that just looks outright amazing. It's very spacious and has great build quality. Dimensions: 11.3 x 25.1 x 23.7 in

CPU - Intel Core i7 9700K

This is a CPU that can process just about anything, let alone games. For gaming, this will easily last you for years. Intel still is king for gaming.

CPU COOLER - CORSAIR HYDRO Series H100i PRO

The i7-9700k doesn't come with a stock cooler, so we're going to be using the Corsair H100i Liquid Cooler instead. This liquid cooler will definitely keep your build cool, even when overclocking!

GPU - Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Windforce 8GB Graphics Card

If you're looking for an absolute monster, this is it! There is so much that makes this thing amazing, but you'll have to check the build breakdown to learn more.

MOTHERBOARD - MSI Z390-A PRO ATX

This will house all of your other PC components, so it'd be a good idea to make sure it's what you need. Fortunately, it's amazing.

RAM - Corsair Vengeance 32 GBs (2x16)

Two 16 GB sticks of ultra-fast RAM that are both set at 3200 Mhz. They also have led lights in them just for that extra aesthetic appeal.

MAIN STORAGE - Seagate Firecuda 2 TB SSHD

What's the point of having the ultimate gaming PC if it doesn't have any space to store things? Games are increasing in size year after year, so you need a lot of storage space.

OPERATING SYSTEM STORAGE - Samsung 500 GB SSD

This is a fast SSD option to install your OS and have some space left over for your main games to load nice and quick.

If you have a little more cash to spend, consider getting the

POWER SUPPLY - EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1

It's a fully modular power supply that will power this build. EVGA has fantastic customer support and this particular PSU comes with a 7 year warranty.

» Save These Components On Amazon

Build Breakdown

If you want something that's a little more in-depth, below we have a break down of every part of The Beast.

We strongly recommend you check out this build breakdown, so you can better understand the parts that make it up and why each is included in this build.

Case

When you think of an ultimate gaming PC, it looks amazing inside and out. The Corsair 780T not only looks fantastic, but offers an insane amount of features, as well.

Some of the main features of this case that make it vital to this build are the fact that it has space for 360 mm radiators (coolers).  This means the 780T has more than enough room for anything The Beast can throw at it.

The Corsair 780T does a good job of keeping things apart and clean. The six hard drives are modular, and the three SSD slots are on the side. This separation will make the build a lot cleaner so you can quickly identify what is what.

If you want something that's going to stand out and last for years, the 780T is easily a top choice.

The only reason for not getting this case would be the fact that it is a little pricey. Also, the case is going to be heavy, but that's only because of its insane build quality. For those who do not want the 780T, we've written a post on the best full tower gaming cases.

Power Supply

Graphics Card

The Gigabyte RTX 2080 Windforce is the core of this build and is what makes The Beast an ultimate gaming PC build. Before we even get into what makes the RTX 2080 stand out, let's just quickly break down what a RTX 2080 is and what it comes with. You're getting a graphics card that's built to run very cool, even without any of the upgrades to it. Nvidia's 2080 also enables you to play most next gen VR games with no lag, which is something that a lot of older cards seem to struggle with.

While most video cards are still using 4 GBs of memory, the RTX 2080 has 8 GBs, which would mean it's going to stay relevant for the future as well and should easily last you three years before you feel the need to make a switch.  It's also Nvidia's new flagship, and with that comes the latest and the greatest performance bumps, as they optimize the drivers for certain games.

What Makes the Gigabyte RTX 2080 Different From a Regular 2080?

What makes the Windforce 2080 stand out? Overclocking. It's hard to overclock a GPU for extended periods of time without overheating, which is never good.

The Gigabyte RTX 2080 has multiple fans, which is a godsend for overclocking purposes. This system allows the Gigabyte RTX 2080 to overclock and still maintain very cool temperatures, which just means it will pull around 5-10 fps more than a non-overclocked 2080, even at higher resolutions, such as 4k!

If you want to get the full use out this GPU, you're going to have to overclock. Even if you don't overclock, the Gigabyte RTX 2080 Windforce still provides an insane amount of value that will all help extend the life of The Beast with more efficient components than its base version.

If you're looking for one of the most decked out 2080s you can find, then Gigabyte RTX 2080 is our recommended pick. Now that you know all about the root of this build, it's time to learn more about the processor, the i7-9700k.

CPU

The i7-9700k is easily one of the best-valued i7s for gaming. It's not at the point where it's overpriced and offers little to no increase in performance over much lower priced CPUs, but it's right at that tipping point. If you're looking for something that's going to handle all of your processing needs, then the i7-9700k is it.

CPU-intensive games can be a pain, but for those with an i7-9700k, If you play any open world survival games or MMOs, the i7-9700k will be your best friend. You should expect to pull 80 fps+ in these games with this CPU, unless it's 4k.

Overclocking is an easy way to get more out of your build, which is why we recommend it so much. The i7-9700k overclocks to 4.6 GHz which is much better than its base 4.0 GHz, so we recommend overclocking it. Many people seem to think this is difficult, but with Gigabyte's BIOS, all you have to do is change a few settings and your CPU is overclocked.

All in all, the i7-9700k is something that will perform at a high level for years to come. There's not a single game out there in any resolution that the i7-9700k can't handle at the moment. The i7-9700k wouldn't even cause a bottleneck for two 2080s, just to show you how good this CPU is. This truly wouldn't be an ultimate gaming build, if not for this CPU.

It doesn't come with a stock fan (a stock cooler couldn't handle the i7-9700k overclocked), which is why we included a CPU cooler below.

CPU Cooler

CPU cooling is not something many new PC gamers think about, but if you're overclocking, having an effective one will provide cooler temperatures and extend the lifespan of your components. There aren't many CPU coolers out there that offer more value than the Corsair H100i V2. The H100i Pro is a dual-fan 240 mm fan that just does its job amazingly well. Some other features that just make the H100i Pro all the better are the ability to monitor the CPU, adjust the fan speed, and its unique fan design.

The Corsair H100i Pro is a liquid cooler, which is foreign to most people who aren't already PC enthusiasts, but installation isn't all that different from a regular fan cooler. If you follow the instructions, you'll be just fine.

The biggest mistake people make when getting CPU coolers is that they don't adequately check the dimensions of their case. Fortunately for you, the Corsair 780T was specifically made with these water coolers in mind. So if you do get another case be sure it's compatible.

Motherboard

The motherboard houses every major component, and this is not an area you want to cheap out on. The MSI Z390-A Pro is a motherboard in a league of its own. It has just about every feature one could want out of a motherboard.

When it comes to MSI Z390-A Pro's BIOS, it's very intuitive and straightforward. While this may be something that more tech-savvy people dislike, we appreciate the BIOS. There's nothing worse than trying to figure out what is what when working on tweaking settings.

The Z390 is also excellent at overclocking, which is one of the reasons we chose it for The Beast. Both the CPU and GPU can be overclocked in this build to get more performance out of them. You also have the choice of SLI and Crossfire if that's something you want to do down the line.

With so many features, the MSI Z390-A Pro is a great deal, and it also has a unique look that just seals the deal.

RAM

The RAM for this build is the Corsair Vengeance 32GB. We opted to get two 16 GB sticks of RAM instead of four 8 GB, so if you ever want to upgrade to 64 GBs in the future, you can. If you like to keep many tabs open, having 32 GBs of RAM just feels so much better than 16 GBs. we don't recommend 64 GBs for gaming at this moment, but if you do any heavy editing that uses a lot of RAM while also trying to game, it might be something to check into.

The Vengeance RAM for this build is also clocked at 2666 Mhz. This will allow your RAM to process at a higher speed, which can slightly improve frame rates when gaming. It's not a big enough deal to warrant prioritizing higher clocked RAM, but the ultimate gaming PC build gives us room to include some awesome things.

Another neat little feature about this RAM is that it has LED lights inside of each stick. This feature doesn't add any more power to the build, but it does make the RAM look a little more aesthetically appealing.

Hard Drive

You really shouldn't be running out of space anytime soon with Seagate Firecuda's 2 TB hard drive.  That's 2000 GBs of space, for anyone who doesn't know their conversions. If each game you have is 10 GBs, that is enough space for 200 games! Many people complain about space when it comes to gaming, with this hard drive, that's not something you'll have to worry much about.

The only downside to having a hard drive that has so much space is the fact that it has slightly lower RPMs than the smaller-sized hard drives. What does this mean for Firecuda's 2 TB Hard Drive? While the hard drive has much more space, it runs slower than a smaller one. It's not that big of a difference in speed. All in all, Seagate made a hard drive that's going to last you for a long time, and with a strong warranty, there isn't much to worry about when getting Seagate 2 TB Hard Drive

SSD

Most people neglect SSDs due to their high price point compared to the amount of storage they offer and with good reason. SSDs can be insanely expensive and are more of a luxury item, but fortunately, an SSD is a luxury that someone with a $2000 budget can afford.

The SSD we chose for this build is the Samsung 500 GB SSD.  Samsung makes some of the best SSDs in the industry, and we recommend them to any gamer. Samsung's SSDs can read data of up to 550 mb/s and write data at 520 mb/s, which is insane! Samsung also offers a three-year warranty if anything goes wrong with your SSD, which is always appreciated. This SSD also offers 500 GB worth of space, which isn't all that bad. It won't hold everything, but if you limit it to your OS and your most important games, then you shouldn't run out of space anytime soon.

One of the primary applications of an SSD is using it to install an Operating System (OS). This is because an SSD makes the OS much more responsive. There's no better feeling than being able to start up your computer in a matter of seconds.

People seem to think that SSDs hold no benefit to gamers, but we disagree. You can also install your favorite games on SSDs to make them load much faster. When playing massive RPGs like The Witcher 3 or MMOs, putting them on an SSD makes the experience night and day compared to a hard drive. The loading times are almost non-existent, which just makes things so much more enjoyable.

Sure you could always just use a hard drive, but this wouldn't be an ultimate gaming PC build if it were running extremely slow. The price might be steep, but once you go SSD, you won't ever go back! Yes, it's that much better.

(Optional) Optical Drive

While an optical drive isn't required, if you think you're going to be doing anything that may need a CD, we recommend picking one up due to its insanely affordable price.

A lot of people ask whether they need an optical drive to install Windows and the answer is no. Microsoft offers a USB version, as well. So if that's your only reason for getting an optical drive, you definitely don't need one.

Below is our recommended optical drive for this build. This is a great cheap optical drive for basic use, but if you want a real high-quality optical drive, we suggest you check out our post on the best optical drives.

Can This Build Handle 4k Gaming Effectively?

The Beast can play most games at 4k and still get very good frame rates, and if you’re looking for a steady 60 fps, then The Beast is amazing for that.

The 4k is still pretty demanding, even with this build. This build will crush most games, but with a few triple-A gaming titles, you might struggle to get a consistent 4k 60 fps gaming experience.

So to answer the question, yes, this build can handle 4k gaming effectively. However, If you really want 4k, you could switch out the 2080 and get the 2080 Ti instead. They’re a little more expensive than the 2080 and they limit upgradeability, but they will get you a better 4k experience.

If you’re not planning on 4k, then The Beast is a PC that will just destroy anything you throw at it with ease.

Recommended Peripherals

Building the best $2000 gaming PC build is amazing, but if you don't have any peripherals, then there's not much you can do. Below are some of top picks that we recommend you take a look at if you're still searching.

Recommended Monitor: Dell Gaming 2k 24-Inch Monitor

The Dell Gaming 2k monitor is easily one of the best deals for a 2k monitor specifically for gaming. You're getting everything a gamer could want, a very low 1 ms response time, 144 Hz refresh rate, and a lot of other neat features that just make gaming on this monitor very enjoyable. This monitor also incorporates Nvidia G-Sync ,which helps remove screen tearing and other inconvenient things to give you the smoothest gameplay experience possible.

We also like Dell's replacement program, which allows you to switch out items that are defective quickly (around one business day!), so you never have to waste your time.

While this $2000 gaming PC build handles 4k just fine, we don't recommend getting a 4k monitor for gaming just yet. If you don't mind sub-60 fps occasionally (around 45-70 in most cases at max settings), by all means get one, as The Beast will hold its own, but if you're looking for a consistent 60 fps+, then you're going to need to make some adjustments for that.

Recommended Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Chroma Stealth RGB Mechanical Keyboard

We usually do a keyboard and mouse combo, but there just isn't any combo that's high-quality enough for this build. Instead, we've broken this down into two sections.

We think mechanical keyboards feel fantastic, but have one problem with them. Most of them are just too loud. That's where Razer's BlackWidow Chroma Stealth comes into play. Not only is it an amazingly built keyboard, but it also offers a host of gaming-specific features. The keys are fully programmable, which is essential to gamers who're competing at a high level. Razer has also stated that the Razer BlackWidow Stealth's keys can withstand up to 60 million keypresses without a loss of quality (which is insane!)

We understand that some of you may like the sound that mechanical keyboards make. Fortunately, there are other variants of this keyboard that will offer the feel and sound for those who'd rather not get the Stealth.

If you're a gaming enthusiast, you're going to love the Razer's BlackWidow Ultimate Stealth.

Recommended Mouse: UtechSmart Venus High-Precision Gaming Mouse

UtechSmart's Venus Gaming Mouse is just amazing for the value. Not only does it rival gaming mice that are double and even triple the cost, but it also surpasses some of them.

People like to label the Venus an MMO or MOBA mouse due to the programmable buttons, but it works just fine for other games, as well. It has adjustable DPI settings and even allows you to change the weight of the mouse itself.

Sure, there are better gaming mice out there, but this provides so much value that we recommend it, even for someone building a $2000 gaming PC build.

Recommended Headset: HyperX Cloud Revolver Gaming Headset

Have you ever played a game with the sound on mute? It's usually not very enjoyable and also tends to break immersion. Audio is almost as important as visuals when it comes to gaming, which is a good reason you don't want to cheap out on it. Fortunately, getting great sound has gotten a lot more affordable.

The headset for The Beast is the HyperX Cloud Revolver. These have to be some of our favorite headphones under $150. Usually, when you get a gaming headset, you give up quality sound for other features, but the Revolvers sound just as good as some studio-grade headphones.

They feature directional 50 mm drivers with enhanced bass for those lows, so you totally get sucked into whatever you're playing. The Revolver has memory foam that makes gaming with these for hours a very enjoyable experience. The mic is also very clear, which is always a pro.

The build quality of the HyperX Cloud Revolver is excellent, as well. The frame is all steel, which is very rare as headsets that cost much more than this still use reinforced plastic.

For people who want to take their audio to the next level with their build, the HyperX Cloud Revolver will get you there. You're also getting something built to last and an excellent mic for gaming. On top of all that, these have to be some of the most comfortable gaming headsets ever created. When it comes to gaming, it's hard to beat the HyperX Cloud Revolvers for the price.

Recommended Ethernet Cable or Wi-Fi Adapter

In order to connect to the internet, you either need a wired connection via your modem, router, or a Wi-Fi adapter.

Our first choice would always be to go for the wired connection using an Ethernet cable, if possible. This is because the Ethernet provides a much more reliable connection, as you're directly tied in. You also get lower latency in online games.

This doesn't mean that Wi-Fi adapters are all that bad, as they aren't. It's just that wired connections are better. Below is our top Wi-Fi adapter and Ethernet cable pick.

If you're looking for a Wi-Fi PCI Network card, then check out our review of the best PCI cards available.

This is an amazing Wi-Fi Adapter that will establish a very strong connection to the internet, should you not be able to run an Ethernet line.

Operating Systems

Get Windows.There are a lot of operating systems out there, but if you want to game at your full potential, there isn't another viable choice at the moment. This is because developers have to optimize games for each and every OS they support. Windows is run by around 83% of all computer as of December 2016. Then, after Windows is the Mac OS, which isn't geared for gaming, as only Mac users can utilize the OS at 11%. That's 94% of all users using those two operating systems. Most developers see this and would rather not optimize their games for such a small minority. This is the reason we don't really see this as much of a debate anymore. Windows is the only viable option for a gamer who wants to get the most out of their build.

Which Version Of Windows?

Windows 10 is becoming much more stable as Microsoft releases new updates to it.

Below are two copies of Windows 10, one is the CD version, which you should get if you are getting an optical drive and the other is the USB version, which is for those who're not going to get an optical drive.