I recently published an article on how to build a 4K gaming rig for about $1,200 with parts that are on Cyber Monday sales. But what if you don't need to play at 4K and you don't want to spend $1,200?
I've put together a parts list that provides really solid gaming at 1080p (1920 x 1080) for just $700. It even comes with a 2TB SSD and 32GB of RAM so you're not skimping on memory or storage.
| Component | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 5700 | $129 |
| Cooler | AMD Wraith Spire | Included |
| Motherboard | MSI B550 Gaming Gen 3 | $99 |
| GPU | ASRock Challenger Arc A770 16GB | $229 |
| RAM | Crucial Pro RAM 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 | $47 |
| PSU | Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold (600W) | $49 |
| Case | NZXT H5 Flow | $59 |
| SSD | MSI Spatium M482 (2TB) | $89 |
| Total | Row 8 - Cell 1 | $701 |
Some caveats: This build doesn't come with Wi-Fi so you'll need to get one of the best Wi-Fi adapters or use Ethernet. And you'll need to acquire Windows 11 for cheap or free.
Our CPU for this build is the Ryzen 7 5700, which is an old, Zen 3 chip that uses the AM4 processor socket. This makes it a good bargain and allows it to be used with cheaper, DDR4 RAM and less-expensive B550 motherboards. Still, it's a solid budget part with 8 cores, 16 threads and a 4.6-GHz boost clock speed. Very importantly, it comes with a cooler in the box.
Our GPU is the ASRock Challenger Arc A770, which is just $229 right now and yet has enough oomph to handle 1080p gaming with aplomb. Yes, it's an Intel GPU, but you're getting 16GB of VRAM for this price, which is just incredible and really makes the entire build a steal.
You'll note that, on our tests, the Arc A770 delivered 76.9 fps at 1080p ultra settings. That's a few frames behind the Radeon RX 7600 and Nvidia RTX 4060. However, both of those cards cost a lot more.
Our SSD is the 2TB MSI Spatimum M482, which is just $89 right now. This SSD doesn't have a DRAM cache, but it does use Phison's E27T controller with Kioxia TLC NAND.
We haven't tested the M482 specifically but we tested two drives with the same combination of controller and NAND in the the Corsair MP600 Elite and Inland TN470. We found that the MP600 Elite delivered middle-of-the-pack transfer rates that were only a little bit below the much-more-expensive WD Black SN850X.
Our motherboard of choice is the MSI B550 Gaming Gen 3 and the reason we chose it is not just the price, but also the fact that it has a BIOS Flashback button on the back. Not all B550 motherboards come with support for a Ryzen 5000 CPU out of the box, but if you have BIOS Flashback, you can update the BIOS before you even install the processor.
Our case is the NZXT H5 Flow, which we have tested. When we reviewed the H5 Flow, we gave it 4 stars for its low noise level, cool thermals and support for up to 9 fans. Importantly, it has room for an ATX motherboard like the one we chose.
Our RAM is Crucial Pro RAM (2 x 16GB) 32GB DDR4-3200. It's quality RAM from a quality brand and that's more than enough for this build.
Finally, our power supply is a Thermaltake ToughPower GX2 that runs at 600W and is 80+ Gold certified. It's not modular, but it is a reliable PSU from a reliable brand and that's all we should expect from a sub-$50 unit.
We are working hard to find the best computer deals for you this Cyber Monday. If you're looking for more savings, check out our Cyber Monday Computer Hardware Deals Live blog for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals Live blog, Monitor Deals Live, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.
