This post recommends the best gaming PC you can build for around $2000. If you’re looking to buy a pre-made one, we recommend the CYBERPOWER Gamer Supreme Liquid Cool Gaming PC. It’s powered by Intel i9-9900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super that can run AAA games on ultra settings.
Gamer Supreme Liquid Cool Gaming PC
Our best gaming PC for around $2000 is more than capable of handling 4K gaming and Virtual Reality. Both the AMD and Intel build paths will produce a high-end gaming PC that is ready to smash through your favorite games and more. The $2000 build is our best gaming PC recommendation to date and comes packed with a powerful CPU and GPU combination. For the price, this custom PC has fantastic gaming ability and will stand the test of time.
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Build Overview
With a $2,000 price tag, there are no compromises. You get a top of the line gaming PC with a premium gaming experience, rendering performance, and streaming capabilities. Here’s how it breaks down:
Budget – At the $2000 mark, you are in the high-end of the gaming PC spectrum and can ensure your new build comes packed with premium features. Along with strong processors, you get the flagship RTX 2080 Ti GPU from Nvidia with unrivaled gaming performance. In this price bracket, you will need a strong motherboard to handle any expansion and overclocking needs you may have, so we have included robust and reliable motherboard options for both builds.
Performance – As mentioned, our build comes with the powerful RTX 2080 Ti graphics card. When it comes to gaming performance, these GPUs will handle any game you throw at it, even in ultra settings! This build supports NVIDIA’s Ray-Tracing technology and will deliver for 4K and VR gaming with ease.
The Intel i9-9900K’s eight cores runs at a speed of 3.6GHz and can be boosted to an impressive 5.0GHz.
Our build features a 1TB SSD, which should be more than enough to store your operating system and favorite games on while giving you lightning-fast boot times too. The 16GB of RAM in these builds has a speed of 3600MHz, again boosting your overall gaming experience.
AMD Vs. Intel – Overall, we recommend our Intel build as the best option for those looking to build a strong gaming PC at this price point. With both the AMD and Intel builds, we see excellent CPU performance for both gaming and your general multitasking. Of course, the AMD processor smashes the Intel CPU in the workstation department, but the i9-9900K narrowly wins for gaming thanks to its strong single-core performance.
How We Choose the PC Components
Our team has years of experience behind them building PCs for a range of needs and budgets. All this knowledge combined with hours of research, user feedback, and onsite benchmarking is what goes into choosing the best components for our builds.
We look for value for money, how the components perform together and focus on gamer’s needs to make sure our builds are the best your budget can buy.
We build all these PC’s ourselves, in house, so trust us when we say we want to make them as good as possible. We actually use all these builds ourselves day-to-day in the WePC offices.
How We Test
We build each of our selected PC’s from scratch to make sure all the parts we recommend work well together, fit into the selected case, and provide the best performance possible for the price range.
Once built, the PC’s are used in the office for everyday work as well as a range of games from light to heavy-duty. While we test, we also run benchmarking tests to see how well our builds perform, all while keeping an eye on the temperature of the components themselves.
We know how much some of our readers enjoy overclocking their PC’s, so we made sure to test that out too. So, you can feel safe knowing that these machines can be pushed beyond their basic capabilities. But, please make sure you know how to overclock before trying to over-task your builds.
The Best $2000 Gaming PC Build Update:
Intel Core i9 9900KS
Superb gaming performance and excellent overclocking are just two reasons why this card makes it into our flagship build.
Be Quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler
This Dark Rock cooler from Be Quiet! is perfect for your needs, keeping the CPU cool even when overclocked.
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Twin Fan 11GB
The highest performing GPU money can buy. Simple unrivaled in gaming performance.
Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
A hugely popular, large SSD, that will serve you well for years to come.
EVGA Supernova 650 P2
When you buy from EVGA you get a product that's fit for purpose, built using quality materials, reliability, and cost-effective.
ASUS TUF Z390-Plus Gaming
A Z390 TUF motherboard that is perfect for overclocking purposes - with extra features on top of it.
Fractal Design Meshify C - White
An open layout ATX Mid Tower case from NZXT, complete with Tempered glass window, Fan Controls & great cable management options, as well as superb build quality.
Build Details
This high-end gaming PC is a powerhouse. We have tried to ensure this machine gives you the best results while gaming and all for around $2000!
With superb single-core performance and multithreading, the Intel i9-9900KS is one of the best CPUs money can buy, especially when it comes to gaming performance. With eight cores and sixteen threads, this CPU is ready to handle anything you throw at it and continues to lead the way for Intel. The i9-9900KS comes with a clock speed of 3.6GHz and has the potential of being boosted up to an impressive 5.0GHz.
The K, as many will know, is a symbol that represents the CPU’s unlocked overclocking ability. If you are considering overclocking this Intel CPU, be sure to include the cooler upgrade as this will run a lot hotter.
The Dark Rock 4 Cooler from Be Quiet! is a large air cooler with a 120mm fan. This cooler is more than enough to handle the heat of both the AMD and Intel CPU options and even competes with some AIO coolers. This CPU cooler features a large radiator that will help keep your temperatures low and your system quiet. The radiator will be better for heat dissipation, enabling more room for overclocking and preventing your CPU from throttling.
In addition to high performance and optimized airflow, you also get the benefit of peace and quiet, with noise levels only hitting 21.4 dBa. If silent PC operation is your thing, then check out our silent gaming PC right here.
What high-end build would be complete without a powerful graphics card? For the absolute maximum graphical processing power available, look no further than the RTX 2080 Ti. To put it simply, this card is the highest performing GPU in the benchmarks right now and will handle any game you throw at it.
The 2080 Ti has 11GB of GDDR6 VRAM and a boost clock speed of 1545 MHz. If you can afford to stretch your budget, we recommend going for the triple fan version of this card, which is one of our best 2080 Ti recommendations.
Playing AAA games is almost unworthy of this card’s power, but there is simply nothing better for all your gaming needs.
This 16GB memory kit from Corsair offers more than enough RAM for both the AMD and Intel related builds. With this kit, you can be sure there is no compromise when multitasking, streaming, and of course, gaming. In addition to the large capacity of this RAM, we have also ensured we include fast-acting clock speeds of 3000MHz. With this speed, you are guaranteed never to be bottlenecked by your RAM, even when running RAM-hungry applications.
Quality, speed, and more than enough in terms of size, what more can you ask for?
Benchmarking has shown us that the difference between m.2 SSD’s and SATA SSD’s in real-world situations is far less impressive than what figures suggest.
Even though the SATA is roughly seven times slower than the M.2, when tested in a gaming scenario, the difference was very little. Not only is it speedy, but it also has a whopping 1TB of storage to play with. You can expect fast boot times into your operating system, quick application load times, and greater performance in your games when compared to an HDD.
Every high-end build needs a solid and reliable power supply to keep things ticking over. While some may think more watts are better, 650W is powerful enough to supply this gaming rig with all the juice it needs. While you may not need the most efficient PSU out there, when a deal such as this comes along, you need to take it. In addition to the platinum level of efficiency for this power supply and its full modularity, you also get EVGA’s trademark build quality.
With excellent overclocking capabilities and room for expansion, the Asus TUF Z390 is the perfect motherboard to accompany the Core i9-9900K. The board comes with WiFi, USB 3.1 Gen2 slots, M.2 support, and NVMe SSD support. With this product from Asus, you are getting a reliable and sturdy board that oozes quality.
This motherboard not only supports the fast RAM included in the build, but it gives you extra headroom for any future upgrades (up to 4266MHz). Finally, from this sturdy board, you get the Aura Sync RGB lighting and GPU temperature sensing technology.
To keep all your components safe and looking stylish, we have selected the Fractal Design Meshify C PC case. This mid-tower case comes with two preinstalled with Dynamic X2 GP-12 120 mm fans. These fans deliver optimum airflow out of the box, and with that low level of noise, Fractal Design is known for.
With this compact case, you are getting a similar level of performance as you would from a larger capacity tower, only with a much smaller form factor. Combining this case with the CPU cooler, your gaming PC will be running at low temperatures even with the most demanding of games. The Meshify C comes with a stylish design and a tempered glass panel to keep your overall build looking sharp.
Things To Consider
So you have selected your desired build path and now have a complete gaming PC ready to go but what do you do next? What do you need to consider before you make that all-important purchase? Below we have outlined a few different areas for your consideration, to ensure you make the best choice and have a smooth experience through this whole process.
Budget
Of course, all the builds here at WePC are already split into different budget categories, but it is still important to check it is the right budget for your gaming needs. For the hardcore gamers out there that just can't get enough of those AAA games, this $2000 build is going to have you covered for a considerable amount of time. You can expect this to handle any game you can think of. For the casual gamers out there that play less intensive games and aren't quite interested in 4K gaming, you may want to consider one of our other options. It is important to remember that the prices on Amazon can fluctuate and bring the build slightly over or under budget. You may wonder why we haven't just included the components in our upgrade path, and that is simply due to the compromises we have had to make to keep this build close to the budget.
Upgradability & Future-Proofing
Being a high-end gaming PC, there is little room for upgrades on this powerful rig. That being said, there are still some areas that can be improved, which will give you the future-proofing you may require. Remember, though, with any upgrade comes extra costs, which will almost always push you over budget. If your budget can accommodate said upgrades, then you should always try and improve your system to best suit your needs.
Overclocking
Being a high-end PC, we know that some of our customers may wish to squeeze extra power out of their PC with overclocking. This is why we have carefully selected products that have overclocking capabilities. Both the AMD and Intel build paths feature CPUs with overclocking potential and motherboards to handle such tweaks. Remember to consider a CPU cooler upgrade if you start overclocking your processor as it will run considerably hotter. We also recommend fast RAM, which a lot of motherboards simply cannot handle, so we have made sure to include boards that will cope with an XMP overclock to the faster speeds of 3600MHz and above. It is worth noting that your fast RAM will often come out of the box at a lower speed, so make sure you enter your BIOS settings and overclock it to its full potential.
Ease of Building
Building this gaming PC was extremely easy, as there is nothing overly complicated included. The case manufacturers that feature in our high-end builds have your best interests at heart and ensure the physical process is as simple as it can be. Of course, all the components were compatible, so there were no clearance issues while building. When it comes to building, you want to ensure you are prepared with the right set of tools. You may want to invest in anti-static equipment to protect your expensive components, and you will certainly need a screwdriver. Thanks to the case manufacturer having cable management in mind, this was very easy to tidy away these cables, improving the airflow and general look of the build. If you plan on cable managing your PC, then you may also want to invest in some cable ties and tie bases to help you tuck away those unsightly wires. While the stock coolers on AMD and Intel will have pre-applied thermal paste, you may want to consider buying yourself a fresh tube. Often applying fresh thermal paste can improve the temps on your CPU, an easy win-win. This build comes with an aftermarket air cooler to accommodate for the high powered CPU's. Like most aftermarket CPU coolers, you will get a spare little tube of thermal paste for you to replace at various intervals.
Non-Gaming Performance
So we know both the AMD and Intel builds are excellent in the gaming department, but how well do they do in other areas? Well, to put it simply, they are superb. Both processors feature multithreading and have superb ability when it comes to multitasking. Of course, the AMD build path blows the Intel path out of the water in this respect, but you can be sure to get solid performance from both regardless. You can expect both build paths to handle your media editing, streaming, and home entertainment needs without issue.
Aesthetics
With the selected case and components, this build is already looking like a premium gaming machine, but you could expand on this and add a touch of RGB flare if you desired. Of course, this is all down to personal preference, but you can pimp your PC if you wanted to. The build features a tempered glass case that expertly showcases the components inside. If you are considering adding extra case fans, you may want to add ones that feature RGB lighting to shine through that beautiful glass panel.
What games can this PC run?
In this section, we’re going to tell you how this game should be able to run your favorite games.
- Fortnite - This build well exceeds Fortnite’s required specs- 4K60FPS at Max settings shouldn’t be a problem at all.
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds - Unfortunately, PUBG still needs optimization work...while 4K will be achievable, you will need to turn down some settings to land at 60FPS.
- Monster Hunter: World - At max settings and 4K, this intensive title will push your system to its limits. Expect 30-40 FPS if you don’t turn anything down.
- League of Legends - League of Legends is optimized to run on low-spec PCs, so don’t even worry: 4K60 should be nothing for this PC build.
- Dota 2 - eSports titles in general are well-optimized (they have to be for accessibility purposes), so 4K60 shouldn’t be a problem here.
- Overwatch - Overwatch is a bit more intensive than the other aforementioned eSports titles, 4K60 should still be plenty achievable. You should also consider 1440p @ 144hz.
- Rainbow Six: Siege - At max settings and 4K, you should be able to easily achieve 70+ FPS with this build.
- Warframe - Warframe is pretty well-optimized, so at 4K and max settings you should be able to easily push 120+ FPS.
- Grand Theft Auto V - At 4K and Ultra settings, GTAV should be playable at anywhere from 70-100 FPS with this build.
- Team Fortress 2 - Despite being well over a decade old, Team Fortress 2 is still regularly in Steam’s most-played. Fortunately, the game should still be easily run on this PC setup at 4K and high settings, though if you play competitively you may want to turn some things down if you experience lag spikes.
Prebuilt Gaming Desktop Under $2000
For the less experienced builders out there, building a high-end gaming PC can be a daunting task. The last thing you want to do is break an expensive component by installing it incorrectly. Here at WePC, we encourage you to build your own PC as we feel it is the best for you, your games and let’s face it, your wallet. For further information on the companies behind these gaming PCs, we have listed the best custom PC builders currently in the market.
Because of this, some people prefer to order a pre-built PC instead. Here are some prebuilt gaming PC's with similar specs for around $2000:
Upgrade Path
With both the AMD and Intel build paths of this gaming PC featuring such high-end components, there is little room for improvement. Of course, there are a couple of upgrades that can enhance your overall experience with this build, which we have outlined below. It is worth noting that any upgrades will increase the total amount of your new gaming PC build.
Note: These will raise the price of the build!
The build already has 16gb of ram which is more than enough for your average gamer. If however, you feel you need more then consider upgrading to 4 sticks of the same ram giving you a total of 32gb!
While the Dark Rock 4 is very effective at doing its job, you may prefer an all in one hydro cooler. The Corsair H100i RGB is a stylish way to shave off a few extra degrees from your CPU temperature. This CPU cooler comes with two 120mm fans to help heat dissipate from the large radiator effectively and can be easily installed at the top of this Fractal case.
The 500GB M.2 in the build should be plenty to store your operating system and large games on but for those of you that may require a little extra space then consider the bigger brother which will give you twice as much room for all your needs!
VR Headset
HTC Vive
We mentioned VR a couple times in passing, but since you have such a powerful VR ready gaming PC, it’s definitely something to consider. We recommend the HTC Vive over the Oculus Rift due to the former having superior developer support.
Oculus Rift
VR still isn’t cheap, though. Be prepared to shell out an extra $500, or more, for a VR headset! Still wondering what VR to get? Check out our VR headset guide here!
Operating System & Peripherals
This section is separate from the $2000 PC build, since we only factor in the cost of the base hardware and most people already have their own peripherals laying around.
If you don’t, though, that’s fine- we’re still here for you
Note: These will raise the price of the build!
Operating System
This $2,000 gaming computer is one powerful machine, but that power doesn’t matter without an operating system. To finish off your build, you’ll want to buy Windows 10 or carry over your installation from a retail license.
Windows 10
This $2,000 gaming computer is one powerful machine, but that power doesn’t matter without an operating system. To finish off your build you’ll want to buy Windows 10 or carry over your installation from a retail license. Of course, you can still get Windows 10 on DVD if you prefer.
Mouse and Keyboard
Peripherals are important things to have in any gamer’s locker. For some extra gaming-orientated hardware, we have a few recommendations here that deliver a high level of performance without breaking the bank.
EC2-B Divina
If you’re prepared to pay the high price Zowie are asking for, you really can’t go wrong with the EC2-B Divina mouse in 2019. Sure they’re minimalistic in design, but they’re still built to an extremely high standard with a matched performance to boot. This is one of the highest rated gaming mice available with its high-quality sensor and premium feeling switches. This mouse is a top pick for competitive players, you can see how it stacks up against its rivals here in our in-depth mouse guide.
Logitech G Pro Wireless
The Logitech G Pro wireless isn’t just considered the best wireless gaming mouse available but can hold its own against its wired rivals also. With the G Pro Wireless, you get a well thought out design that includes a comfortable shape and removable side buttons. Pairing its design with arguably the best sensor on the market makes for some seamless gaming experiences. With a weight of only 80 grams, it feels lighter than air and its high-end performance is matched by its fantastic battery life, a top pick!
Corsair K70 RGB MK2 Low Profile
For a high-end keyboard, we recommend the Corsair K70 RGB low profile. It has top-notch build quality as you would expect from Corsair, RGB lighting and all the features you should need out of a gaming keyboard. The low profile caps are super thin and look amazing with the RGB underneath. The board features Cherry MX Speed switches that have lower travel than standard RED switches meaning quicker response times. For further information on switches and to see the wide variety of quality keyboard options visit our in-depth guide.
SteelSeries QcK Gaming Surface
SteelSeries is well known for producing quality products, most notably the QcK Edge gaming surface. The QcK range from SteelSeries is very popular and that’s largely down to the quality product and the results it achieves. SteelSeries balance control and speed well with this pads high thread count. The pad is one of the best and comes in a variety of sizes and the base is completely rubber to prevent any slips no matter where your mouse is. This mouse pad is a must have but just make sure your desk is big enough first! If you would prefer a hard mouse pad then consider the Corsair MM600 as it offers a dual side, one for control and one for speed! Alternatively, if you are considering the Wireless G Pro from Logitech then why not pair it with the amazing G Powerplay mouse pad also from Logitech. The G Powerplay mouse pad will enable the ‘endless battery’ from your G pro mouse as it wirelessly charges the device whenever it is switched on!
Razer V2 Mouse Bungee
This Razer bungee is a good purchase for those who want to eliminate cable drag and have a ‘wireless feeling wired mouse’ for gaming. If you have a wired mouse or plan on buying a wired mouse then we recommend you to get a bungee and stop getting that cable caught on your desk or other peripherals. This is arguably one of the best quality bungees available and has to be considered!
Monitor
Your monitor is essential. After all, how are you going to take in all these great graphics without a high-powered screen? Here are a few recommendations if you don’t already have a monitor.
ASUS PG27UQ 27 Inch ROG Swift 4K HDR
ASUS PG27UQ 27″ isn’t just one of the best 4K monitors on the market, it’s one of the best gaming monitors money can buy! Not only does this monitor give true 4K resolution in full HDR but it does this at a staggering 144hz refresh rate and a minuscule 4ms response time. This G-Sync monitor is the perfect collaboration between performance and is a top monitor pick for any gamer.
Acer Predator XB271HU bmiprz 27"
If the first monitor pick is a little out of your budget for a gaming monitor then consider the Acer Predator XB271HU bmiprz 27″. This 1440p resolution monitor has an IPS display just like the more expensive Asus monitor and also boasts a refresh rate of 144Hz. This monitor can be overclocked to 165Hz depending on your preference and it’s G-Sync compatible which makes it a great anti screen tearing option.
If you’d like a monitor with the fastest refresh rate possible then check out our Top 240Hz monitors.
Sound Options
Whether you’re listening to music or immersed deeply in a competitive game, you need the best sound quality. Here are a few options.
Mackie CR Series 3" Creative Reference Multimedia Monitors
The Mackie’s CR series 3 monitors are some fantastic desktop speakers, these speakers deliver a high-quality sound and you won’t be disappointed with the performance. Pick up a pair today and invest in better quality sound.
MORE: Best Computer Speakers
Sennheiser Game ONE Gaming Headset
If you want a high-end gaming headset, we recommend the Sennheiser Game ONE Gaming Headset. Boasting superb build quality, and a noise-canceling microphone, you should be more than equipped for competing in your favourite games.
MORE: Best gaming headset
Audio-Technica ATH-M30x
We’ve opted for the Audio-Technica M30x headphones as they have excellent build quality, superb comfort, and great sound output. solid pair of headphones for audio lovers!
Blue Yeti USB Microphone
Record and stream with excellent sound quality from the Blue Yeti, the ultimate USB Microphone. Yeti USB mic is ideal for podcasting, YouTube, streaming on Twitch, and music. The Yeti does not require any driver install, you can simply plug it into your computer’s USB port and you’re ready to go.
For a more budget option consider the Antlion Audio attachable boom microphone.
MORE: Best Gaming Microphone
Getting Online
Some gamers out there may not want to rely on the motherboards built-in Wi-Fi, that’s where an ethernet cable comes in.
Wired (Ethernet)
High-bandwidth and low-latency applications need ethernet cables to perform at their best, so go ahead and buy an ethernet cable. Wi-Fi can cause your performance, both in-game and on your network, to suffer.
Building Tips
Install OS Via USB
To save yourself money on shipping an OS and buying a disc drive, use any old 4GB+ USB drive you have around the house. (Or grab a cheap one from a friend.)
From there, you can create a Windows 10 installer with the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. If you’re using one of the Linux distros for the time being, go with UNetbootin or Rufus.
Invest In Antistatic Equipment
Buy an anti-static wristband, and use it properly. Failing to do so places you and your components at risk of static discharge that can ruin your expensive components-- and that’s the last thing you’d want after spending all of this time working toward the best $2000 gaming PC.
An anti-static mat may also help you by providing a safe surface for you to rest your components.
If you’re unsure how to use it, then we can tell you how to properly use an antistatic wrist strap.
Watch Building Guides
Tek Syndicate’s excellent guide, linked above, will walk you through the PC building process step-by-step. It’s one of our favorites, and as long as you mind your manual alongside it, your building process should go fairly smoothly.
Refer to this, and check our How to Build a Gaming PC guide for a more detailed PC building guide that addresses every newbie’s needs when building a PC - from choosing a build, installing the corresponding drivers, and maintaining the computer through the years.
Closing Thoughts
So there you have it, the best gaming PC for around $2000! Both build paths are ready to smash any game you can think of, with some excellent gaming credentials. Aside from gaming, you also get some superb multitasking performance and could easily use both build paths for much more without breaking the budget. We highly recommend the AMD build path, as the new Ryzen CPU is simply fantastic with a higher core and thread count than its Intel counterpart. Aside from better overall performance, you are also giving your build a slightly greater life span when going down the AMD route.
You now have a build your friends will truly envy and all the gaming performance you could ever need! If you have any further questions or would like to share your build experiences with the team and our friends, then head over to the WePC community and let us know!
