This post recommends the best gaming PC you can build for under $700. If you’re looking to buy a pre-built gaming rig instead of going to the hassle of doing it yourself, we recommend the CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR. It’s powered by Intel's powerful I5 9400F CPU and AMD's RX 580 GPU that makes running AAA gaming titles a piece of cake.
A $700 gaming PC could be considered the last stop before you reach budget territory, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fantastic gaming experience. In this easy-to-follow guide, we showcase our best custom PC for under $700 and break down every component. In this price category, you are going to be able to enjoy your AAA games, in high detail, that smashes 1080p and can handle 1440p with a few tweaks. Regardless of whether you choose the AMD or Intel build path, you are getting a mid-level gaming PC that ticks all the boxes.
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Build Overview
Our main goal with our build is to give you the best gaming experience we possibly can for the $700 budget. Before we break down each individual component, we should first discuss what you can expect from a gaming PC of this caliber. Many would argue that the $700 mark is on the cusp of budget, but with our build, you can count on a high-quality gaming experience.
Budget – As you go further down the budget ladder, more and more compromises have to be made. Despite this, we have managed to create a build you can be proud of and to stay on budget, make compromises in areas that affect your gaming less. The build includes CPU and GPU combinations that are sure to bring you a lot of joy, whether you are gaming or not and these are supported by fast-acting RAM. At this price category, we have had to sacrifice SSD space and this should be the first area you look to upgrade in the future. That being said, there is still plenty of room here for your operating system and favourite games to get you going. This mid-level PC not only handles games in 1080p with ease but it looks good too!
Performance – Regardless of whether you go for AMD or Intel, you are going to get surprisingly good gaming performance from our $700 gaming PC. This PC handles 1080p gaming in max settings without a hitch and has capabilities at 1440p too (with a few tweaks). While both the AMD and Intel build paths will provide you with a decent FPS count and gaming experience in general, only the AMD build takes it a step further. The AMD CPU brings multithreading into this build, giving it excellent multitasking performance and improving your system overall. Along with its six extra virtual cores, the AMD build path also brings in a higher out of the box clock speed of 3.6GHz!
To bring you better gaming components, an area we compromised on was the SSD storage. Despite this, the 480GB SSD we recommend is more than enough to get you started and it will actually enhance your gaming too. This SSD boots the operating system much quicker than an HDD and will even give you extra FPS in some games. To improve performance and further future proof the system we have included 16GB of 3600MHz RAM, which when tested, brought an increase in the FPS count.
AMD Vs Intel – As you get closer to the budget end of the spectrum you start to see the value in AMD’s impressive 3rd-gen CPUs. Now while gaming performance is fairly similar between both the AMD and Intel build paths, your other general computing tasks like video editing and streaming are going to want the AMD CPU backing them up. Other than a faster clock speed the AMD build path also comes multithreaded, giving you greater flexibility for multitasking. It is worth noting as well with the AMD build path you are going to get better results out of the fast RAM and have a stronger PC in general.
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 the PC Components
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 $700 Gaming PC Update:
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Processor
If paired with the right hardware, potentially the most powerful, value for money CPU's available.
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Super Gaming OC 6G
A solid mid-level card for playing AAA titles at 60-100FPS at 1080P/1440P.
Crucial BX500 480GB SSD
480GB of SSD brings the perfect mix of speed and capacity to this hybrid storage build.
Corsair CX Series 550 Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Modular Power Supply
A powerful, affordable fully modular PSU from a reliable brand.
MSI ProSeries B450-A PRO Max
An affordable, third-gen supported motherboard that offers everything you need at an affordable price.
Phanteks Eclipse P300 Steel ATX Mid Tower Tempered Glass
The Phanteks Eclipse P300 is an affordable, budget mid-tower PC case with enough room to enable a quality, efficient build and to house any future upgrades.
Build Details
This $700 1080p Ultra Gaming PC is designed to thrash anything in its path. Let’s see what makes up the best gaming desktop under $700.
The 6 core, 12 thread Ryzen 5 2600x is one of AMD’s second-generation high-end desktop processors, renowned for excellent value multi-core performance. It has been replaced by AMD’s recently established, third-gen, 3600x as their new Ryzen flagship mid-range CPU. The 3rd Gen CPU could only be factored into this build at the expense of graphical power, which after extensive consideration was deemed unacceptable.
It features a matured Zen+ chip architecture with increased clock speed capable of 4.2Ghz max boost speed. It comes pre-equipped with a Wraith Spire cooler and is excellent value for money. Overall, this should provide all the gaming performance you need, as well as acceptable streaming and video rendering performance.
The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Super Gaming is our pick for the best gaming PC build under $700 thanks to a combination of strong performance and excellent value for money. It easily brushes aside the GTX 1660 super 6gb with improved FPS across the board. Not to mention its ability to perform VR gaming at a decent level. Like we mentioned earlier, we decided to go for the older Ryzen 5 2600 to ensure we could get the best GTX 1660 we could afford, and that’s exactly what we did.
We’re finally at the price point where we can stop making heavy compromises and start focusing on extracting maximum performance out of the hardware we choose. That being said, we’ve opted for a Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM kit for the $700 build. This should be more than enough memory to handle even the most demanding of AAA game titles. Furthermore, this is the perfect partnership for the Ryzen CPU. Corsair is an established manufacturer in the memory business and they offer some of the most reliable DDR4 memory money can buy. All-in-all, a fantastic memory solution for this monster of a PC build.
What $700 build is complete without an SSD? That’s right, none. Our build makes use of the ever-popular Crucial BX500 480GB SSD for its high sequential read/write speeds. We’ve gone for a trusted brand in Crucial for our SSD as it’s one of the most reputable consumer-level storage manufacturers out there. Load your Windows and primary games onto the SSD for lightning-quick load times and you won’t look back.
Corsair is an extremely popular, reliable brand that are well known for offering fantastic graphics cards as well as power supply units. This mid-range PSU comes in at an affordable price, yet still offers full modularity for those looking to ensure their cable management is up to scratch. If you don’t get a certified PSU you seriously run the risk of endangering the build and potentially yourself. We’ve gone for Corsair’s 550W option as it offers both excellent reliability and great power efficiency.
We’ve paired AMD’s impressive Ryzen 5 2600X with the MSI Gaming Plus B450-A PRO MAX Motherboard to create a brilliant foundation for what we consider to be the best gaming rig for under $700. It guarantees compatibility with the Ryzen 5 series and has some great little features as well. It is effectively an entry-level motherboard but comes equipped with fantastic versatility and overclocking potential. To touch on overclocking briefly, the Ryzen 5 range was purpose-built to be clock boosted, so attaining a solid motherboard that has the ability to utilize this feature is key. Furthermore, the B450 MAX also houses the potential to overclock the RAM as well, meaning you can squeeze every possible inch of extra performance out of it.
The Phanteks Eclipse P300 is an entry-level PC case that not only looks like a mid-tier case but also has the build quality and ease of use you’d expect from a premium case. It comes with a tempered glass window meaning you can check out the build as it’s in full operational flow. The front I/O panel comes with a bunch of handy options including 2 x USB 3.0 ports and a headphone jack. Overall, this is a great case that should look good in most environments and provide the airflow and cooling you’re looking for.
Things To Consider
At this stage, you will have a good idea of whether you are going with AMD or Intel and whether or not this build suits your gaming needs. We have covered the components and what performance they are going to bring your new build but whats next? Below we have listed a few things for your consideration and without further ado, let’s get straight into them.
Budget
As mentioned, the $700 custom gaming PC sits at the lower end of our mid-level builds. An important area for your consideration is the budget, as a gamer, you need to ensure that the PC meets your requirements. This gaming PC excels at 1080p resolutions and despite what some may think, won't be smashing 4K any time soon. That being said there is going to be some 1440p ability, but for anything higher you may want to think about our $800 PC and above. It is worth noting that due to Amazon's price fluctuations, the build price can sometimes change. We do our best to ensure we keep this build as close to the budget as possible with regular updates.
Upgradability & Future-Proofing
Future upgrades are always going to be in the back of a PC builder's mind. How easily upgradeable a PC is, makes things cheaper and easier when the time finally comes. While making compromises to get this PC within budget, you leave room for future improvement. We have carefully selected components that we feel can handle future upgrades. While these components may not be the newest releases, they still offer excellent gaming performance that will last you for years. If you were to upgrade anything on this build it would be to a larger storage solution. Remember, any upgrade will enhance performance but it will bring extra costs too.
Overclocking
Overclocking your PC can give you a free increase in performance. Boosting your clock speed or overclocking RAM has been shown to give you that little extra. Both the AMD and Intel processors have room for overclocking and the other components in the build will support such tweaks. Of course, when overclocking a CPU you bring about extra heat, so consider adding in a CPU cooler to your basket to keep things chilled. This $700 gaming PC features fast RAM that is capable of running at 3600MHz. Unfortunately, RAM kits don't come at these speeds out of the box, so you will need to overclock them in the BIOS. Luckily motherboard manufacturers have made the RAM overclocking process significantly easier to do in the BIOS.
Ease of Building
First-time builders out there should always consider how difficult the PC build will be. With this in mind, we carefully selected a PC case that simplifies the whole process. The case is from a manufacturer you can trust and one that has building and cable management as a primary concern. The case does a good job of hiding cables with little fuss on your end, however, for those that wish to spend time on it, there is plenty of room to create something excellent. Both of our recommended CPUs come with stock coolers as standard. These stock coolers will handle your cooling efficiently and reliably. The stock coolers come with thermal paste pre-applied, saving you a job. That being said, we recommend you purchase a tube of aftermarket thermal paste to replace what is already on your cooler. Replacing the thermal paste will often bring better thermal performance and provide you with lower temps, plus you will need to replace it in future intervals.
Non-gaming Performance
Gaming performance on the $700 build is a given, after all, it is a gaming PC. Regardless if you chose AMD or Intel, you are going to get joy out of those game titles, but how does this PC do in other areas? This is where the AMD build path starts to shine the most and this is largely down to its multithreading capabilities. The extra threads (virtual cores) enhance this PC's ability to tackle multitasking, streaming, and video editing. It is worth noting that the RAM kit in this build goes a long way when paired with the AMD CPU, giving you a well-rounded PC for every occasion.
Aesthetics
While some gamers and enthusiasts tend not to bother themselves with aesthetics, it can be important to some. With this in mind, we wanted to include a case that features a tempered glass panel, just in case you fancied pimping the PC out. For those that would like to improve the aesthetics, this is only an RGB fan or light strip away from looking even more pleasing on the eye.
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 - 1080p/60 and 1440p/60 should both be possible, but you will need to turn down settings for the latter.
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds - PUBG should be able to push 1080p/60 at high settings on this machine, but 1440p will require some compromises.
- Monster Hunter: World - MHW should do quite well at 1080p and high settings, but 1440p60 will require some tweaking to work properly.
- League of Legends - LOL is a lightweight eSports title, so pushing 1440p60 or 1080p144 should be easy as pie.
- Dota 2 - Same as above.
- Overwatch - Ultra settings @ 1440p should net at least 60 FPS on average, but if you want higher frames, turn settings down and go down to 1080p.
- Rainbow Six: Siege - Siege should be easy to pay at 1440p and high settings, with around 60-70 FPS. 1080p will be much more stable, though.
- Warframe - Warframe should be fine with 1440p and 1080p at high settings- at 1080p, you might even push 144 FPS!
- Grand Theft Auto V - GTA V is playable at 1440p medium settings and 1080p high/max settings.
- Team Fortress 2 - TF2 is a CPU-heavy title, but this build is more than well equipped to handle it. 1080p should be a breeze, and with the right settings should even push 144 HZ. 1440p at 60FPS shouldn’t be a problem, either.
Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $700
For those without the experience of building a custom PC or the necessary time to do so, a prebuilt option could be the best way to go. Custom PC companies often bring the advantage of warranties and they will test your system before sending it. That being said, we always recommend you build your own but either way here’s our best-prebuilt recommendations.
So if you are one of those who would prefer to buy a prebuilt for whatever reason, here’s a list for you:
Upgrade Path
The $700 PC build already has the power to deliver a 1080p gaming experience with at least 60FPS on ultra settings, however, this is a custom PC build. There’s always room to ascend to an even higher level of processing power by making a few tweaks here and there. Below are what we consider to be the absolute best upgrade options for the current $700 PC build. The upgrades have been chosen based on their performance, price, aesthetics, and overclocking ability. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the prime contenders.
Note: all of these will raise the price of the build, VR especially!
The natural upgrade for this build is a Ryzen 5 3600X, the successor to the 2600x. It’s part of the massively impressive Ryzen 3000 range and one that showcases some of the best single-core performance we’ve seen. We feel it’s the perfect upgrade to this already stellar build and will offer a much more stable and enjoyable gaming experience if you decide to go for it.
Seeing as though one of the main agendas of this build was overclocking, we’d highly recommend purchasing a liquid cooler to reduce any potential temperature issues you might encounter whilst doing so. We’ve chosen Corsair as it’s both a trusted brand and boasts reasonable value for money.
For the GPU upgrade, we’ve decided to go for the increasingly popular Zotac RTX 2060 6GB. It’s a graphics card that will increase your FPS considerably thanks to a number of different features this card comes equipped with. The 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM helps push FPS number well above a hundred in 1080p and 1440p, respectively. Furthermore, this card has the added benefit of real-time ray tracing technology and newly enhanced AI-enhanced graphics. This in turn, makes the Zotac 2060 a brilliant option and one that will future proof your build for years to come.
Operating System & Peripherals
If you’re buying the best $700 dollar gaming PC, you may already have a number of these things. However, we understand if you don’t, so we’ve written up this section in case you need anything within.
NOTE: These will raise the price of the build!
Operating System
Let’s get this out of the way: the best gaming PC you could get for the price of 700 dollars is already awesome. It’s boasting more power than a console, and, in fact, probably multiple times the power of the PCs you’ve already used. Unfortunately, PCs aren’t ready to be used right out of the box. They need what’s called an operating system. Operating systems take the power offered by their hardware and provide a standard environment that a user or an application can interact with.
Windows 10
Windows and certain Linux distributions (like Ubuntu and Mint) are the biggest OS’s on PC right now. But if you want to do PC gaming, Windows boasts the highest compatibility. If you already own a retail copy of Windows, you should be able to move it over to your new PC, however, if you don’t, you’ll need to buy Windows 10. To save on optical drives, install your OS via USB. We’ll explain how to do that later in the article. For the old-schoolers out there who are still using DVD ROM’s, here is the DVD version of windows to suit your needs.
Mouse and Keyboard
Not to sound too dramatic, but having the right gaming peripherals is literally the difference between winning and losing. Many first-time gamers may just think using any old mouse and keyboard is acceptable, but it isn’t. Below are the gaming peripherals we feel best suit a build of this budget.
Corsair K68 Gaming Keyboard
First up is the Corsair K68 Gaming Keyboard, a fantastic mid range keyboard offering all the performance, RGB and media keys you could want at a reasonable price. It comes equipped with Cherry MX mechanical switches for advanced performance and longevity. It’s RGB has almost unlimited customization to suit any and all moods, not to mention it’s fantastic build quality. If you’d like some cheaper picks, you can also click here.
Razer Deathadder Elite
Our top mid-range mouse pick is the Razer Deathadder Elite. With one of the best optical sensors on the market and an ergonomic design which boasts complete control, the Deathadder Elite makes for the perfect gaming mouse. For consumers looking to purchase a wireless mouse with similar spec’s why not check out the Logitech G Pro Wireless.
SteelSeries QcK Gaming Surface
There’s no point buying a quality mouse, then proceeding to use it on a sub-par surface. The Qck gaming surface provides the ultimate environment for gaming with its tightly woven cloth and superb desk coverage meaning you have total control at all times. MORE: Best mousepads of 2019
Razer Gaming Bungee V2
Gaming Bungee’s aren’t a new concept, however, not everyone uses them. We love them here at wePC as they give any wired mouse the feel of a wireless. It’s more than just a gimmick however, the Razer bungee V2 actually removes all drag points that are created with large, fibrous mouse cables and allow the user to have complete freedom with their movements. MORE: Best Gaming Bungee’s
Monitor
You’ve just purchased the $700 gaming PC, the last thing you want to do is run all that graphical power through a below-average monitor which doesn’t show off its true potential. That’s why we recommend good quality hardware which compliments each other and our monitor selection is no different. We’ve based our selection on what resolution the PC runs and the average frame rate we expect this build to achieve across a number of different games. Let’s take a look at what’s in store.
ASUS VG278Q 27"
If your priority is high resolution and great graphics, snag the 27-inch Asus VG278Q monitor, it boasts 1ms reponse time, 144hz and supports G-sync (something every gamer should be aware of). If you’re really looking to push the boat out in this department why not check out our best 4k monitors in 2019 article.
Sound Options
Like gaming peripherals, having the right audio setup is key to gaining an advantage over your competition. Gaming is an extremely competitive industry today thanks to ever-increasing components. Sound is right up there in terms of importance and should be considered heavily before purchasing. Here are our top selections.
Mackie CR Series 3" Creative Reference Multimedia Monitors
First to the party are Mackie CR Series 3” monitors, which will provide a solid sound experience at a reasonable price. These make your ordinary desktop speakers look like tinny iphone 4 speakers. Try them and you will not be disappointed. MORE: Best Computer Speakers If you want something a little more involved, we recommend looking at our headset pick below.
Sennheiser Gaming One Headset
The Sennheiser Gaming On Headset boasts great build quality and all of the features you should need for a competitive gaming experience, including fantastic surround sound and a clear, noise-canceling microphone. Everything a gamer needs.
Audio-Technica ATH-M30x
Audio-Technica have been around for many a year now and boast some of the best headphones available in today’s market. Brilliant sound output and superb comfort levels make the Audio-Technica ATH-M30x headphones our top pick for the $700 build.
Blue Yeti USB Microphone
No gaming setup is complete without a fully functional, noise cancelling microphone. Blue provide some fantastic standalone microphones, perfect for streaming, podcasting, gaming and more. You can even record voice and instruments with almost 100% accuracy. The Yeti USB mic is our top pick and will serve you well long into the future.
Getting Online
You can get online through a wireless or a wired connection, and we’ll go over two great options for that here.
Wired (Ethernet Cable)
If you want the best possible gaming performance and network reliability, you’ll want to go wired and buy an ethernet cable. We recommend this 25 foot ethernet cable from Amazon to start with. It’ll only run you about $8, and once you’ve routed the cable through your house, you’ll enjoy the performance and reliability necessary to game on the high end.
ASUS PCE-AC56 PCI Wireless Express Adapter
Of course, if you prefer the convenience of Wi-Fi and aren’t a competitive gamer, you can always go that route. In that case, we recommend the Asus PCE-AC56 PCI Adapter, which supports the latest Wi-Fi standards at a fairly good price.
Building Tips
Building your own PC isn’t that hard. All you need is the right information along with a comprehensive guide (both of which are easier to come by than ever before) and you should be able to successfully build your first PC without any worries.
We know the struggle that first-time builders have, this is why we've compiled a comprehensive list that covers exactly what newbie builders should avoid doing, along with a list of questions you might have when building a computer.
Install OS Via USB
If you chose Windows 10, use the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool alongside a 4GB USB stick to easily install it. If you’re using one of the Linux distros, use UNetbootin or Rufus.
Invest In Antistatic Equipment
First, save yourself some stress. You don’t want to worry about frying your components or manually grounding yourself every ten seconds.
Buy an anti-static wristband and/or anti-static mat. With proper setup, you’ll avoid the worry that comes with dealing with expensive electronics. And if you’re still uncertain, then we even have a guide that will walk you through using an anti-static strip for the first time.
Watch Building Guides
Tek Syndicate’s build guide is our personal favorite since it is short and sweet while showing a varied amount of part types. Supplement this with the instruction manuals that come with your components, and you’ll be fine. Some personal advice, though: deal with the standoff screws as soon as possible. They’re the worst.
Our detailed how to build a PC guide also addresses every single thing that newbies need when building a PC. Among these include deciding on a budget, installing the drivers, setting up your computer for first-time use, and tips to properly maintain your computer.
Closing Thoughts
There we have it, our in-depth guide to building the best gaming PC for under $700. If you have followed this guide you can now enjoy your AAA games in high detail at 1080p. This gaming PC is more than capable of playing VR games and should provide you with some decent FPS counts. Of course, at this price compromises have to be made but if you go with the AMD build path, you are sure to get a flexible gaming rig that brings you excellent performance for the price.
The team would love to hear how you got on building your new gaming PC, did everything go to plan? Share your experiences and build pictures over at the WePC community!
