The Best Gaming PCs under $1000: Which One Should You Choose, Prebuilt or Custom Build?

• CPU: With a budget of $1000, you can expect a mid-range processor of Intel Core i5/i7 gen 10th or AMD 3000 series.
• GPU: Most gaming PCs at this price are equipped with GTX 1660 Super or Radeon RX 570 or better.
• Motherboard: Gaming PCs at $1000 usually feature b460/b560 Intel motherboards or b450/b550 AMD motherboards.
• PSU: You can own a PSU of about 400-600W for $1000 PCs. These wattages are acceptable if you want to play some heavy games and do multiple tasks.
• RAM: It would be great if you can choose a gaming PC with 16GB RAM. However, some options will have 8GB RAM, and you need to upgrade it if you want to play games without lagging and interruption.
• Storage: For a $1000 gaming PC, you can get a 500GB SSD most of the time. Some options will go with an additional HDD. You had better consider carefully because if the manufacturer provides more storage, they may give lower gen of other components, CPU for example.
• PC case: You just should choose the case that fits all the necessary components. At the end of the day, you should pay attention to all other significant parts, cases are just the home for them, right?

1. AVGPC Hellfire 

Best gaming PC under $1000: The best-prebuilt gaming PC using AMD CPU

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 6-Core 3.8 GHz
• Graphics card: GTX 1660 Super 6GB
• Cooler: 3 ARGB Case Fans
• RAM: 16 GB
• Power supply: 600W
• SSD: 500GB
• HDD: 2TB

REASONS TO BUY

• Cool and unique design
• Fast RAM
• Huge storage: 500GB SSD + 2TB HDD
• Free keyboard and mouse

REASONS TO AVOID

• Just can play some heavy games with 500GB SSD
• Noisy fans

Come with  AVGPC Hellfire Gaming Computer PC, and you will receive what you expect, regardless of performance and design. The unique design and RGB light create an inspirational gaming space for any gamer.

Powered by AMD Ryzen 5 3600X processor, this gaming PC offers faster interpreting in program's instructions, boosting the computer speed. Moreover, the 1660 super graphics card can support you play games and export videos at a quality of up to 2K.

In terms of heat dissipation, the intense triple ARGB case fans work very well to balance the temperatures of the case, assisting you to play games or working for such a long time.

2. OMEN 25L

Best gaming PC under $1000: The best-prebuilt gaming PC using Intel CPU

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: Intel Core i5-10400F
• Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER
• RAM: 8 GB DDR4-2666 MHz
• Power supply: 500 W Bronze
• SSD: 512 GB PCle NVMe M.2
• PC Case: Omen 25L

REASONS TO BUY

• Powerful processor: Intel Core i5 gen 10th
• Free keyboard and mouse
• Durable case: made of steel and tempered glass
• A wide range of connectivity options

REASONS TO AVOID

• Just can play some heavy game with 512GB of SSD
• Small case: not convenient for future upgrades
• Less RAM than other products at the same price

OMEN 25L Gaming Desktop PC features impressive specifications that can support you play some heavy and demanding games such as PUGB, Fortnite, League of Legends, or World of Warcraft.

This gaming PC is equipped with an Intel Core i5 gen 10th processor, which is well-known for the performance and durability. Not only does OMEN Gaming PC have the great CPU power, but it comes with a GTX 1660 SUPER graphics card, which delivers clear and smooth graphics.

On top of that, the easy-access angled design allows you to easily manage cables and other parts, making it the most ultimate gaming PC ever.

3. CyberpowerPC

Best value gaming PC under $1000: The best value PC for the money

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: Intel i5-10400F 2.9GHz
• Graphics card: GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6GB
• Cooler: 4 RGB fans
• RAM: 8 GB
• SSD: 500GB NVMe

REASONS TO BUY

• Durable material: tempered glass sides
• Cool RGB lighting system
• Strong fans
• Powerful CPU

REASONS TO AVOID

• 8GB RAM need to upgrade if you want to play more heavy games
• 500GB SSD may not enough for some people

CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC offers awesome specifications for gaming. To begin with, the 10th gen Intel Core i5 processor provides the computer abundant power to function at a high performance.

Furthermore, the GTX 1660 Super graphics card offers sharp and vivid images, enhancing your gaming experience. The 4 fans work efficiently and keep the PC at stable temperatures even after a long gaming session.

Even though you have to upgrade the RAM and SSD to play more heavy games, this gaming PC is still worthy of lying in your consideration list thanks to the benefits it brings to users.

4. HP Envy TE01

Best high-performance gaming PC under $1000

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: Intel Core i7-10700F
• Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super
• RAM: 32 GB
• Power supply: Standard 310W Gold
• SSD: 512 GB
• HDD: 1 TB

REASONS TO BUY

• Powerful CPU
• Fast RAM
• Huge storage capacity: 512GB SSD and 1TB HDD
• A wide range number of connectivity options

REASONS TO AVOID

• Low heat dissipation efficiency

Although this HP Envy TE01 is a renewed product, it was tested, inspected and cleaned by Amazon-qualified suppliers. It can still work well at the highest performance as a new one.

Powered by gen 10th Intel Core i7, the gaming PC probably boosts the speed of information processing, thereby helping you deal with the tasks more quickly.

Over and above that, the HP Envy TE01 gaming PC has much more RAM and storage than other ones at the same price. They can support you to play most AAA game titles available these days.

5. Our Recommended Custom Build Gaming PC for under $1000

Best custom gaming PC

Build 1:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Processor
• Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 AM4
• Graphics card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1650 Super SC Ultra Gaming
• CPU Cooler: Stock cooler (included)
• RAM: Astra Gear 8GB(8GBx1) 3200Mhz DDR4
• Power supply: ARESGAME Power Supply 500W 80+ Bronze
• SSD: TEAMGROUP MP33 256GB SLC Cache 3D NAND TLC NVMe
• HDD: upgrade later
• PC Case: Rosewill Micro-ATX Mini Tower Computer Case (support up to Micro-ATX form only)

Build 2:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-10400F Desktop Processor
• Motherboard: ASUS Prime H410M-E LGA1200
• Graphics card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1650 Super SC Ultra Gaming
• CPU Cooler: Wraith Stealth Cooler (included)
• RAM: Astra Gear 8GB(8GBx1) 3200Mhz DDR4
• Power supply: Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+ White Certified PSU,
• SSD: TEAMGROUP MP33 256GB SLC Cache 3D NAND TLC NVMe
• HDD: upgrade later
• PC Case: Rosewill Micro-ATX Mini Tower Computer Case (support up to Micro-ATX form only)

Note: We might have to shift the front fan of the D15 or switch to a 120mm fan to make room if we use RGB RAM sticks.

1. Is $1000 enough for a gaming PC?

In short, Yes. With $1000, you can play games at 1080p resolution at least and export videos at a maximum of 4K. Some other components such as CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage are great enough to help you play the most demanding and heavy games now.

However, keep in mind that $1000 is just for PC; you need to invest more in other accessories like monitors, keyboards, and mice.

2. Is 32 gigs of RAM overkill?

It depends on what you use the RAM for. If you just use your computer for daily activities and regular work, it does not require much RAM, 16 GB works fine.

On the other hand, if you are a gamer or have heavy tasks to deal with, you may need at least 16GB of RAM to serve your job. Especially in the gaming field, 16GB has been considered the sweet spot currently.

3. Why do games require more disk space to load compared to the initial downloads?

There are three reasons to explain why games require more disk space:

• The files you downloaded are usually a compressed package to save space and bandwidth. When you finish downloading, they will expand back to standard size.
• Most games require updates regularly after the initial download. These updates may include fixing bugs or add some new features.
• The games may optimize the resources for a better gaming experience. It is not quite popular, but it can happen in some games.