You do not need to spend $2000 to game at 1080p/1440p. Here is the best bang-for-buck build right now.
The build ($985 total):
| Component | Part | Price | |-----------|------|-------| | CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 7600 | $175 | | GPU | NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 8GB | $350 | | RAM | 32GB DDR5-5600 (2x16GB) | $85 | | Motherboard | MSI B650M Mortar WiFi | $140 | | SSD | WD Black SN770 1TB NVMe | $70 | | PSU | Corsair RM750e 750W Gold | $90 | | Case | Fractal Pop Mini Air | $75 |
Benchmarks (1080p, high settings):
- GTA 6: 55-65 FPS (DLSS Quality)
- Cyberpunk 2077: 75-90 FPS (RT off), 50-60 FPS (RT medium)
- Fortnite: 144+ FPS consistently
- Helldivers 2: 80-100 FPS
- Baldur's Gate 3: 70-90 FPS
1440p performance (medium-high settings):
- Most games: 55-75 FPS with DLSS
- Competitive games (Valorant, CS2): 200+ FPS
Why this build:
- The Ryzen 5 7600 is the best value gaming CPU on the market. Six cores is enough for gaming in 2026.
- The RTX 4060 Ti handles 1080p ultra and 1440p high in everything. DLSS 3 frame generation is a free performance boost.
- 32GB DDR5 is the new standard. Some games already use 20GB+ RAM.
- 1TB SSD fills up fast with modern game sizes. Budget for a second drive later.
Where to buy in DFW:
- Micro Center (Dallas, Hwy 75 & Arapaho) — best in-store prices, staff is knowledgeable, they price-match. This is the first stop.
- Online: PCPartPicker for price comparison across retailers.
Sources: PCPartPicker, Hardware Unboxed benchmarks, TechPowerUp reviews, Micro Center pricing
Do not forget a good monitor. A $1000 PC paired with a 60Hz 1080p panel from 2015 is a waste. ASUS VG27AQ1A (1440p 170Hz IPS) goes on sale for $200 regularly.