Best $2000 Custom PC Build in 2023

Specs:

• 14 cores (6 P-cores + 8 E-cores) and 20 threads
• Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 770 included
• Up to 5.1 GHz unlocked boost speed
• 125W TDP

Intel is back in it again with the trophy as it takes the lead once more in the mid-range CPU segment. Its best contender for the i5 tier, the Core i5-13600K puts the competition to shame and even defeats the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X which was supposed to compete with the Core i7.

It’s hard not to recommend this one especially if you want a good balance of gaming and productivity performance. It’s considerably better than Intel’s previous 12th Gen i7 offering so there’s no reason to go for that one instead of the 13600K.

And if you find yourself looking for more performance to match higher CPU tiers, then you can overclock the 13600K with ease.

Specs:

• Boost Clock: Up to 2400 MHz
• Video Memory: 20GB GDDR6
• PSU requirement: 750 watts minimum
• Dimensions: 11.42 x 5.04 x 2.02 inches

Nvidia’s RTX 4000 series has so far disappointed many customers either in performance or price, or both. As such, AMD Radeon takes the win here. The RX 7000 series cards might not offer performance to match Nvidia’s plug burners, but they do have more reasonable pricing and better efficiency.

Sadly, the RX 7900 XTX models have inflated price tags even at this moment and it’s a little out-of-budget. So, we’ll have to make do with the PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT which is a bit weaker. By no means does that imply that the card is inadequate; it’s still more than capable of running the latest games at 4K and 60+ FPS.

Specs:

• Intel LGA 1700 socket
• DDR5 compatible
• 4 RAM slots
• ATX form factor
• 3 M.2 slots

For the motherboard, you might as well go for a DDR5-ready board since the difference is quite substantial compared to DDR4. DDR5-ready motherboards are still a bit expensive but they’re worth it since they usually pack in the best features and tech.

This particular Asus motherboard is well-known for its good overclock potential if you’re planning to push the 13600K past its boost thresholds. But you probably don’t need to do that since the performance boost from the DDR5 components alone is a game-changer.

Specs:

• Heat dissipation power of 260W
• Dimensions:129x138x160mm, 43mm RAM height clearance
• Compatible with LGA 1700 (ask for a bracket)
• Two Fans

Some of you might prefer to liquid cool your i5-13600K instead, but our choice of the PC case (more on that later) makes the DeepCool AK620 a more ideal option. It remains one of the best air coolers on the market right now, capable of matching the cooling performance of more expensive brands like Noctua.

It’s also astonishingly silent despite having two high-power fans pushing the heat out. Besides, you’re not rocking an i7 so the DeepCool AK620 shouldn’t have trouble cooling the 13600K.

Specs:

• DDR5
• 5200 MHz
• CL40 latency
• 32GB (dual channel)

With this kind of RAM, Google Chrome will no longer expectedly crash or slow down even after you open 20 tabs in five seconds. That’s how convenient it is to have DDR5 RAM, and for a budget of $2000, you get the privilege of this new generation of memory modules.

For gaming and productivity, the benefits are stellar and are more readily apparent compared to DDR4. In most cases, it can even increase framerate due to the better multitasking allowance and lower CPU latency.

Specs:

• Fast NVMe performance for daily computing needs — up to 3,200MB/s
• SSDs offer shock resistance against accidental bumps and drops
• Western Digital 3-year limited warranty
• 1 TB

Storage is thankfully a component of custom PC building that you can cheap out on, especially if it’s an SSD. You don’t really need blazing-fast speeds here if all you’ll be doing is gaming or the usual digital media application.

Thus, the Western Digital WD Green ought to suffice. The green hue is a bit difficult to fit into monochromatic PC builds if you are too much about aesthetics, but thankfully, our motherboard in this build has a heatsink cover.

Specs:

• Fully modular
• 850W
• 80 PLUS Gold Efficiency
• Semi-Fanless with Hybrid Switch
• 135mm Fluid Dynamic Fan

AMD recommends a PSU that can draw 750 watts from the wall when it comes to its two RX 7900 cards and that’s for the reference model. For the OEM partner models, you might need something beefier since most of them come overclocked with more powerful fans.

It stands within reason that an 850-watt PSU should be enough. The Cooler Master V850 Gold V2 is certainly one of the more competitive options in its weight class. It will provide enough power for both the RX 7900 XT and the Core i5-13600K even if the latter is overclocked.

Specs:

• Dimensions: ‎‎17.72 x 8.74 x 18.39 inches
• ATX, mid-sized
• Front mesh and filter
• 5-6 fan slots
• PSU Shroud at the top

Finally, we arrive at the case, which is the most defining component when it comes to aesthetics. Of course, due to the budget bracket, we’re not sacrificing cooling for aesthetics. With the Fractal Design Torrent, you get the best of both worlds, be it performance or cooling.

It’s by far the best case out there when it comes to default ventilation and air cooling. Much of this status in the hierarchy is attributed to the fact that the Torrent comes with two monstrous 180mm fans in the filtered mesh intake.

Coupled with the DeepCool AK620, this case will provide all the air ventilation your desktop PC could ever have while also looking cool (no pun intended).