This is it. This is the dream gaming PC. For a $3,000 budget (USD), this PC will defeat most of the others in gaming and might even offer a better performance per price compared to more expensive ones. And the best part? This custom PC build is beautiful.
Granted, a $3,000 budget is still subject to some cost-cutting. And you’ll also have to take note of some price changes due to Amazon’s fleeing sales but even taking that into account, you could still round this one off to $3,000 (nothing excessive with the budget overshoot).
In any case, we guarantee you this $3,000 build will have no compatibility issues and it’s currently the best config on the market while retaining a bit of style. Technically, you could choose components whose aesthetics clash and get a lower price (maybe $100 less) but with a budget of $3,000, you might as well indulge a bit.
Also, keep in mind that the $3,000 budget doesn’t include the monitor, mouse, and keyboard along with other peripherals. Those should have a separate budget.
Without further ado, here it is.
RELATED: Best $2,200 Custom PC Build In 2023
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
PROS
- Best gaming performance by far
- Incredibly power-efficient
- Still good for productivity
- Uses only slightly higher power than the Ryzen 7 7700X
- AM5 platform will last long, good for upgrades
- Doesn't run too hot with cheap cooling
CONS
- Pricey
- Not ideal for work, you're gonna have to go with the 13700K if you need this PC for professional digital workloads
Specs:
- 8 Cores and 16 processing threads
- 100MB cache
- 5.0 GHz Max Boost
- AM5 platform
- 120W TDP
We could have also gone with an i7-13700K and an LGA 1700 platform but the price difference is only a couple of dozen USD and AM5 has an advantage as a platform since it’s due to at least two more CPU generations. That means this is easily upgrade-able.
And right now, you wouldn’t want to upgrade it since it’s currently the best gaming CPU on the market. One that’s consumer-grade, by the way. Surprisingly, it has a lower TDP and is power efficient, so you don’t need a cooler that’s too beefy.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4090 AERO OC
PROS
- Most powerful consumer-grade GPU right now
- Impressive ray tracing performance
- DLSS 3.0 can prolong its relevance even further
- Lots of memory
- White paint! Without the white tax!
- 4-year warranty (online registration required)
- Silent fans
- Cool performance
- Beautiful shroud and fans
- Minimal RGB
CONS
- Big and bulky
- Minimal RGB
Specs:
- 24 GB Memory
- 2535 MHz boost clock
- L=342 W=150 H=75 mm
- 384 bit memory bus
It’s the only good card of this generation from NVIDIA and the performance leap compared to the RTX 3090 Ti is just astonishing. This card will last you more than five years before you need to turn some settings down from Ultra.
Moreover, you get all the good bells and whistles from NVIDIA such as DLSS 3.0 and new and improved ray tracing cores. Did we also mention that it’s a white card? And if there’s one thing that the PC gaming community equates with luxury, it’s white-painted components.
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4090 AERO OC
NZXT N7 B650E - N7-B65XT-W1
PROS
- Beautiful heatsinks and shields
- Lots of M.2 slots
- Integration with NZXT RGB software
- WiFi included
- ATX form
- Fits most builds well
CONS
- Expensive compared to other B650 boards
Specs:
- AM5 socket, ATX form factor
- Integrated Wi-Fi 6E
- DDR5 Upto 6000MHz+, 128GB
- PCI-E 5.0 interface
- 3 x M2 Sockets
One of the reasons why we had to go a few dozen USD higher than $3,000 was that we couldn’t resist this motherboard. It’s NZXT’s finest design and compared to other motherboards, it’s a lot more minimalistic and clean.
Technically, you could go for a cheaper white Asus board or a black board with silver heat spreaders to strictly remain at $3,000 precisely on the decimal dot. But again, you’re spending $3,000 already; go treat yourself. Just round the budget off; it will still be $3,000.
NZXT N7 B650E - N7-B65XT-W1
DeepCool LT520
PROS
- Pretty CPU block
- Impressive cooling performance for its size
- AM5-ready
- 280 TDP heat dissipation
- Aura sync ARGB
- Wide range of compatibility
- Cheap price
- Compact
CONS
- A bit loud
Specs:
- 11.1 x 4.72 x 1.06 inches
- 33 dB noise level
- 280w TDP heat dissipation
- 2x 120mm DeepCool FK120
- Infinity mirror CPU block
Our CPU is thankfully not too power-hungry so we can get away with just a dual-fan radiator. Except this isn’t just any cooler, it’s a DeepCool LT520, a strong contender against the Arctic Liquid Freezer II which honestly needs a design update.
And since it’s from DeepCool, you can bet that it won’t cost too much. That infinity mirror CPU block is just an added bonus and you have to admit, it completes the look.
DeepCool LT520
G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB Series (Intel XMP) 32GB (2 x 16GB)
PROS
- Customizable RGB
- 6000 MHz is enough for a noticeable performance boost comapred to lower speeds
- Dual-channel
- 32 GB
- Reasonably-priced
CONS
- Aura Sync integration is a pain
- 6000 MHz can be unstable without a bios update
Specs:
- DDR5
- 6000 MHz
- CL36-36-36-96 latency
- 1.35V
- Customizable RGB
This RAM’s primary color scheme is silver with a big of white and a slather of black but thankfully, you won’t be seeing much of the clashing colors since the RGB will be more dominant here and it’s also addressable.
It’s an affordable pair of high-speed RAM, what’s not to like? There are Corsair alternatives, but they’re around 40 to 50 percent more expensive and offer the same performance.
G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB Series (Intel XMP) 32GB (2 x 16GB)
Crucial P3 Plus 1TB PCIe Gen4
PROS
- Gen4
- Cheap price
- 5000MB/s speed
- Durable
CONS
- No heat spreader (which doesn't matter much)
Specs:
- NVMe (PCIe Gen4 x4)
- 5000MB/s sequential reads
- Rated at 1.5 million hours
- Backward compatibility with Gen3
It’s not the best or most stylish NVMe SSD for a $3,000 machine but we had to cost-cut somewhere and this is harmless stinginess. Besides, our motherboard comes with M.2 heat spreaders anyway so you won’t be seeing this one in its bareness.
You could also go for a Gen5 NVMe SSd but at the moment, they’re so expensive and you likely won’t notice that boost in loading speed if you’re just gaming or performing regular tasks. You can always upgrade later, anyway.
Crucial P3 Plus 1TB PCIe Gen4
Corsair RMX Series (2021), RM1000x
PROS
- Industrial-grade capacitors
- Gold-rated for great efficiency
- Fully modular for easy builds
- 135mm fan
CONS
- Large
- Some batches lack cables for the RTX 4090, you might need to purchase more from Corsair
Specs:
- Fully modular
- 1000-watts
- Gold-rated
- Industrial-grade capacitors
- 135mm ML fan
Our RTX 4090 requires 1000-watts of clean and efficient power, meaning we can’t cut costs too much with the PSU. Hence, here’s one of the best and finest from Corsair, the RM1000x.
You can rest assured that nothing bad will happen to your build while running its monstrous RTX 4090, otherwise Corsair will have hell to pay. But don’t worry, they have a good track record for PSUs.
Corsair RMX Series (2021), RM1000x
Lian-Li O11 Dynamic Mini ATX Mini-Tower Case, Snow White
PROS
- I/O slots are adjustable depending on motherboard size
- Lots of glass for showing off
- Clean layout, PSU at the back
- Mini-tower form
- No shortage of fan slots
- Lots of space for giant GPUs
- Side-mounted GPU-ready
- Good dust filters
CONS
- No included fans
- Tricky building into
Features:
- Max Graphics Card Length (mm): 395mm
- ATX, mini tower form factor
- 24.15 lbs
- 420mm x 269.5mm x 380mm
- Nine fan slots (120mm)
And last but not least, the facade of our $3,000 custom PC build. All those expensive components will have gone to waste if you don’t show them off, so here’s an aquarium case, a.k.a. the O11 Dynamic.
It’s one of the most popular cases for enthusiast builds and this particular style is called Snow White. At this point, all that’s left is to revel in that radiance. Just uh, just ignore the electricity bill.
