Best PC Build for Under $1,000
The Specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-AB350M-D3H Micro ATX (AM4)
- Case: Fractal Design Focus G Mini (Black) MicroATX Mini Tower
- Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified (Fully-Modular)
- Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000
- Storage: Seagate FireCuda 2TB 3.5″ 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive
- Graphics Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GAMING X
- Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Burner
This build, which has a PCPartPicker link here, is $999.09 (including applicable mail-in rebates) at the time of this writing.
Let’s briefly talk about the parts you’re looking at in this build.
The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is a much-hyped processor this year because it’s an affordable, high-end processor that has six cores. Now, not all games will utilize all of these cores (many only use four currently), but the ones that do utilize all cores will run notably faster. This also helps in situations where you want to multitask, which includes livestreaming and running demanding apps in the background.
This build doubles the storage space from the $500 build and adds a bonus feature. Not only do you get a 2TB drive, but you now get something called a “hybrid” drive. These drives, a combination of technologies from solid state and traditional hard drives, improve performance over your traditional 7,200 RPM hard drive.
16GB of memory is plenty for today’s games, and not only that but at DDR4-3000, it’s pretty fast memory, to boot. With 16GB of memory you can even do things like stream games on Twitch and use high-end video editing software. This will also help with loading times and reduce stutter in games caused by loading data.
EVGA’s high-efficiency 80+ Gold Certified power supply means your computer will use only what it needs to, which means you can end up saving on your electric bill. You can read an in-depth review of this power supply by PC Perspective here. 550 watts will be enough to power this build, as well as added storage devices.
The GeForce GTX 1060 6GB is an excellent card for the price. You can expect to max out games such as Overwatch, Dota 2, Witcher III, and DOOM 2016. The card also supports VR technologies, and with 6GB of video memory, it can even push some games to 2560×1440 (also known as “1440p”) resolution. This card has been very popular this year.
An added bonus of this build is that it’s a MicroATX case, which means it’s pretty small. 18.27″ x 8.07″ x 15.08″, to be exact. Ain’t it cute?
Check out the next page to see our choice for the best pre-built PC for under $1,000.
