In recent years, buying components and assembling a gaming PC has not been a simple undertaking: first Covid and then the semiconductor crisisall seasoned by the high demand for units by miners and indiscriminate scalping, have hit the market hard, leading to the scarce availability of products and at prices that have often bordered on the insane.
Each of us gamers can tell at least one absurd story relating to this particular period but, slowly, for a few months now the situation has been returning to normal, net of the chip war between the United States and China and the consequent tensions in that Taiwan. Thinking of putting together a good machine for gaming and, why not, for general productivity is now possible and for this reason we have decided to go back to the “Gaming PC buying guide“, well aware of the fact that compared to the last publication, prices have almost doubled for the same performance.
In the next lines we will propose you three configurations divided by price range and we will select the components based on the convenience and availability of the period. Building a gaming PC forces us to make choices that often lead to the “philosophy“: take these proposals as a starting point on which to shape your perfect machine and remember that the prices indicated may fluctuate even on a daily basis!
Entry Level – fino a 1.200 euro
To enter the world of PC gaming in a convincing way, i.e. with a PC capable of expressing all the advantages it can bring and above all capable of sustaining them for a few years, it is necessary to spend a little more on average than in a few years does.
Our first proposal aims for the goal of 1080p without compromise (except for Ray Tracing), with some pleasant forays into the 1440p field: We start with the Intel Core i5-13400F processor, accompanied by a GPU AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT with 12 GB of dedicated VRAM, now mandatory to easily run the latest titles. The motherboard ASRock B760M-HDV it is able to support all workloads and allows us to save on memories, 16 GB DDR4 at 3200 MHz in the specific case, with storage delegated to a 1 TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD. Finally, Phanteks Eclipse G360A case and 650 watt Sharkoon power supply.
With a slightly higher cost, you could focus on technology 3D V-Cache di AMD which we told you about in the review of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, a CPU that would look good on much more expensive configurations and which would open the door to different reasoning on the selection of the GPU with a price point which, however, would tend to increase by at least 200 euros on the total. The choice is yours, but be careful not to get carried away (and especially your wallet).
CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F – 226,01 euro
GPU: Asus Dual AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT OC – 482,48 euro
Motherboard: ASRock B760M-HDV – 109 euro
RAM: Corsair Vengance 16 GB DDR4 3200 MHz – 42.99 euros
Storage: WD Black SN770 1 TB – 86,98 euro
Case: Phanteks Eclipse G360A – 89,90 euro
power supply: Sharkoon SilentStorm Cool Zero 650W – 99,90 euro
Gaming PC – up to 2,200 euros
In our idea of ”guide”, this is the band to refer to if you want to have one in your hands PC da gaming completoable to support the weight of the years and which at the same time is capable of satisfying the most diverse needs, from the creative to the professional sphere: in short, a computer all-round which, in the face of an important investment, can give great satisfaction to the owner, naturally playing at 1440p in Ray Tracing and which, with the advantages of DLSS3may not disdain 4K either.
Let’s start without exaggerating with one of the best representatives of the Raptor Lake range, the processor Intel Core i5-13600K with 14 cores and 20 threads in tow (here you can find our Intel Core i5-13600K review), ready to pair with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti with 12 GB of dedicated memory: GPU prices are still very high, especially if you want to focus on the latest generation of the green house, but with a little patience and some research, you can keep costs within 900/1000 Euros.
Keeping us on the same price range, you could also opt for the 5800X3Djust like for the previous build, but it is a processor that represents the terminus of its generation, therefore in terms of longevity and upgrades, in our opinion, it does not represent the best choice for a build to be designed from scratch.
To keep costs within a certain threshold you can opt for the excellent motherboard Asus Prime Z790 flanked by 32 GB of DDR5 6000 MHz RAM. The hardware picture is completed by a 1 TB Samsung 980 Pro PCIe Gen4 memory unit, a NZXT C750 Gold power supply, all mounted in a NZXT H5 Flow case (or Elite if you have a budget greater).
In this case a liquid cooler is practically mandatory and for “complete enthusiasts” like us the choice can only fall on a NZXT Kraken X53 (the upper clearance of the case is for 240 mm radiators, but if you prefer to opt for a 280 mm type X63 you can install it on the front).
CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K – 320,50 euro
GPU: Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Trinity OC – 974.79 euros
Motherboard: Asus Prime Z790-P Wi-Fi – 328,32
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO RGB 32 GB DDR5 6000 MHz – 175,48 euro
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB – 122 euro
Case: NZXT H5 Flow – 109 euro
power supply: NZXT C750 Gold – 99, 90 euro
Heatsink: NZXT Kraken X53 – 129.99 euros
Hardcore Gaming PC – fino a 4.600 euro
This category is dedicated to dreamers or players without financial problems: in this realm there is no room for compromise and everything is selected to obtain the maximum result in terms of performance, with an eye also to design.
A PC that starts from these assumptions can only rest its foundations on the flagship product from AMD, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D complete with 3D V-Cache technology in tow, a real “monster” when it comes to gaming.
The video card to be included in this context can only be one RTX 4090 with 24 GB of dedicated memory, all mounted on the Asus ROG Strix X670E-E. Starting base 32 GB of 6400 MHz DDR5 RAM, to be expanded in the future.
Once again the storage sector is led by a Samsung 980 Pro, this time with 2 TB, while for the power supply, the case and the cooling we call upon Corsair: Corsair HX1000, Corsair iCUE 7000X RGB and Corsair iCUE H150i Elite.
It goes without saying that with this type of budget the possible combinations, especially for the aesthetic elements, become many and vary according to everyone’s preferences and needs: a build based on Intel Core i9 13-900Kfor example, would be equally performing and net of variations in terms of FPS depending on the specific characteristics of the games, it would guarantee some advantage in terms of productivity thanks to the hybrid architecture.
Once again, our proposal is only one of many possible: for example, we have indicated one RTX 4090 Strix that blends with the design of the whole in a coherent way, but to contain the figure you may want to look directly at the Founders Edition proposed on the official NVIDIA store.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D – 790,81 euro
GPU: Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 – 2.170 euro
MOBO: Asus ROG Strix X670E-E – 531,42 euro
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB DDR5 6400 MHz – 171 euro
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB – 194,90 euro
Case: Corsair iCUE 7000X RGB – 347,13 euro
PSU: Corsair HX1000 – 235,75 euro
Cooler: Corsair iCUE H150i Elite – 182,99 euro
The basic hardware of such a configuration allows you to play games in 4K, Ray Tracing and details pulled to the maximum with any game available on the market, maintaining top performance for years to come thanks also to DLSS3.