Can You Build a $1,000 Gaming PC in 2026? The Real Price, Part by Part
We took Tom's Hardware's "~$900" gaming PC, added the RAM it leaves out of its total, and priced every part at November 3, 2026. It comes to $1,223. Below: where the money goes, which graphics card gives the most for it, and what actually gets you near $1,000.
"$900" build, real total
$1,223
16 GB DDR5-6000
$249
Cheapest complete build
$1,123
RTX 5060 vs launch price
+50%
How much does a gaming PC cost in 2026? Price your build
CPU, motherboard and cooler are Tom's Hardware's picks for its ~$900 build. Swap the rest; every price is the lowest US price on the date shown in the sources.
- Radeon RX 7600 8GB $389
- 16 GB DDR5-6000 $249
- 512 GB SSD $82
- Case + 650 W PSU $120
- Core Ultra 5 250K Plus $219
- B860 motherboard $139
- CPU cooler $25
Total, every part included$1,223
Over budget
This build is $223 over $1,000.
Total $1,223 for every part, RAM included. Radeon RX 7600 8GB: 69.9 fps average at 1080p ultra in Tom's Hardware's GPU hierarchy. Tom's Hardware's pick for this build; $339 when it published the list on Oct 14.
Why a "$900" gaming PC costs $1,223
Tom's Hardware updated its budget build on Oct 14, 2026 and listed it at $924. That total leaves out the RAM: "we are not factoring in RAM prices as you can get incredible combo deals from Newegg". Those deals come and go, so we priced the memory at the tracker price, and the graphics card at its Nov 3 price.
| Part | Model | Oct 14 list | Nov 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus | $219 | – |
| Motherboard | ASRock B860 Rock WiFi 7 | $139 | – |
| Graphics card | AMD Radeon RX 7600 8GB | $339 | $389 |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR5-6000 (2 × 8 GB) | $258, not in total | $249 |
| SSD | Patriot P300 512 GB | $82 | – |
| Case | DIYPC ARGB-N5-BK | $60 | – |
| Power supply | MSI MAG A650BN 650 W | $60 | – |
| CPU cooler | Jonsbo CR1400 EVO | $25 | – |
| Total | All parts | $924 without RAM | $1,223 |
No operating system or peripherals are included; Tom's Hardware leaves those out too. The same exercise on its ~$1,200 build (Ryzen 7 7600X3D, RTX 5060 Ti 8GB) gives $1,452 with the $200 RAM kit it lists.
Which graphics card gives the most for the money?
The graphics card is the part you choose freely. Here is each option's Nov 3 price against its 1080p ultra average in Tom's Hardware's GPU hierarchy, and what the whole PC costs with it. Sort by any column.
| Graphics card | Price | 1080p ultra fps | $ per fps | PC total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Arc B570 10GB | $289 | 63.5 | $4.55 | $1,123 |
| Intel Arc B580 12GB | $329 | 71.5 | $4.60 | $1,163 |
| Radeon RX 7600 8GB | $389 | 69.9 | $5.57 | $1,223 |
| GeForce RTX 5050 8GB | $399 | 69.3 | $5.76 | $1,233 |
| GeForce RTX 5060 8GB | $449 | 88.5 | $5.07 | $1,283 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB | $459 | 93.2 | $4.92 | $1,293 |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB | $499 | 100.4 | $4.97 | $1,333 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB | $659 | 98.3 | $6.70 | $1,493 |
How to get a gaming PC closer to $1,000
- Reuse what still works. A case and a decent power supply from an older PC save $120 in our calculator. Check that the PSU has the cables your graphics card needs and is at least 550 W; our PSU calculator gives the number for your parts.
- Stay at 16 GB of RAM. 16 GB meets the recommended spec of 23 of 29 recent games (our 16 GB guide); 32 GB adds $210 at today's prices.
- Pick the graphics card by price per frame, not by brand. The Arc B580 instead of the RX 7600 saves $60 and is slightly faster at 1080p.
- Price a prebuilt too. Tom's Hardware now calls buying a prebuilt "a now often-cheaper route". Compare like for like: same graphics card, same RAM.
- Or wait. Memory makers do not expect relief soon; our price timeline collects what they have said.
FAQ
Can you build a gaming PC for $1,000 in 2026?
Not with all new parts at November 2026 prices. Tom's Hardware's budget build costs $1,223 with 16 GB of RAM at the Nov 3 tracker prices, and the cheapest graphics card swap (Arc B570) still leaves it at $1,123. You get close to $1,000 only by reusing a case, power supply or SSD.
How much does a budget gaming PC cost in 2026?
About $1,120 to $1,230 for a new 1080p gaming PC with 16 GB of DDR5, based on Tom's Hardware's ~$900 parts list and the Nov 3, 2026 price trackers. RAM alone is $249 of that.
Why are gaming PCs so expensive in 2026?
Memory. AI data centers are absorbing much of the world’s DRAM supply, so a 16 GB DDR5-6000 kit cost $249 on Nov 3, 2026, and graphics cards rose with it: an RTX 5060 cost $449 against a $299 launch price.
What is the best graphics card for a $1,000 PC?
At Nov 3, 2026 prices, the Intel Arc B580 ($329, 71.5 fps at 1080p ultra) and the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB ($459, 93.2 fps) give the most frames per dollar. The RTX 5060 ($449) is the choice if you want DLSS.
Is it cheaper to buy a prebuilt gaming PC in 2026?
Sometimes. Tom's Hardware now calls buying a prebuilt "a now often-cheaper route". Compare a prebuilt's price with the total from our calculator for the same graphics card and RAM before you decide.
How we researched this
Parts and their Oct 14 prices come from Tom's Hardware's build guide; graphics card and RAM prices from its trackers on Nov 3; frame rates from its GPU hierarchy. Totals and price-per-frame are our arithmetic. We did not build this PC.
First version. Prices change daily; we recheck them when we update the page.
Where the figures come from
- Best PC builds for gaming 2026, Tom's Hardware: ~$900 and ~$1,200 parts lists.
- GPU price tracking 2026, Tom's Hardware: lowest US price per card.
- RAM price tracking 2026, Tom's Hardware.
- GPU Benchmarks Hierarchy 2026, Tom's Hardware: 1080p ultra rasterization averages.