Best Gaming PC Under 1000 USD – The Ultimate PC Build Guide

A $1000 can get you a fantastic PC, especially if you have the will and patience to build it yourself.

We say “will and patience” because picking and acquiring all of the components is almost guaranteed to be a nightmare these days unless you’re willing to indulge the scalpers. This is why we did our best to do the work for you and put together a solid $1000 PC that you could buy today if you wanted to!

We’ve spent dozens of hours picking the best parts for this $1000 PC build and we’ll continue to do so in order to keep it up to date with the constantly evolving PC market.

And the best part?

You don’t have to spend your own time researching and possibly learning difficult technical lingo. We’ve done all of that for you in this build guide. Let us dive right into the best and most cost-effective $1000 PC build in 2022!

The Best $1000 Gaming PC Build For 2023

Updated: August 11, 2023

Click on the product images to view the product on Amazon, where you can see more images in high resolution and check the current price.

PC Overview

What exactly does a $1000 PC entail?

While this much cash may not afford you the ultimate gaming PC rig, it’s no spare change either. So we’ve made sure that this system is ready for anything.

Playing games is a given. But not every PC allows you to play games the way they were meant to be played, so we’d like to be more specific.

This build will let you play any game you want in 1440p at the widely-coveted 60 FPS or more.

So you can just select the ‘ultra-high’ quality preset in any game without giving the individual options a second glance. It also goes without saying that gaming in 4K is an option, but more on that later.

What makes this PC even better and sets it apart from most sub-$1000 PCs is that it’s also Streaming and VR ready.

These are both very resource-intensive tasks, so you’ll have to scale down the graphics a bit, especially for VR, but it’s an excellent entry point for you to try out both of these and see what all the fuss is about and whether they’re worth your future investments.

We also made sure to keep upgradeability in mind when picking out the parts, but we’ll talk more about that as we walk you through each of the components and discuss what exactly it is that they bring to the table.

The PC Build

So let’s take a look at each of the components that we’ve handpicked for this $1000 build and see what makes them the best.

We’ll also present you with some alternatives so that you can customize the PC more to your needs.

Considering that gaming PCs are GPU-oriented, meaning that the graphics card is the pivotal component and all of the other pieces are chosen to complement it, the CPU in this build has to be powerful enough to keep up with the likes of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070.

There are several CPUs that fit this description, but the most optimal choices for a $1000 build are either the Intel Core i5-10400F or the AMD Ryzen 5 3600. We went with Team Blue simply because its current price is a better fit for the budget, but if you chance upon a discounted R5 3600, or prefer to go with AMD due to brand loyalty, don’t hold back.

Related:CPU Hierarchy 2023 – CPU Tier List For Processors

Looking at the spec sheet, this CPU is phenomenal, with no fewer than 6 physical and 12 logical cores and incredible clock speeds.

At stock settings, this CPU will net you a base clock speed of 2.9GHz, with a maximum boost clock of 4.3GHz which is fantastic both for gaming and work.

It is unfortunate, though, that the i5-10400F can’t be overclocked, so if this is something that you’re thinking about doing, then AMD might be the better option for you. Otherwise, while the specs differ slightly, Intel and AMD are roughly on the same level as far as in-game performance is concerned.

All in all, the Intel Core i5-10400F is an amazing CPU that you certainly won’t regret buying, and one that is capable of seeing your PC through several iterations.

Related:The Best CPUs For Gaming (2023 Reviews)

Intel’s stock coolers aren’t the most amazing CPU coolers on the market, but they’re efficient, and they’re free. 

Considering that you’ll be running the Intel Core i5-10400F at stock settings, the Intel Stock Cooler should be quite enough for you.

Now, we say “should” for several reasons:

1. You might want something a little quieter.
2. You might opt for a different case than the one we suggest further down in this article (hence potentially stifling the airflow).
3. You might dislike the aesthetics of the cooler in question.

All of these are valid reasons to get an aftermarket cooler, but they are subjective, or user-specific. Stock coolers are meant to be able to handle the CPUs they’re bundled with at stock settings, and many people stick to them indefinitely without any issues.

On the other hand, if you want to get something better, quieter, sturdier, or more stylish there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t do so. After all, a solid aftermarket CPU cooler shouldn’t set you back by more than $30-40, and best of all is that you can get it whenever you want. 

Related:The Best CPU Coolers (2023 Reviews)

Now here’s where things get spicy.

To take care of the graphics we have none other than the EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 XC3 BLACK!

It’s amazing how far the PC hardware has come, and how much we can get today for $1000 compared to only a year ago. 

A PC containing the i5-10400F and the RTX 3070 is something to admire. If you were to try and cut corners on all the other components you might even be able to sneak in an RTX 3080 (in a parallel world where GPU prices are back to normal), but we chose not to do that simply because we wanted to offer you more than just the bare minimum.

Related:The Best Graphics Cards For Gaming (2023 Reviews)

Now that we’ve introduced the two most important components of this gaming PC, let’s look into the specifics and see what exactly this CPU/GPU combo can do.

Like we said in the introduction, this PC has complete mastery over 1440p gaming. You can get 60FPS or more in any GPU-intensive modern game at high to ultra settings.

Just to put it into perspective, this PC can run games like Control and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at a stable 70 FPS. And get this… it can run Crysis Remastered at ultra settings with the FPS hovering around 50. Not too shabby.

But this isn’t the best this rig can do.

The abovementioned titles are some of the most notoriously unoptimized ones out there, so that means that most other games will run just as well or better. We’re talking RTX 2080 Ti-level performance after all.

At 1440p, Cyberpunk 2077 will run perfectly at 55FPS on average, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla at 70FPS, Watch Dogs Legion at 85FPS, and Fortnite at 180FPS to name just a few.

Having said this it should be obvious that this PC can even run games in 4K, but if you choose that route be prepared to make some adjustments in the graphics department.

But fantastic in-game performance is not everything this card excels at.

We chose the EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 XC3 BLACK in particular due to its focus on temperature and noise control, and of course, due to its price tag.

Speaking of the price, you should know that the current market situation is not the best and the prices will fluctuate wildly, but with a little luck and patience, we’re sure you’ll be able to get your hands on this beast of a card.

And in case you want more options, the ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC or the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 OC are also excellent choices. If you want to know more about them check out the link below where we go a bit more in-depth about some of the best RTX 3070 GPUs on the market.

Related:The Best RTX 3070 Graphics Cards (2023 Reviews)

The question of RAM is a tricky one when it comes to gaming PCs. We’ve pretty much covered it all in this article, but here’s the gist:

8 GB is the bottom line for gaming right now. It’s not as if current games demand more, but background processes are becoming more demanding by the day.

Google Chrome alone is known to eat up several GBs of RAM when you’ve got multiple tabs open. And even if you meticulously close all unnecessary background processes when gaming, you may still need to have Steam running, or Discord, which can still cause unnecessary hiccups. This is why we’ve decided to equip this PC with 16 GB of the Team T-FORCE Vulcan Z RAM.

Our advice is always to go dual-channel. In this case, that means getting two 8 GB RAM sticks to pair up because (besides the bandwidth boost) if one of them dies, you still have the other to rely on until the problem is taken care of.

Although, if you’re looking to cut some corners, you can get a single 8GB stick now and then purchase the second one whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Just make sure you don’t overdo it!

There’s absolutely no need to equip your gaming rig with more than 16 GB of RAM. 32 GB is not future-proof (unless you’re simultaneously using your PC as both a gaming rig and workstation); it’s much more likely that DDR4 memory will become obsolete before you’ll need that many gigabytes for gaming.

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The MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS is one of the best mid-tier motherboards that feels like a high-end component.

The MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS is a feature-packed motherboard that won’t leave you wanting regardless of what kind of a user you are. You’ll be greeted with plenty of USB ports, user-friendly BIOS, a stylish all-black design with some neat RGB touches, M.2 Shield Frozr, a beefy, extended heatsink, integrated I/O, PCIe Steel Armor, and a ton of other useful titbits.

The motherboard also has excellent VRMs, which are, granted, wasted on the locked Intel Core i5-10400F. However, good VRMs are never a bad thing, and it just means that, if you ever upgrade to an unlocked CPU, you’ll be able to overclock it easily, without having to replace the motherboard.

The one thing this motherboard lacks is Wi-Fi, but this shouldn’t be an issue since Wi-Fi cards are normally easily accessible at relatively low prices.

The MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS is a fantastic motherboard, but if what you’re looking to save money on the board and get something simple, without any bells and whistles, you’re free to check out the link below for more options.

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Now when it comes to storage, you basically have three options:

1. Buy a lower capacity SSD for your Operating System and the most important games and a larger HDD for everything else.
2. Go all-in on SSD.
3. Prioritize volume over speed and go with an HDD.

Honestly, it’s not like we can say that one of the options is better or worse than the other two. Here, more than anywhere else, you’ll have to make a choice depending on what kind of user you are.

Related:SSD vs HDD – Which One Is Best For Gaming

The first option will leave you with a fair amount of storage, while still offering insane speeds for your most important games and programs. The second would be a more balanced approach with lightning speeds across the board, but less storage. The third would offer you double the storage for the same price as an SSD, but it would make your PC much slower.

We chose option No2 and went with the Western Digital Blue SN550 NVMe SSD with 500GB of storage for two reasons:

1. Choosing option No1 and staying within the budget is only possible if you already own some kind of storage from a previous build.
2. An SSD is one of the very few things that will give you that ultimate feeling of superiority when using your PC without bleeding your wallet dry.

This NVMe SSD may offer only 500GB of storage, but it’s so fast you won’t have the time to complain about it.

Still, you will probably need a dumping ground for family pictures, videos, loads of movies you’ll never watch, and the games you’ll keep installed despite never playing them (we’re not judging, happens to all of us).

For this, we suggest going with the Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB HDD. If you were shaking your head disapprovingly at the thought of only having 500 GB to play around with, then this is the option for you, and it’s cheaper to boot!

On the other hand, you may also choose to go with a regular 2.5 SSD with a bit more volume in which case you’ll want to go with something like the Western Digital Blue 1TB SSD, or the Samsung 860 Evo 1TB SSD.

These may not be the most affordable options and choosing this path will definitely make you exceed your budget, but they’re a reasonable price for the amount of storage and speed you’re getting. And if you’re already going to be storing some valuable personal information on them, you’ll want some assurance that they won’t die on you randomly, and this is precisely what both of these brands offer.

Ultimately, you can’t go wrong with any of these, so feel free to choose whatever you think will be the best option for you.

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It’s very easy to undervalue the power supply when building a PC, especially if you’re new to this.

When dealing with the PSU, what you have to be wary of are low-quality products by shady manufacturers.

Order a GTX 1060 with 5GB of VRAM from China off of Aliexpress (they do exist), and the worst-case scenario is your GPU dies on you after a week. Sure, it could cause some collateral damage on its way out, but that pales in comparison to what a poor PSU could do to your computer.

It could literally fry the other components.

That’s why it’s highly advisable to pick a PSU from a reputable brand.

In addition to being made by Thermaltake, a trustworthy manufacturer, this PSU has other things going for it:

• It’s 80+ certified
• It has a 5-year warranty
• It houses a 120mm Ultra Quiet Fan

Unfortunately, it’s non-modular, but the case we’ve chosen for this build has enough room for cable management, so you won’t have to worry about them looking messy.

It’s nothing flashy, but all in all, it’s a decent PSU with a reassuringly long warranty period.

Related:How To Choose A Power Supply

Not to take anything away from what we’ve just said about PSUs, but the case is by far the king of undervalued components.

Many beginner PC assemblers don’t even take it into consideration at first. And even if they do, it’s the item they’re probably most likely to skimp on if they’re on a budget.

We can certainly understand why this instinct is there, but it’s something to overcome.

Related:How To Choose A PC Case

A good computer case is built to offer the most optimal airflow that will facilitate cooling. Good airflow will go a long way in prolonging your PC’s life-span, which is precisely why we chose the Phanteks Eclipse P400A for this $1000 build.

Phanteks is known for making decent cases, but the Eclipse P400A stands out even when compared to more expensive options. This isn’t a premium case, in fact, it’s among the cheaper ones, and yet its performance is comparable to some of those in the $100 price range. The design isn’t, but more on that later.

As we said, a big part of why we’ve chosen this case is the airflow.

You must keep in mind that the most important components of this build – the CPU and the GPU are also the most powerful. More power = more heat. And while both the CPU and the GPU have their own coolers, placing them in a well-ventilated case will make sure you get the best possible performance out of them.

The P400A comes with two pre-installed fans with room for four more if you wish to further improve the cooling. Granted, this isn’t ideal. Three would be great, four would probably be best. More than that would likely contribute more to the aesthetics than performance. But that isn’t to say that two is bad. There are plenty of more expensive cases that come with only one fan or none at all.

Two fans are enough to keep your rig afloat, but getting one or two more as your wallet allows you wouldn’t be a bad idea, and this goes for any case out there.

As regards the aesthetics, there really isn’t much to speak of. For those who prefer flashy and powerful-looking cases, this probably won’t look like much. It’s a box, and that’s exactly what it looks like. But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

You can look at it as a blank slate. It’s simple, and it looks clean, but if you decide to add RGB fans, or LED strips inside the case it can turn into anything you want. It even has a tempered glass side panel, so you can choose to display your components instead of the chassis itself. The possibilities are endless.

There is one slight drawback that we’d like to mention though, and that’s that you can’t top mount an AIO. For most of you, this won’t mean much, but it’s something to consider if you plan on water-cooling your system.

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Peripherals

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the prices of all the components we’ve listed already, what you may have noticed by now is that this guide works under the presupposition that you already own a computer from which this gaming rig would inherit all the necessary peripherals. The $1000 all go into the computer case and its contents.

Hopefully, this is the case, because if not, then all that the $1000 would land you is a metal container jam-packed with impressive pieces of hardware. But even if this isn’t the case, certain peripherals like the monitor from your old PC would most likely not fit into this new rig very well.

With that in mind, we’d still like to dedicate a section of this article to all the best-suited peripherals to draw out the full potential of your new gaming PC.

As for the OS, you’ll be running this machine on; we can’t in good conscience recommend anything but Windows for gaming. 

Linux may have its perks, but for every one of them, there’s also a downside. Some of them we could overlook, but not the fact that Linux simply isn’t compatible with every game that Windows is.

What’s more, it’s also not as well optimized for gaming as Windows. This means that the exact same game on this same hardware will play differently on the two operating systems, with Windows clearly in the lead.

With a $1000 gaming PC, you should strive only for the best, but Linux does have the benefit of being free. If you do, in the end, opt for a Linux OS, the two we’d recommend you try for the best gaming experience are Steam OS and Game Drift Linux.

Related:What Is The Best OS For Gaming?

The monitor is, by far the, most important peripheral. However, it’s easy to overlook just how instrumental it is in bringing your gaming rig to life if you differentiate them only by size and manufacturer.

The best way to see which monitor is the right for you is by reflecting on what your graphics card is capable of and what you’ll be using it for. Since this build is written with the premise that you will be using it for gaming, we won’t bother with the other stuff.

Essentially, for gaming, you have to worry about the resolution you’ll be running your games at, how powerful your GPU is, or rather, how much FPS it can squeeze out of those games, and what type of games you’re predominantly interested in (first-person-shooters, RPGs, strategies, etc.).

When it comes to the resolution what people notice first is the image quality, and that’s essentially it. The more pixels cramped on a display, the clearer and smoother the image. Another thing to consider with higher resolution monitors is that they often come with a higher refresh rate as well.

The second is the refresh rate which boils down to this: if you have a monitor with a 60Hz refresh rate no game you play will ever run at more than 60FPS, or rather, you won’t be able to see it since your monitor will only be capable of showing you 60FPS.

Related:144Hz vs 240Hz – Which Should I Choose?

This second point is not as vital if you’re not a serious competitive player, or you don’t play a lot of first-person shooters since 60FPS is considered the gold standard. While there is a noticeable difference between 60Hz and 144Hz, for most people this won’t be enough of a difference to justify the jump in the price, but it will be a significant step up in the overall feel of gaming.

The difference between 144Hz and 240Hz is virtually undetectable.

And the last factor is the response time which is how fast a monitor can change the color of a pixel. The faster the response time, the smoother the transition, and the faster the image update. 

Once again, this is important if you’re playing a lot of competitive multiplayers, but a casual gamer won’t notice much of a difference between 4ms and 2ms.

The reason we explained all of this is because we want to stress the importance of picking the right monitor for those who are unaware of it since it can make or break your gaming experience.

With that said, we present to you the Gigabyte G27Q. This is a 27-inch monitor with an IPS panel, a 144Hz refresh rate, and a 1ms response time. It has an absolutely amazing display with the most vibrant colors thanks to the panel type.

This is also a monitor with a 1440p resolution. Now, this means that it’s more expensive than 1080p, that’s for sure, but it also means that it will allow you to raise your immersion to a whole new level by letting you game in 1440p.

Overall, it doesn’t get any better than this if you want a 144Hz, 1440p IPS monitor. However, we understand that a $300 monitor for a $1000 build may be a little too much for some of you, so let us give you some alternatives.

Since 1080p is much cheaper you can always get a 1080p monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time. Something like the MSI OPTIX G241, for example. This is if you want to save money, or you simply don’t think 1440p is worth the price.

On the other hand, if you’re fine with burning a hole in your wallet even after spending the initial 1000$ then, by all means, knock yourself out with 4K. After all, it’s the future of gaming, and it’s the most future-proof, and most spectacular-looking option out of all of these.

But among these three options, we still believe the 1440p is the best one at the moment. It’s the golden middle. You’ll get a stunning display that can do justice to the GPU in this build, and, since monitors aren’t something you upgrade very often, it will last you for a very long time.

In the end, this is only our recommendation. If you pair it with the build above you won’t regret it. However, there are a bunch of options out there, so if you would like to view some more recommendations then click on the link below.

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We have a real treat for fans of lightweight mice out there, the Razer Viper Mini!

True, this is a “mini” mouse, being 118.3mm or 4.66” long, but the difference between it and the regular Viper is not as significant as you’d think.

Moreover, this mouse weighs only 61g which makes it perfect for those of you who like first-person-shooters where your hand constantly has to dart across the mouse pad. It’s also equipped with an 8500 DPI optical sensor, 6 programmable buttons, and the ever-comfortable, Razer trademark design perfect for everyone whether they are right or left-handed.   

Seeing as this is a gaming mouse, Razer included light beam actuation which registers your clicks “at the speed of light”.

Speaking of light, no gaming mouse these days can go without RGB. Besides the RGB Razer logo, the bottom of the mouse also lights up which looks amazing on an all-black mouse pad giving it a kind of an RGB halo effect.

Overall, it’s a great choice for anyone who doesn’t like dragging around a brick while gaming. Keep in mind, though, if you have exceptionally large hands, you might want to take a look at the original Viper, or perhaps some third option.

Related:What To Look For In A Gaming Mouse

If you’re a fan of minimalistic designs, we have just the keyboard for you. The HyperX Alloy FPS Pro is an ultra-minimalistic, tenkeyless keyboard. It doesn’t have any programmable keys, but its clean look and build-quality more than make up for that.

The Alloy FPS Pro is a portable keyboard with quite a sturdy, detachable USB cable, and it comes with a neat pouch if you ever need to move it around. Best of all, it’s equipped with anti-ghosting and N key rollover functions.

This keyboard is also perfect for red and black setups. It has a red and black braided USB cable, Cherry MX red switches, and a red LED backlight. What it doesn’t have, however, is RGB.

This is quite a surprise for a keyboard at this price range nowadays since even some cheaper keyboards have it.

RGB is, of course, not the most important thing to have, and a lot of people keep the color on red anyway, even when they have multiple colors to choose from simply because it’s the easiest on the eyes. In fact, the sheer quality of this keyboard – the metal base, the Cherry MX switches, the sturdy build without any give or bending is reason enough to give it a chance. This keyboard feels and acts premium.

If, however, you are bothered by the lack of RGB, there’s always the full-sized model that has it, but be ready to part with a few additional tens.

RGB aside, for the price, there aren’t many keyboards out there that can compare to the HyperX Alloy FPS Pro in terms of quality and performance, but if you’d still like to check out your options, we suggest clicking on the link below where we’ve assembled a list of the best gaming keyboards for this year.

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For most of us, headsets and headphones are a way to go to truly immerse ourselves in diverse gaming worlds. Speakers are great and all, but unless you have a truly dedicated and isolated gaming den, they can be an inconvenience to your family. What’s more, they won’t do much to sever the connection with the real world.

The Razer BlackShark V2 X is a fairly affordable headset that doesn’t skimp on its features and build quality. It’s durable, it’s comfortable, and it sounds great.

The design is somewhat reminiscent of aviation headsets, but it’s surprisingly light. Even during extended gaming sessions, there shouldn’t be any stress on your ears and head, especially since the ear cups and headband both have memory foam cushions infused with cooling gel making the whole experience even more enjoyable.

To top it off, the headset has Triforce Titanium 50mm high-end drivers and allows individual tuning of highs, mids, and lows. For those who were wondering, yes, it has 7.1 surround sound, but you have to enable it via the software, and it works only with Windows 10 64-bit. Other than that, both the audio and the microphone have sound isolation which really helps with the overall immersion.

Finally, this headset is excellent for gaming because of its compatibility, which extends to the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and mobile devices, as well as PCs making it ideal if you’re a cross-platform gamer.

Overall, if you’re looking for a great headset, but you aren’t ready to give $100+, this is an excellent choice.

Related:Headphones vs Headset – Which Should I Choose For Gaming?

When it comes to mouse pads, you needn’t bang your head against the wall and spend hours researching which one is the best because, in the end, it all mostly comes down to personal preference.

We say “mostly” because there still are a few things to look out for: if it rolls up or deforms over time, how large it is, and what material it’s made of (although this one largely depends on what kind of games you’re playing and your personal preference).

The Ktrio Extended Gaming Mouse Pad is a phenomenal choice for those of you looking to get a cleaner and more stylized setup without investing too much money.

This is an XL mouse pad that can fit both your keyboard and mouse with room to spare, it’s made of Lycra which is smooth, but doesn’t sacrifice control over your mouse, it has high-quality anti-fray stitching and a rubber underside which doesn’t allow it to slide or roll-up.

An awesome additional detail is that it’s waterproof, so if you accidentally spill something, just wipe it off, and you’re good to go.

This is in all honesty probably the best mouse pad you can get if you’re on a budget, and the abundance of glowing reviews is a testament to that.

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For the longest time controllers used to be synonymous with console gaming, but that time has passed. Nowadays, there are PC games that you can’t even run without a controller.

If we exclude indie games, the number of titles that get ported to PC from consoles far outnumbers the number of titles that get developed for the PC first and foremost. And these games were all designed with the controller in mind. Some have great ports that make the controls functional on the mouse and keyboard, while others are more like Dark Souls 1.

The two biggest controllers at the moment are the Xbox One Controller and the DualShock 4.

While they’re both excellent, we recommend the former solely on account of it being able to do everything the latter can and then some. Oh, and the plug and play support, of course, since you’ll be using Windows as your Operating System.

We have a whole video about this if you’re interested in knowing why we feel the way we feel regarding this matter.

Related:The Best PC Controllers (2023 Reviews)

A VR headset is far from being a gaming necessity, especially for a build that costs $1000. Most good VR headsets are very expensive, and not many people can afford one after they’ve already spent a grand on their base hardware. At least, that’s how it was until now.

We’re not by any means saying that the Meta Quest 2 is cheap. What we are saying is that it’s far cheaper than any other VR headset with a similar performance. And its performance is good enough to compete with the top players out there.

The Meta Quest 2 boasts an LCD panel with an 1832 x 1920 resolution. It runs on the new XR2 Qualcomm chipset which virtually doubles its performance compared to the original Quest, and it supports up to 90Hz refresh rate.

Another amazing thing about this headset is that you can use it as it is, without plugging it into your PC, and if you’ve ever owned an Oculus headset, you can also access your entire library of games from the moment you get your hands on it.

And you’ll have plenty of room to store those games too! The newly updated, cheaper version of this headset now comes with 128 GB instead of 64 GB of storage, as was the case when it was first released. And if even this isn’t enough for you, there is a more premium version of the headset that boasts 256 GB of storage for everyone who prefers not to economize.

A piece of good news has made this headset even better. Namely, since Facebook became Meta, the Meta Quest no longer requires a Facebook account to function, so that seems to be a step in the right direction for the company. There have been some issues and lawsuits regarding a Facebook collecting facial recognition data through the Quest 2 without proper consent. This ended with the company paying a multimillion dollar fine, but some are worried they might suggest something similar with Meta.

That said, as things stand now, the Meta Quest 2 is, hardware-wise and feature-wise, a genuinely great product, and it’s only getting better with every update. So if you want to dive into the world of VR gaming at an affordable price, the Meta Quest 2 is the headset to get.

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Here’s one of those rare peripheral items that are genuinely important regardless if you’re a casual or professional gamer.

This might be an obvious thing to say, but a comfortable seat is an incredibly important part of not only your “gaming experience”, but also your lifestyle and health, especially if you spend your days glued to a chair like most of us gamers do.

Any chair is a good chair when you’re young, but as years begin to creep up, BAM! Surprise back pain, and now you’re a barely functional human curled up on a sofa 80% of the time because the fetus is the only bearable position. If this sounds oddly specific, it’s because it is.

Related:Are Gaming Chairs Worth It?

So don’t be sorry to splurge on a comfortable ergonomic chair. And if you’re torn between buying an awesome keyboard and mouse or a chair, get a chair. It’s an investment.

Now, the Office Star Mesh isn’t a high-end solution, but it’s a very good entry point for someone looking to graduate from their kitchen chair or some similarly uncomfortable contraption. It’s ergonomic, comfortable, has back support that follows the natural curve of your spine… or how it should be, and it’s relatively affordable.

Of course, if the budget for your peripherals is a little more flexible, or you don’t mind waiting until you save up for something better, we highly suggest you do so because it will definitely pay off in the long run. If now, however, the Office Star Mesh won’t disappoint you.

Related:The Best Gaming Chairs (2023 Reviews)

And the final peripheral we’d like to suggest is a wrist rest. Those of you who have never owned a decent PC before, or a PC at all might consider this a waste of money, and indeed, it’s definitely not a necessity, but others who’re used to using wrist rests will know how much of a difference it can make.

The HyperX Wrist Rest, like its name, is a very simple product, but it packs a strong punch.

It’s made with a combination of cooling gel and memory foam making it super-comfortable. The padding is thick enough to not allow your wrist to reach the bottom, and the rest itself is wide enough to cover all your hand movements so you don’t have to change its position all the time. This won’t be easy anyway since it has a rubber underside that’s meant to keep the wrist rest from moving around.

The only possible downside that applies to this particular build is that this is a rest for full-sized keyboards, and the HyperX Alloy FPS Pro that we suggested above is a tenkeyless keyboard. But this isn’t something that will hinder your typing in any way.

Related:The Best Wrist Rests (2023 Reviews)

Closing Thoughts

And that’s it for the best PC that 1000 USD can get you right now. Now all that’s left is to actually assemble all these components into a functional whole.

If you’re a first-time assembler then it may seem like a daunting undertaking but believe us when we say that mustering the will to do it is the most difficult part.

Unfortunately, we can’t help you with that, but for everything else, you’re free to roam our website for any information you might be looking for or take a look at the numerous Youtube videos and guides that will help you through the process of building your machine.

And if building an entire PC from scratch seems too risky for you, there’s an easier option – you can take a look at what the prebuilt PCs have to offer.

Prebuilt systems are a bit more expensive than custom ones, and you’ll generally find them somewhat lacking in one or two areas, but they’re a great starting point if you have any misgivings about building from scratch. They’ll allow you to get a solid starting build that you’ll be able to upgrade at your own pace.

Not only is this a good choice for those unwilling to take up the challenge of building a custom rig on their own, but it’s also a great chance for those who don’t have $1000 to spend on a PC right away to acquire something that will get them started, and then upgrade their way up to a gaming beast.

Whichever path you choose we hope you’ll have fun building and gaming on your new PC!