If you want to play your games at the highest graphical settings or work on complex workloads that are taxing for all but the most powerful hardware, then a prebuilt desktop computer won't cut it. Instead, you'll probably want to build a new PC using carefully chosen components to crush every hardware-intensive task you throw at it. For this guide, we've picked some of the best components from our carefully curated collection of parts including the best CPUs, and more. Since you'd want to go for parts that provide an uncompromising gaming experience, our guide prioritizes the overall performance of the rig over pricing.
Our enthusiast gaming PC build recommendations
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU is a 16-core chip equipped with 3D V-Cache technology, allowing it to be one of the best CPUs for both gaming and productivity. With its massive 128MB L3 cache and extremely high turbo clock speed of 5.7GHz, this premium processor can tackle all graphically-taxing games with ease.
- Large cache size
- Extreme performance
- Energy efficient
- Expensive
- Only works with AM5 socket motherboards
The 16-core and 32-thread AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D is currently the best processor on the market, making it the perfect pick for our enthusiast level build. It has a base clock of 4.2GHz and can hit a boost clock speed of 5.7GHz, and you easily overclock this premium CPU to 5.9GHz for more performance. It also leverages AMD's 3D V-Cache technology to provide a huge 128MB L3 cache and is compatible with the new PCIe 5.0 SSDs and DDR5 memory kits. Despite its extreme performance, the processor is very energy efficient with a low TDP of 120W. While the 7950X3D is usually pitted against the Intel Core i9-13900K, AMD's top-of-the-line processor leaves no stone unturned to beat its rival in almost all gaming and professional workloads.
That being said, if you don't plan to use your new battle station for anything other than gaming, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D may be a bit overkill. So, you might want to look into the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D if you don't wish to break the bank over a processor. Although the 7800X3D doesn't manage to beat its high-end sibling, it's available at a more affordable price and provides decent performance for most gaming-oriented setups.
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
The Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is an impressive graphics card with beefy cooling and high-quality components. This allows the GPU to run at high speeds, allowing for some seriously impressive gaming experiences.
- Best in-class performance
- Large 24GB GDDR6X VRAM
- Capable of gaming at 8K
- Extremely pricey
- Overkill for anything under 4K
If you're looking for the best graphics card that money can buy, the all-powerful ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is right up your alley. Nvidia's RTX 4090 GPUs already beat every other consumer-grade graphics card that's available on the market, including AMD's catalog of Radeon GPUs, and the ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC Edition provides even better performance as it's designed for maximum overclocking efficiency. The GPU can easily hit a high clock speed of 2640MHz, and with its 24GB GDDR6X VRAM, it can run even the most demanding games at 4K with all ray-tracing settings maxed out. In fact, the GPU is so powerful that you can even use it to render your favorite games at 8K resolution.
This high-end GPU may have a premium price tag of $2000 attached to it, but it provides the absolute best gaming performance and pairs extremely well with the equally beefy Ryzen 9 7950X3D.
Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming
The Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming is a high-end Asus motherboard that supports PCIe 5.0 graphics, three PCIe 5.0 SSDs, and high-end Ryzen 7000 CPUs thanks to its large 18+2 stage VRM.
- Adequate VRM cooling
- Tons of I/O ports
- Four M.2 slots
- Expensive
An enthusiast PC build calls for a high-end motherboard, and the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming is our favorite pick for AM5 chips. This premium motherboard supports DDR5 memory kits and includes four M.2 slots, three of which are compatible with the latest PCIe Gen 5 SSDs. Besides featuring built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, its thick VRM and M.2 heatsinks ensure your system runs at low temperatures even under heavy load.
The ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming isn't lacking in the ports department either as its back panel supports ten USB Type-A connections, three USB Type-C ports, five audio jacks, an Optical S/PDIF out port, an HDMI port and a DisplayPort connection. Its Q-LED debug lights make troubleshooting your PC a cinch, and you also get BIOS Flashback and Clear CMOS buttons for added convenience. All-in-all, the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming is one of the best motherboards on the market and synergizes extremely well with the other components of our enthusiast PC build.
Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix AIO Liquid Cooler
The Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix AIO is a solid liquid cooler that's compatible with most high-end processors, including the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. The three AF RGB ELITE fans included with the radiator are capable of spinning at 2100 RPM to maintain low CPU temps.
- Great thermal performance
- Supports overclocking
- 360mm radiator works with most cabinets
- Expensive
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D may be the best CPU on the market, but it doesn't come with a cooler from AMD as the company wants you to invest in a decent aftermarket solution. So, you'll need a high-quality CPU cooler if you want to overclock your 7950X3D without turning your PC into a furnace. The Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix is a reliable option, if you don't mind spending $200 on an AIO cooler.
Although Corsair provides a variant of the iCUE H150i Elite Capellix with a 420mm radiator, you might have a hard time slotting it into your rig as most cabinets don't have enough space for a radiator of its size. Meanwhile, the 360mm variant of the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix can be mounted on most ATX cabinets, and despite the reduced radiator size, it remains an impressive kit that works with a variety of CPUs and platforms.
G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB (AMD Expo)
This flashy RGB DDR5 RAM has plenty of substance, with fast timings and high capacities. The higher 6000MHz clock speed allows the G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RAM sticks to hit fast read and write speeds, and you can even overclock this memory kit if you want better performance.
- High clock speed
- Extreme performance
- Low CAS Latency
- Only works on motherboards that support DDR5 memory
G.Skill is well-known for manufacturing high-quality RAM, and the G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB is no exception. This particular RGB RAM kit we've highlighted below consists of two 16GB modules that are capable of hitting speeds of DDR5-6000. It's also compatible with AMD Expo profiles, allowing you to easily change the voltage, timings, and frequencies of your RAM sticks without manually tweaking each setting.
To top it off, it pairs well with both the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor and the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming motherboard, making it the best RAM memory kit for our enthusiast PC build.
Seagate FireCuda 540 PCIe Gen5
Seagate's FireCuda 540 SSD is a first-generation PCIe 5.0 M.2 drive that boasts reads and writes of up to 10,000MB/s. However, it requires a heatsink, and since the FireCuda 540 doesn't come with one, you'll have to ensure your device has a built-in one you can use.
- Fast read and write speeds of 10,000MB/s
- Very durable
- Doesn't ship with a heatsink
If you want your high-end PC to boot the OS and games/apps instantly, you'd want to grab a fast SSD that doesn't slow down the rest of the components. We recommend picking up the Seagate FireCuda 540 PCIe Gen5 as the primary storage option for this build doesn't suffer from the thermal issues that affect most Gen 5 SSDs. Besides its high sequential read and write speeds of up to 10,000MB/s, it's also very durable, excelling in multiple endurance tests in our review of the drive.
The FireCuda 540 drive is available in 1TB and 2TB capacities, and a standard 1TB model is more than enough to store two of your favorite operating systems alongside a few games. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with heatsinks, so you'll have to make do with the one offered by the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E. Additionally, we also recommend picking up a 2.5-inch SSD or 3.5-inch HDD to use as secondary storage for your PC as high-capacity Gen 5 can cause a huge dent in your wallet
be quiet! Dark Power Pro
The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 is one of the most powerful, high-capacity power supplies you can buy on the market. It's also a highly efficient PSU that can power all the components of our enthusiast build while leaving some headroom for overclocking and future upgrades.
- 80 Plus Titanium certification
- Fully modular
- 1300W power capacity
- Expensive
Choosing the best power supply may not be the most exciting part of a PC build, but it goes without saying that it's one of the most important components. It's not something to be overlooked because a sub-par PSU can negatively affect the overall performance of the build (or at worse damage PC components). We recommend picking up the Dark Power Pro 12 1300W PSU for this particular gaming PC.
Technically, our enthusiast PC build can work well with a lower-capacity PSU, but the 1300W capacity of the Dark Power Pro makes it ideal for overclocking the other components of our build. Moreover, the higher capacity of the PSU ensures you have plenty of headroom for future upgrades. The be quiet! Dark Power Pro also carries an 80 Plus Gold rating, which means it's one of the more reliable options on the market.
Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO
The Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO PC case is a solid mid-tower cabinet with lots of customization options and plenty of space. Besides supporting up to nine SSDs, this premium cabinet includes top and side mesh panels to improve the airflow of your high-end build. It also provides multiple slots for you to mount your AIO cooler radiators.
- Plenty of fan and radiator support
- Good cable management
- Striking design
- Only supports radiators up to 360mm
Last but definitely not least, we have the PC case. We recommend picking up the Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO case for this particular guide mainly because it offers plenty of space for all the high-end components we're using here. The O11 Dynamic EVO is also our pick for the best PC case right now. It doesn't come up with any pre-installed case fans, but it's a roomy chassis with tons of expansion slots and a solid set of front panel IO ports.
One of the best things about this new EVO case is you can flip and use it in reverse mode too, which is awesome. Cable management is excellent, and so too is thermal performance once you've purchased some case fans to populate the remaining slots. Bear in mind that going with our 360mm AIO liquid cooler includes a radiator and three 120mm fans that will take up some of the cooling mounts here.
Building an enthusiast gaming PC
Component | Listed Price |
|---|---|
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D | $681 |
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition | $2000 |
ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E | $480 |
Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix | $220 |
G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 | $106 |
Seagate FireCuda 540 PCIe Gen5 SSD | $180 |
be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1300W PSU | $420 |
Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO case | $150 |
Total | $4237 |
The components that we've picked for this gaming PC guide are among the best you can find on the market right now. Depending on the availability and the prices, you can expect to pay around $4,300 for this enthusiast gaming build. Of course, you can always spend relatively less to get the best frames per dollar value with a budget build. The objective of this gaming PC guide, however, was to fetch the best components for a no-compromise experience when it comes to gaming or content creation workloads.
It's also worth pointing out that the final price mentioned here doesn't include peripherals like the monitor, keyboard, etc., so keep that in mind. You can check out our collection of the best monitors and even the best mechanical keyboards to find some good options that fit your budget. If you need more help with your build, then be sure to check out our PC building guide to make sure you're not missing an important step along the way. Good luck!