Best gaming PC build under $1500 of 2023
Built & Tested By Our Team
Best gaming PC under $1500
WePC is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
At the $1500 mark, you get a PC that can handle almost anything, and for this amount of money, you can ensure it’s a high-level gaming experience. These components smash AAA games while also providing you with streaming and rendering capabilities too.
What you get for your $1500
When you are spending around $1500, you are pretty much guaranteed to give yourself a high-end PC with an array of top-shelf features. For this amount of money, you can expect CPUs that will enhance your gaming experience and also perform without question when multitasking. With this kind of budget, you can benefit from a high-end, modern graphics card, which is capable of high frame rates in glorious detail. At this price point, you can’t get the very best components, but that doesn’t mean your gaming experience has to suffer one bit, regardless of which build path you choose!
Performance
Whether you go for the AMD or Intel build path, you are going to get some seriously slick gaming performance from the $1500 PC build. Both paths feature powerful RTX 30-series GPUs, which can handle gaming in every resolution, however, you would have to tweak settings for most modern titles in 4K.
The $1500 gaming PC features a 1TB SSD to take care of your operating system and games. This storage solution will give you faster boot times than your standard HDD and will also improve your FPS in-game too. We also see 16GB of fast RAM in this PC, which boosts the gaming potential of this already stellar build.
AMD vs. Intel
To be honest, there is little between the two build paths, both the AMD and Intel paths will give you an excellent gaming PC. We recommend the AMD build as we feel it gives you a little bit more than raw gaming performance. The Intel path provides you with one of the best gaming CPUs on the market and should always be considered, though. With little to separate the two, it is worth noting that the AMD CPU and its multithreading capabilities will stand the test of time a little more, while also delivering on the gaming front too.
How we choose
Our team has years of experience behind them, building PCs for a range of needs and budgets. All this knowledge, combined with hours of research, user feedback, and onsite benchmarking, is what goes into choosing the best components for our builds.
We look for value for money, how the components perform together, and focus on gamers’ needs to make sure our builds are the best your budget can buy.
We build all these PCs ourselves, in-house, so trust us when we say we want to make them as good as possible. We use all these builds ourselves day-to-day in the WePC offices.
How we test
We build each of our selected PCs from scratch to make sure all the parts we recommend work well together, fit into the selected case, and provide the best performance possible for the price range.
Once built, the PCs are used in the office for everyday work as well as a range of games from light to heavy-duty. While we test, we also run benchmarking tests to see how well our builds perform, all while keeping an eye on the temperature of the components themselves.
We know how much some of our readers enjoy overclocking their PCs, so we made sure to test that out too. So, you can feel safe knowing that these machines can be pushed beyond their basic capabilities. But, please make sure you know how to overclock before trying to over-task your builds.
NOTE: Due to the ongoing effects of the global coronavirus pandemic, some retailers are experiencing stock issues. WePC constantly updates our pages to reflect current availability, so if the PC you want shows as out of stock, check back later or check out these alternatives.
Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $1500
Skytech Shiva Gaming PC Desktop (RTX 3060 Ti)
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
GPU
RTX 3060 Ti
RAM
16GB
Storage
1TB SSD
Not everyone can build a new gaming PC from scratch, so we have included some premium prebuilt options for your consideration. While building your own is always going to be the best choice for both your experience and wallet, we understand this can be a daunting task for some. It is worth noting; we select our prebuilt PCs from reputable custom PC builders that you can trust.
This post recommends the best gaming PC you can build for under $1500. If you’re looking to buy a prebuilt gaming PC instead, we recommend the CyberPowerPC Xtreme VR gaming PC. It’s powered by an Intel Core i5-11600KF CPU and an RTX 3060 GPU, that can run AAA games at high settings without breaking a sweat.
Our Recommended Custom Build Details
- Last Updated - Apr 18, 2023
This high-end computer was designed to bring out all the computing power you’ll need to beast out games at high settings on larger resolutions while also providing silky-smooth streaming/ rendering performance.
With the best gaming PC build for around $1500, you’ll enjoy a high level of performance, productivity, and content production. In the $1500 range, you can expect every game to run without any issues and a system that won’t let you down for years to come. This is the best gaming PC you can buy for the price, and it comes packed with serious ability across the board.
The 5600X was one of the most anticipated new chips because its predecessor was so successful. The 5600X comes to shelves with an impressive 6 core/12 thread makeup, beating its close rivals from Intel with ease and for gaming and smashing the previous Zen 2 lineup entirely.
It has a base clock of 3.8GHz and a boost clock of 4.7GHz respectively. For gamers on a budget or not, the Ryzen 5 5600X is absolutely essential, paired with 3600Mhz+ RAM and a fast GPU, you will be loving your new gaming setup.
And although there might now be a successor, the overall AM5 platform is a lot more expensive. With DDR5 only, it means there’s a much higher cost to the overall system.
ASUS Tuf Gaming Plus AM4 AMD X570
Powered by
AMD Ryzen 2nd and 3rd AM4 processors
Power Design
TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)'s CPU VRM utilizes 12+2 Dr. MOS power stages
Comprehensive Cooling
Active PCH heatsink, VRM heatsink, M.2 heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert 4
DUAL PCIE 4.0 M.2
support up to type 22110 and provide NVMe SSD RAID support
TUF Protection
Asus Safeslot & TUF LANGuard provide military-grade protection for your PCIe slot and LAN
To match the potential of the CPU, you are going to need a reliable motherboard. The Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus is more than just reliable; this board is packed with features for the price, supporting overclocking, fast RAM speeds, Wi-Fi6, PCIe 4,0, and expansion slots.
No items found.
This 16GB RAM kit from Corsair comes with an abundance of speed and quality for both the AMD and Intel build paths. Whether you are gaming, streaming, or working, we wanted to make sure you have more than enough RAM capacity and speed to get things done effectively.
We have gone for a RAM kit with a speed of 3600MHz to give you optimal speeds for gaming and to future-proof your system a little bit more. With speeds like this, you are guaranteed to avoid being bottlenecked by the RAM, so sit back and reap the rewards.
EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 FTW3 Ultra Gaming
Clock Speed
1815MHz Boost Clock (OC)
VRAM
8GB GDDR6
Thermal Design
EVGA iCX3 Cooling
Power Input
2 x 8-pin
Size
300mm x 136mm x 60mm
To power your graphical needs we have gone for one of the latest GPUs from Nvidia’s RTX 30-series – The RTX 3070. While pushing your frames in esports titles over 300FPS in high settings, this card will also smash through your favorite AAA titles and more when playing in 1440p. There is also some decent 4K performance from the RTX 3070 with the odd settings tweak.
This particular RTX 3070 features 8GB of VRAM and an impressive cooling system.
Samsung 980 – 1TB
Read/Write
3,500 / 3,300 MB/s
Capacity
1 TB
Interface
NVMe 1.3
The build quality of this SSD is unquestionable, and the boost in performance it gives makes it a no-brainer for this $1500 gaming PC. While testing, the benchmark results showed us that there is little difference between SATA SSDs and M.2, however, the Samsung 980 1TB M.2 is of the highest quality and will serve you well.
This M.2 SSD has a 1TB capacity, is from a reputable manufacturer, will enhance your gaming experience, and give you speedy boot times.
Corsair 4000D Airflow
Type
Mid-tower
Motherboard Support
ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX
Dimensions
17.83 x 9.06 x 18.35 inches
Included Fans
2 x 120mm AirGuide fans
Last but not least is our case. The Corsair 4000D Airflow is one stylish PC case for the price and has been built using the highest quality materials to ensure this case will stand the test of time. This case boasts a tempered glass side panel for you to view your build.
With two 120mm included fans and an open-airflow design, you get excellent cooling performance out of the box. Alongside the airflow and aesthetics, the 4000D is also very builder-friendly, offering plenty of options for cable management, drive mounting, extra fans, and room for a liquid cooling setup. This is far from a budget case, and once you get your hands on it you’ll know why.
EVGA Super Nova GA 750
Wattage
750W
80 Plus certification
80+ Gold
Modularity
Fully
When building a PC of this value, you want to ensure you have a stable and reliable power supply to power your new components. This is where the EVGA 750W GA PSU comes in, with its gold efficiency rating. The amount of Watts on this PSU is going to be more than enough to power the build, giving you a little more for future upgrades.
Things to consider
Budget
We separate our builds into different categories, all based on a specific budget. Regardless of this, it is still important to consider if this is the right budget for your gaming needs. When talking about a gaming PC in this price category, you can be sure to get high-end gaming performance that will handle any game you can think of. If you are looking to play AAA titles in high settings and achieve relatively high FPS, then you are in the right place. For the more casual gamers that only play less taxing indie games, this could potentially be overkill. While we do our best to bring you a high-quality system that remains within our budget parameters, Amazon’s prices can fluctuate from time to time.
Upgradability & Future-Proofing
Even though this is a $1500 gaming PC and considered high-end, there is still some room for improvement. Upgrades in the right areas can potentially give you an improved gaming experience, and a greater life span out of your PC build, so certainly worthy of consideration. Upgrades will come at a significant extra cost for that boost in performance, but if you can accommodate it, go for it! For a significant upgrade, at a little extra cost, consider our $2000 gaming PC.
Overclocking
Some gamers and plenty of enthusiasts love to overclock their gaming rigs, so we have included components that can cater for this. Overclocking can squeeze extra power out of your system and provide you with even better performance.
If you are considering overclocking your system, remember to include an aftermarket cooler upgrade to handle the extra heat produced. The fast RAM included in this build will not run at 3600MHz out of the box, so remember to overclock this in your BIOS. It is worth noting that the motherboard selected is capable of handling these speeds without any issues, so no need to worry.
Ease of Building
This build comes with a high-quality case, so as you can imagine, it was a dream to build. There were no clearance issues when putting this machine together, and the whole process was stress-free. If you are concerned about damaging any of your components, then you may want to consider investing in antistatic equipment, but it isn’t a requirement. The most important tool to have is, of course, the screwdriver, which will take care of most aspects.
The case, as mentioned, is manufactured by a reputable company that has cable management in mind. Thanks to the design, it was really easy to tuck away those cables and improve the airflow inside the machine. Both CPUs come with stock coolers, and they will have thermal paste pre-applied. That being said, you may want to consider buying a tube of thermal paste and replacing this at your earliest convenience, as this will often improve thermals.
Non-Gaming Performance
Both builds are going to provide you will all the gaming performance you could need, but how do they stack up in other areas? While both CPUs will perform well with multitasking, the AMD build path is a clear winner in this area. The AMD CPU attributes this to its multithreading capabilities with twice as many threads as the Intel build path. Regardless of which you decide to choose, you can be sure of a good level of performance for all your streaming and home entertainment needs.
Build A Gaming PC By Price
Check out some of our price-focused custom PC build guides below.
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $300
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $400
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $500
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $600
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $700
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $800
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $1000
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $2000
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $3000
- Best Custom Gaming PC under $5000
Other Related Custom PC Guides:
Build A Gaming PC For Specific Games
Check out some of our game-focused custom PC build guides below.
- The Best Gaming PC For Valorant
- The Best Custom Built Gaming PC For CS:GO
- The Best Custom Built Gaming PC For Fortnite
- The Best Custom Gaming PC For Cyberpunk 2077
- The Best Custom Built PC For Emulation
Related Prebuilt Gaming PC Guides
Check out some of our related guides below.
- Best Gaming PC
- Best Prebuilt Gaming PC
- Best Mini Gaming PC
- Best RTX 3080 Prebuilt Gaming PC
- Best RTX 3070 Prebuilt Gaming PC
- Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $2000
- Best Prebuilt Gaming PC under $1500
- Best Prebuilt Gaming PC under $1000
- Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $800
- Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $500
Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Brands
Every recommended prebuilt gaming PC in this article is from a reputable manufacturer. You are probably wondering how we know what the best gaming PC brands are? Well, we have done our research and purchased PCs from these brands.
Most notable brands:
Alienware
Corsair
CyberPowerPC
SkyTech
iBUYPOWER
Thermaltake
MSI
Scan 3XS
Overclockers UK
Aesthetics
Making sure your PSU provides the correct amount of wattage to your custom build PC is an essential part of the build process. For that reason, we’ve created a handy PSU calculator which will work out exactly what PSU wattage your components require – no matter how many changes you make.
- Last Updated - Apr 18, 2023
Upgrade options
Whether you choose the AMD or Intel build path, both are going to bring you a lot of joy without any additional components. That being said, even this powerful $1500 gaming PC has some wiggle room for upgrades. Upgrades will bring you better performance and further future-proof your system but, of course, at an extra cost.
Note: These will raise the price of the build!
ASUS TUF Gaming Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 OC
Clock Speed
1815MHz Boost Clock (OC)
VRAM
10GB GDDRX
Thermal Design
Axial-tech Triple Fan
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Speed
3.7GHz/ 4.8GHz
Core (Threads)
12/24
Socket
AM4
TDP
105W
Related Custom PC Builds
Best silent gaming PC build 2023
Best budget gaming PC under $500 for 2023
Our best $1000 gaming PC build of 2023
Operating System & Peripherals
Since you’re buying the best $1500 PC build, you might already have your OS and peripherals from your old PC. If you don’t, however, we’ve written up this section to help point you toward what you need.
Note: These will raise the price of the build!
No items found.
Building Tips
When spending this much money to get the best $1,500 gaming desktop, you want to make sure you’re doing everything right. So, to keep you from making the same mistakes every other newb PC builder makes, you’ll want to familiarise yourself with common PC building concerns.