This relatively compact PC is a great option for budget 1080p-1440p gaming, offering strong GPU performance and enough CPU power to handle any future upgrades you might consider.

The RTX 2080 is made by EVGA (my favorite brand, they make really pretty cards), and offers decent performance in most titles. The 8GB of VRAM is plenty for 90% of games, and the card itself remains relatively quiet during gameplay.

Paired with the GPU is a Ryzen 5 5500, the perfect budget CPU with 6-cores, low power draw, and enough power that it could probably support a 4070 and be fine. It’s tied together with 16GB of 3000MHz RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and an amazing upgrade path.

Beyond just the glazing of the specs, this PC also has ample room for proper upgrades. The motherboard supports an NVMe drive for extra storage, a total of 4 RAM sticks, the AM4 socket with about a bajillion different compatible CPUs, and a bunch more SATA ports for even MORE storage. I also slapped a 850W PSU in this PC, so future GPU upgrades are as simple as throwing it in and sending it.

Specifications

CPU: Ryzen 5 5500

GPU: EVGA RTX 2080 Gaming Black

RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2x8GB @ 3000MHz

Storage: Samsung 870 QVO 1TB SATA SSD

Mobo: ASUS PRIME B450M-A II

PSU: ASRock Pro 850G 80+ Gold

Case: DIYPC ARGB-DC120-TM

Cooler: AMD stock cooler

Fans: 2x120mm intake | 1x120mm exhaust

Benchmarks

3DMark

Time Spy - 10090

CPU Profile - 878-5863

Steel Nomad - 2505

Speed Way - 2230

BeamNG

1080p Ultra | 86 FPS avg. | 67 FPS 1% low

1440p Ultra | 67 FPS avg. | 57 FPS 1% low

4K Normal | 62 FPS avg. | 56 FPS 1% low

CS2

1080p Competitive | 350 FPS avg. | 123 FPS 1% low

4K Very High | 91 FPS avg. | 43 FPS 1% low

Deadlock

1080p Ultra | 103 FPS avg. | 47 FPS 1% low

1440p High | 87 FPS avg. | 49 FPS 1% low

4K Medium | 80 FPS avg. | 45 FPS 1% low

Doom: The Dark Ages

1080p Ultra Nightmare | 57 FPS avg. | 43 FPS 1% low

1440p Low | 53 FPS avg. | 39 FPS 1% low

4K Low | 24 FPS avg. | 16 FPS 1% low

Software

OS: Win 11 Pro

Extras: Steam, EVGA Precision X1, Firefox

Most bloatware has been removed