Building a custom PC can be a challenging experience, especially if it’s your first time. After completion, however, it’s a rewarded project that can save you money compared to pre-built systems. We see plenty of hardware pass through our doors for review on XDA and decided to take some of the more affordable parts in our inventory to see how cheaply we could create a 1440p gaming PC.
Building a budget 1440p gaming PC
CPU and GPU
I opted for the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G for the CPU and GPU. It’s brand new, allowing you to take advantage of the latest AMD chipset and architecture, and rolls both components into a single package. This keeps temperatures down with less hardware inside the PC case and is also great for cutting costs. Inside this package is a powerful 8-core CPU with 16 threads that can run at up to 5.1 GHz.
Alongside the processor is an integrated GPU in the form of the AMD Radeon 780M. The GPU has 12 cores at 2.9 GHz, making the Ryzen 7 8700G a capable chip for work and play without a discrete graphics card. These GPU cores can handle 1080p and even some 1440p gaming. It even comes with a bundled cooler!
|
Game |
AMD Ryzen 7 8700G |
|---|---|
|
Cyberpunk 2077 |
48 FPS |
|
Elden Ring |
63 FPS |
|
Far Cry 6 |
59 FPS |
|
GTA V |
101 FPS |
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider |
69 FPS |
The above results were captured using a 1080p monitor with settings set to low before AMD fixed the issue with the 8000 series APUs scaling back power. The results aren’t groundbreaking, but considering this is an APU that can pull 85W, it’s fantastic for a low-power system that won’t produce much heat. The APU fares far better these days and is able to push far above these numbers. Enable FSR and you’ll have a killer gaming experience.
AMD Ryzen 7 8700G
AMD’s Ryzen 7 8700G is a powerful APU with integrated processing and graphics, negating the need for a discrete GPU. It’s powerful enough for 1080p and 1440p gaming.
Motherboard
There are some excellent motherboards that don’t cost too much and the Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX ICE is a fine example. Priced at $200, this motherboard pushes the B650 chipset to its limits with solid performance for the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G. There’s also support for DDR5 RAM and a good array of internal headers, paving the way for future hardware upgrades.
AM5 is still a new platform and one AMD plans to support for a few more years.
Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX ICE
The Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX ICE offers premium aesthetic and great features at an affordable price.
RAM and storage
RAM is an easy choice. Go with the cheapest DDR5 available. With some G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo, I populated two DIMM slots with 32GB of DDR5-6400. Using faster memory is a good idea for an APU such as the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G as it uses RAM for the GPU. For storage, I went with the Samsung 990 Evo. It’s not the best SSD on the market but is discounted to a better price and 1TB is ample for the OS and some games.
G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB (AMD Expo)
This flashy RGB DDR5 RAM has plenty of substance, with fast timings and high capacities.
Samsung 990 Evo
The Samsung 990 Evo is a fast and power-efficient SSD, featuring support for both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2. It promises read speeds up to 5,000MB/s and write speeds up to 4,200MB/s, all while using significantly less power than it larger sibling, the 990 Pro.
PSU and case
The Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 is a fantastic PC case that can easily handle the hardware we’re using atop the AMD motherboard. The mid-tower comes with two fans and supports ATX motherboards. Powering everything will be the be quiet! Straight Power 12. The company is responsible for some of the best components on the market, including power supplies and the Straight Power 12 series fails to disappoint.
Like the motherboard, both the PSU and case will be able to take more powerful internals should you look to upgrade down the line. A 360mm AIO liquid cooler can be installed no problem, as well as an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X.
Cooler Master MasterBox NR600
The Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 is one of the most affordable mid-tower airflow PC case you can buy on the market right now.
be quiet! Straight Power 12
be quiet!’s Straight Power 12 power supply is an ATX 3.0 PSU capable of delivering up to 1500W of power, depending on the model. With an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency rating, you’ll be able to power enthusiast-grade systems without an issue.
Do you need a GPU?
With the performance gains of the latest AMD APUs, do you need a GPU? Not if you’re playing PC games at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. So long as in-game settings aren’t configured to their highest, you’ll have a smooth and enjoyable experience. This build alone shows how viable a PC is without a discrete graphics card.