A gaming PC build in 2022 sounds a bit nonsensical, considering how the PC hardware market has been in absolute shambles for the past two years. But despite the prices being the way they are, one cannot deny the advantages of PC gaming as a whole based solely on the firepower a rig has over a typical game console.
So for this build guide, try to pretend that the prices aren't too outrageous. If you're looking for a new gaming PC this year, here are our recommendations for smooth, no-compromises gameplay in the three major resolutions: 1080p Full HD, 1440p, and 4K.
Take note that the prices shared here are accurate as of this posting and are bound to change without prior notice. Also, the builds are not going to include monitors, keyboards, mice, or a Windows license.
Best 1080p Gaming PC Build
Let's start off with the most popular gaming resolution in the world: 1080p. It's not as sharp as 1440p or 4K, but this is the bare minimum display to target if you want a good balance of visual fidelity and performance. Here are the parts to get you started:
- CPU + CPU cooler: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X with the stock Wraith Stealth cooler ($267 on Amazon)
- Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming B550-PRO AM4 ($199.99 on Newegg)
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 2x8GB DDR4 3200MHz ($69.99 on Amazon)
- GPU: Gigabyte RTX 3060 GAMING OC 12GB ($805.77 on Newegg)
- Power supply: EVGA Supernova 650 GT 80 Plus Gold ($64.99 on Amazon)
- Storage: Western Digital Blue 1TB SN570 NVMe M.2 SSD PCIe Gen 4 ($89.99 on Amazon)
- Case: Fractal Design Focus G White ($54.99 on Newegg)
TOTAL COST: $1,552.72
With this build, you will be able to play almost any modern AAA game on high or ultra graphics settings, at frame rates well above 60 FPS, thanks mainly to the RTX 3060, writes PCGamesN.
You'll also be able to squeeze more performance via NVIDIA's DLSS, so you can turn on all those sweet, ray-traced settings on games that support it. Not to mention, you also get super-fast loading times courtesy of that PCIe Gen 4 support.
Read also: 'Mass Effect 3': How To Save BOTH The Quarians And The Geth
Best 1440p Gaming PC Build
Going up to 1440p, you'll need some serious hardware to keep games running at a silky-smooth 60 FPS or more. As such, here are the components that will net you high-ultra graphics settings at this resolution, without any compromises:
-
CPU + CPU cooler: Intel Core i7-12700K ($374.99 at Newegg) + Noctua NH-D15 ($99.95 at Amazon)
-
Motherboard: ASUS Prime Z690-A DDR5 ($279.99 at Amazon)
-
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB 2x16GB 5600MHz DDR5 ($419.99 at Amazon)
-
GPU: XFX Speedster QICK319 RX 6700XT 12GB GDDR6 ($899.99 at Amazon)
-
Power supply: Corsair RM650X 650-watt 80 Plus Gold ($84.99 at Newegg)
-
Storage: Western Digital Blue 1TB SN570 NVMe M.2 SSD PCIe Gen 4 ($89.99 on Amazon)
-
Case: Fractal Design Define 7 XL Black ($234.99 at Newegg)
TOTAL COST: $2,484.88
At Quad HD, we're going the Intel Alder Lake route with the 12700K, paired with an RX 6700 XT and 32GB of super-fast DDR5 RAM. At this resolution, the 6700 XT is proving to be a slight bargain compared to the more expensive RTX 3070, while not leaving too much performance on the table.
You're missing out on DLSS, sure, but you still get AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution-a much more ubiquitous tech at this point. As for the CPU cooler, you'd do well with a premium option like the NH-D15 to cool down that toasty 12th gen Intel chip. Noctua's free Alder Lake mounting upgrade makes it an excellent choice.
Lastly, we're sticking with the initial NVMe M.2 SSD recommendation as there's little to no reason to change that. That is unless you want far more storage than 1TB.
Best 4K Gaming PC Build
Now, up to 4K. At this resolution, GPU performance matters far more than CPU, but you'll still need to balance the two out not to bottleneck one or the other. You'll pay a pretty penny for this kind of power, but you'll definitely get what you pay for. Here is the recommended build:
- CPU + CPU cooler: Intel Core i9-12900K ($613.97 at Newegg) + Noctua NH-U14S ($79.95 at Amazon)
- Motherboard: MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk DDR5 ($301.99 at Newegg)
- RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB 2x16GB 5600MHz DDR5 ($419.99 at Amazon)
- GPU: Gigabyte RTX 3080 Ti Gaming 12GB ($2168.99 at Newegg)
- Power supply: Corsair RM850X 850-watt 80 Plus Gold ($130.99 at Amazon)
- Storage: Sabrent Rocket 2TB NVMe M.2 SSD PCIe 4.0 ($259.99 at Amazon)
- Case: Corsair 7000D Airflow Full-Tower ATX ($246.25 at Newegg)
TOTAL COST: $4,222.12
For our 4K gaming build, we're going with the current gaming champ of CPUs: Intel's top-of-the-line Core i9-12900K, which handily beats the competing AMD Ryzen 9 5950X in a lot of game benchmarks. However, all of that power comes at a price, so we'll need some beefy cooling courtesy of the Noctua NH-U14S. The chip will be paired with the same recommended 32GB DDR5 memory kit from the 1440p build.
As for the graphics card, we're going with the RTX 3080 Ti instead of the 3090. The reason is simple: the 3080 Ti basically gives you 3090-like performance for almost $1000 less at current street pricing. Going for the 3090 is just not that wise at this point.
We then round the build-up with the Sabrent Rocket 2TB PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD, which is more than enough to handle modern games in terms of capacity and lightning-quick load times.
With this 4K gaming build, you get absolutely no compromises: high to ultra graphics with silky-smooth frame rates to boot.
Related: 'No Man's Sky' For The Nintendo Switch Scheduled To Launch This Summer
Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
