Checklist · 12 picks · 4 categories
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Your PC still boots, it just doesn't hit the frame rates it used to. Before you price out a whole new build, swap the parts that matter most.
A new graphics card is the big one for frames, and an NVMe SSD makes everything from booting to loading screens feel snappy. A better CPU cooler keeps things quiet and cool, and a solid power supply means your new GPU has enough juice. Graphics cards, SSDs and coolers come from PC Gamer's buying guides, which pick from its own benchmarks; power supplies come from Tom's Hardware, which measures efficiency, noise and power quality. Prices are still wild after the memory crunch, so each card shows the drawback its outlet called out, like a GPU that's only barely the budget pick or a cooler that's loud.
Who this is not for. Skip this if you want new peripherals rather than parts; the Gaming Setup list has the monitors, mice, keyboards and chairs.
Tell me what you can spend. I pick a tier for every item, essentials first, and show what is left. The first amount covers everything you need at the cheapest tier.
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Estimates based on typical prices, checked Nov 1, 2026. Prices change; see the store for today's price.
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| Pick | Tier | Price | Best for | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB | mid | $300-500 | bang-for-buck 1080p and 1440p gaming | 1 outlet |
| Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 | budget | $200-300 | 1080p gaming on a tight budget | 1 outlet |
| AMD Radeon RX 9070 | splurge | $500+ | high-settings 1440p gaming | 1 outlet |
Best graphics cardmid pick · 16 GB
Best for bang-for-buck 1080p and 1440p gaming
PC Gamer's best value graphics card: lots of VRAM without spending a ton, great 1080p and 1440p performance, and nothing touches it at its price.
Heads up. The RTX 5060 Ti is slightly faster overall, and there's limited overclocking potential
1 outlet. PC Gamer best value graphics card.
$300-500
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budget pick · 8 GB
Best for 1080p gaming on a tight budget
PC Gamer's best budget graphics card: reliable performance and decent 1080p frame rates, with DLSS 4 support.
Heads up. Much weaker than the RTX 5060, which is only a little more expensive
1 outlet. PC Gamer best budget graphics card.
$200-300
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splurge pick · 16 GB
Best for high-settings 1440p gaming
PC Gamer's best graphics card overall: a fantastic all-rounder that nails 1440p and 1080p at top settings and comfortably beats the RTX 5070.
Heads up. Its price went up, and if you find an RX 9070 XT for about the same, the XT is the better buy
1 outlet. PC Gamer best overall graphics card.
$500+
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| Pick | Tier | Price | Best for | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WD Black SN7100 | mid | $100-150 | most gaming PCs | 1 outlet |
| Biwin Black Opal NV7400 | budget | $50-100 | hoarding game installs for less | 1 outlet |
| WD Black SN8100 | splurge | $200-300 | new PCs with a PCIe 5.0 slot | 1 outlet |
Best nvme ssdmid pick · 500 GB to 4 TB
Best for most gaming PCs
PC Gamer's best NVMe SSD: about as fast as most people will need, with best-in-class 4K random reads that make every Windows interaction feel slick.
Heads up. Not ground-breaking tech, with slower load times than PCIe 5 drives
1 outlet. PC Gamer best NVMe SSD.
$100-150
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budget pick · 1 TB or 2 TB
Best for hoarding game installs for less
PC Gamer's best budget NVMe SSD: speeds near the limit of PCIe 4.0 at a very low price per gigabyte, and it runs stupendously cool.
Heads up. Random 4K results are underwhelming, and the NAND can differ from drive to drive
1 outlet. PC Gamer best budget NVMe SSD.
$50-100
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splurge pick · 1 TB or 2 TB
Best for new PCs with a PCIe 5.0 slot
PC Gamer's best PCIe 5 SSD: the fastest PCIe 5.0 SSD on the market, with stupidly quick load times and competitive pricing.
Heads up. No 4 TB option at launch
1 outlet. PC Gamer best PCIe 5 SSD.
$200-300
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| Pick | Tier | Price | Best for | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Freezer 36 | mid | $25-50 | a quiet upgrade for most gaming PCs | 1 outlet |
| Arctic Freezer 36-S | budget | $15-25 | replacing a stock cooler for cheap | 1 outlet |
| Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE | splurge | $25-50 | hot, high-end CPUs | 1 outlet |
Best cpu coolermid pick · Two fans
Best for a quiet upgrade for most gaming PCs
PC Gamer's best air cooler: superb performance for a very low cost, and the quietest cooler in its recent roundup.
Heads up. Intel installs are more involved, and it's less able with power-hungry 13th/14th Gen chips or overclocking
1 outlet. PC Gamer best air cooler.
$25-50
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budget pick · Single fan
Best for replacing a stock cooler for cheap
PC Gamer's best budget air cooler: a slimmed-down, single-fan Freezer 36 that's an excellent pick when you've spent most of the budget on other parts.
Heads up. Installing it on Intel PCs is more involved than most, and the Freezer 36 is much more capable for a little more
1 outlet. PC Gamer best budget air cooler.
$15-25
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splurge pick · Dual tower
Best for hot, high-end CPUs
PC Gamer's best dual-tower air cooler: no desktop chip runs hot under it, and it costs a fraction of similarly performing coolers.
Heads up. Loud: the loudest cooler in PC Gamer's roundup
1 outlet. PC Gamer best dual-tower air cooler.
$25-50
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| Pick | Tier | Price | Best for | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| be quiet. Pure Power 13 M 650W | budget | $50-100 | budget and midrange builds | 1 outlet |
| Cooler Master MWE Gold 850 V3 | mid | $100-150 | room for a bigger graphics card | 1 outlet |
| be quiet. Dark Power 13 1000W | splurge | $200-300 | high-end gaming builds | 1 outlet |
Best power supplybudget pick · 650W
Best for budget and midrange builds
Tom's Hardware's best cheap PSU: efficiency that reaches Platinum levels despite Gold certification, fully modular cables and a semi-passive mode that's silent at light loads.
Heads up. Noisy under heavy loads, and premium pricing for a Gold unit
1 outlet. Tom's Hardware best cheap PSU.
$50-100
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mid pick · 850W
Best for room for a bigger graphics card
Tom's Hardware's power supply pick up to 850 watts: a reliable, competitively priced ATX 3.1 unit with outstanding low-to-mid range efficiency.
Heads up. High fan noise at max load, and it gets thermally stressed in harsh environments
1 outlet. Tom's Hardware best PSU up to 850 watts.
$100-150
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splurge pick · 1000W
Best for high-end gaming builds
Tom's Hardware's power supply pick up to 1000 watts: Titanium-certified efficiency, excellent power quality and impressively low noise under any load.
Heads up. Pricey, and efficiency drops significantly at high loads on 115 VAC power
1 outlet. Tom's Hardware best PSU up to 1000 watts.
$200-300
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means three independent outlets recommend a pick, means one, and limited evidence means none has yet. I research these picks. I have not tested them myself. How I pick · Broken link, wrong price range or an outdated pick? Tell me
Check first. Each graphics card here lists its power draw (TGP), so compare it with your power supply's wattage along with the rest of your PC. Tom's Hardware suggests choosing a unit that runs near 50% load for the best thermals and longevity, and says never to cheap out on protection features.
Usually not yet. PC Gamer says a faster drive won't raise your frame rates, and that a great PCIe 4.0 SSD gives you more Steam library space for your money while gaming on par with pricier PCIe 5.0 drives. The SN8100 is for people who want the fastest and have the slot for it.
Only if your stock cooler is loud or your chip runs hot. PC Gamer says the Arctic Freezer 36 is all most PC gamers really need, but it's less able with power-hungry 13th and 14th Gen Intel chips or overclocking. For those, the loud dual-tower Peerless Assassin is the overkill pick: PC Gamer says no desktop chip runs hot under it.