What Specifications Should a $2000 Gaming PC Have In 2023?

It can be rather confusing with the number of options you have for the specifications of a $2000 gaming PC but don’t worry I am here to help.

Having reviewed countless gaming PCs in the last year or so, I have come across a lot of differently-speced $2000 PCs and therefore know what is the ideal specification at this price range.

Having said that, it can get rather overwhelming; therefore, in this article, I am going to present a simple and easy-to-digest guide on the specifications.

I will not be using any tech jargon for the specs and will try to simplify things a bit. For that purpose, this article will not only provide you with the specifications but also recommend the best PC parts for that particular spec.

So, without further ado, let’s begin.

I am going to break down the specification section into each individual component category of a gaming computer. By knowing the best specification of each PC part individually, it will be easier for you to piece together the specification list of a whole $2000 gaming PC.

CPU

The CPU, or what is otherwise commonly known as a processor, is tasked with completing all the operations that happen on a computer.

Ideally, you want a fast, efficient, and powerful CPU that will not get outdated in a year or two.

Given that, the best specification here would be to go with an 8-core 16-thread processor. This leaves with two choices. The first is the Intel Core-i7 12700k, while the second is the AMD Ryzen 5 5800X.

Among the two, the Intel I7 12700k edges out the AMD Ryzen, so I recommend going with that processor.

Graphics Card

The graphics card supplies the power for all the games to work; hence, it won’t be wrong to say that this is the most crucial part of the PC to get right.

Ideally, at the $2000 price range, you want a graphics card that has at least 12GB VRAM. The best-suited picks for this budget will be the Nvidia RTX 3080 and the AMD RX 6800XT.

Out of the two, the RTX 3080 is a much more rounded GPU and has better features, while the RX 6800XT is slightly more powerful.

Given the choice, I would choose to go with the Nvidia RTX 3080 because of some features that have been quite beneficial for streaming.

RAM

The need for higher RAM capacity is gradually growing with the release of new games. Therefore, it is a wiser option to go with higher capacity RAM now than to upgrade later on.

Taking that into perspective, the ideal specification for RAM will be 32GB with dual-channel support and a speed of 3000+ MHz.

Storage

In any computer, the storage capacity depends on the use case and downloading habits of the individual. That being said, it is always a safe option to go with at least 1TB storage drive.

Also, always go with SSD storage rather than HDD. That gives us the ideal specification of 1TB M2 NVME SSD for storage.

Other Specifications

What many people wait to consider is that besides CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage there are also other specifications that play an important role in a gaming PC. Hence the following are the specifications that should not be ignored as well.

• Power Supply: For a $2000 gaming PC, ideally, the power supply should have at least 750-850W specifications. Anything with less power will not be sufficient to run the PC optimally and hence will draw shutdowns and power failures.

• Motherboard: At the $2000 price range, you need to go with an overclockable Z series motherboard. Ideally, that motherboard should also have 4 RAM slots, multiple bios, built-in Wi-Fi, and other amenity features.

• Case: As long as you get a case that has proper airflow, it should do fine. Therefore, good airflow is something to consider when choosing a case.

Related PC Guides

Check out some of our related PC guides below.

• What Specifications Should a $1000 Gaming PC Have?
• What Specifications Should a $1500 Gaming PC Have?
• What Specifications Should an $800 Gaming PC Have?
• What Specifications Should a $500 Gaming PC Have?

With the last PC part done, it is time to conclude the article. To quickly summarize, the following are the ideal specs for a $2000 gaming PC

• Intel i7 12700k or AMD Ryzen 5800X
• Nvidia RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800XT
• 32GB RAM
• 1TB SSD
• Overclockable motherboard

The specs that I have just mentioned are the best for any $2000 gaming PC and can be considered as a benchmark for this budget.

I hope that the specifications are clear to you. Do let me know down in the comment section whether you agree or disagree with my specification list.