This $600 Gaming PC Build Plays EVERYTHING in 2026

Today, guys, we are going to be building a $600 gaming PC that targets everything at 1080p high refresh rates. Now, this is one of my classic builds, but really, I wanted to go over how pricing in the PC market has really changed how a lot of PCs are built. So, like always, links to everything will be in the description below, and let's just get right into it. So, starting with the CPU, we have the Ryzen 5 5600, and you can get this for $148 on Amazon. Now, I've used this CPU in a ton of different builds, and the reason for that is there really aren't that many better options around this price. The biggest benefit, actually, is not that it just has six cores and 12 threads, which is really great for gaming, and especially at 1080p, it's gonna be great, but it's also on the AM4 platform, and if you guys have been keeping up with the PC market, you know that RAM prices are absolutely insane. So, going on DDR4 is a lot better compared to DDR5, and you will be able to save a lot there. But don't get it twisted, this CPU is really good. You can even pair it with a lot of GPUs for 1440p gaming, but even at 1080p, it's gonna be more than enough. And honestly, one of my favorite parts as well is that it does come with a Wraith Stealth cooler, so you don't have to pay more for a separate cooler. But yeah, overall, this CPU is honestly one of my favorites. I use it a lot, but that is for good reason. Now, for the motherboard, we have the ASUS Prime B550M-A Wi-Fi Mark II, and you can get this for around $98. Now, this is a B550M board that I've used in a ton of different builds as well, and really, it just has all the features that you need. It has PCIe 4.0, it of course supports the DDR4 RAM we're gonna be pairing it with, and overall, it has enough fan headers and a ton of features that really just makes it worth it. I do usually recommend the Gigabyte B550MK, which you can get for $70. So, if you do wanna save some money, you can go with that one, which I will link down below as well. But if you do wanna go with the ASUS board instead, that is perfectly fine. All right, so let's talk RAM. Now, usually in these videos, what I recommend is going through the used market. Now, this is using sites like Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or eBay, and trying to get a deal that is around $60. What you're gonna be targeting is 16 gigabytes on DDR4, and you're gonna be getting anything between 3,000 to 3,600 megahertz. This is gonna be perfect for the Ryzen CPU we're pairing it with, and taking a look at the used markets, you can usually find a kit for around that $60 price. So, the one I have here is the T-Force Vulcan Z 16 gigabyte kit at 3,200 megahertz. I've used this in a ton of different builds. But yeah, even if you get a kit that's 3,000 megahertz, the difference in performance is not gonna be a lot, probably not even noticeable at all. So, just try to look at your local market is the best way to get RAM, because if you wanted to get a new kit on like, let's say Amazon, it's over $100. So, hopefully this RAM crisis does go away soon, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Now, for another part that is super expensive, we have the SSD. Now, this one is the WD Blue SN5100, and I'm pretty sure you actually can't get this one on Amazon, I'm pretty sure it's sold out. So, the one I have linked below is the T-Force G50. It's a 512 gigabyte Gen 4 SSD, which is the exact same one as this one, but that is going for $100. Now, $100 for a 500 gigabyte SSD is actually just insane. Even just a couple of weeks ago, SSD prices weren't that bad. You could get like a 500 gigabyte one for around $75 to $80, which is bad in itself, but compared to now at $100, it's just absolutely wild. You could technically just get like a 256 gigabyte SSD, but that is really not a lot of space for games. So, yeah, RAM prices and SSD prices are really just making it hard to build budget builds, so you do kind of have to work around them. So, for the case, I'm using the DarkFlash ATX PC case, but the one I have linked below is the Gamdias Aura GC2. Now, I actually ordered that case, and I do wanna use it in some future videos, but I did buy it on Amazon.com, and I am in Canada, so shipping is pretty long. But in terms of form factor and the feature set, they are basically pretty much the same. That Gamdias one also comes with RGB fans, so the airflow out of the box would be pretty good. And this case is going for around $68, which is actually pretty expensive for what you're getting, but the Gamdias one is going for $45, which is a much better deal. So, I'll make sure to link both of them down below, but I would recommend getting the Gamdias one because, for the money, it's a much better choice. Now, for the power supply, we have a trusty friend here in the MSI Mag A550BN, which you can get for around $53. Honestly, this is a staple in all of my budget builds if you've been keeping up, and that's for good reason. It really just is a solid power supply. It comes with all of the cables you need, and it is 80-plus bronze rated, which is on the lower end, but, you know, for the parts we're pairing it with, it will be completely fine. But yeah, there really just aren't that many options at this kind of lower end range at around $50, so really, this is just a solid choice. But if you guys do have any recommendations for something around this price, I would love to hear it, so just leave a comment down below. And now, for one of my favorite graphics cards I love recommending is the RX 5700 XT, which you can get for around $120 used. So, this is the gigabyte variant with a three-fan design, and honestly, it's one of my favorite cards. One of the reasons for that is that it comes with eight gigabytes of VRAM, so basically, for 1080p gaming, it's going to be perfect. And honestly, compared to other graphics cards you can get in the price range, which would be something like an RTX 2060 Super, I think this is just a way better card. It does run quite hot, and it does take a lot of power, but honestly, for raw performance, you're really not going to find anything better. So, basically, if you can get any variant of the RX 5700 XT, you won't be disappointed. So, guys, that is the entire build, and the total for everything came out to $626, which I think is pretty good. So, I'm going to show you guys some benchmarks so you guys can see how this PC performs. But with that, guys, that is the $600 gaming PC. So, I hope you guys did enjoy it. Links to everything will be in the description below, and I'll see you guys all in the next one.