Question Prebuilt Gaming PC for under $1500 ?

[Capo1]

Hi All!,

Hopefully this is the right forum. I am looking for suggestions for the best bang for the buck for a prebuilt gaming PC that is under $1500 USD. I appreciate any suggestions!

Capo

 

[stuff and nonesense]

Hi All!,

Hopefully this is the right forum. I am looking for suggestions for the best bang for the buck for a prebuilt gaming PC that is under $1500 USD. I appreciate any suggestions!

Capo

What do you want to use it for, what games/programmes?

 

[Capo1]

For Gaming. At 1440p resolution. Older school games but also something to handle more modern gaming on "high" graphics (not maxed per se, but good). I'm a few years out of date, is the sweet spot intel/nvidia still or has it shifted to amd?

 

[Aeacus]

I am looking for suggestions for the best bang for the buck for a prebuilt gaming PC that is under $1500 USD.

StarForge Horizon III Elite would be the best,
specs: https://starforgesystems.com/products/horizon-iii-elite

Also, under your budget and designed for 1440p gaming.

Now, as of what makes StarForge in general good, is that they are one of the very few prebuilt system sellers, who actually assemble the build properly, without minor or major issues.

GamersNexus is buying prebuilt PCs incognito and then making in-depth reviews of them, so that people know which prebuilt company to look for and which one to avoid like a plague.
Here is their YT playlist of prebuilt reviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsuVSmND84QuM2HKzG7ipbIbE_R5EnCLM

StarForge prebuilt has been on the spotlight 2 times now. 1st time there were some loose screw issues but 2nd time around, all was in order and build was one of the very few properly built.


Another thing that i like about StarForge is that they openly state what make/model PSU comes with the prebuilt PC. This is actually very rare to see, since most prebuilt PC brands only list PSU's wattage. Sometimes even efficiency but that's it. This means that PSU is often the cheaped out component inside the prebuilt PC. Because when PSU is crap, no-one is going to openly state the make/model. But if PSU would be actually good, stating the make/model actually helps to sell the PC.

Prime example; random Asus prebuilt,
specs: https://rog.asus.com/desktops/mid-tower/rog-strix-g13ch-series/spec/

If you look at PSU specs, all it says, is wattage and efficiency. Nothing more. If same info would be said about CPU or GPU, the listing would say;
CPU - Intel Core i7 (16 cores)
GPU - Nvidia (8GB VRAM)
Yet, there's in-depth info about CPU and GPU.

But with StarForge PC and the Horizon III Elite i linked, you can see on the tin, that the PSU it comes with, is MSI MAG A750GL PCI-E 5.
That PSU is Tier B unit.
PSU Tier list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...JWkc/edit?pli=1&gid=1973454078#gid=1973454078

While i'd like to see Tier A or A+ PSU in the prebuilt, it would jack up the overall price and only very few people are willing to pay money for great quality PSU (including yours truly). While most people love to cheap out on PSU.
But with PSUs, there is a catch:
Since PSU powers everything, it is the most important component inside the PC.
Hence why NEVER cheap out on PSU! Also, never buy used PSU either.

 

[thestryker]

StarForge is very likely to be your best option and experience for the price range you're looking at.

For cheaper companies you can take a chance on:

ABS is a subsidiary of Newegg and from what I've seen if you get something that works it's fine, but if not can be a hassle as their customer service is trash.

Skytech is privately owned and seems to have some QA issues, but seems to do right by their customers.

 

[dark_globe]

StarForge Horizon III Elite would be the best,
specs: https://starforgesystems.com/products/horizon-iii-elite

Also, under your budget and designed for 1440p gaming.

Now, as of what makes StarForge in general good, is that they are one of the very few prebuilt system sellers, who actually assemble the build properly, without minor or major issues.

GamersNexus is buying prebuilt PCs incognito and then making in-depth reviews of them, so that people know which prebuilt company to look for and which one to avoid like a plague.
Here is their YT playlist of prebuilt reviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsuVSmND84QuM2HKzG7ipbIbE_R5EnCLM

StarForge prebuilt has been on the spotlight 2 times now. 1st time there were some loose screw issues but 2nd time around, all was in order and build was one of the very few properly built.


Another thing that i like about StarForge is that they openly state what make/model PSU comes with the prebuilt PC. This is actually very rare to see, since most prebuilt PC brands only list PSU's wattage. Sometimes even efficiency but that's it. This means that PSU is often the cheaped out component inside the prebuilt PC. Because when PSU is crap, no-one is going to openly state the make/model. But if PSU would be actually good, stating the make/model actually helps to sell the PC.

Prime example; random Asus prebuilt,
specs: https://rog.asus.com/desktops/mid-tower/rog-strix-g13ch-series/spec/

If you look at PSU specs, all it says, is wattage and efficiency. Nothing more. If same info would be said about CPU or GPU, the listing would say;
CPU - Intel Core i7 (16 cores)
GPU - Nvidia (8GB VRAM)
Yet, there's in-depth info about CPU and GPU.

But with StarForge PC and the Horizon III Elite i linked, you can see on the tin, that the PSU it comes with, is MSI MAG A750GL PCI-E 5.
That PSU is Tier B unit.
PSU Tier list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...JWkc/edit?pli=1&gid=1973454078#gid=1973454078

While i'd like to see Tier A or A+ PSU in the prebuilt, it would jack up the overall price and only very few people are willing to pay money for great quality PSU (including yours truly). While most people love to cheap out on PSU.
But with PSUs, there is a catch:
Since PSU powers everything, it is the most important component inside the PC.
Hence why NEVER cheap out on PSU! Also, never buy used PSU either.

i would not call a $1500 system
with 2x8gb of relatively slow memory and 1tb of storage a good deal in 2025 ...
2x16gb is a bare minimum for gaming systems in 2025
if we are talking some sort of comfort and a bit of breathing room .
and if you ask me it is starting to shift more towards 2x24gb actually .

OP can easily order something like this and ask someone to assemble the system for him perhaps
(3-4x the amount of faster system memory ,
40-50% more powerful video card , 2x of storage capacity) :
there are already games out there that can easily get close to utilizing 16gb of system memory ,
with 48/64gb there is little chance of running out of memory
even when having lots of stuff opened in the background while gaming , not to mention
preventing a potential future problems with upgrading to 4 memory sticks on a dual channel motherboard



PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($170.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE 58 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650 PG LIGHTNING ATX AM5 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($191.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: KingSpec XG7000 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 9070 16 GB Video Card ($599.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: ASRock Steel Legend SL-850G 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - USB 64-bit ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1520.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-07-20 08:27 EDT-0400

 

[Aeacus]

i would not call a $1500 system
with 2x8gb of relatively slow memory and 1tb of storage a good deal in 2025 ...

DIY has ALWAYS better price-to-performance ratio than prebuilt.

With prebuilt, the system is assembled, OS installed and whomever sells that system, has obligation to provide customer support as well.
But for DIY (self-assemble), OP has to assemble the build by themselves, install OS by themselves and they are their own customer support person.

Since OP specifically asked for prebuilt, i respect their wishes and this is why i replied so. It is not my place to inquire why OP isn't going DIY route, instead they desire prebuilt.

 

[Capo1]

DIY has ALWAYS better price-to-performance ratio than prebuilt.

With prebuilt, the system is assembled, OS installed and whomever sells that system, has obligation to provide customer support as well.
But for DIY (self-assemble), OP has to assemble the build by themselves, install OS by themselves and they are their own customer support person.

Since OP specifically asked for prebuilt, i respect their wishes and this is why i replied so. It is not my place to inquire why OP isn't going DIY route, instead they desire prebuilt.

Yes, you are correct. I really appreciate the DIY parts and have built myself before, this isn't directly for me and am tight on time, so paying a bit more for prebuilt is the only option right now. I appreciate the suggestions and please keep any coming, especially direct links to any deals anyone may see!

 

[Gururu]

This is a good site for checking. I think the same recommended PC for $1450 at Newegg.

 

[Capo1]

StarForge Horizon III Elite would be the best,
specs: https://starforgesystems.com/products/horizon-iii-elite

Also, under your budget and designed for 1440p gaming.

Now, as of what makes StarForge in general good, is that they are one of the very few prebuilt system sellers, who actually assemble the build properly, without minor or major issues.

GamersNexus is buying prebuilt PCs incognito and then making in-depth reviews of them, so that people know which prebuilt company to look for and which one to avoid like a plague.
Here is their YT playlist of prebuilt reviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsuVSmND84QuM2HKzG7ipbIbE_R5EnCLM

StarForge prebuilt has been on the spotlight 2 times now. 1st time there were some loose screw issues but 2nd time around, all was in order and build was one of the very few properly built.


Another thing that i like about StarForge is that they openly state what make/model PSU comes with the prebuilt PC. This is actually very rare to see, since most prebuilt PC brands only list PSU's wattage. Sometimes even efficiency but that's it. This means that PSU is often the cheaped out component inside the prebuilt PC. Because when PSU is crap, no-one is going to openly state the make/model. But if PSU would be actually good, stating the make/model actually helps to sell the PC.

Prime example; random Asus prebuilt,
specs: https://rog.asus.com/desktops/mid-tower/rog-strix-g13ch-series/spec/

If you look at PSU specs, all it says, is wattage and efficiency. Nothing more. If same info would be said about CPU or GPU, the listing would say;
CPU - Intel Core i7 (16 cores)
GPU - Nvidia (8GB VRAM)
Yet, there's in-depth info about CPU and GPU.

But with StarForge PC and the Horizon III Elite i linked, you can see on the tin, that the PSU it comes with, is MSI MAG A750GL PCI-E 5.
That PSU is Tier B unit.
PSU Tier list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...JWkc/edit?pli=1&gid=1973454078#gid=1973454078

While i'd like to see Tier A or A+ PSU in the prebuilt, it would jack up the overall price and only very few people are willing to pay money for great quality PSU (including yours truly). While most people love to cheap out on PSU.
But with PSUs, there is a catch:
Since PSU powers everything, it is the most important component inside the PC.
Hence why NEVER cheap out on PSU! Also, never buy used PSU either.

Thank you for the starforge suggestion. The specs look decent but am a bit concerned with only 16GB of ram. I'm not seeing an option to upgrade to 32GB, unless I'm missing it. Any idea of if they allow memory upgrades if you contact them somehow?

 

[dark_globe]

DIY has ALWAYS better price-to-performance ratio than prebuilt.

With prebuilt, the system is assembled, OS installed and whomever sells that system, has obligation to provide customer support as well.
But for DIY (self-assemble), OP has to assemble the build by themselves, install OS by themselves and they are their own customer support person.

Since OP specifically asked for prebuilt, i respect their wishes and this is why i replied so. It is not my place to inquire why OP isn't going DIY route, instead they desire prebuilt.

you are stating the obvious , but even for a prebuild 2x8gb is too low ...
if you are going to suggest a prebuilt system it should have 2x16gb minimum in 2025
(i´m also stating the obvious).

 

[Aeacus]

Any idea of if they allow memory upgrades if you contact them somehow?

While the site doesn't offer PC configurator off the bat, they may switch out the RAM at your request. So, do contact them.

Cheapest 2x 16GB StarForge PC would be custom design Sentinel PC,
specs/store: https://starforgesystems.com/products/the-sentinel

It costs $1750 but has better performance than Horizon III Elite.

if you are going to suggest a prebuilt system it should have 2x16gb minimum in 2025

I do not compose nor build any of the prebuilt systems. All that i can do, is suggest already made PCs with fixed hardware within the budget.

I think the same recommended PC for $1450 at Newegg.

PSU in that one is what? 🙄

I did not see any word of the PSU. Not even the wattage capacity, which would be bare minimum spec.
So, PSU in there is considered crap quality and it is a matter of time when PSU goes "pop", releases magic smoke and fries everything it is connected to (aka whole PC).

Besides that, Egg only offers 1 year parts warranty and no customer support what-so-ever. While StarForge offers 2 years of parts warranty + lifetime customer support.

 

[dark_globe]

I do not compose nor build any of the prebuilt systems. All that i can do, is suggest already made PCs with fixed hardware within the budget.

of course
but what you can do is to recommed a better prebuilds within that budget .
surely you must know that you can do better than 2x8gb at $1500 .


regarding newegg ,honestly i would rather take my chances with a
"mystery box" gold rated power supply
in the sytem with rtx 5070 , ryzen 7700x and 32gb of ram (at least)
rather than constantly choking on 16gb of memory each day while also having a 40% slower video card .
(also there is very little chance that even a D or E tier 750w gold power supply
will go "pop" in a system with power consumption below 400w ,
you are exaggerating a fair bit) .

also this is a trade off you have to make with these prebuilds ,
you never get everything -
you will never get good psu,good video card , solid motherboard,
enough system memory and enough storage in one package
unless you pay really crazy money for it ...

hence my advice for the OP
order parts and find a trusted local technician
who will assemble the parts for you for maybe a 100 bucks

 

[thestryker]

PSU in that one is what? 🙄

I did not see any word of the PSU. Not even the wattage capacity, which would be bare minimum spec.
So, PSU in there is considered crap quality and it is a matter of time when PSU goes "pop", releases magic smoke and fries everything it is connected to (aka whole PC).

Besides that, Egg only offers 1 year parts warranty and no customer support what-so-ever. While StarForge offers 2 years of parts warranty + lifetime customer support.

750W gold (though that's meaningless without knowing the kind as it could be something like Gamdias) and it's sold by Skytech so it's their standard warranty not Newegg's.

 

[Why_Me]

i would not call a $1500 system
with 2x8gb of relatively slow memory and 1tb of storage a good deal in 2025 ...
2x16gb is a bare minimum for gaming systems in 2025
if we are talking some sort of comfort and a bit of breathing room .
and if you ask me it is starting to shift more towards 2x24gb actually .

OP can easily order something like this and ask someone to assemble the system for him perhaps
(3-4x the amount of faster system memory ,
40-50% more powerful video card , 2x of storage capacity) :
there are already games out there that can easily get close to utilizing 16gb of system memory ,
with 48/64gb there is little chance of running out of memory
even when having lots of stuff opened in the background while gaming , not to mention
preventing a potential future problems with upgrading to 4 memory sticks on a dual channel motherboard



PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($170.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE 58 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650 PG LIGHTNING ATX AM5 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($191.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: KingSpec XG7000 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 9070 16 GB Video Card ($599.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: ASRock Steel Legend SL-850G 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - USB 64-bit ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1520.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-07-20 08:27 EDT-0400

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-11-free-or-cheap

 

[Aeacus]

regarding newegg ,honestly i would rather take my chances with a
"mystery box" gold rated power supply
in the sytem with rtx 5070 , ryzen 7700x and 32gb of ram (at least)
rather than constantly choking on 16gb of memory each day while also having a 40% slower video card .
(also there is very little chance that even a D or E tier 750w gold power supply
will go "pop" in a system with power consumption below 400w ,
you are exaggerating a fair bit) .

You can cheap out on PSU and go with crap quality unit if you like (btw your EVGA GD isn't that good of an unit either), but, i, personally, can not suggest a system where the most important component is completely unknown.

All other hardware matters 0 when PSU acts up and kills the rest.

I'd rather have a bit weaker system with confirmed quality PSU, where there is little to no worry that PSU can act up, rather than best system budget can buy while powered by complete crap, that can (and most likely will) kill the entire system within days, weeks or months. Maybe within even a year.

Let me ask you this; IF OP does go with your Skytech suggestion from the Egg and the PSU does act up and fries their MoBo/GPU (or the rest of the system), will you put your wallet where your mouth is? By reimbursing OP the money they lost due to your suggestion of: "Tier D or E PSU is fine"? 🙄

 

[Gururu]

Let me ask you this; IF OP does go with your Skytech suggestion from the Egg and the PSU does act up and fries their MoBo/GPU (or the rest of the system), will you put your wallet where your mouth is? By reimbursing OP the money they lost due to your suggestion of: "Tier D or E PSU is fine"? 🙄

I think StarForge has a more established positive user base. Neither are BBB accredited. It would likely be easier to deal with StarForge than Skytech based on user feedback online. No doubt Skytech is offering several hundred dollars better in components at the $1500 price point, but maybe not worth the headache if there were to be a problem. But the StarForge above is not worth $1500 for product alone, but maybe for the expected customer assistance.

 

[Aeacus]

But the StarForge above is not worth $1500 for product alone

That price tag also includes assembly fee + OS installation, among other things. Hence why DIY is always better price-to-performance ratio since one does that on their own, cost free (except time). But if there would be complications of DIY, spanning several days (e.g DOA MoBo), then prebuilt can actually be better overall. After all, one's own time also costs something.

As OP said, they do not have time for DIY, hence why OP is looking at prebuilt in the first place.