2027 Edition · gaming, editing & AI work
From an empty desk to smooth 1440p gaming on a 144 Hz screen, then to a PC that makes things: code, video and AI on your own desk. Choose every part, buy it safely, and build it one checked step at a time. You learn the skill for good, so you can build the next one, and one for someone else.
The $2,000 PC in 100 Steps
Build the best PC $2,000 buys for 2027, and learn to build it again.
Who made this
“Four years of computer science. Not one lecture on how to build the machine.”
A computer science degree teaches you how a computer thinks: logic gates, memory, operating systems, networks. It never hands you a screwdriver. This guide is the missing module: every part explained in plain English before you buy it, and every step telling you what to do, what “done” looks like, and what to check when it isn’t.
Written by Jev Ivanov, BSc Computer Science (First Class Honours), Maynooth University. Technologist and gamer who has built many PCs, for himself and for others, and pushes high-end machines to the limit: several AI agents at once generating images and video while he optimizes the code of the whole pipeline.
Every price, spec and step is checked against at least two current sources, listed in the guide.
Why build it yourself
A desktop PC is eight parts that plug together in one order. The hard part was never the screwdriver. It's knowing which parts fit, what to pay while AI data centers soak up the world's memory, which platform still upgrades in 2027, and what to do when the screen stays black. This guide covers all of it.
Get the guide · $37 →
Play. Create. Earn.
The parts that run a big game at 144 Hz are the same parts that write code, edit 4K video and run AI. A strong PC is a tool that can pay for itself, if you use it to make things.
WoW, Diablo 4, Path of Exile 2, The Witcher 3 and more. At max settings most big games run about 60–120 fps on this build in reviewers’ tests (the very heaviest new releases run lower); DLSS and frame generation take you to 144 Hz, and the guide shows exactly how.
16 GB of graphics memory for DaVinci Resolve’s AI tools, a dedicated video encoder for recording and streaming, and 32 GB of memory for everything open at once.
Set up a code workshop, run AI chatbots and image models on your own desk, and learn the real routes creators earn by, with YouTube’s actual rules. No hype and no income promises: just the map.
Why build now
AI data centers need enormous amounts of memory, and the big memory makers are shifting their factories toward AI and server chips. That leaves less for the memory, SSDs and graphics cards that go into PCs.
A 32 GB DDR5 kit, October 2025 vs now. Contract prices are forecast up another 10–15% this quarter.
The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB’s median price, June to August 2026. Nvidia warned supply would be “very tight”.
Their price a year ago. The storage-chip shortage isn’t expected to ease until the second half of 2027.
Micron closed its Crucial consumer brand in 2026 to sell its chips to AI customers instead.
Shop prices have held roughly flat since late summer, at that high level, and nobody can promise where they go next. The forecasts show no relief before 2027. The guide shows you how to buy well anyway: price alerts, the parts worth paying more for, and the swaps that save money.
Sources: Tom’s Hardware RAM index · TrendForce, 30 Sep 2026 · RTX 5060 Ti median price · Nvidia supply outlook · SSD outlook · SSD +129% · Crucial exit
Get the guide · $37More than one PC
Almost every desktop PC is built to the same standards: the same kind of board, the same slots, the same plugs. Build this one with the guide and you’ve learned the whole job, not just one machine.
Upgrades, the 2027 processors, a second machine: the steps are the same. Next time it’s a parts list and an afternoon.
Help a friend, a partner or your kids choose parts that fit, buy them safely, and put them together. You’ll know which questions to ask before anyone spends a dollar.
AI tools, video and games all lean on the same parts. Know what each one does and you’ll know what to upgrade when something feels slow, instead of buying a whole new computer.
Inside the guide
Every step is one action with a check at the end. The computer science sits in optional “Why it works” panels, there when you’re curious and out of the way when you’re not.
What it’s for, the eight parts and how to choose each one, and an honest prebuilt comparison.
The seven fit checks, trusted US stores, price alerts, safe payment, scams to skip, then your orders.
Check every box on camera, make the Windows and BIOS sticks, set up the desk.
Processor, SSD, memory and cooler, then into the case: power, graphics card, front panel.
First start, what the debug lights mean, memory speed and the BIOS checks.
Windows, the right drivers, an evening of stress tests while you can still return parts, full refresh rate.
144 Hz with DLSS, DaVinci Resolve, backups, a code workshop, AI on your own PC, and your first project.
The reference builds
Each build is a complete shopping list: every part, why it was picked, where to order it, and what to swap if a price jumps.
1440p gaming and 4K editing, with an Nvidia RTX graphics card and room to grow into 2027.
Heavy 4K editing, color grading and high-end gaming. Built to last years.
Nvidia is the best in the business. About 9 in 10 graphics cards sold for PCs are Nvidia. DaVinci Resolve runs on Nvidia's CUDA, and its advanced AI tools want 16 GB of graphics memory: exactly what both of these cards have.
They keep getting better, and more expensive: the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB went from about $570 to $805 between June and August 2026, and analysts don't expect memory supply to ease before 2027.
So if you're building, get yours today.
Both builds use AMD's AM5 platform, which takes the 2027 CPUs with a BIOS update. Tighter budget? The guide shows exactly what to trim, and what never to trim.
Look inside
Most build videos show an expert's hands moving fast. This guide slows down. One action per step, a check after each one, and a warning box wherever people usually go wrong.
The tiny plugs for the power button, reset button and lights. Your motherboard manual has a diagram of this header. Keep it open.
Stuck at step 47?
Type your question into Ask the guide, the helper built into the web edition. It finds the exact step, warning or fix in the guide and takes you straight there.
Still stuck? Email the author with your step number and a photo, and we’ll help you get it running.
Get the guide
One payment. Yours to keep, with the 2027 update included.
Launching soon. Get the free compatibility checklist now and we’ll email you the day the guide goes on sale, at the launch price.
Instant access · 🔒 secure checkout
Instant access · 🔒 secure checkout
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Not ready yet?
The seven checks to make before you buy a single part. One page. Print it, tick it off, and you'll avoid the most common first-build mistakes.
Get the free checklist →Free. Enter your email at the checkout and the PDF arrives straight away. We’ll also email you on launch day. We only email you about this guide, and every email has an unsubscribe link.
Questions
Yes. The guide assumes you know nothing about the parts and explains each one before you buy it. If you can follow a recipe and use a screwdriver, you can build a PC.
No. You get the interactive web edition (videos, maps, progress ticks and the Ask the guide helper) and the PDF straight after checkout. Read it on your phone, tablet or computer next to the build, or print the pages you want.
Part prices change weekly, so every build list is dated and every part comes with an alternative. The method (what to look for, how to check it fits, how to build) doesn't go out of date. When the 2027 processors launch, buyers get the updated edition free.
You don't have to. Every build in the guide uses AMD's AM5 platform, which AMD's next desktop chips are reported to use too, so you can drop a 2027 CPU into the same motherboard later. When the new chips launch, buyers get an updated edition.
Yes, that's the point. The steps work for almost any desktop built to the same standards, and the guide shows you how to choose parts for a different budget or use. Please don't share your copy of the guide itself: send them here instead.
A helper built into the web edition. Type what you're stuck on, in your own words, and it finds the step, warning or fix in the guide that covers it and takes you there. If the guide doesn't cover it, it tells you so and gives you the author's email.
Sometimes, yes. Big PC makers bought memory before prices jumped, and the guide says so. It shows you how to compare a prebuilt against your build, and when building still wins: better parts, room to upgrade, and parts you can reuse.
Yes, and you’ll feel it the moment you sit down. Coming from an old 60 Hz screen, everything just feels smoother: the mouse cursor glides instead of stepping, camera turns are fluid, and fast fights are easier to follow. We think 144 Hz, or better 165 Hz, is the minimum for enjoying games in 2027, and this build is made for it. The numbers: light and competitive games run past 144 fps as they are. Big single-player games at their highest settings measured about 60–120 fps on this build’s graphics card at 1440p in reviewers’ tests (the very heaviest new releases lower), and DLSS upscaling with frame generation takes most of them past 144. The guide shows every measured number we found, labels the estimates, and walks you through the settings.
It can be the tool, not the income. Part 5 shows what a strong PC does beyond games (code, AI on your own desk, video), the real ways creators earn, and the rules YouTube enforces, such as no ad money for mass-produced AI videos. Most channels and side projects never earn much, so we make no income promises.
Yes, if you follow the steps. The guide covers static safety and switching off at the wall, and it repeats one rule often: never open the power supply itself. If a part seems damaged, the guide tells you to stop and return it rather than repair it.
No. Each part keeps its own manufacturer warranty when you install it as the manual describes. The guide shows you how to register parts and keep receipts.
No. The shop links in the guide are plain links, and we earn nothing from them. If that ever changes, we’ll say so next to the link.
The whole guide is yours the moment you buy, so sales are final once it's opened. Instead, we promise help: email [email protected] with your step number and a photo, and we'll help until your PC boots. We refund in full if you were charged twice, if the files won't open and we can't fix it, or if you bought by mistake and haven't opened it.
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Before you go
The seven checks to run before you buy any part. One page, free.
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