The reason prebuilt PCs could be a better buy in 2026

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This is painful to write as someone who has been building their own gaming PC for decades. Still, there’s no denying that companies’ seemingly unquenchable thirst to build so many AI data centers has caused PC component prices to skyrocket. This means we’re in an era where it’s prohibitively expensive to build a gaming rig. While prebuilt PCs aren’t exactly cheap either, they’re probably a better value prospect right now.

If you have the time and inclination, the best solution is to build a gaming rig. But provided you’re not one of the many people who have panic-bought PCs to avoid RAMageddon, pre-built machines will currently be kinder on your wallet than a custom-built system. Let’s take a look at the benefits of prebuilt PCs, discuss the pros and cons of custom building, and also walk you through the type of gaming rig you can get for the price of $2,000.

From a purely economic standpoint, prebuilt PCs are currently more attractive than they have been in years. Finding an affordable GPU during the Great Memory Shortage of 2026 is a very daunting prospect. Exorbitant RAM and storage costs also mean that assembling your own PC has a huge impact on your bank balance. If you have parts that are still performing well that you can reuse, the cost of new construction becomes more manageable, but that’s not the case for everyone.

Most likely, building a PC will be prohibitively expensive for some time to come. Market experts don’t think the RAM shortage will end anytime soon. I’ve been building PCs for over 20 years, and even I wouldn’t recommend building your own rig in today’s climate. I bought my RTX 5090 for “just” $2,700 shortly after the fastest consumer GPU on the planet launched in 2025. As I write this, this same card is listed on Amazon for a ridiculous $11,565 – or maybe a $7,000 deal is more your speed. Ouch.

For another comparison: the most expensive RTX 5080 model on Amazon costs around $2,150. However, do a little shopping around and you can find a full version of the RTX 5080 with an i9-13900K processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD for $2,899.

You should write down the prices of the components you are looking for, add them up, and compare them to the price of a pre-built model you have your eye on. Many stores selling off-the-shelf PCs (such as Costco and Sam’s Club) regularly offer deals that can generate even more savings.

It mostly comes down to a matter of time and effort. If you want to have complete control over every component of your rig, are willing to investigate the blue screen of death that will likely occur when you first boot up a freshly made PC, and don’t mind getting your hands dirty while applying thermal paste, by all means assemble the gaming machine of your dreams.

Building your own rig can be extremely satisfying, and it’s not very difficult to do. Do your research and have a few YouTube tutorials handy, and you’ll find that building a PC isn’t all that different from putting together Lego bricks (albeit extremely technical and expensive bricks). Assembling a gaming rig also requires patience, with some trial and error, so it’s wise to avoid the custom route if you’re short-tempered.

As for prebuilt PCs, the main appeal is convenience. Buy one from a reliable outlet and it will work immediately without any problems. Buying a pre-built PC also means that your rig and all its components are covered by a single warranty, which is not the case with custom builds. There are other minor niceties to not ordering everything piecemeal: you don’t have to worry about mail-in discounts, wait for a part to come back in stock, or make sure all your parts fit together. Windows will also be ready to work.

Manufacturers typically purchase parts in bulk, which can save you money. OEMs haven’t yet passed on the rising costs of prebuilt models to consumers, but that won’t last forever. The only real downside is that you won’t have control over every part going into your PC, meaning a pre-built system may be harder to upgrade than one you’ve put together yourself. If possible, purchase a machine using standard parts that will be easy to exchange later.

This is an arbitrary number. You can set your budget as low as the entry-level valve steam engine at $1,049 or go the John Hammond “no expense spared” route and assemble a 5090 rig at $7,000. However, $2,000 seems like a reasonably fair price for a system that should comfortably crush a $900 PS5 Pro. As for whether such a gaming PC is worth it, it depends on your personal preferences.

If you have your heart set on a system that can handle 1440p/120fps gameplay or 4K/60fps action (provided you lower the settings for the latter), a capable $2,000 rig should be doable. I’ve had good experiences with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X processor in a previous version, currently available for less than $350. On the GPU front, we still rate Red Side’s Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU highly, which can be found between $700 and $800.

With the $850 left over after dealing with the CPU/GPU pairing, you should be able to buy a decent case, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of SDD, PSU, motherboard, case, and accompanying fans for less than $2,000. Of course, this assumes that a minimum of 1440p is your requirement. Provided you’re happy gaming at 1080p, you should be able to put together a PS5-beating gaming PC well below that figure.