DIABLO IV
97 fps at Ultra
Reviewers measured 97 fps on average (76 at the 1% lows) at 1440p Ultra on this build’s graphics card. DLSS takes it higher, and the guide shows the settings.
For hardcore ARPG players · Path of Exile 2 · Diablo IV · Last Epoch
One death ends the run. Don’t let your PC cause it.
On hardcore, a stutter in the wrong fight can cost a character and every hour you put into it. Build a PC that holds its frame rate when the screen fills with effects, and passes a full night of stability tests before your first run. Every part explained, bought safely, and put together one checked step at a time. No experience needed.
- Frame rates for the heaviest fights, estimates labelled
- Stress-tested for crashes before your first run
- Record every run, and every death, on the card’s own encoder
2027 Edition
The $2,000 PC in 100 Steps
Build the best PC $2,000 buys for 2027, and learn to build it again.
Jev Ivanovv2027.1
Launch price
$37
$49 after launch
Launch price
100Steps, each with a check
8Parts, each explained
$2KHeadline build
1Screwdriver needed
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
Eight parts.
One screwdriver.
One afternoon.
- CPU
- CPU cooler
- Motherboard
- RAM
- SSD
- Graphics card
- Power supply
- Case
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 →🔒 Secure checkout✓ Instant access✓ Email help until it boots
Built for action RPGs
What ARPGs need from a PC.
When a map fills the screen with effects, the processor and the graphics card are both pushed at once. The guide shows the build, the real numbers we found, and the one swap that helps most in the heaviest fights.
PATH OF EXILE 2
Built for juiced maps
Estimates put this build’s graphics card at about 76–89 fps at 1440p, and around 120 with DLSS Quality. In the heaviest endgame fights the processor becomes the limit, so the guide shows the Ryzen 7 9800X3D swap (about $270 more).
STREAM & RECORD
Clip every death
The graphics card’s own video encoder records and streams while barely touching your frame rate, so your best runs, and your worst deaths, end up on video.
Hardcore
Your PC should never be what kills you.
On hardcore, one death is final. In Diablo IV the character is gone for good; in Path of Exile 2 and Last Epoch it drops out of hardcore for good. On our RIPClips channel we collect hardcore deaths, and some of them come down to lag, a disconnect or a crash, not the monster.
THE PC CAN FIX
Frame drops & stutter
A graphics card and processor chosen for the heaviest fights, with real numbers, and the one swap that helps most when the screen fills with effects.
THE PC CAN FIX
Crashes
Before your first run, Chapter 20 tests the whole PC: memory overnight with MemTest86, then 30–60 minutes of OCCT. Any crash is a fail, and the guide shows the fix.
THE PC CAN’T FIX
Server lag & disconnects
No PC fixes a game server or an internet outage. The guide sets you up on a network cable instead of Wi-Fi; the rest is on the game’s side.
Diablo IV’s first level-100 hardcore character was lost to a server disconnect, and the game counts a disconnect as a death. That part is out of your hands. Frame drops and crashes aren’t: that’s what this build and its tests are for.
Sources: Diablo IV level-100 disconnect death · Diablo IV hardcore rules · Blizzard Hardcore policy · policy, second report · PoE2 leagues · Last Epoch support
Why build now
The AI boom is buying up the chips your PC needs.
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.
Memory$100–200 → $350+
A 32 GB DDR5 kit, October 2025 vs now. Contract prices are forecast up another 10–15% this quarter.
Graphics cards$570 → $805
The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB’s median price, June to August 2026. Nvidia warned supply would be “very tight”.
SSDs2.3×
Their price a year ago. The storage-chip shortage isn’t expected to ease until the second half of 2027.
BrandsCrucial: gone
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
Learn it once. Build it for life.
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.
01
Build it again
Upgrades, the 2027 processors, a second machine: the steps are the same. Next time it’s a parts list and an afternoon.
02
Build for others
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.
03
Own the machine you work on
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
100 steps. Seven stages. Nothing skipped.
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.
- Steps 1–10
Plan
What it’s for, the eight parts and how to choose each one, and an honest prebuilt comparison.
- Steps 11–25
Buy smart
The seven fit checks, trusted US stores, price alerts, safe payment, scams to skip, then your orders.
- Steps 26–32
Unbox and prepare
Check every box on camera, make the Windows and BIOS sticks, set up the desk.
- Steps 33–70
Build
Processor, SSD, memory and cooler, then into the case: power, graphics card, front panel.
- Steps 71–78
Power on
First start, what the debug lights mean, memory speed and the BIOS checks.
- Steps 79–92
Set up and test
Windows, the right drivers, an evening of stress tests while you can still return parts, full refresh rate.
- Steps 93–100
Play and create
144 Hz with DLSS, DaVinci Resolve, backups, a code workshop, AI on your own PC, and your first project.
Plus: the Creator build, troubleshooting for no power, no picture and crashes, a glossary, and every source we used.
The reference builds
The best PC $2,000 can build.
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.
The $2,000 Build
~$1,990
1440p gaming and 4K editing, with an Nvidia RTX graphics card and room to grow into 2027.
- CPUAMD Ryzen 5 9600X
- GraphicsNvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
- Memory32 GB DDR5
- Games1440p, 144 Hz with DLSS
- Editing4K timelines
- AIchatbots and image models on your desk
Creator
~$3,900
Heavy 4K editing, color grading and high-end gaming. Built to last years.
- CPUAMD Ryzen 9 9950X, 16 cores
- GraphicsNvidia RTX 5080 16GB
- Memory64 GB DDR5
- Games4K and high-refresh 1440p
- Editing4K+, effects, color
Why Nvidia?
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
Every step tells you what "done" looks like.
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.
- Large, clear pages that print well
- "If it worked, you'll see…" after every step
- Warnings exactly where mistakes happen
- Read on phone, tablet or computer, or print it and keep it by the build
Part 3 · Build itStep 69 of 100
The power button: case wire to PANEL1
On our board the front-panel header is PANEL1, in the bottom-right corner. Have the flashlight ready: the labels are tiny.
1
Find PANEL1 in the bottom-right corner. In the web edition, the animated board map lights it up for you.
2
Plug the case’s POWER SW wire onto the two PWR_SW pins. Either way round works.
3
Power LED wire: + side on the pin marked +. On this board it can also go on SPK_PLED1, right next to PANEL1.
Count the pins twiceThe most common front-panel mistake is a plug sitting one row off. If the first power-on stays dark (Chapter 18), this is the first thing to check.
Good to knowA reversed LED plug just doesn’t light. Nothing is damaged. Turn it round.
Stuck at step 47?
You’re never on your own.
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.
Ask the guideYour build helper. Answers come from the guide.
My PC won't turn on
Let's find it. Here's where the guide covers it:
Chapter 18 · If it doesn't startThe “It won't start” helper asks what happens when you press the button, and which debug light stays on, then points to the fix.
Chapter 17 · The power buttonThe case's POWER SW wire goes on the two PWR_SW pins of PANEL1.
Get the guide
Launch price, while it lasts.
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.
The Guide
$37$49after launch
Launch deal: save $12 · 24% off
- All 100 steps: interactive web edition with videos, animated “where it goes” maps and progress ticks
- The PDF, clickable, with QR codes for printing
- The $2,000 Build and the Creator build, with US stores and dated prices
- Ask the guide, the built-in helper
- Email help from the author
- Free update when the 2027 processors launch
Instant access · 🔒 secure checkout
Guide + Build-It-Again Kit
$42$59after launch
Launch deal: save $17 · 29% off
$7 less than buying the guide and Kit separately
- Everything in The Guide
- The Build-It-Again Kit: the 100-step checklist, compatibility worksheet, parts and order tracker, BIOS cheat sheet, cable ID cards and test log, printable for every future build
- “Building for someone else” planner: the questions to ask, what to agree up front, where the money goes, and a handover checklist
Instant access · 🔒 secure checkout
Already have the guide? Get the Build-It-Again Kit on its own for $12 →
BUILD
HELP
HELP
Our build-help promise. Stuck at any step? Email [email protected] with your step number and a photo, and we’ll help until your PC boots. Because the whole guide is yours the moment you buy, sales are final once it’s opened. 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.
Not ready yet?
Get the free compatibility checklist.
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.
Before you buy: 7 checks
CPU socket matches the motherboard socket
Motherboard supports your RAM type (DDR4 or DDR5)
Motherboard size fits the case (ATX, micro-ATX, mini-ITX)
Graphics card length fits the case
CPU cooler height (or radiator size) fits the case
Power supply wattage covers CPU + GPU with headroom
BIOS supports your CPU out of the box (or can be updated without one)
Questions
Before you order
I've never opened a computer. Is this really for me?
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.
Is this a physical book?
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.
Won't the prices be out of date?
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.
Should I wait for the 2027 chips?
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.
Can I use it to build PCs for friends and family?
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.
What is Ask the guide?
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.
Isn't a prebuilt PC cheaper right now?
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.
Will it really run my games at 144 Hz?
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.
Can this PC make me money?
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.
Is building a PC safe?
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.
Will building it myself void any warranties?
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.
Do you earn money from the shops you recommend?
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.
Can I get a refund?
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.