I am completely new to PC’s. I have been playing console my whole life and I trying to make the leap to pc gaming! I have been told by friends that it is better to build my pc, but I just do not think I have the means to so I am looking for a prebuilt, or if anyone could help me with figuring one out to make. I am ranging around $1000-$1200 in my budget. I am not going to be using it for anything too crazy, maybe some casual work stuff, but mainly gaming. I want to play stuff like modded Minecraft, and I already play Rainbow Six Siege and Destiny 2 on console so I would be playing those as well on pc. Always wanted to play Valorant as well! If anyone could give any recommendations or insight into what I should look for, it would be much appreciated!
I think your budget is just a little light for what you want to do. Siege, Destiny 2, and Valorant will run great on a $1,000–$1,200 PC, but modded Minecraft is a different animal.
Everybody focuses on the GPU, but big modpacks are really CPU and RAM hungry. Normally I’d recommend 32 GB of RAM, but with 2026 memory prices that’s a pretty expensive jump.
If modded Minecraft is one of your main goals, I’d honestly try to save another couple hundred bucks. It’ll give you a much better balanced system instead of having to cut corners on the CPU or memory.
And don’t let anyone tell you that you have to build your own PC. Building is great if you’re into it, but it’s not for everybody, and that’s perfectly fine. There are plenty of solid prebuilts out there. Buy what fits your comfort level and enjoy the games—that’s the whole point.
I’ll look around and post a few prebuilt options that I think will handle everything you’re looking to play, especially modded Minecraft, without breaking the bank.
Thank you so much! It is definitely not a must for modded Minecraft just would be cool if I could, was just always interested in it when I was a kid, but it is not a definite need. Definitely more looking for a solid pc for those other games I listed. I play Destiny and Rainbow almost everyday and always wanted to try out those fun looking indie games you couldn’t get on console.
I found a couple of prebuilts that I think are worth stretching the budget for if you can.
Both are built on AMD’s newest AM5 platform, which AMD has officially committed to supporting through at least 2029. That means if you decide you want a faster processor a few years from now, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to drop one in without replacing the motherboard or starting over.
They also come with 32GB of DDR5 memory and an RX 9060 XT 16GB, which is exactly the kind of balanced setup I’d want for someone planning to play modded Minecraft, along with Siege, Destiny 2, and Valorant. The extra RAM is especially important for larger modpacks, where 16GB can become a limitation.
Yes, they’re a couple hundred dollars over your original budget, but I think it’s money well spent. Instead of buying a PC that’s already making compromises, you’re getting a modern platform with plenty of upgrade room and hardware that should have no problem running everything you listed for years to come.
And don’t feel like building your own PC is the only “right” way to get into gaming. For a lot of people, buying a prebuilt simply makes more sense. You get a complete system that’s already assembled and tested, and if something ever goes wrong, you’re dealing with one company instead of trying to figure out which individual part failed or which manufacturer to call. That’s a benefit that doesn’t show up on a spec sheet, but it’s worth a lot, especially for a first gaming PC.
At the end of the day, the goal is to enjoy your games, not spend your weekends troubleshooting hardware. I think spending a little more now on a well-balanced prebuilt like these is money well spent, and it should have no problem handling everything you want to play for years to come.
The biggest thing is at today’s crazy prices these PCs will last longer and are more upgradable and I know it’s a couple hundred dollars more but they’re really worth spending that now spending even more later
let me look for a couple $1200 pieces just so you can compare
These are the compromises I see with these systems. You’re either buying into an older platform that’s nearing the end of its upgrade path, or you’re getting an 8GB graphics card that you’ll probably want to replace in a couple of years. At today’s prices, that’s a $500–$700 upgrade on its own.
Spending another $200–$400 now gets you onto AMD’s newest AM5 platform, which AMD has officially committed to supporting through at least 2029, plus a 16GB graphics card and 32GB of DDR5 memory. That’s a much more balanced system for what you want to do and should have no problem with modded Minecraft, Siege, Destiny 2, or Valorant.
In my opinion, it’s one of those situations where spending a little more today actually saves you money in the long run because you’re buying a system you’ll want to keep instead of one you’ll be looking to upgrade almost immediately.
The part that stinks is a year ago $1200 would have enabled you to purchase these $1600 PC’s ut with RAM prices thw way they are today its not possible.
This one is actually pretty interesting and, at least on paper, probably my favorite value so far.
For $1,199 you’re getting AMD’s current AM5 platform, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and an RX 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM. That’s a really solid foundation that should have no problem with modded Minecraft, Siege, Destiny 2, Valorant, and just about anything else you’re likely to throw at it.
The one compromise is the Ryzen 7 8700F. It’s still a perfectly capable 8-core processor, but it’s not as strong for gaming as something like a 7700 or 9600X. The good news is that’s also the easiest part to upgrade later. Since it’s already on the AM5 platform, you can always drop in a faster CPU down the road without replacing the motherboard or the rest of the system.
I’d actually rather have this setup than an older platform with a slightly faster processor or a system with an 8GB graphics card. The 16GB of VRAM and the AM5 upgrade path are going to pay off much more over the next few years.
The only downside is that it’s currently backordered, so you might have to be a little patient if this is the one you decide on. If you can wait, I think it’s one of the better values I’ve seen for someone looking for a first gaming PC with plenty of room to grow. The good news is these ASUS PC’s come back into stock all the time.
Thank you so much for all this info! This helps with putting things into perspective. I do like this last one you sent me, and I’m definitely more open to increasing the budget in terms of the long run.
