You may be wondering what the best steps would be towards getting a good PC build for under $800. Any custom PC within the $600-$800 range is going to be a beast of a system and trust me when I say that you would never regret the day you decided to build a custom PC within this budget range.
$800 Is A Great Way To Go For A Gaming Rig
If you have never built a PC before then it may sound like something that would be to complicated to get done.
Through personal experience I can tell you that it’s really not that hard at all even though the thought of it might intimidate you. When I first got interested in building custom computers on whatever budget I desired I always thought that I would never be able to actually build a PC.
One day I said screw it and grabbed all of my parts to build the gaming computer of my dreams.
When I went to go build my first computer I followed a simple step-by-step video by Newegg and everything went just fine. I have added the video to this post so if you’d like you can bookmark this post and come back to it whenever you go to build your computer that way you can be ensured that you have an awesome result!
How To Build A Computer
If you’re new to the whole custom computer scene then I’d highly suggest going through the first half of this video before you go and try to build your computer.
Sure it’s a lengthy video but the content is right on point and the instructions are extremely easy to follow. When you actually order your parts and go to build your computer then be sure to follow this video as you go to build your computer. This way you won’t miss a step and you’ll be able to build it like a pro!
Also, once you get this process down you can then build computers for friends/relatives and maybe even have them give you a small charge for the work you do. 
After building about 8 computers for various friends/family I am now able to build a computer around a hours worth of time. Personally, I think the process is fun and easy so why not develop a new skill right? 
With all that being said, let’s go over which parts are going to be optimal within this budget range.
Optimal Hardware On A $800 Budget
Last Updated: November 24th, 2017
Case – Corsair SPEC-01
Processor – AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
Motherboard – ASUS Prime B350-Plus
Video Card – MSI GeForce GTX 1060 6GB OCV1
RAM – Corsair 8GB Single DDR4
Power Supply – EVGA 700 B1 80+ Bronze 700W
Hard Drive – Seagate 1TB
CD Drive – Asus 24x DVD-RW
Final Price: $778.42
Build Details
This build is AMAZING. 
Seriously, the combination of the Ryzen 1500x and this graphics card really packs a powerful punch and you’ll be set for years to come.
If you’re looking to have a build that can stand the test of time and give you a gaming experience like you’ve never experienced before then this is the build for you.
The 1500X is still the ideal choice even at this budget point. It’s an amazing CPU!
The Ryzen 1500x offers 4 physical cores and starts out clocked at 3.5GHz. You can go up to 3.7GHz using Turbo Boost.
This processor can be overclocked and it leaves plenty of room for an upgrade path down the road. Though to be honest, with the amount of power that it provides, you won’t be needing a CPU upgrade for a long while. A nice overclock will give a crazy amount of performance!
Overclocking gives the CPU more performance power per dollar spent and in comparison to say an i5-7500 – you’ll be able to match if not have even more overall performance after a slight overclock. It’s doable even with the stock cooler that it comes with which makes it even more valuable.
All in all, it’s going to be a great CPU for down the road. Then if/when you decided that you’re wanting more processing power whether for extreme content creation or for the highest quality VR gaming you’d be able to do so. Even without the overclock, it’s still good enough to get those tasks done.
A 6GB GTX 1060 is going to give amazing performance at 1080p and in VR.
Another obvious factor towards overall gaming performance is the video card. At this time, a 6GB GTX 1060 is the way to go. At 1080p resolution you’re going to be maxing out the graphics settings in almost any title today.
As far as the future, the 1060 is capable of handing it. Sure, it’s an ideal card for 1080p but it’s also going to have nice performance in VR gaming as well. If you’re thinking about trying out VR in the future then a build including a card like this is essential.
This will be very easy to do once you install the drivers for your motherboard after building your PC. Also be sure to check out YouTube tutorials over it! There are plenty of people out there that have successfully overclocked the 1500x with the stock cooler.
The case is your choice. The case that I have listed above will fit the video card and it is the USB 3.0 option. If you want a different looking case then you can go ahead and browse some cool ones by Clicking Here
The previous build update had included a solid state drive but I had to remove it to be able to stay within the budget range. If the market allows it down the road I’ll add it back in but it’s not an essential part anyway.
If you are in need of a keyboard and mouse for your build then you should check out the review that I did on a great keyboard/mouse combo for a lower price! It doesn’t break the bank and it still gets the job done.
Keyboard/Mouse – CM Storm Devastator II
The video card will put you in awe with the amount of power it holds. You can feel very comfortable if you’re planning on playing at a 2560 x 1440 resolution with the graphics settings set to high with this card.
Down the road when 4K monitors become the norm then I would maybe suggest a GPU upgrade but this graphics card is going to give you power for years to come. This card performs about 200% better than today’s consoles. With that though, there is a card that you should get once it’s at the right price point. That would be the GTX 1070/1080 – it’d be the better pick to go with for the future.
The reason why I don’t have it listed today is because it’s not available at the right price yet. Once it is though, this build will definitely have it listed. Years down the road it’ll make more sense to add parts like that to a build at this budget point.
As for a monitor, as I said, you’re not going to want to go with something like 4K for a while. However, this build would perform very well at a 1080p resolution so you should definitely get a monitor that delivers on that res.
Monitor – Asus VS228SH
Be sure to go with 700+ watts of power with this build. If you ever feel like upgrading down the road whether it’s the GPU or CPU then you’re also going to want to increase the amount of power you can give to the whole computer.
The 500W power supply that I have listed above is one of the most trusted and most protected brands in power supplies so you for sure won’t have to worry about having any power issues with this build!
Operating System And Internet Connection
Choosing an operating system is going to be up to you to decide.
There are many ways of acquiring Windows but actually purchasing a real copy will ensure the highest quality experience with your OS.
I recommend getting Windows 10 since it’s the most compatible when you’ve got your build strictly with gaming in mind. It’s a mixture of the Windows 7 start menu ease combined with the modern feel and look of Windows 8. They got rid of Internet Explorer (FINALLY. Lol.) and replaced it with some new browser they created called Edge. I’d recommend a different browser still, but it’s good to know that they are wanting to trash out their outdated web browser.
Now if you can’t afford to purchase a Windows operating system for about $90 more just know that I completely understand that. Some work arounds would be to throw a free, Linux based operating system like Ubuntu on your build. Ubuntu is an open-source and free operating system that works great for every day use. The only down side to having a Linux based operating system is that not every game out there is compatible with Linux.
There are some 3rd party programs that are out that help with this issue but it’s still kind of an annoying problem. If you don’t mind trying to problem solve and emulate games then you’d be able to use Linux just fine but it’s still a pain to have such a little problem.
That’s why Steam is making their own operating system called SteamOS. Valve wants to base it off of Linux and have it be compatible with every Steam game in existence. I’m pretty excited about that!
But if you still want to go with Windows then I would suggest throwing Linux on your computer temporarily until you have saved enough money to grab a Windows disk. Then you could either dual boot both operating systems or switch entirely over to Windows. You also have the choice of trying to get a copy of Windows through pirating but I don’t suggest that you do that.
Reason being is because it’s illegal and your operating system won’t run 100% perfect by trying to throw a cracked copy of it on a brand new computer. It’s best to just wait and save up for it and have a legit copy that way you can know that everything is going to
Also, if you need a way to connect to internet then I highly recommend picking up a broadband wireless network adapter. It plugs right into a USB slot and it’ll give you the most reliable connection. I’ve included links to both a 64bit version of Windows 10 and a good USB network adapter that is also compatible with Windows 10.
Windows 10 64bit – Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64bit
USB Wireless Network Adapter – Panda 300Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter
One thing that you need to be certain of is grabbing a 64bit version of Windows because if you don’t then you won’t be able to use all 8GB of your RAM, and that is extremely important to have especially as we move forward with how the PC gaming industry is growing.
To Conclude
There you have it, this is how you can get a good PC build under for $800.
So what do you guys think? Are you going to be grabbing this build?