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Build a PC / coding & development

$5,500 PC for programming, part by part

An Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus with the GeForce RTX 5080, and the 6 parts around them that fit it: $3,994 all in.

Builds, containers and a few virtual machines at 1440p. Every part here was checked against every other for fit, and picked for cores for builds and containers, plenty of memory, fast storage, and a card for several screens or a local model. Typical US prices read on 2026-09-09, not a live checkout total: no operating system, shipping, tax, screen, keyboard or mouse.

Everything past this costs far more than the speed it adds, so the build stops at $3,994 rather than spend the rest of the budget on a bigger number. $1,506 is left for a screen, a keyboard and a mouse.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the GeForce RTX 5080 are well matched at 1440p.

Change the budget or the job
90Fit for the job

Flagship

$3,994 of $5,500

Fractal Design TorrentRTX 50801000 W

Build order

Eight steps, the way a builder works through the case. $3,994 all in.

  1. ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero on the tray
  2. Core Ultra 7 270K Plus in the socket
  3. Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 on top
  4. 2 sticks of memory
  5. Two drives on the board
  6. RTX 5080 in the x16 slot
  7. 1000 W supply in the basement
  8. Panel on, power on
PartScore for the jobTypical priceBuy
ProcessorIntel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus

Highest coding & development score the budget allows next to this card: 24 cores, boosts to 5.5 GHz.

4 swaps that still fit
97
$324
Buy on Amazon
MotherboardASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero

Z890 board for the LGA1851 socket, DDR5, 5 M.2 slots, Wi-Fi.

2 swaps that still fit
98
$429
Buy on Amazon
MemoryCorsair Vengeance 48GB (2x24GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 White

48 GB DDR5 at 6000 MT/s CL30; 32 GB or more is the floor for coding & development.

2 swaps that still fit
84
$139
Buy on Amazon
Graphics cardGeForce RTX 5080

16 GB of video memory, index 77 at 1440p; tuned for cores for builds and containers, plenty of memory, fast storage, and a card for several screens or a local model.

4 swaps that still fit
76
$1,600
Buy on Amazon
CPU coolerArctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360

Rated 330 W for a chip that turbos to 250 W.

4 swaps that still fit
96
$70
Buy on Amazon
Power supplyCorsair RM1000x (2024)

1000 W, 80 Plus gold; this build draws about 800 W at full tilt, native 12V-2x6 cable.

4 swaps that still fit
93
$167
Buy on Amazon
CaseFractal Design Torrent

5 fans in the box, 4 is the least 610 W of parts needs behind a mesh front. Takes EATX/ATX/MATX/ITX boards and cards up to 461 mm.

4 swaps that still fit
92
$205
Buy on Amazon
StorageSamsung 9100 Pro 2TB

2 TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe, 14,700 MB/s reads, with cache.

4 swaps that still fit
97
$400
Buy on Amazon
Second driveWD Black SN8100 4TB

4 TB for games, footage or models; the budget had room once every other slot was at its best.

99
$660
Buy on Amazon
Total, typical prices9 parts$3,994

The same list, more or less money

$5,000 PC for programmingWhat $500 less buys, and which parts change.$6,000 PC for programmingWhat $500 more buys, and where it goes.

$5,500 spent on a different job

The same money buys a different machine when the work changes.