Build a PC / gaming & streaming

$1,500 streaming PC, part by part

An Intel Core i5-14600KF with the Radeon RX 7700 XT, and the 6 parts around them that fit it: $1,568 all in.

1440p gameplay with a live encode running beside it. Every part here was checked against every other for fit, and picked for frame rates with headroom for the encoder and the chat. A price marked Amazon US is ScoutPrices' reading of the listing its button opens, dated; the rest are typical prices. Not a checkout total: no operating system, shipping, tax, screen, keyboard or mouse.

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and the Radeon RX 7700 XT are well matched at 1440p.

Change the budget or the job

Fit for the job

Sweet spot

$1,568 of $1,500

The MSI PRO B760-P WiFi DDR4 goes onto the NZXT H7 Flow (2024) White's tray: ATX, B760, nine standoffs.

The Intel Core i5-14600KF drops into the LGA1700 socket, lever down: 14 cores, up to 5.3 GHz.

The Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360's block sits on the chip and its 360 mm radiator bolts to the roof; rated 330 W against 181 W.

Two sticks of G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 click into the second and fourth slots: 32 GB at 3600 MT/s.

The Crucial T705 1TB screws into the first M.2 slot under the card.

The Radeon RX 7700 XT slides into the x16 slot and latches: 280 mm in a case that takes 410 mm, 12 GB of memory.

The be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750W goes into the basement, 750 W for a build that draws about 600 W flat out.

Side panel on, three case fans spinning. Fit for the job: 60 of 100.

Build order

Eight steps, the way a builder works through the case. $1,479 all in.

MSI PRO B760-P WiFi DDR4 on the tray
Core i5-14600KF in the socket
Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 on top
2 sticks of memory
Crucial T705 1TB on the board
RX 7700 XT in the x16 slot
750 W supply in the basement
Panel on, power on

Illustration built from this build's parts: the case's card and cooler clearances, the board's size, the card's length, the cooler, the memory sticks, the supply. Shapes are generic, not the products' own.

PartScore for the jobPrice

ProcessorIntel Core i5-14600KF

Highest gaming & streaming score the budget allows next to this card: 14 cores, boosts to 5.3 GHz.

2 swaps that still fit

Intel Core i5-14400-$22, -17 ptsBuy on Amazon
Intel Core i5-12600KF-$16, -13 ptsBuy on Amazon

71

$225Amazon US, Oct 25

MotherboardMSI PRO B760-P WiFi DDR4

B760 board for the LGA1700 socket, DDR4, 3 M.2 slots, Wi-Fi.

1 swap that still fit

Gigabyte B760M DS3H DDR4+$12, -10 ptsBuy on Amazon

54

$140Amazon US, Oct 25

MemoryG.Skill Trident Z RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3600 CL18

32 GB DDR4 at 3600 MT/s CL18; 32 GB or more is the floor for gaming & streaming.

4 swaps that still fit

G.Skill Ripjaws V 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 White-$10, -1 ptsBuy on Amazon
G.Skill Ripjaws V 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3600 CL18-$20, -1 ptsBuy on Amazon
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3200 CL16-$20, -5 ptsBuy on Amazon
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 White-$10, -5 ptsBuy on Amazon

53

$260Amazon US, Oct 25

Graphics cardRadeon RX 7700 XT

12 GB of video memory, index 43 at 1440p; tuned for frame rates with headroom for the encoder and the chat.

Buying it opens ASRock Radeon RX 7700 XT Challenger 12GB OC, one of the boards built on this chip.

40

$430typical price

CPU coolerArctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360

Rated 330 W for a chip that turbos to 181 W.

4 swaps that still fit

Thermalright Frozen Notte 360 White-$16, -18 ptsBuy on Amazon
Thermalright Frozen Notte 360-$23, -18 ptsBuy on Amazon
Corsair Nautilus 360 RS+$39, -12 ptsBuy on Amazon
NZXT Kraken 240 (2024) White+$20, -14 ptsBuy on Amazon

96

$70Amazon US, Oct 25

Power supplybe quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750W

750 W, 80 Plus gold; this build draws about 600 W at full tilt, native 12V-2x6 cable.

4 swaps that still fit

Corsair CX650-$3, -27 ptsBuy on Amazon
MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5same price, same scoreBuy on Amazon
Corsair RM750e+$10, -2 ptsBuy on Amazon
Corsair RM750e White+$10, -2 ptsBuy on Amazon

82

$80Amazon US, Oct 25

CaseNZXT H7 Flow (2024) White

3 fans in the box, 3 is the least 426 W of parts needs behind a mesh front. Takes EATX/ATX/MATX/ITX boards and cards up to 410 mm.

4 swaps that still fit

Montech XR White-$13, -14 ptsBuy on Amazon
Montech XR-$13, -14 ptsBuy on Amazon
Phanteks XT Pro Ultra+$3, -8 ptsBuy on Amazon
Montech Air 903 Max-$3, -4 ptsBuy on Amazon

86

$83Amazon US, Oct 25

StorageCrucial T705 1TB

1 TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe, 13,600 MB/s reads, with cache.

3 swaps that still fit

Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB-$43, -16 ptsBuy on Amazon
Samsung 990 Pro 1TB-$20, -6 ptsBuy on Amazon
Kingston NV3 2TB-$2, -32 ptsBuy on Amazon

92

$280Amazon US, Oct 25

Total8 parts, 7 read on Amazon US and 1 typical$1,568

The same list, more or less money

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$1,500 spent on a different job

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