The New PC Market Is A Scam Right Now So Build This Instead! [15:05]

YouTube ^ | January 31, 2026 | ETA PRIME

[SunkenCiv]

Building a brand new gaming PC in 2026 is officially a nightmare thanks to skyrocketing RAM and GPU prices. In this video, I’ll show you how to beat the market by building a powerful 1440p small form factor gaming PC using a smart mix of new and used hardware. High-end gaming doesn't have to cost thousands. Today, we are piecing together a sleek SFF (Small Form Factor) build designed to crush 1440p gaming without breaking the bank. By leveraging the Intel Core i5-11600 and the surprisingly capable Intel Arc B570, we achieve performance that rivals modern mid-range systems at a fraction of the cost. 

The New PC Market Is A Scam Right Now So Build This Instead! | 15:05 
ETA PRIME | 1.36M subscribers | 25,933 views | January 31, 2026

[SunkenCiv]

00:00 Why gaming PCs are too expensive in 2026
00:43 The plan: 1440p SFF build with new + used parts
01:28 Used platform choice: i5-11600 + B560 + SSD + cooler
02:10 Why DDR4 is the budget advantage (vs DDR5)
02:48 The AliExpress case warning (missing I/O + wrong panel)
04:05 Flex PSU choice + modular cabling + CPU power extension
05:08 Adding case fans (intake + exhaust) for temps
06:18 PCIe riser cable: airflow problem to avoid
07:10 GPU choice: Intel Arc B570 value + alternatives
08:18 Finished build + airflow concerns (half-vented panel)
09:06 Cyberpunk 2077 @ 1440p (High → Ultra + frame gen)
10:48 Benchmarks (Time Spy / Steel Nomad) + CPU bottleneck talk
11:46 More 1440p tests: Forza Horizon 5 + Spider-Man 2
13:05 Mortal Kombat 1 + Red Dead Redemption 2 results
14:18 CPU/GPU temps, noise, verdict + case alternatives + wrap

[SunkenCiv]

If you want to post a transcript, CLICK HERE, and DO NOT PING ME.

[algore]

I have been thinking about doing this, I even looked at that case, but mini-itx is an expansion limiting factor for me.

If I were going to use a mini itx case/mobo there really are a lot of nice ones.

I have decided to use an mATX case. and since I do not need the latest cutting edge game card I can use a slim matx case

my potential build:

MSI PRO B550M-VC WiFi Pro Series Motherboard (AMD Ryzen 5000 Series, AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0, SATA 6Gb/s, M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI/DP, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, mATX)

AMD 5600gt

32gb DDR 4 ram

InWin CE685 or CJ712 case (both come with power supply)

Samsung 1tb m.2 drive

this will make a very capable machine

If I didnt already have an mATX motherboard and was going to do the mini-itx thing I would use a gigabyte a520i ac which is also a great board, and would fit in the case showcased in the video. I would use the same amd 5700gt processor and ram but I would use a fractal design case instead

I considered doing an am5 or threadripper but I can rent someone elses AI for much cheaper than building my own.

https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/

[Bob434]

What was the cost? I recently Just bui,t a desktop for $1300. Its really powerful. But coulda xpent a bit less nkt going,with tip of line components. Ive zlways been a sucker for,”latest tech”, but should v waited and got “almost latest tech” instead, woulda been cheaper.

[SunkenCiv]

It's bound to be at least a bit different for each builder, or everyone would just go for a mass-produced model instead. If a build is going to cost more than $500, IMHO getting a ready-made one is always the best choice. But A) I'm cheap and B) I don't game.

[Bullish]

And maybe you could have built a box that could spell better?

jk

[Jonty30]

Step one. Go to Ikea to buy a kitchen drawer.

[Jonty30]

You can almost build a new desktop every second year for cheaper than the top of the line and it will last longer than that.

[deks]

.

[miliantnutcase]

I just bought the last “cheap” RTX 5080 Microcenter had left. This purchase would have been dumb last year, but now with NVIDIA basically not guaranteeing GPU supply through Q4 this year I figured why not…

[miliantnutcase]

Lmao now I see it.

[RandallFlagg]

But can it play Crysis?

[maddog55]

Never built a gaming computer..I don’t play computer or phone games.

[4Runner]

Amazing what folks will put themselves through just to have someone, or something, to compete against these days, without ever knowing who, or what, it is or was.

[The Louiswu]

Anyone still use https://pcpartpicker.com/? I worked up a lot of PC’s when I had my computer/phone replace shop...it’s a big help.

[Bob434]

Thatswhzt Happebs when you buy chinese parts lol

[AppyPappy]

If you have ever played Battlefield or Call of Duty, you realize that it is the closest thing to sorcery you can find. Even though I am a programmer, even I don’t want to figure it out. It’s just plain fun although I don’t play anymore.

[Bob434]

Thanks. Yeah my gaming dzys are almost behind me. Eish i knew how to build a laptop from bare bones, as that is my next “need” but uying used is around $300 or so for ptetty powerful ones (without graphics cards), bu5 would be fund to make one if it were feasible. I enjoyed making my computer from parts, but would do differntly next time and save quite a bit. I went all out on vide9 card, ram, and motherboard with latest thunderbolt 4, all way overkill really. But it will be viable for many years to come (unless ai becomes necessary and needs even more powerful cpu’s and gpu’s, which it looks like might be the case. They tske pretty serious rrsources if hosting locally)

[Bob434]

Yeah, when we first bought computers, back when 1 gig was a huge amount of storage lol, we paid nearly $3500, then got another for about the same price, then i looked into building and was able to cutthat in half, and coulda done better had i not chksen such “top of the line” parts. Wish i had been more frugal minded in the beginning. Totsl waste of money really. But im like that with everything- gotta be top line- 5hough lately have been buying cheaper things like electric razors for $50 that work just as well as $500 ones- just gotta do a little r3search to find which ones stand up to the big names.

5ook me a lifetime to get over the “latest and greatest” urge. Still suffer a little f4om it, but not as bad

[SunkenCiv]

The closest things to that are https://frame.work/ which will probably run you much more than $500; a tech recycler which has older models they’ve rehabbed a bit; and an existing laptop of your own that you soup up as possible.

My old Asus needs to have its HDMI output fixed (superglue should do it); I’ve got the replacement fan for it, but needed to get used to this new Asus first, since it’s more involved than just upgrading to an SSD; I plan to swap in a newer SSD at that time, after backing the whole drive up twice (conventional hard drives are perfect for that, and dirt cheap now, nice for building in-house NAS); and I would look into fixing the broken ‘jaws’ version of its ethernet port, but those USB-to-ethernet adapters are reliable and cheap. The old Asus is stuck with 4GB (even a pro won’t do it) and whatever 2013 A.D. wireless is built in, but it’s plenty fast. The main impediment to wireless speed in a home is the wireless router. I prefer wired, myself.

Cheap new laptops are out there, but the price of everything that had already been built and was in the wholesale-to-retail pipeline jumped because of the whole RAM price scare/bubble. Those Sandisk 1T portable SSDs, which I love, were about $90 at the warehouse club; yesterday while wandering through (it was a beautiful afternoon for getting out and about) I saw they’d gone up to $130.

Still, cheap laptops remain nicely priced, they just aren’t super high performance. For one thing, they sport a combo of USB-C and USB-A, but none of them have above 3.2 speed, and probably are slower than that, irrespective of their color coding. It’s not unlikely that higher-priced laptops share that deficiency, btw.

Have fun!