Best 1440p high-refresh gaming PC
A high-performance 1440p gaming PC designed around a 240 Hz target and a complete $2,200 system budget.
Direct answer
A high-refresh 1440p system needs meaningful GPU throughput, strong CPU support and enough power headroom to sustain both. The current result pairs AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition for a complete current total of $2,137.
- Current total
- $2,137
- Target
- 1440p / 240 Hz
- Estimated load
- 669 W
- Decision score
- 76 / 100
97% of $2,200
High preset decision context
50% PSU headroom
Maximum Performance weighting
Decision profile
Why this configuration wins
Each bar is an absolute 0–100 component score. The profile weights decide how much each dimension contributes to the final result.
- Workload performance68
- Budget utilisation100
- Memory and storage adequacy97
- Value for money38
- Energy and PSU headroom82
- Upgradeability79
- Noise and cooling72
Canonical parts
Complete configuration
Every product links to its canonical specification, evidence and retailer-offer page. Prices below retain the provenance of the exact selected offer.
| Component | Canonical product | Selected evidence | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3DAMD · Ryzen 7 7800X3D | Nordic PartsSample · 3 known offers | $380 |
| Motherboard | ASRock B650M Pro RS WiFiASRock · B650M Pro RS WiFi | BitForge SupplySample · 1 known offer | $155 |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders EditionNVIDIA · GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition | Nordic PartsSample · 3 known offers | $945 |
| Memory | Patriot Viper Venom 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-6400 CL32Patriot · Viper Venom 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 | Nordic PartsSample · 2 known offers | $110 |
| Storage | Crucial T500 2TBCrucial · T500 2TB | Nordic PartsSample · 3 known offers | $153 |
| Power supply | ASUS TUF Gaming 1000W GoldASUS · TUF Gaming 1000W Gold | Nordic PartsSample · 2 known offers | $183 |
| Case | be quiet! Pure Base 500DXbe quiet! · Pure Base 500DX | Nordic PartsSample · 3 known offers | $108 |
| CPU cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5be quiet! · Dark Rock Pro 5 | Nordic PartsSample · 3 known offers | $103 |
Evidence-backed reasons
Why Rigwise selected it
- 01NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition at 1440p (2560 × 1440) returns Aurora Protocol 105.5 fps, Circuit Legends 313.5 fps, Ridgeline Rally 182.1 fps, Kingdoms of Ash 156.4 fps average against your 240 Hz target.
- 02The build totals $2136.9 of your $2200 budget, leaving $63.1 unspent (97.1% used).
- 03Nothing in this build is starved: 32 GB of memory and a 2000 GB drive for 1440p (2560 × 1440).
- 04ASUS TUF Gaming 1000W Gold leaves 49.6% headroom over the 668.6 W estimated load, at or above the 12% this profile requires.
- 05All 13 compatibility rules ran against these parts with no errors and 12 explicit passes.
Visible constraints
Trade-offs to accept
- 01You are paying a premium for the top of this budget: $2136.9 buys the frame rate, not the best price-per-frame in the catalog.
- 02The 6400 MT/s kit will run at up to 5200 MT/s on this platform.
Workload evidence
Expected game performance
1440p (2560 × 1440) at High settings. Each row states whether the exact result is direct, normalized, synthetic or estimated.
| Game | Average | 1% low | Evidence | Target verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora Protocol | 106 fps | 82 fps | SYNTHETIC | above 60 fps, below 240 Hz |
| Circuit Legends | 314 fps | 245 fps | SYNTHETIC | saturates 240 Hz |
| Ridgeline Rally | 182 fps | 142 fps | SYNTHETIC | above 60 fps, below 240 Hz |
| Kingdoms of Ash | 156 fps | 122 fps | SYNTHETIC | above 60 fps, below 240 Hz |
Reproducible method
How this build is produced
Maximum Performance optimization at 1440p and 240 Hz, with compatibility checked before score or price can influence selection.
The optimizer evaluated 160 purchasable candidates and 3,000 feasible complete builds. Affiliate commission is not an input.
Read the complete methodology →Indexability Gate
Why this page can publish
- Unique curated intentRequired: One editorial definition per material decisionUnique slug and decision fingerprint
- Feasible optimizer resultRequired: At least one feasible buildOne complete candidate selected
- Complete canonical PCRequired: Exactly 8 required categories8 unique categories
- Current compatibilityRequired: Zero compatibility errorsNo blocking errors
- Budget truthRequired: Delivered total ≤ stated budgetCurrent total is within budget
- Visible price provenanceRequired: A provenance-labelled offer for every part8/8 parts priced
- Explainable decision depthRequired: At least 4 evidence-backed explanations7 visible reasons and trade-offs
- Material configuration uniquenessRequired: At least 2 different canonical parts2 parts differ from the nearest publication
Questions answered
Reference build FAQ
Is the 1440p at 240 Hz configuration compatible?
Yes. It currently passes 13 compatibility outcomes with zero blocking errors.
Are these retailer prices live?
No. The displayed prices are clearly labelled sample evidence that demonstrates the decision method, not live retailer quotes.
Can I change the selected parts?
Yes. Open the exact configuration in the manual PC Builder to replace components while rerunning budget, power and compatibility checks.
Compare the decision
Related reference builds
Verified Aug 12, 2026 against the current catalog. Product identities and curated compatibility specifications are real; each price and benchmark retains its visible evidence class.
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