Guide total ≈ £940 (~$1,269)
The £940 guide — Entry 1080p
Spec-led 1080p target; verify settings and frame rates in dated independent tests.
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Guide prices are approximate UK street prices last checked August 29, 2026 (GPU and 32GB RAM rows rechecked September 26, 2026) — not live quotes. RAM and GPU pricing moved weekly through 2025-26; use the per-part buttons to verify current figures before ordering.
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 7500F
≈ £135~$182A low-cost entry onto AM5 with a documented upgrade path; later CPU support still depends on the board vendor and BIOS.
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Thermalright Assassin X 120 R SE
≈ £20~$27Boxed 7500F includes AMD's Wraith Stealth; this £20 tower is a quieter aftermarket option. Comparative cooling performance depends on the case, fan curve, and workload.
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Gigabyte B650M D3HP
≈ £92~$124Four DIMM slots and two M.2 slots at a budget price — the upgrade path matters more than frills here.
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16GB (2×8GB) DDR5-5600
≈ £150~$20316GB is the deliberate compromise while DDR5 pricing stays inflated; two free slots make 32GB a drop-in upgrade later.
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WD Black SN770 1TB
≈ £120~$162PCIe 4.0 speed without the flagship tax; 1TB is the sensible floor for current game install sizes.
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB
≈ £330~$446The card the whole build is wrapped around: a specification-led 1080p target with DLSS available. 8GB is the practical capacity constraint to watch. See the GPU catalog for VRAM fit.
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Fractal Design Focus 2
≈ £45~$61Mesh front, two fans included, no glass tax — airflow per pound is the only metric that matters at this budget.
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MSI MAG A650BN 650W
≈ £48~$6580+ Bronze from a known brand; 650W leaves room for a mid-range GPU upgrade without rewiring the build.
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Approximate tier total
Every pound in this build is directed toward the graphics card because the target workload is 1080p gaming. The RTX 5060 is a specification-led choice with DLSS available as a fallback; verify settings and frame rates for the games you play. Its 8GB of VRAM is the main capacity constraint to monitor.
The Ryzen 5 7500F is a low-cost AM5 entry point, and the platform is the real purchase — a later X3D upgrade remains a possibility subject to BIOS and vendor support. Boxed chips include a Wraith Stealth; the £20 tower is a quieter aftermarket option whose real-world advantage depends on the case and workload.
The compromises are deliberate and reversible. 16GB of RAM keeps the guide total near £940 while the 2025-26 memory crisis keeps DDR5 pricing severely inflated, with two slots free for the upgrade. The PSU is bronze-rated and non-modular, the case has no glass panel — and none of that touches a single frame.
16GB of RAM is this tier's agreed compromise — the 2025-26 memory crisis makes even 16GB cost multiples of its 2025 price, and a 32GB kit costs roughly £400 on its own; RAM should be the first upgrade when prices normalise. Guide prices are approximate; GPU and RAM pricing moves weekly, so check each part before ordering. Guide prices checked August 29, 2026; GPU and 32GB RAM rows rechecked September 26, 2026. USD figures are indicative conversions at a static rate, not live prices.