Not all chips are produced as equals: Some bin-out with a higher frequency threshold than others, and K-SKUs (by both AMD and Intel) often have a higher bottom-line than their non-K brethren; these chips are made for overclocking, and we think you should take advantage of that function -- it's a quick way to eek more life out of your system, oh, and it's fun. I love seeing how much I can get out of my system, and with this in mind, we designed this build to push the limits of what you may think a gaming rig can do. Oh, and as a quick side note, we're currently giving away a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD, so go check that out if you'd like to win an expensive drive.

In this joint-effort "intro to overclocking" high-end gaming PC build, we've picked out the best components for an affordable, beginner's overclocked gaming system at around $1000; if you're interested in learning how to overclock, be sure to check out our Overclocking Primer guide for a quick intro on the basics. 

I realize that the FX series was designed with intentions to overclock, but they just do not perform as well as Intel in gaming uses (a mix of issues with architecture -- like fewer FPUs -- and poor overall performance in non-integer-based applications). We put together a build with the i5-3570k, a Z77 motherboard, and an MSI 660 Ti built for overclocking, all capable of playing nearly all modern games out there at the highest settings, and will overclock like a champ in the process (and quite easily).

Brought to you by GN's Steve and Mik, let's get to this killer build.

Happy New Year from all of us at GamersNexus! I can think of no better way to bring in the new year than to build a brand new gaming rig! Our first budget gaming PC build of 2013 takes advantage of some of the new year's sales we recently posted, making for one of the most powerful rigs you could build for such a cheap price.

For less than $600, we've managed to build a great system capable of running high/max settings for most modern games; it's packed with a 7850, entry-level liquid cooler, Phenom II X4 965, and a modular PSU.

Using overclocking techniques, you'll be able to cut initial cost by amping up the selected RAM and CPU frequencies to exceed more expensive chips; this gives high-end performance at a low-cost, so be sure to take advantage of our beginner's overclocking guide for full potential.

Let's take a look at the list.

Merry consumerism! After our recent $357 Cheap Bastard's Build and $1000 high-end rig, and with the holidays just around the corner, we figured we'd put together a holiday gaming PC on a budget. Don't let that fat man in the red suit get all the credit -- build your own gaming PC and frag him back to the north pole.

This DIY budget gaming PC is targeted for those looking to spend around $600 and takes advantage of holiday/Xmas sales. This is another AMD-equipped build, given AMD's high cost-to-performance ratio in the mid-range and low-end markets. Despite the i3's excellent performance, we've recently been pushing more toward quad-core systems to help accommodate future gaming trends.

Let's get to the goodies.

Welcome to another edition of our Cheap Bastard's builds! This time we decided to take a slightly different approach to the DIY gaming PC guides -- we wanted to put together the least expensive gaming-grade HTPC (home-theater PC) for the extremely budget-conscious gamer; this custom, ultra-cheap gaming HTPC build makes for a great DIY project, and if you like ultra small gaming computers or want a system to plug into your TV, this may be the one. The fact that it's Black Friday only helps matters that much more.

A free copy of DiRT Showdown ships with the APU -- not a bad way to break it in.

We went with one of AMD's APUs—which make up around 75% of their sales—the A10-5800k APU powers this mighty mouse-like rig, using its moderately-powered integrated graphics chip for any lightweight gaming tasks thrown at it.

This particular PC build won't be able to produce the highest graphics settings from more intensive games, but for the incredibly low budget, this makes a fantastic mid-range gaming PC and runs most games quite admirably on medium configurations with 1600x1050 or 1920x1080 resolution (1080p). Really, for around $350, it's our cheapest build we've posted on the site yet and it runs games well. Technology has advanced immensely.

Let's get to the list!

Despite accusing online retailers of being a bit overzealous with their "Black November" approach to what was once a one-weekend sale, there are numerous legitimately good deals out on the web for gaming hardware that should be taken advantage of. Black Friday prices on SSDs, video cards, RAM, even CPUs can easily knock off hundreds of bucks on higher-priced gaming rigs.

In the spirit of spending money—because we needed an excuse to do more of that—we've assembled this "hardcore" DIY gaming PC using only Black Friday deals, which prices it out to a very reasonable $1083.

We also have an Enthusiast / Workstation build and Cheap Bastard / Budget build going online this weekend, so keep an eye out for those if you're looking to spend more or less, respectively.