PC Gamer Community Build Contest: Holiday Edition

(Image credit: Future)

With a new generation of hardware hitting the streets, not to mention games that take advantage of that raw power, now is the time to upgrade your PC or build a totally new one. Picking the right parts for the best build is no easy task. To find the best PC builds in time for Christmas, we’re tapping into the power of the PC Gamer Community in our latest Best PC Builds Competition.

We want to see the best performing builds per dollar or pound spent. Forever immortalized as a master of their craft on the PC Gamer homepage, but they will also receive an Nvidia RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio 10G courtesy of our friends at MSI.

The end of 2020 is barreling towards us and the perfect time to hunt for deals. We’re accepting build submissions from now until 5:59 PM ET December 31st, 2020, with the winners of each category announced on January 8th, 2021.

You do not need to buy the parts and build the machine. Kudos if you can, but it doesn’t net you any extra points. It’s imperative to note that each build is like a cool sword - it needs an awesome name. Do not skimp on naming your build; nobody remembers Build 1, but everyone remembers Ragnarok the Strange.

Let’s dive into the event and explain how it all works.

First, submit your build. To do this, just head over to the PCPartPicker System Builder and put together a system. Again, there's no need to actually order the parts and put it together yourself—the completed PCPartPicker list is enough.

Once you have your system 'built,' all you need to do is copy its BB Code, which you’ll be able to do with a button in the upper right-hand corner. When you're all set, smash that BB code button

Then, head over to the appropriate forum thread—you can find the proper link below.

Next, having hit the BB code toggle in the PCPartPicker toolbar, paste your build’s BB code to the forum and post.

The PC Gamer Staff will pick the top build. We’ll judge primarily on the quality of components, the price, and theoretical system performance. Finally, we’ll feature the winning builds for each category on the PC Gamer homepage so our readers can benefit from your knowledge as they head into the new year.

Just to note: The winning build will be featured on the PC Gamer home page and will earn the Nvidia RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio 10G.

Check out the competition and your rivals on the PCG Forum thread below:

$1,500 The Cyberpunk Build

Before you submit, though, there are a few ground rules to keep in mind.

RULES

Builds will be judged at the time of submission. If the price of a part drops we will not consider that into your final build. Alternatively if the price of a part increases we also will not factor that into your build.
Only one build per budget category, per user. Multiple builds from a single user or duplicate accounts will be disqualified.
Do not go over budget.
Use list prices only: coupons, rebates, bundles or any other limited-time offers will not be accepted.
Do not include shipping or tax in your final budget.
You may use out of stock parts. These parts will add their MSRP to your budget.
Do not include an operating system, monitor, keyboard, mouse, VR headset or gamepad.
All builds must have a name.
Do not put your forum handle in the name of your build, and avoid odd capitalizations and symbols.
We encourage users to use PCPartPicker's System Build for speedy construction.
Do not post a link to your build. Instead, please be sure to export as BBCode for a quick copy/paste to the forums

The collective PC Gamer editorial team worked together to write this article. PC Gamer is the global authority on PC games—starting in 1993 with the magazine, and then in 2010 with this website you're currently reading. We have writers across the US, UK and Australia, who you can read about here.