Best website to build your gaming PC in 2026: our top 3, assembly fees and 1080p to 4K builds

DropReference is more than a price comparison tool: it is a co-pilot for your build. You pick each part, see the best retailer prices in real time, and compatibility is checked for you (no more motherboard too small for your graphics card!).

If you are not sure where to start, DropReference offers three paths: Community mode (enthusiasts suggest a custom build), Guided mode (a step-by-step configurator that tracks your budget) and Expert mode (free choice of every part with compatibility checks).

Bonus: an active Discord community with GPU alerts, live advice and fellow enthusiasts.

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DropReference in a nutshell:

• Free: the configurator is funded by affiliate links, at no cost to you;
• Three modes: Community, Guided or Expert, depending on your level;
• Multi-retailer prices: Amazon, Cdiscount, Fnac, Alternate, Caseking, LDLC and more on each product page;
• Europe only: delivery country can be set to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy or the Netherlands. There is no US delivery option, so US readers should use PCPartPicker;
• No assembly: DropReference does not sell or build PCs. You buy from the retailer of your choice and build it yourself or use an assembly service.

You can start building your gaming PC on DropReference right now, or read our guide to the DR configurator.

PCPartPicker is a complete tool to check part compatibility, compare detailed specs and estimate power draw. It started in the United States and now covers 24 countries (including the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and Spain), with local retailers and prices.

It is perfect if you are a bit of a geek and like to control everything from A to Z. Like DropReference, it sells nothing and offers no assembly.

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The verdict:

• Free to create and share builds;
• Compatibility checks and an estimated wattage for your build;
• Community builds with prices for inspiration;
• The best choice in the US, where DropReference does not deliver;
• No assembly and no direct sales.

👉 Ideal if you want to compare every technical spec and need US or UK retailers.

LDLC is France’s hardware pioneer: reliable, serious and very complete, but often pricier than the best offer a comparison site finds. Its configurator handles compatibility and offers assembly by its technicians. It is a French retailer, so this option mainly concerns readers in France.

On October 11, 2026, LDLC charges €79.94 for assembly without an operating system, €99.95 with OS installation (licence sold separately), €279.95 with Windows 11 Home included and €329.95 with Windows 11 Pro. The product pages list a 5-year seller commercial warranty on the assembled PC. Assembly time is added to shipping time, and only AIO liquid coolers are accepted.

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The comparison:

• Assembly from €79.94, Windows 11 included from €279.95;
• 5-year seller commercial warranty on the assembled PC;
• In-store pickup available (3 stores listed on the page);
• Parts prices limited to the LDLC catalog: compare them before you order.

👉 If you live in France and want a turnkey PC from a French pro, and price is not your priority, it is a safe option.

These are the official assembly options of the three big French retailers. They only apply to orders from these French sites, and the fees come on top of the parts. We found no equivalent US offer to list here.

• LDLC: assembly time is shown on the product page and is added to shipping time. Only AIO liquid coolers are supported.
• TopAchat: PCs are built in its workshop near Lyon. Order-to-dispatch time is “about one week on average”; the exact range appears in the basket, then delivery takes 48 h.
• Materiel.net: a PC built through the configurator or with an assembly package is not eligible for the 3-year commercial warranty of Materiel.net-branded PCs. Each part keeps its 2-year legal warranty.

Sources: LDLC assembly pages, TopAchat “Notre atelier” and “Configurateur PC” pages, Materiel.net warranty FAQ and configurator, checked on October 11, 2026. Prices may change: check them in the basket.

To get you started, here are three CPU + graphics card pairings from our catalog. On October 11, 2026, our catalog listed US offers for five of these six parts (best US offers shown below, never converted from euros; the ASUS Dual Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB White had none, and the price displayed by Amazon in the blocks may vary). You will also need an AM5 motherboard, DDR5 RAM, an SSD, a power supply and a case. GPU and RAM prices are high in 2026: read our analysis buy now or wait?.

For 1080p gaming, the Ryzen 5 7600X (6 cores, AM5 socket) pairs with ASUS’s 16 GB Radeon RX 9060 XT. The 16 GB of video memory leaves headroom for modern game textures. Note that the 7600X ships without a cooler.

At 1440p, the Ryzen 7 7700 (8 cores, 65 W, Wraith Prism cooler included) pairs with the 16 GB Sapphire Pure RX 9070 XT. To compare other cards, see our best graphics card guide.

For 4K, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D (8 cores, 104 MB cache, 120 W) pairs with the MSI RTX 5080 Gaming Trio OC White (16 GB GDDR7). The CPU ships without a cooler: see our 9800X3D cooler guide.

Building your own PC is many gamers’ dream. It is also a real challenge: choosing the right parts, avoiding compatibility errors, finding the best prices… not to mention shipping costs and standards (ATX, Micro-ATX, DDR5, etc.).

That is where PC-building websites come in. They let you:

• Create a custom build that fits your budget;
• Automatically check that everything is compatible;
• Track price changes;
• Save time by comparing parts in one place;
• Sometimes get recommendations for your use (gaming, streaming, video editing…).

Not all sites are equal, and depending on your profile (beginner, intermediate, expert), some will suit you better. Here is what really matters:

A good configurator saves you from clicking on an out-of-stock product. DropReference and LDLC show offer availability right on product pages.

Want to avoid ordering DDR5 for a DDR4 motherboard? DropReference, PCPartPicker, LDLC and TopAchat’s ConfigoMatic warn you instantly.

LDLC is reliable but only sells its own catalog. DropReference and PCPartPicker compare prices across many retailers.

A clear, fast interface makes a difference, especially when you spend two hours comparing GPUs.

Some sites have active forums or Discord servers: handy to get your build reviewed.

If you do not want to build it yourself, compare the assembly fee and the warranty on the complete PC: 5 years (seller) at LDLC, 2 years (4 with Signature) at TopAchat, both in France.

Some sites let you do everything yourself (like PCPartPicker), while others guide you step by step. On DropReference you can:

• Build from A to Z in Expert mode;
• Follow Guided mode, a step-by-step configurator that tracks your budget;
• Or use Community mode, where enthusiasts suggest a build.

👉 This kind of flexibility is ideal if you want a site that fits your level.

A good site does not stop at picking parts. It also lets you:

• Track price drops;
• Get stock alerts (especially for in-demand GPUs);
• Save and share your build with friends or on forums.

On DropReference, for example, you can set an alert on a specific graphics card (Founders Edition or custom model) to be notified as soon as it is back in stock.

A part can look cheaper on one site… until you add delivery. Always compare the final price, especially when the best offer comes from a foreign retailer.

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In 2026, configurators include RTX 50 and Radeon RX 9000 GPUs, and the AM5 and LGA 1851 platforms are well established. Graphics card and RAM prices have risen sharply, so comparing retailers matters more than ever. In France, LDLC offers four assembly options from €79.94 to €329.95, and TopAchat three from €99.99 to €299.99.

It depends on what you need:

• You live in Europe and want the best price, a supportive community and options for every level? ➡️ DropReference.
• You live in the US or want to compare every detail? ➡️ PCPartPicker.
• You live in France and want your PC assembled by a pro? ➡️ LDLC (from €79.94) or TopAchat (from €99.99).

In Europe, DropReference: free, compatibility-checked and multi-retailer. In the US, PCPartPicker, since DropReference does not deliver there.

In France on October 11, 2026: €79.94 at LDLC without an OS (€279.95 with Windows 11 Home), and €99.99 to €299.99 at TopAchat depending on the option. We did not find an equivalent US offer to list.

In France, LDLC, TopAchat and Materiel.net assemble PCs in their own workshops. At Materiel.net, a PC built through the configurator does not get the 3-year commercial warranty of Materiel.net-branded PCs.

Mostly yes: on October 11, 2026, five of the six parts had a US offer in our catalog (Ryzen 5 7600X $143, Ryzen 7 7700 $161, Ryzen 7 9800X3D $447, Sapphire Pure RX 9070 XT $1,216, MSI RTX 5080 Gaming Trio OC White $1,849.99). Only the ASUS Dual Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB White had none.