This MSI Codex R2 gaming PC drops to $1,649, and building it yourself could cost more

Published Aug 11, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT Timi has been writing about technology for over a decade, focusing on smartphones, computers, and anything that he finds interesting in the tech space. He started writing for XDA, covering all things mobile, but has transitioned to covering deals, with a mission to shed light on some of the best discounts around the internet on the greatest tech products. Sign in to your XDA account A gaming PC isn't exactly the easiest thing to build in 2026. The price for PC components has reached new highs and doesn't look to be coming down anytime soon. That's why this pre-built MSI Codex R2 gaming PC is gaining attention, offering a great set of parts while still coming in at a price that's reasonable. It had a retail price of $2,300, but is now down to $1,649, which is $651 or 28% off. The newly discounted price brings it down to one of its lowest prices ever. msi Codex R2 Gaming Desktop PC $1649 $2300 Save $651 CPU Intel Core i5-14400F Graphics NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 12GB Memory 32GB DDR5 RAM Storage 1TB NVMe SSD You might be able to build it cheaper, but it'll be a stretch We've recommended prebuilt PCs for some time now, and they offer many benefits compared to something you'd build yourself. The most important benefit of a prebuilt PC is that you'll get a warranty on all the parts and labor. So, if something goes wrong, you can reach out to the manufacturer for support, and they will take care of it. Now, we won't do it for you, but you can try building this MSI Codex R2 gaming PC on your own; we think you'll find that the price is more than fair for what you get. It is powered by an Intel Core i5-14400F processor that's paired with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of NVMe SSD storage. The heavy hitter in this build is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, which delivers impressive results and is perfect for 1440p gaming. This PC can play all the latest games without skipping a beat. There are also plenty of ports on the front and rear panels. And since this is a desktop PC, you can always upgrade the parts later down the line when needed.