How to buy a gaming PC with crypto: a step-by-step guide

To buy a gaming PC with crypto, pick the build for your monitor first, read the store's refund, warranty and shipping terms, then send the exact amount on a network you understand and wait for it to confirm. The PC is priced in dollars and the coin is only how the money moves, so most decisions are the ones you would make paying by card. Below are the GPU tiers that make sense in October 2026, the checks that matter when there is no chargeback, confirmation times by network, and what crypto means for customs and refunds.

Step 1: match the GPU to your monitor

The graphics card decides how a gaming PC feels. Resolution sets the workload and refresh rate sets how many frames per second are worth paying for, so a 1080p 144 Hz panel and a 4K 144 Hz panel need very different cards.

The frame rates below are Tom's Hardware's October 2026 averages across 19 games at native resolution, without upscaling or frame generation. Treat them as a floor, since DLSS or FSR raises them. Our prices are at the time of writing.

Two things the table does not show. First, video memory: Tom's Hardware found the RTX 5060's 8GB is not enough to run frame generation consistently, because the frame-generation model needs memory of its own. It still recommends the 5060 for 1080p esports titles such as Fortnite and Counter-Strike 2, but for big new releases a 16GB card is the safer choice.

Second, price gaps. Cards sell well above launch prices this year; the same survey puts the median RTX 5090 at $4,299 against a $1,999 MSRP. Tom's argues the RTX 5080 is poor value at retail because it costs 51% more than a 5070 Ti for 8 to 16% more speed. Inside complete PCs the gap can differ: our Kestrel RTX 5080 build costs $300 more than the Juniper RTX 5070 Ti build, about 8%, which makes the 5080 the better buy for 4K. With no new graphics cards on the horizon, waiting for the next generation is not much of a plan for 2026.

CPU, RAM and storage

At 4K the GPU is almost always the limit. The processor matters more at 1080p and 1440p on high-refresh monitors, where AMD's X3D chips lead: Tom's Hardware's current pick is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with the newer 9850X3D only about 3% faster on average. A six-core Ryzen 5 9500F, as in our entry builds, is a fair pairing for a 60 to 144 Hz target.

16GB of RAM still runs most games; even the top "Competitive / Ultra 4K" spec for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 asks for 16GB. We would still choose 32GB if you stream, keep a browser and Discord open while playing, or plan to keep the PC four or five years. Memory pricing argues for deciding now: TrendForce forecast conventional DRAM contract prices rising 55 to 60% in the first quarter of 2026 alone, expects another 10 to 15% in the fourth, and warns PC DRAM supply could shrink in 2027. Our 32GB RTX 5070 builds start at $2,799.99 at the time of writing.

Storage fills fast. Black Ops 7 alone wants 116GB of SSD space at launch, so a 1TB drive fits about eight installs that size before Windows; 2TB is the comfortable minimum if you keep several big games installed. On the OS, we ship Windows 11 Pro, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with telemetry off, or no OS. Check your games before choosing Linux: Black Ops 7 lists only Windows 10 and 11 and requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot.

Step 2: check the store before you pay

A card payment can be disputed. A crypto payment usually cannot: the FTC's consumer guidance notes that crypto payments typically lack the legal protections cards have, and that you can usually get money back only if the seller sends it. The store's written policies are your protection, so read them before you pay.

• A returns policy that states how long you have and how a crypto refund is valued.
• A warranty with a length and a scope: parts, labour, and who pays shipping on a claim.
• A contact channel that answers. Send a pre-sales question and time the reply.
• Shipping terms that say whether the parcel is insured and who pays import duties.
• HTTPS on the exact domain you meant to visit. Phishing sites copy real stores and sometimes appear as sponsored search results, as bitcoin.org's scam list warns.
• No request, ever, for a seed phrase, private key or remote access to your device. No legitimate business or support team asks for them.

For reference, this is how we work: guest checkout with no account, email optional, and the order code is your receipt. A private order page shows the exact amount, address and QR code. We never see or ask for seed phrases, and our shipping and returns terms are published in full.

Step 3: choose a coin and a network

Our prices are in US dollars, and checkout takes more than 20 coins, including Bitcoin, Monero, Ethereum, Solana, Tron, Litecoin, and USDT and USDC on Tron, Ethereum, Solana, BSC, Polygon and Base. The choice comes down to whether you want the dollar amount fixed, what the fee will be, and how much of the payment trail you want public.

Stablecoins if you want the price fixed

USDT and USDC track the dollar, so nothing moves while you pay. The network matters more than the token. On Tron, a USDT transfer uses about 65,000 energy, roughly double if the receiving address has never held USDT; with no staked TRX or rented energy, your wallet burns TRX to cover it, which the energy marketplace TronSave estimates at about $2 to $8 per transfer. Keep some TRX in the wallet or the transfer fails. Use the same network on both sides: Kraken warns that deposits sent over an unsupported network can be lost.

Bitcoin if you already hold it

Buying a PC with Bitcoin is simple if you already hold BTC, because the only price move that matters is the few minutes between checkout and sending. If you would be buying BTC just to pay a store, use a stablecoin: one fewer conversion and no exposure to a price that bitcoin.org says can swing unpredictably over short periods. Pay enough to get into the next few blocks, because a fee below what the network is prioritizing can leave the payment waiting a long time for its first confirmation.

Monero if privacy is the point

Bitcoin is not anonymous: anyone can see the transactions and balance of any address. Monero hides the sender, amount and receiver of every transaction, but the Monero FAQ is honest about the limit: if you give your name and address to another party, Monero does not make them forget it. A shipping address still identifies the parcel, which is why it matters how little a store asks for and keeps. We check Monero payments by hand, usually within a few hours.

Step 4: send the exact amount in one transaction

Our checkout adds a tiny unique offset to the amount so the payment can be tied to your order, which is why the rule is to send that exact figure in a single transaction. The network fee is paid by the sender. Three things go wrong most often:

• Exchange withdrawal fees. Some exchanges subtract their fee from the amount you type, so the store receives less than the invoice. Check what will arrive, not what leaves.
• Split payments. Two transfers that add up to the total do not match an exact-amount invoice.
• Address errors. Scan the QR code or paste the address, then check every character. Clipboard malware can swap a pasted address, and address poisoning plants look-alikes in your wallet history.

Unpaid orders expire after 48 hours, so place the order when you are ready to pay. Instructions for each coin are on our how to pay page.

How long confirmations take

A payment shows up within seconds on most networks but is only final after confirmations. Stores set their own thresholds; this is what the networks document.

Step 5: what happens after you pay

Most coins are detected on chain automatically, and most orders ship in 2 to 5 days; in-stock PCs such as the Ember ship in 1 to 2 business days. Everything goes out in an insured, unbranded box. Standard shipping is free on orders of $999 or more, which covers every gaming PC we sell; below that it is $29, and express insured shipping is $59. The $399 minimum order only matters if you buy parts or gear on their own.

Whoever you buy from, ask what testing a PC gets before it ships. When the box arrives, photograph any outside damage before opening, remove packing material from inside the case, update the GPU driver, and check in the BIOS that memory runs at its rated speed with EXPO or XMP enabled. Our own builds (CG Series, Sentinel and ready-to-ship PCs) carry a 3-year parts warranty and lifetime support; retail products carry the manufacturer's warranty, and we help file claims.

Customs, duties and import VAT

Paying in crypto does not change what customs charges: duty and import tax depend on what the goods are, where they come from and what they are worth. Import duties and taxes are the buyer's responsibility with us, so price them in if the PC is crossing a border.

• United Kingdom: a desktop tower sold on its own is normally classed as a processing unit under commodity code 8471 50, which carries 0% third-country duty but 20% import VAT, according to the UK Trade Tariff. On a $2,099.99 PC that is about $420 of VAT on the goods value alone.
• European Union: since July 2021 every imported item needs a customs declaration and the old VAT exemption for small parcels is gone, so expect your country's standard VAT rate.
• United States: the $800 de minimis exemption is suspended for imports from all countries, and CBP requires formal entry for shipments valued over $2,500. Duty depends on tariff classification and country of origin.

How refunds work when you paid in crypto

With no chargeback, the refund policy is the whole safety net, and the detail to find is how the refund is valued. Say you paid for a $2,099.99 PC in bitcoin and return it after bitcoin has fallen 10%. A store that refunds the same number of coins gives you back about $1,890 of value. A store that refunds the order's dollar value sends $2,099.99 worth of bitcoin at the new price, which is more coins. If bitcoin rose instead, the coin-count method favours you. For USDT or USDC the two come out the same.

Our policy: PC builds and unopened retail products can be returned within 30 days, and refunds are paid in the same coin, at the order's USD value. Digital items and services cannot be returned once delivered, with a full refund if not delivered within 72 hours. Give a refund address from a wallet you control, on the network you paid from; exchange deposit addresses can expire.

What we'd buy

• 1080p on a budget: the CG Mini RX 9060 XT at $1,299.99 is the cheapest gaming PC we sell; the CG Core AMD RTX 5060 at $1,399.99 suits esports players who want DLSS.
• 1440p: the Ember RTX 5070 at $2,099.99, which ships in 1 to 2 business days. If you stream or plan to keep the PC five years, go straight to a 32GB build rather than a RAM upgrade at 2027 prices.
• 4K: the Kestrel RTX 5080 at $3,899.99 over the Juniper RTX 5070 Ti at $3,599.99; $300 is a small price for 8 to 16% more GPU.
• 4K at high refresh, and only then: the Obsidian RTX 5090 at $8,499.99. It averages about 67% more frames than the 5070 Ti at 4K in Tom's Hardware's data, for about 2.4 times the price of the Juniper.
• Payment: USDT or USDC on Tron or Solana if you want the dollar amount fixed and settled within about a minute; Bitcoin if you already hold it; Monero if privacy matters more than speed.