Best prebuilt gaming PC under $1500 in 2024 – our top picks

We take a closer look at the best prebuilt gaming computers for under $1500

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If you’re looking for a great new PC under a $1500 budget, then these choices may be the best ones for you. With our selection of best-prebuilt gaming PCs under $1500, we’re sure to improve your gaming experience and find a PC to suit your use case.

We already recommend the best custom gaming PC for under $1500, so decided to find the five best-prebuilt alternatives available online. Of course, when buying a prebuilt computer there are going to be compromises to cover the cost of manufacturing the prebuilt. In terms of budget, you also have to consider what will be best for you and your use case. If you think you can get away with spending a little more for your needs, we have the best prebuilt under $2000, or a little less, we have the best prebuilt under $1000 for you to consider.

Now with the range of options, we keep the page updated with the latest choices so you can get the best choice for your money, mainly featuring the RTX 4070. If you don’t have time to read the full article we have compiled, allowing us to condense our findings for your convenience. Our top picks are the Skytech Nebula, Skytech Shiva II, and Yeyian Shoge.

Best prebuilt gaming PC under $1500

The best gaming prebuilt under $1500 should be able to offer a respectable amount of performance for a PC at this price point. However, you do have to consider the fact that it will cost you money to get the manufacturer to build your prebuilt, meaning that’s value you won’t see in the components of your system.

Regardless of cost, a good PC is a PC that suits your needs and can accomplish any task you wish it to. The most important thing about shopping for a PC is that you consider your most intensive use case and build the PC around that. Do your research and look at specific components that will suit your workload.

For the best choice of PC under $1500, we have the Skytech Nebula Gaming PC. At the top of the list, it combines modern hardware at a good tier with a good value getting you the best option for your money.

For its graphics card, it utilizes an RTX 4070. With the new generation of Ada architecture, it benefits from the likes of DLSS 3 and the frame generation that requires it. With that card, you can expect to achieve over 140 FPS on average at 1080p, with 1440p dropping to around 100, with 4K just around 60. That means it is a well-rounded GPU although at the highest levels, it might require some settings management. But in general, that card is probably the best value option in that series.

In terms of its processor, you do get a Ryzen 5 5600X, a very capable and good value option for gaming PCs. Therefore it is a good combination to combine with your GPU although it could potentially provide a bit of a bottleneck at low resolutions. As for its RAM, it has 16GB DDR4 at 3200MHz, which might be a bit slow to get the most out of the CPU. Whilst in terms of storage it also only uses 1TB of NVMe, which might be a bit limiting when you have to install plenty of games.

It also comes with a mesh front and plenty of fans to give you a good cooling solution. Along with a lot of RGB if you’re into that.

For the next best gaming PC under $1500, the Skytech Shiva II provides a good performance and value option. The machine provides good components at tier level, although the airflow of the machine might leave some things to be desired.

Also hosting an RTX 4070 does bring plenty of performance with it. You can expect to get good framerates across three resolutions. Along with the new generation features and efficiency of the Ada card. It is also well paired with the Ryzen 7 5700X, a good tier AM4 CPU that doesn’t require the new DDR5 hardware found with the AM5 platform.

For RAM and storage, it utilizes the same as plenty other of models available. With 16GB of DDR4 running 3200MHz, and 1TB of NVMe SSD storage. Both of these should give you a responsive and fast feeling system, even if it might not be enough these days but they are easier to expand on than other parts anyway if you don’t mind some DIY down the line.

Where the machine might falter is in the airflow, it doesn’t have any. Although it comes with a 240mm AIO the solid front panel limits any potential cooling it could have in total.

Another great machine under the $1500 mark is the Yeyian Shoge. It also comes with great components that thrive in the mid-tier. However, it is let down by the case it is in with the limited airflow allowed in it.

At this level, it also features an RTX 4070 that gives it great performance where you might need it, although the 4K might be quite limited. For the CPU it has an i5 13400F, which means you get the newest gen of hardware across the board that can unlock the full potential of your hardware. Both come with great efficiency and improvements over the previous options.

It also comes with what seems to be standard 16GB of DDR4 memory also clocked at 3200MHz, which can limit the full potential of some processors. Also featuring the fast booth drive it might be limited on the space it has provided although it still is plenty for most users so it might be for you too.

Where the system might falter is the limited cooling, the PC case has a solid front panel, and even if it has fans at the front it might be limited in how much comes in. That also can affect the CPU, as it uses just a 120mm AIO it could be a reason it throttles and limits performance eventually.

For something a bit different the Empowered PC Continuum provides a nice-looking case with infinity glass at the front for a great-looking machine.

As standard for the $1500 mark, it comes with an RTX 4070 for good performance with over 100 at both 1080p and 1440p, with 4K being a bit tougher. It does hold back with the CPU a bit more with a 10th gen i7, although it’s still a perfectly capable gaming processor, it doesn’t match up to the new-gen GPU it has. However, it shouldn’t bottleneck the cards anyway.

Where the machine differs and brings some good options is the RAM and storage it uses. It ups the count to 32GB, even if it is a bit slower it does give you a lot more flexibility in what you’re doing and how much at the same time. Where it also shines is the storage solutions it has, with an NVMe boot drive and option for some games, it then has an HDD for those games that you don’t mind the loading times as much. This does improve your capacity overall if you don’t mind the speed as much. You can also find the limitations to the airflow from the enclosed case that might hinder the cooling of your components.

If you don’t want to quite hit the top end of the budget, the Skytech Archangel brings some top power but not max it out. It brings with it a tier down of a GPU, with the RTX 4060 Ti that knocks down the expected performance of the machine. At 1080p you can expect just over 110 FPS, with 1440p around 80 FPS average, and you can’t expect 4K to achieve enough for 60. Which is still a good level that is enough for many users.

For the CPU it has an i5 12400F, also turning down what tier is used and saving on the non-integrated GPU version gives a lot of value for the machine. It pairs up well with the graphics card to get the most out of them. It also has 16GB DDR4 RAM at 3200MHz, which is adequate these days and keeps it well within the budget. That is the same with the storage solution with just a 1TB NVMe that is fast and capacious even if it might run out sooner rather than later. It certainly has the airflow in mind with a mesh front panel with plenty of fans to keep it cool.

What to look for in a gaming PC under $1500?

When looking to buy yourself a new gaming PC, there are plenty of factors to consider as to what you choose from. Some features and differences vary between the desktops out there. You want to have a good balance of all the components, as otherwise, you will have a lot more bottlenecking and inefficiencies than needed.

Due to that, you want to with up the components well that work together. If the PC comes with one component too good, then something else might be amiss. Like getting a great GPU, but the CPU is several generations old and a lower tier that would impact its performance. Same for RAM and storage, making sure you get a good set of components, and ensure they work well together to void a bottleneck is essential.

$1500 Prebuilt vs Custom built gaming PC

We always recommend that you build your computer here at WePC and that is for one simple reason – value.  It is no secret that you can squeeze in better hardware for your cash when building your system, with the markup on prebuilt computers usually costing the same amount as an entire component ($100-$300). This will vary based on the manufacturer, but it will still require some investment to get your PC built for you.

Performance

While the performance of these prebuilt gaming PCs under 1500 is great, when building your own you could in theory include a better CPU or GPU into your computer without spending more. This means you could get even better performance for your hard-earned cash, get better in-game results, and future-proof your investment for longer. You can also take advantage of the second-hand market for your components, extracting further value.

Convenience

The main selling point behind a prebuilt is it saves you the hassle. We understand that not everyone knows how to build a computer and may not even have the time to learn this new skill, so the convenience of a prebuilt one makes a lot of sense. Of course, there are many more benefits to buying a prebuilt gaming PC from manufacturers it takes the stresses away from finding all the compatible components, while also preventing damage to said components when the time comes to build it.

With a prebuilt gaming PC, you are going to be able to send it back to the manufacturer if something doesn’t work as intended. This is because all prebuilt manufacturers usually offer a warranty of at least one year. Furthermore, if you feel you need an upgrade, suppliers will often do this for you or at least insist you send it to them for an upgrade. This does have a caveat, however, as a lot of manufacturers use proprietary components that are not compatible with other components to make upgrading at home more difficult.

A prebuilt from the biggest manufacturers around the world isn’t just packaged nicely for you either, they normally stress test the system to ensure the components are working before shipping and that it performs as it should. You will also receive your system with software, usually with Windows and drivers pre-installed, so you can simply plug it in and start downloading games.

FAQs

Is a $1500 gaming PC worth it?

A $1500 gaming PC is a great price point to aim for. It’s on the entry point to the higher end of the performance. With plenty of features being implemented that are nice to find in them, such as multiple large-capacity storage drives. It also includes the next tier of components that are only one generation behind, so it is a good point for 2 or 4k gaming with higher refresh rates.

How much is a decent prebuilt gaming PC?

You can easily get a decent gaming PC under $800, with entry-level CPUs and GPUs that are still fairly modern. They can achieve good and fast performance at that level. But you will lack in some departments, such as the storage capacity, and be limited to lower resolutions. So for a bit better experience, aiming for $1500 will give you a solid experience.

Final word

As it stands, these are the best-prebuilt gaming PCs under $1500. Every selection in this round-up will bring you an excellent gaming experience for years to come and which you choose largely depends on your budget and needs. Hopefully, after reading this article you are now ready to make your decision but rest assured these are high quality and come from reputable companies.

This way you can find a good gaming rig that will hit you with plenty of FPS. Some of them feature the best graphics cards but don’t forget some of the other features of your rig. If it’s what cooler its features, how many USB ports it has, or even the power supply that runs it so it doesn’t ruin the fun too soon. But also consider the HDMI and DisplayPort available, as it needs to suit your monitor to match the performance of the system.

That includes the likes of the best CPU to unlock the full potential of the GPU. Along with a good power supply make sure you get the power you need for your system and it doesn’t break if you have a reliable pick. Lastly, storage is a good idea to make sure you get the storage you require for all your games, files, and applications.