Best budget gaming PC: A cheap custom PC for 1080p gaming

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The Best Budget Gaming PC
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Table of Contents

Best Budget Gaming PC

Despite what many may think, the best budget gaming PC can actually handle a lot of today’s greatest AAA titles quite well. It should be noted that you may need to reign in your expectations, as playing these titles in ultra settings, at high resolutions, will be a step too far. A budget gaming PC is bit ambiguous, stretching from the edge of entry-level all the way to the mid-range. This means building a cheap gaming PC can be a very challenging task, especially when trying to achieve great performance.

Budget gaming PC of the month

As this is a budget PC build, we aren’t going to be spending thousands here. Of course, what constitutes as “cheap” or “budget” varies from one gamer to the next but we are aiming to keep this affordable and find a balance. We think a PC around the $800 mark is the budget sweet spot, bringing high FPS in 1080p across the majority of modern titles. In order to save money, this custom PC will need to use older generation components but you can rest assured that these are of the highest quality and can still delivers the great results for gaming.

There are far less compromises around $800 but  if this doesn’t sound like your kind of budget gaming PC – we  have already put some custom builds together. From the entry-level $500 custom build to something just slightly more affordable at $700 – we have you covered. When you dip lower than $800, you will need to include an  older generation CPU and GPU, you may also need to sacrifice some storage space too.

How We Test

All of the crucial internal components such as the CPU and GPU that feature in our recommended PCs are tested in in-house. This is to ensure that the builds we recommend are fully functioning and don’t have any unexpected compatibility issues. We test these PCs with the slog of everyday life just to test the functionality and longevity as an office workhorse, and of course, we test the PCs with games too. The games we use range from lower demanding indie titles to very demanding AAA titles, to offer an accurate depiction of what you can expect from the machine we are building.

 

The WePC experts that worked on this build

Custom Build Specialist
Team Shaun

Shaun Conroy

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Shaun is a gaming enthusiast and computer science graduate who has been working with computers for the last 15 years. He took a shine to competitive FPS back in the mid-2000s and hasn’t looked back since.

The Best Budget Prebuilt Gaming PC

If you are still unsure about building yourself a PC, we understand, not everyone has the time, so we have included a similar spec’d budget prebuilt gaming PCs, ready-made to save you the hassle.

This Thermaltake prebuilt features  a 13th-gen i5 and the RTX 4060 but works out around $150 more than the custom build.

Our Recommended Custom Build Details

  • Last Updated - Mar 21, 2024

This affordable gaming system may feature older generation components, however, they easily achieve great gaming results in 1080p. With this build you will be pushing high frames in esports titles or play almost any AAA title at an enjoyable setting.

Phanteks Eclipse P300 Steel ATX Mid Tower Tempered Glass

The Best Budget Gaming PC

Our best budget gaming PC is a cheap PC that still performs. This affordable build works best when playing in a 1080p resolution and will be able to deliver high FPS results, in max settings, across a multitude of games.

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AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600X isn’t just a great gaming CPU but one of the best budget CPUs on the market and really helps matters when trying to build a cheap gaming PC. Despite being from the previous generation of processors, the 5600X still offers 6 cores/12 threads with a base clock speed of 3.7GHz and a boost clock speed of 4.6GHz. This should be more than enough to handle most demanding games at 1080p and will churn through med-high demanding workloads.

The MSI B550M PRO may be a budget motherboard but it is a reliable base for the components in this build and features Wifi. This AM4 board accommodates up to 128GB of RAM catering to speeds of up to 4400 MHz. The only real downside with this AM4 socket is that you are sacrificing upgradability down the line – with AMD’s latest processors now compatible with AM5.

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This 16GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM from Corsair is the perfect pairing for any budget gaming PC. It may not the fastest or highest capacity but it will do the job for years to come until 32GB DDr5 becomes the new standard for gaming.

Despite being on a budget we have managed to squeeze in one of Nvidia’s latest graphics cards into this build. The RTX 4060 is on the lower end of the 40-series spectrum but with the latest features, there is no better GPU for 1080p budget gaming. If you were looking to save more money, we would recommend going for one of AMD’s 6000-series GPUs or try and find a second hand RTX 30-series card.

A SSD is an essential hardware component and we highly recommend installing your OS onto it. This is because SSD’s offer huge performance increases for desktop usage and boot times, alongside much faster loading times in games. This SSD has a 1TB capacity giving you enough room for your OS and games.

Corsair 4000D Airflow

Corsair 4000D Airflow Black

Type

Mid-tower

Motherboard Support

ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX

Dimensions

17.83 x 9.06 x 18.35 inches

Included Fans

2 x 120mm AirGuide fans

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Corsair 4000D Airflow

Corsair 4000D Airflow Black

Type

Mid-tower

Motherboard Support

ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX

Dimensions

17.83 x 9.06 x 18.35 inches

Included Fans

2 x 120mm AirGuide fans

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The Corsair 4000D Airflow may not be the cheapest case you can find but its price to performance is amazing. This case comes with excellent airflow right out of the box, a tool-less design, and it is incredibly easy to build in. You are going to love this case.

For the power supply, we opted for Thermaltake’s Smart BX1. 750W is more than you  need but it gives you a bit of headroom to upgrade in down the line and this unit is priced very well. This PSU is also non-modular but that is nothing to worry about.

Phanteks Eclipse P300 Steel ATX Mid Tower Tempered Glass

The Best Budget Gaming PC

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Things To Consider

Whether you are building your own budget gaming PC or a prebuilt, there are still many things to consider first. The last thing we want is to waste our hard-earned cash, so we will be covering a few key areas to help you choose the right PC for your gaming needs.

Graphics

The first thing to look for when buying a budget gaming PC is its specifications. You’ll obviously already have a budget in mind but if the PC isn’t up to tackling the games you want to play in the settings you desire, then what’s the point? There are going to be compromises when trying to buy a budget gaming PC but that doesn’t mean you can’t the best gaming experience for your cash. For budget gamers, older generations of graphics cards are often king but the lower-end new releases can sometimes fit into a budget PC.

What Is A Cheap Gaming PC?

It’s true, “cheap” is a rather ambiguous term, where everyone’s definition of what is cheap can be different. At WePC, we consider any gaming computer around $500 and below as cheap, this is console territory and the gaming experience isn’t always a fantastic one. For others, what we consider cheap could be mid-range, creating a bit of confusion around the term.

In any case, a cheap gaming PC is essentially going to consist of older generation components, less powerful components, and compromises across the build, whether that’s storage space, graphical fidelity, or the RAM kit you install. What’s great about PC building is you have a large number of options to choose from and the challenge that arises from building a PC on an affordable budget can be quite a buzz.

Unless you play old, less graphically intensive games like competitive esports titles, a cheap gaming computer could age very fast, leaving you needing upgrades sooner rather than later. Another thing to consider is the rise in higher refresh rate monitors, offering gamers a smoother experience if their computer can push out a certain amount of FPS, which cheap gaming desktops may struggle to do.

So, a cheap gaming PC should really only be thought of as a system for casual use or as a starting place for anyone new to the world of PC gaming to build upon. That being said, are you not better off saving a little more? After all, you’ve managed to save $500 so what is another $200? Well, most of us are impatient and want it now! The reality is, if you can save yourself an extra few hundred, you can enhance your gaming experience a phenomenal amount but then you start to wonder.. where it will end.

400 Build VS 600 Build

Why you should build a gaming PC on a budget

For anyone new to building a PC, cheap or otherwise, it can be a daunting task. When building the best budget PC, every penny counts and you ideally want to ensure you get the most bang for your buck when down in the lower end of the scale. Unlike high-end builds which give you the freedom to choose whatever components you want, a budget PC is much less forgiving. You must prioritize and sacrifice key hardware components to ensure you stay within your budgetary limits.

We advise you to select your graphics card first to meet your gaming needs then build up the rest as best you can while sticking to your budget.

We always recommend that you build your own 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 own gaming rig, with the markup on prebuilt computers usually costing the same amount as an entire component ($100-$300).

While the performance of this PC is never in doubt, when building your own, you could in theory include a better CPU or GPU into your computer for less. 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.

The main selling point behind prebuilt gaming PCs is that 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 makes a lot of sense. Of course, there are many more benefits to buying a prebuilt PC from manufacturers, obviously, 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 PC, you are going to be able to send it back to the manufacturer if anything goes wrong. 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. Manufacturers will also dish out a warranty, usually covering parts and labor for around a year but some companies offer impressive warranties and you can always spend extra on insurance, giving you a lengthy/ lifetime warranty.

Build A Gaming System By Price

Check out some of our price-focused custom PC build guides below.

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Upgrade Path for Custom Build

  • Last Updated - Mar 21, 2024

With budget gaming PCs being relatively cheap, there is plenty of room for upgrades. PC gaming will be a breeze for those looking to game in 1080p but if you are considering playing in 1440p or would like even more FPS, these upgrades are for you.

Note: These upgrades will raise the price of the build but if you have some cash to spare, these will make great additions.

With budget gaming PCs being relatively cheap, there is plenty of room for upgrades. PC gaming will be a breeze for those looking to game in 1080p but if you are considering playing in 1440p or would like even more FPS, these upgrades are for you.

Note: These upgrades will raise the price of the build but if you have some cash to spare, these will make great additions.

Operating System & Peripherals

Since the budget only factors in the cost of the important components, we have included this section. Most people already have operating systems and gaming peripherals, but for those that don’t, here are our top recommendations.

BenQ Zowie XL2411K 24 inch

BenQ Zowie XL2411K 24 Inch

Refresh Rate

144Hz

Response Time (stated by maufacturer)

1ms

Panel Type

TN

Screen Size

24"

Resolution

1920 x 1080

Curved?

No

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BenQ Zowie XL2411K 24 inch

BenQ Zowie XL2411K 24 Inch

Refresh Rate

144Hz

Response Time (stated by maufacturer)

1ms

Panel Type

TN

Screen Size

24"

Resolution

1920 x 1080

Curved?

No

Read Hands on Review
CHECK PRICE

Top Tips For Building Your Custom PC

When building a PC, you need to handle it with care. This is especially true if this is the first PC you’ve ever built; definitely read various online tips to clear up any questions you have before starting.

Closing Thoughts

Building the best budget gaming PC is a bit more of a challenge compared to a higher-end, simply because price-to-performance is hugely important. There’s obviously a lot of speculation surrounding the cost of what a cheap gaming PC should be – mainly because everyone values their cash differently but we have done our best to build what we think a cheap gaming PC is. Our opinion is to always aim a little higher, ideally around $1000 but not everyone can afford such luxuries.

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