Best gaming PC build under $300 of 2024
Built & Tested By Our Team
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Table of Contents
Build Overview
Building a gaming PC for under 300 dollars can be tough, but thanks to AMD’s impressive range of APUs, it’s incredibly possible while still achieving decent entry-level performance. This is the best gaming PC build under $300. At the heart of our build sits the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G. It comes equipped with Radeon Vega graphics, which is surprisingly good at handling low-intensive games such as CS2 and Fortnite.
Let’s quickly note what this build has to offer in terms of performance and features, and while we’re at it, let’s discuss some of the roadblocks we encountered and why we chose this hardware for our $300 gaming PC build.
$300 gaming PC build of the month
The $300 gaming PC might not be the be also and end all of gaming PCs, but it’s a fantastic start, or would even make a great gift to a child or someone just getting into PCs and PC building. The Ryzen 5 5600G carries 6 cores and 12 threads, with a maximum boost clock of 4.4GHz. This is plenty for gaming workloads on the CPU side, but what about the GPU? As we said, there is no GPU, but there is a GPU component in the APU we have chosen, the Ryzen 5 5600G has a Radeon Vega GPU core count of 7 with a max speed of 1900MHz, which again, isn’t bad for an APU. We;ve paired the 5600G with all the compatible hardware it needs, such as the ASRock A520m motherboard, and 16GB of 3200MHz memory. When it comes to the 5000 series Ryzen, the faster the memory, the better the CPU will perform.
AMD APUs
An APU, for those wondering, is an accelerated processing unit. What sets this apart from a normal CPU is the fact that comes with its own integrated graphics built-in. Unlike Intel CPUs, an AMD APU comes with Vega graphics, which is much more powerful than a comparable iGPU in Intel processors. The 5600G comes with Radeon Vega graphics that showcase similar performance levels to a GT 1030. Which is impressive for such a small form factor.
The integrated graphics of an APU fully depend on your system’s RAM when in use, as there’s no VRAM built into the CPU. For that reason, equipping your build with fast RAM is essential when trying to achieve maximum performance out of your APU.
The WePC experts that worked on this build
Seb is a Mechanical Engineering Graduate who has always been passionate and involved in gaming and computers. Ever since tinkering with the family computer and being the tech wizard in the family, he’s had an interest in PCs and all things tech. So while at University build his own computer, became tech support for others and finally found a career working with them daily.
Jack has has a keen interest in computers and video creation for a little over 10 years, and with a professional background in PC building, an education in cyber security and a life long love for gaming,
he really likes to not only play games but to know what makes the PCs driving them tick! The perfect pick for a Benchmarker.
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.
Our Best $300 Prebuilt Gaming PC Recommendations
NSX GAMING 5600G Desktop PC
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
GPU
Radeon Vega Graphics
RAM
16GB
Storage
512GB NVMe SSD
NSX GAMING 5600G Desktop PC
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
GPU
Radeon Vega Graphics
RAM
16GB
Storage
512GB NVMe SSD
You may have gotten this far and have decided you just aren’t quite ready to take the step into custom PC building. And that’s OK! For those people, we’ve scoured the web to find relevant prebuilt gaming PC options that will offer the same performance as our custom build. Wedo strongly encourage you to take the leap into PC building, as it’s not going to get much easier than a $300 build. You’ll save money in the long run building your own PCs, an that money you can put into making your PC more powerful.
We do weekly checks on our prebuilt recommendations to make sure they are in line with our custom build. If we find a more powerful prebuilt option or the current one goes out of stock, we will replace it with a like-for-like product.
Our Recommended Custom $300 PC Build
- Last Updated - Mar 5, 2024
This entry-level gaming system is designed to be the best 300 dollar gaming PC money can buy. FPS may not be very high, but this system is as good as it gets for the price.
Our $300 Custom Gaming PC Build
The best custom built gaming PC for under $300 does exactly what it says on the tin. It offers up low-end gaming performance for people with restricted budgets. At this price range, we’ve opted for one of AMD’s latest APUs – the 5600G. While this isn’t the most impressive CPU out there, it’s certainly one of the best for gaming on an entry-level budget. It will be able to play older generation games at playable frame rates, including CS:GO, LOL, and Rocket League. Despite most of the components within this build being fairly entry-level, you still get adequate storage and sufficient RAM.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Speed
3.9GHz - 4.4GHz
Core (threads)
6 (12)
Socket
AM4
Graphics
Vega 7
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Speed
3.9GHz - 4.4GHz
Core (threads)
6 (12)
Socket
AM4
Graphics
Vega 7
The Ryzen 5 5600G showcases excellent value for money and dominates the competition in this price bracket. The impressive performance makes the 5600G one of the best value-for-money products available today. It comes equipped with Vega Radeon integrated graphics that showcase similar performance to that of the GT 1030. This, in turn, means you have the ability to run low-intensive AAA games at 50+FPS in low/med settings. Perfect for any entry-level PC build. It may not be the best CPU in the world, but it certainly is for this build.
The ASRock A520M motherboard is an entry-level board that offers excellent features at an affordable price point. It’s the perfect starter for any entry-level build and comes equipped with AM4 support, fast RAM support, and the reliability that comes with buying products from this manufacturer. Overall, one of the best motherboards for gamers looking for an affordable, entry-level platform to build on.
No items found.
This $300 build has no cooler selected because the Ryzen 5 5600G comes with a stock cooler in the box.
Silicon Power Value Gaming RAM 16GB (2x8GB) 3200MHz
Capacity
16GB (2x8GB)
Speed
3200MHz
Timings
CL16
Silicon Power Value Gaming RAM 16GB (2x8GB) 3200MHz
Capacity
16GB (2x8GB)
Speed
3200MHz
Timings
CL16
We’ve gone for a Silicon Power DDR416GB 3200MHz RAM kit for our $300 build, as it offers excellent performance at a relatively low price tag. It’s pretty much the perfect pairing for the Ryzen APU. With 16GB at your disposal, you are in a great spot to begin with and won’t need to upgrade for a long time.
No items found.
This $300 build has no GPU selected because the Ryzen 5 5600G acts as both a CPU and a GPU.
We’ve decided to go for an SSD over the more traditional HDD in this build because it adds so much to the performance and overall usability of this system. Even though we’re losing roughly 750GB of storage capacity by going for an SSD, we’re making up for it with much faster boot/load times. If you want your OS and games to load lightning-fast, then an SSD is the way to go. If you want more storage and don’t care about speed, you should opt for a HDD.
The Cooler Master Q300L PC Case isn’t going to win any awards for style, but this entry-level case still has a lot to offer. Cooler Master is equipped it with one pre-installed 120mm fan, giving you some cooling straight out of the box. You can’t ask much more from a case offering at this price, but if you do find yourself wanting something a little different, you can check out our best PC case recommendations.
Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+ White Certified PSU
