PC Gaming might seem prohibitively expensive to get into, but budget gaming PCs offer a surprisingly affordable way into the hobby. You don’t have to spend a full (or multiple) month’s salary to afford a gaming PC to play the best PC games. You can easily get a capable rig with a shiny new CPU and graphics card for a grand or less.
An affordable rig is all you need to get you through the PC gaming door to play AAA and indie games. You might get a rig with a small SSD or only one stick of RAM, but you can easily upgrade or replace these components down the line. The same goes with your gaming experience, if you want to upgrade to a 4K gaming monitor you can always buy a more powerful GPU in the future. With that said, these are the best budget gaming PCs to get your PC gaming life started – and click here and to find them in the UK.
CPU: Intel Core i5-12400 | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 | RAM: 16GB DDR5 4,800MHz | Storage: 256GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, 1TB HDD (7,200RPM) | Weight: 35.27 pounds | Size: 16.54" x 8.07" x 15.57" (W x D x H)
The Lenovo Legion 5i Tower Gen 7 might be a tick over $1,000 but the small added expense is well worth it for Intel’s latest 12th Generation processor. That new CPU gives this gaming PC a ton more processing headroom and excellent efficiency when you’re not gaming. Additionally, you also get fast DDR5 memory and a PCIe 4.0 SSD too, even though the drive is a bit on the small side with only 256GB of capacity.
Another great thing about the Lenovo Legion 5i Tower Gen 7 is it’s just a fantastic gaming PC build overall. It has two front intake fans behind a mesh facade and an exhaust fan at the back. Internally, it also features a standard micro ATX motherboard and a sizeable heatsink to keep your CPU cool. The graphics are no slouch either, the Nvidia RTX 3060 onboard will see you through plenty of 1080p gaming.
CPU: Intel Core i5-12400 | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3050 | RAM: 8GB DDR4 3,200MHz | Storage: 256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD | Weight: 30.45 pounds | Size: 6.50” x 15.59” x 17.64” (W x D x H)
The HP Omen 25L Gaming Desktop is a fantastic gaming PC if you have a hard budget limit of $1,000. It packs a 12th gen Intel Core i5-12400 processor, which is a fantastic midrange gaming CPU with six P-cores and 12 threads that can overclock like it’s nobody’s business. You’ll have no issue cruising through everyday tasks, and it’s a gaming workhorse. Of course, pairing that processor with Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics makes this machine a 1080p gaming champion, though if you want to game at higher resolutions, it’ll cost you the frame rate.
This gaming PC isn’t quite full-featured, with only DDR4 RAM and a PCIe 3.0 SSD, but you have everything you need to start playing PC games with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage space. If that doesn’t seem like enough, the HP Omen 25L offers plenty of custom upgrades you can make when purchasing, or it totes a pretty cavernous PC case, so you can easily swap your components later on.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G | GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5500 (4GB GDDR5) | RAM: 8GB DDR4 3,200MHz | Storage: 256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD | Weight: 13.91 pounds | Size: 6.1” x 11.71” x 13.27” (W x D x H)
The $549 HP Victus 15L is the absolute cheapest PC we could find that was actually worth buying. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a fantastically powerful CPU and the AMD Radeon RX 5500 has a surprising amount of graphical grunt. You can easily achieve 60fps gaming on AAA titles at a 1080p resolution and your visual quality set to high.
The HP Victus 15L is a tiny little rig, so it’s perfect if you also don’t have much space for a desktop. The only downside is it comes with a baseline of 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage, but that’s all you need to start playing games.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti | RAM: 16GB DDR4 3,200MHz | Storage: 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD, 1TB HDD (7,200RPM) | Weight: 13.96 pounds | Size: 17.8" x 7.99" x 18.35" (W x D x H)
1440p gaming might seem impossible on a budget, but the Corsair Vengeance a7200 is a fantastic, albeit limited, deal we could find for $1,649. This gaming PC comes fully loaded with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti to make your QHD gaming dreams a reality. It’s also fully loaded with 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD, as well as a 1TB hard drive.
Best of all this PC comes in Corsair’s gorgeous 4000D with a ton of cooling including three intake fans and an all-in-one liquid CPU cooler set to exhaust heat through the top of the system. Corsair’s prebuilt PCs are well built and use only standard PC parts, so it’ll be incredibly easy to upgrade and replace components when you’re ready to add more power.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 | RAM: 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3,200MHz | Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD | Weight: 14.55 pounds | Size: 16.65" x 8.27" x 18.11" (W x D x H)
If you don’t want to sacrifice frame rates, 1080p is the way to go when gaming on a budget, and the NZXT Streaming PC offers stellar performance at that resolution for a fair price. Toting a capable Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card, you can enjoy playing games at a silky 1080p with the highest settings. It’ll even handle a bit of gaming at 1440p, though not nearly as well as the Corsair Vengeance a7200. That GPU pairs perfectly with the midrange AMD Ryzen 5 5600X processor to chew through most games with ease.
Beyond its processors, the NZXT Streaming PC also comes with 16GB of memory and 1TB of speedy SSD storage, which is plenty for anyone just starting in the PC gaming space or casual gamers. Of course, the “streaming” in the name also entails a smooth stream over Twitch while you play and plenty of ports for all your peripherals. And to ensure all the computer’s components keep up top performance, a powerful liquid cooler with some RGB lighting is included, while the roomy case provides ample space for component swapping.
The best gaming PCs will invariably be pricey, especially if you plan to play graphically-intensive games at high or ultra settings, but finding a decent and affordable gaming rig isn’t impossible.
Just take our picks above as an example, it’s entirely possible to find desktops to help you get started with PC gaming without having to spend more than $1,000. The most important thing is you need to find configurations with a strong enough processor and graphics cards to meet your needs. We’ll break down what to look for on a per-component basis.
Thanks to the renewed competition between AMD and Nvidia (and Intel soon), graphics cards have never been more powerful and affordable. The downside to this is that there are a lot of options out there, and it can get pretty overwhelming to choose when you’re not familiar with them.
On the budget spectrum, the Nvidia RTX 3060 has become the defacto graphics card for most people. Of course, you can shoot a little lower with the Nvidia RTX 3050 for a bit more savings, but this GPU is best for competitive like CS:GO and League of Legends.
As for AMD, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT — or their new slightly updated successors — often come with even lower-priced rigs. If you’re looking for something dirt-cheap, the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is a solid bargain-basement performer.
The second thing you should consider about your gaming PC is the processor. While the CPU doesn’t directly drive how your games will look, they do determine how well they will run.
Having the latest processor is less important than having the latest graphics cards, however, Intel’s 12th Generation and AMD’s 5th Generation CPUs represent the largest CPU improvements we’ve seen in years past. So it’s worth seeking out the newest chips you can find if you can afford them.
With that said, you should ideally find a gaming PC with either an Intel Core i5-12400 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X. While shopping for a budget gaming PC you also might also come across configurations with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G or Ryzen 7 5700G. These are essentially AMD’s APUs that offer great performance, amazing integrated graphics, and often extra savings, so there’s no reason to avoid options with these CPUs.
The speed and amount of RAM you have in your gaming PC is the third most important factor. At the very least you want to have a minimum of 8GB of DDR4 RAM, but most gaming PCs these days come with at least 16GB of memory. Also keep in mind that it’s usually cheaper to upgrade your RAM then to do it at check out, so you might find it more economical to pick a configuration with less memory and buy a separate kit to install.
Kevin Lee is IGN's SEO Updates Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.
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An affordable rig is all you need to get you through the PC gaming door to play AAA and indie games. You might get a rig with a small SSD or only one stick of RAM, but you can easily upgrade or replace these components down the line. The same goes with your gaming experience, if you want to upgrade to a 4K gaming monitor you can always buy a more powerful GPU in the future. With that said, these are the best budget gaming PCs to get your PC gaming life started – and click here and to find them in the UK.
TL;DR – These are the Best Budget Gaming PCs
- Lenovo Legion 5i Tower Gen 7
- HP Omen 25L Gaming Desktop
- HP Victus 15L
- Corsair Vengeance a7200
- NZXT Streaming PC
1. Lenovo Legion 5i Tower Gen 7
Best Budget Gaming PC
CPU: Intel Core i5-12400 | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 | RAM: 16GB DDR5 4,800MHz | Storage: 256GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, 1TB HDD (7,200RPM) | Weight: 35.27 pounds | Size: 16.54" x 8.07" x 15.57" (W x D x H)
The Lenovo Legion 5i Tower Gen 7 might be a tick over $1,000 but the small added expense is well worth it for Intel’s latest 12th Generation processor. That new CPU gives this gaming PC a ton more processing headroom and excellent efficiency when you’re not gaming. Additionally, you also get fast DDR5 memory and a PCIe 4.0 SSD too, even though the drive is a bit on the small side with only 256GB of capacity.
Another great thing about the Lenovo Legion 5i Tower Gen 7 is it’s just a fantastic gaming PC build overall. It has two front intake fans behind a mesh facade and an exhaust fan at the back. Internally, it also features a standard micro ATX motherboard and a sizeable heatsink to keep your CPU cool. The graphics are no slouch either, the Nvidia RTX 3060 onboard will see you through plenty of 1080p gaming.
2. HP Omen 25L Gaming Desktop
Best Gaming PC Under $1000
CPU: Intel Core i5-12400 | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3050 | RAM: 8GB DDR4 3,200MHz | Storage: 256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD | Weight: 30.45 pounds | Size: 6.50” x 15.59” x 17.64” (W x D x H)
The HP Omen 25L Gaming Desktop is a fantastic gaming PC if you have a hard budget limit of $1,000. It packs a 12th gen Intel Core i5-12400 processor, which is a fantastic midrange gaming CPU with six P-cores and 12 threads that can overclock like it’s nobody’s business. You’ll have no issue cruising through everyday tasks, and it’s a gaming workhorse. Of course, pairing that processor with Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics makes this machine a 1080p gaming champion, though if you want to game at higher resolutions, it’ll cost you the frame rate.
This gaming PC isn’t quite full-featured, with only DDR4 RAM and a PCIe 3.0 SSD, but you have everything you need to start playing PC games with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage space. If that doesn’t seem like enough, the HP Omen 25L offers plenty of custom upgrades you can make when purchasing, or it totes a pretty cavernous PC case, so you can easily swap your components later on.
3. HP Victus 15L
Cheapest Gaming PC
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G | GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5500 (4GB GDDR5) | RAM: 8GB DDR4 3,200MHz | Storage: 256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD | Weight: 13.91 pounds | Size: 6.1” x 11.71” x 13.27” (W x D x H)
The $549 HP Victus 15L is the absolute cheapest PC we could find that was actually worth buying. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a fantastically powerful CPU and the AMD Radeon RX 5500 has a surprising amount of graphical grunt. You can easily achieve 60fps gaming on AAA titles at a 1080p resolution and your visual quality set to high.
The HP Victus 15L is a tiny little rig, so it’s perfect if you also don’t have much space for a desktop. The only downside is it comes with a baseline of 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage, but that’s all you need to start playing games.
4. Corsair Vengeance a7200
Best Budget PC for 1440p Gaming
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti | RAM: 16GB DDR4 3,200MHz | Storage: 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD, 1TB HDD (7,200RPM) | Weight: 13.96 pounds | Size: 17.8" x 7.99" x 18.35" (W x D x H)
1440p gaming might seem impossible on a budget, but the Corsair Vengeance a7200 is a fantastic, albeit limited, deal we could find for $1,649. This gaming PC comes fully loaded with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti to make your QHD gaming dreams a reality. It’s also fully loaded with 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD, as well as a 1TB hard drive.
Best of all this PC comes in Corsair’s gorgeous 4000D with a ton of cooling including three intake fans and an all-in-one liquid CPU cooler set to exhaust heat through the top of the system. Corsair’s prebuilt PCs are well built and use only standard PC parts, so it’ll be incredibly easy to upgrade and replace components when you’re ready to add more power.
5. NZXT Streaming PC
Best Budget PC for 1080p Gaming
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 | RAM: 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3,200MHz | Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD | Weight: 14.55 pounds | Size: 16.65" x 8.27" x 18.11" (W x D x H)
If you don’t want to sacrifice frame rates, 1080p is the way to go when gaming on a budget, and the NZXT Streaming PC offers stellar performance at that resolution for a fair price. Toting a capable Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card, you can enjoy playing games at a silky 1080p with the highest settings. It’ll even handle a bit of gaming at 1440p, though not nearly as well as the Corsair Vengeance a7200. That GPU pairs perfectly with the midrange AMD Ryzen 5 5600X processor to chew through most games with ease.
Beyond its processors, the NZXT Streaming PC also comes with 16GB of memory and 1TB of speedy SSD storage, which is plenty for anyone just starting in the PC gaming space or casual gamers. Of course, the “streaming” in the name also entails a smooth stream over Twitch while you play and plenty of ports for all your peripherals. And to ensure all the computer’s components keep up top performance, a powerful liquid cooler with some RGB lighting is included, while the roomy case provides ample space for component swapping.
Where to Get the Best Budget Gaming PC in the UK
What to Look For in a Budget Gaming PC
The best gaming PCs will invariably be pricey, especially if you plan to play graphically-intensive games at high or ultra settings, but finding a decent and affordable gaming rig isn’t impossible.
Just take our picks above as an example, it’s entirely possible to find desktops to help you get started with PC gaming without having to spend more than $1,000. The most important thing is you need to find configurations with a strong enough processor and graphics cards to meet your needs. We’ll break down what to look for on a per-component basis.
Discrete GPU
Thanks to the renewed competition between AMD and Nvidia (and Intel soon), graphics cards have never been more powerful and affordable. The downside to this is that there are a lot of options out there, and it can get pretty overwhelming to choose when you’re not familiar with them.
On the budget spectrum, the Nvidia RTX 3060 has become the defacto graphics card for most people. Of course, you can shoot a little lower with the Nvidia RTX 3050 for a bit more savings, but this GPU is best for competitive like CS:GO and League of Legends.
As for AMD, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT — or their new slightly updated successors — often come with even lower-priced rigs. If you’re looking for something dirt-cheap, the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is a solid bargain-basement performer.
Processor
The second thing you should consider about your gaming PC is the processor. While the CPU doesn’t directly drive how your games will look, they do determine how well they will run.
Having the latest processor is less important than having the latest graphics cards, however, Intel’s 12th Generation and AMD’s 5th Generation CPUs represent the largest CPU improvements we’ve seen in years past. So it’s worth seeking out the newest chips you can find if you can afford them.
With that said, you should ideally find a gaming PC with either an Intel Core i5-12400 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X. While shopping for a budget gaming PC you also might also come across configurations with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G or Ryzen 7 5700G. These are essentially AMD’s APUs that offer great performance, amazing integrated graphics, and often extra savings, so there’s no reason to avoid options with these CPUs.
RAM
The speed and amount of RAM you have in your gaming PC is the third most important factor. At the very least you want to have a minimum of 8GB of DDR4 RAM, but most gaming PCs these days come with at least 16GB of memory. Also keep in mind that it’s usually cheaper to upgrade your RAM then to do it at check out, so you might find it more economical to pick a configuration with less memory and buy a separate kit to install.
Kevin Lee is IGN's SEO Updates Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.
Continue reading...
