If the idea of building a gaming PC from scratch seems daunting, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with going with a pre-built gaming PC, even though most folks will tell you it’s cheaper. In fact, you can find some great desktop computer deals, including from the big brands, that will almost negate any sort of losses you would have made by going for a pre-build computer. Even better, there are some great budget-oriented options that will let you play the best PC games without too many compromises.
Once you’ve grabbed a pre-built, check out gaming monitor deals for a chance to save on a nice display. If the machine you pick up needs some upgrades, you can save with GPU deals, SSD deals, and RAM deals.
Best gaming PC deal for entry-level gamers
Lenovo Legion Tower 5 — $1,050, was $1,330
If you’re willing to add a little bit more, then bumping up to the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 nets you an RX 7600 which is simila to a RTX 3060, a solid 1080p card that will be able to handle a lot more games with higher graphical settings and refresh rates. It also gives you access to the latest DLSS 3.0 since you didn’t get that on the previous generations. RAM is in the mid-range at 16GB, but it’s DDR5 Memory, so it’s a bit faster, while the 512Gb should be more than enough to get you started. As for the processor, the AMD Ryzen 7 is a CPU that’s well paired with the RX 7600 and is fine for other tasks like productivity and general use.
Best gaming PC deal for gamers on a budget
CyberPowerPC Gamer Master Gaming Desktop — $850, was $1,00
If you’re looking for the cheapest gaming PC that’s still a viable gaming PC, then the CyberPowerPC Gamer Master is an solid option. It comes with an RTX 4060, which is a step higher than entry-level, but it will give you a lot more room to try things out and enjoy better graphics, so it’s a good GPU to start on. It also comes with a mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 7600 CPU that’s fine for gaming and productivity work, and the 16GB of DDR4 RAM is a surprisingly large amount for this price point and will give you a solid day-to-day experience.
Best gaming PC deal for streaming
ASUS ROG Compact 10L — $1,599, was $1,900
The ROG Compact 10L only has an RTX 4070 graphics card as well as a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, which is a mid-to-high-end CPU that can handle both gaming and streaming at the same time. You’ll still be playing and streaming at 1080p, but it’s a good starter desktop, especially since Twitch and YouTube lock you at lower resolutions and refresh rates when you’re starting out, so you don’t need something powerful. The 16GB should also be more than enough, along with the CPU, to run OBS or other streaming software.
Best gaming PC deal for gaming with DLSS 3.0
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i — $1,100, was $1,350
The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i comes with an RTX 4060, a powerful 1440p card that will let you play most games at 100+ fps on reasonably good graphical settings. Also, since it is within the RTX family, you get access to DLSS 3.0, so you could potentially increase the graphics quality of the games it supports. While the RTX 4060 also gives you access to DLSS 3.0, it doesn’t have as much raw power, and the RTX 4080 can be prohibitively expensive, so this is a great middle ground. You also get a solid Intel Core i5-14400F and 16GB of DDR5 RAM, which is also pretty fast.
Best mid-range cheap gaming PC deal
Acer Predator Orion 5000 — $1,620, was $1,800
One excellent mid-range desktop PC is the Acer Orion 5000 with an RTX 4070, which is good for both 1440p gaming at a very high refresh rate and graphics or 4k gaming at lower graphical settings and refresh rate. Either way, you have a lot more options for how you want to prioritize your gaming with the raw power from the RTX 4070. That said, you can just upgrade it at that point if you’d like more power since it’s a good starting point, and GPU switches aren’t difficult. Besides that, you get an Intel Core i7-13700F and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, so it’s a powerful PC otherwise.
Other cheap gaming PCs we love
- : This is a solid alternative to our entry-level pick above if you’d rather go with AMD. It’s still a sold graphics card that will handle older games fine and is a solid 1080p gaming PC, especially for under $1,000. It also has a mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU which makes it very versatile, and even has 16GB of RAM, surprisingly, so it’s well worth picking up if you’re an AMD fan since all-AMD setups are quite rare.
- : Even though the CLX set didn’t make the cut, it has an entry-level RTX 3070, but more importantly, a high-end AMD Ryzen 7 5800X. That makes it great for any CPU-heavy applications like strategy and simulation games, music editing, and potentially some graphical editing as well. You also get an impressive 1TB SSD to work with, as well as a whopping 64GB of DDR4 RAM.
- : The Lenovo Tower 7i has an RTX 4070, which is an solid 1440p gaming GPU, as well as a mid-to-high end AMD Ryzen™ 7 7700 processor. It also has a solid 16GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. It also has a much more muted look than the similar Thermaltake, so if you want something less flashy, this is a great option.
- : Another pricey option, the Vengeance i7500 is a good alternative if you’re more interested in better RAM. It has an Intel Core i7 14700KF, while the GPU is a couple of steps down with the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. For that, you get 32GB of the faster 6,000Mhz DDR5 RAM out of it. We’re not sure that’s an ideal trade, but if you value RAM and having an Intel CPU more than a slightly better GPU, then this is a solid option.
- : With this model of the Alienware Aurora R16, you get an upgraded RTX 4070, the Intel Core i9-13900F processor, and 2 TB of storage. You’ll also get 32GB of RAM, which is excellent for this price.
Common questions about cheap gaming PCs
What is the cheapest but still good gaming PC?
The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 is a good entry-level option, especially if you go with the configuration that has an RTX 4060, which is a solid 1080p GPU at a good price and gives you access to DLSS 3.0, where it’s supported. This Legion Tower 5 configuration also comes with an AMD Ryzen 5-7600, which is an excellent mid-range CPU, and 8GB of RAM, which is a good starting point.
Is $500 good for a gaming PC?
While you can certainly find gaming PC deals around that price, they aren’t going to be able to play the most modern games, and you will have to compromise when it comes to graphical quality and refresh rate. That said, they are a good starting point, and if it has a powerful enough power supply, you could always upgrade the GPU down the line to get better performance.
Is 1650 good for gaming?
The GTX 1650 is a very entry-level gaming card, and while it will play casual and indie games, it might struggle to play more modern games. That said, it’s a good way to get started if that’s all you have the budget for, and it should be able to handle popular free-to-play games like CS:GO and Team Fortress 2.
Is PC gaming a cheap hobby?
It can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be; it all depends on what sort of graphics you can be happy with. If you’re only aiming for 1080p at 60Hz, then you can certainly find a good gaming PC to hit that at a budget, but if you’re aiming for 4k with 100+ frames, then you can easily spend thousands of dollars on that. The good thing is, regardless of how much you spend, a gaming PC is versatile and can be used for other things, plus there are more games available on PC than consoles.
