Best Budget Gaming PC Builds for 2023 (Powerful & Cheap)

Are you looking for an inexpensive gaming computer that can easily handle your favorite games? Below, you’ll find six different budget gaming PCs that will serve you well into 2023 (and beyond).

In this day and age of incredible graphics and extremely demanding video games, you, as a PC gamer, must have a capable system if you want to play your favorite games in the way they were designed to be played.

And, although some console gamers might tell you that PC gaming is too expensive to get into, the reality is that even if you are working with a tight budget, you can build (or buy) a cheap gaming PC that can deliver excellent performance at 1080P resolution in most games.

And, if you’re willing to spend between $700-$800 you can even get a VR-ready gaming PC that is capable of utilizing an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive headset. In this guide, I’ve given you six different cheap PC builds that you can use as is, or that you can use as a base to put together your own part list.

These aren’t the best gaming PCs you can build, but for the price their performance is incredible and for the most part, the majority of them will offer a better PC gaming experience than consoles will.

In the end, you’ll have a plan of action, as well as a number of different components to choose between, and you’ll be well on your way to building the best gaming PC for your budget. For each option, you’ll also find a link to a comparable prebuilt gaming PC. So, if you don’t want to build your own system, you can check out a prebuilt gaming PC for a similar price.

FAQ: Questions to Ask Before You Build Your Budget PC

If you’re on the fence of whether or not you should build your own cheap gaming PC, or you have questions, we’ve provided a list of frequently asked questions below to help you find the answers you’re looking for.

1. Is building a gaming PC hard?

Anyone who knows how to read or even how to watch a video and how to use a screwdriver can build their own PC. (Although, if you’ve seen the PC building video that was released from ‘The Verge’ a few years back, that is an example of how NOT to build a PC. Check out our guide on the common PC building mistakes that first-time builders make in order to get an idea of what NOT to do.) I should also add, too, that you do need some patience when building your own computer. Building a gaming PC is not rocket science and is not too difficult of a task.

However, there are moments that can arise during the building process that can be frustrating. The good news, though, is that there are plenty of guides out there that can help walk you through the building process to minimize the chances of you running into these kinds of problems.

Most builders won’t face too many issues during their first build and even the most tech-challenged individuals could probably get through their own PC build if they are patient enough.

I’ve also put together a step-by-step guide to help first-time builders through the building process. You can access it here.

2. How much should a budget gaming PC Cost?

In a normal market, building a PC is typically cheaper than it is today. Thanks to supply shortages, certain components have gone up significantly in price. These rise in prices started to mellow out a bit as we headed into the middle of 2022, but it is still a little more expensive to build a computer than it was a few years ago.

Traditionally, you could spend $500 on a cheap gaming PC and have a system that would be able to max out most games on a 1080P display. As of right now, though, the 1080P-killing graphics cards that used to cost ~$150-$200 now cost a bit more.

While prices are dropping, a prebuilt gaming PC can be a solid alternative. The companies that provide prebuilt systems are able to purchase their components at much more reasonable prices by buying them in bulk. You can check out our recommendations for the best budget prebuilt gaming PC at each price range in the sections below.

For more information on the cost of building a PC, check out our guide How Much Does it Cost to Build A PC Right Now?

3. Is building your own PC cheaper in 2023?

In most cases, building your own PC has typically been cheaper than buying a prebuilt gaming PC with similar hardware. However, you can sometimes find prebuilt PCs on sale at prices that may be cheaper than what it would cost to build that same system. This is fairly rare, even with somewhat inflated component prices—but, it is worth noting that it is possible to find good deals on prebuilt systems.

4. How do I build a gaming PC for the first time?

To build a PC you need a specific set of components , an operating system, and a screwdriver. While the process might seem daunting, as long as you follow a solid PC building guide, you should be able to finish your build without any problems. I walk you through how to build your own PC in this step-by-step PC building guide

Also read: How Long Does it Take to Build A PC?

5. Should you build a cheap gaming PC or get a console?

There are two sides to this question… Yes, I am a diehard PC fan. But one of my favorite video games happens to be Madden. And, up until a few years ago, Madden wasn’t available on PC. So, if I wanted to play Madden in the past, I also had to have an XBox One. (Yes, that’s right, I have a console…)

Or, if you wanted to play a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 at launch, you would have needed a console to play it. If you’re a baseball fan and you want to play MLB The Show, your only option is to get a PlayStation, and Xbox, or a Switch.

So, before you go out and build a new budget gaming computer, you need to make sure that you understand that certain games aren’t available on PC. But, at the same time, what you lose on a console, you gain on a PC. There are also plenty of games that are exclusive to PC, like, for instance, League of Legends (also one of my favorite games.)

And, overall, the in-game experience on a PC is better than it is on a console. That’s simply because on the PC you can play with better visuals, more detailed graphics, and smoother gameplay. And, of course, on average, PC games tend to be cheaper and there are also a lot more of them.  (Although, with the launch of the PS5, the gap between platforms is closing. Check out our guide PC vs PS5: Which is Better for Gaming? to learn more.)

So, while a console will cost you less upfront (unless you go with a really inexpensive PC), if you buy a lot of games, in the long run, a PC will win out. Ultimately, though, if you’re like me, you just get both and enjoy the best of both worlds.

Quick-Look: Our Top Picks for the Best Cheap Gaming PCs

In this section, I’ve taken six different price points ($300, $400, $500, $600, $700, & $800) and I’ve put together budget-friendly gaming PC builds for each budget. These builds can either be used as is, or they can serve as a base that you can customize to your liking. I’ve also linked to a comparable prebuilt gaming PC for each price range.

*I update these builds about once per week and if the total price is over the price range I have set ($30 threshold) then it’s likely that one (or more) of the components included in the build saw a price increase since I had last updated the build.