Best budget gaming PC under $500 for 2023

First-time custom PC builders can find the entire process a little intimidating, it’s OK though, we’ve all lived through those head-scratching days. That’s why we’ve created this easy-to-follow guide to the best gaming PC under $500. It will ensure you have all the tools you need to create the perfect gaming rig for your needs. Furthermore, with this affordable build, you’ll be able to enjoy a wide selection of games without breaking the bank.

In the modern age of computing and technology, many will be surprised at what a $500 budget can get you. Long gone are the days of console domination, you can now get a PC for under $500 that can pretty much hold its own against any of the top console contenders. With that, let’s take a closer look at what makes this build, what we can expect in terms of performance, and what compromises were made along the way to stick to that strict price.

Whilst a lot of the items on this page were released before 2023, we still think they hold up today. $500 is a substantial amount of money, but it’s definitely on the budget side when it comes to comprehensive PCs. This means you’re going to have to save money by purchasing something with older, less powerful parts. Don’t fret, however, you can always upgrade part by part in the future. That’s the beauty of owning a gaming PC.

You can also check out our budget gaming PC page for recommendations from various price ranges.

VIDEO: $500 BUDGET GAMING PC BUILD!

What you get for your $500

As you can imagine, putting together the best custom PC build for under $500 was no easy task. Many compromises were made along the way to be able to extract the maximum level of performance out of this build. Before the GPU shortages, you may have been able to squeeze a relatively good dedicated card into this price range, however, now we must settle for integrated graphics. The performance difference between the $400 and the $500 builds is minute but this build has optimal RAM and a beefier storage solution.

The case was another area of compromise. These are affordable components here but even though the case may not be one of the best, we still wanted to use one that was user-friendly and easy for first-time builders to get to grips with.

Performance

You can expect the AMD-based $500 build to handle 1080p/60FPS gaming across a few AAA titles with lowered settings. This APU will also easily play a lot of popular esports games too, giving you a wide variety of entry-level options.

We have bolstered performance with the included 16GB of RAM, a solid amount for gaming, and an SSD storage device. You can expect snappy boot times for Windows and your games, along with some future-proofing from the RAM.

AMD vs Intel

The $500 gaming PC build takes advantage of AMD’s APU. The APU is essentially a CPU and GPU combined, giving you performance in most games when playing in 1080p and under. You may have to compromise on graphical settings for some games to be playable but esports titles performed well in our tests.

AMD is head and shoulders above Intel when it comes to integrated graphics, making them the superior choice when dealing with PC builds down the lower end of the scaler.

How we choose

Here at WePC, we have years of experience building computers and giving advice to friends, families, and our readers. All of our build recommendations have been carefully researched, utilize similar builds we have completed ourselves in the office or for personal use, and most importantly are built with value and performance in mind. We work tirelessly to ensure our builds are up-to-date, and efficient and offer high performance to the lucky reader who is going to build it.

We don’t just use our own knowledge and experience, we also keep up to date with the latest tech in our industry and use various benchmarks to allow us to quickly compare multiple components. We also check our builds daily, to ensure everything is still in stock and the price still offers you the best bang for the buck. We are here to support you.

How we test

We build each of our selected PCs from scratch to make sure all the parts we recommend work well together, fit into the selected case, and provide the best performance possible for the price range.

Once built, the PCs are used in the office for everyday work as well as a range of games from light to heavy-duty. While we test, we also run benchmarking tests to see how well our builds perform, all while keeping an eye on the temperature of the components themselves.

We tested our AMD builds against their Intel counterparts and found that these CPUs performed better across the board, and for a lower price. This is why we only recommend an AMD version.

We know how much some of our readers enjoy overclocking their PCs, so we made sure to test that out too. So, you can feel safe knowing that these machines can be pushed beyond their basic capabilities. But, please make sure you know how to overclock before trying to over-task your builds.

NOTE: Due to the ongoing effects of the global coronavirus pandemic, some retailers are experiencing stock issues. WePC constantly updates our pages to reflect current availability, so if the PC or part you want shows as out of stock, check back later or check out these alternatives.

Prebuilt PC vs building your own

A pre-built PC  has several advantages over building your own PC. These include:

• Convenience: With a pre-built PC, all the components are already selected and assembled for you, so you don’t have to spend time researching and sourcing parts.
• Warranty: Pre-built PCs often come with a warranty that covers the entire system, so you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you’re protected in case something goes wrong.
• Quality assurance: Pre-built PCs are typically built and tested by professionals, so there is a lower risk of component compatibility issues or other problems that can arise when building your own PC.
• Support: Many pre-built PC manufacturers offer technical support, which can be helpful if you run into any issues with your system.
• Price: Pre-built PCs can often be purchased at a lower cost than building your own PC with similar specs, as the manufacturers have economies of scale when buying the components.
• Up-to-date technology: Pre-built systems are often based on the latest technology, so you’ll have a computer that is up-to-date and will last longer.