Best Cheap Gaming PCs in 2023 – our top budget pre-built picks
If you’re scouting around for the best cheap gaming PC, we’ve got you covered right here. As a PC gamer, you might be worried that you can only get an affordable rig if you build it yourself, that’s not always the case, as we’ll show you in this article where we show you how to get a prebuilt pc for the best possible price.
That being said, it can be hard to find an affordable gaming PC with all the options on the market today, especially one that’s actually a good value to make PC gaming a worthwhile pastime. So, if you’re looking for a decent gaming PC, the cheapest gaming PC, or perhaps an entry-level gaming PC to play the latest AAA games on, it’s going to be hard.
That is why we’ve gathered the best cheap gaming computers this year and show you some of the best gaming PC deals you would find on the market.
Let’s find you the affordable prebuilt gaming PC of your dreams. New PC Gamers? Are you ready?
Products at a Glance
How We Picked
For choosing the best budget pre-built gaming PCs, we obviously had to consider the price versus performance. All the PC gaming selections below vary in price a little, with the most expensive being the most powerful, but they all offer a slight difference in their need. For example, there are some CUK models that make the list and are extremely compact, perfect for those who have very limited space.
PC Guide will always point you to the best deals we can find out there. Our deals team keeps a close eye out for the best cheap gaming PCs and keeps pages such as this one up to date all the time.
So whether you are looking for the best-prebuilt gaming PC or the best budget gaming PC, you can be sure if we recommend it, it is worth snapping up.
Is it worth buying a budget PC or saving up for a better one?
You can still get great performance out of some older Nvidia GTX cards in a budget build and you will probably find this is where you will get a good deal and a low price.
PC gamers looking for the latest hardware offering great performance may tend to shy away from the less pricey options and this sometimes means you can grab a real bargain.
Is a prebuilt PC the best option for PC gaming?
A prebuilt PC is a good way to perhaps save money and not stress about having to put everything together – especially if you haven’t built your own system before.
Try and look for options with as decent a graphics card as possible rather than PCs that come with a discrete GPU.
Enough explaining our reasoning, let’s get into the best cheap gaming PCs.
Product Reviews
- $600
- Well-rounded specs
- RGB fans
- 500GB SSD
- Intel i3 build
SkyTech is relatively well-known in the PC pre-built market, especially when it comes to the best cheap gaming PCs. With the Chronos Mini, the firm delivers an exceptional build featuring an Intel Core i3 in tandem with a GTX 1650. it might be the sexiest pre-built on the market, but it certainly has game.
The Chronos Mini also comes with AC WiFi, RGB fans, and a 500GB SSD, which is a welcome addition. Anything more than that and the price certainly would be going up by at least $100. Windows 10 is also a slight bummer, but given the multitude of issues that still plague Windows 11, maybe it’s for the best.
On the bright side, at least you’re getting a pre-built at a bargain, given the $599 price point. It’s also rather good-looking compared to alternative cheap PCs on the market, so that’s a major plus.
- All-AMD platform
- Mouse + Keyboard combo
- $640
- Not exactly stylish
- 8GB of RAM
For AMD lovers out there, HP has a pre-built gaming PC just for you. The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop is a tower that leverages an AMD Radeon RX 5500, a Ryzen 3 5300G CPU, and 512 GB of SSD storage. It comes equipped with Windows 11, too, so you won’t have to worry about compatibility in that department.
You will, however, have to contend with the rig’s somewhat bad looks, as it appears it came out of the 1990s. It’s nothing too bad, but without much RGB or glass to see inside, the PC takes a hit hard in the aesthetics department. At least you get a nice green LED accent at the bottom.
This HP Pavilion debuted quite recently, in 2022, and has a $639 price tag, making it an affordable option with some series fire power. Plus, you’ll get a mouse and keyboard combo, so you won’t have to spend extra on those accessories.
- Compact
- Built like a gaming console
- Intel Core i7
- HD & SSD included
- Pricey at $999
- 8GB of DDR4 RAM
Ever wanted a PC gaming experience that almost felt like a console? PCs are often quite hefty and can take up a ton of space, but they really don’t have to. Enter MSI’s MPG Trident 3, a computer console that takes inspiration from the likes of Xbox and PlayStation. It literally looks akin to a PS4 pro, sporting red accent lines and the MSI logo emblazoned on the front.
Still, while being one of the most compact options on this list, it’s also a bit pricey despite being one of the best cheap gaming PCs on the market. At $999, the MSI MPG Trident 3 is a testament to well-rounded pre-builts, leveraging a Core i7-10700F, GTX 1660 Super, and 8GB of DDR4 RAM.
For $1,000, that’s quite a bargain, especially with the fact that you get not one but two different storage options, including a 1TB HDD and a 512GB SSD. You are, however, still stuck with Windows 10, unfortunately, but at least you get quite a well-rounded tower.
- Windows 11
- RTX 3060 build
- RGB and stylish chassis
- Pricey at $999
- Only 500GB SSD
- 650W PSU
There aren’t too many options like SkyTech’s $999 RTX 3060-sporting Shiva II. This is a high-class pre-built among the best cheap gaming PCs due in large part to its impeccable internals at a reasonable price point. Additionally, you get a 650W gold PSU, which could have been a bit higher in wattage but the gold cert definitely aids in the tower’s overall prowess.
The Shiva II is also slightly more compact than most, leveraging a more vertical design that features an all-white body, RGB fans, and a clear glass window to see the internals. On top of the 3060, you’ll also be getting an Intel Core i5-12400F, 500GB SSD, 16GB DR4 RAM, and Windows 11 compatibility.
The $999 price tag might turn some away, but it’s certainly worth it and will allow for some intense gaming metrics, thanks to that 3060.
Things to Consider
Know Your Budget
How much are you willing to spend on the setup for your PC Gaming? Our list is composed of prebuilt gaming PC from a wide budget range so you should have a solid pick based on this alone.
If you’re strictly on a budget, the Lenovo IdeaCentre 510A 15L is easily the best you can get your hands on. But if you can spend more, up to $800, then there’s no reason to pass on the Cyberpower Gamer Xtreme (GXiVR8060A5).
Know Your Needs
Do you intend to just play MOBAs? Or are you interested in modern, AAA titles? If it’s the latter, you’ll definitely want a more expensive prebuilt gaming PC. However, if you’re into indie games and other light games, the cheaper ones should do just as fine.
What Are Your Future Plans?
Planning is also important if you want to invest only in the best cheap gaming PC. As you can see, the Lenovo already has a decent processor but it doesn’t have a decent graphics card. So, if you’re going to get a graphics card soon this should be a smart choice.
Having a good idea which parts you’ll get next is a good way for you to get the most from your initial investment. If you’re not sure what parts you might be interested in upgrading to, then you should check out some of our other guides, in particular: CPU, motherboard, RAM, and the GPU guide.
Is a $700 gaming PC any good?
We’d say it’s the right price for getting something that’ll perform well across all AAA games, and look the part too. Budget options with PCs tend to be still quite expensive, but we’d say $700 for a good value-for-money gaming PC is right on the mark.
Is it okay to buy a pre-built PC?
Yes! Of course, it depends on what you’re looking for, and you may find it’s more expensive than building one, however. Both building and purchasing pre-built PCs have their unique appeals, so go with what feels right for you and your budget.
Is it cheaper to buy pre-built or build your own PC?
While it typically depends on where and what you’re buying, pre-built PCs do tend to cost more overall when compared to simply building the PC yourself. Still, with heavy increases on GPU and other assorted sold-out components, it can often be a bit more of a hassle to build your own rig, especially when you don’t know the market or tech too well.
Our Verdict
It can be quite challenging to find the right gaming PC that suits not only your needs but your budget. These picks among the best cheap gaming PCs make up the bulk of those that are worthy of consideration, but it also comes down to your own general workflow. The Chronos Mini under SkyTech is marked as one of the best given its relatively low price point, but if you are willing to spend just a bit more at $999, you could get something a bit better, like SkyTech’s own Shiva II. It all comes down to what you need and what you are looking for overall in your PC.