$800 is going to net you a gaming PC that you can tell is in the mid-tier budget range. This machine will handle 1080p gaming with ease and gives more than respectable 1440p frame rates. You’re also going to be getting a rig that looks the part too. With a sleek RGB case and quality components, your setup is going to be ever closer to gaming perfection. Unfortunately, due to various factors, the prices of the hardware listed fluctuate daily. We aim to update all of our builds as much as we can to ensure they are as close to the specified build price as possible.
- Last Updated - May 26, 2021
As with all our gaming PC builds, we’ve opted for an AMD Ryzen processor over their Intel counterparts due to price and other component compatibility. This Ryzen 5 3600 is no different in terms of bang for your buck with 6 cores and 12 threads, providing you with stellar processing power for playing those AAA games. Moreover, the Ryzen 5 3600 comes in with a base clock of 3.6GHz and overclocking capacity of up to 4.2GHz, maximizing the juice you can squeeze out of this chip.
The B450 motherboard range is a common staple in our builds due to affordability and compatibility. This build is no different with the MSI B450-A PRO MAX. This board however, has slight improvements over the B450M’s we have been previously using with Turbo M.2: running at PCI-E Gen3 x4, maximizing performance for NVMe based SSDs. It also features the common MSI technology with core boost, DDR4 memory boost, and PCI-E steel armor improving and protecting your installed components.
The Corsair Vengeance 3600Mhz RAM is a perfect pairing with our Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, ensuring there will be no memory bottlenecking. You also know what you’re getting with the Corsair brand, the reassurance you’re getting top quality components and necessary reliability. We’ve gone for two 8GB sticks this time as this should be enough memory to keep up with even the most intense tasks, and anything more would be a little overkill.
A GPU that can give you all the graphical capacity to run the latest AAA titles is required to really make this build head and shoulders above the more budget builds. A GTX 1660 Super can do this and more, making it a futureproof GPU choice. This variation from Gigabyte features 6GB of ultra-fast GDDR6 memory, coupled with a three Windforce fan cooling system, ensuring no overheating.
- Capacity: 500GB
- Interface: SATA
- Read Speed: 560MB/s
- Write Speed: 510MB/s
Choosing an SSD over the more traditional hard drive is almost a given due to the dramatic speed increase and small form factor. This Crucial MX500 we’ve chosen has a decent amount of storage, coming in at 500GB and read/write speeds of up to 560/510 MB/s. With it being made by Crucial, you also know you’re getting a quality product. Finally, this one comes with a 5-year limited warranty so if it does fail at some point, you’re covered.
The Thermaltake V200 is the PC case gamers dream about. It comes with 3 full RGB fans that are fully customizable for your specific taste, alongside a 4mm tempered glass side panel for showcasing your components. The sleek black look of the rest of the case makes for aesthetically pleasing viewing. Additionally, Thermaltake has included an internal PSU cover, hiding all those wires and for easy cable management.
This non-modular power supply from Thermaltake does the job for this $800 gaming PC build. It’s got 700 watts, giving you more than enough power for the components, along with an 80+ efficiency rating, minimizing consumption. Additionally, Thermaltake has incorporated a 120mm ultra-quiet fan, delivering excellent airflow at an exceptionally low noise level.
With any gaming PC you’ll want to know what games it can run and what FPS you’re likely to be expecting. The list below shows off some of the more graphically intensive games as well as some popular ones for you to get an idea of how this $800 rig is performing.
1080p/60 and 1440p/60 should both be possible, but you will need to turn down settings for the latter.
PUBG should be able to push 1080p/60 at high settings on this machine, but 1440p will require some compromises.
MHW should do quite well at 1080p and high settings, but 1440p60 will require some tweaking to work properly.
With League of Legends being a lightweight eSports title, 1440p at 60FPS or 1080p 144FPS should be easy.
Same as above.
You’re looking at 60 FPS minimum on ultra settings on average, but if you want those all-important frames, turn the graphical settings down and drop resolution to 1080p.
Siege should easily get around 60-70 FPS in 1440p and high settings. 1080p will be much more forgiving, boosting those frames to a much higher count.
You might even push 144 FPS in Warframe at 1440p on high settings but for stable frames, 1080p is the way to go.
You’re looking at playable frame rates on GTA V at 1440p medium settings and 1080p high/max settings.
With TF2 being a CPU-heavy title, some builds struggle. This rig however should be more than capable to run it in 1080p, and with the right settings, could get you to 144 HZ. 1440p at 60FPS shouldn’t be a problem, either.
- Last Updated - May 26, 2021
Now you have your fresh new build, you need some operating software to actually use the machine. There is no disk drive in this one so you may be wondering ‘how am I going to install my operating system?’ well, it can actually be installed via USB. Whether you go with Windows or Linux, you will have to download the respective files onto a spare USB and plug it in when booting.
You want to be looking at the highest resolution possible and that means ensuring you have the latest graphics card drivers installed. This is vital in your new build as you could be stuck with stock drivers that are not only out of date but give you a sub-optimal resolution. Go to the maker of your graphics card website which in this case is Nvidia, and find the correct drivers.
You’re going to want to protect your PC from any attacks, so installing antivirus software is a must-have. There are a variety of providers with different levels of protection but if you’re just wanting a piece of free software, we recommend Avast. Avast’s antivirus protection is the most basic you can get, but for free, there’s no complaining from us.
Choosing the web browser that caters to all your surfing needs is always down to personal preference. We would recommend either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as these are the fastest browsers out there, and the most widely used across the world. Some argue that while Chrome is the fastest browser out there, it does utilize a lot of memory, so choosing Firefox could be the way to go if you feel the same.
With this being a more entry-level build, you may be new to the whole PC building scene, so we’ve detailed a few tips and tricks to help you succeed. If you’re a more experienced builder you can skip this section, or potentially brush up on some techniques you might not have heard of.
Electrical components are fragile at the best of times so taking care when building is essential. However, what many don’t consider is the effect static electricity can have. If a static discharge occurs, it can damage your components beyond repair, which then means a whole lot of wasted money. You can avoid any potential component damage in a couple of ways, with the most common being; using an anti-static mat for your components and wearing an anti-static wristband when assembling.
You’re going to want to get your tools ready because you don’t want to start to assemble your rig and not be able to due to not having the correct equipment. There aren’t masses of tools you need to successfully assemble a PC but what is essential, is a screwdriver with multiple bits. There are a few screws that are needed to secure both the components and assembling the case itself. These can usually be fitted using the same Phillips bit, with the most common being #2. However, make sure you have a #1 and #3 just in case.
Conclusion
This $800 gaming PC build is a 1080p powerhouse and more than capable of 1440p in many of today’s games, coupled with VR support. You’ll still be getting the Ryzen 5 3600 that goes into the more pricier $1000 build but compromising on the graphics card with the GTX 1660 Super instead of the RTX 2060. If you did end up building this rig, enjoy your new PC! Be sure to check out our other articles if you have any issues or want to explore different options!