When it comes to gaming, budget PCs haven’t always been shoo-ins. The more powerful the components are, after all, the more expensive they tend to be. Or at least, they used to be. With AMD changing the GPU and CPU scenes thanks to its capable yet affordable offerings like the bargain AMD Radeon RX 5700 and value-oriented Ryzen 3rd Generation CPUs, graphics cards and processors are more affordable than ever. This has allowed budget PCs to hit the gaming arena with some pretty impressive contributions of their own.
These days, you don’t have to break the bank to truly immerse yourself in the biggest AAA titles or the most popular indie games. Albeit with a couple of compromises here and there – you might have to play at lower settings or you might not have some kickass RGB lighting, the best budget gaming PCs will do the job just fine – and click here and to find them in the UK. To get even more value, you can also check out certified refurbished gaming desktops on eBay.
TL;DR – These are the Best Budget Gaming PCs
- Lenovo Legion Tower 5
- HP Omen 30L Gaming Desktop
- CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme
- SkyTech Shadow 3.0
- NZXT BLD Starter Pro
1. Lenovo Legion Tower 5
Best budget gaming PC
The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 is well geared to get you gaming in 1080p and 1440p with plenty of power for just about any game you throw at it. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G processor inside provides eight speedy cores that can keep up with your gaming needs while letting you keep background programs running — handy if you want to chat on Discord or stream your games.
The system also features an Nvidia RTX 3060. This is where the muscle comes in to let you play esports and AAA titles smoothly. The RTX 3060 should easily let you see high frame rates in esports titles whether you want to go extra fast at 1080p or just want the balance of 1440p clarity at a smooth 144Hz. Lenovo provides 512GB of fast storage to keep the computer responsive and give you a home for your favorite games. An extra 1TB hard drive can let you keep extra-large files and an extended game library as well.
2. HP Omen 30L Gaming Desktop
Best Ultra Cheap Gaming PC
The HP Omen 30L gives you a capable gaming desktop at an affordable price and a minimal desktop footprint. The case this system comes in measures just 6.5 inches wide, letting you keep it on top of your desk without losing a ton of space for your keyboard and mouse. Just because it’s narrow doesn’t mean you won’t get powerful internals, though.
This configuration of the HP Omen 30L provides a six-core AMD Ryzen 5 5600G processor paired with an Nvidia RTX 3060. Unless you’re trying to push into 4K or do some serious streaming, this computer should handle your gaming needs quite well. HP has even included a 1TB SSD to give you a responsive system and faster loading for your games.
3. CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme
Best budget PC for 1080p gaming
Quality 1080p gaming is easy to achieve. You just need a speedy CPU and a modest graphics card. That’s just what the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme we’ve picked out delivers. Inside, you’ll find an Intel Core i5-11400F, which isn’t exactly a beast but is more than enough to get the job done while keeping the price down. That’s paired with a very competent AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics processor that might not be a champ for ray-tracing or 4K but can fly at 1080p.
The system comes running on a 500GB SSD to keep the OS and your most-played games zippy, but it also includes a 1TB hard drive you can use to store files and your extended game library. An added bonus: The system comes with four RGB fans pre-installed.
4. SkyTech Shadow 3.0
Best budget PC for 1440p gaming
Nvidia's RTX 3060 is a great partner for 1440p gaming, but it's unfortunately difficult to get your hands on directly from retailers. But, if you're looking for an entire computer that can give you that 1440p gaming greatness, then the SkyTech Shadow 3.0 is an excellent option.This PC comes pretty well kitted out, boasting an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with 16GB of DDR4 memory clocked at 3,000MHz. That's definitely enough horsepower to keep your system running smooth. Factor in the RTX 3060, and you'll be gaming with the best of them. The CPU might not hit 300fps at 1080p and the GPU might not fare much better at 4K, but they'll strike a great balance in 1440p that can net you quality visuals and smooth frames for a great gaming experience.
5. NZXT BLD Starter Pro
Best Budget Gaming PC for Esports
NZXT’s BLD Starter Pro not only provides a powerful machine but also simplifies the process of getting a computer that will deliver the performance you need. With NZXT’s BLD series, you’ll be able to see the frame rates you can expect from your pre-built system based on the hardware configuration. No more wondering if one CPU and another GPU will combine to give you a steady 144fps in Fortnite at 1080p (hint: it’s 168fps in Fortnite on this build).
The NZXT BLD Starter Pro comes running an Intel Core i5-11400F — a true mid-range champ — and an Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card. That’ll manage all but the most demanding games and should provide ample performance at 1080p and 1440p. There’s also 1TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage for a quickly accessible game library. Another big perk of NZXT’s BLD systems is that the company plainly lists the brand-name components used, so you get a clear picture of what’s coming in the build. Plus, it all comes in a NZXT H510 case – the compact version of one of our favorite mid tower PC cases.
Where to Get the Best Budget Gaming PC in the UK
What to Look For in a Budget Gaming PC
While many of the best gaming PCs will cost you a bit of money, especially if you’re looking to play the most graphically-intensive games at the highest or ultra settings, it’s not impossible to find a more than decent gaming rig for a fraction of the cost. Budget gaming PCs that hardly do anything are practically a thing of the past now that the competition in internal components has heated up, thanks in large part to AMD.
Of course, if you do want a quality gaming experience, you can’t just pick up any cheap gaming PC. Some criteria need to be met, especially in terms of graphics and memory, as they matter most when it comes to handling graphically-demanding tasks like gaming.
Discrete GPU
The good news is there’s quite a helping of incredible discrete graphics cards out there that are ideal for gaming, and they’re more affordable than ever with AMD and Nvidia trying to outdo each other in price and performance. The downside to this is that there are a lot of options out there, and it can get pretty overwhelming to choose when you’re not familiar with them.
The unbeatable GPU champion for gaming right now is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti – though AMD is rumored to be getting ready to unleash an AMD Navi card that will dethrone it. However, that card will cost you.
For budget gamers, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1660 Super are budget heroes. As are the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, which even beat out the mid-range RTX 2060 Super in terms of value. If you’re looking for something dirt-cheap, the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT is a solid bargain-basement performer.
RAM
The speed and amount of RAM you have in your gaming PC matters more than your PC’s processor when it comes to gaming. Right after the graphics card, memory takes precedence (here’s why), so it’s important to take into consideration when you’re choosing the best budget gaming PC for you.
Although 8GB of DDR4 memory is standard these days and the minimum for gaming, you might want to consider opting for 16GB of RAM. This should help speed up your computer, and not just for gaming. Many budget gaming PCs already offer that in their base configuration. But, if you’re leaning towards something that offers less than 16GB, it shouldn’t cost you that much to upgrade.
Processor
While the type of processor comes third in the pecking order when picking out gaming PCs, it still matters. You’d want a processor that delivers great gaming performance. The newer, the better, since next generation Intel and AMD processors are typically much faster than their counterparts from the previous year (though sometimes, not by much). However, if you want to save money, newer isn’t necessarily the best value for you.
For example, only last year, 8th generation Intel Core processors were considered fairly new. In the shadow of the 10th generation Comet Lake chips, they’re practically ancient. However, that doesn’t mean that those 8th generation chips won’t be able to handle AAA games anymore. If budget is your main concern, the gaming PCs they and the 9th generation chips power should be more affordable than ever. An Intel Core i5 should be good enough, but if you can spare the cash, go for an Intel Core i7.
It’s a slightly different story with AMD chips. Typically, AMD rolls out budget and mid-range processors that are extremely accessible no matter your budget. Those savings extend to the gaming PCs they power, which only benefits the budget-minded consumers. If you want specifics, you can’t go wrong with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or the even cheaper AMD Ryzen 5 3600X.
It’s the clock speed that you should be paying close attention to anyway. Anywhere from 3.5 GHz to 4.0 GHz should be great for gaming.
Michelle Rae Uy is a freelance tech and travel writer, part-time production editor, and a full-time traveler from Los Angeles, California. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles, London and the rest of the world. Follow her on Instagram @straywithRae.
