Best Cheap Prebuilt Gaming PC: Budget Gaming PC Builds for 2021
When it comes to gaming PCs, we tend to think that a gaming PC must have high-end specs and it won’t come cheap. But that is not always true. Sure everyone would like their gaming PC to be the best of the best, and never look for a cheap alternative, but with the chip shortage of 2020-2021, mining craze, and an overinflated market, prices have sky-rocketed and building your own gaming rig has become quite an adventure.
Not everyone has deep pockets to build a brand new, high-end gaming PC (especially now), and we must look for a valid alternative. Fortunately a cheap prebuilt gaming PC can be a valid option if you are looking to get a new gaming rig and on a budget.
Gaming on a cheap prebuilt gaming PC is possible with a few compromises here and there. The reviewed budget gaming PCs in this article are well capable of playing AAA games (yes you might have to play at a lower resolution and lower in-game settings), so without further comments here is our best cheap prebuilt gaming PCs list that won’t ruin your bank account and offer a great gaming experience.
One thing to keep in mind is that prebuilt PCs don’t include a monitor. If you don’t have a monitor, or if you are looking to get a new one, you can check our in-depth guide about the best 1080p and 1440p gaming monitors available in 2021.
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iBUYPOWER Pro Gaming PC (Element Mini 9300) - The Best Prebuilt Cheap Gaming PC (editor’s pick)
The iBUYPOWER Pro Gaming PC is our pick for the best cheap prebuilt gaming PC. It comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 entry-level CPU, an AMD Radeon RX550 GPU, 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 240 GB SSD Storage, all of this for around $600.
While the storage for this PC is not something to be very happy about and neither the graphics card (it is as entry-level as you can think of), it will offer enough power to run your favorite games out of the box, at lower resolutions and lower in-game details of course.
The case comes with pre-installed RGB fans, a PSU shroud and a glass window side-panel. The PC is shipped with an iBUYPOWER keyboard and mouse, so all you have to do is plug everything in, and start gaming.
ASUS PN50 - Best Budget Mini Gaming PC
If you are looking for a compact and affordable PC, then the ASUS PN50 might be the right choice. The ASUS PN50 is a barebones PC you can place virtually anywhere.
The PN50 comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 4800U CPU and integrated Radeon Vega graphics. The Ryzen 7 4800U can offer playable framerates in esports titles even at 1080p, but don’t try to play the latest AAA games at it won’t be capable of doing so.
The main disadvantage of the Asus PN50 is that it is a barebones PC, meaning it does not come with any storage or RAM. You will have to provide these yourself. But don’t worry, you can find some great deals on memory and drives (fortunately prices have not increased that much lately) . This little PC has room for a 2.5 inch SATA drive or an M.2. 2280 PCIE SSD. The supported memory sticks are SO-DIMS DDR4 (the same RAM sticks you would find in a laptop).
On the connectivity side, the Asus PN50 offers gigabit networking, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5, 1 display port, 1 HDMI and a decent number of USB-A and USB-C ports.
Allied Gaming Javelin Mini Desktop PC
The Allied Gaming Javelin comes with everything in terms of entry-level gaming. This budget prebuilt gaming PC come with a good looking case, RGB fans, an AMD Athlon 3000G CPU with onboard Vega graphics, 8GB of DDR4 RAM and a 240 GB SSD drive.
The major downside of this prebuilt PC is the CPU. Yes, the Athlon is a 3.5GHz CPU, but it comes with only 2 cores and 4 threads. Great for normal day by day operations and some light gaming but it will only take you so far. The Allied Gaming Javelin offers a great platform for future upgrades though. Want a new, more powerful CPU? You just have to get a new one, replace the Athlon and you are ready to go. Want a dedicated graphics card? You’ll just have to get one, install it, and you are ready to go (of course when the prices will go down and graphics cards will become more tangible).
But for now, we have to stick with what we can get. For under $500 this gaming PC is an excellent entry-level PC and perfect for anyone on a low budget.
CUK AsRock DeskMini
When we tested the CUK AsRock DeskMini we came across something really different. It lives up to it’s name, and it really is a mini desktom gaming rig.
The CUK comes equipped with a Ryzen 5 4650G, an you really can’t go wrong with this CPU (APU) as it is the most powerful and efficient APU in its class. This mini PC comes with integrated AMD Radeon VEGA 11 graphics and can handle quite well games like CS:GO, LOL, DOTA 2, and Fortnite on low to medium settings at 1080p.
The desk mini also comes with 512 GB of NvME SSD storage and 16GB DDR4 RAM. Unfortunately you can’t add an extra drive inside the case. You will probably use an external drive or you will want to upgrade it in the future if you want more storage.
On the connectivity side, the CUK AsRock comes with 802.11 AC Wireless networking drive, gigabit LAN, 1 HDMI and 1 DisplayPort, and a good array of USB-A ports for this form factor.
In the end, the CUK AsRock, is more of a niche product. You really have to look for a small form factor PC to even consider this one, but if you are indeed looking for this kind of PC, the CUK AsRock DeskMini is a great option.
Cyberpower Wyvern Gamer Xtreme
Las but not least, a not so cheap prebuilt gaming PC, but this is the gaming PC that can really handle everything you can throw at it.
The CyberPower gamer Xtreme really throws a punch. It comes equipped with an Intel Core i5-10400F, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6GB, 500GB M.2 NVME SSD (upgradable to 1TB) and 8GB of RAM. This gaming rig has enough raw compute power to really handle modern AAA games at 1080p at medium-high settings.
If you are looking for more power, enjoy gaming at more than low settings and your budget allows it, then the CyberPower gamer Xtreme can be an excellent choice.
What to Look For When Shopping for a Prebuilt Cheap Gaming PC
While many of the prebuilt gaming PCs don’t come cheap, it is not impossible to find a good deal on a decent brand new gaming PC. Budget gaming PCs have evolved in the past years, and they are hardly what they were once upon the time, mainly thanks to the competition that AMD has brought to the table.
Of course, if you want a great high-quality gaming experience, you can’t just buy any cheap PC available on Amazon or in local stores. Some things need to be taken into account like the CPU, Graphics card, amount of RAM available, storage, and of course the price.
For under $500 gaming PCs, you aren’t looking to get the best PC on the market, you are trying to get the best that you can afford and meets the minimum requirements for your favorite games at 1080p. If your budget is higher you can aim higher for something like the CYberPower Gamer Xtreme presented above, but that is really up to you and your budget.
Let’s have a look at the main things to look for when shopping for a cheap prebuilt system.
The CPU is the heart of your system and it will be the sole responsible for making your general use of the PC feel good. When dealing with prebuilt computers on a budget, especially under $500, you can expect to find older CPUs inside with fewer cores and threads than the other more expensive models.
The graphics card, another important part for gaming, without one you can’t game, period. Many cheap prebuilt PCs especially that fall in the category of under $500 will come with integrated graphics only. These GPUs won’t handle the latest AAA games in high or medium settings, but they work very well in esports titles, especially at 1080p. If you can afford more than $500 and up to $1000 then there are options with discrete graphics cards, but don’t expect an RTX 3080 to be present. You will mostly find the older generation of discrete graphics cards such as the GTX 1660 Super or RX550/RX560. Although due to the silicon shortage these are hard to find at a decent price nowadays.
RAM capacity is something to look for as well. While many older games will run just fine on 4GB of RAM, nowadays a minimum of 8GB of RAM is required for the majority of games out there. Also if you have a PC with integrated graphics, the integrated graphics solution will use system RAM as VRAM, so the more RAM available in the system the better for your overall performance. 8GB of RAM is the absolute minimum you should have in your new PC, the optimal and recommended amount being 16GB.
Storage, we do have to store our games somewhere don’t we? Unfortunately many cheap prebuilts come with a low storage capacity (between 240GB and 500GB), and it is highly unlikely to get a dual storage option, especially for under $500 gaming PCs. On higher budgets you may find more storage, and it is up to you to find them, or just buy an extra drive later if you need more space.
Should you go custom?
While building your own PC sounds great, you have to take into account that PC components have got quite expensive lately an you might find yourself in the situation where you won’t find the required components at a decent price.
Companies offering prebuilt system have special deals on buying components in bulk, so they can offer a system at a lower price. If you were to buy the same parts and build your own gaming PC you will see a noticeable price difference, at least with the current PC parts market situation. In the past it was the other way around, but we do live strange times.
This being said, building your own gaming rig will provide a great satisfaction by the end of the building process, and if you can afford to wait until the market settles we do recommend going the custom route.
