Best cheap gaming PC deals

Gaming PC deals

If you're seeking the ultimate PC gaming experience without breaking the bank, these cheap gaming PC deals could be precisely what you need. They balance performance and affordability perfectly, ensuring you can enjoy immersive gameplay no matter the budget.

There's no getting away from it; PC gaming is an expensive hobby and though the games can be cheap the systems themselves rarely are. And that's where the guidance of expert tech bods proves invaluable. That's precisely where we come into play—we've scrutinized the newest systems on sale this week, allowing you to make informed decisions about where to invest your hard-earned money.



Our gaming setups are categorized into three clear tiers: entry-level, sweet spot, and luxury. The sweet spot, nestled within the $1,000 to $2,000 price range, is where you'll encounter numerous gaming systems that deliver exceptional value. However, regardless of your budget, we aim to ensure you get the most bang for your buck.

RTX 50-series and RX 9000-series graphics cards are now with us, and we're finally seeing prices on these new GPUs that make previous generation builds seem pretty redundant. Occasionally there's a good RTX 40-series build that pops up, though. If you want more guidance, check out our picks for the best gaming PCs. It'll give you a good idea of how the rigs we've spotted on sale stack up in terms of performance.

Gaming PC deals — quick links

Nvidia GeForce-powered gaming PCs

AMD Radeon-powered gaming PCs

Under $1000

Yawyore MX240 | Ryzen 5 5600GT
Save $320
Yawyore MX240 | Ryzen 5 5600GT: was $819.99 now $499.99 at Newegg
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This gaming PC might not have a graphics card, but with that 5600GT's integrated graphics you should be able to do some lite 720p gaming just fine, and even perhaps some 1080p. Then, when you're ready to upgrade, all you'll have to do is slap a discrete GPU in somewhere down the line (maybe an RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT) and you'll have a PC capable of some full-fat 1080p and 1440p gaming.

Key specs: Ryzen 5 5600GT | 16 GB DDR4-3200 | 1 TB SSD

Yeyian Gaming PC | RTX 5060
Save $240
Yeyian Gaming PC | RTX 5060: was $999.99 now $759.99 at Newegg
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This PC is surprisingly well-rounded for such a low price. Well under $800 is usually the remit of a repurposed mobile CPU or DDR4 memory. Here, you're getting a pretty recent and decent CPU and fast DDR5 memory. Only 16 GB of said memory, to be clear, but that'll do in a pinch.

Key specs: Core i5 14400F | RTX 5060 | 16 GB DDR5-6000 | 1 TB SSD

Yeyian Gaming PC | RTX 5060
Save $280
Yeyian Gaming PC | RTX 5060: was $1,099.99 now $819.99 at Newegg
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There are quite a few RTX 5060 gaming PCs around this price point, but there aren't many with 32 GB of fast DDR5 RAM in there. That's an especially important fact given we're in a memory shortage. This build should offer you some longevity, and even be good for a simple swap-out GPU upgrade in a generation or two, if you want a boost in gaming performance.

Key specs: Core i5 14400f | RTX 5060 | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 1 TB SSD

AVGPC Mini-X SFF | RX 9060 XT 8 GB
AVGPC Mini-X SFF | RX 9060 XT 8 GB: $849 at Newegg
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This is most certainly an entry-level gaming PC, but it's cheap enough and small enough to be worth a look. The RX 9060 XT is very capable for a budget card, even this version with 8 GB of VRAM. But we're dealing with an older platform with the DDR4 RAM and 5000-series Ryzen CPU. It'll get you by doing some lite to moderate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, and that Cooler Master chassis is a big selling point as you're getting a dinky little build, which usually means slapping a SFF tax on top.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 5700X | RX 9060 XT 8 GB | 16 GB DDR4-3200 | 1 TB SSD

MSI Codex | RTX 5060
Save $150
MSI Codex | RTX 5060: was $1,099 now $949 at Newegg
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You can find slightly cheaper RTX 5060 gaming PCs, but I've not seen any that are as well-rounded as this. In particular, I'm looking at that 32 GB of fast DDR5 RAM—and while there's a memory shortage, too. The 2 TB storage is great for a sub-$1,000 build, too.

Key specs: Core i5 14400F | RTX 5060 | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 2 TB SSD

Skytech Crystal | RX 9060 XT 16 GB
Save $200
Skytech Crystal | RX 9060 XT 16 GB: was $1,199.99 now $999.99 at Best Buy
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It was looking shaky for a moment, when the last sub-$1,000 RX 9060 XT 16 GB machine ran out of stock, but swooping in to save the day is SkyTech with its good-looking Crystal system. It's got the desirable 16 GB version of AMD's mid-range GPU, but I'd want to start off with more than 16 GB of RAM in these troubled memory times. Still you are getting a decent 8-core, 16-thread Zen 4 CPU and a 1 TB SSD to fill out the rest of this affordable spec.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 7700 | RX 9060 XT 16 GB | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

$1,000 - $2,000

Ningmei Gaming PC | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB
Save $324.99
Ningmei Gaming PC | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB: was $1,399.99 now $1,075 at Walmart
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I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for a build with all-round longevity, but if you're looking to get into PC gaming on a budget, this build is a good shout. That's because while it might have an old—but still serviceable—CPU and memory, it has an RTX 5060 Ti. In GPU-bound games, this rig should be great for 1080p and even some 1440p gaming.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 5700X | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB | 32 GB DDR4 | 1 TB SSD

Skytech O11V | RX 9070 XT
Save $350
Skytech O11V | RX 9070 XT: was $1,879.99 now $1,529.99 at Best Buy
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This is a great price for what is not only a gaming PC with AMD's best graphics card, but also one that's rocking a pretty powerful eight-core chip. Paired with 32 GB of fast DDR5 RAM and we're on to an all-AMD winner. You might want to slap another terabyte of storage in there before long, though.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 7700 | RX 9070 XT | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 1 TB SSD

Alienware Aurora | RTX 5070 Ti
Save $700
Alienware Aurora | RTX 5070 Ti: was $2,329.99 now $1,629.99 at Dell
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It's not every day we find an Alienware rig at the same price as all its best competitors, but that's what we have here. An RTX 5070 Ti gaming PC priced under $1,700 is very reasonable, though you'll have to configure it with the specs below yourself to hit the price. The RAM isn't the fastest, but it does come with 2 TB SSD upgrade for free, and the CPU and GPU combo should have you gaming at 1440p easily, and even at 4K in many games.

Key specs: Core Ultra 7 265F | RTX 5070 Ti | 32 GB DDR5-5200 | 2 TB SSD | 750 W PSU

Acer Nitro 60 | RTX 5070 Ti
Save $600
Acer Nitro 60 | RTX 5070 Ti: was $2,299.99 now $1,699.99 at Best Buy
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This gaming PC is smack-bang in the middle of the reasonable price range for RTX 5070 Ti gaming PCs. This one, though, not only comes with 32 GB of DDR5 memory and 2 TB of storage, but also a pretty powerful Core i7 CPU. That's what sets this one apart from other builds of its ilk at this price range.

Key specs: Core i7 14700F | RTX 5070 Ti | 32 GB DDR5 | 2 TB SSD

Acer Nitro 60 | RTX 5070 Ti
Save $500
Acer Nitro 60 | RTX 5070 Ti: was $2,299.99 now $1,799.99 at Best Buy
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This is around the price range of most good RTX 5070 Ti deals right now, but the difference here is you're getting a very nice (albeit previous-gen) CPU here with the Ryzen 7 7700. That eight-core, 16-thread CPU should be more than enough for the mid-range champ, the RTX 5070 Ti, and you're even getting 2 TB of storage.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 7700 | RTX 5070 Ti | 32 GB DDR5 | 2 TB SSD

Alienware Aurora | RTX 5080
Save $900
Alienware Aurora | RTX 5080: was $2,799.99 now $1,899.99 at Dell
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Finding an RTX 5080 rig for less than $2,000 is very rare right now, and Alienware knows how to put together a good gaming PC. What's even more surprising is that, despite memory shortages, you can upgrade to 32 GB of RAM for $100 (which I've done here), and you can double the storage entirely for free. Well, for the base price of the rig, but the upgrade costs nothing. You will have to configure this yourself, but the below specs will get you to the impressively low price target.

Key specs: Intel Core Ultra 7 265F | RTX 5080 | 32 GB DDR5-5200 | 2 TB SSD | 1000 W PSU

$2,000+

Lenovo Legion Tower 7i
Save $1,650
Lenovo Legion Tower 7i: was $3,849.99 now $2,199.99 at Lenovo USA
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This is a great price for an RTX 5080 rig from a well-reputed brand like Lenovo. We've tried out some of its smaller Tower i-series siblings, and they tend to be clean and simple and run well. Here, you're getting a decent all-round build, though that memory speed is a little slow for my liking. Still, that RTX 500 and Core Ultra 7 combo should have you gaming smoothly even at 4K in most games.

Key specs: Core Ultra 7 265K | RTX 5080 | 32 GB DDR5-5600 | 2 TB SSD (2x 1 TB)

iBuyPower RDY Y70 R12 | RTX 5080
Save $600
iBuyPower RDY Y70 R12 | RTX 5080: was $2,999 now $2,399 at ibuypower
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The Hyte Y70 is a lovely big chassis to fit all that hulking great, powerful PC gaming hardware in it. The pick of the lot is the pairing of RTX 5080 with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D; this GPU/CPU combo is arguably the high-end gaming setup of choice. Unless your bathroom has solid gold taps and you then obviously want an RTX 5090. But this is the discerning gamer's combo, and when paired with 32 GB of fast DDR5 and a 2 TB SSD, you've got a great combo. Use coupon code CYBERWEEK to get the final price.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 9800X3D | RTX 5080 | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 2 TB SSD | X870 motherboard | 850 W PSU | 3 yr warranty

Cobratype | RTX 5080 Venom
Save $850
Cobratype | RTX 5080 Venom: was $3,499.99 now $2,649.99 at Newegg
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This gaming PC has a pretty ideal configuration. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best CPU for gaming on the market, and the RTX 5080 offers not only some serious rendering chops but also all the latest DLSS and frame gen wizardry. 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage is a sweet spot for gaming PCs, and all of this is packaged in a pleasant fish tank case.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 9800X3D | RTX 5080 | 32 GB DDR5 | 2 TB SSD

Yeyian Mirage S | RTX 5090
Save $420
Yeyian Mirage S | RTX 5090: was $3,999.99 now $3,579.99 at Newegg
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This is about as cheap as you'll find a gaming PC that's rocking the absolute fastest graphics card, the RTX 5090. And not only that, but it has an X3D chip. That might not be the latest generation X3D chip, but it'll still do way better than almost every other consumer CPU for gaming.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 7800X3D | RTX 5090 | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 2 TB SSD

UK gaming PC deals

AWD-IT Lian Li A3 | RTX 5060 8 GB
Save £130
AWD-IT Lian Li A3 | RTX 5060 8 GB: was £899.99 now £769.99 at awd-it.co.uk
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This is a great price for all you SFF (small form factor) lovers. You're getting an older and not very powerful CPU, and only 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, but for a cheap, portable gaming system these should serve just fine alongside the RTX 5060. Usually you have to pay the SFF tax for a mini PC, so it's great to see such a low price on this one. Don't expect miracles with this hardware, but for some light gaming and a small physical footprint, look no further.

Key specs: Ryzen 5 5500 | RTX 5060 | 16 GB DDR4-3200 | 1 TB SSD

CCL Horizon | RTX 5060
Save £20.02
CCL Horizon | RTX 5060: was £850.01 now £829.99 at CCL
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This is a decent price for any RTX 5060 rig, but it's especially so when you consider you're getting 32 GB of fast DDR5 RAM. And during a memory shortage, too. It's certainly an entry-level build, but the platform should have some longevity to it.

Key specs: Ryzen 5 8400F | RTX 5060 | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 1 TB SSD

Scan Gaming PC | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB
Scan Gaming PC | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB: £959.99 at Scan
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We now have some entry-level RTX 50-series graphics cards on the market, and with it we're seeing builds like this pop up which should offer decent current-gen gaming performance without breaking the bank. The RTX 5060 Ti in this is paired with a previous-gen Intel CPU that has 6 P-Cores, which should be more than enough for mainstream gaming.

Key specs: Core i5 14400F | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB | 16 GB DDR5-6000 | 1 TB SSD

CCL Horizon | RTX 5060 Ti
Save £200
CCL Horizon | RTX 5060 Ti: was £1,199.99 now £999.99 at CCL
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For £1,000, you're getting a great budget build here. That CPU might be a repurposed mobile chip with a low TDP, but it'll get you by just fine for gaming with an RTX 5060 Ti, and you're getting 32 GB of fast RAM and 2 TB of storage to boot.

Key specs: Ryzen 5 8400F | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 2 TB SSD

CCL Horizon | RTX 5070
Save £70.01
CCL Horizon | RTX 5070: was £1,200 now £1,129.99 at CCL
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This is a fantastic midrange gaming PC at a very reasonable price. Sure, the CPU isn't the best in the world, but it'll be just fine for gaming, and it's a platform that can be easily upgraded in future, perhaps to an X3D chip. 32 GB of fast DDR5 RAM and 2 TB storage are the icing on the cake, and you can even add a Razer bundle for just £60 extra with code RAZER60 at checkout.

Key specs: Ryzen 5 8400F | RTX 5070 | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 2 TB SSD

AWD-IT Frame 4000D | RX 9070 XT
Save £90
AWD-IT Frame 4000D | RX 9070 XT: was £1,439.99 now £1,349.99 at awd-it.co.uk
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Bear in mind that you have to configure this build to the below specs, but once you do so, you're getting a great price for a powerful AMD build. The RX 9070 XT can handle 1440p and even some 4K gaming a breeze, and the rest of the PC is very well-rounded, too. Just don't forget to configure that RAM and storage.

Key specs: Ryzen 5 7600X | RX 9070 XT | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 2 TB SSD

Scan Performance | RX 9070 XT
Save £50
Scan Performance | RX 9070 XT: was £1,599.98 now £1,549.98 at Scan
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The RX 9070 XT is AMD's top-end GPU offering right now, and with it you're getting RTX 5070 Ti-competing performance. That means high-end mainstream gaming at 1440p. Combined with a decent mid-range current-gen CPU you're getting a powerful setup, here. You'll probably want to double up that RAM and storage capacity before too long, though.

Key specs: Ryzen 5 9600X | RX 9070 XT | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

Scan Gaming PC | RTX 5080
Save £50
Scan Gaming PC | RTX 5080: was £2,299.99 now £2,249.99 at Scan
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Unless you're willing to pay a significant extra premium for an X3D chip, this is about as ideal an RTX 5080 gaming PC you can get. It's got a decent eight-core CPU and 32 GB of fast DDR5 RAM, so the RTX 5080 shouldn't be bottlenecked at all. And that means great high-end performance at 1440p and 4K, even if you don't enable Multi Frame Gen (MFG).

Key specs: Ryzen 7 9700X | RTX 5080 | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 2 TB SSD

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Graphics card hierarchy

The most important component for any gaming PC build will always be the graphics card. That will give you the best idea about how one machine matches up with another just in terms of raw gaming performance.

Below, we've listed the slew of GPUs we've had over the past couple of years listed in terms of their Time Spy Extreme index score as a way to put them in some consistent hierarchy.

Should I build my own gaming PC or buy a prebuilt?

One of the biggest advantages of putting together your own budget gaming PC build is the ability to choose every single component in the system. This allows you to shop around for deals and find the perfect combination of parts to fit your budget and performance needs. The downside for most inexperienced builders is that this whole process can take some time and has the potential to cause quite a headache if something goes wrong. This is where prebuilt gaming PCs really shine.

When you pay the premium to configure or purchase a prebuilt PC, you pay for more than just the parts. You are paying for warranty service, support, and the peace of mind that professionals put your system together. These are some of the things we value highly when considering the best budget gaming PCs. We also look at other unique selling points like design, upgradability, and anything you couldn't do when building it yourself.

Now that graphics cards are regularly available and the silicon shortage is starting to clear up, building your own PC is much easier than it was before. A prebuilt rig is still a reliable way to get your desired graphics card.

For most users who don't have the luxury of spending over $1000 on a prebuilt gaming PC, upgradability and performance per dollar are paramount. When we decided to choose our top choices for budget prebuilt gaming PCs, we looked at almost every major manufacturer and system integrator to find the best combination of value, reliability, customer feedback, design, and performance under $500 and under $1,000.

We still highly recommend the experience of building it yourself, but if you can't do that, one of the systems above will have you gaming in short order.

What is a decent price for a gaming PC?

The $1,000 - $1,500 mark is probably around the sweet spot for a new gaming PC. That will get you a graphics card that can nail 1440p at solid frame rates and a really good supporting spec. That should mean a relatively sizeable NVMe SSD, around 500GB, as well as 16GB of speedy memory and a modern CPU.

Is PC gaming better than console?

Unquestionably. In real terms, it's more expensive in terms of hardware, but there is a games library stretching back decades that no other gaming platform can possibly match. Games are also regularly cheaper or free on PC, too.

The PC is also more capable of doing more things than a games console, too. Try browsing the web on your PlayStation, and you'll know what we mean. It can also be portable, in either laptop or Steam Deck style.

What PC is equivalent to a PS5?

We suggest that the AMD RX 6700 GPU will deliver around the same level of raw graphics performance as Sony's PS5. That's an OEM part, so you'll only find it in a prebuilt gaming PC, but it's an 11.3 TFLOP GPU versus the 10.3 TFLOP of the PS5.

Those numbers aren't wholly comparative, but you would also need an 8-core CPU, 16GB of memory (though the PS5's is spread between GPU and system), and a 500GB+ SSD.

TOPICS
Jacob Fox
Hardware Writer

Jacob got his hands on a gaming PC for the first time when he was about 12 years old. He swiftly realised the local PC repair store had ripped him off with his build and vowed never to let another soul build his rig again. With this vow, Jacob the hardware junkie was born. Since then, Jacob's led a double-life as part-hardware geek, part-philosophy nerd, first working as a Hardware Writer for PCGamesN in 2020, then working towards a PhD in Philosophy for a few years while freelancing on the side for sites such as TechRadar, Pocket-lint, and yours truly, PC Gamer. Eventually, he gave up the ruthless mercenary life to join the world's #1 PC Gaming site full-time. It's definitely not an ego thing, he assures us.

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