Best cheap gaming PC deals

Skytech gaming PC — (Image credit: Skytech)

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Under $1000
$1,000 - $2,000
$2,000+
UK deals
GPU hierarchy

If you're seeking the ultimate PC gaming experience without needlessly breaking the bank, these gaming PC deals could be precisely what you need. We've spent years tracking down the best prebuilt systems for the best prices, and we think that service is vital now more than ever.

Because PC gaming is in a bad way right now due to rising memory and storage costs, and as my nonna used to say, every penny saved is a penny earned. We've scrutinized the newest systems on sale this week, allowing you to make informed decisions about where to invest your hard-earned money. Sometimes that's a genuinely great price, or as is often the case today, the cheapest we've found for a given system and graphics card.

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Our gaming setups are categorized into three tiers: you've got budget picks, around $1,000 or less; mid-range machines that'll be suitable for most gamers, sitting around $1,000 – $2,000; and high-end machines from $2,000+, though don't expect an RTX 5090 without paying a lot more than that for it.

Nvidia GeForce-powered gaming PCs

🕹️ RTX 5060 - ABS Cyclone Aqua | $849 @ Walmart
🕹️ RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB - Stormcraft Viper | $1,150 @ Newegg
🕹️ RTX 5070 - MSI Codex R2 | $1,700 @ B&H Photo
🕹️ RTX 5070 Ti - ABS Stratos II Aqua | $2,550 @ Newegg
🕹️ RTX 5080 - Stormcraft Phantom | $3,000 @ Newegg

AMD Radeon-powered gaming PCs

🕹️ Ryzen 5 5600GT - Yawyore gaming PC | $600 @ Newegg
🕹️ RX 9070 XT - Skytech Gaming O11 | $1,900 @ Newegg

Under $1000

The integrated graphics on this processor won't get you gaming at higher resolutions or higher settings in modern games, but it's a great way to get into some light 1080p gaming. This gaming PC mainly acts to get you up and running, and you can then upgrade with a (relatively low-power) discrete GPU down the line, though bear in mind if you want the latest and greatest specs, including processor and RAM, you'll have to upgrade the entire PC, motherboard, too. Also note that you won't be able to keep many games installed at the same time on that 500 GB drive.

Key specs: Ryzen 5 5600GT | 16 GB DDR4-3200 | 512 GB SSD

$1,000 - $2,000

$2,000+

UK gaming PC deals

RTX 5060 - Lian Li A3 | £990 @ AWD-IT
RTX 5070 - CCL Horizon | £1,580 @ CCL
RX 9070 XT - CyberPowerPC Ultra 57 D457 | £1,699 @ CyberPowerSystem
RTX 5070 Ti - Scan Performance RTX | £2,640 @ Scan
RTX 5080 - Scan Performance RTX | £2,700 @ Scan

Scan: Gaming PCs from £810
Overclockers UK: Prebuilt PCs with £100s off
Chillblast: Tons of high-end gaming PCs
Cyberpower PC: RTX 5060 Ti PC for £1,499
Ebuyer: Great prices on gaming PCs
CCL: Gaming PC with an RTX 5070 for £1,580

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

This might actually be the best shout for a high-end gaming PC right now. Of course the RTX 5070 Ti is fantastic, as is 32 GB of fast RAM during a memory shortage. But that CPU is a thing of beauty, too. The refreshed Arrow Lake chip performs about as well as a lower-end X3D chip (which means pretty damn well) but also happens to do incredibly well at productivity and other CPU-intensive tasks, making this a very well-rounded build.

Key specs: Core Ultra 5 250K Plus | RTX 5070 Ti | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 1 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.

Five things I always tell people before they buy a new gaming PC

1. Start by choosing a graphics card

2. Ideally get 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, but 16 GB is fine on a tight budget

3. Make sure it has an NVMe SSD with 1 TB capacity, preferably 2 TB

4. Consider your CPU's general performance and socket upgradeability

5. Remember you can always upgrade later, but it might cost more

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 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.