Best cheap gaming PC deals

Skytech gaming PC
(Image credit: Skytech)

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. Prices are starting to climb thanks to the memory crisis, but we're still spotting the occasional stellar gaming PC deal, and we're keeping this page updated with them all.

RTX 50-series and RX 9000-series graphics cards are now with us, and it's rare to see a decently priced rig sporting a previous-gen GPU these days, though occasionally a good RTX 40-series build pops up. 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

CyberPowerPC Gamer Master | RTX 5060
Save $80.99
CyberPowerPC Gamer Master | RTX 5060: was $979.99 now $899 at Walmart
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The CPU in this gaming PC isn't ideal, but it should get you by for some budget gaming alongside the RTX 5060 and 16 GB of RAM. Plus, it's socket AM5, meaning this should be a great platform to upgrade from in future, whether that's CPU, RAM, or of course GPU.

Key specs: Ryzen 5 8400F | RTX 5060 | 16 GB DDR5 | 1 TB SSD

HP Omen 16L | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB
Save $250
HP Omen 16L | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB: was $1,249.99 now $999.99 at Best Buy
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An RTX 5060 Ti rig for $1,000 is no joke, especially in this market. And alongside it you're getting a decent budget processor, which might be a generation old but still handles games just fine. The main downside here is that RAM is pretty slow. Perhaps the first thing to look to upgrade, er, once the memory pricing crisis is over, of course.

Key specs: Core i5 14400F | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB | 16 GB DDR5-4800 | 1 TB SSD

$1,000 - $2,000

AVGPC Mini-X SFF | RX 9060 XT 8 GB
AVGPC Mini-X SFF | RX 9060 XT 8 GB: $1,045 at Newegg
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Nvidia rigs seem to have the better budget deals right now, but if you're keen on going for Team Red instead, this is about as cheap as they come. Just bear in mind you're getting previous-gen memory and a pre-previous-gen CPU.

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

Yeyian Gaming PC | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB
Yeyian Gaming PC | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB: $1,099.99 at Newegg
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A big part of what makes this particular RTX 5060 Ti gaming PC so great for the price right now is that it comes with 32 GB of DDR5 RAM. And that's fast DDR5 RAM, too, during a memory shortage. You're also getting a decent budget CPU, making this rig more than capable of smooth 1080p and 1440p gaming in most games.

Key specs: Core i5 14400F | RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 1 TB SSD

iBuyPower Element Gaming Desktop | RTX 5070
Save $500
iBuyPower Element Gaming Desktop | RTX 5070: was $1,799.99 now $1,299.99 at Best Buy
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Wow. I'm not sure how long this deal will last, but it's got some serious pre-memory shortage vibes to it. $1,300 for an RTX 5070 gaming rig would have been fantastic even before the RAM crisis, but it's doubly so now. Especially considering you're getting 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and 2 TB of storage. I'm not quite sure how iBuyPower is making a profit on this one.

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

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i | RTX 5070 Ti
Save $750
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i | RTX 5070 Ti: was $2,599.99 now $1,849.99 at BHPhoto
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This gaming PC is not just great value for the current market, but it's also a genuinely well-rounded midrange/high-end build. You're getting 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage, all packed into a pleasantly dinky chassis.

Key specs: Core Ultra 7 265F | RTX 5070 Ti | 32 GB DDR5-5600 | 2 TB SSD

Skytech Gaming Chronos 3 | RX 9070 XT
Skytech Gaming Chronos 3 | RX 9070 XT: $1,899.99 at Amazon
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Here, you're getting AMD's best graphics card offering alongside some pretty beefy components. Admittedly, in the case of the CPU, that's a beefy previous-gen chip, but it's still an eight-core one. Paired with that fast RAM, this makes for a great high-end build.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 7700 | RX 9070 XT | 32 GB DDR5-6000 | 2 TB SSD

Asus Gaming Desktop | RX 9070 XT
Asus Gaming Desktop | RX 9070 XT: $1,999.99 at Newegg
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You might be able to pick up an RX 9070 XT gaming PC for cheaper than this, but this Asus one also comes with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D. That's the best processor for gaming on the market, and should stand you in good stead for quite some time. You might want to throw another terabyte of storage in here when you can, though.

Key specs: Ryzen 7 9800X3D | RX 9070 XT | 32 GB DDR5-5600 | 1 TB SSD

$2,000+

iBuyPower Y40 Pro | RTX 5080
Save $340
iBuyPower Y40 Pro | RTX 5080: was $2,449.99 now $2,109.99 at Best Buy
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This seems like a bit of relic of a market now passed, because it's an RTX 5080 gaming PC for not too far north of $2,000. Since the onset of the memory shortage, such a gaming PC has been rare. And it's not cheaping out on its other components, either: a beefy (but admittedly previous-gen) Ryzen 9 processor, 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, and 2 TB of storage. It's a great high-end rig.

Key specs: Ryzen 9 7900X | RTX 5080 | 32 GB DDR5-5200 | 2 TB SSD

iBuyPower RDY Y70 R12 | RTX 5080
Save $200
iBuyPower RDY Y70 R12 | RTX 5080: was $2,999 now $2,799 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 12DEALS 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

Skytech Gaming Legacy | RTX 5090
Skytech Gaming Legacy | RTX 5090: was $5,999.99 now $5,299.99 at Newegg
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This is, of course, a ridiculously expensive PC. But if you're going big on an RTX 5090 build, you might as well go big, know what I mean? And this certainly does that, with 4 TB of storage and 64 GB of fast DDR5 RAM—during a memory shortage, too.

Key specs: Core Ultra 9 285K | RTX 5090 | 64 GB DDR5-6000 | 4 TB SSD

UK gaming PC deals

AWD-IT Lian Li A3 | RTX 5060 8 GB
Save £100
AWD-IT Lian Li A3 | RTX 5060 8 GB: was £899.99 now £799.99 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
CCL Horizon | RTX 5060: £949.99 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: £1,099.99 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 £100
CCL Horizon | RTX 5060 Ti: was £1,199.99 now £1,099.99 at CCL
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For not too far above £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

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
Scan Performance | RX 9070 XT: £1,799.99 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
Scan Gaming PC | RTX 5080: £2,449.99 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

Check out our dedicated WhatsApp channel for the latest PC hardware deals.

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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