So, you’re ready to build your first gaming computer – without breaking the bank? These are the best parts to build a good PC on a budget.
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
So you want to build your first gaming computer. It’s no doubt an exciting undertaking, but can also be an expensive one. It’s one of those many hobbies, like hobby cars and photography, that has enough gadgets, bells, and whistles attached to siphon your free cash up in the blink of an eye. The best way to approach building your first PC is with a definitive budget and shopping list. The latter will be dictated by the former, but the good news is that you don’t need thousands upon thousands of free dollars floating around to build a decent gaming setup.
We rounded up a couple of affordable, yet quality recommendations for each of these major gaming computer components: Central processing units, graphics processing units, power supply units, motherboards, and RAM kits. These parts don’t necessarily make a cohesive build together, but what we’ve listed here can contribute to a sweet new setup without breaking the bank. CPU: Intel Core i5 12400
Keeping the costs of your CPU down is generally a good strategy when building a PC on a budget because your free cash could be applied to graphics and memory. For affordable gaming CPUs, we recommend starting with Intel’s Core i5-12400. This 12th-generation processor is a fantastic value with its integrated GPU, the UHD Graphics 730. While not enough of a powerhouse for the graphics of today’s AAA games, it still beefs up the CPU nicely. The i5-12400 contains six performance cores, but some preferred higher-end CPU features are withheld at this price point.
This processor features a preferred Intel stock cooler, the Laminar RM1. Perhaps the most attractive feature of this processor for gamers is its memory capabilities; the Intel i5-12400 supports 4800 MHz DDR5 memory, and 3200 MHz DDr4 memory. The memory can also be overlocked on the i5-12400 if that’s something you’re interested in doing. This cache-rich processor is available on Amazon for $182.99 as of this writing. CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X run a close race in terms of the best Ryzen CPU to support a budget build. In fact, the Ryzen 5 5600 is a worthwhile consideration, too, but all three of these models sit in a short price range with negligible $10-15 jumps between each one at the time of this article’s posting). The 5600G is your most affordable option at $128.55 on Amazon, but this CPU, like the i5 also included on our list, comes with an onboard graphics unit. Gamers looking to put any amount of strain on the CPU and GPU with modern games like “Hogwarts Legacy,” “Modern Warfare II,” and “Dead Space Remake” will find the built-in Radeon graphics card to be, by and large, useless.
If you’re willing to invest a tiny bit more, check out the Ryzen 5 5600 for $139.79 on Amazon. This appealing CPU is built with a Wraith Stealth cooler, but is slightly slower than our preferred option, the Ryzen 5 5600X, on the memory clock. The 5600 maxes out at 3500 MHz on its base clock, while the 5600X is capable of about 200 MHz more. The 5600X is the priciest of these three wallet-friendly options at $156.63 on Amazon (this is a 50% off sale price as of this article’s publishing). GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 is a fantastic graphics processing unit for a reasonable graphics processing unit price. It’s not as budget as budget gets, but if you’re willing to make a few sacrifices in other areas of your build, this is worth it.
