The concept of a gaming PC is now more accessible than ever to the general public. While the build process for a custom computer is still not for everyone, there are alternatives in the form of a prebuilt gaming PC. These are practically the same as other gaming computers, except the sellers have gone through the trouble of picking the parts and building the whole thing.
If your budget is a bit tight but you still want reliable gaming performance, then your best bet would be some entry-level gaming setups. They might not offer the most cutting-edge graphics on demand, but you can still bet that they can run the latest video games with some visual compromises.
RELATED: When Should You Upgrade Your Gaming PC?
When looking for an entry-level prebuilt gaming PC, budget is what you have to keep in mind the most. And when it comes to cost, anything that’s $900 or below is fair game for this kind of budget category.
Since it’s the Holiday Season, you’re also in luck! There are plenty of sales available right now and they’re just waiting for you to strike while the iron is hot. Also, note that the monitor and other peripherals aren’t included here yet.
AVGPC Q-Box Series Gaming PC
PROS
- High-end CPU
- Mid-range GPU
- Stylish case
- Comes with RGB fans
- Comes with Cooler Master liquid cooling
- Glass side panel
- Good-sized motherboard
- One year warranty
- Good front panel ventilation
CONS
- Storage could be better
- Cable management could be better
- No PSU shroud
- CPU / Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 8-Core
- GPU / Graphics Card: Nvidia RTX 3060
- RAM / Memory: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 500GB SSD
- Weight: 21.26 x 20.04 x 14.45 inches
Deals like this come rarely. It’s a gaming PC with a mid-range GPU and a high-end CPU, but the price only coasts on the highest limit for entry-level, which is around $900. This is the deal of the year, something you might regret not grabbing. It’s mid/high-end specs for an entry-level price which is more than you can ask for in this budget segment.
For its gaming performance, you’ll not find this wanting, as long as you stay at 1080p in the next few years. You can run the latest games here on high or ultra settings with a smooth framerate of 60 FPS. You do get a few compromises here and there, particularly with the lacking storage space, but it’s an NVMe SSD anyway.
And since it sports an 8-core/16-thread CPU, it’s a perfect device for multimedia professionals on a budget. The case is just the cherry on top here; it’s quite stylish and the front panel comes with ample ventilation.
SkyTech Shadow 3.0 Gaming Computer PC
PROS
- Comes with RGB lighting
- Specs are mid-range for the previous generation
- Capable RTX GPU
- Comes with three RGB fans
- Gold-rated power supply unit
- One year warranty
- They promise no bloatware apps
- Tempered glass case
- 1TB of SSD storage
- Minimalist front panel
- Clean cable management
CONS
- Front panel isn't the best for air flow
- Cables could look better
- Stock CPU cooler
- CPU / Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- GPU / Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
- RAM / Memory: 16 GB
- Storage: 1 TB SSD
- Dimensions: 17.9 x 8.3 x 16.4 inches
It might not have the latest RTX 3000 or the latest Ryzen 7000 processor, but we’re in the entry-level price category here so sacrifices have to be made. And in terms of the sub-$900 price point, this is your best option at the moment.
The RTX 2060 can still prove itself capable of running the most demanding games at a 1080p resolution. And even at that resolution, the CPU is also a good determining factor for performance, so having a six-core/12-thread CPU is also a good advantage here.
You can still run titles like Cyberpunk 2077 with this setup on a mix of high and ultra in the settings. Plus, it comes with some nifty RGB lighting and included RGB fans, if you’re not into customization.
AVGPC Hellfire Series Gaming PC
PROS
- Small form factor case
- CPU comes with a liquid cooler
- Comes with RGB fans
- Processor has a powerful integrated GPU
- Cooler Master case
- Tempered glass side panel
- One year warranty
CONS
- Cramped case
- Storage could be better
- Cable management could be better
- No PSU shroud
- PSU-rating is questionable
- Front panel has questionable air flow
- CPU / Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
- GPU / Graphics Card: NVIDIA RTX 3050 8GB
- RAM / Memory: 16GB 3200MHz DDR4
- Storage: 500GB NVMe M.2 SSD
- Dimensions: 25 x 24 x 14.2 inches
It’s well-known in the PC gaming community that the RTX 2060 is slightly or considerably more powerful than the RTX 3050 (which is newer). But the RTX 3050 does have the privilege of being the more recent hardware and comes with some new tech from Nvidia, such as better Raytracing performance and DLSS.
So if you really want an RTX 3050, then this is the best deal you can find on Amazon with a good warranty. It comes with a Ryzen 5 5600G processor too so you can also use Radeon Vega graphics if you want to save electricity.
As for its gaming capabilities, do expect it to run most of the latest video games today in medium or high settings without much of a hiccup. Some compromises had to be made for this setup in this price range, such as the smaller storage, and lack of a PSU shroud, but those won’t affect gaming performance at all.
Acer Nitro 50 N50-640-UA91 Gaming Desktop
PROS
- 12th Gen Intel CPU
- Small form factor
- One year warranty from an established brand
- Comes with fans and lighting
- Cheap price tag
CONS
- Noisy stock Intel CPU cooler
- Lighting is only red
- Untidy cable mangement
- No glass side panel
- Outdated GPU
- Inadequate RAM
- CPU / Processor: Intel Core i5-12400F
- GPU / Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
- RAM / Memory: 8GB 3200MHz DDR4
- Storage: 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD
- Weight: 15.2 x 6.89 x 15.43 inches
The Acer Nitro 50 prebuilt gaming PC offers a good base for those of you who might want to upgrade later on. Because it comes with the Core i5-12400F which is the best-value CPU of 2022, at least when it comes to the price-to-performance ratio.
Under the hood, there’s a GTX 1650 which is outdated by now but if you’re gaming on a budget or on entry-level, it’s not like you’d want Raytracing features enabled anyway; they require too much framerate to operate.
Other compromises include the 8GB of RAM which is inadequate these days, so prepare to fork out another $30 or so to make it an up-to-date gaming rig. And even then, the price would still be quite a steal, considering how it’s on sale right now at a sub-$700 price point.
SkyTech Blaze 3.0 Gaming Computer PC
PROS
- Pretty, functional case
- Good front panel ventilation with removable filters
- PSU Shroud
- RGB lighting
- RGB fans
- Cheap
CONS
- Inadqeuate RAM for gaming
- Outdated CPU
- Outdated GPU
- CPU / Processor: Intel Core i3-10100F
- GPU / Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 1650
- RAM / Memory: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 500GB SSD
- Weight: 17.7 x 7.8 x 18.3 inches
Just because it’s in the sub-$500 price point doesn’t mean the SkyTech Blaze 3.0 is a poor excuse for a gaming machine. It’s actually one of the best options you can have right now if you only have less than $600 for a gaming PC.
The main attraction here, of course, would be the case. It’s pretty and comes with ample front panel ventilation with an included glass side panel. The hardware also isn’t bad for gaming. You’ll still be able to run the best video games here albeit on a mix of low and medium settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are prebuilt gaming PC setups better than custom?
Not really. You lose an important aspect of customization and future-proofing. Plus generally, custom-built PCs are more affordable. -
Do prebuilt gaming PC setups last longer?
They will last about the same as a custom-built gaming PC with the same level of cooling and ventilation.