• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Unslider

Unslider

Latest Tech News and Gadget Reviews

  • Home
  • Laptops
    • Gaming Laptop
    • Chromebooks
    • 2-in-1 Laptops
  • Gaming PC
  • Knowledge Hub
  • News

Best $800 Custom PC Build in 2022

Gaming PC December 15, 2022 by Sid Natividad

A year ago, an $800 custom PC build would have had lower-end specs due to the bloated price of gaming hardware. Now, we have a custom PC build that costs only $800 but can still run the latest games at ultra settings at 1080p resolution! It’s all thanks to the combination of holiday season sales and an incoming new generation of hardware.

It just so happens that the said new generation of hardware is a bit overkill for today’s games. And they’re also expensive. So the current PC building meta is cobbling together older-generation components and still getting excellent gaming performance.

RELATED: 8 Components To Prioritize When Upgrading Your PC

We’re proud to present you with our $800 build, free of compatibility issues. Also, do note that in this $800 budget, the cost of the monitor, mouse, keyboard, Windows license, and extra fans aren’t included yet; you have to make a separate budget for those.

Without further ado, here’s your budget (but with mid-range performance) $800 custom PC build.

12400F cpu

Intel Core i5-12400F

CPU / Processor

PROS

  • Affordable
  • 6 Cores and 12 Threads
  • Low power consumption
  • Best price-to-performance ratio
  • Can handle high-end GPUs with ease
  • Significant performance margin compared to i3 processors

CONS

  • Stock Intel cooler has terrible cooling performance and noise

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • 6 Cores and 12 Threads
  • 4.4 GHz Turbo Frequency
  • 65W TDP
  • LGA 1700

It’s by far the best CPU of 2022 in terms of price-to-performance. The i5-12400F is just hard to beat in that category due to its availability and low cost, allowing you to pour more of the budget allotment into more expensive components such as the GPU.

And that’s exactly what we’re doing right now. Take note that this is a mid-range CPU, since the budget CPU is considered the i3 lineup, and the performance difference between the two is more than substantial. So expect this CPU to last you three or more years before you need to upgrade.

12400F cpu

Intel Core i5-12400F

CHECK LATEST PRICE

MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

GPU / Graphics Card

PROS

  • Excellent 1080p GPU
  • Can also handle 1440p thanks to large VRAM
  • Triple fan design
  • 12GB VRAM
  • Great cooling and low noise

CONS

  • Large and bulky

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • Video Memory: 12GB GDDR6
  • Memory Interface: 192-bit
  • Clock Speed: 1710 MHz
  • Triple Fan

Leave it to MSI to make powerful GPUs with good cooling at an affordable price. Their triple fan design is more than capable of keeping the RTX 3060 breezy during the most demanding of games, while also maintaining an acceptable level of fan noise.

As for the GPU’s performance, this is perfect for 1080p. It can run the latest video games at high or ultra settings with no hiccups (until you turn on ray tracing, of course). But between this and AMD Radeon’s mid-range options, the RTX 3060 wins thanks to Nvidia’s proprietary tech.

MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

CHECK LATEST PRICE

Gigabyte B660M DS3H DDR4

Gigabyte B660M DS3H DDR4

Motherboard

PROS

  • 4 RAM slots
  • Compact size
  • 2 NVMe SSD slots

CONS

  • Lacks additional features
  • No Wi-Fi
  • No Bluetooth
  • Brown tint on the PCB

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • Intel LGA 1700 Socket: Supports 12th Gen Intel Core Series
  • 2 NVMe SSD slots
  • 4 RAM slots
  • Micro-ATX form factor

Since you’re only rocking an i5-12400F, there’s no need for a more robust motherboard with a bigger VRM. The Gigabyte B660M DS3H is a solid and reliable choice for your needs. It comes with two NVMe slots so you can upgrade your storage.

Moreover, the VRM, while small, is sufficient enough to keep the board and the CPU cool. Don’t expect much in the way of additional features, this is the bare minimum needed for a comfy i5 experience.

Gigabyte B660M DS3H DDR4

Gigabyte B660M DS3H DDR4

CHECK LATEST PRICE

TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 DRAM 16GB

TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 DRAM 16GB Kit (2x8GB)

RAM / Memory

PROS

  • CL16 latency
  • Dual-channel
  • 16GB RAM at this price point
  • Good RAM speed
  • Good heatsink design
  • Comes in other colors

CONS

  • No RGB

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • 3200MHz speed
  • CL16 latency
  • Dual channel
  • Non-RGB
  • 16GB

Despite going for the $800 budget bracket, we’re not about to give you just 8 GB of RAM, we’re way nicer than that. We don’t want you to suffer while gaming or browsing through Chrome with 10 or 50 tabs open. Thankfully, TeamGroup exists, allowing you to have 16GB of dual-channel RAM for this budget build.

This thing goes a long way in keeping your PC running smoothly and stutter-free. Besides, 16GB is the standard now. Don’t settle for anything less with a budget of $800.

TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 DRAM 16GB

TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 DRAM 16GB Kit (2x8GB)

CHECK LATEST PRICE

Crucial P3 500GB

Crucial P3 500GB

Storage

PROS

  • 3500MB/s sequential reads
  • Durable and reliable
  • Affordable

CONS

  • No proper heatsink

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • NVMe (PCIe Gen3 x4) technology with up to 3500MB/s sequential reads, random read/write 350K/460K IOPS
  • Rated at MTTF greater than 1.5 million hours for extended longevity and reliability

This is where we decided to cut some costs, sadly. This custom PC build only has 500GB of storage which will run out fast if you keep downloading and installing new games. Still, it’s a small price to pay for mid-range performance at entry-level price tags.

There’s also the fact that it’s a good SSD with read and write speeds of 3500MB/s, meaning you never have to worry about loading times or boot-up duration. If you do decide to get more storage, we recommend another SSD instead of a hard disk drive or HDD, the speed difference is night and day.

Crucial P3 500GB

Crucial P3 500GB

CHECK LATEST PRICE

Cooler Master MWE Bronze 600W 80+ Bronze

Cooler Master MWE Bronze 600W 80+ Bronze

PSU / Power Supply Unit

PROS

  • Bronze rating
  • 600W
  • Flat, black cables
  • Dust-proof fans

CONS

  • Non-modular, can get untidy

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • 600W ATX Power supply
  • 80 plus Bronze certified
  • Temperature-controlled 120mm fan with dustproof LDB bearing
  • Dc-to-dc circuit design for stable voltage output
  • 3-year warranty

Thanks to the low-power components, you don’t need anything fancy with the PSU specs. A simple, non-modular, cheap, but reliable PSU will do and might even last indefinitely. The Cooler Master MWE Bronze 600W should suffice.

The PSU also comes with flat black cables so you don’t need to replace them with something more aesthetically pleasing unless you want. The Bronze rating also ensures a decent amount of efficiency for more power savings.

Cooler Master MWE Bronze 600W 80+ Bronze

Cooler Master MWE Bronze 600W 80+ Bronze

CHECK LATEST PRICE

Thermaltake Versa H18

Thermaltake Versa H18

Case

PROS

  • Cheaply priced
  • Has a tempered glass side panel
  • Blue LED strip at the front panel
  • Comes with an exhaust fan
  • Has a PSU shroud
  • Compact

CONS

  • Micro-ATX only
  • Front panel is unappealing and looks hard to clean without a blower
  • Only one exhaust spot at the top
  • Top exhaust filter is hard to remove and clean
  • Thermaltake logo

CHECK LATEST PRICE

  • Mesh Front Panel with Built-in Blue LED Strip
  • Compact Micro ATX Form Factor Design with Full-Length PSU Cover
  • Ideal for AIO Solutions up to 240/280 millimeter
  • I/O Port: USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 2, HD Audio x 1
  • Tempered glass side panel
The case is also sadly another aspect of this budget build that will take a compromise. Because most of the good, aesthetically-pleasing cases are around $80+. So we’re sacrificing form over function here.
But for the price, the Thermaltake Versa H18 is a decent case. It comes with a filter or mesh front panel and the complete bare minimum ventilation for a PC case. There is only one fan slot at the top, but this shouldn’t affect cooling performance too much.
At the very least, you get a tempered glass side panel for aesthetics.
Thermaltake Versa H18

Thermaltake Versa H18

CHECK LATEST PRICE

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Are budget custom PC builds good enough?
    That depends on their specs. But for general gaming, they can likely run medium to high or even ultra settings depending on the game.
  • How long do budget custom PC builds last?
    For lifespan, they can last indefinitely with proper care. But for relevance and hardware power, expect them to keep up with the latest games for around three to five years.
Share on Facebook Share on X (Twitter) Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn

TAGS budget, gaming PC

Primary Sidebar

Contents

  • Intel Core i5-12400F

  • MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

  • Gigabyte B660M DS3H DDR4

  • TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 DRAM 16GB Kit (2x8GB)

  • Crucial P3 500GB

  • Cooler Master MWE Bronze 600W 80+ Bronze

  • Thermaltake Versa H18

Copyright © 2025 ยท New Saga Media, LLC