Best Budget Gaming PC Builds Under $800 For Budget Gamers In 2024!
Do you wish to learn how to build a gaming PC by yourself? Building a gaming PC in 2024 can be challenging since many components must be considered. Therefore, to assemble the best budget gaming PC built in 2024, you must learn the best parts in the market and how compatible they are.
Read this post until the end to learn how to build the perfect gaming desk setup for a budget gaming PC built in 2024 between $500 and $800!
Best Budget Gaming PC Build Under $500
“How much does it cost to build a PC for gaming in 2024?”
Surprisingly, you can do it easily for $500. However, this doesn’t include the prices of a small gaming desk and other gaming desk accessories.
With a budget gaming PC built around $500, you can do 1080p gaming easily. While you might struggle to hit 60 fps consistently on all games (especially the newer ones), you can effortlessly play all new AAA games at 1080p 30 fps.
Therefore, this is the best budget gaming PC build under $500 in 2024:
| Component | Model | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i3-13100F | $120 |
| Motherboard | ASRock B760M-HDV | $89 |
| Graphics Card | ASRock Intel Arc A380 6GB GDDR6 | $119 |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 – 2 x 16 GB (32 GB) | $40 |
| Storage | Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB | $69 |
| Cabinet | Thermaltake Versa H18 | $59 |
| Power Supply | Thermaltake SmartSeries 500W | $39 |
| Cooler | Default processor fan | – |
| Total | $523 | |
Build Specifications
This build has excellent processing power in the form of the Intel Core i3-13100F processor. It’s one of the latest 13th-generation Intel Core processors, which provides superior performance at a lower power cost (58 W – 110 W).
Regarding graphical prowess, I recommend buying the latest generation of ASRock Intel Arc A380 graphics card. While this GPU might be new in the market and doesn’t have the years of optimization that Nvidia and AMD GPUs have, it still provides excellent performance and price value.
I recommend the Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 16 GB 3200MHz RAM for memory. I recommend this 46 GB RAM since it comprises 2 x 8 GB RAM sticks. Having dual stick RAM is any day better than 16 GB RAM since it provides better workload distribution. Therefore, it offers better power and performance, which makes multitasking smoother.
Since gamers need lots of storage space for storing your games from Steam and Epic Games Store, I recommend the cheapest 1 TB NVMe SSD in the market – the Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB SSD. I don’t recommend buying an HDD since they are outdated now.
However, this needs an equally capable budget motherboard compatible with it. Therefore, I recommend the ASRock B760M-HDV motherboard. It’s the perfect budget motherboard for Intel desktop builds.
Moreover, your budget gaming PC build will not be complete if it doesn’t have proper ventilation from your cabinet. Therefore, I recommend the fantastic Thermaltake Versa H18. It looks incredible, has RGB lights, and is tall enough to support all the other parts inside.
Additionally, buy the Thermaltake SmartSeries 500W PSU to power your gaming desktop efficiently. Since this budget desktop build is under $500, you won’t need more than a 500 W PSU.
Performance
Regarding the gaming performance of this desktop, it performs well enough to run all games at a minimum of 1080p 30 fps. Additionally, you might struggle to run the latest games (like Starfield) at 60 fps, even on the lowest settings.
However, I don’t recommend this build for gaming beyond 1080p. 1440p (2k) and 2160p (4k) gaming are off the charts.
Best Budget Gaming PC Build Under $600
This is the specification of the best budget gaming PC built under $600 in 2024:
| Component | Model | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i3-13100F | $120 |
| Motherboard | MSI PRO H610M-G LGA 1700 mATX | $99 |
| Graphics Card | PowerColor Fighter AMD Radeon RX 6600 8 GB GDDR6 | $190 |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 (2x8GB) 3200MHz | $40 |
| Storage | Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB | $57 |
| Cabinet | Apevia ENZO Mid-Tower Case | $65 |
| Power Supply | Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W | $67 |
| Cooler | Default processor fan | – |
| Total | $638 | |
Build Specifications
This gaming PC build uses the same processor that the budget gaming PC build under $500 uses – the Intel Core i3 13100F. I recommend it for this build since it provides the best processor deal for a $600 gaming PC.
Moreover, I recommend you keep rolling with the same storage and memory options above. The Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB RAM and the Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB will easily meet the gaming requirements of this $600 gaming PC build.
However, the primary changes come in the form of the motherboard. I recommend buying the MSI PRO H610M-G LGA 1700 mATX motherboard for this build. I recommend this motherboard because it is compatible with 13th-generation Intel Core processors. Additionally, it also has Wi-Fi support. Therefore, there’s no need to buy a Wi-Fi dongle separately!
Since we are spending more here, I recommend a better graphics card like the PowerColor Fighter AMD Radeon RX 6600 8 GB. It’s much better than the Intel Arc A380 above and provides 8 GB VRAM to meet all your gaming needs.
Since we are using a better and more power-hungry graphics card, this budget gaming PC build also needs a better power supply. Therefore, I recommend the Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W PSU. It has an 80+ gold rating with a 600 W power supply – more than enough to power your desktop.
Finally, I recommend buying the bigger Apevia ENZO Mid-Tower case to support it all. This cabinet looks impressive (the white variant) and is tall enough to provide good ventilation to keep your rig cool 24/7.
Performance
Regarding the gaming performance of this $600 budget gaming PC build, it performs exceptionally well for the price you pay. You can play most new AAA games at high settings with 60+ fps. Moreover, eSports games like Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, The Finals, and Rainbow Six: Siege all run with 200+ fps – which is more than fantastic!
However, 2k gaming is only possible if you’re okay with getting around 30-40 frames. Moreover, I don’t recommend 4k gaming on this build.
In addition, if you are a graphic designer, video editor, or a 3D animator – this $600 budget gaming PC build will be an excellent choice for a lag-free experience!
Best Budget Gaming PC Build Under $700
As you can see from above, the $500 and $600 budget gaming PC builds don’t have RTX graphics cards. Therefore, if you want great visuals on screen by enabling raytracing, I recommend assembling this $700 budget gaming PC build.
Its specifications are:
| Component | Model | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i5-12400F (up to 4.5 GHz) | $159 |
| Motherboard | MSI PRO H610M-G LGA 1700 mATX | $89 |
| Graphics Card | Asus Dual NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OC 8GB | $239 |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 (2x8GB) 3200MHz | $40 |
| Storage | Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB | $57 |
| Cabinet | Zalman i3 NEO ATX Mid Tower RGB Case | $69 |
| Power Supply | Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W | $67 |
| Cooler | Default processor fan | – |
| Total | $720 | |
Build Specifications
If you compare this budget gaming PC build with the build above, you will see a few similarities. However, there are more upgrades this time.
The only components that remain the same are the motherboard, RAM, SSD, and the PSU. The MSI Pro LGA 1700 motherboard will be perfect for this build since we will use an Intel processor.
Moreover, the Corsair Vengeance RAM and the Crucial 1 TB SSD are more than enough for this PC build for gaming. Additionally, Thermaltake’s 600W PSU will power up this gaming desktop sufficiently.
However, I recommend upgrading three main components – the processor, the graphics card, and the cabinet. For better gaming prowess through the processor, I recommend buying the 12th generation Intel Core i5-12400F processor. I recommend a 12th-generation Intel i5 processor since the 13th-generation i5 processor costs almost $100 extra.
Moreover, the primary reason for selecting a 12th gen i5 (apart from its price) is to make it compatible with the Asus GeForce RTX 3050 OC 8GB graphics card. I recommend the RTX 3050 OC since it’s the cheapest RTX card around. In addition, it will support all new AAA games at max settings for the next few years at the least.
Therefore, to ensure that your gaming PC remains cool and doesn’t microwave itself, I recommend buying the Zalman i3 NEO ATX Mid Tower RGB Case. It looks terrific, thanks to its use of 4x 120 mm RGB fans.
In addition, it also has a tempered glass case, which you can open as a panel anytime you want. Therefore, there’s no need to screw it repeatedly! This makes cleaning the components inside a lot easier.
Performance
This budget gaming PC for $720 performs exceptionally well if you want performance. Since you now have an RTX GPU, you can turn on raytracing for maximum graphical fidelity. This makes games like Cyberpunk 2077 look impressive, running at max settings at 60+ fps.
However, I recommend turning off raytracing if you struggle to play the game smoothly. Instead, I recommend turning on Nvidia DLSS for better performance. Now you know why an RTX GPU matters so much!
Best Budget Gaming PC Build Under $800
Finally, we get to the official “best budget gaming PC build of 2024,” – which will cost you $822. Here are its specifications:
| Component | Model | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i5 13400F | $203 |
| Motherboard | ASRock B660M Pro RS | $95 |
| Graphics Card | Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 WindForce OC 8GB | $300 |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 (2x8GB) 3200MHz | $40 |
| Storage | Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB | $57 |
| Cabinet | Zalman i3 NEO ATX Mid Tower RGB Case | $60 |
| Power Supply | Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W | $67 |
| Cooler | Default processor fan | – |
| Total | $822 | |
Build Specifications
This $800 budget gaming PC gaming build is built like a rapid-fire assault rifle. If you compare it with the budget gaming PC built for $700, only the RAM, SSD, PSU, and cabinet remain the same. They are all powerful enough to give you a good gaming experience.
Regarding the parts I recommend upgrading, the first is the 13th-generation Intel Core i5 13400F. This processor has ten cores (six performance cores with four efficiency cores) and 20 MB of L3 cache.
Therefore, it gives you excellent processing power, which makes your desktop super-fast in everything. Moreover, its clock speed can go as high as 4.6 GHz to provide an even smoother experience!
Regarding the graphical power of this gaming PC build, I recommend the latest Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 WindForce OC 8GB GPU. Made with the latest 4th generation Tensor cores and 3rd generation RT cores, it provides a fantastic raytracing-enabled gaming experience. In addition, it consumes less power compared to the previous-gen RTX 3050!
Moreover, Gigabyte RTX cards are fantastic since they have a WindForce cooling system. This keeps your GPU temperature cool even after long gaming sessions!
Furthermore,
I recommend buying the ASRock B660M Pro RS motherboard to ensure that the two components above fit well. It has a fast boot time, easily upgradable system BIOS on boot, and a spacious design to facilitate better ventilation.
Performance
I recommend jumping directly from the RTX 3050 to RTX 4060 because of its price. If you compare the prices of the RTX 40690 with the RTX 3060 or the RTX 4051, it only costs $10-$15 more.
Moreover, you will get almost 30% better performance at nearly half its power cost! This is why the RTX 4060 is one of the best cheap RTX cards right now!
Regarding performance, you can play all the latest (and upcoming) AAA games at 2k settings with 60+ fps. However, if you wish to play with raytracing, I recommend doing so at 1080p settings to get 60+ fps.
Final Verdict: The Best Budget Gaming PC Builds To Satisfy Your Gaming Needs!
You can quickly assemble a high-performing budget gaming PC build between $500 and $800. While you might not get RTX graphics cards in the $500 and $600 PCs, the $700 and above builds have them.
Moreover, you can swap individual components if you feel like you are getting a better deal on the market! Thanks for reading this post! Please comment below if you have any queries regarding which parts to buy!
