Best Custom Gaming PC Under $300 of 2022

Now that you’ve read this far, you could have come to the conclusion that you’re not quite ready to start custom PC building. That’s fine too! We searched the internet for suitable prebuilt gaming PC alternatives that will provide the same performance as our custom build for those people.

We verify on a weekly basis that our prebuilt recommendations align with our bespoke build. If a more potent prebuilt option becomes available or the present one runs out of stock, a comparable product will be used in its place.

The prebuilt PC options listed below come as near to custom builds as possible in terms of price and performance. Be mindful, nevertheless, that choosing a prebuilt cost more money.

For practically any low-cost PC design, there are many CPU options available, with prices ranging from cheap $300 gaming setup to $600 gaming setup and more. You may always choose AMD’s Ryzen 3 3200G APU if your budget is exceedingly limited and you don’t have enough to include a respectable processor and graphics card combination in your build. Because the 3200G integrates a strong CPU and GPU on one chip, you can avoid the expense of a separate graphics card. The 3200G will at least be able to tide you over until you have the money to upgrade, even though its performance won’t compare to any of the options above in terms of CPU power.

Most of today’s top games may be played on lower settings or at least with the 3200G. In fact, you can construct an entry-level gaming PC with a Ryzen 3 3200G for about $300, which would enable you to play games like Rocket League and League of Legends without any issues.

So even if you’re on a tight budget, the 3200G gives you the option to create a starter gaming setup right now.

This processor’s integrated graphics unit (Vega 8 iGPU), which is comparable to the NVidia GeForce GTX 745 ($95), is one of its strongest features. Additionally, AMD’s built-in graphics are now the quickest ever! You may easily play on medium or even high settings in well-known titles like Overwatch, League of Legends, and CSGO.

We’ll use the integrated GPU in the Ryzen 3 3600G processor in place of a separate GPU. The total cost rises to $400 if we utilize a competent discrete GPU because the current state of budget GPUs makes it impossible to get one for $100 or less. On the other hand, the Vega 7 integrated within the 5600G’s CPU offers a respectable performance at 1080p resolution. The majority of games should run at low to medium settings with an average frame rate of 40.

A definite suggestion for anyone who doesn’t want to sacrifice performance over budget is that no other processor at this price gives so high performance with such a fantastic overall package!

The Gigabyte B450M DS3H motherboard, despite being on a severely low budget, is an excellent match for the Ryzen CPU. The motherboard was compromised in order to fit the strong GPU, but it still has sufficient functionality to finish the construction. This board includes M.2 compatibility, wifi, support for quick RAM, and some space for upcoming expansions and storage upgrades.

Two full-length PCIe slots are available on this entry-level component; the top slot is PCIe 3.0 x16 and the bottom slot is PCIe 2.0 x4. A single PCIe 2.0 x1 slot is located in between the two full-length slots. AMD CrossFire multi-graphics card configurations are compatible thanks to the two full-length slots, but you should be aware that the B450 chipset does not support NVIDIA SLI. (Constrained PCI bandwidth)

Four SATA ports make up the majority of the storage system. All of these ports have straight-angled holes, which is both a cost-saving strategy and a reflection of the board’s humble beginnings. RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays are also supported by the SATA connectors.

Additionally, there is one PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA M.2 slot that can accommodate up to M.2 22110 (22 x 110 mm) SSDs. The best thing about the GIGABYTE B450M DS3H is its value, which comes without sacrificing key features that are regularly used in most modern personal computers.

We selected a single 8GB DDR4 memory stick as our RAM. We chose a single stick of RAM rather than a 2x4GB kit to use dual channel memory for two reasons: Firstly, it costs less than the least expensive 2x4GB of DDR4 memory. Secondly, it will make it much simpler to add a second stick of RAM.

The truth is that, for gaming, dual-channel configurations typically don’t offer a significant performance advantage when compared to single-channel configurations, despite what you may have been told: running your RAM in dual-channel configuration will give you more performance than running a single stick of RAM.

Going with a mechanical hard disc in 2022 is stupidity unless you can purchase one for a cheap price. The cost of SSDs has significantly decreased in recent years, and you can now get an M.2 SSD that offers extremely fast transfer speeds for the same price as a SATA SSD. The TeamGroup MP33 256GB SLC can temporarily store your operating system, apps, and some of your games. Its read/write speed is 1600/1000MB/s, which is not the fastest, but because it costs only $30, it is a great option for this low-cost setup.

The Zalman T7 won’t win any prizes, but for the money, it provides excellent value and keeps prices down, making room for the potent GPU. The build quality is as good as you would expect at the price point, and the case has a clever design and excellent airflow right out of the box.

Smokey Acrylic Side Panel, Stylish Patterned Mesh Front Design, With A Tuning Effect For PC Components. Fashionable Patterned Mesh Front Offers Maximum Air Flow As Well As Sleek Exterior. If you are an adventure gamer, you will like this case by adding RGB. Enhanced Cooling Method: Up to eight 120 Mm fans, two of which are already installed on the front and back of your system, can be installed to provide excellent airflow and boost cooling performance.

Compatible Motherboards: Fits Motherboards With Atx, Matx, and Mini-Itx Form Factors with CPU Fans (Coolers) That Are 160mm Tall.

Many low-cost power sources in the 400-500W range are currently unavailable, and some are more expensive than they once were. Although Apevia power supplies are inexpensive, if you get a 400-500W PSU, they are unreliable and quickly become hot. The TT Smart 430W is certified at 80 Plus, which translates to greater than 80% power efficiency, and it comes with a 5-year warranty.

It will cost you $30 and raise the overall cost of the construction, but Thermaltake’s 430W Smart Power Supply is considerably more dependable and comes with all the connectors needed to power up your components. You won’t need any PCI-E connectors because this construction won’t employ a dedicated graphics card. But since this PSU has two PCI-E 8-pin connectors, you can add a discrete GPU in the future to offer enough power for a budget to the midrange graphics card.

Things To Consider

$300 Budget

Your budget is one of the most important factors to take into account when beginning the process of building a bespoke computer. Many individuals approach us anticipating spending $300 on a custom setup that can dominate 4K games at 100 frames per second. That is regrettably not the case. We specifically created our $300 build to play less demanding competitive games like CS: GO, DOTA 2, and LoL. You’ll end up saving a tonne of time if you know the boundaries of your budget upfront.

It’s important to note that Amazon’s prices do change frequently. This implies that the builds may not always be below the desired target. But don’t worry, we review the builds every day to make sure the most current and cost-effective products are being chosen.

Future-proofing and upgradeability

Future upgrades are a different factor to think about while constructing your own PC. Let’s face it, a computer won’t serve you forever. You will eventually need to update its components. A significant aspect of the hardware selection process is making sure you don’t have too many goods that require updating when that time comes.

Fortunately, we took care of it for you previously. The motherboard in this design is modern, making it ideal for future upgrades. The casing is a good choice as well since it will support GPU and expanded storage capacity updates.

Overclocking

In the past ten years, overclocking has gotten more and more feasible, largely because hardware quality has improved and is now much more conducive to overclocking. It’s a fantastic approach to get more performance for no additional cost.

If you choose to perform light overclocking, this build will respond. It should be emphasized, though, that Ryzen CPUs are quite well optimized right out of the box. Gaining noticeable performance improvements is most likely a thing of the past right now.

Building Ease

Building your own rig from scratch might be intimidating for beginners, especially if the casing isn’t builder-friendly. Make sure the case is the proper size for your components by conducting a thorough study on it. To make the procedure a little bit easier, we used PC building tools for this build and advise you to do the same. An anti-static bracelet, which can be obtained for almost no extra money, is also something to take into account.

Non-Gaming Performance

The non-gaming aspect of a PC design is a crucial area to take into account. Many gamers will plan their builds with both gaming and workplace needs in mind. You’ll be pleased to learn that we followed suit.

This build’s performance with multiple threads makes it capable of handling tasks with a light burden. Simple photo and video editing ought to be more than doable, albeit slowly. You would be better off using one of our premia builds if you wanted to stream.

Aesthetics

 Aesthetics are always crucial in a custom build because you eventually want your building to appear at its finest. But much like a performance, appearance typically has a direct bearing on construction costs.

Unfortunately, the aesthetics of PC cases at this end of the spectrum are pretty lacking. There are many stylish cases available; you just need to boost your budget to cover one.

You need to upgrade some PC components to get better gaming or productivity performance. Even though you might not be able to do this right away, save this post for later use. Most of the components in this PC setup are interchangeable and can be upgraded at any time. If you want to noticeably improve gaming performance, I recommend changing some of the following components.

The Ryzen 5 5600G is an APU with both CPU and GPU overclocking capabilities. However, using a chipset like the B450, B550, X570, etc. is the only way to achieve this. The B550 is now the most recent and ideal low-cost chipset to pair with Ryzen 5000 APUs. The heatsinks of the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Wifi are sufficient for continuous cooling, and the VRM is powerful enough to do vigorous overclocking.

It includes numerous PCI-E slots for expansion cards and 4x DIMM slots for further RAM upgrades of any capacity. Additionally, you will receive an abundance of USB ports and additional M.2 slots for M.2 SSDs and peripherals, respectively.

The stock AMD cooler won’t be enough for successful overclocking. Getting an aftermarket CPU cooler will alter everything because the temps will be in the upper 80s or perhaps 90s. A very well-liked single-tower CPU cooler with excellent performance and silent operation is the Noctua NH-U12S. No matter how intensely you game, it employs copper heat pipes and a high-pressure Noctua fan to keep the temperature down.

Most mid-range to high-end graphics cards can be comfortably handled by Ryzen 5600G. Therefore, if you decide to upgrade to a powerful GPU, you shouldn’t be concerned. To upgrade to a Geforce RTX 3050 8GB GPU, which is as potent as the GTX 1660 Super from the previous Nvidia generation, I do suggest taking into account components like the RAM size and power supply capacity. This will guarantee you receive 60+ frames per second on ultra settings, a significant improvement over Vega 7.

You must upgrade your PC case first if you opt to switch to a full-ATX form factor motherboard, as I advised. A premium chassis that is constructed of high-quality materials and permits even better airflow from the front panel is the NZXT H510 Flow. It has a full-length PSU shroud to conceal your PSU and anything else inside of it. It will easily accommodate all of your current components as well as any future additions, and cable management will be a snap.

I advise getting a 144Hz display for faster games like CSGO and for a smoother gaming experience. The AOC G2490VX costs $140 but has a 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync capability, which you will appreciate because this design uses an AMD graphics card. A 60-75Hz monitor typically costs approximately $100.

AMD FreeSync eliminates screen tearing during gameplay and synchronizes the refresh rate with the frame rate to eliminate input lag.

You’ll most likely use a cheap gaming mouse and keyboard set for this build, and you’ll probably spend at least $30 on it. In this price range, a membrane keyboard is most likely what you’ll choose. However, Havit offers a spectacular $35 combo that includes a mechanical keyboard with unique blue switches and a perfect fps mouse.

The RGB LED backlighting used by the keyboard and mouse can be adjusted using the buttons on each device. If you are an adventure gamer, you will definitely love this RGB LED backlighting. These offer greater dependability than any $30 bundle that includes a keyboard, mouse, mousepad, and headset.

Conclusion!

That concludes our in-depth guide to the top $300 custom PC setup. We’ve made an effort to stay as close as possible to the rigorously defined budget limits while still offering a PC that offers an immersive gaming experience. Remember that the graphics in this build won’t blow anyone away. However, it will give beginner players the chance to play less demanding games without spending a fortune.

There won’t likely be a better alternative for the parts or accessories I suggested for this build that would give you the best value. Although there are numerous options, this construction is the finest one you can get for between $300 and $350. You can leave a remark in the box below if you run into any problems creating your PC or if you have any questions.