Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $500

How we picked the best pre-built gaming PC

We scoured famous and trustworthy prebuilt gaming PC manufacturers, and even the latest prebuilt gaming PCs from companies that specialize in upgrades and customizations.

After huge research, we came up with a long list of potential competitors, we then: examined the specs, compared them, and came up with the five best-prebuilt gaming PCs.

How We Examine

To provide you suggestions of how well these prebuilt gaming PCs performed, tests were made and benchmark results were recorded across many various games and platforms. We precisely choose popular games to give you an up-to-date reference.

Things To Consider Before Buying A Cheap Gaming PC

On a small budget finding the best gaming PC is possible. Just finding the ideal one that meets your demands will require much more effort. These prebuilt gaming PCs will definitely struggle to run the latest AAA games. However, if all you want to do is play some lighter games, these are the perfect gaming PCs for you.

CPU and GPU

The best gaming chips will not be found in cheap gaming PCs. Although it is still feasible to play games on them. Simply match the specs to the game performance you desire.

AMD Ryzen or Athlon processors are great choices for this. Additionally, Intel Core i3 and i5 processors perform admirably. Therefore, you may get a prebuilt gaming PC for less money. Choose one with integrated graphics since you can always improve later.

Nvidia GeForce GTX cards are great for improving the visual capabilities of your PC. You might also take into account some affordable AMD Radeons.

RAM and Storage

Secondly, a key element in gaming desktops is memory. While less than ideal, 8 gigabytes of RAM should be adequate for the majority of games. With this much RAM, you should be able to achieve a good experience on a PC for under $500. However, if you can find one with 16 gigabytes or more, it will be faster when you’re managing multiple workloads.

You’ll consider yourself lucky if you can get an SSD and an HDD combination when looking for storage options for cheap gaming PCs. However, the majority of these gaming desktops allow you to add an SSD, which will speed up how rapidly your operating system and games load.

A Quick Look At Our Best Cheap Gaming PCs Under $500

One of the most affordable options is the iBUYPOWER Pro Gaming PC, which is also probably the best cheap gaming PC available.

One of the best-prebuilt gaming PCs you can buy for the money is definitely this one. It has a Ryzen 3100 processor with a maximum core speed of 3.9GHz and an AMD RX550 2GB graphics card, which is easily capable of handling 1080p gaming. In addition, you will receive a 240GB SSD, 8 gigabytes of DDR4 RAM, and a genuine mid-tower gaming case with 4 USB 3.0 ports and tempered glass on the side. This Ryzen configuration can easily handle 1080p gaming on medium settings and deliver strong performance.

The AMD Ryzen 3100 is a decent processor that, by itself, could handle some of the latest games without a dedicated GPU, but when it is paired with the RX 550, it can outperform many high-end desktops that cost a lot of money. On a 1080p display, games like Warzone and Fortnite will run smoothly, but if you’re looking for a 60 fps lock, this setup is not strong enough to support that type of gameplay.  Additionally, 240GB SSD is certainly enough given that almost 60GB of storage would be used by Windows alone, but for the price, you won’t find a better one.

There are plenty of spaces on this pre-built computer for adding more hard drives and SSDs. Moreover, you will receive a mouse and a gaming keyboard set, as well as RGB-lit fans and magnetic dust filters. If you are an adventure gamer you will love this prebuilt gaming PC its RGB-lit fans made your room a battle station. 

This gaming rig is the one to have if you’re looking for a gaming PC that costs under $500. The best-prebuilt gaming PC under $500 is the iBUYPOWER Pro. Since it’s one of the top cheap gaming PCs available.

Whereas, the gaming experience with the iBUYPOWER SlateMR 500AD is excellent for a budget under $800. You won’t find a gaming PC that performs this well for the price, even though it isn’t the top performance. This PC was capable of handling all the latest games I threw at it. Even though I tested this PC with 8GB of RAM, you can get even higher frame rates by increasing the RAM size. I experienced frame rates of 65 and 68 while playing demanding games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey respectively.

The HP Desktop is a budget-friendly gaming PC that would be a good place for you to begin your new PC career. This build does not have a dedicated GPU because it relies on the 3200G’s dependable integrated graphics.

AMD’s Ryzen 3 3200G, a low-cost APU with great performance for the price, powers the system. The processor has a 3.6GHz base clock speed and a maximum boost speed of 4GHz. Although you won’t get any multithreading performance with 4 cores and 4 threads, this outperforms Intel’s integrated graphics by a wide margin. Utilizing Vega 8 graphics, the 3200G offers entry-level performance in a wide range of games. If you are a gamer who likes minimal and simple gaming PC then this gaming PC is definitely made for you.

A 1TB HDD and 8GB of DDR4 RAM are included with the HP Desktop. Although this storage option isn’t exceptionally quick, it is enough to begin you playing right out of the box and has space for both your operating system and favorite games.

With its powerful gaming features at its core, this would make a fantastic starter PC. In addition to the parts, you also receive a compact system with a free keyboard and mouse for playing right out of the box.

The Allied Home Desktop PC is a more versatile pc than just a cheap gaming PC. It’s a versatile device that can handle almost everything you throw at it. It has excellent specs that will definitely let you play PC games properly. powered by a 3.5GHz, two-core, four-thread AMD Athlon 3000G, which is fast enough for light gaming. The AMD Radeon Vega visuals that are integrated into the CPU are one benefit of selecting this chip for this gaming desktop setup.

On the most difficult games, it won’t provide you with the best performance. It is certainly one of the most effective chips available, though. Even if this system isn’t the most powerful of the bunch, it’s still one of the top gaming PCs under $500 that you can find.

Eight gigabytes of DDR4 RAM is included with the CPU, allowing you to multitask. Additionally, you may benefit from extra fast storage due to its 240GB SSD. The PC appears impressive from the outside. You’ll definitely like the gaming vibe that the RGB fans offer.  Because of RGB fans and its case design, this is an impressive attraction for gaming girls and gaming boys also. There is space for future expansion of a second graphics card, and the airflow is superb.

The Allied Home Desktop PC performs brilliantly in terms of speed. You could always pay a little extra and pick one of the cheaper graphics cards, such as an RX 560 or even a GTX 1050 Ti, even if it might not be the greatest with AAA titles. This is the one for you if you’re seeking a good gaming computer. Although it lacks built-in graphics capability, the excellent news is that, depending on your gaming requirements, you can always replace it with a suitable graphics card. It comes with a 550W power supply that offers the extra space you need to add the upgrades you want.

Alarco got you covered with their cheap gaming computer, which includes an Intel Core i5-2400 and a GeForce GTX 650. (1GB).It also includes a 1TB hard drive, a 500w power supply, and 8GB DDR3 RAM. The gorgeous gaming case, which has a strong metallic chassis and several RGB fans, is the PC’s main selling point.

Performance-wise, this gaming PC struggled to keep up 30 frames per second in games like PUBG, Fortnite, and GTA V. Sincerely, this gaming computer isn’t the most powerful one around. It is better suited for people who want to play older games, and there aren’t many chances that it will play more recent games. This gaming PC is made for adventure gamers, its case design and RGB lights will make your gaming setup a flawless look for gamers. This one might sustain 30 frames per second on low settings on a 1080p display, even with everything overclocked.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 isn’t all that horrible; it can run The Witcher 3, Fortnite, and CSGO at playable frame rates on low settings. We don’t expect this PC to overheat because the airflow within the casing is fairly decent and those three RGB fans might make a difference. To avoid having to make holes in your walls for internet wires, the PC comes pre-installed with a WiFi card.

The Alarco Gaming PC isn’t the best setup available, but for less than $500, it’s a robust system. Even though it might not be the fastest PC available, you might easily update it in the future thanks to its mid-tower casing and 500w PSU.

If you’re on a small budget, the most you can hope for is a combination of an Intel 3rd generation processor and a GTX 1050 Ti graphics card. They’re both quite affordable and would treat you very well. In conclusion, we think the Alarco Gaming PC is a good choice if you’re searching for a budget computer for some weekend casual gaming.

It is very amazing how valuable some things that are relatively new to the market may occasionally be. Because it offers excellent specifications for the price, the Shinobee gaming PC unexpectedly grabbed my eye. It is the only PC on the list to have a dedicated graphics card and the newest processor.

This computer provides an absolutely excellent gaming experience. It can handle anything you throw at it because it has some significant power beneath the hood. The Ryzen 3 1200 processor and Rx 550 graphics card work together to produce some excellent gaming numbers.

In my tests, this PC was able to run AAA games at a framerate that was adequate. Hitman 3 had an average framerate of 37, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla of 35, Red Dead Redemption 2 of 40, and Horizon Zero Dawn of 30 FPS. These games were all played at the lowest graphics setting and 720p resolution. In CoD Warzone, the PC provided an average framerate of 55, and 70 when it came to battle royale games.

However, the greatest is still to come, and playing esports games allows one to see this. These games played incredibly well on this PC, with an average frame rate of 100 in CSGO and 170 in Valorant.

Overall, the Shinobee gaming PC was able to run every game I gave it with a respectable frame rate, making it one of the few sub-$500 PCs to accomplish this.

CONCLUSION

With the last product done, it is time to wrap up the article. Before I do that, however, let’s quickly review the contents of the article.

I wanted to dispel the myth that cheap gaming PCs under $500 are inadequate for gaming. For that purpose, this article stated not only corrected the misinformation that was lying around regarding $500 prebuilt PCs, but I also reviewed five prebuilt PCs in this article that can smoothly play the latest games without any hitch.

I believe it is now obvious that affordable gaming PCs may also have a proven record if you can find the proper model within your price range. You must select the gaming PCs described in this article based on your demands because they all provide a wide range of consumer-facing features.

All I’m trying to say is avoid getting caught up in the “best” rat race and choose a PC that works for you. I hope you found the thorough buyer’s guide in the article informative in describing how to select the best PC for your demands which I hope you have found helpful.

Before signing off, I would love to hear your pet reviews regarding gaming PCs in the comment section down below.