I'm on a tight budget and looking for the best gaming PC build I can get for under $500. I'm not worried about how it looks, just focused on performance. Any suggestions for parts or a full build would be greatly appreciated! I'm based in the US. Thanks, everyone!
3 Answers
If you're set on a budget build, I'd suggest looking for a CPU like the Ryzen 3600 or 5500 along with a used GPU like the RX 5700 XT. You can often find the Ryzen 5500 for around $100, an AM4 motherboard for about $80, and 16GB of RAM for around $30. Together, that's about $210 for the essentials. Then add a used 5700 XT for roughly $150, plus a 650W PSU and a free case, and you could be looking at a solid gaming rig for around $450!
A word of caution: building a PC at that price will likely yield worse gaming performance compared to a console unless you go fully used for all the parts. Graphics cards alone can eat up most of that budget if you're aiming for decent performance.
Honestly, if you're looking under $500, you might consider just getting a console like a PS5 or even something like a Steam Deck or ROG Ally. The performance might be way better than what you'd get from a new PC at that price point.
But can you really do schoolwork on a console?