I'm planning to buy my first gaming PC and have roughly £1,300 to spend. With current component prices, would I be better off building new or looking for a good used system on Facebook Marketplace? Ideally, I'd like to play at 1440p with a 240Hz monitor. I may be able to increase the budget to around £1,500 by selling my Xbox Series X. I already need to consider whether the budget also has to cover peripherals.
3 Answers
A new build around £1,300 is possible, but make sure the parts are balanced and that you’re not spending too much on the CPU while compromising on the graphics card. For 1440p high-refresh gaming, a graphics card with at least 16GB of VRAM would be a better target. A Radeon 9070 or 9070 GRE would be more suitable than a weaker card if you want to get close to making use of a 240Hz display.
If you can stretch the budget to roughly £1,500–£1,600, you’ll have more room for a stronger GPU and a better overall system. That extra money could make a noticeable difference at 1440p, especially in demanding games. Also check whether your £1,300–£1,500 limit includes the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and headset, since those can take a sizable chunk of the budget.
Used systems can offer good value, but be careful with marketplace purchases. Ask for a full parts list, check the age and condition of the graphics card and power supply, and test the PC properly before paying. If the seller won’t let you verify that it works under load, a new build with warranties may be worth the extra cost.
I could probably reach about £1,500, especially if I sell my Xbox Series X. I’ll also need to work out how much is left after accounting for the peripherals.