Should I Build or Buy a Gaming PC With a £700 Budget?

Don’t assume a prebuilt is automatically easier or better. You’ll still need to research the processor, graphics card, power supply, storage, and upgrade options, otherwise you might end up with a system you’re unhappy with. Compare the price of the individual parts against complete systems from reputable retailers before deciding.

If you’re interested in learning, building can be really satisfying and there are plenty of step-by-step videos that show the whole process. You don’t need to understand every brand or technical detail beforehand. If you have no interest in building and just want something that works, a used or well-reviewed prebuilt is probably the less stressful choice.

With a £700 budget, I’d seriously consider a used PC or used parts. New RAM, SSDs, and graphics cards can make a budget build surprisingly expensive, while a carefully checked second-hand system may give you much better performance for the money. If you go this route, take someone knowledgeable with you or learn how to test the PC before paying.

Building gives you better value and it’s very achievable even if you’re starting from zero. Watch a few detailed build tutorials first, learn what each component does, and use a compatibility-checking site to plan the parts. At this price you should be aiming for entry-level 1080p gaming, generally around 60 FPS at medium or high settings depending on the game.