I'm ready to buy my first gaming PC, but my budget is limited to about $700. I'd like to play most games at 1080p with high settings and a strong frame rate. I'm new to choosing PC parts, so I'd appreciate advice on whether I should build new, buy used, or look for a prebuilt system. The budget is for the PC itself, and I'm willing to adjust settings or upgrade later if necessary.
4 Answers
A new build is possible, but you’ll have to make compromises. One reasonable direction is a Ryzen 5 5500 or Ryzen 5 5600 with an inexpensive AM4 motherboard, 16GB of DDR4, a 500GB SSD, and a graphics card such as an RX 7600 or RTX 5050. Prices change constantly, so check current deals and avoid putting only 8GB of RAM in the system unless you plan to add a second stick immediately. Two sticks of RAM will give you better performance.
At this budget, buying used is probably the best value. Look for a complete system with something like a Ryzen 5 3600 or 5600, 16GB of RAM, and a graphics card around an RX 6600, RX 6600 XT, RTX 2060, or RTX 3060. That should be capable of 1080p gaming at high frame rates, although the newest games may require a few settings reductions. Make sure the power supply is from a reputable brand and test the system before paying.
The exact recommendation depends heavily on your location and whether the $700 includes Windows, Wi-Fi, peripherals, and taxes. If it only covers the tower, a used gaming PC is the easiest way to get close to 1080p and 144 FPS. If you’re buying every part new, expect to target 1080p rather than high-resolution gaming, and leave room in the budget for a future RAM or storage upgrade.
I’d personally build around used parts. Something like a Ryzen 5 5500, 32GB of DDR4, a 1TB NVMe SSD, and a used RX 6600 XT can fit close to $700 if you shop patiently. That gives you more storage and memory than many new budget lists. Just inspect used graphics cards carefully, confirm they work under load, and don’t gamble on an unknown or very cheap power supply.
That route makes sense if the buyer is comfortable checking used hardware. A complete used PC may be easier for a first-time builder because everything is already assembled and tested.