I'm looking to upgrade from my entry-level gaming laptop and finally ready to dive into PC gaming with a budget of $1500. This budget includes sales tax, which is 13% where I live, as well as any costs for having the PC built for me. My main question is whether it's realistic to create a custom-built PC that would outperform the pre-builts available at Best Buy within this budget. Any suggestions or experiences would be really helpful!
5 Answers
Yeah, I think you can pull off a better custom PC for that budget! If you do the math, after tax you'd have about $1327 to spend on parts. There's a decent chance you’ll find something better than Best Buy's selection. Just to give you an idea, the cheapest comparable pre-built I found was around $1550 before tax. You might be able to beat that if you pick your parts wisely.
Absolutely, building your own PC is often better since you can choose quality parts. Pre-builts sometimes use subpar components to cut costs. If you assemble your own, you're involved in the quality of each part, which helps in the long run for upgrades too!
Just be mindful of the cost involved in hiring someone to build it for you. If you're set on that, a pre-built is often more cost-effective for your budget. However, if you’re open to learning, building it yourself can lead to a superior custom PC for usually less than half the price of a similar pre-built! Just be ready for some troubleshooting if things don’t work right away.
I just built my new PC using the 2025 Reddit summer build guide set at an $1800 level, but I ended up spending a bit less. The performance is awesome, so definitely check those guides! You may find a great setup that fits your budget, especially if sales are happening.
Those Reddit guides are a lifesaver! I've followed a similar one and managed to get a high-performance rig for under budget.
Check out this pre-built I found on Newegg, it’s called the ABS Cyclone Ruby. It's from Newegg's in-house brand, and it features solid components. Not a bad option if you're leaning towards a pre-built after all!
I actually went for the 2k level build from the same guide and ended up paying around $1700 on Amazon. Also, the graphics card came with a promo for a free game which is a nice bonus!