I've been gaming on my PS5, but I'm considering making the switch to PC and I'm curious if it's possible to build a decent gaming PC for competitive gaming while keeping the budget under $400. I know that most of the games I play are CPU-intensive, and the market for used parts where I live in the Middle East isn't great. I'm also aware of the current issues with GPU and SSD prices. What would be the minimum amount I need to spend to get a PC capable of handling competitive gaming? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
5 Answers
You can maybe find a used laptop or a prebuilt system within that range, but building a PC? Not likely. At 60fps, unless you're playing at a high competitive level, you might not feel too much difference from a 120fps setup.
It's definitely possible if you're aiming for lower-end games, but with a limited budget and the poor used market where you are, I'd advise against it. The console might still offer a better experience for that cash.
You could find some old systems or prebuilds at around $300 to $400, especially if you're good at haggling. It won’t be easy, though. You might need to settle for older games to maintain decent frame rates.
While it sounds appealing, building a competitive gaming PC for under $400 is going to be extremely tough. You'll likely spend most of that budget just on RAM and an SSD if you go for used parts. Personally, I'd stick to the PS5 and invest in a good monitor to hit that 120fps instead.
You might be able to cut costs by looking for used DDR4 RAM, but you still need to find other crucial components that aren't cheap.
While you might get lucky and spot a great deal on the used market, chances are you'll spend a lot more to truly build something decent. A more reasonable budget would be around $800 if you want to play the latest competitive games effectively.
Totally agree. If your goal is to play at 120fps, you're better suited sticking with what you have for now.