I'm looking to buy my first gaming PC because I'm tired of the ongoing costs and limitations of my PS5. My budget is about €500, and I'm fine with playing at 1080p rather than 4K. I mainly want games such as CS2 and Valorant to run smoothly, and I'd also like to play Forza Horizon 5 or 6 on low settings if possible. Should I look for a used prebuilt system on Facebook Marketplace, buy second-hand components and build it myself, or save up for a larger budget? I'm also concerned that rising RAM prices could make waiting more expensive. I live in Italy.
4 Answers
For a brand-new system in Italy, €500 is very restrictive. I’d either increase the budget or look for a used graphics card such as an RTX 2060 Super, RTX 3060, RTX 3080, or RTX 4070, depending on what you can find locally. Since you’re happy with reduced settings and around 80 FPS, a 2060 Super-class card could be perfectly reasonable for 1080p rather than chasing maximum graphics quality.
Keeping the PS5 is also worth considering if €500 is your absolute limit. A budget PC is possible, but you’ll need to accept older used hardware and compromises. Since you specifically want keyboard-and-mouse gaming and access to a wider PC library, though, a carefully inspected second-hand desktop is probably the best route rather than buying a weak new prebuilt.
€500 can work if you shop entirely on the used market, but it probably won’t be enough for a worthwhile new build. A several-year-old system with a decent dedicated graphics card should handle 1080p esports games well. Check the condition of the power supply, storage, and graphics card carefully before buying, and test the PC in person if possible.
You may want to save more before building. A very cheap PC can end up costing more if the motherboard, power supply, storage, or graphics card needs replacing soon. Adding another €400–€500 would give you more room for a balanced system that won’t need an immediate upgrade. That said, if your budget truly cannot increase, prioritize a good used GPU and a reliable power supply instead of spending extra on appearance or brand-new parts.
I don’t need to run new games at maximum settings. A 2060 Super or something similar would be fine if it can deliver smooth 1080p performance with lower settings.