Gaming PCs can be costly, and people think it can be hard to find a good PC at an affordable cost. Only a few people know that they can get a relatively good 1080p experience from the best cheap prebuilt gaming PC under $500 in 2022. So, are you looking for an affordable gaming PC? Gaming isn’t only for those having stacks of cash to spend. Today, we will help you find the best cheap prebuilt gaming PC under $500. We’ll also discuss a few key areas to consider before reviewing each selected model.
Quick Shopping Tips
Before you go out and buy an old PC, there are some factors that you need to consider. Have a look at those factors:
Processor
The processor is mainly responsible for offering you a smooth experience while performing different tasks. While looking for prebuilt PCs under $500, you can expect to get an older processor at the helm, having fewer cores and threads than the more premium and expensive options.
Graphics
As prebuilt gaming PCs under $500 are primarily entry-level, the graphics cards that you find with them can be from older generations. These GPUs may not be able to run the latest AAA games with high settings, but they work well for Esports titles, especially when you are playing in 1080p.
RAM
Having 8 GB isn’t enough, but it can’t be a major issue for performance. However, we always recommend using 16 GB of RAM for gaming, and this isn’t very realistic if you are searching for a PC under $500. This means RAM can be one area you can upgrade in the near future.
Storage Space
When it comes to storage space under the $500 budget, you are unlikely to get dual storage solutions, and they usually have SSDs.
The SSD that comes with these PCs is usually 240 GB to 500 GB, and they offer you huge storage to store your favorite games. However, if you are looking to store a lot of media files on your PC, you may need to get an HDD to store your data and save your SSD for gaming.
Let’s dive deeper into the reviews of the best cheap prebuilt gaming PC under $500:
Our Recommendations of The Best Cheap Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $500 in 2022:
AWARD | MODEL | RETAILER |
A BUDGET APU THAT OFFERS DECENT FEATURES WITHIN THE PRICE | HP M01 – f0033W Ryzen | |
MINI DESKTOP GAMING RIG | CUK AsRock DeskMini | |
EXCELLENT PC WITH THE LATEST SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN GET WITH MORE DEDICATED CPUS | HP Pavilion TP01 – 2032 | |
OFFERS STRIKING AESTHETICS AND GREAT DESIGN | Kepler Systems Gaming PC | |
SIMPLE DESKTOP COMPUTER THAT COMES WITH MINIMALIST ASPECTS | Acer Aspire TC-391-UR11 | |
A WELL-ROUNDED AND BALANCED PC FROM A POPULAR MANUFACTURER | Lenovo IdeaCentre 5 | |
OFFERS EVERY CONNECTIVITY ASPECT THAT YOU NEED FOR DAILY USE | HP M01 – F1120 Desktop PC | |
EQUALLY BLENDS EVERYTHING THAT COMES IN A WELL-PRESENTED PACKAGE | Alarco White Gaming PC |
8 best cheap prebuilt gaming PC under $500
Key Features
- AMD Ryzen 3 3200G CPU
- Radeon Vega 8 GPU
- 8 GB RAM
- 1 TB HDD
Overview
This HP PC is an entry-level gaming PC that is affordable to start with. This PC doesn’t come with a dedicated GPU, and it relies on the integrated graphics from the 3200G, which is a reliable chip. It is a great choice to start your gaming career.
The build comes with AMD Ryzen 3 3200G, and it is a budget APU that offers decent features within the price. The processor comes with a 3.6 GHz base clock speed, and it can be boosted to a max speed of 4 GHz. It has 4 threads, 4 cores and you can’t expect multithreading performance, but this is better than integrated graphics by Intel. The 3200G comes with Vega 8 graphics and offers you some entry-level performance for different games.
This PC comes with 8 GB of DDR4 Ram and has a 1 TB HDD. However, this storage solution isn’t really fast, but it can run your favorite games out of the box; it has plenty of room for running your favorite games and OS.
Overall, it can be an excellent PC for beginners as it comes with powerful gaming features. Apart from the components, you will get a compact system with a free mouse and keyboard for out-of-the-box gameplay.
PROS |
Compact Form Factor |
CONS |
No SSD |
Key Features
- Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz
- Vega 8 Integrated Graphics GPU
- 256 GB NVME SSD
- 8 GB 2666 MHz DDR4 RAM
Overview
This PC is a little different. It is pretty much what it says on the box, and you can call it a mini desktop gaming rig. Don’t get afraid by it’s small form factor because it offers a stinging punch.
It comes with the classic Ryzen 3200 G chips, one of the best of $500 prebuilt PCs. When looking at the budget, you can expect excellent performance with the 2200G. It is the most powerful and efficient APU you’ll get in this price range. It can run AAA game titles wonderfully, at lower settings. However, this machine doesn’t come with a standalone GPU, and it has to make use of AMD’s VEGA 8 graphics, and it can be an excellent substitute for graphics. If you tweak the settings accordingly, it can run CS: GO, Fortnite, and LOL. It comes with 8 GB of 2,666 MHz RAM, which is a perfect combination for the 2200G and offers a great performance boost within the budget.
Moreover, this PC comes with 256 GB of SSD. We all know the benefits of SSDs; they offer Superfast load times and boot. However, you can use an HDD if you need more storage to store your media files to other data.
Overall, it is an excellent PC that you can get within this budget. It is an excellent PC if you are comfortable with the mini form factor. However, some users don’t like the min form factor, but this one is a great choice for gamers. It offers many excellent features to enhance your gaming experience.
PROS |
Excellent APU for Gaming |
CONS |
Small SSD |
Key Features
- AMD Ryzen 3 5300G CPU
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- 256 GB NVME SSD
- 4 GB RAM
Overview
This PC isn’t an ordinary OEM gaming desktop. It is an excellent PC with the latest specifications and features that you can’t even get with more dedicated CPUs. HP has added excellent features to this desktop PC and makes it tempting to buy and get max performance within the budget.
An APU is simply a chip that works as both your PC’s graphics card and processor. It is a very strong chip and among the best APU, you can get from AMD. It offers performance metrics better than PCs with a dedicated graphics card and processor. Moreover, it comes with the latest Ryzen 5300G APU.
SSD is an addition that offers a boost in terms of performance. When it comes to storage, this PC offers a 256 GB SSD. However, you may feel like the storage isn’t enough to store a lot of media files, but when it comes to performance, you know you are getting the best.
The only downside in the specifications is that it only offers 4 GB of Ram. 4 GB isn’t enough nowadays, but you can upgrade the memory. It is absolutely fine for gaming, but you need to run games at low resolution. 4 GB RAM isn’t enough for multitasking which is an important aspect for most gamers.
You can spend some extra money and upgrade your RAM to 8 GB by adding another 4 GB RAM stick.
Having 8 GB RAM on this PC can be enough to get smoother PC performance. It will turn your PC into a proper gaming monster capable of delivering a much better performance than other options available on the market.
When it comes to gaming performance, you will notice that this PC is a great option. This PC offers a great gaming experience, and you can play any game on this PC that you love.
It allows you to play the latest AAA titles at 1080p resolution. You can play your favorite FPS games like Assassin’s Creed, Red Dead Redemption 2, Forza Horizon at 25 to 65FPS. However, when playing your favorite battle royal games, you can expect 50FPS to 100FPS.
Overall, this PC is capable enough to play any games you like. It offers a satisfactory gaming experience and is an excellent choice for beginners. The less demanding competitive games can offer 90FPS to 140FPS.
PROS |
Great Connectivity Options |
CONS |
Lack of RGB Lighting |
Key Features
- Genesis Design i5 2500
- GeForce GTX 750
- 500 GB SSD
- 8 GB DDR3 RAM
Overview
The Kepler gaming PC isn’t an ordinary PC within this price range. This gaming PC offers striking aesthetics and great design. It comes with a dedicated graphics card, something we don’t see in many gaming PCs at this price point. This PC also comes with RGB lighting to make it a very strong offering.
You will surely notice the RGB lighting of this PC. It has an excessive amount of RGB lighting that offers a very flashy aesthetic. You can also customize the lighting as it has 16 different colors and you can easily pick and choose one that matches your choice.
The specifications of this PC are good enough to impress users. It has a clever mix of new and old technology that is great for users. This PC comes with the intel 2500 processor, which is from the previous generation. However, it is not the latest processor, but still, it is a great choice. It offers 4 cores and 8 threads capable of running the latest AAA title games without much difficulty.
You can get the Nvidia GTX 750 graphics card installed on this PC, a superb entry-level card. Don’t underestimate this card because it can offer very satisfactory performance. The cost saving on the processor is helpful to spend on the graphics card.
This PC comes with 8 GB DDR3 RAM and a 500 GB SSD. It is an excellent addition to this list as it comes with such ample SSD storage, but it lacks a dedicated graphics card.
You will get a satisfactory gaming experience from this PC as it uses old generation technology, but this PC will never fail to amuse you with it’s performance.
You can play your favorite games smoothly on this PC. You can play your favorite games at 720p resolution and the lowest in-game graphic preset. Play your favorite battle royal games and get FPS ranges up to 70FPS.
However, this PC is truly a great choice for competitive Esports gaming. You can play games like CS:GO and Valorant at 1080p resolution and get 90FPS to 145FPS. Overall, this PC is an excellent choice if you want to get a decent gaming experience at this price range.
PROS |
RGB Lighting |
CONS |
No USB-C Port |
Key Features
- AMD Ryzen 3 4300G CPU
- Radeon Graphics
- 512 GB NVME SSD
- 8 GB 2666 MHz DDR RAM
Overview
This is a simple desktop computer that comes with minimalist aspects. Not every gaming PC needs to be flashy and has loads of RGB lighting. However, it is not apparent on the outside, but this PC comes with serious hardware that makes it ideal for playing all kinds of games without any stutter or lag.
The Acer Aspire TC-391-UR11 comes with many great features. It comes very capable and offers a great experience. It comes powered with a Ryzen 4300G with 4 cores and 8 threads and no dedicated graphics card. The Ryzen 4300G comes with a processor and graphics unit and isn’t bad at all.
It has a capable chip that offers excellent processing and graphics to make it ideal for entry-level gaming computers. The money you can save on the graphics card can be spent on buying other components to make a perfect PC. For starters, it comes with a better quality 8 GB RAM offering higher clock speeds than its competitors.
Furthermore, it comes equipped with a 512 GB SSD which helps to boost read and write speeds. The addition of high storage SSD is a great option, and it gives this PC a leg up over it’s competitors that use hard drives for storage.
Since it doesn’t come with a dedicated graphics card, you can expect a fantastic gaming experience from this PC. Before evaluating the gaming capabilities of this PC, you need to know that it is an excellent choice for entertainment or great everyday work.
The versatility of this PC is really beneficial in the long run. Talking about gaming, you can play your favorite games on at least 30FPS. You can play your favorite FPS, battle royal, or other genre games without any hassle.
This PC is a perfect choice for light casual gaming. Games that don’t need a lot of graphics power run smoothly on this PC. It is an excellent choice for competitive Esports games. You can experience 90 to 125FPS gaming.
Overall, this gaming PC offers a pleasing experience, and it won’t disappoint you at any point in your gaming journey.
PROS |
Pros Good I/O with SD Card Slot Support |
CONS |
No USB-C Port |
Key Features
- IdeaCentre 5 14ARE05 Series
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- 1 TB HDD & 128 GB NVMe SSD
- 8 GB DDR4 RAM
Overview
The Lenovo IdeaCentre 5 is a well-rounded and balanced PC from a popular manufacturer. It is one of the best PCs you can find in that budget. It comes with the latest AMD Ryzen APU and the fastest storage you can get on a PC. It is a traditional gaming PC that gets the job done.
The case of this PC looks generic, and it can be compared with the work-oriented desktops because it looks similar to them. The aesthetics of this PC give a premium vibe to users.
A PC can’t be practical enough without good connectivity. This PC is very practical, and it comes with great connectivity options. It supports all the connectivity ports that you can get on a gaming PC.
The above is better than the Ryzen 3200G that you may find in other PCs in this range. Moreover, it comes with the latest AMD Ryzen 4300G APU. The graphical performance of this APU is quite good, and it is a great integrated graphics solution.
This drive is faster than SSDs and traditional hard drives. Talking about other specifications of this PC, it comes with 8 GB RAM and offers a 1 TB HDD, which you can expect in this price range. It also comes with a 128 GB PCIe NVMe storage device, obviously a great addition.
You will be happy with the gaming experience you will get from this PC. The experience starts with the boot speed of this PC. You can play your favorite FPS games at 27FPs to 70 FPS. However, you can also play your favorite Esports titles and expect 80FPS to 125FPS at 1080p. While playing your favorite games, you will find that it offers a smooth experience and sense of quality.
PROS |
Good Connectivity |
CONS |
No RGB Lighting |
Key Features
- AMD Ryzen 3 4300U CPU
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- 512 GB SSD Storage
- 8 GB RAM
Overview
HP has done a great job by hopping into gaming PCs, and we can see that in their recent products. This gaming PC is relatively better than mainstream PCs. The components’ quality and the overall specification of this PC are better, making it a good choice for gaming.
This PC offers every connectivity aspect that you need for daily use. It offers good connectivity options to make it a good choice. Talking about the specifications, it comes with all the top-notch hardware you need at this price.
You can find a Ryzen 4300G APU on this PC. It has 4 core APU that acts as a processor and the graphics card for the PC. It is one of the excellent APUs you can find in this price range. You will find 8 GB RAM on this PC, and it is good enough for gaming, but you may find some issues while doing intensive multitasking. Fortunately, you can upgrade the RAM according to your use.
Apart from the Ryzen 4300G APU, you will find 512 GB SSD installed on this PC, a great storage option that you can find on a PC under $500.
The gaming experience that you can get from this PC is better than many gaming PCs available in this range. The PC offers the latest specifications that you can get in this price range to have a good gaming experience.
While playing FPS games, you can experience framerates between 27FPS to 70FPS at 720p. However, you can experience 80FPS to 125FPS at 1080p while playing Esports titles.
Overall, this PC is a great entry-level gaming machine that you can buy. You can play your favorite games on it and fulfill your other needs. Since it has a simple design, you can find it suitable for most situations.
PROS |
Good Connectivity |
CONS |
No USB-C Port |
Key Features
- Intel Core i5 CPU Model
- Nvidia GTX 650
- 1 TB HDD
- 8 GB RAM
Overview
Alarco is a relatively new company doing a great job with it’s gaming PC. Their gaming PCs are the best when it comes to aesthetics and solid specifications that you can get from the Alarco gaming PC. You can get aesthetics and performance from this PC.
The case that you will get with this PC is very beautiful. The aesthetics you will get from this PC are better than any other PC available under $500. You are getting a sleek and gorgeous PC within this budget.
It comes in an all-white case having glass windows scattered all over the place. The white color seems to be in trend nowadays, and it’s great to have that from this gaming PC. The glass is cut, that helps RGB lighting to shine in a 3D manner. It provides a 3D effect with the lighting.
This PC isn’t about show, but it is a practical PC that offers excellent connectivity options. It offers a well-defined selection of ports that won’t disappoint you. WiFi connectivity is a great attraction in this PC. It comes with a built-in WiFi that offers a stable connection.
The Alarco gaming PC has an Intel i5 processor with 4 cores and 8 threads. This is not the latest i5 that you can get on this PC, but still, it helps to get the job done efficiently. You will also get Nvidia GTX 650 graphics card on this PC. It is a dedicated graphics card that works better than any APU to get under $500.
You will get 8 GB RAM on this PC which is sufficient enough. It comes with a 1 TB HDD, but there is no SSD that you will find on this PC, and it can be disappointing for some users, but look at the price and then decide. However, you can get an aftermarket SSD drive to add to this PC easily, and we recommend this upgrade as soon as possible because hard drives operate slowly, and they may cause your PC to run slow.
Talking about the gaming experience, you will be able to play most of your favorite games on the lowest graphics settings. This PC lacks the horsepower to run graphically intensive games like Assassin’s Creed, Red Dead Redemption 2, and other similar games, so you won’t be able to play such games on this PC.
However, it works well for Esports games. You will be able to get an average of 75FPS to 100FPS while playing games like CS:GO, Rainbow Six Siege, and Valorant. This PC can run battle royal games smoothly, and you can experience 30FPS 50FPS at 1080p resolution using the lowest graphic setting.
This PC equally blends everything that comes in a well-presented package. Overall, it is a great PC that you can get for under $500. However, you will need to make some sacrifices if you buy this PC, but what else do you expect at this price.
PROS |
Great Aesthetics |
CONS |
No USB-C Port |
Summary for The Best Cheap Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $500 in 2022:
AWARD | MODEL | RETAILER |
A BUDGET APU THAT OFFERS DECENT FEATURES WITHIN THE PRICE | HP M01 – f0033W Ryzen | |
MINI DESKTOP GAMING RIG | CUK AsRock DeskMini | |
EXCELLENT PC WITH THE LATEST SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN GET WITH MORE DEDICATED CPUS | HP Pavilion TP01 – 2032 | |
OFFERS STRIKING AESTHETICS AND GREAT DESIGN | Kepler Systems Gaming PC | |
SIMPLE DESKTOP COMPUTER THAT COMES WITH MINIMALIST ASPECTS | Acer Aspire TC-391-UR11 | |
A WELL-ROUNDED AND BALANCED PC FROM A POPULAR MANUFACTURER | Lenovo IdeaCentre 5 | |
OFFERS EVERY CONNECTIVITY ASPECT THAT YOU NEED FOR DAILY USE | HP M01 – F1120 Desktop PC | |
EQUALLY BLENDS EVERYTHING THAT COMES IN A WELL-PRESENTED PACKAGE | Alarco White Gaming PC |
Conclusion
Now, you can decide what to buy after reading our reviews on the best cheap prebuilt gaming PC under $500. We have tried our best to include the best and desired fit for you on this low budget. So, you can pick a suitable gaming PC that falls under this budget. Hopefully, after reading these reviews, you will be able to make a great choice and find a perfect PC for your gaming needs under budget.
FAQ:
- What is the difference between custom and prebuilt gaming PCs?
Prebuilt gaming PCs are ideal for users due to several reasons:
- Convenience
- Affordability
- Client Services and Warranty
- Aesthetics
However, if you want to build a custom gaming PC, you may need to spend more money to find the right components for your PC needs.
- How to maintain your PC in excellent condition?
The reality is you can clean the PC for around half a year to avoid overheating and dusting matters. You can get your PC apart, clean each component carefully, and put all the parts back in your system.
You can set up antivirus programs and avoid installing any fishy software or malware when it comes to software. Optimize the software every month, and don’t forget to reboot the computer each then and now.
- Which components can I upgrade?
For beginners, the initial thing can be RAM. You can get 16 GB if you want to have a serious gaming experience. However, adding a lot of memory is the most suitable and accessible way to boost the PC.
The next thing can be the graphic cards that you should consider. On the other hand, you can check benchmark sites to compare and find a suitable GPU to replace it with the existing one.
Moreover, you can also invest in a vast storage drive. SSDs are currently a more popular and reasonable choice. We recommend you install an SSD instead of HDD.
- How do you know if a computer can execute some games?
You don’t need a lot of time and money to find out if a PC can tackle a game or not. A variety of solutions are available to avoid any such situation. Initially, you can check the system requirements of a game. You will also find the information on the manuals game’s site and compare it to find if the specifications of a PC can meet your requirements.
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