Pre-built gaming PCs usually cost at least $800-$900 for the cheapest 1080p systems. You usually get a dated 1st or 2nd Gen Ryzen CPU and a GTX 10 or 16 series graphics card, along with a cheap SSD. While such a system will run most games, it won’t be long before it starts running into a CPU or GPU bottleneck, or perhaps both. In this post, we put together the cheapest 1080p budget gaming PC money can buy – but if you’re interested in getting something else, don’t forget to check the compatibility of parts using PC Builder.
Best Budget Gaming PC Under $600
| Component | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 | $119.99 |
| Motherboard | ASRock B450 Pro4 | $74.99 |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 | $202.99 |
| Memory | OLOy 16GB (2x 8GB) @ 3000MHz | $65.99 |
| Power Supply | Corsair CX450 | $57.99 |
| SSD | Silicon Power Ace A55 2.5″ 256GB | $39.99 |
| Cabinet | Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L | $50 |
| Total | ~$612 |
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Price: $119.99 (Link)
| Socket | AM4 |
| Cores/Threads | 6/12 |
| Base Clock | 3.4GHz |
| Boost Clock | 3.9GHz |
| L3 Cache | 16MB |
| TDP | 65W |
| Memory Support | DDR4 2933MHz Dual-Channel |
| PCIe Lanes | 16 |
Although not the fastest, the Ryzen 5 2600 is easily the best processor in the sub-$150 range. It performs mostly on par with the more expensive Intel Core i5-9400F. Thanks to AMD’s platform commitment, the AM4 platform will work with the next-gen Ryzen 4000 CPUs. At that point, you’ll be able to get a new Zen 3 “Vermeer” chip or opt for a 3rd Gen Ryzen 5 without changing the motherboard or memory.
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4
Price: $74.99 (Link)
The ASRock B450M Pro4 is one of the most affordable B450 boards on the market. Despite the low price, you still get a feature-rich platform thanks to AMD’s AM4 socket. The VRM is a rather low-end 3+2 phase affair but you still get dual M.2 slots, 4x DDR4 memory DIMMs, AMD’s StoreMi and better than average audio and LAN chipsets.
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB
Price: $202 (Link)
| Cores | 1408 |
| Boost Clock | 1785MHz |
| Memory | 6GB GDDR6 |
| Bus Width | 192-bit |
| Power Connector | 8-pin |
| GPU Length | 216 mm |
Although a GTX 1650 Super 4GB will also do the job, I strongly recommend opting for the GTX 1660. For just $40 more, you get 50% more VRAM, a notably faster GPU, the Turing encoder and a wider 192-bit bus. For 1080p, this is the card that’ll keep you going for at least another year or so.
Memory: OLOy 16GB (2x 8GB) @ 3000MHz
Price: $65.99 (Link)
For 1st or 2nd Gen Ryzen 5 chips, 3000MHz of dual-channel memory usually tends to be the sweet spot. These OLOy modules work quite well and if you are lucky, you should be able to push them to 3200MHz too.
Power Supply: CORSAIR CX Series CX450
Price: $57.99 (Link)
Corsair’s CX450 power supply is one of the best SMPS units in this range: Bronze-rated, premium components, Active PFC, silent operation as well as 5 years of manufacturer warranty. You can get the semi-modular version by paying $10 more, but that’s not really a priority in a budget 1080p build.
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L
Price: $50 (Link)
Storage: Silicon Power Ace A55 2.5″ 256GB
Price: $39.99 (Link)
A 256GB SSD is sufficient for the OS and storing a couple of the latest games. The rest can go in an HDD. I find that this is the most efficient way of using faster SSD storage. It’s better than those hybrid SSHDs and costs less.
Monitor Suggestion: Acer H230 Abi
Price: $89.99 (Link)
| Resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Refresh Rate | 75Hz |
| Viewing angle | 178° |
| Display Colors | 16.7 Million |
| Brightness | 250 cd/m2 |
| Panel | IPS |
| Response Time | 4 ms |
| Horizontal Refresh Rate | 55 kHz to 83 kHz |
| Connectors | VGA, HDMI |
| Adaptive Sync Technology | AMD FreeSync |
