Even high-quality PCs can struggle to game well if they're not designed with it in mind. They need to have processors and graphics cards that can handle fast-paced action and the need to load several assets at once. Luckily, those parts don't have to be overly expensive (even if many are), and you can find plenty of brilliant cheap gaming PCs to keep you entertained without spending a fortune.
Just because you're looking for a budget-friendly PC doesn't mean you have to settle for mediocre specs. We've already mentioned processors (CPUs) and graphics cards (GPUs), but you'll want to consider the less exciting aspects as well. That means keeping an eye out for a large storage capacity and decent RAM. After all, with how much space modern games require, you'll need every gigabyte you can get.
The best cheap gaming PCs at a glance:
• Best overall cheap gaming PC: Cube Mythic - View now on Box.co.uk
• Best graphics cheap gaming PC: HP Victus 15L Gaming Desktop - View now on Currys.co.uk
• Most stylish cheap gaming PC: ASUS ROG Strix - View now on Box.co.uk
Gaming PCs tend to carry more power than a standard model, so even if you consider yourself to just be a casual gamer, you'll still get a lot out of these. They make surprisingly good home office PCs and should have no trouble handling programs like Photoshop or Premiere.
To help you find the best cheap gaming PC for you, we've made a list of some of our favourites. We've looked into their strengths and weaknesses, taking the specs into account, and made sure that these are all worth your time and money. Now, let's get into our picks for the best cheap gaming PCs...
1.
Cube Mythic
Best overall cheap gaming PC
www.box.co.uk
The Cube Mythic is easily one of the best cheap gaming PCs on the market. For starters, it comes with a one-terabyte SSD and a two-terabyte HDD, so you'll have more than enough storage to last you for years of gaming. Usually, an SSD is noticeably smaller than a hard drive, but you won't need to juggle games around too often with this. As for performance, the Cube Mythic hits a lovely balance that's rare to see. The processor is very effective and reliable, but it also doesn't put too much pressure on the fans, leaving them to do their work quietly.
If there is any negative to talk about here, we would only the size and shape of it. As per its name, the Cube Mythic is quite blocky, unlike a standard tower case. You may struggle to fit it into a traditional space, so be prepared to give it plenty of room.
Pros
- Incredible storage
- The processor runs very well
- Fans are surprisingly quiet
Cons
- Noticeably wide
2.
Cube Epic
Best budget-friendly cheap gaming PC
www.box.co.uk
Similar to the previous entry, the Cube Epic is another strong contender worth your time. It's not as powerful as the Mythic, but it is significantly more affordable. If you want to game on a budget, this is a fantastic pick. The price isn't its only strength, of course. There is a total of six USB ports on this PC, making cable management much less of a hassle. Plus, we always appreciate it when we don't have to juggle our mouse, keyboard, mic and controller connections.
The shortcoming of the Cube Epic is that it only has a 512 gigabyte SSD. While SSDs do load quite fast, that's not a lot of room for modern gaming, considering many newer titles are over 100 gigabytes. However, if you prefer to play games that are a couple of years older, space shouldn't be as much of an issue.
Pros
- Brilliant value
- Plenty of USB ports
Cons
- Storage capacity could be better
Best graphics cheap gaming PC
www.currys.co.uk
When it comes to bringing out the best graphics from a cheap gaming PC, you can count on the HP Victus 15L Gaming Desktop. The GPU is fantastic for the price, able to handle high-quality shadows, water textures, and reflections without dropping many (if any) frames. That's especially handy for action games, where the fast-paced action can often leave things quite blurry when with an inferior graphics card.
Unfortunately, the eight gigabytes of RAM is just okay. A gaming PC would ideally have more, potentially even double that, but it's the tradeoff for the graphics card being with this affordable model.
Pros
- GPU is great
- Able to run fast-paced action games without much issue
Cons
- Outclassed in terms of RAM
Best reliable cheap gaming PC
The Vibox III-41 might not be the highest-performing cheap gaming PC, but it is one of the most reliable. Since it is an eight-core processor, it's especially good at managing multiple applications at once. While we don't suggest you try to play several games at once, this machine might manage that. As a nice bonus, the processor also ensures the PC boots up quickly.
As for a weakness, the fans can get quite noisy from time to time. It's far from a quiet machine, so maybe avoid gaming late into the night if you have housemates.
Pros
- Reliable for multitasking
- Boots up very quickly
Cons
- Fan can get quite noisy
Most stylish cheap gaming PC
www.box.co.uk
While features and specs are the most important things to consider, style and appearance are also factors worth your time, and the ASUS ROG Strix is a good example. The sleek design is pretty visually appealing, and the clear side section of the case allows you to see the inner workings whenever you want. It's not all fluff and flair; those PC sports a respectable amount of storage for its price.
Alas, there's always a catch. The ASUS ROG Strix is prone to messy cable situations, so be prepared to tackle wire clutter from time to time.
Pros
- Durable and stylish case
- Plenty of storage
Cons
- Cable management can get cluttered
FAQs
How well do cheap gaming PCs run?
The higher end of PC gaming specs can get pretty expensive. If you're looking to play the most recent AAA titles at the highest settings, you would need a very powerful machine that a budget model won't be able to match. That said, these cheap gaming PCs still perform very well. You should have no trouble running graphically-intensive games on medium settings, and if you play around with the settings, you may be able to go higher.
AMD or Intel?
When you're deciding which CPU you want your cheap gaming PC to have, here's some good news; both AMD and Intel make fantastic processors. Of course, they each have their individual strengths, so which should you favour?
As a general rule, Intel CPUs are more powerful but also more expensive. If you're willing to bring your budget up a bit, these processors should let you turn up the graphical settings a bit more. On the other hand, AMD CPUs focus on efficiency. They're less expensive, yes, but they're also less demanding in terms of power, meaning your computer won't be working as hard to produce the same results.
Kyle Purves is a Commercial Content Writer for What’s The Best, with an avid interest in all things gaming and tech.
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