It's pretty easy to get the impression that desktop gaming is a hobby that's exclusive to the well-off, and it's not an unearned reputation. GPUs, the single most important component in a gaming PC, have gotten really expensive all across the board, and it's hurt budget buyers the most. Thankfully, it's still possible to build a competent gaming PC for under $600 even if you buy all brand-new parts. It won't be a great gaming experience, but it'll get you through pretty much any game as long as you're willing to compromise on visual quality.

Although we won't be covering used hardware in this build guide, we definitely recommend looking into it if you want to save more money elsewhere. Older CPUs, GPUs, and motherboards can provide very similar performance for much less money, though you would have to make compromises on PCIe support, upgrade viability, and support for other features. Brand-new hardware does have a leg up in this area thanks to having more modern features, which could prove to be more useful if you plan on gradually upgrading your PC.

These are the best parts for an entry-level PC

The box for a 13th-Gen Intel Core i3 CPU.
Intel Core i3-13100F
Best entry-level CPU

$100 and fast enough for a good gaming experience

Intel's Core i3-13100F is an entry-level CPU with four P-cores and no integrated graphics, but it should be more than enough for 1080p gaming.

Pros
  • Just $100
  • Decent gaming performance
  • Enough horsepower for other tasks
Cons
  • The slowest 13th-generation CPU

A super cheap PC needs a super cheap CPU, and it's harder to get any cheaper than the $100 Core i3-13100F without either getting less performance or compromising on important features. The 13100F has just enough of everything to power an entry-level gaming desktop, and it also has enough performance to support future upgrades to other components.

The 13100F, despite having the brand-new 13th-generation label, is actually a slightly higher-clocked Core i3-12100F, which means no architectural improvements are seen on the upper half of the stack. The 13100F also doesn't have any integrated graphics, which is why Intel can justify selling it at $100. The Core i3-13100 is the version with an iGPU, but it's about $130, so we don't recommend getting it since you'll be using a discrete GPU for gaming.

You'll only be able to hit about 90FPS at most in the vast majority of titles with the 13100F, but that's perfectly acceptable for an entry-level PC that's using a GPU that can't hit that framerate very easily either. As long as you can tolerate the 13100F's mediocre multi-core performance, it should be more than sufficient for 1080p gaming. Upgrading to the Core i5-13400 might be a good idea if you're also upgrading your GPU to a significantly faster model.

If you can't find the 13100F at $100, you should see if the 12100F is available at that price. It's the same CPU with only a slightly lower clock speed, so nothing would really change. An even cheaper CPU, the Pentium Hold G7400, is also an option, but it's a dual-core chip that goes for $70–$80, and it's not really worth getting for a gaming PC with any amount of longevity.

The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT GPU.
AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
Best entry-level GPU

Only good if you can't afford anything else

The RX 6500 XT is a budget gaming GPU with middling performance for its price. Running this card in a PCIe 3.0 PC reduces its already low performance, so it's recommended for PCs that have PCIe 4.0.

Pros
  • Can game at 1080p
  • Relatively modern for a cheap GPU
Cons
  • Very poor bang for buck
  • More expensive than it ought to be

Without opting for used hardware, the cheapest GPUs are few and far between. Nvidia quite literally has no GPUs for less than $200 that aren't either very old or frustratingly slow for gaming, and between AMD and Intel, there are only three feasible (and not necessarily good) options. Nevertheless, you really do need a graphics card for a good gaming experience, and for $150, we have to recommend AMD's RX 6500 XT.

The RX 6500 XT isn't super fast nor does it have particularly great bang for the buck, but it can be found for as little as $150. That's a whopping $50 less than the cheapest RX 6600, which is $200, though we can't say if that price will go up or down. Either way, it'll enable a decent 1080p gaming experience, especially in older games that don't require that much horsepower.

Still, it's important to summarize why the 6500 XT is not well-liked. It's only about as fast as the RX 580 from 2017, or about half as fast as the RX 6600. Additionally, the 6500 XT only has four PCIe lanes, and if you run it in a system that can only do PCIe 3.0, performance is about 20% lower. This PC build has PCIe 4.0, so you don't need to worry, but if you're deviating from the guide you need to double-check that your CPU and motherboard both support PCIe 4.0.

The RX 6600 is a much better value and a great alternative if you have an extra $50 or more you can spend. There's also Intel's Arc A380, which appears to be similar in performance but can be found for $120–$160 at the time of writing. However, the A380 undoubtedly suffers from some driver issues like other Arc cards, but it would be more suitable than the 6500 XT in a PC with only PCIe 3.0.

The ASRock B660M Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard.
ASRock B660M Phantom Gaming 4
Best entry-level motherboard

Capable of powering entry-level and midrange chips

ASRock's B660M Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard is decent for builders on a tight budget thanks to its good enough 8+1 stage VRM, support for DDR4 RAM, and support for PCIe 4.0 SSDs and GPUs.

Pros
  • 8 stage VRM
  • Four RAM slots
  • Two M.2 slots with PCIe 4.0
Cons
  • Not capable of servicing higher-end CPUs like the Core i5-13600K
  • Mediocre rear I/O

Although I normally recommend people on a budget try and get a midrange motherboard that can support all sorts of upgrades down the line, the fact is that if you're on a budget, you need to cut corners and the motherboard is on the chopping block. You might not have a ton of money to spend on upgrades in the future, so might as well get a super cheap board like ASRock's B660M Phantom Gaming 4. Among cheap motherboards, it stands out thanks to having a little extra of everything that you'll find useful in the short and long term.

One of the primary concerns in a motherboard is the VRM because weaker VRMs can't support higher-end chips. An 8-stage VRM is pretty low-end, but it's just enough to probably upgrade up to a Core i5-13400 without suffering from lower-than-expected performance. Other aspects of the B660M Phantom Gaming 4 are quite good, with four DDR4 RAM slots and two M.2 slots for SSDs that come with PCIe 4.0 support. Additionally, this board uses the micro-ATX form factor, and micro-ATX boards are not only cheaper than most ATX boards but also can fit into cheaper micro-ATX cases.

The rear I/O is pretty bad but not unusable. There are just six USB ports, two of which are version 3.2 and the other 2.0, which is actually a little better than many other motherboards at this price point. There's gigabit Intel Ethernet, which is a bit outdated by now but still sufficient for anyone on a budget. That's all there really is to the I/O except for the usual video and audio ports.

Micro-ATX motherboards like ASRock's B660M Phantom Gaming usually don't come with quite as many features as regular ATX boards, but that's a strength for this build since we just care about raw gaming performance and very little else. Opting for a micro-ATX motherboard means spending less on the motherboard itself, as well as the PC case that all the components have to fit into. There are other cheap B660M boards available, but this one has a leg up with its VRM and M.2 slots.

Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 RAM
Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 RAM
Best cheap RAM

Not only cheap but also pretty fast for DDR4

Corsair's Vengeance LPX DDR4 memory is affordable, reliable, has one of the lowest profile designs around, and with XMP, has one-click setup.

Pros
  • One of the cheapest DDR4 memory kits
  • Good performance
  • Low-profile
Cons
  • Design isn't pretty

You might be surprised, but we're not recommending this specific kit of RAM just because it's cheap. Corsair's Vengeance LPX DDR4 comes with both a low price tag and good performance. It's not the fastest kit of RAM out there but it'll provide about 90% of the performance of a higher-end kit while costing way less. It usually retails for $45 but it has been seen from time to time below the $40 mark.

With a rated frequency of 3,200MHz and a CAS latency (or CL) of 16, LPX RAM is actually pretty fast. The fastest DDR4 kits are rated for 4,800MHz, which is significantly higher, but there are diminishing returns on performance when increasing the frequency this high. Lower latencies than CL16 are also hard to come by and cost just as much as kits with super high clock speeds. 3,200 MHz and CL16 is a very balanced combination that isn't nearly as low-end as the price tag would suggest.

It's hard to imagine wanting to upgrade from Corsair's Vengeance LPXin any entry-level or midrange PC. It's cheap, has good performance, and its heatsinks are low-profile for good CPU cooler compatibility. Its one weakness perhaps is its appearance; it's not a great-looking kit of RAM. If you want to spend more on better-looking memory, go for it, but you won't find a better deal for DDR4.

Crucial P3 Plus SSD
Crucial P3 Plus
Best entry-level SSD

Good in its own right, and cheap too

The Crucial P3 Plus is a step up from the company's popular P2 series, striking a balance between value and performance. With a transfer speed of up to 5000MB/s, these drives will be a great drive for an OS or games.

Pros
  • PCIe 4.0 speeds
  • 1TB of storage
Cons
  • 1TB might not be enough for gaming

SSDs are dirt cheap nowadays. It wasn't so long ago that $100 for a 1TB drive wasn't a bad deal, but today you can get 1TB for $50. Crucial's P3 Plus is probably one of the best 1TB SSDs at the $50 mark, and it's not even a bottom-tier drive as it supports PCIe 4.0. Although there are SSDs closer to the $35 mark, they're just not worth buying due to having less capacity and much lower performance.

With sequential reads and writes of 5,000MB/s and 4,200MB/s respectively, the P3 Plus is certainly one of the slower PCIe 4.0 SSDs around. However, for gaming, this level of performance will be more than enough and will also prove useful for daily tasks and other stuff you might do on a computer. The P3 Plus is in the sweet spot where cheaper SSDs are noticeably slower and not worth getting, and also where slightly more expensive SSDs won't improve the gaming experience.

Because the P3 Plus is so cheap, you might even consider getting the 2TB model or two 1TB drives for extra storage. Since games are getting pretty big nowadays, it wouldn't be a bad idea. Getting a large hard drive for $50 might also be a good idea; for $50, you can get at least a 2TB HDD, which will be much slower than the SSD but able to store considerably more data.

The Thermaltake Smart 550W PSU.
Thermaltake Smart 500W
Best entry-level PSU

Can support important midrange part upgrades down the road

Thermaltake's Smart 500W is a power supply with an 80 Plus White certification and a low price tag that's ideal for users on a budget.

Pros
  • 500 watts is enough for current and future parts
  • Two 8-pin plugs for midrange GPUs
Cons
  • Not modular
  • 500 watts doesn't give a ton of wiggle room

It's not hard to find a cheap PSU, but the market is flooded with models from companies that have very little or no reputation. Considering that power supplies are what power components and have the capability of catching fire, it's important to select one that has both good specs and a good brand name. Thermaltake's Smart 500W PSU is just $40 at the time of writing and is certainly one of the best PSUs for those on a tight budget.

Thermaltake isn't the biggest name in PSUs, but it's certainly established enough not just for this specific component but for many others as well, so we trust that Thermaltake is making these parts with good enough components. The Smart 500W has a wattage of 500 (as the name implies) and comes with an 80 Plus White rating, which is the minimum 80 Plus rating but still means something. Some PSUs on Amazon don't even bother getting an 80 Plus rating at all, even though it should be simple for any good PSU to get. This isn't a modular unit sadly, but those tend to start at $60 or more.

The Smart 500W is just cheap enough and powerful enough to make sense for this build. It has plenty of power for future midrange upgrades and crucially has two 8-pin power plugs for higher-end cards like the RX 6650 XT and Arc A750. Maybe down the road you'll want to upgrade to a better PSU, but it won't be necessary unless you're trying to upgrade to a fairly high-end CPU or GPU, or just want modular cables.

The Thermaltake Versa H17 PC case.
Thermaltake Versa H17
Best entry-level case

A great value chassis with room to grow

Thermaltake's Versa H17 is a micro-ATX PC case with support for five case fans and 280mm radiators for liquid coolers.

Pros
  • Cheap
  • Plenty of room for upgraded GPUs and coolers
Cons
  • Front intake airflow isn't great
  • Only one included fan

With larger budgets, picking a PC case comes down to personal preference, but when you only have a few hundred bucks to spend, it's important to just get something that fits into your budget. One of the main reasons why we recommend a micro-ATX motherboard is that micro-ATX cases are much cheaper than ATX mid-towers. I recommend Thermaltake's Versa H17 because it's only about $50 and offers wiggle room for a good upgrade path.

Out of the box, the Versa H17 is not a particularly amazing case. It looks decent on the inside and outside (there's also a slightly more expensive version with a tempered glass side panel by the way), but in terms of bang for buck the H17 isn't super special. It comes with just a single 120mm for rear exhaust, which means there's no active front intake airflow. That's fine since the 13100F and 6500 XT won't produce very much heat at all, but if you upgrade either of those parts you'll want to get a couple extra fans as well.

Speaking of upgrades, this is where the H17 shines. If you ever upgrade the CPU, you'll probably want a better cooler to go along with it, and the H17 has support for air coolers up to 155mm in height (enough for even top-end coolers) and 280mm radiators on liquid coolers. There's 350mm of room for graphics cards, but that's assuming you don't have front fans. With front fans, GPU clearance is probably around 320mm depending on the model of fans installed. There's also room for five 120mm fans: three at the front, one up top, and one in the back (which is included).

The Versa H17 isn't necessarily one of the best cases you can buy, but if you're limited to just $50 then it's certainly a good option. You can't really expect too much out of it on a quality level, but it at least provides an upgrade path without forcing major compromises, and that's all it really needs to offer.

Entry-level gaming build guide: Price breakdown

Here's how everything comes together and how much you'll likely pay for this particular set of components. Obviously, these are just the prices at the time of writing and it's almost certain that the price of these components will go up and down over time. Of all the components here, the ones you might expect to have the most price fluctuation are the CPU, GPU, PSU, and case. On a tight budget like this, those fluctuations could be significant and if some parts are too expensive for your liking, we recommend looking for alternatives before accepting a higher cost.

Component

Listed Price

Intel Core i3-13100F processor

$100

AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT GPU

$150

ASRock B660M Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard

$110

Intel Laminar CPU cooler (included with CPU)

$0

Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 16GB

$45

Crucial P3 Plus M.2 NVMe SSD

$52

Thermaltake Smart 550W PSU

$40

Thermaltake Versa H17

$45

Total

$542

The art of building a budget PC comes down to cutting corners that won't majorly compromise performance or usability. You could save maybe an extra $50 total by opting for a cheaper GPU, motherboard, SSD, and PSU, but you would end up trading off a disproportionate amount of performance and wiggle room for future upgrades. Even under the $600 mark, it's important to get components that have at least a short upgrade path available, and as far as I'm concerned this is about the best you can do with about $550.

If you think you can afford to spend an extra $150 or so on a brand-new PC, I highly recommend checking out our $700 AMD PC and $700 Intel PC build guides. These $700 PCs are about twice as fast in gaming compared to this $550 one; $150 will go a long ways when it comes to a gaming PC in this price range for both performance and upgradeability.

This guide only focused on peripherals which are a bit of a different thing, but we have separate guides for great keyboards, mice, and headsets for gaming. If you want additional advice about building a cheap PC and recommendations from the community, you should join the XDA Computing forums.