The Best Budget Gaming PC Build for $600 in 2021

Written by Branton

Last updated Oct 31, 2021

Budget Gaming PC Build

If you’re looking into building yourself the best gaming PC for around $600, you’re definitely going to want to look at this one! This budget gaming beast has plenty of power where it’s needed and lots of upgrade potential for when you’re ready to push it even further!

I’ve put together an amazing budget build including AMD’s R5 2600, an AMD RX 580, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and 480GB of SSD storage! This cheap but powerful budget build serves as a great platform to start with and upgrade as you go, but it’s already going to dominate 1080p gaming!

Competitive shooters, MOBAs, indie games, and all eSports titles will run flawlessly on this build. It’ll also give you that smooth 60fps+ experience in graphically demanding AAA games like GTA: V, Black Ops 4, Battlefield 5, Hitman 2, and practically everything else!

Have a question? Ask me in the comment section!

prebuilt budget gaming pc

$600 Prebuilt Gaming PC Option

Skytech Blaze VR (RX 580 Version)

If you’d rather skip over the build process and get right to gaming, that’s possible. A prebuilt gaming desktop can get you gaming without any work required on your part. Here’s an option with similar specs to the DIY build on this page (right below this). It’s easier to set up, but you’ll get more out of the build I recommend.

  • CPU: AMD R3 1200
  • GPU: 4GB RX 580
  • RAM: 8GB DDR4 RAM
  • Storage: 1TB HDD
  • Connectivity: WiFi + Ethernet | 1 x Dual-link DVI, 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI | 9 x USB (4 X USB 2.0; 5 X USB3.0)
  • Comes with Windows 10 installed
  • Comes with a keyboard + mouse
  • Includes a 1 year warranty covering parts and labor

The Best $600 Gaming PC Build

Updated: October 24th, 2021
masterbox q300l computer case

Case

Thermaltake Versa H18

mATX tower with a tempered glass side panel. Comes with 1x 120mm fan, 1x front USB 3.0 + 2x USB 2.0 + 3.5mm audio jacks.

amd ryzen computer processor

CPU

AMD R5 2600

6-core/12-thread 3.9GHz 2nd generation AMD Ryzen CPU. Comes with a Wraith Stealth CPU cooler.

gigabyte computer motherboard

Motherboard

ASRock B450M PRO4

AM4 socket/B450 chipset mATX motherboard. Equipped with 8x USB and 4x SATA + 1x M.2, built in audio and integrated ethernet.

amd gaming graphics card

GPU

PowerColor RX 580 Red Dragon (8GB)

8GB GDDR5 VRAM, good cooling, great 1080p performance.

patriot signature computer memory

RAM

Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB

2x4GB sticks of 3000MHz DDR4 RAM. Adding more ram is completely possible!

computer power supply

PSU

EVGA 500 BR 80+ Bronze

500W 80+ Bronze power supply. Comes with a 3-year warranty.

250gb solid state drive

Storage

Kingston A400 480GB SSD

480GB SSD with 500MB/s read and 450MB/s write speeds.

The tools you need:

That’s really all you need to assemble your new desktop. All of the mounting hardware and cables will come with the parts listed above. The only time you might need something extra is if you’re modifying the build on this page.

    HOW TO BUILD YOUR PC…

    Super Simplified Build Steps:

    1. Install the power supply into the case
    2. Install the processor (CPU)
    3. Seat RAM in the motherboard
    4. Mount the CPU cooler (don’t forget thermal paste if you’re not using a stock cooler!)
    5. Insert the motherboard’s rear I/O plate into the case’s rear I/O slot
    6. Mount the motherboard in the case (get your i/o ports through and use the middle standoff as a guide)
    7. Plug your graphics card into the motherboard
    8. Install storage drives
    9. Plug all power and data cables in where they’re required (storage, case, motherboard, graphics card, etc)
    10. Turn your PC on
    11. Install your OS
    12. Install and update ALL drivers
    13. DONE!

    Complete Build Breakdown

    If you’ve never built a computer before, then you probably want to take some time to learn the basics before getting ahead of yourself. To do that you have a couple of options you can choose from.

    The first, and probably the easiest way for most people to learn is finding a walkthrough on YouTube from a reputable tech channel. Here’s one by BitWit as an example.

    Alternatively, I’ve put together an in-depth guide on how to build a PC as well as a FAQ to address the most common questions and problems. I’ve also put together a short post covering 10 of the most common mistakes people make when building.

    This build is perfectly suited for 1080p gaming, it’ll handle most AAA titles on at least high settings while putting out 60fps+. That’s to say, you can expect this build to handle all of your favorite games without a problem – in 1080p.

    There are, however, some exceptions. Red Dead Redemption 2, for instance, is an extremely demanding game by today’s standards and this build would only be able to run on with a mixture of mid/high settings to maintain 60fps in most areas.


    Case: Holding everything together is the Thermaltake Versa H18 micro-ATX case. It gives you lots of options for expansion in terms of added storage, or a more intensive cooling profile.

    The H18 comes with a total of 3x front USB ports as well as 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks. It’s also boasting a tempered glass side panel and a full PSU shroud. The compromise being it only comes with 1x 120mm fan – 1 is pretty much good enough for this build, but you might want to add 1 more.

    There are A LOT of other cases that would work for this build, I really suggest that you take a look at some other options just in case you can find one that you like more! If you need some suggestions, check out what I consider the 5 best mATX cases!


    CPU & Cooler: AMD’s R5 2600 is a complete beast when it comes to gaming, streaming, and pretty much anything else. With a sub-$200 price tag, the R5 2600 simply cannot be beaten in terms of price vs performance.

    It’s loaded with 6 cores and 12 threads that’ll operate at a modest 3.9GHz by default. Since the R5 2600 fully supports overclocking, you could easily squeeze out even more performance if you don’t mind spending some time testing.

    The R5 2600 comes with a good CPU cooler AMD has dubbed the Wraith Stealth. It works great and can perform similarly to a Hyper 212 EVO.


    Motherboard: The default motherboard, ASRock’s B450M Pro4, is an awesome mATX option for a Ryzen-based build. It gives you support for all of the features we need with room to expand down the line, including 4x SATA3 ports, multiple case fan headers, 8x USB ports, 4 slots for DDR4 RAM, integrated audio, a built-in ethernet controller, and even M.2 NVMe SSD support.


    Graphics Card: An RX 580 is definitely the best option for this level of build right now, it completely tears up 1080p gaming and you’re going to be happy you have one.

    PowerColor’s 8GB RX 580 RED Dragon offers up some of the best price vs performance out of any currently released card of the same tier. It’s capable of 60fps on at least high settings in pretty much any AAA game, it cools great and overclocks alright to boot! There are lots of different variants available, but they’ll all perform basically the same so just choose the cheapest priced option!

    An RX 580 is definitely the best option for this level of build right now, it completely tears up 1080p gaming and you’re going to be happy you have one.

    PowerColor’s 8GB RX 580 RED Dragon offers up some of the best price vs performance out of any currently released card of the same tier. It’s capable of 60fps on at least high settings in pretty much any AAA game, it cools great and overclocks alright to boot! There are lots of different variants available, but they’ll all perform basically the same so just choose the cheapest priced option!


    RAM: Running 8GB of Kingston’s HyperX FURY 3000MHz DDR4 RAM is going to serve you well while gaming. The default kit comes with 2x4GB sticks (a dual channel pair) which leaves you with 2 leftover slots that you can easily use to add more RAM.

    This far into 2019, 8GB of RAM is a slowly starting to become insufficient. Ideally, you’ll want to run 16GB. Keep in mind that doing so will increase the price of the core build above $600.

    Running 8GB of Kingston’s HyperX FURY 3000MHz DDR4 RAM is going to serve you well while gaming. The default kit comes with 2x4GB sticks (a dual channel pair) which leaves you with 2 leftover slots that you can easily use to add more RAM.

    This far into 2019, 8GB of RAM is a slowly starting to become insufficient. Ideally, you’ll want to run 16GB. Keep in mind that doing so will increase the price of the core build above $600.


    Power Supply: EVGA’s 500 BR power supply is a good, reliable, power supply. It’s rated to 80+ bronze and comes with a 3-year warranty + 24/7 technical support from EVGA. As the 500 BR is a non-modular unit, all cables are permanently attached. If you’d prefer a semi-modular supply, I’d suggest checking out the 500 BQ instead – it’s a little more expensive but objectively much better.


    Storage: When it comes to storage, there’s a Kingston A400 480GB SSD in this build by default. Beyond that, you can easily add up to 3 more drives based on what the motherboard will support. All you’ll need are extra SATA data cables and the additional drives themselves.

    Peripherals

    If this is your very first gaming PC, you probably need almost everything on this list. If that’s you, set aside another few hundred for these additional peripherals.

    If that’s the situation you’re in, then I have some really awesome suggestions for you to consider. Each peripheral was hand-picked for this build and they’re all guaranteed high quality.

    When it comes to picking a display, you really want it to be perfectly suited to your usage, that’s why I’ve put together a guide on how to pick the best monitor.

    Chairs are no different, to fully enjoy your gaming experience you really need to find the best gaming chair possible. Due to the insane amount of options, I’ve put together this in-depth gaming chair buyers guide, check it out!

    gaming keyboard

    Monitor

    ASUS VS247H-P 23.6″

    23.6″, 1080p 60Hz, 2ms response time – Great for gaming

    gaming keyboard

    Keyboard

    Redragon K556 RGB

    A good full sized mechanical keyboard with RGB backlighting and a very attractive price point. 

    gaming mouse

    Mouse

    Logitech G502 Hero

    One of the absolute best gaming mice you could buy. The G502 is a tried and true platform that’s only been improved to where it’s at now with the HERO. 

    gaming headset

    Headphones

    HyperX Cloud 2

    The HyperX Cloud 2 headset is undeniably one of the best you could own. They use audiophile-grade headphones with a high-quality detachable microphone. 

    Operating System 

    When it comes to picking an operating system, you have quite a few options laid out before you. But, the best / easiest two are either Windows or something Linux-based.

    If you’re really strapped for cash, or you really just don’t like Windows, Ubuntu is a great option because it’s entirely free, and it’s really solid/secure. It’s a Linux-based OS and can play any game that supports Linux. More and more games are adding Linux support, but it definitely sucks when a game you’ve been waiting forever for ends up being Windows only…

    The more expensive option is buying a copy of Windows. With DirectX 12 becoming more common and the Skylake-based processors basically demanding Windows 10, you might want to consider jumping on that right away, but it’s ultimately your call.

    Installing your operating system can be done in a couple of different ways, either by DVD or a USB flash drive that you either create yourself or buy.

    window 10

    Windows

    Windows 10

    The most recent version of Microsoft’s operating system, Windows 10 is your best bet for across-the-board compatibility. 

    ubuntu linux

    Linux

    Ubuntu

    Ubuntu is a great, open source operating system rooted in Linux. It’s known as one of the most user-friendly and easiest to learn. 

    WiFi

    Since the motherboard in this build does not have built-in WiFi (most don’t) you will need a WiFi adapter if you plan on using a wireless internet connection. That said, if you have the option to run a wired connection, do that instead because it will be faster & more reliable.

    Since there are tons of options available when it comes to picking a WiFi adapter, it can be a little confusing at first; but don’t worry because I’m going to help sort that out… Or, at the very least, I’m going to try to make it as simple as possible.

    internal wifi adapter

    Internal WiFi Adapter

    TP-Link Archer T6E

    A good internally mounted (PCIe) AC1300 WiFi adapter. Make sure your build has enough room!

    external USB wifi adapter

    External WiFi Adapter

    Netgear A6210-100PAS

    A reliable AC1300 USB WiFi adapter. Capable of operating on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

    Conclusion

    As you can see, for right around $600 you’ll be able to run (almost) any game on high settings in 1080p without breaking a sweat. The 8GB RX 580 is a powerhouse and it’s definitely going to leave you in awe. Titles like GTA: V, Battlefield V, The Witcher 3, PUBG, Fortnite, and basically anything else will all run amazingly at 60fps+ in 1080p. However, Red Dead Redemption 2  may require a mix of medium-high settings.

    Building a gaming PC on the cheaper end of things should mean that you’re creating a solid foundation, and this build is just that – a solid place to start. But, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use it for a long time, because a build like this will easily last a couple of years before it really starts to fall behind.

    All-in-all, you really couldn’t hope for a better gaming PC for around $600, I know it’s a little over the budget but the performance here is definitely worth it!

    If you have any questions or comments about this build, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments!

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    Heroics
    Heroics
    January 12, 2024 2:14 pm

    Thanks for your response. I apply all my website https://freescholars.org

    Anjali
    Anjali
    July 9, 2023 2:14 am

    Thanks for Sharing this Valuable Content.
    Check: PC Solution WhatsApp Group Links

    Branton
    Branton
    September 8, 2021 9:15 pm

    Just beware, graphic cards are really expensive right now, so your build will cost more than posted above. If you don’t want to spend lots of cash on a graphic cards right now, I would recommend waiting for the prices to drop. We will post alternative graphic cards if we find some cheaper ones.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    July 24, 2021 1:53 pm

    The build cost $885

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    May 28, 2021 9:41 am

    is there perhaps a cheaper alternative for the PowerColor’s 8GB RX 580 RED Dragon? I’m looking to spend 600, not 1600.

    Last edited 2 years ago by editor
    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    May 12, 2021 7:19 am

    600 dollar pc it says… I look at the graphics card and its almost 800$ LOL.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    May 8, 2021 12:26 pm

    Im here to buy a 600 $ pc and the graphics card is more than 600 $

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