These budget builds are best suited for MOBAs like DOTA2 and LoL, competitive shooters like CS:GO and Overwatch, and 2D/isometric games like Stardew Valley or Terraria, but that doesn’t mean they can’t handle AAA gaming. Anything on this list with a dedicated graphics card is going to be able to play AAA games without many issues. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll still be better than gaming on a console.

Going for a cheap gaming PC build doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to stay that way, either. The majority of, if not all of, my builds are very easy to upgrade with stronger components. Things like the processors, graphics cards, RAM, and storage can all be easily swapped out for better parts when the time comes for an upgrade.

As you’ll see, there are different levels of cheap PC builds laid out below, each have their own in-depth details pages including all of the info you need to know to make a good decision. If you’re unsure about which custom build is best for you, leave a comment on that build telling me the games you’d like to play and the quality you’d like to play them at, from there I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.

• Case
• Motherboard
• Processor
• Graphics Card (or integrated graphics in some cases)
• RAM
• Storage
• Power Supply

With that said, you still need an operating system, a mouse, keyboard, a monitor, and some kind of audio. Generally speaking, if you have none of the above, you will be looking at adding a lot more to the total price of your build, just something to keep in mind.

If this is your first build, you should check out both my FAQ and Walkthrough. The FAQ contains answers to the most commonly asked questions, and my walkthrough gives you a quick step-by-step guide on how to put your PC together, among other things.

If you have any questions about any of the builds listed below, feel free to ask me in the comment section for that build!