The 5 budget PCs that prove PC gaming is for everyone

Finding the best cheap gaming computers can be an annoying process. If you do not know what you are looking for, you may end up sinking funds into a machine that does not work as needed. Either way, you'll want decent hardware for the dollars you're spending, especially now that virtual reality is becoming more mainstream, thanks to Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality platform built into Windows 10.

Below is a list of desktops focused on games that we think are great for money, with options for the latest generation of Intel hardware and AMD's Ryzen CPU.

All models below can support the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets for virtual reality, one of our requirements when determining the best cheap gaming PCs you can buy.

Dell Inspiron 5680 ($ 600 +)

Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

Building our love of the previous generation Inspiron 5675, the 5680 updates the hardware of its predecessor and offers the same discreet design with great overall value.

The new Inspiron has a starting price of just $ 600 and comes equipped with AMD or Intel / Nvidia hardware. Options include classic AMD FX CPUs paired with RX 560 graphics, up to a Ryzen 1700X and an RX 570. Alternatively, you can choose between an 8th generation Core i3 CPU with a GTX 1050, up to an i7 with a GTX 1060. In any case , the storage can reach a terabyte and up to 32 GB of memory.

Despite the improved hardware, the Inspiron 5680 retains the same clean and professional look of its predecessor and does not shout "player" like some of the other compilations on this list. It's not the easiest system to update because of its tightly-bound components to avoid damage during shipping, but a solid entry level gaming desktop like this could be your best upgrade path until the prices of the graphics cards go down.

Buy it now from:

Dell

Asus G11DF ($ 1,000)

  Asus G11DF review hero
Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

If you're a Little tired of The Intel hardware and want to give the red team a chance, Asus & G3DF presents a new AMD Ryzen 5 1400 processor, an Nvidia GTX 1060 graphics card and 8 GB of RAM. It's close to the previous Dell system, but with a more eye-catching exterior and an AMD chip purring under the hood.

Although it exceeded our $ 1,000 limit in some retailers, in our benchmarks, the Asus G11DF was a capable performer, easily maintaining an average of 73 FPS in For Honor with the configuration of maximum details and 1080p. That's the real warning here, these desktops are powerful enough to run recent games in maximum or minimum detail settings, as long as the resolution is maintained at 1080p. These systems are not designed to enter 1440p or 4K.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Dell XPS 8930 ($ 800 +)

  Dell XPS 8930 Review
Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

If Any Once you played a role-playing game, you are probably familiar with the concept of min-maxing. Taking some statistics to their minimum, and maximizing others to keep the structure of your character slim and optimized. That's exactly what Dell did with the XPS 8930. It has an eighth-generation Intel Core i3 processor, which offers only enough CPU power to do a daily job, along with an Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics card 1060 with 6GB of RAM, effectively maximizing its graphic power without breaking the bank.

In a small black chassis, it is not exactly the most striking game equipment, but it offers an excellent balance of price and performance and there are cheaper options if you do not need the whole kit. During our benchmarks, the GTX 1060 was maintained with much more expensive machines without much sweating, and remember that it has the great version of the GTX 1060 with 6 GB of RAM, not the smaller version of 3 GB that you will find in the Most low-budget gaming platforms.

Buy it now from:

Dell

HP Omen Desktop ($ 880 +)

  best cheap gaming PCs

Omen is the HP brand dedicated to PC gaming. With this desktop installation, the company focuses on the recent components produced by AMD, namely the newly launched Ryzen 5 1400 processor and the Radeon RX 580 graphics card (4 GB). But if you prefer Team Green, there is an even cheaper version of this machine loaded with GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) from Nvidia that costs around $ 880.

Visually, the Omen is an attractive desktop that clearly shows its game roots . The multi-edge design is quite clean, integrating red lighting and a flip-top panel that provides quick access to three hard drive bays. Inside you will get 8 GB of DDR4 system memory synchronized at 2,400 MHz, a server of 256 GB SSD for the operating system and a secondary hard drive of 1 TB, where you will install most of your games.

In addition to the actual desktop, your purchase also includes a wired keyboard with volume control and a wired optical mouse. The desk weighs 33.8 pounds and measures 17.41 x 7.56 x 16.43 inches.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

MSI Trident 3 ($ 900)

<img src = "data: image / gif; base64, R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP /// yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAAAAIBRAA7" data-dt-lazy-src = "https://icdn3.digitaltrends.com/image/msi-trident-3-gaming-pc-withcontrller2-1500×1000.jpg?ver=1.jpg" onerror = "dti_load_error (this)" class = "size-full wp-image-1166724 dt-lazy-load dt-lazy-pending "alt =" MSI Trident 9S6-B90611-02S revision [19659006] Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

The optimized desktop MSI is ready and willing to handle Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.The power of this affordable beast is a seventh-generation Intel Core i5-7400 processor and Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) graphics card.They are embedded in an impressive design that resembles a game console, which is built to rest on a surface horizontally or vertically, using the seat / base provided. [19659008] Other ingredients within MSI's desktop are 8GB of DDR4 system memory synchronized to a lean 2,133MHz, a SATA-based M.2 SSD with 128GB of storage and a 1TB secondary hard drive where it will store most of its games. All this is complemented with audio Audio Boost 3 and Nahimic 2, lighting technology Mystic Light by MSI, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and many ports for VR headsets.

How big is this console-style PC? It weighs just 18.1 pounds, and measures 15 x 10 x 20 inches, which is a bit bigger than the original Xbox One console.

See our complete review of our MSI Trident 3.

Buy it now from: [19659011] Amazon

Leave a Comment

Scroll to Top