What is the Best Budget Prebuilt Gaming PC on the Market?

Occasionally, deals like open-box prebuilt systems appear in stores, and while they can be marked down to reasonable prices, they often come with a catch. Unless your budget is substantially higher, open-box prebuilds may not be worth the risk. Building your own PC is typically a better option, ensuring you get the best components that meet your specific needs. A good example of this is a prebuilt system I acquired for ￡499, which features an MSI i5 7500, 16GB DDR4 RAM, an MSI GTX1060 6GB, and dual SSDs with Windows 10 and a 12 months Norton license included.

Interpreting 'Best' in the Context of a Budget Prebuilt PC

The term 'best' is subjective, and there are several ways to interpret it. If you're looking for the most cost-effective option, then a prebuilt system might seem appealing, especially with the current deals available. However, companies like Republic of Gamers or Alienware offer more tailored and premium options, but at a higher cost. Building your own system means you can choose the exact components that suit your gaming needs, ensuring you get the best value for your money.

Advantages of DIY vs Prebuilt

Prebuilt systems often come with a markup due to the time and effort spent assembling and installing the parts. While this can seem like a premium, it's often not worth it, especially when you factor in the quality of components. Open-box systems often include subpar parts that might not meet the same standards as new, and you may end up paying more for lower-quality components. Prebuilt systems also tend to include unnecessary software that can cause conflicts and issues, which can be inconvenient and affect your gaming experience.

Building Your Budget Gaming PC vs Prebuilding

The general rule in PC gaming is that prebuilt systems are inferior unless you're prepared to spend a significant amount on premium components. For a budget PC, a prebuilt system might seem like a good deal at first glance, but it can be misleading. For example, you can build a PC with an AMD Ryzen 1600, a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, over a terabyte of hard drive space, and a motherboard that allows for overclocking for around ￡700, which might be even cheaper. The included components in prebuilt systems, such as a low-end processor and slow DDR3 RAM, are not up to par with what you can achieve by building your own system.

DIY Build Plan

To build a budget gaming PC under ￡800, you can include:

AMDRyzen 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB 1TB of hard drive space Overclockable motherboard Nice power supply and PC case

Make sure to purchase Windows 10 on a USB stick or through an activated key, and add a basic keyboard and mouse from Walmart for around ￡20. If you're building a permanent setup, a monitor might be necessary, but for a temporary setup, connecting to a TV via HDMI is a good option. Shipping costs need to be factored into the final price, but you can typically find better deals by using online retailers like PCPartPicker, where some parts might be cheaper or more expensive than the quoted price.

Examples of Prebuilt Systems

While prebuilt systems can be misleading, a budget-friendly option for a prebuilt system is a desktop from someone who builds custom PCs. This type of prebuilt system typically includes a 1060 GPU, an AMD Ryzen 1600 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB HDD with Windows 10 pre-installed, all for around ￡800. However, this system is not a true prebuilt but a custom build by someone who has collected the parts, assembled them, and charged for the shipping. This approach can offer a good deal, but it's generally recommended to build your PC to ensure you get the best components and a hassle-free setup.