Best Gaming PC Under $500 Budget (Prebuilt & Build):
Suppose you want to make a perfect Gaming PC and want it to be on a budget of only $500 (USD). In that case, I recommend you create a custom PC instead of buying a pre-built PC because the pre-build PCs are not valuable, and their performance is always significantly lower than the custom PCs. Pre-build PCs are cheap because of the low-end components used in them, and if you make a custom PC, you will be aware of the performance of each element in the mainboard. Whether it is GPU, CPU, RAM, or the motherboard, everything will work great, but you will have to set up the PC yourself.
2 Best PC Builds Under $500: (Without GPU)
Here we have the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, a powerful 4 Core Gaming Processor, and this CPU can run many games above 100 frames per second. It has excellent gaming potential and is very affordable. This CPU can be paired with the MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX motherboard, which will make it a gaming beast also; the motherboard is very cheap and has excellent power delivery.
For a better and smooth gaming experience, SSD is necessary, so here you will have to get this Kingston 480GB A400 SSD which has super-fast data transfer speed and is very affordable and budget-friendly. You can buy TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 3200MHz RAM, which is a good DDR4 RAM for gaming, and it is also affordable, but if you want an RGB RAM, then you can go for Corsair dominator, but that is expensive.
We have used the Phanteks Eclipse P360A Gaming Case here, which is a very budget-friendly gaming case and has good airflow and RGB Fans support. The last main thing will be the PSU which we used here is the Corsair CV Series, CV550, 550 Watt, 80+ Bronze Certified, this PSU is suitable for this kind of less power consuming CPUs that’s why we have chosen it. Also, it’s not very expensive, so everything is budget-friendly and perfect here, making these builds the best $500 Gaming builds.
1. AMD Ryzen 3 3300X + MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX
Review:
AMD’s this gaming processor operates on 3.8 GHz, and AMD produces the processor for socket AM4. The processor has 4-core and 8-Threads. In gaming performance, this processor is 11% faster than 2600, but it’s 2% slower than the AMD 3600 processors. AMD Ryzen 3 3300X gaming processor is based on Zen 2 micro-architecture, a 7nm production Chip, and supports multi-threading technology.
Performance:
It’s a series of AMD 3000 that offers excellent performance compared to its price. By default, This gaming processor operates on the best speed of 3.8 GHz but can be boosted up to 4.3 GHz due to Turbo Core technology. It features four incredible cores which offer excellent performance in gaming. Here in this gaming processor, The base frequency is 100 MHz while the Maximum Memory Bandwidth is 31.5 GB/s. It has 16 MB ( shared) of Level 3 cache, 512K (per core) level 2, and 96K (per core) of level 1 Cache size.
Power Consumption and Efficiency:
The Thermal Design Power ( is the amount of power CPU needed for cooling) of AMD Ryzen 3 3300X is 65 W. This gaming processor is more power-efficient than AMD Ryzen 5 3600X and from the latest Intel 10 generation processors in performance. The processor produced low heat on normal usage. The unlock multiplier is easily adjustable on AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, overclocked easily, and can be easily dialed in any overclocking frequency.
Pros
- Great gaming performance
- Solder TIM
- Overclocking ceiling
- Uses PCIe Gen 4
- Overclocking ceiling
- Power efficient
Cons
- Lackluster bundled cooler
- Expensive for its performance
MSI B450 Tomahawk Max Series Motherboard For Ryzen 3 3300X:
Amazon $97.58 (US/Global)Kingston 480GB A400 SATA 3 2.5″ Internal SSD:
Buy Now At Amazon $54.99TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 3200MHz (PC4-25600) CL16:
Buy Now At Amazon $65.99Phanteks (PH-EC360ATG_DBK01) Eclipse P360A Ultra-fine Performance Mesh, Mid-Tower case:
Buy Now At Amazon $89.99Corsair CV Series, CV550, 550 Watt, 80+ Bronze Certified Power Supply:
Buy Now At Amazon $44.992. Intel Core i3-10100, 4 Cores up to 4.3 GHz
The second best $500 build will be this Intel Core i3-10100 with the MSI MAG B460 Torpedo Gaming Motherboard, which makes a perfect gaming pair, and they are the performance beasts. This CPU is also a 4 Core Gaming CPU, but it got higher frame rates in some games than AMD Ryzen 3 3300X. Also, in many games, the 3300X got higher frame rates, so the performance of both CPUs is not predictable.
The rest of the components we used in this Build are the same as the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X build. It has Kingston 480GB A400 SSD, and it has TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 3200MHz RAM. It also has the same Corsair CV Series, CV550, 550 Watt, 80+ Bronze Certified PSU, and the last thing which is the case is also the same as Ryzen 3 3300X build which is Phanteks Eclipse P360A Case.
| Specifications | Intel Core i3-10100 |
|---|---|
| CPU Model | Intel Core i3-10100 |
| Core Count | 4 |
| Thread Count | 8 |
| Base Clock Frequency | 3.6 GHz |
| Maximum Boost Clock | 4.3 GHz |
| Maximum Number of PCIe Lanes | 16 (Revision 3.0) |
| Unlocked Multiplier? | No |
| Socket Compatibility | Intel LGA 1151 |
| Memory Support | DDR4 2666 MHz |
| Maximum Memory Bandwidth | 41.6 GB/s |
| Maximum Resolution Support | 4096 x 2304 at 60 Hz |
| Supported APIs | DirectX: 12 OpenGL: 4.5 |
| Lithography | 14 nm |
| L3 Cache Amount | 6 MB |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) Rating | 65 watts |
| Integrated Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| Integrated Graphics Base Clock | 350 MHz |
| Bundled CoolerAMD Ryzen 3 3300X | Intel Stock Cooler |
Review:
This Intel Core i3-10100 is the most affordable and cheap gaming processor you can also use at streaming, but the performance will be only average. You cannot get the top-class streaming and gaming performance at this budget but still better than nothing. I think it’s the most valuable pick for budget gamers because it has low TDP and can run games smoothly at 1080p, which is suitable for streamers also.
Features:
This CPU has a capable turbo and base clock, but L3 Cache is only 6 MB. In my opinion, 8 MB would be better but still good. The turbo clock of this CPU is 4.3 GHz, and the base clock is limited to 3.6 GHz. It uses PCIe gen three, which is now very outdated, but at this budget, it’s hard to find a PCIe gen 4 CPU, and you are a budget gamer, you won’t go for those High-speed SSDs because they are also expensive enough.
Performance:
It comes with four cores and eight threads so the gaming performance will be good at this CPU, but it may not perform very well at streaming because of only four cores. This CPU also has an Integrated Intel HD Graphics GPU, so you can play some low-end games on it without buying an external GPU. So this was the most budget CPU for gaming and streaming.
Pros
- Has integrated graphics, versus non-G-series AMD Ryzens
- Cool and stable performance
- Most affordable gaming CPU
- Higher Turbo Clock
- Low TDP
- Great for 1080p Gaming
- More affordable than AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
Cons
- Intel UHD Graphics 630 Is now old
- Requires a platform upgrade to LGA 1200
- Uses PCIe Gen 3
MSI MAG B460 Torpedo Gaming Motherboard For Intel Core i3-10100:
Amazon $136.99 (US/Global)Kingston 480GB A400 SATA 3 2.5″ Internal SSD:
Buy Now At Amazon $54.99TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 3200MHz (PC4-25600) CL16:
Buy Now At Amazon $65.99Phanteks (PH-EC360ATG_DBK01) Eclipse P360A Ultra-fine Performance Mesh, Mid-Tower case:
Buy Now At Amazon $89.99Corsair CV Series, CV550, 550 Watt, 80+ Bronze Certified, Fixed Cable Power Supply:
Buy Now At Amazon $44.99Also, Checkout The Best Streaming and Gaming CPU of 2022:
Prebuild Gaming PC: (Whole PC With GPU/Mouse/Keyboard)
3. Prebuild $500 Gaming PC by Alarco: (Available At Amazon United States)
Specifications:
- Intel i5 3.10GHz
- 8GB Ram
- 1TB Hard Drive
- Windows 10 Pro
- WiFi Ready
- Video Card Nvidia GTX 650 1GB
- 3 RGB Fans with Remote
Key Specifications:
- 3 RGB Fan Gaming PC Desktop Computer With Remote
- Runs Fortnite average of 100 FPS on Low Settings and 60 FPS on medium settings.
- Runs Pubg average 30 FPS on low settings.
- Runs GTA5 average of 30 FPS.
- Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz
- GTX 650 1GB Video Card With DVI, HDMI, and VGA outputs.
- 1 Year Warranty.
Review:
This Gaming PC is the only good and valuable Pre-build Gaming PC Which comes under $1000 or $500 because we have tested all the other Gaming PCs on Amazon and other different stores they are not worthy of buying at their asking prices because the GPU and CPU they use are not powerful enough to handle latest games at above 60 Frames per second, so better only buy this one if you are looking for a valuable and well-performing gaming PC at or under $500 budget.
Pros
- Affordable
- No need to setup anything, its completely build already
- Good Gaming Performance
- Processor performance is great
- Comes with 3 RGB Fans
- Beautiful case
Cons
- GPU is lower-end
- It has HDD only, SSD is great for gaming
You Can Buy The Perfect GPUs For The Above Two Builds From Here:
The Most Budget-Friendly & Valuable GPUs Of 2022
Hi, I’m Afaq a Gaming and Tech enthusiast Living In the United States Of America, California. I’m here to provide you with the best gaming recommendations and suggestions, also I will give detailed reviews for the best builds and components. I also review technology-related products and tell you if they are good to buy or not.
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