The 9 Best Gaming PC Under 500 Dollars Budget: 2022 Top Picks

best gaming pc setup under $500It’s tough to make a decision on which gaming PC you should opt for when you only have a limited budget to spend. If it’s your first time, your decision might narrow down to specifications. We have all been there, and it’s completely natural. However, there are certain prerequisites that you should keep a note of before you decide on which gaming PC you should buy.

To be honest, in 2022, when inflation is at 40 years peak, $500 is not enough to get a good gaming PC but it is not impossible, we still have some good options to consider.

Even the tech-savvy find themselves shuffling decisions when specifications are taken into account, and that’s not entirely wrong. With good specs, you’ll get better performance and be able to play the most recent high-end games.

Well, things have changed now—processors and chips have become more power-efficient with enhanced performance. In addition to this, there have been major price cuts, which are advantageous for all of us beginners.

2022’s Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs Under $500

Getting your hands on a new computer for PC gaming is now easier than ever, and it does not necessarily have to cost upwards of $1000. There are quite a handful of high-end prebuilt gaming pcs under 500. Today, we have a bunch of options in store, which we will take a closer look, later on, so you can choose which option best fits your needs.

Do take note that the system lists mentioned below do not boast flagship processors or cannot necessarily handle each 2019 title with the utmost perfection. However, you will be able to run a lot of great titles at lower settings, and if you’re a beginner, you will not even notice the difference. Before we begin, we would also like to point out that the cheap gaming pcs under 500 listed below are also capable of running games that are equivalent to an Xbox One S or PS4 class performance. We will share more details to prove our hypothesis later on.

1. HP Pavillion (690-0010)HP Pavillion cheapest gaming pc 2019

If you’re looking to play mild games at medium to high settings, the HP Pavillion Gaming 69 is one of the cheapest gaming builds under $500. Games like Battlefield and GTA V will run just fine at medium graphics settings, which are pretty high-end titles for their time. In addition, if PvP games are your thing, PUBG and Fortnite are capable of running at medium to high settings. Let’s dive in to see some more details on what’s powering the HP Pavillion Gaming 690.

The HP Pavillion Gaming 690 features an AMD Ryzen 3 series processor coupled with the company’s in-house Radeon RX550 graphics card. Possibly, this PC is among the first options that users should go for. This is due to the fact that HP’s configuration is by far the most powerful option that you will get, even compared to other minor brands.

To start small but powerful, the HP Pavillion Gaming 690 PC is perfect for beginners and, more importantly, beginners who’re starting their track off with PvP games. Other titles are also playable, but the graphics need to be tuned down a little.

2. Acer Aspire TC-780-ACKI5- Top 7th Gen Gaming PC

Acer Aspire 7th Gen Core i5 budget Gaming PC

The processor and RAM in the Acer Aspire TC-780-ACKI5 are designed to work well with mid-range games.You would have the capability of playing PUBG and Fortnite on lower settings at 720p resolution. However, while it can handle mid-range games quite well, it won’t be able to push the graphics of new titles. Nonetheless, it gets the job done well, and most of the titles are easily playable.

Over the past few years, Intel’s in-house graphics chips have been getting better, and if basic games are your concern, the Acer Aspire TC-780-ACKI5 can handle them without the integration of dedicated GPUs. The machine features Intel’s 7th generation Core-i5 processor coupled with 12GB of RAM instead of the standard 8GB that you would find on most of the gaming desktops in this price range. As of right now, the Acer Aspire TC-780-ACKI5 is more than able to run games and do other tasks at the same time.

The major plus that you get with the Acer Aspire TC series is the powerful processor. If you decide on getting the specific variant, you can spend some on a dedicated GPU if you see fit and as per your personal needs. This will give the gaming machine a big boost in specs and make it run more modern games better.

3. HP Pavillion 590 8th Gen Core i3

HP 8th Gen Core i3 Gaming PC

The HP Pavillion 590 gaming computer is another great buy if you’re looking for a decent machine to game on. This particular model is available as a refurbished variant from HP itself because it originally cost more than $500 if you’re looking to get a new one. The company gives a 90-day warranty. Since it has powerful internals and pretty good graphics, we would definitely recommend it.

This gaming rig features an 8th generation Intel Core-i5 8400 processor, which has the capability of clocking in at 4.0 GHz at times of intense need thanks to Intel’s Turbo Boost technology. As for graphics, it houses an integrated Intel UHD graphics 630. This graphics chip is better than most others and can handle the needs of new games. While it can handle new games, the graphics need to be put on lower settings. Other than this, it features 8GB of RAM and 1TB of HDD storage capacity, which is way more than any gamer would need.

It’s a pretty good option if you’re new to the gaming world. You will not even notice the speed difference if you’re not used to testing out different graphics GPUs. But having graphics built in is definitely a step up and is always a welcome addition.

4. Dell PowerEdge T30

Dell Intel Xeon E3-1225 Build for Gaming

Unlike the HP Pavillion 590, the Dell PowerEdge is a brand new PC and comes packaged with a 2-year warranty. My opinion on the product is that the Dell T30 is more than capable of handling most modern titles. It also features Intel’s Turbo Boost technology, so you temporarily get more clock speed at times when intense performance is required. The machine is capable of turbo boosting at 3.7 GHz. As for what’s powering the Dell PowerEdge T30, it’s an Intel Xeon E3-1225 version 5 processor, which is plenty fast to get you through mid-high end games.

The Dell PowerEdge T30 comes with 16GB of DDR4 RAM on-board and, with expansion support, you can bump it up to 64GB. In terms of RAM, there’s more than enough required, coupled with 2TB of HDD storage, but we would prefer an SSD over HDD any day for faster read and write speeds. You can purchase a separate SSD if you want to expand more storage.

In terms of graphics, the machine features an integrated Intel HD Graphics P350 chip, which is a significant upgrade from the Intel HD 2000 series of chips. However, do take note that there are some peripherals absent, like no operating system that comes pre-installed on the device. Henceforth, you will have to install it manually if you have an extra licensed Windows Key. It’s a great buy for its price and definitely holds up well considering its specifications and performance.

5. Hystou P05B-Micro Gaming Desktop

Intel Nuc Core i7 Skylake Desktop Fanless Micro Gaming PC

While moving away from the traditional build of PCs, the Hystou P05B Desktop Computer is a mini PC that has a lot going for it. It ships brand new from the company, so you don’t have to worry about it being refurbished. It also comes with a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty. The best part about the Hystou P05B Desktop Computer is that it is powered by an Intel Core-i7 6500U CPU, which can turbo boost up to 3.1 GHz and 2.5 GHz in general use.

Moreover, the integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 chip is comparatively good at handling your graphics needs, and it is plenty capable of handling most of the high-end titles like Team Fortress 2 and others in its range. It boasts 8GB and 16GB of RAM, and if you require more, there are a lot of internals that you would have to change, which we would not recommend at all. If you are getting it for yourself, we would suggest getting the 16GB variant, so you’re left better off with room to spare.

In terms of storage, you’re getting 1TB of HHD and 64GB of SSD storage—a much better deal than the remaining options on our list, which do not have an SSD. This boosts your boot-up speeds and app launch times. Similar to the previous product on our list, the Hystou P05B Desktop Computer also comes without any operating system installed. Henceforth, you will have to manually install it. This is the only downside of the Hystou P05B Desktop Computer that you should take note of. Aside from this, it has great graphics for the price, but we wish it had an integrated graphics processor to boost frame rates even more.

6. Lenovo IdeaCentre 510A

To start off, the essentials of a great gaming PC fall under three aspects: processor, RAM, and storage. While graphics cards are another major aspect, the essentials need to be met beforehand. The Lenovo 510A is one such desktop computer that has ticked all of the aforementioned prerequisites. The major pluses of this build are its processor, RAM, and onboard storage. It runs on the AMD A12-9800 processor, which is capable of delivering the processing power that is essential to play most high-end gaming titles. Apart from this, any day-to-day task you throw at it, it can handle it like a champ.

Since the AMD A12 is conventionally used in laptops, the build of this PC stays compact and slim. This complements a new design, perfect for your workstation. Furthermore, 16GB of DDR4 RAM is sufficient to handle all basic user tasks. In terms of graphics performance, it packs an entry-level graphics card, the R7. While it’s not ideal, it can handle only mid-range games at lower settings. Along with this, you can also handle older games at a medium resolution.

All in all, the Lenovo 510A is a great PC in terms of design and processing power. The only thing it lacks is a powerful graphics card. But since it is available for under $500, there are bound to be some limitations. In terms of storage, it features 512 SSD of storage space, which is ideal and more than enough for games and everyday tasks.

7. iBuyPower AMD Ryzen 3 Prebuilt Low-Cost Gaming PC

The iBuyPower Gaming Enthusiast Desktop is designed for beginners, as you can also tell by its name. The machine boasts flashy looks, and you can just tell by the looks of it that it is specifically designed for gamers. It’s another option on our list of high-performance gaming PCs for under $500. It has an AMD processor, which is pretty good for the price and, more importantly, is well-known in the industry when we talk about the category as a whole.

The iBuyPower Gaming Enthusiast Desktop boasts an AMD FX-6300 processor, which is a 6-core processor and can clock up to 3.5 GHz. In addition, to bolster all that processing power, the iBuyPower Gaming Enthusiast Desktop also houses 8GB of RAM and 1TB of onboard storage. The processor and the RAM are optimized to play well with one another and are plenty capable of handling any standard task you throw at it.

However, the major drawback of the iBuyPower Gaming Enthusiast Desktop is its GPU capabilities. The graphics card is an NVIDIA GeForce GT710 1 GB. It’s not a high-end card, in fact, it is an entry-level card that is added to bolster the onboard integrated graphics, which you will find on most processors at this price point. If you’re concerned about its performance, you can play new games at low settings along with MOBA titles. Even though the iBuyPower Gaming Enthusiast Desktop costs less than $500, this is still a win.

8. CUK Lineage AMD Ryzen 3 – Best Value

If you’re someone who is all down for the graphics card, you will not be disappointed with the CUK Lineage Gaming Desktop. It’s the first option on our list that does everything well in the graphics department as well as storage. However, as we have previously mentioned, you cannot fulfill all peripherals if you have a limited budget to spend. Henceforth, there are certain compromises that must be made.

What’s powering the device is a dual-core Pentium processor, which is the PC’s major bottleneck. There are several games on the market that do not run on dual-core CPUs. However, the majority of titles do run on the listed processor. Do take note that it does not expect the system to run smoothly without any hiccups in areas where more processing power is required.

In the graphics department, as I have mentioned earlier, the company has done right with the GPU. It runs a dedicated graphics card, which is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, an excellent mid-range graphics card that is capable of running high-end games at medium graphics. At this price point, the CUK Lineage is decent for a 1080p gaming experience. All in all, it’s a decent package, but we would have liked a more serious processor onboard.

9. CyberPowerPC AMD Ryzen 5 1600

The CyberPower ultra gaming desktop is manufactured with great attention to detail considering its design. The black tower with red lights provides you with the essence of a real gaming station. There are a lot of aspects of the CyberPower PC Game Ultra Gaming Desktop that you will love in terms of performance as well as design.

As for what’s powering it, it’s an AMD Ryzen 5 1600, which is a 6-core processor with the capability to deliver clock speeds of up to 3.2GHz. In addition to this, it also boasts 8GB of DDR4 RAM and a 480GB SSD of onboard storage capacity. The CPU delivers the same processing power as that of the dual-core Pentium G4400, which is not something that can consistently deliver ample power. Moreover, games that require intensive processing will experience hiccups every now and then. As for graphics, it features an AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics card.

While the RAM and storage capacity are great, the processor and graphics card will not deliver up to the standards that will let you play high-end games at medium to high settings. Instead, expect the machine to run the latest game titles. The Windows 10 Home 64-bit operating system comes pre-installed on the PC, so that’s a major plus.

Conclusion

As we have mentioned at the start of the post, choosing which PC to choose from is quite a hectic task. Our list basically enlists all the best options that you can get within your limited budget if you’re considering getting a pre-built gaming PC. Some units are designed for the best workflow, while others are built for gaming and can handle most of the big games on the market.

Furthermore, some options are equipped with high-end processors but are not backed up equally in the graphics department It all depends on your personal preferences and needs, which option you require.

That’s all for our list of top-rated gaming computers under $500. If you see any option that best fits your needs, be sure to check the required specifications. All of the listed options mentioned above have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, with their own set of internals. There’s a possibility that you can buy a unit with a powerful processor like the Intel Core i5 and then add a decent GPU later on.

Also, if you’ve increased your budget limit, don’t forget to read our list of the best gaming PCs under $1000. If you’re into VR gaming, you might also our top picks for best processor for VR gaming in 2022.

Share it with friends
Zia
 

A tech enthusiast with a few software tinkering elements.

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 0 comments