Building a budget gaming PC under $500 is no easy task these days. With PC part prices constantly rising, we had to search across multiple sites to bring you the best possible options for this build. Keep in mind, this PC isn’t designed for heavy gaming or demanding rendering tasks. Instead, it’s perfect if you’re a student or a gamer on a tight budget who still wants a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.

So, let’s dive into it! First, we’ll list all the parts along with their prices, and then we’ll explain why each one is a great choice for your budget gaming PC under $500.

It’s a little higher than we expected, but these are still the best specs we could find on the internet. For a full breakdown, you can also check out the article on PCGamer.

You can but all the components from amazon in the given price.

CPU(Intel Core i3-14100F) :

The Intel Core i3-14th Gen is one of the best processors available in this budget range. With 4 cores and 8 threads, it’s perfect for budget gaming, office work, and everyday tasks. When paired with the RX 6500 XT, this setup can handle 1080p gaming smoothly, even on high settings.

If you’re an AMD fan, you can also go for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500. With 6 cores, it’s one of the best CPUs for multitasking and gaming in this price range.

Motherboard(Gigabyte B760M DS3H DDR4) :

he Gigabyte B760M is one of the best motherboards in this price range. It can handle up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM at speeds up to 5333 MHz, making it ideal for both gaming and multitasking. It also supports modern GPUs and fast M.2 NVMe SSDs with PCIe 4.0 speeds.

One downside, however, is that it doesn’t have built-in Wi-Fi. If you need wireless connectivity, you’ll have to purchase an adapter or a separate card. Another minor drawback is that it has only one M.2 slot, but for a budget gaming PC under $500, this should be more than enough.

GPU(AMD RX 6500 XT):

With 4GB DDR4 VRAM and RDNA 2 architecture, this GPU shares similar technology with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. At this budget, you can’t expect high-end ray tracing performance, but it does support basic ray tracing features. It is one of the best affordable GPUs for a 1080p gaming experience. Additionally, it’s a low-power card with only a 107W TDP, meaning it can easily run on a modest power supply (around 400W is usually enough).

The RAM and storage options are up to you. You can either choose our recommended components or select your own preferences. While the difference in performance will be minimal for this build, we highly recommend going with our choices.

PSU(Thermaltake Smart Series 500W) :

We mainly recommend this power supply because of the Thermaltake brand.
Thermaltake is well-known for making reliable and high-quality power supplies. The 500W output is perfect for your budget gaming PC, providing enough power without overspending. It also comes with important safety features like Over Voltage Protection (OVP), Under Voltage Protection (UVP), Over Power Protection (OPP), and Short Circuit Protection (SCP).

And there you have it — your complete budget gaming PC build for only $500!
We hope you found this article helpful. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in the next one!

What is a good affordable gaming PC?

There are several great options available in different price ranges. We’ve selected a few budget gaming PCs that we recommend, depending on your budget. For detailed specs of these PCs, you can visit here…

• Alienware Aurora Gaming PC – Best Budget Gaming PC Under $2,000

• HP Omen 25L Gaming Desktop – Best Budget Gaming PC Under $1,500
• MSI Codex R2 – Best Budget Gaming PC Under $1,000
• CLX Set – Best Budget Gaming PC Under $800

Is $500 dollars enough for a gaming PC?

Yes, absolutely! You can get decent performance with the components we recommended. We’re confident you’ll be satisfied with the overall gaming experience.

Is Ryzen 5 good for gaming?

Yes, the Ryzen 5 series is one of the best choices for mid-range gaming CPUs.
Among the many Ryzen 5 options, we highly recommend the Ryzen 5 5500. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 3.6 GHz, and a boost clock up to 4.2 GHz, it delivers excellent performance for any budget gaming PC build.

The Ryzen 5 5500 handles modern games smoothly at 1080p and can even tackle some heavier tasks like streaming or light content creation.

Is 16 GB RAM good for gaming?

For modern gaming, 16GB of RAM is generally more than enough, offering a great balance between performance and multitasking.
If you want a deeper understanding, be sure to check out this article on how much RAM you need for gaming, as the ideal amount can vary depending on your specific needs.
Upgrading to faster RAM can also give you a slight performance boost, especially in memory-intensive games and tasks.