▷ Cheap gaming pc: pros, cons and tips 【step by step】?

The cheap gaming PC is one of the work teams in greatest demand among younger demographics. Far from being a basic computer, gaming PCs are usually equipped with the latest generation and high-end components that allow getting the maximum performance from triple AAA video games that hit the market.

This directly conflicts with the needs of this cohort of users, who for their purchasing power are looking for low-priced solutions to enjoy the latest news in the video game sector.

Leaving aside the definition of "cheap", which certainly varies from user to user, are these low-priced gaming PCs a good idea ? Are they profitable in the short, medium and long term ? What are its advantages and disadvantages ? We will discuss these and other questions in this article.

Index of contents

Buy versus ride

In the past, mounting a PC was left in the hands of a select few. Luckily today, the situation is very different and when it comes to getting a gaming PC, it is logical to wonder if the computer is going to be purchased assembled or if the parts will be purchased separately to be assembled personally.

The assembly of a gaming PC is more satisfactory, in addition to being a learning experience that brings great value to those who have never built their own machine. There are multiple forums, specialized pages, and online consultants that can help with the complexities of assembly, as well as the resolution of errors and incompatibilities.

Good planning of an assembly for a cheap gaming PC usually results in a higher return on investment compared to factory-mounted equipment. This methodology also opens the possibility to personalize the equipment.

For their part, gaming PCs sold at low prices in stores also have a set of advantages; specifically, the great reliability of the system and the convenience that plugging in the machine and starting to use it have for the buyer.

In summary, these are the advantages and disadvantages of each format:

PC mount

Advantage:

Ability to save or get better parts for the same price User-friendly configuration and greater versatility Learning source

Disadvantages:

Possibility of making mistakes, which may incur additional expenses

Purchase of mounted PC as standard

Advantage:

Time interval between purchase and commissioning greatly reduced High mounting reliability Appropriate and comfortable for users with little computer skills

Disadvantages:

Little customization of the components You pay a plus for the set

The problems that we can find

In pursuit of the discussion, let's put the limit of what we consider as a cheap gaming PC on a computer (including peripherals) below € 800.

Many users are saddened to discover that their gaming rig , for which they have paid a not inconsiderable amount, does not perform as expected. You cannot ask for miracles from a system that has installed technology that is a few years old or has a lower-middle range. If we use The Witcher 3 or any other graphically demanding game as a benchmark , it is evident that the computer is going to suffer. Stable 60 frames per second (FPS) and high screen resolution is a utopia in this case.

Despite the fact that a cheap gaming PC cannot run a next-generation video game with medium or high graphics, that does not mean that it is not a good idea when the library of titles that we want to enjoy is made up of indies with simple graphics and few computer requirements. and memory, or old games (which on the other hand are much cheaper too).

In short, we must be very clear about what type of games we want to enjoy and what their minimum requirements are, as well as being honest with ourselves about whether or not we care about playing with graphics to a minimum in those novelties compatible with our system..

On the other hand, cheap gaming PCs have little chance for improvement. This is something that you have to keep in mind when buying. If we get a tower with a motherboard incompatible with more modern CPUs, any future attempt to update our build will be unfeasible or require additional expenses.

The same goes for RAM. Models from a few years ago cannot work alongside new central processing units. A lack of preplanning at the time of acquisition will ruin any future attempt at updating, but considering all these aspects will undoubtedly make the gaming PC that we want to buy in the first instance more expensive.

The motherboard and RAM are, unfortunately, not the only elements to consider: drive bays, storage limits, no I / O options and much more are some of the headaches that the buyer who needs to stick to a small budget. No one said that getting a cheap gaming PC was easy…

It turns out that, on many occasions, waiting a little longer until you can afford a mid-range gaming PC is a better idea than jumping for a cheap one. Small increases in the budget bring with it massive improvements in the performance and technical capabilities of the device.

Thus, while a cheap gaming PC is out of date from the moment it is installed, a mid-range gaming PC has a useful life compatible with the video game market of around two or three years.

This clearly indicates that the cheap gaming PC is very difficult to amortize, while those computers that are only a little more expensive pay off better in the medium and long term. That is why some market experts label balance gaming PCs as urgent solutions: they are practically only used to play those that motivate the purchase of the system.

In summary, a gaming PC below € 800 will present the following challenges:

Fair performance with the technical requirements of triple AAA games (depends on the PC that we can assemble) Impossibility of making game and telecommunications compatible ( streaming by Twitch, Discord or video recording) System anchored in the past that forces you to enjoy dated titles Difficulties to time to upgrade the hardware of the equipment and possible additional costs associated Complexity of the selection process of the computer Profitability only in the very short term Widely surpassed by models only slightly more expensive

When is a cheap gaming computer a good idea?

Despite the above, there are circumstances in which buying a gaming PC below 800 euros makes sense.

The first of all is the most obvious: when the buyer's economic prospects are not likely to improve. If saving until you can enter the mid-range of the PC gaming market is not, nor will it be, an option, then it is logical to get a PC that allows us to enjoy the world of video games as much as possible without damaging our finances.

Another scenario in which a cheap gaming PC can serve us is when the genres that interest us do not require much power or memory. If we are willing to stop playing current or future bombings such as Battlefield V or Cyberpunk 2077 , to fully dedicate ourselves to indies with low poly or pixel art aesthetics, then a cheap computer makes sense.

We can also choose our cheap gaming PC with a single game in mind. If we dedicate hundreds of hours to the same title, something that happens very often with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , Dota 2 , League of Legends , Overwatch , Fortnite , Minecraft and some others, then you can get to acquire a specialized gaming PC adapted to the demands of these games for a very low amount. It is not always possible, however; it completely depends on the objective game. Also intensive use implies better cooling and continuous maintenance of the system.

Finally, there is always the possibility that the purchase responds to an emergency, so patient waiting is not an option. If it is necessary to buy a cheap gaming PC as quickly as possible to replace another that has completely failed or for a similar situation, go ahead!

Where to save and where not to save when it comes to getting a cheap gaming PC?

Not all the components that make up the team have the same importance when the main use that is going to be given is to play video games.

The general rule of thumb is to save as much as you can on peripherals. It can be very tempting to get hold of a specialized mouse, with additional buttons, macro configuration, elegant and highly ergonomic design and low latency in the transmission of inputs ; but the reality is that the improvement in the game they provide is only marginal, while the price difference with a basic mouse is considerable.

The same goes for the keyboard. We will have to do without mechanical keyboards with striking LED lights until further notice and get one for a price that can be up to 10 times less.

It is also not convenient to make large expenses on the screen. Right now there are 60 Hz models at very affordable prices. It is necessary to avoid therefore those of 100, 144 or more hertz, as well as curved screens and large ones; All of them make the final team more expensive without making major differences to the game experience.

Additional hardware associated with audio (speakers, headphones, microphones, etc.) should also be subject to these considerations.

In addition to the little marginal added value that is achieved for each euro of initial investment, all these peripherals can be replaced later by superior ones, in a simple way, and complications due to incompatibilities are unlikely to arise.

The heart of the matter is the tower and the elements that go into it.

The CPU, motherboard, RAM and graphics card must be selected after a detailed analysis of the options available on the market. The motherboard is decisive because it limits other options such as the CPU and RAM. On the other hand, when choosing the central processing unit, it is better to opt for older models with high reliability than for modern versions with higher failure rates. As for the RAM, it will have to be rightly limited to the number of concurrent applications that are active during our gaming sessions. Finally, the graphics card will have to belong to the series launched one or two generations ago, depending on what our specific budget is.

The rest of the elements that make up the gaming PC are usually defined by these others, so that there are not a wide range of options for components such as the network card, the audio card, the internal wiring and the like.

As for storage, an SSD to install the operating system and the video game that we are exploiting at any given time is always a good idea, but keep in mind that the price of solid state drives is even much higher than that of HDDs (GB / Euro), so with games that occupy many gigabytes, we would make the gaming PC more expensive.

In any case, SSDs are an extra. If our accounts do not match, we can always opt for the hard drives, cheaper and with greater capacity. In the same way as with RAM, properly dimensioning our storage needs will help us to adjust the budget of the gaming PC to the limit (we can never forget that it will suffer a negative impact if our HDD or SSD is too full).

To finish, the box may seem like an unimportant element, but on a cheap gaming PC it is not. In general, we will be using the computer to the limit of its possibilities, so it is expected that the operating temperature will rise to temperatures that slow down the operation of the CPU or other components. When choosing the box you have to look for one with excellent thermal characteristics and abundant openings that facilitate the work of the installed fans.

Conclusion and final words

Buying a gaming PC on a very low budget is undesirable and should only be done when there is no other alternative. With just a little more money we can enter the mid-range and substantially improve the performance and capabilities of our computer, while greatly expanding the number of titles we can play.

We recommend reading our tutorials and settings regarding the PC:

Basic PC Settings Advanced PC Settings / Gaming Enthusiastic PC Settings Silent PC Settings

In addition, mid-range gaming PCs are more profitable in the medium and long term, since the cycles in which their technology remains relevant are much longer.