Even in a global memory crisis you can get a whole PC gaming setup on the cheap if you go pre-built
With Amazon’s Spring Sale now up and running, I’ve been nosing through all the deals to see whether it’s possible to put together a complete gaming PC setup (i.e. computer and all the necessary peripherals) for under $1,200. There’s a huge amount of satisfaction to be had from building your own PC, but thanks to the global memory crisis, the prices of DRAM and SSDs are ludicrous.
The build I originally put together came to a total of $1,001 but it had one crucial part missing: Windows. I know I could go down the Linux route and not have to worry about spending any money on an operating system, but for anyone new to PCs, that’s really not an ideal entry point.
Eventually, I settled on a Zotac Gaming prebuilt for $900 at Newegg (which obviously does come with Windows), and then went off to find a nice monitor, keyboard, mouse, and headset to go with it.
The Ryzen 5 5500 is our current pick for the best budget gaming CPU on the market right now. Yes, it’s a relatively old processor, with an architecture dating from 2020, and the lack of L3 cache (just 16 MB) does it no favours in gaming. However, I can attest to its plucky spirit, having built a few systems with the chip, and its ultra-low price helps to offset the enormous cost of memory and storage.
For graphics duties, the Zotac Gaming Mek sports a GeForce RTX 5050, and just like the little Ryzen, it’s our top recommendation for the best budget graphics card. It’s nothing amazing, but for 1080p gameplay, it’s pretty decent. Enable DLSS upscaling, and it’ll handle competitive shooters just fine.
1080p gaming performance
Black Myth Wukong (1080p High) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
50 Avg FPS, 38 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
37 Avg FPS, 28 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
64 Avg FPS, 48 1% Low FPS
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
32 Avg FPS, 23 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
33 Avg FPS, 28 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
46 Avg FPS, 30 1% Low FPS
F1 24 (1080p Ultra high) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
54 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
54 Avg FPS, 32 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
73 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
Homeworld 3 (1080p Epic) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
96 Avg FPS, 58 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
64 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
109 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1080p Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
65 Avg FPS, 43 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
73 Avg FPS, 46 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
87 Avg FPS, 47 1% Low FPS
The Talos Principle 2 (1080p Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
46 Avg FPS, 28 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
40 Avg FPS, 19 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
52 Avg FPS, 34 1% Low FPS
Total War: Warhammer 3 (1080p Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
54 Avg FPS, 40 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
55 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
78 Avg FPS, 57 1% Low FPS
1440p gaming performance
Black Myth Wukong (1440p High) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
33 Avg FPS, 28 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
26 Avg FPS, 21 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
44 Avg FPS, 37 1% Low FPS
Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
17 Avg FPS, 10 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
17 Avg FPS, 9 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
23 Avg FPS, 12 1% Low FPS
F1 24 (1440p Ultra High) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
34 Avg FPS, 22 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
36 Avg FPS, 22 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
45 Avg FPS, 13 1% Low FPS
Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
68 Avg FPS, 35 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
49 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
89 Avg FPS, 52 1% Low FPS
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1440p Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
46 Avg FPS, 33 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
55 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
63 Avg FPS, 45 1% Low FPS
The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
29 Avg FPS, 21 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
27 Avg FPS, 15 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
41 Avg FPS, 21 1% Low FPS
Total War: Warhammer 3 (1440p Ultra) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
37 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
39 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
55 Avg FPS, 40 1% Low FPS
Upscaling performance
Black Myth Wukong (1440p High + Upscaling quality) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
57 Avg FPS, 49 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
45 Avg FPS, 32 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
73 Avg FPS, 62 1% Low FPS
Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra + upscaling quality) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
61 Avg FPS, 40 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
77 Avg FPS, 65 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
81 Avg FPS, 54 1% Low FPS
F1 24 (1440p Ultra high +upscsaling quality, 2x FG) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
82 Avg FPS, 55 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
112 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
101 Avg FPS, 11 1% Low FPS
Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic + upscaling quality) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
94 Avg FPS, 56 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
63 Avg FPS, 38 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
113 Avg FPS, 61 1% Low FPS
The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra +upscaling quality, 2x FG) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
68 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS
Arc B570
63 Avg FPS, 36 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060
84 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS
Synthetic performance
02,5005,0007,50010,000
Overall index score
3DMark Port Royal Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
6184
Arc B570
6742
RTX 5060
8618
3DMark Time Spy Extreme Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
4614 GPU index score, 4900 Overall index score
Arc B570
6001 GPU index score, 6176 Overall index score
RTX 5060
6379 GPU index score, 6526 Overall index score
02505007501,000
Samples per min
Blender 4.3.0 (Junkyard) Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
753.42
Arc B570
354.68
RTX 5060
939.86
Procyon generative image creation Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
1268 Index score, 78.851 Duration (sec)
Arc B570
1185 Index score, 84.358 Duration (sec)
RTX 5060
1683 Index score, 59.399 Duration (sec)
System performance
07501,5002,2503,000
Average clock speed (MHz)
GPU frequency Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
2682
Arc B570
2693
RTX 5060
2659
Performance per watt Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
0.22 4K frames per J, 0.53 1080p frame per J
Arc B570
0.21 4K frames per J, 0.51 1080p frame per J
RTX 5060
0.24 4K frames per J, 0.61 1080p frame per J
Power Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
150 Peak power (watts), 128 Average power (watts)
Arc B570
183 Peak power (watts), 162 Average power (watts)
RTX 5060
170 Peak power (watts), 154 Average power (watts)
Average temperature (°C)
Thermals Data
Product
Value
RTX 5050
68 Peak temperature (°C), 67 Average temperature (°C)
Arc B570
63 Peak temperature (°C), 61 Average temperature (°C)
RTX 5060
64 Peak temperature (°C), 62 Average temperature (°C)
You only get 16 GB of DDR4-3200 memory, but as I’ve shown in the past, that’s more than enough for most games, as long as you avoid having too many apps open while gaming. And while it would be nice to have more storage than just 1 TB, SSD prices are so high these days that it’s actually quite a shock to see this amount for an entry-level build.
Overall, it’s a simple gaming PC, but one that should keep anyone new to PC gaming happy. Now, you just need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and headset to go with it. Easy peasy.
It’s easy to get carried away when picking up a monitor and peripheral set to go with your new gaming PC, but if you’re on a tight budget, it can be hard to sift through the masses of ‘deals’ on offer. Well, don’t worry, because I’ve done it for you (or rather, the whole team has) because we’ve personally tested all of the above peripherals and rate them very highly.
The only thing we haven’t tested is the Acer monitor. It won’t have the rich colors of an IPS panel or the blistering speed of an OLED monitor, but what it does have is a fast VA display and excellent value for money.
Put everything here together, and you’ve got a whole new gaming PC setup for just under $1,112. That’s a whole $88 less than my original budget of $1,200 for a complete system. The RAMpocalypse might be trying its best to ruin PC gaming, but if you don’t mind using older parts and tech, you can still get into one of the best hobbies around without utterly destroying your bank account.
