$990 gaming PC

Gaming on a budget? We show you how to build a machine for under $1,000

PRICES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PRINTING

OK, so times are tough right now and the price of everything seems to be going up by the day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to put those PC building plans on hold just yet. Stick to a budget of around $1,000 for a new PC and it‘s possible to get a smooth 1080p gaming experience at a reasonable price.

So, where do we start? Let’s begin by choosing our sides—are you team Intel or team AMD? In this budget offering, we’ve gone down the Intel route with a 12th generation i5-12400 CPU. Alongside a Zotac RTX 3050, this should provide a decent gaming experience. Working to a budget brings a few constraints, of course. Not only do we have to choose our components carefully, but they also need to match each another to give you a machine that’s not just capable of gaming but is also a reliable workhorse.

Thankfully, we’ve lined up a range of parts that should make this PC a strong rig to complete an array of tasks from simple admin and watching Netflix to some solid gaming. With this machine, we’re hoping to show that for a relatively modest outlay, you can game comfortably and also build a PC with future-proofing in mind. Especially with the 12th generation Intel chip we’ve chosen, it should last for some time yet.