If you’re looking to buy a powerful prebuilt ready-to-play gaming computer online from Amazon, we have the 2 best budget gaming desktops you can buy on a budget to save you time and money.
We’re giving you both options, the Intel Core i5-12400F and the Intel i7-12700F if you want more power.
When it comes to buying a prebuilt gaming computer, there are a few things you want to be sure to look out for. Here we will bring you two of the best options for buying an all-in-one gaming computer that comes ready to play straight out of the box. No need to hunt for an overpriced graphics card or figure out if your motherboard is compatible with your processor or learn how to put the computer together. Plug and Play.
We used to recommend building your own computer but due to the current chip shortages, supply chain breakdowns, graphics card scalpers, and price gouging, we can no longer recommend building your computer if you want to save money. With all that plus the high cost of electronic components, it has become a much better budget move to buy a gaming computer that is already fully put together if you’re looking to save money. The truth is, at this point, you’re lucky you can even get a gaming computer like these builds. Prices will only go up, and inventory will only go down.
Option 1) Intel i5-12400F Gaming Computer
While this prebuild is not only cost-efficient, it is 100% done for you and has a powerful RTX 3050 GFX card installed. This is a great budget build for the current market. It comes ready to beef anyone who crosses your path in online gaming. No hassle, no fuss. A great out-of-the-box gaming computer.
- Brand: CyberPower
- Series: Gamer Xtreme VR
- Model #: GXiVR8060A16
- CPU: Intel i5-12400F 2.5GHz 6-Core
- GFX Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 8GB
- Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Hard Drive: 500GB NVMe SSD
- Networking: Built-in Wireless AC
- OS: Windows 11 Home
- VR: Ready
- Includes: Mouse & Keyboard
- Price: On Amazon
Option 2) Intel i7-12700F Gaming Computer
This fully built gaming computer is all you need to dive right in.
- Brand: ROG Strix
- Series: G15 Gaming Desktop
- Model #: G15CF-AB766
- CPU: Intel i7-12700F 12 Cores 4.9GHz
- GFX Card: GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
- Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Hard Drive: 1TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD
- OS: Windows 11 Home
- Price: On Amazon
Hi–I built the budget office build almost 3 years ago and am still using it. I’m going to build another PC for working from home, and would like to build this budget gaming build for that . . . and for my kids to do some gaming when I am not on it. My question is this:
We tried to download a game my son likes called Fortnite on an older iMac. It won’t let him play because the game requires a “metal” graphics card. I assume this is not a graphics card that plays some hot licks on electric guitar. I don’t know what it means, but are the two option graphics cards listed on this build “metal” graphics cards?
Also, given that I’m posting this on 12/29/18, is there going to be an update to this build soon? If so, I’d like to wait before putting one together.
Thanks–this site is awesome. Because of it: I will never, ever buy another PC and will always build one. Much more bang for the buck.
Best,
Fredrick
That’s awesome! So glad to hear this helped you move forward without looking back. It surely is a lot more rewarding to build your own system.
As for this gaming edition, I just updated after your comment with the latest and greatest in AMD Ryzen technology. A new processor had indeed launched and we’re all up to date now for the budget and upgraded Ryzen 5 build.
As for the graphics card, yes the GTX 1050 is so metal and will rock out on all the latest games. But for the “metal” Apple speaks of, some weird thing for Apple specifically.
I think the Ryzen 3 and GTX 1050 are going to do you just fine and be a big upgrade from the office build so if that one did you good, this one will do you great.
Luxury wise, if affordable, the SSD will be the biggest performance increase for working and the 16GB of RAM can’t hurt. Otherwise, rock on. It will all be a big step up.
This is the first time I’ve ever attempted a build. I’ve been out of gaming for a long time and decided recently that I should get something that can handle both graphic design & gaming with future potential to upgrade, while still not being a hardcore gamer of any kind. On the cheaper amd build, would most other cases work? Or are they specified to the size of the contents you’ve listed inside? For example, something like the rosewill challenger case.
Yes, this build will fit in all normal sized cases from micro to mid to standard ATX because the motherboard is a mATX which forward compatible size wise.
I’m not a gamer but would like to build an i5 machine powerhouse that has super fast startup and response time. Can I just use your build and eliminate the graphics card out of it and use onboard graphics of the mobo or will that bottleneck me? Thanks
Actually no, that would be fine if you do not plan on gaming.
You will still need the Solid State Drive upgrade if you want those speeds though.
Thanks a bunch. Got the SSD and all the other components except for my 500R today. Can’t wait til it gets here tomorrow. I really appreciate your help.
Hi, I purchased everything I need for the Intel build. After I’m done building, can I just plug in my old hard drive with Windows 7 on it to my new build? I purchased a 240 GB SSD also. Or do I need to repurchase Windows and do a fresh install on my new computer? I don’t have a disk for my Windows 7. Thank you for the help.
I have actually done this before and it worked.
For some reason I always thought it would fail because of drivers.
Be sure to download the LAN Drivers for your MoBo onto a USB first, then run something like Driver Booster 4.0(free) to get all the updates.
You can then use that working new machine with old HDD to clone it to your new SSD and swap it.
Comment there with any questions and good luck!
I have been in the market to build a pc. Until today this is the best and closest to what i was wanting go get. Most bang for your buck and powerful. My questions are can i put a pci-e elgato inside this motherboard and another is can I also put a I7 later down the road as well and not have to upgrade the motherboard or anything? Thanks in advance.
Awesome!
Yes, you may indeed upgrade to an i7 6th gen later and not have to upgrade the motherboard. Just be sure to get one that has a 6xxx skew or it says LGA1151. The older 5th gen will not work with this mobo.
And the elgato should work because it is PCI-e and this motherboard has a slot for the GFX card an an extra for this if you would like.
Thanks for all your hard work putting together these builds. I have a GoPro HD Hero 4 that I used to film some 4k video. I was wondering if the AMD Budget build or the Intel Power Build were capable of handling 4k video watching/editing?
Thanks for any feedback,
Chris
Hey Chris,
Watching the 4k videos, yes, either build will do. But as far as editing goes, you would want the i7 processor. I have updated the computer build with the i7 as an upgrade option.
Hi. I find your guide really helpful and I’m very thankful for that cause it will help me save a lot of money by not buying the wrong stuff. My only problem though is our local store is not offering EVGA GeForce 950FTW Gfx card. Is there an alternative to this? Using AMD build btw.
Yes, many and even better options that do not fall under “budge builds” but it would really depend on local stock.
If you can afford it, the GTX 960 is the better budget card but surely cost more.
Will my Gigabyte Geforce GTX 980 G1 Gaming 4096MB GDDR5 Graphic Card fit into the Corsair carbide series spec-01 computer case. Well thanks for the previous reply!! :)
According to product specs, yes.
The case will fit up yo 420mm and the card is under 320mm.
Nice card by the way!
Can I get 2tb of memory. Will it work?
When you say memory I assume you mean RAM aka Random Access Memory.
The max RAM is generally 32gb.
However because of that really large number, I assume you mean storage space. Yes, you can get as much storage space as you’d like. I have much more than 2tb.
Hey this is an amazing site I came across! I am in the process of building my first gaming computer and its basically your power build but with a different graphics card and case. Would the power build work with a MSI GAMING GeForce GTX 970 4GB OC DirectX 12 VR READY (GTX 970 GAMING 4G) and Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-02 Mid Tower Gaming Case? Thank you for all the wonderful information, its very beneficial for a beginner!
Hey Arty,
Thanks and yes, you can upgrade to the GTX 970 and use any mid sized tower for this build.
Will i need to buy things like cords for the build?
Nope! The cords come with the equipment.
I really would like some help to decide which components to buy. I’m trying to build a really fast gaming PC, don’t really know which are the newest/fastest parts as of today.
Will Windows 7 work for the AMD Build you have. I really don’t like windows 10.
Yes indeed.
Windows 7 will work. And likely bug you to upgrade to Windows 10! haha. But you can disable that.
I loved Windows 10 at first but the more I dive deeper into it, I find it to be a lot harder on me, someone who works in Tech Support. They sure did hide basic stuff and simplify some stuff too much. Like they are trying to duplicate OSx which I can not stand.
Hey there I just bought and built the AMD Budget build for my kid. First computer I’ve ever built. Seemed easy enough but as with the other two that mentioned they can’t get it to hook up to a monitor. I bought a used acer monitor for $40 because it was working at guys house and looked pretty nice. I brought it home and tried to hook it up to the newly built computer which by the way has all the fans going and the red light is on. The monitor keeps saying No Signal then going to standby. I cannot change the input setting on the monitor because its a stupid acer who has an on board screen which I believe needs signal to use… that being said I’ve tried plugging the monitor in via VGA to the video card and just the mobo as well. I’ve tried HDMI and I’ve also tried the converter that comes with the graphics card for DVI to VGA. I don’t have a DVI cord so if thats the default… i’ll buy one tommorrow and try it regardless. . I knew this seemed to easy and cheap.. LOL Hope I figure this out, or you can give me some useful info. If all goes well I plan on selling this computer and building the power build so the kid can play his games proper. Look forward to a response.
Well it should definitely work. It’s not a compatibility issue.
I’m sort of stumped as to what it could be.
Check the mobo manual regarding light status.
Any beeps?
Do you get lights on your keyboard and or mouse?
Also have you tried removing the GFX card all together and using on board to see if that is the issue?
Maybe check the back of the power supply to make sure it is on the right voltage.
Can you suggest a prime eligible mobo for the intel build? The one you have listed is almost out of stock and I need to build 3.
Yeah because that one is cheap and popular it is often out of stock.
However you can honestly get any ATX or mATX LGA 1151 H170 (or Z170) board by ASUS, Gigabyte, ASRock or MSI. They’re all solid manufactures and have pretty much the same options.
Things you will want to keep note of is number of available USB 3.0 ports and Memory Sockets if you plan on going with 4 sticks.
You ask, what is the difference between H170 and Z170. Well the Z is overclockable but because this is not the k sku CPU and it is more than powerful enough, you do not need the Z board unless it is cheaper. Then go for it.
As for the H170 I mention, it looks like if you click the link, then click view from other sellers, there is a Prime option that cost a little more.
The Gigabyte H170 LGA 1151 Socket “current price” hyperlink points to a mini ITX motherboard. I would like a standard ATX motherboard.
I have updated the part list with a standard ATX board now that the prices have come down to the same level.
I got the AMD build together and it wont connect to a monitor.
It will connect, there is something being overlooked here.
Did you forget to put the power supply to the graphics card?
Is the monitors settings on the right display in? Sometimes it is defaulted to VGA or DVI and you need to tell it to use Auto or HDMI.
Have you tried the motherboards display out?
Did you try reseating the GFX card?
Same thing happened to me but with the intel power build. I’ve tried all the things you just said, checked all the wires and it still wont connect to either my tv (using an hdmi) or one of my old monitors (using a dvi).
Since I never heard back from the guy who had an issue building the AMD CPU I assume he figured it out.
But with you, let’s try this.
What if you remove the Graphics Card and use the built in MOBO HDMI Display out?