The Tech Buyer's Guru

The Best $850 Budget Gaming PC Build – November 2025

The Best $850 Budget Gaming PC Build – November 2025

By Ari Altman | Published November 4, 2025 | Updated November 4, 2025

CoolerMaster Q300L V2Game Hard on a Budget!

Looking to build a budget gaming PC that’s anything but “cheap?” Then our $850 Budget Gaming PC Build is the one for you! While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles you’ll find in higher-priced systems, like liquid cooling or fancy RGB lighting, for pure gaming purposes this build offers the best bang for the buck you’ll find. That means fantastic performance in all of today’s latest games without breaking the bank!

This Month’s Build, Featuring Intel and AMD!

For November 2025, the $850 Budget Gaming PC Build starts with the legendary Intel Core i5-12400F, a six-core gaming processor that offers tremendous power for just over $100. It’s supporting the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB video card, which is a full 50% faster than the 6600 8GB we used to recommend, and a steal at under $300.

In terms of storage, the $750 Budget Gaming PC Build features a big 1TB Gen 4 solid-state drive, which is up to 3x faster than the Gen 3 drive we used to recommend. It will ensure that the PC doesn’t feel budget at all. The system also uses 16GB of modern DDR5 RAM. Finally, this build is wrapped up in a stylish, compact mATX case, and powered by a high-capacity 500W power supply.

Parting Thoughts

If you’d like to accessorize the $750 Budget Gaming PC Build, browse our recommendations for budget-friendly PC accessories at the end of this guide, including our favorite bargain high-refresh rate monitor and a great budget gaming mouse. You can also feel free to jump over to our Monitor Buyer’s Guide and Peripherals Buyer’s Guide.

We update this build monthly, as prices and components in this market segment change frequently, and a few dollars here or there could buy you (or cost you) a lot of speed! Throughout this guide, we provide links to Amazon, which will auto-convert for readers located in Canada, the UK, and parts of the EU, with substitutions made automatically based on regional availability. Your use of these links is the only thing that keeps this site on the ‘net!

The Pre-Built Option

  • Skytech Rampage
    Click to Buy
    The High-End Gaming PC –

    Skytech Shadow 7600/RTX 4060

    $799
    Start gaming today on this great pre-built system from Skytech! It features the impressive AMD Ryzen 5 7600 six-core, 12-thread CPU, along with the GeForce RTX 4060 8B video card. Also onboard are 16GB of DDR5-6000 RAM, a 500GB solid-state drive, and wireless networking!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This is a great way to get started in gaming without breaking the bank! While the GPU is not as fast as what you'll get in our DIY PC, the CPU is equivalent, making this a good platform to upgrade over time.

The DIY Build

  • Intel Core i5
    Click to Buy
    CPU –

    Intel Core i5-12400F

    $155
    The 12th-Gen “Alder Lake” CPUs are Intel’s most impressive release in a decade, and the Core i5-12400F offers the best value not only among Alder Lake CPUs, but among any CPU ever released! Packing in 6 performance cores and 6 additional threads, it can easily beat any CPU at its pricepoint, including everything from AMD! The “F” version of the 12400 does not include onboard graphics, but that’s fine for this build, which uses a separate video card.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This CPU includes a cooler, and we recommend you use it to save some cash!
  • AsRock B760M
    Click to Buy
    Motherboard –

    AsRock B760M Riptide WiFi

    $120
    This bargain-priced board is packed with features. It offers has two expansion slots, two M.2 slots, 8 USB ports (including a Type-C port), and built-in WiFi 6E. It uses the modern DDR5 memory standard to get the most out of the latest processors.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This modern motherboard requires DDR5 RAM, which is what we spec in this guide. Also note that with the selected processor, the board's video outputs will not function, which is fine as this system uses a discrete video card.
  • 9060 XT
    Click to Buy
    Video Card –

    PowerColor Radeon RX 9060 XT Reaper 8GB

    $270
    Get into serious PC gaming today with the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB. It has plenty of power to tackle any modern game, and has no competition from Nvidia GPUs at its pricepoint – it’s a far better pick than the RTX 5060 8GB!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This is a great deal, and offers far superior performance to the similarly-priced RTX 5060 8GB, which has much worse memory management in games.
  • Crucial
    Click to Buy
    Memory –

    Crucial 2x8GB DDR5-4800 C46

    $78
    For a cutting-edge PC, you need DDR5 RAM, and this kit offers a tremendous value for this current standard. It operates at a speed of DDR5-4800 C40 at an efficient 1.1V.  And with a total capacity of 16GB, it’s sufficient for just about any use.

    The Guru’s Tip

    As a notice to our readers, RAM prices have doubled since summer 2025, and likely will continue to increase due to the huge demand in commercial AI applications.
  • Click to Buy
    Solid-State Drive –

    Silicon Power 1TB PCIe 4.0

    $78
    The Silicon Power PCIe 4.0 drive, which blows past PCIe Gen3-based drives by harnessing the power of the PCIe Gen4 interface, is an absolute bargain of a high-end drive. Featuring durable TLC NAND, it can hit up to 5,000MB/s in sequential operations!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This drive will provide plenty of speed for your budget gaming PC!
  • CoolerMaster Q300L V2
    Click to Buy
    –

    Cooler Master Q300L V2

    $39
    Offering loads of style and performance for the price, the Q300L V2 is by far the best buy in its price class. It features a mesh front panel, a 120mm rear fan, and slick magnetic dust filters on both the top and front. Similar to much more expensive cases, it has dual USB Type-A ports and single Type-C port up front. For style, it has a tempered glass side panel, providing a great look inside the chassis.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This is a micro ATX (mATX) case, so make sure to follow our recommendation on the mATX motherboard to use with it!
  • Thermaltake 500W
    Click to Buy
    Power Supply –

    Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+

    $40
    With 500W of power on tap, 80% efficiency at load, and a 5-year warranty, this power supply offers exceptional value and plenty of headroom for this system!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This PSU simply has no competition in its price range!
  • Microsoft Windows 11
    Click to Buy
    Operating System –

    Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg

    $137
    Windows 11 built on everything people loved about Windows 10, and then took it to 11! It adds significant under-the-hood changes to make it faster and more secure, and of course, the interface is sleek too! Note that we’re linking to Newegg, because Amazon long ago stopped selling this physical USB version of Windows, which is the most convenient one to use.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Win11 is what you want in your new gaming system to maximize performance!

Optional Products

  • E248B-FPT168
    Click to Buy
    The 24-inch 165Hz Gaming Monitor –

    Sceptre E248B-FPT168 24″ 165Hz

    $100
    If you want to pick up a true “gaming” monitor, you want something with a high refresh rate. Luckily for you, Sceptre has been busy breaking down price barriers for high-refresh-rate monitors. This model features a 24″ 1920×1080 IPS panel (superior to TN or VA!), capable of displaying images at up to 165Hz, which makes it infinitely smoother than a standard 60Hz monitor that costs just a bit less. And thanks to its FreeSync technology, it will run with zero lag or screen-tearing.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Given that this model is priced like standard locked 60Hz monitors, it's a true dream for budget gamers!
  • Apex 3
    Click to Buy
    The Budget Gaming Keyboard –

    SteelSeries Apex 3

    $50
    Pick up a great keyboard at a great price with the Apex 3. It’s quick, quiet, and responsive, and it also has sweet RGB backlighting, of course!

    The Guru’s Tip

    There are a lot of knock-off keyboards on the market selling for around the same price - our advice: avoid them!
  • Click to Buy
    The Mid-Range Gaming Mouse –

    Logitech G502 Hero

    $38
    Get a jump on your competition with this awesome gaming mouse from Logitech, which features a next-gen 16,000dpi sensor and a classic ergonomic shape!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This mouse is far better than no-name mice that sell for around the same amount!
  • HyperX Cloud Stinger 2
    Click to Buy
    The Bargain Gaming Headset –

    HyperX Cloud Stinger 2

    $40
    HyperX absolutely revolutionized the budget gaming headset market with the original Cloud Stinger, and has taken it up a notch with the Stinger 2. It retains the original’s big 50mm drivers, but has an updated rotating cup design and swing-down mic for better comfort and control. It also adds DTS Headphone:X for virtual 7.1  surround sound, making it is an unbeatable value.

    The Guru’s Tip

    This headset is the perfect match for a budget gaming PC!