The Best $850 Budget Gaming PC Build – December 2025
Note: This Guide is no longer being updated. Please see our $1000 Gaming PC Guide for our lowest-cost gaming PC setup. Due to significant component price increases in 2025, our the $750 budget we set for this guide back in 2013 suddenly became obsolete!
Game 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 December 2025, the $850 Budget Gaming PC Build starts with the legendary AMD Ryzen 5 5600, a six-core gaming processor that offers tremendous power for around $150. 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 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 DDR4 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
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The Budget Gaming PC –Skytech Shadow 5600/RX 6600
$850The Guru’s TipGet a capable gaming system at a reasonable price with the Skytech Shadow. This system is equipped an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 6-core, 12-thread CPU, which is backing up a Radeon RX 6600 8GB video card. Other great specs include 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, a 1TB solid-state drive, and built-in wireless.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
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CPU –AMD Ryzen 5 5600
$160 The Guru’s TipThis CPU includes a cooler, and we recommend you use it to save some cash!
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Motherboard –ASRock B650M PG Lightning WiFi
$130 The Guru’s TipThis motherboard requires budget-priced DDR4 RAM, which allows us to even offer you a budget PC option. DDR5 is too expensive to use in a system in this price range.
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Video Card –XFX Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
$290 The Guru’s TipThis is a great deal, and offers far superior performance to the similarly-priced RTX 5060 8GB, which has much worse memory management in games.
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Memory –G.Skill 2x8GB RipJaws V DDR4 3200
$105 The Guru’s TipThank goodness for DDR4 RAM still being on the market - it's 1/3 the price of DDR5!
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Solid-State Drive –TeamGroup 1TB MP44L PCIe 4.0
$99 The Guru’s TipThis drive will provide plenty of speed for your budget gaming PC!
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–Cooler Master Q300L V2
$39 The Guru’s TipThis is a micro ATX (mATX) case, so make sure to follow our recommendation on the mATX motherboard to use with it!
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Power Supply –Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+
$40 The Guru’s TipThis PSU simply has no competition in its price range!
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Operating System –Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg
$139 The Guru’s TipWin11 is what you want in your new gaming system to maximize performance!
Optional Products
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The 24-inch 165Hz Gaming Monitor –Sceptre E248B-FPT168 24″ 165Hz
$100 The Guru’s TipGiven that this model is priced like standard locked 60Hz monitors, it's a true dream for budget gamers!
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The Budget Gaming Keyboard –SteelSeries Apex 3
$50 The Guru’s TipThere are a lot of knock-off keyboards on the market selling for around the same price - our advice: avoid them!
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The Mid-Range Gaming Mouse –Logitech G502 Hero
$38 The Guru’s TipThis mouse is far better than no-name mice that sell for around the same amount!
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The Bargain Gaming Headset –HyperX Cloud Stinger 2
$40 The Guru’s TipThis headset is the perfect match for a budget gaming PC!
Total Cost: $1000
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Build
- CPU – AMD Ryzen 5 5600 ($160)
- Motherboard – ASRock B650M PG Lightning WiFi ($130)
- Video Card – XFX Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB ($290)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x8GB RipJaws V DDR4 3200 ($105)
- Solid-State Drive – TeamGroup 1TB MP44L PCIe 4.0 ($99)
- – Cooler Master Q300L V2 ($39)
- Power Supply – Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+ ($40)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
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The TBG DIY PC Build Guides
View all of TBG’s DIY PC Build Guides! This is where you’ll find all the best PC builds on the ‘net, from ultra-compact home office PCs to massive gaming towers.
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The Monitor Buyer's Guide
Need to complete your system with a new gaming monitor? We list the best options!
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The Headset/Speaker Buyer's Guide
Upgrade your audio experience with one of our top-rated speakers or headsets!
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The Wireless Networking Buyer's Guide
Don't bog your new system down with old wireless - upgrade your router today!