The Tech Buyer's Guru

The Best $750 Budget Gaming PC Build – May 2022

The Best $750 Budget Gaming PC Build – May 2022

By Ari Altman | Published May 2, 2022 | Updated May 2, 2022

Thermaltake H17Game Hard on a Budget!

Looking to build a budget gaming PC that’s anything but “cheap?” Then our $750 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 May 2022, the $750 Budget Gaming PC Build gets a massive upgrade, moving up to the new Intel Core i3-12100F, an awesome quad-core gaming processor that beats its predecessor the 10100F by 50%! It punches way above its price class and is far and away the best gaming processor available for under $150. We suggest you pair it with the new AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT 4GB, which is now at its lowest price since release!

In terms of storage, the $750 Budget Gaming PC Build sports a 512GB solid-state drive, ensuring that the PC doesn’t feel budget at all – it’s going to launch your games and everything else in a flash! This build also has a big advantage over other budget PCs on the ‘net, namely 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM rather than 8GB of slower RAM. This definitely gives the system a boost in games, above and beyond what the speedy CPU and GPU do on their own. Finally, this build is wrapped up in a stylish, compact mATX case. By the way, for around the same price as our DIY build, you can get a very similar pre-built system, which we list down below, so just take your pick!

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 or Newegg. Our Amazon links will auto-convert for readers located in the 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

  • Click to Buy
    The Budget Gaming PC –

    Acer Nitro 50 11400F/GTX 1650

    $780
    START GAMING TODAY! Despite the terrible state of gaming GPU market, Acer is still offering this budget-priced but well-equipped gaming PC, so get started gaming today! This system includes an Intel Core i5-11400F six-core, 12-thread processor, a GeForce GTX 1650 4GB video card, plus 8GB of RAM and a 512GB solid-state drive. It even has WiFi 6 build in!
    The Guru’s Tip

    This pre-built PC is a good pick if you'd rather not build your own or need the pack-in mouse and keyboard, but it will be a step behind in performance versus our DIY system spec'd out below, which has newer, faster components.

The DIY Build

  • Intel Core i3-12100F
    Click to Buy
    CPU –

    Intel Core i3-12100F @Newegg

    $108

    While AMD ruled the budget sector for a while, Intel has come roaring back, and its Core i3-12100F is simply the best CPU ever released anywhere near its pricepoint, thanks to its 4 cores and 8 threads based on the cutting-edge Alder Lake architecture. Note that the “F” version does not include built-in graphics, which is just fine given that this system has a separate video card!

     The Guru’s Tip

    Make sure to pair this with a socket 1700 motherboard, like the one below!
  • Gigabyte H610M
    Click to Buy
    Motherboard –

    GIGABYTE H610M S2H DDR4

    $100

    This board is an amazingly low-cost way to step into Intel’s socket 1700 platform. It’s the perfect match for a budget build, offering up a PCIe x16 Gen 4 slot for graphics cards, a PCIe x1 Gen 3 slot, an M.2 slot, two RAM slots, and six USB ports.

     The Guru’s Tip

    While this board has video outputs, they will not be enabled when paired with the 12100F CPU.
  • Gigabyte RX 6500 XT
    Click to Buy
    Video Card –

    Gigabyte Radeon RX 6500 XT Eagle 4G

    $210

    This powerful and efficient GPU offers 4GB of fast GDDR6 VRAM and an effective cooler to keep noise and temps down, making it perfect regardless of how much you push it!

     The Guru’s Tip

    This GPU performs best on a modern motherboard with a PCIe Gen 4 slot, just like the one we recommend!
  • G.Skill RipjawsV
    Click to Buy
    Memory –

    G.Skill 2x8GB RipJaws V DDR4 3200

    $66

    Because games and other applications can take serious advantage of RAM speed on the latest CPUs, we’re spec’ing a fast DDR4-3200 kit for this build. The RipJaws V kit offers a sleek look and comes in at a lower price than all of its competition!

     The Guru’s Tip

    The modern Intel platform used for this build will make great use of this high-speed RAM!
  • Click to Buy
    Solid-State Drive –

    Silicon Power 512GB NVMe

    $46

    You simply can’t do better for the price than this value-packed SSD, which uses the speedy PCIe 3.0 interface and TLC NAND to vastly outperform all the SATA drives that sell for around the same amount! Note that to install this drive, you’ll affix it in an M.2 slot on your motherboard using a jeweler’s-type screwdriver.

     The Guru’s Tip

    Given that this 512GB drive is around the same cost as many 250GB-class drives, it's an easy choice!
  • Thermaltake H17
    Click to Buy
    Case –

    Thermaltake H17

    $51

    The H17 offers plenty of features plus a sleek style at a bargain price. With venting in front and on top and a 120mm exhaust fan, you get performance and looks, plus the three USB ports up front provide more convenience than typical budget cases!

     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 430W
    Click to Buy
    Power Supply –

    Thermaltake Smart 430W 80+

    $30

    With 430W 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

    Don't go for a no-name power supply. It can cost you more than just your PSU!
  • Microsoft Windows 11
    Click to Buy
    Operating System –

    Windows 11 Home USB

    $139

    Windows 11 take everything people loved about Windows 10, and then takes 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!

     The Guru’s Tip

    It took a while for Win11 to arrive at retail after its initial virtual launch, but now that it's here, you definitely want it on your new build!

Optional Products

  • Click to Buy
    Wireless Card –

    TP-Link Archer T5E AC1200/Bluetooth 4.2

    $35
    Need wireless networking? Look no further than this ultra-high-speed 802.11ac PCIe-based card!
    The Guru’s Tip

    We recommend you install this in the last slot, to allow the GPU room to get fresh air.
  • Click to Buy
    Hard Drive –

    Seagate BarraCuda 2TB

    $48
    If you need extra space for bulk storage of media like photos, videos, and music, add this bargain-priced 2TB hard drive to your build. Coming in at just $10 more than most 1TB drives, it’s a tremendous bargain.
    The Guru’s Tip

    Remember, you do not want to use this for your OS installation, which should be on an SSD. A hard drive should only be used as secondary storage capacity.
  • Click to Buy
    The Budget Gaming Keyboard –

    Logitech G213 Gaming Keyboard

    $45
    Pick up a great keyboard at a great price with the G213. 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 Pro Gaming Mouse –

    Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed Wireless

    $40
    Offering cutting-edge performance, there’s nothing like the Basilisk X for anywhere near the price. Ultra-sensitive sensor, Razer’s awesome HyperSpeed wireless system, and perfect ergonomics. It’s a great mouse!
    The Guru’s Tip

    Given how inexpensive this wireless model is, there's no reason to go wired!
  • AOC 24G2
    Click to Buy
    The 24-inch 144Hz Gaming Monitor –

    AOC 24G2

    $170
    If you want to pick up a true “gaming” monitor, you want something with a high refresh rate. And this is the very best value out there in high-refresh-rate monitors. It features a 24″ 1920×1080 IPS panel capable of displaying images at up to 144Hz, 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. Another nice feature of this model is the height-adjustable stand, which allows you to dial in just the right setup!
    The Guru’s Tip

    Note that while there are a few Freesync monitors at the $150 pricepoint, they are vastly inferior to this one, making the extra cost well worth it.
  • Click to Buy
    The Mainstream Gaming Headset –

    Corsair HS35 Stereo

    $35
    Assuming you actually want to hear the bullets whizzing by you in your games, you’re going to need a great audio source, and there’s no better budget gaming headset on the market than the HS35 from Corsair! With 50mm drivers and a comfortable fit, it’s the real deal, where all the other headsets in its price range are just pretending.
    The Guru’s Tip

    This headset weighs just 250g, making it virtually disappear once you put it on!

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