The Best $750 Budget Gaming PC Build – May 2022
Game 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
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The Budget Gaming PC –
Acer Nitro 50 11400F/GTX 1650
$780START 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!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
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CPU –
Intel Core i3-12100F @Newegg
$108 The Guru’s TipMake sure to pair this with a socket 1700 motherboard, like the one below!
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Motherboard –
GIGABYTE H610M S2H DDR4
$100 The Guru’s TipWhile this board has video outputs, they will not be enabled when paired with the 12100F CPU.
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Video Card –
Gigabyte Radeon RX 6500 XT Eagle 4G
$210 The Guru’s TipThis GPU performs best on a modern motherboard with a PCIe Gen 4 slot, just like the one we recommend!
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Memory –
G.Skill 2x8GB RipJaws V DDR4 3200
$66 The Guru’s TipThe modern Intel platform used for this build will make great use of this high-speed RAM!
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Solid-State Drive –
Silicon Power 512GB NVMe
$46 The Guru’s TipGiven that this 512GB drive is around the same cost as many 250GB-class drives, it's an easy choice!
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Case –
Thermaltake H17
$51 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 430W 80+
$30 The Guru’s TipDon't go for a no-name power supply. It can cost you more than just your PSU!
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Operating System –
Windows 11 Home USB
$139 The Guru’s TipIt 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
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Wireless Card –
TP-Link Archer T5E AC1200/Bluetooth 4.2
$35 The Guru’s TipWe recommend you install this in the last slot, to allow the GPU room to get fresh air.
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Hard Drive –
Seagate BarraCuda 2TB
$48 The Guru’s TipRemember, 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.
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The Budget Gaming Keyboard –
Logitech G213 Gaming Keyboard
$45 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 Pro Gaming Mouse –
Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed Wireless
$40 The Guru’s TipGiven how inexpensive this wireless model is, there's no reason to go wired!
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The 24-inch 144Hz Gaming Monitor –
AOC 24G2
$170 The Guru’s TipNote 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.
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The Mainstream Gaming Headset –
Corsair HS35 Stereo
$35 The Guru’s TipThis headset weighs just 250g, making it virtually disappear once you put it on!
Total Cost: $750
The Pre-Built Option
The DIY Build
- CPU – Intel Core i3-12100F @Newegg ($108)
- Motherboard – GIGABYTE H610M S2H DDR4 ($100)
- Video Card – Gigabyte Radeon RX 6500 XT Eagle 4G ($210)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x8GB RipJaws V DDR4 3200 ($66)
- Solid-State Drive – Silicon Power 512GB NVMe ($46)
- Case – Thermaltake H17 ($51)
- Power Supply – Thermaltake Smart 430W 80+ ($30)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home USB ($139)
Optional Products
- Wireless Card – TP-Link Archer T5E AC1200/Bluetooth 4.2 ($35)
- Hard Drive – Seagate BarraCuda 2TB ($48)
- The Budget Gaming Keyboard – Logitech G213 Gaming Keyboard ($45)
- The Pro Gaming Mouse – Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed Wireless ($40)
- The 24-inch 144Hz Gaming Monitor – AOC 24G2 ($170)
- The Mainstream Gaming Headset – Corsair HS35 Stereo ($35)