As GPU prices soar past the stratosphere and new triple-A titles demand beefier hardware, gaming on the PC looks increasingly exclusive to the 1%. Pre-built "budget" rigs from brands like Dell and HP still cost upwards of $1000 without providing much value, performance or upgradability.
However, building your own ~$800 gaming PC in 2023 unlocks cheaper access to glorious high frame rate gaming with some clever part selections and reasonable compromises. Let‘s break down what‘s possible on a tight budget.
Why Build Instead of Buy?
Before we dive into specific components, why attempt building your own budget PC rather than buying a pre-built?
Total Cost Savings: DIY rigs cost 20-30% less for similar hardware. OEMs charge a premium for assembly, licensing, support contracts, and branding. Most of that‘s not needed for the tech savvy.
Better Performance Per Dollar: You carefully hand-pick parts ideal for gaming instead of whatever‘s leftover from enterprise bulk orders. No more hugely unbalanced builds!
Tailor Perfectly to Your Needs: Want more RGB lighting? Fancy liquid cooling? Love overclocking? DIY lets you customize exactly to your budget rather than relying on off-the-shelf configurations.
Upgrade Friendly: Commercial OEM builds often cut corners on the power supply, motherboard size, and cooling to maximize profit. That limits future expansion and overclocking potential down the road.
The monetary savings and control over part selection make building your own budget gaming rig absolutely worthwhile. Let‘s explore parts that balance affordability with kick-ass 1080p gaming performance!
Balancing the Trifecta: Performance, Price & Longevity
Putting together a solid gaming PC on the cheap requires careful juggling of priorities:
| Priority | Definition |
|---|---|
| Performance | Targeting 60 FPS gameplay at Medium/High settings in 1080p |
| Price | Keeping build cost around $800 with wiggle room |
| Longevity | Future-proofing for 2-3 years through upgradability |
Based on the above goals around performance, budget, and lifespan, here are well-balanced component recommendations:
CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F
The 4-core, 8-thread Core i3-12100F delivers excellent 1080p gaming performance thanks to Intel 12th gen Alder Lake architectural improvements.
With single-thread performance competitive with older generation Core i7‘s, 60+ FPS is achievable in titles like Elden Ring, DOTA 2 and Apex Legends. At just $120, this budget CPU also leaves room in the build budget for a stronger graphics card.
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6600
Positioned at 1080p gaming, the RX 6600 offers incredible value at around ~$250. Its modest 8GB of VRAM and 28 compute units deliver well over 60 FPS in any competitive e-sport as well as AAA games with some adjusted settings. Cooling is also solid thanks to a dual fan design.
| Game | Avg FPS | Graphics Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Fortnite | 87 | Competitive |
| Valorant | 263 | Ultra |
| Assassins Creed Valhalla | 48 | High |
Motherboard: MSI Pro B660M-A
For our foundation, the MSI Pro B660M-A brings next-gen performance at just $140. The LGA 1700 socket supports 13th gen Raptor Lake CPUs, while PCIe 5.0 future-proofs the build for next-gen GPUs and SSDs. Four DIMM slots leaves room to upgrade from the stock 16GB of RAM too!
RAM: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200
At $50, TEAMGROUP‘s 2x8GB DDR4-3200 memory kits provide the best balance of capacity and frequency for gaming. The low profile sticks won‘t interfere with massive CPU coolers either. 16GB gives your core i3 CPU plenty of breathing room for gaming while multitasking.
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 500GB NVMe SSD
No gaming PC is complete without a speedy NVMe SSD for the operating system and your game library. The Crucial P3 Plus is down to $55 for 500GB, yet still delivers excellent read speeds above 5000 MB/s! For mass storage, add a 2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD.
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GT
Never skimp on the PSU if you value your expensive gaming hardware! EVGA‘s new SuperNOVA 750 GT packs 80+ Gold efficiency and a 10-year warranty at a very palatable $100. With 750 watts of clean stable power, you can overclock CPUs and GPUs while leaving massive headroom for future expansion.
Case: Montech AIR 100 ARGB
For $60, the Montech AIR 100 provides excellent airflow potential with mesh front intakes as well as a tempered glass side panel to show off your components. Three vibrant ARGB stock case fans complement most build color schemes nicely.
| Component | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-12100F | $120 |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RX 6600 | $250 |
| Motherboard | MSI Pro B660M-A | $140 |
| RAM | TEAMGROUP 16GB DDR4-3200 | $50 |
| Storage | Crucial P3 Plus 500GB + Seagate 2TB HDD | $100 |
| Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GT | $100 |
| Case | Montech AIR 100 ARGB | $60 |
| Total Cost | $820 |
Optimizing Settings For Peak Performance
Once you have all your components assembled securely inside the case, let‘s optimize software settings for the highest possible frame rates:
- Install latest GPU drivers directly from AMD or Nvidia. Register your graphics card too for warranty purposes.
- Enable XMP / DOCP in BIOS for full DDR4-3200 memory speeds. 3000+ MHz provides up to 12% better gaming performance.
- Set power plan to "High Performance" within Windows for lower latency and higher clocks during gaming loads.
- Overclock your RX 6600 via Radeon Software tools. Aim for 2600MHz+ on the core clock and 7000MHz+ speeds for the memory.
- In each game‘s graphics settings menu, target Medium or High presets initially rather than Ultra. This prioritizes smooth 60+ FPS over unnecessary visual bling.
- Further disable taxing settings like motion blur, depth of field, and anti-aliasing. Reduce draw distance as well if FPS dips below 60 in busy areas.
- Download GeForce Experience for one-click game optimization too after inputting your hardware.
- Use Radeon Super Resolution to render games at 90% resolution before upscaling back to full HD, gaining FPS without huge image degradation.
Following the above tuning process nets big framerate improvements in titles like Horizon Zero Dawn, Dying Light 2 and Spiderman Remastered:
| Title @ High Settings | FPS Stock | FPS Optimized | % Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 48 | 68 | +42% |
| Dying Light 2 | 58 | 78 | +34% |
| Spiderman Remastered | 62 | 87 | +40% |
Upgrade Paths, Reuse & Resale Opportunities
The beauty of building your own budget gaming PC is the full control over future upgrade cycles. Follow popular upgrade trajectories:
1-2 Years: Add more RAM and storage as 16GB and 500GB fill up. Extra case fans also help temps.
3 Years: Upgrade GPU for newer titles, especially if jumping to 1440p gaming. Sell old RX 6600 to recoup cost.
4 Years: Platform swap time! Upgrade motherboard, CPU and RAM for a major boost. Reuse case, drives and power supply from this build.
When the time comes, selling used components from this original build will offset upgrade costs substantially. Used RX 6600 GPUs still fetch $100-150 based on market conditions. DDR4 RAM holds value too thanks to lingering platform support.
Building things yourself also makes repairs and troubleshooting easier. If you ever run into crashes, freezes or degraded gaming performance, methodically testing parts in a different PC helps isolate problems:
- Try suspect GPU or RAM individually in a friend‘s system
- Verify CPU cooler properly re-mounted with fresh thermal paste
- Inspect capacitors on motherboard for any bulging or leaks
- Test bootup and stability with just motherboard, CPU, one RAM stick and integrated graphics
Following some structured troubleshooting saves big on technician costs!
Pre-Built Alternative Route
If the DIY process seems intimidating, buying a pre-built alternative featuring similar performance hardware ends up reasonably close to our ~$800 budget:
Skytech Azure (Newegg):
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600G CPU
- 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM
- 500GB NVMe SSD
- RX 6500XT 4GB GPU
Sale Price: $899 after mail-in-rebate
The compromise here falls onto the slower RX 6500XT GPU to fit within budget. However, the more powerful hex-core Ryzen 5600G APU helps close that performance gap somewhat. Just be aware of potential vendor bloatware and upgrade limitations inherent in pre-built designs.
Bottom Line: 1080p Gaming Still Within Reach
Even as the PC gaming arms race shifts to 4K displays and triple-digit frame rates, exciting 1080p 60+ FPS gaming remains accessible on even tight $800 budgets in 2023. By picking components strategically, sacrificing on fancy RGB aesthetics and managing expectations around visual settings, that coveted ultra-smooth gaming experience is still within reach!
What budget component picks or build optimization tricks have worked for you? Let me know in the comments!
