I searched the market for the best cheap gaming PCs under the $300 budget. Surprisingly, the PC market was flooded with hundreds of sub-$300 gaming machines (used and renewed). I sought a low-budget gaming PC to run modern games at 720p or 1080p settings. During my search, I ended up across gaming PC brands like HP, Dell, ViprTech, and STGAubron, which offer affordable gaming computers for budget users.
Someone looking for a $300 gaming computer won’t be playing games at 1440p or 4K settings. These low-budget gaming PCs are ideal for new gamers who want to enjoy popular games like Grand Theft Auto V, PUBG, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Fortnite, and CS: GO at the lowest settings.
As I’ve said earlier, within the $300 budget range, you’ll get a used or renewed gaming PC. You can also end up getting a mini gaming PC for this budget, which I won’t recommend as most of those don’t have any dedicated graphics card.
First, look into what the market offers when searching for wallet-friendly gaming machines. If you are not confident going with these prebuilt PCs, don’t forget to jump on my list of hardware to build a cheap gaming PC at the bottom.
Best Cheap Prebuilt Gaming PCs Under $300
ViprTech Mutineer
- Intel Core i7 2600K
- Radeon RX 580 8GB GPU
- 512GB NVMe SSD
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Windows 10 Pro
- Mouse/Keyboard
HP RGB Gaming
- Intel Core i5 6500K
- GeForce GT 1030 2GB GPU
- 512GB SSD
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Windows 10 Pro
- Mouse/Keyboard
STGAubron-Gaming PC
- Intel Xeon E5 2607
- Radeon RX 550 4GB GPU
- 512GB NVMe SSD
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Windows 10 Pro
- Mouse/Keyboard
1: ViprTech Mutineer Gaming PC Desktop
Brand: ViprTech | Processor Type: Intel Core i7 2600K | Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Drive Capacity: 512GB NVMe SSD | Chassis Color: Black | Style: Mid Tower | VR Compatible: Yes | Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Condition: New
The ViprTech Mutineer is the new hitter in the world of gaming PCs. For beginners who are low on budget, it’s the right machine to taste your favourite game titles. It’s a cheap gaming PC tailored for games like Warzone 2.0, Grand Theft Auto V, Assassin’s Creed, Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, etc.
Reason to Buy:
ViprTech, an American gaming PC brand, is known for building quality gaming PCs at an affordable price. 1 year of warranty with their products, so you can claim if anything goes wrong.
PC builders at ViprTech stress test every gaming PC before leaving the lab, and there’s a one-year warranty with their products, so you can claim if anything goes wrong with the machine.
The ViprTech Mutineer Gaming PC we have chosen for this guide holds one of the best gaming Core i7 processors from its generation, the Core i7-2600K. And for producing smoother gaming visuals, there’s an AMD RX 580 8GB graphics card on this PC.
Although the parts used in building this gaming machine are decades old, they are still capable of handling modern games at low-medium settings. I’ve played GTA V, Fortnite, and PUBG on ViprTech Mulitneer at 720p resolution with an average FPS (frames per second) over 60fps.
The 8GB RX 580 does a great job in handling the games that eat a lot of VRAM. Yes, the RX 580 is an old graphics card, but the allocation of 8GB VRAM on this card has made it shine in gaming and content creation up to today.
Moving on, 16GB of DDR4 RAM is installed on this gaming computer, which is harder to find on gaming machines under the $300 budget. Where modern games are consuming not more than 8GB to 11GB of RAM, I believe 16GB is still a huge number on this low-budget gaming PC.
All in all, it’s a great gaming PC for budget-conscious gamers with plenty of RAM, a decent graphics card, enough storage, and modern aesthetics. The only thing is that this is a refurbished gaming PC, which doesn’t mean that it won’t perform like a new one.
2: HP RGB Gaming Desktop Computer
Brand: HP | Processor Type: Intel Quad Core i5-6500K | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 2GB | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Drive Capacity: 512GB SSD | Chassis Color: White/Black | Style: Mid-Tower | VR Compatible: Yes | Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Condition: Refurbished
The HP RGB Gaming computer is decades old, but the hardware inside promises a solid 720p gaming experience. Moreover, the RGB aesthetics on this machine is harder to find at this price. You can also overclock this cheap gaming PC using an aftermarket CPU cooler to get extra performance out of it.
Reason to Buy:
Talking about affordable desktop gaming PCs, one cannot rule out the HP. There was a time when HP Pavilion gaming computers were everywhere on the market. Even today, you’ll find economical gaming PCs from HP on marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Newegg, and Walmart.
The HP RGB Gaming Desktop is powered by the Intel Core i5-6500K quad-core processor and Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 2GB graphics card. The Core i5-6500K CPU on this computer is a quad-core and meets the minimum cores you need on a CPU for gaming.
What I think is the weaker connection in this gaming PC is the entry-level GT 1030 graphics card. The Nvidia GT 1030 GDDR3 can let you play games at 720p low settings but do not expect it to be as good as the RX 580 found on the ViprTech Multineer Gaming Desktop.
There’s enough 16GB RAM and 512GB NVMe storage on this PC, as found on other affordable gaming PCs in the $300 range. Furthermore, the addition of RGB chassis adds more bells and whistles to this machine.
Surprisingly, you’ll find onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on this $300 gaming PC, and this, I would say, is the plus point for buying it. For gamers, this desktop gaming PC is ideal if they want to play decade-old games like CS: Go, Max Payne, GTA IV, Far Cry 3, etc.
3: Dell Gaming Desktop Computer
Brand: Dell | Processor Type: Intel Quad Core i5-6500K | Graphics: GeForce GT 1030 2GB | RAM: 32GB DDR4 | Drive Capacity: 1TB SSD | Chassis Color: Grey | Style: SFF | VR Compatible: Yes | Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Condition: Renewed
The Dell Gaming PC shares the same fate as the HP RGB Gaming PC. However, the former offers double the amount of RAM. It’s a small form factor gaming PC that might limit you from adding extra hardware in the future.
Reason to Buy:
The “Optiplex” Series from Dell is the home to the most wallet-friendly desktop computers. There was a time when I was not a huge fan of Dell Optiplex products, maybe due to the fact that they were too noisy even under 30% workload.
The recent Dell Optiplex PCs don’t have any heating issues, but they are still built inside a small form factor PC case that limits your freedom to upgrade them.
This refurbished $300 Dell gaming PC comes up with the same type of hardware you’ll find on HP’s RGB Gaming Desktop. However, there’s double the amount of RAM (32GB) on this Optiplex gaming PC. Even modern games don’t require 32GB of RAM to run, so this extra memory is of no use for gamers.
This Dell Optiplex Gaming PC is built inside a compact PC chassis, which means you can come up with a slower cooling mechanism and other thermal issues. This machine is meant for casual gamers who want to play online games that do not require a powerful dedicated GPU.
There are RGB lights hidden behind the front mesh panel on this tiny $300 gaming PC. Though the RGB aesthetics give it a gamer look, it’s still far from being a good gaming PC that can play modern games at 720p or 1080p resolution.
4: Dell Optiplex Small Desktop Computer
Brand: Dell | Processor Type: Intel Quad Core i5-6500K | Graphics: Intel HD 2500 | RAM: 16GB DDR3 | Drive Capacity: 512GB SSD | Chassis Color: Black | Style: SFF | VR Compatible: Yes | Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Condition: Refurbished
This sub-$250 Dell Optiplex Gaming PC is ideal for someone looking to play less-intensive games that do not require a dedicated graphics card. By spending a little, you get a whole gaming PC, which includes an RGB monitor and other related gaming accessories.
Reason to Buy:
This Dell Optiplex is backed by the same processor and graphics card as its sibling, but this time, you’ll find DDR3 memory instead of DDR4. However, this won’t affect your gaming experience that much, as you will be playing most games in lower settings.
The hardware on this Optiplex gaming PC is packed inside a small form factor PC case, which is the fate of many desktops in this line-up. However, to do everything, Dell has included a black gaming LCD, mouse, and gaming keyboard in this package.
I’ll be honest here: if you are looking for a complete gaming PC for under $300 with an LCD, mouse, keyboard, headset, etc, then this is the right deal for you. I mean, it’s hard to find cheap gaming PC deals like this on the internet.
5: STGAubron-Gaming PC
Brand: STGAubron | Processor Type: Intel i7 Xeon E5 | Graphics: AMD RX 550 4GB | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Drive Capacity: 512GB SSD | Chassis Color: Black | Style: Mid Tower | VR Compatible: Yes | Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Condition: Refurbished
It’s time to unleash your gaming potential with the STGAubron Gaming PC powered by Intel XeonE5 2607v2 processor and RX 550 GPU. For gamers with a $300 budget, this PC has much to offer regarding performance and aesthetics.
Reason to Buy:
The STGAubron-Gaming PC brings tons of gaming performance to your desk at an affordable price tag. It features an Intel Core i7 Xeon E5 8-core processor clocked at 3.0 GHz for unbeatable gaming juice. To take care of visuals, this gaming PC is fueled by the AMD RX 550 4GB, known for solid 720p gaming performance.
One thing is sure: this $300 Xeon-based gaming PC would crush the toughest gaming workloads you’ll throw on it. You can even push this PC to upper limits for playing games at 1080p settings.
I’m only doubtful about the RX 550 card, which I believe won’t be able to catch up with the fast pace of the Xeon E5 processor. However, you can easily upgrade the graphics card on this $300 gaming PC for better performance.
The STGAubron not only promises performance but also takes care of how good your gaming PC must look. To be honest, this is one of the most cool-looking gaming PCs I’ve found on a tight budget. It has two giant RGB fans at the front, a side glass panel to peek inside, and two RGB fans inside for a glorious view.
Hardware List For Building A Cheap Gaming PC Under $300 Budget
You’ll be surprised to know how much gaming you’ll get if you build your gaming PC by spending as low as $300. The gaming PC parts listed below are available on Amazon and Newegg. You can use these parts to build a gaming PC to play any popular AAA or eSports game at 1080p low-medium settings.
| Hardware Type | Item | Price |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 4500 (6-Core, 12-Thread) + Stock CPU Cooler | $74.00 @ Amazon |
| Motherboard | ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 AM4 | $59.00 @ Amazon |
| RAM | Patriot Signature Premium DDR4 RAM 16GB | $27.00 @ Amazon |
| Storage | CORN Basic M.2 256GB 512GB 1TB SSD | $31.00 @ Newegg |
| Power Supply | Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+ | $43.99 @ Amazon |
| GPU | KAER RX580 8GB Graphics Card GDDR5 | $99.00 @ Amazon |
| Total Cost | $333 |
Uptill this point, you have a clear idea of whether to go with a prebuilt or custom-made gaming PC. If you know how to assemble PC parts, I highly suggest you build a gaming PC from scratch. Building your gaming machine under $300 allows you to upgrade or customize it with better hardware in the future.
FAQs
Is $300 enough for a gaming PC?
For casual gaming or less intensive games, a $300 gaming PC is good. However, if you are streaming and playing AAA games at 1080p or higher settings, a $300 PC is not a good choice.
What is the lowest budget for a gaming PC?
There are no budget restrictions for building a gaming PC. Any budget would be enough for you to play games on your machine. However, your budget will decide your gaming PC’s overall performance. You can start from as low as $300 and up to $5000 to build a gaming PC.
Mosaab Jamal Ahmed is a seasoned technology enthusiast with a passion for gaming and PC upgrades. His journey began in 1998 with a Pentium 1 PC, igniting his lifelong fascination with computer hardware.
Over the years, Mosaab has honed his skills in upgrading and optimizing PCs with the latest components, ensuring peak performance for gaming and other demanding applications.
Through his insightful articles, Mosaab shares his extensive knowledge on building and enhancing gaming PCs.