Building or buying a gaming PC on a $500 budget is no easy task. Let’s be honest—this isn’t the price range where you’ll find top-of-the-line graphics cards, bleeding-edge processors, or enough power to max out the latest AAA titles at 4K. But if your expectations are reasonable, there’s good news: there are still some solid prebuilt PCs out there that can handle lighter games, older titles, esports, and even some newer releases at lower settings.
Think of these machines as entry-level doorways into PC gaming. You won’t be running Cyberpunk 2077 at ultra settings, but you can certainly enjoy popular games like Fortnite, Valorant, League of Legends, Minecraft, and even some newer titles at 1080p with tweaks. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best gaming PCs you can snag under $500.
Best Gaming PC Under $500: Quick Comparison
| PC | CPU | GPU | RAM | Price (Amazon) |
| STGAubron Gaming PC (i5-9400F, RX 580) | Intel i5-9400F | Radeon RX 580 8GB | 16GB DDR4 | $489 – Buy Now |
| MXZ Gaming Desktop (i5-9400F, RX 580) | Intel i5-9400F | Radeon RX 580 8GB | 8GB DDR4 | $489 – Buy Now |
| Allied Gaming Patriot (Ryzen 5 3600, RX 580) | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | Radeon RX 580 | 16GB DDR4 | $499 – Buy Now |
| STGAubron Gaming PC (Athlon 3000G, RX 580 16GB) | AMD Athlon 3000G | Radeon RX 580 | 16GB DDR4 | $432 – Buy Now |
| SAAV X1 Prebuilt Gaming PC (i5, GTX 750) | Intel i5 (3.4GHz) | GTX 750 | 16GB DDR4 | $499 – Buy Now |
Best Gaming PC Under $500: Top Picks
STGAubron Gaming PC (Intel i5-9400F, RX 580)
Quick Highlights
- Intel Core i5-9400F up to 4.1GHz
- Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 512GB SSD storage
- Windows 11 Home
- Price – $489 – Buy Now
This STGAubron build is one of the better-balanced options in this price range. The Intel i5-9400F pairs nicely with the Radeon RX 580, a card that – while older – still holds up for 1080p gaming in a lot of titles. You won’t be maxing out newer AAA games, but esports titles and lighter games will run without much trouble.
The 16GB of RAM is also a welcome sight, especially since many budget PCs stick to 8GB. Add in a 512GB SSD and you’ve got enough space for a handful of your favorite games before needing extra storage. The RGB fans are just the cherry on top for a bit of gamer flair.
Pros
- Balanced CPU and GPU combo
- 16GB RAM included
- Good for 1080p esports gaming
Cons
- Limited storage if you play many large games
- RX 580 is showing its age
MXZ Gaming Desktop (i5-9400F, RX 580)
Quick Highlights
- Intel Core i5-9400F
- Radeon RX 580 8GB
- 8GB DDR4 RAM
- 500GB NVMe SSD
- Windows 11 Pro
- Price – $489 – Buy Now
The MXZ Gaming Desktop is similar in spirit to the STGAubron model, but it makes one key tradeoff: it drops to 8GB of RAM. While that’s still workable, especially if you’re playing less demanding games, it does limit multitasking and can cause performance dips in modern titles.
On the flip side, it uses a fast NVMe SSD, which means your system boots quickly and games load faster compared to older SATA SSDs. It’s a straightforward, plug-and-play option for someone who wants to start gaming without breaking the bank.
Pros
- Strong CPU/GPU combo for the price
- NVMe storage is fast
- Affordable option
Cons
- Only 8GB RAM—upgrading is almost necessary
- Limited upgrade path on this motherboard
Allied Gaming Patriot Desktop (Ryzen 5 3600, RX 580)
Quick Highlights
- AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Radeon RX 580 8GB
- 16GB DDR4 3600MHz RAM
- 500GB SSD
- B450M motherboard
- Price – $499 – Buy Now
The Allied Gaming Patriot is easily the best performer on this list in terms of raw CPU power. The Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor that absolutely outclasses the i5-9400F when it comes to multitasking and gaming alike. Combined with the trusty RX 580, this PC delivers a smoother experience across a wider range of games.
It also has 16GB of faster 3600MHz RAM, which gives it an extra performance edge. The only drawback is the slightly smaller 500GB SSD, which may fill up quickly if you install a lot of modern games. Still, for under $500, this is a really strong choice.
Pros
- Best CPU on this list
- Fast 16GB RAM
- Solid all-round gaming performance
Cons
- 500GB storage fills up fast
- RX 580 is capable but dated
STGAubron Gaming PC (Athlon 3000G, RX 580 16GB)
Quick Highlights
- AMD Athlon 3000G (3.5GHz)
- Radeon RX 580 16GB GDDR5
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 1TB SSD
- Windows 11 Home
- Price – $432 – Buy Now
This version of the STGAubron lineup is a bit of an oddball. On paper, the RX 580 with 16GB of VRAM and a huge 1TB SSD sounds like a dream for a budget PC. But the Athlon 3000G CPU is a weak link—it’s a dual-core chip that can bottleneck the GPU in many modern games.
That said, if you mostly play older or less demanding titles, you’ll still get a lot of mileage out of this machine. The huge storage drive is perfect if you’ve got a massive library, and the 16GB of RAM ensures smooth multitasking. It’s a tradeoff-heavy build, but still worth considering.
Pros
- Big 1TB SSD storage
- RX 580 with 16GB VRAM
- 16GB RAM included
Cons
- Very weak CPU
- Not ideal for CPU-heavy games
SAAV X1 Prebuilt Gaming PC (i5, GTX 750)
Quick Highlights
- Intel Core i5 (3.4GHz)
- GeForce GTX 750
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB NVMe SSD
- WiFi 6 + Bluetooth
- Price – $499 – Buy Now
The SAAV X1 is the weakest gaming PC here in terms of graphics power, since the GTX 750 is quite old. It will struggle with newer games, but for classic titles or esports games at low settings, it still has a role. Think games like CS:GO, Minecraft, or League of Legends rather than something like Starfield.
On the bright side, it does come with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD, and WiFi 6 support, making it a fairly responsive daily-use PC that doubles as a light gaming system. If your focus is budget first and you play older games, this might do the trick.
Pros
- 16GB RAM helps with multitasking
- Fast NVMe SSD
- Affordable entry-level option
Cons
- Very outdated GPU
- Not suited for modern AAA gaming
Conclusion
Under $500, you won’t find powerhouse rigs, but these prebuilts can handle esports and lighter titles without much trouble. If you want the strongest all-rounder, the Allied Gaming Patriot (Ryzen 5 3600, RX 580) is the best pick. For big storage on a budget, the STGAubron Athlon build works, while the MXZ Desktop is fine as a starter you can upgrade later.
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