If you do n’t really biz and desire to get into it , then grab yourself a starter gaming PC is a way to save yourself some money while dipping your toes into the human beings of gaming . Of of course , you’re able to sure enough buy yourself something really expensive and fancy , but it might be consuming , and it will for certain be very expensive , particularly since that also think of you ’ll need to corrupt ahigh - end gaming monitorto take advantage of it . So , all in all , it ’s unspoilt to go for a prissy budget - favorable starter play microcomputer before put heavily into your gaming setup .
To that end , we ’ve pile up some of our preferred starter gaming PCs below base on various budget and resolution penury . They ’re also great if you need to upgrade them down the line , specially if you want to grab a lower - end one and advance it with a mid - range GPU in a few calendar month . Either agency , be trusted to match all the options out thoroughly before taking the dip !
The Best Starter Gaming PCs in 2024
Skytech Gaming Chronos Mini
Best budget starter gaming PC
While the Skytech Gaming Chronos Mini is a very budget - friendly desktop and wo n’t play the latest biz on the market , it is a good starter gaming personal computer if you need to spend as lilliputian money as possible . That will stand for that you ’ll mostly be able to play sr. game from 2017 or so and before , although you might get off with some more modern insouciant games . Also , some free - to - play game should work as well , especially since most of them tend to be well - optimized for lower - end specs , so it will be worth giving that a shot .
As for the real GPU , you get a GTX 1650 , which is an older GPU that ’s part of the GTX-16 serial . That does mean that you overleap out on things like DLSS , which facilitate with frame generation , but it ’s still not a terrible GPU , specially if you do n’t care that much about the most New games . As for the CPU , you get the entry - level i3 - 12100F CPU , which pairs nicely with the GTX 1650 , and should deal some feigning and scheme game without too much payoff . It will also deal to do most productiveness tasks perfectly fine ; just do n’t expect to get much editing work out of it , such as graphical or music editing .
In terms of other specs , we ’re very happy to see that you get yourself 16Gb of RAM , and while it is the older DDR4 , it ’s really excellent to find on a gage microcomputer at this price point . With this much random-access memory , you get a better overall experience , specially since Windows like to take a solid 4Gb chunk out of most RAM capacity . As for depot , the 500 GB is pretty expert , and you likely wo n’t run out of blank any time soon , specially since most game that the GTX 1650 can deal wo n’t have 4 K textures that postulate several 12 gilbert of storage .
Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 with RTX 3050
Best entry-level starter gaming PC
If you ’re unforced to pass a little bit more , you could get something more in job with modern measure for entree - level gaming PCs . What that essentially mean is that you get anRTX 3050 , which , these day , is the lower limit we ’d like to see for playing modern games . You still are n’t hold out to be able to wreak AAA games on the highest graphical configurations and high refresh rate , but at least you will be able to pay them at 1080p with reasonable graphic configurations .
At this cost point , you also get a much better processor in the chassis of an AMD Ryzen 5 7600 , which is a mid - range CPU that ’s really pretty perfect for the sorting of tasks you ’d wait . It ’s full with gaming , include simulation and scheme games , and it ’s excellent for productivity piece of work , and you might even get some redaction out of it as well . As for RAM , you get 16 GB ofDDR5 , the latest and bang-up in the market , so it will be a speedy and smooth overall experience , and about what we ’d like to see in an idealistic scenario .
That said , memory is on the smaller side at 512 GB , mostly because with the RTX 3050 , you ’re more likely to race into games with modernistic graphics with high storage capacity needs . On the bright side , you do get a shiner and keyboard drop in , and the included Wi - Fi 6 means you ’ll get a very stable connector when playing online . It ’s also a pretty solid jumping - off point if you ever want to promote your GPU in the time to come , which you absolutely could in a few months or a twelvemonth .
Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 with RTX 3060 Ti
Best starter PC for 1080p gaming
If you do want a gaming personal computer that can handle 1080p gaming relatively well , then this configuration of the Legion Tower 5 is the way to go . It generally has similar specs to the previous configuration , with the chief deviation being that you get an RTX 3060 Ti , which is a well better GPU than the RTX 3050 . in reality , it is a fleck of a compromise going for the RTX 3060 Ti rather than the RTX 3060 because while the RTX 3060 Ti has better overall performance , it only has 8 GB of Video RAM compared to the 12 GB of the RTX 3060 . Thatcanbe a problem with certain plot and future tense - proofing , so you may need to upgrade this GPU sometime in a year or two .
As for gaming execution , you should be able to treat 1080p at 100fps+ with the RTX 3060Ti at moderately proficient graphical stage setting , so it ’s the ideal card for 1080p gaming . Also , you do get entree to the slightly old DLSS , and that can also help widen the gaming options for you . You also get the much more brawny AMD Ryzen 7 7700 , which is a mid - to - in high spirits - end processor that will easily handle most scheme and model game , as well as an upgrade to a importantly more powerful GPU if you want to go that itinerary .
Besides that , you get the expect 16 GB of DDR5 RAM and a slightly larger 1 TB of store , which is in reality a fairly good size , particularly at this price detail . You also get a keyboard and mouse thrown in , although we ’d probably grab non - generic versions of those since they ’ll give you a much better feel and public presentation for a low terms , particularly with thesemouse dealsandkeyboard deals . Overall , it ’s this configuration of the Legion Tower 5 is the way to go if you’re able to swing the Leontyne Price shred and get the cheapest thing you’re able to get .
Alienware Aurora R15
Best starter gaming PC that looks great
While having some great specs is very important , if the feeling of your gaming microcomputer is equally of import , then it ’s hard to argue for a ice chest - look vitrine than the Alienware R15 . It has the signature Alienware look that makes it as much an art piece as it does a gaming personal computer , and it even has some pretty splendid liquid state cooling under the hood . The specification are n’t too bad either , even though you ’re only paying a slight bit more than the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 , so this is a must - snap up if you want something that looks cool .
As for the GPU , this Alienware R15 configuration comes with an RTX 3060 , which , as previously mentioned , does n’t have as impregnable a performance as the Ti version , but it does have a chip more VRAM . In substantial term , you ’re still getting a solid 1080p GPU , and you should be able to handle most games at 1080p with comparatively good options at or around 100 , so you are n’t losing a ton in the process . That said , you do get the same AMD Ryzen 7 7700 central processor , which is first-class , especially if you want something a bit more various .
We ’re felicitous to see that you still get 16Gb of DDR5 RAM , although computer memory has been sound off down to 512 GB , which we ’re not as happy about , especially since upgrade the internal storage of the Alienware R15 is n’t depart to be easy for a beginner . Even so , it ’s well worth it if you want a cool - count character , and you could always utilize an external hard ride to store non - gaming files if you do n’t want to deal with the bother of upgrading the intimate storage . It ’s also worth take note that it comes with both a mouse and keyboard , although again , we ’d get something a bit more focussed on gambling for a better experience .
CyberPowerPC Gamer Master
Best all-AMD starter PC for gaming
If you ’re a fan of AMD and need to go for an all - AMD setup , this configuration from CyberPowerPC is perfect . In fact , it ’s in reality an excellent option if you want something a bit more versatile when it comes to graphics performance since the onboard RX 7700 XT does reasonably well in both 1080p and 1440p performance . That means you could prioritise solvent or framerate depending on what you ’re trifle , and when youcompare the RX 7700 XT performance to the RTX 4060 Ti , which is its closest Nvidia equivalent , you ’ll see the stats say the same .
Of course , you do n’t get as advanced ray - trace tech as DLSS , but that ’s not a dealbreaker , especially as AMD improves its ray - trace tech and gets close to what Nvidia has to offer . As for the processor , you get the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 , which is moderately typical for this price full stop and is an excellent central processor to pair with the RX 7700 XT and for general usage . in reality , what ’s more telling is that you get a whopping 32 GB of RAM , the most we ’ve get wind at this price , and it ’s even DDR5 , which we were n’t expecting when we first take care at it .
Equally telling is that you get a massive 2 TB of storage to work with , so you are unquestionably not going to run out of space any clock time shortly . Finally , you do get a keyboard and black eye thrown in , although it ’s definitely worth grabbing some courteous ones if you could . Overall , the CyberPowerPC Gamer Master is likely the most versatile of the choice here , so grab this if you lean to play a lot of various types of game and genres .
Legion Tower 5i Gen 8
Best starter gaming PC for 1440p gaming
While 1080p gambling is utterly fine , if you ’re looking to knock that up a small bit to 1440p , then you ’re going to need to go with this configuration of the Legion Tower 5i . It comes with an RTX 4070 , which is an excellent GPU for 1440p at 100fps+ while also having reasonably good graphic options ; plus , it does give you the chance to lessen the resolution if you really want to pump the refresh pace . It also has 12 GB of VRAM , which middling future - proof the GPU a slight bit since a sight of modern games lean to like corrode up VRAM .
As for processing , you get the Intel Core i7 - 13700F , which is a mid - to - in high spirits - end C.P.U. similar to the Ryzen 7 one from above , so it ’s passably big overall and feed you a lot of versatility . That said , we would have liked to see it with one of the higher models , like the R9 or the i9 , at this toll point . It ’s not a dealbreaker for sure , but it would have been prissy to see at the price , especially since it ’s a C.P.U. on equation with other gambling PCs that are even cheaper than this one .
As for read/write memory , you get 16 GB of DDR5 , which is about what we ’d expect , and a 1 TB SSD , which , again , is ever so slimly on the lower last but not even remotely a dealbreaker . More significantly , the Legion Tower 5i has some high - caliber melodic line cooling and a king provision that should handle a modest GPU upgrade in the future , so it ’s a just jumping - off point . Much like the other options here , you get a mouse and keyboard , but you ’re better off buying something made for gaming , even if it ’s budget - oriented .
How We Chose These Starter Gaming PCs
Gaming Performance
easy , one of the most important things that a gaming PC has is its gaming performance , and a lot of that relies on how good the GPU is . That said , it ’s sometimes not really deserving it to spend thousand of dollars to get the ripe of the best , especially if you ’re just starting out . So , while you’re able to certainly get good and more expensive starter PC than we ’ve picked here , we believe that these are excellent option that wo n’t bankrupt the bank or go over $ 1,500 when on sales agreement .
That ’s especially important because you might still need to grab various peripherals like a gaming monitor and headset , which can add up importantly to the overall price . In a similar vein , while a wad of these microcomputer hail with a mouse and keyboard thrown in , they ’re generic and not great for gaming , so you might desire to snap up some more gaming - specific ones , too . Add all that together , and you could be wait at an redundant $ 200-$600 in peripherals alone , so we ’re very aware of keeping the back microcomputer price down .
Upgradeability
A starter PC is just that : a neat jumping - off point for your gaming journey and something you’re able to build off of in the future . Now , tech is changing incredibly tight , and we ’re currently in a transposition from DDR4 RAM to DDR5 RAM which require unlike motherboards , so it ’s hard for things to be very succeeding - proof . That enunciate , almost all these options we ’ve listed above are great if you want to upgrade the GPU down the contrast for some good performance , and while you wo n’t be able to put in anRTX 4090 , you might be able to go for anRTX 3080 , or maybe anRTX 4070 , depending on what each computers ’ motherboard and big businessman supply can palm .
