The typical price range for a gaming computer is between $800 and $1,200. However, you might have to spend up to $2,000 if you want to play high-end games at a frame rate of 60 or higher on the highest settings.

This article will explain how much a gaming pc costs as well as the typical cost of its components. let’s start!

How Much Does a Gaming Pc Cost?

You are not required to construct your own gaming computers. It’s best to purchase a prebuilt item if you’d prefer to purchase something that can be used outside of the box. You will most likely pay more for such a computer because of the added labor costs. Though not always, please take note. Some retailers can offer you a lower price because they buy computers in bulk, which lowers the cost of each component for them. These merchants are the most well-liked: Best Buy, Cyberpower, iBuyPower, Alienware, and NZXT. We contrasted the costs of a particular computer at these merchants. Check out the costs below:

Average Cost of the Components of a Gaming PC

Cpu

By settling for a poor CPU, you don’t want to sacrifice excellent gaming performance. Your CPU and graphics should work well together to give you a great gaming experience. An R5 1600 CPU typically costs $160 on Amazon.

Graphics Card

When it comes to gaming, your graphics card’s dependability is crucial. It can be emphasized as being more crucial when gaming than the processor. An impressive RX 570 graphics card costs around $171. As they recently released the 30x series of cards, older NVIDIA models will also see price reductions. You can currently purchase an RTX 2060 for about $300 or you can wait a little bit for the 3080 or 3090.

Storage: HDD Or SSD

Finding the ideal balance between your gaming PC’s HDD additional storage options and SSD memory can help you reduce game load times while still maintaining a reasonable price. An HDD from Seagate with 1 TB of storage typically costs $49 on Amazon.

Motherboard

Choose a powerful motherboard with support for additional storage, one with upgradeability, and one that is compatible with future CPU upgrades. You should expect to pay $94.99 on Amazon on average for an MSI B450M motherboard.

Tips to Reduce Your Cost

Pick a Cheaper Motherboard

New chipsets are introduced in tandem with each new CPU generation. The number of features you have access to will vary between each chipset. For instance, the Z690 on the Intel 12th generation platform will have the most features, but the less expensive B660 offers many of the same features despite lacking support for CPU overclocking and multiple PCI-E Gen 5.0 expansion lanes.

Choosing this less expensive chipset can help you save money on your motherboard, and the extra money can be put to better use elsewhere in your build. For more information on why this chipset is so fantastic, we also suggest reading our list of the best B660 boards to buy.

You can choose the features you want for your build by looking at the features offered on a particular chipset, followed by the motherboards you are considering. By doing this, you can avoid making unnecessary sacrifices or choosing a motherboard you’ll later regret.

Buy An Older CPU Or GPU

Do you need the most recent processors, despite how amazing the Ryzen 5000 and Intel 12th Generation chip lines are? GPUs operate similarly to this. DLSS is fantastic, and the technology in AMD and Nvidia’s most recent graphics cards is astounding, but is it necessary for games?

If not last generation, used is also a fantastic option for those willing to take a bigger risk with their hardware in exchange for a lower price.

Browse Storage Options

One of the more contentious issues is storage, as you may be wondering how you’ll fit all 70,000 of your games onto a 512GB SSD.!

There are a few things you can do to save money on storage. choosing an older storage option is one of them. You should purchase a high-capacity HDD if you want to store all of your games.

This will be significantly less expensive than purchasing a large SSD, where the cost per GB is much higher. It is definitely worth taking into account that 1TB magnetic drives are available for less than $50. You could also purchase an older model M.2 drive or a 2.5″ SATA SSD for a faster but less expensive alternative. The speed of these drives may be slightly constrained, but you will still benefit from flash storage’s overall speed advantage over mechanical hard drives. We frequently advise builders to combine a high-capacity HDD with a quick M.2 boot drive, which offers plenty of overall storage for games while maintaining quick boost times.

Function over Aesthetic

In the end, personal preference will determine how your PC looks and feels. Some users might prefer a straightforward design that doesn’t make heavy use of RGB or tempered glass, choosing instead a more understated appearance. If you’re shopping on a tight budget, we advise using this strategy because it can help you save a ton of money. Even though it may be tempting, money used in a system that is more budget-focused is better used elsewhere.

DDR4 Vs DDR5 Memory

Since about six years ago, DDR4 memory has been the norm, and that isn’t likely to change any time soon.

Newer DDR5 RAM has faster, flashier speeds and larger capacity DIMMs, but it is still very young. Although we anticipate that DRAM prices for DDR5 will decrease over the ensuing year, DDR4 is still a viable option right now. The only exception here is for very high-end builds, where a few hundred extra dollars isn’t likely to lead to major sacrifices elsewhere

Upgrade over Time

One of the best things you can do is probably to upgrade your setup over time.

We advise building a “skeleton system” for those who are unfamiliar with PC components and are unsure of what to buy before upgrading it later with better components. That does not imply that you should use subpar parts at the expense of performance. However, wait to purchase 8TB if you are unsure about storage.

By choosing individual sticks with larger capacities, you can leave some RAM DIMM slots open and unfilled. By doing this, you can upgrade your RAM at a later time without using up your initial hardware. The same is true when choosing a good motherboard and CPU combination; choose a modern B660 or Z690 board, and you’ll be able to upgrade to an i5, i7, or i9 one day without having to replace any other parts.

Is It Cheaper to Build a Gaming PC Or Buy a Prebuilt One?

A simple solution is not available. When looking for quality parts, building your own PC used to always be the more affordable option. However, you can now find a good deal and purchase a gaming PC for a reasonable price from a store like NewEgg or even Amazon.

We advise price comparison. Once you’ve found a prebuilt gaming PC you like, look into the cost of the individual components. Consider buying the parts and assembling the items yourself if they are less expensive.

How Much Should You Spend on Your First Gaming PC?

There are a ton of options that beginners could investigate, but they should first take a step back and get creative. The tier of gaming PC you choose to buy ultimately depends on a combination of your financial resources and the kinds of games you want to have on your gaming PC. Depending on your level of independence, you might prefer a low-cost gaming PC under $700, a mid-range gaming PC under $1,100, or a high-end gaming PC costing over $1,500.

Being persistent on exactly what you require is your best chance of obtaining that exceptional deal. Don’t be afraid to insist on having your first gaming PC tailored to your needs in order to get the most out of your money. Investing in your first gaming PC can and should be worthwhile, which is why we’re here to support you as you take a risk, cut costs, and get the most bang for your buck.

Summary

For a computer that will run all games at low to medium settings, the typical gaming PC costs between $800 and $1200 USD. Costs for a top-tier gaming PC range from $1500 to $2000 USD or more.

What you hope to get out of your new rig will have a significant impact on the final cost. For instance, virtual reality will be more demanding than World of Warcraft or League of Legends. Price is directly influenced by the kind of gaming you do and the level of performance you desire.

Arya Wang