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If you want a cheap gaming PC that can play the latest games at 1080p on medium to high setting for around $200 dollars, you can simply purchase a prebuilt PC and install the best GPU you can afford into that PC. It’s that simple, yet a lot of people don’t seem to understand this.
This is a great option for those wanting to get into PC gaming because you don’t have to invest a lot upfront to start playing the latest AAA games such as Fortnite, PUGB, Apex legends, Overwatch, Battlefield 5, and MMORPGs at 1080p. Also, you would then be able to upgrade your PC incrementally to obtain the look and performance you desire over time. The components needed to build a $200 gaming PC are Below.
Pre-built PC
Prebuilt PCs with Intel’s 2nd or 3rd generation CPUs are still to this day powerful enough to run the latest AAA games at 1080p on medium to high settings when paired with a good GPU such as the GTX 1050.
It is important that the prebuild PC have at least 8GB of ram and at least 250GB of storage. This will allow you sufficient space to store a few games and your windows 7 or better OS (operating system).
Speaking of the OS, If you have the option to get a prebuilt PC with Windows 10, instead of previous versions of Windows, we highly recommend it. This is because the newest version of DirectX– DirectX 12– requires Microsoft Windows 10. You can learn more about DirectX 12 here.
Additionally, the prebuilt PC’s motherboard should have a PCI Express x16 slot for the GPU. It should also have a case that provides adequate space for your all components.
What you can build with $200-$250:
The PC specs listed below are the bare minimum of what is required for this build. Therefore, your aim should be to find a prebuilt PC with better specifications than those listed above for around the same price. This is why we highly recommend you buy the PC from eBay because of their large selection, filtering search options, and great buyer protection policy.
Minimum required specifications for this prebuilt PC:
| Intel i3-2100 |
| 8GB of Ram |
| 250GB of storage |
| 300W power supply (Important!) |
| Motherboard has a PCIe x16 slot for the GPU |
| Windows 10 operating system |
Make sure the prebuilt PC is in good working condition before adding the GPU. It’s very important that the PC’s power supply is 300W or greater because that is the minimum requirement to power the graphics card and other PC components. If the PC is not in good working condition, eBay’s buyer protection allows you to send it back to the seller for a full refund and you can then purchase another one. You can find a large variety of sub $100 PCs with the specs above or better on eBay.
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Nvidia GTX 1050 Graphics Card
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 or RX 560 (if you prefer an AMD GPU) allow for 1080p gaming on medium to high settings. We do not recommend lower end graphics cards such as the GTX 1030 because they are just not powerful enough to “enjoyably” play more demanding games such as Player’sUnknown Battlegrounds. Also, you can learn more about the compatibility of a graphics card here.
How to install a graphics card:
The GTX 1050 is based on Nvidia’s Pascal Architecture. Therefore, it provides great performance, while also being very power efficient. Its power efficiency allows it to draw all its power from motherboard alone. This means that it can be installed into the motherboard’s PCI Express slot without the need to connect it to an external power connector. The GTX 1050 can be purchased from Amazon or Newegg.
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Think of this PC build as a starting point, a basis of which you can build on. A way for you to start PC gaming without financially committing more than $200 on a PC. This will also leave more money to buy decent PC peripherals. From there, you can easily upgrade the parts of this PC as you please to obtain the performance and design you desire over time. If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below.
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