Expectations
Before we dive into the details of building an ultra-low budget gaming PC, it’s important to set some expectations. Yes, this is a low-spec computer that won’t be able to handle the most demanding games at maximum settings. However, for those on a tight budget who still want to enjoy PC gaming, this approach can deliver a solid experience. By getting creative with components and focusing on value, you can build a gaming PC that is capable of running most modern games at 1080p with medium settings and 60 frames per second, all for a fraction of the cost of a high-end gaming PC. [1] So while some may criticize the specs of this build, remember that it’s all about getting the most out of your budget and enjoying PC gaming without breaking the bank.
If you have a specific game in mind you want to play, be sure to check out its Steam page and view the minimum hardware requirements. If the game wants modern or powerful hardware, you probably won’t have a great experience playing it on this computer. [1] However, there are many, many games on Steam that have surprisingly low system requirements and can be enjoyed just the same on this computer.
The PC Itself
First, we’re gonna start with a refurbished office PC. There are a few sites out there that do this, the one I’m familiar with is pcliquidations.com, so I’ll be using that as an example for the rest of this guide. [1] You don’t have to use that one – you can choose whatever site you like. Hell, even eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist could work, just be prepared for sellers not knowing the specs of the systems they are selling.
If you’re using pcliquidations, just click “desktops” and then click all of these as requirements on the left sidebar. What we’re looking for is a computer with at least the following specs:
- Price somewhere in the neighborhood of $120-180
- Form factor is NOT “Micro/Ultra Small”
- Intel i5-4XXX (4th gen i5, or AMD equivalent)
- 8GB RAM (DDR4 is preferred, but at this price point DDR3 is likely what you’ll get)
- 256GB SSD (watch out for the 128GB SSDs, that doesn’t leave much room for games)
- One PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot
When checking out the computer’s listing on pcliquidations, make sure that the option to add a video card is there on the right side of the page and that the “XFX Radeon 6400 4GB” is an option to add. [1] But don’t actually add it – they want $200 for the RX 6400, but it’s on Amazon for $145. This basically just ensures that the case will actually fit a low-profile graphics card and that the motherboard has a PCIe x16 slot.
This knocks out the case, motherboard, CPU, PSU, RAM, Operating System, and storage for $120-180, not bad all things considered. In this current state, it’s simply just a decent running computer for regular usage. But, we’re here for gaming, so onto the next step.
The Graphics Card
Now that we have a PC that fits most of the minimum requirements for gaming, we just need something to handle the graphical part of gaming, which is most of the workload anyway. What we’re going to be looking for is a graphics card that handles 1080p decently, doesn’t require external power connectors, and for the low-profile refurbished computers that flood the refurb market, it probably also must be “low-profile.”
The vast majority of refurb office desktops are small form factor. If you want to have more options for a graphics card, get a desktop that is not small form factor – just make sure that “SFF” does not appear in the title of the listing on pcliquidations. [1] Keep in mind this limits your options for a desktop.
AMD Radeon RX 6400
Now I know a lot of people aren’t going to like this option, but it is a modern graphics card released in Q1 2022. The benefit of this card is that it only sips 53W of power maximum, which is great for the power supply that comes included with most refurb office PCs. [1] It has a great dollar-to-performance ratio and a great wattage-to-performance ratio. We put this graphics card in the computer my little brother inherited from grandma, and honestly I’m not disappointed. He plays 1080p medium settings and it’s totally playable. In some areas, it may not get 60fps, but might dip more towards 45-50fps, which is still totally playable. [1] The XFX Speedster RX 6400 is also low-profile and comes with a mounting bracket for low-profile cases, which is advantageous for most of the refurb office PCs out there because it can actually fit in them. On Amazon, it’s $145 right now.
NVIDIA GTX 1650 (USED)
This is one that gets recommended a lot, but prices are all over the place in the used market. On eBay, some are listed for $200, some are listed for $70, all coming from sellers with no ratings to sellers with lots of ratings. [2] If you’re willing to go the used route, this may also be a good option depending on pricing. This card also comes in a low-profile form, but from what I can find, it seems like the low-profile versions aren’t as common.
NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti (USED)
Basically the same situation as the GTX 1650, but it’s an older card and it’s outperformed by both of the cards listed previously. [1] If you’re straining your budget and find one of these at a good deal, it may prove to be worth it, but some games you may have to lower the resolution to 1600×900 or turn the graphics settings down to low, or both.
If neither of the cards you find here are at good prices or you just want something else, do some research, look at benchmarks of other cards, see if they come in low-profile variants if you need it, and make sure they don’t require an external power connector (6pin, 6+2pin, etc.). [1]
If you have some extra padding to your budget, you’re willing to go elbow-deep in a PC case plugging in things, and you got a non-small form factor desktop, this is where some more options open up to you. You can upgrade the power supply and get a nicer graphics card. [5] We’re not going to go deep into that here, but this can open the door to 1080p High-Max settings, or even 1440p Low-Medium settings, depending.
Install The Graphics Card
You’ve ordered the PC, the graphics card of your choice, received them, and you’re ready to game. Turn off the PC, unplug the power cord, open up the side panel of the case, hold the graphics card in such a way you don’t touch any of the little components on the board or the gold connectors, and insert it into the PCIe x16 slot closest to the CPU. [1] In some cases, you may have to literally break off the part of the case that blocks the output of the graphics card, but they’re designed to do this. Screw the mounting bracket into place on the slot in the back of the case.
In some rare cases, the slot closest to the CPU might not be the x16 slot. If you want to be really sure, read the manual for the computer/motherboard and find which one is the x16 slot – 99% of the time it is the one closest to the CPU. [1]
Make sure when you plug in your monitor, you plug the HDMI or DisplayPort cable into the graphics card itself, not the motherboard. Now, go to the manufacturer’s website (NVIDIA or AMD) and install the drivers for the card. It’ll usually download an exe file, run the exe file, wait for it to do its thing, and you’re ready to game.
As an optional step, if you’re feeling confident, you can purchase some thermal paste, remove the CPU cooler, wipe off the old thermal paste on both the CPU and the cooler, apply new thermal paste, and replace the cooler. [5] The thermal paste in these systems is often old and dried out, so since you’re in there, you might as well replace it for better cooling capabilities.
Upgrades and The Future
A few cheap upgrades could include upgrading to 16GB of RAM, making sure it’s DDR3 or DDR4, whichever is in your system. [1] You could also add another SSD for more storage for your games – 1TB SATA SSD’s are fairly cheap these days, around $45-50, and will allow you to store many more games if you have them. [1] Just make sure you have the SATA power cable (usually there are extra power connectors along the ribbon already going into your current SSD), a standard SATA cable, and an available SATA port on the motherboard.
A medium-upgrade would be upgrading the power supply and the graphics card, which I glossed over just before the graphics card section. [5] Ultimately, for any “major” upgrade, this machine will not be “future proof” in many ways. If your sights are higher and your budget is higher in the future, you’re better off building a modern computer from scratch down the road.
Game On
When purchasing games on Steam, make sure to review the minimum hardware requirements on its store page. [1] There are a vast amount of games that this computer will handle just fine, but some modern or poorly optimized games won’t perform well at all, or may even be unplayable (I wouldn’t try to play Cyberpunk 2077 on this machine…).
So there you have it – buy a refurb office PC with decent specs, slap a budget graphics card into it, and enjoy 1080p gaming without breaking the bank. With a little creativity and elbow grease, you can build a capable gaming rig that won’t leave your wallet in shambles. Happy building, and may your framerates be high and your temperatures low!
References:
[1] Knowledge from https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/11zccx8/the_poor_mans_guide_to_building_a_300_gaming_pc/
[2] Knowledge from https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/sep/25/making-a-monster-how-to-build-a-budget-gaming-pc-without-losing-your-mind
[5] Knowledge from https://www.beamng.com/threads/a-good-pre-built-pc-that-wont-break-the-bank-but-still-run-beamng-and-similar-games.48101/
