Gaming is surely a sought-after option for entertainment, and who doesn’t love it? Although several gamers across the world build their PCs from scratch, not everyone has the time or expertise to pull it off seamlessly. Thanks to prebuilt gaming PCs, it’s now possible to purchase a gaming rig that suits your needs for $1,200 or even less than that.
Unlike all other technical setups of devices, with gaming PCs as well, there are a few major elements to consider when you purchase them. You will need to pay attention to the kind of processor that caters to your needs as this will indicate the speed and performance you can expect. Another important element to consider is RAM capacity, as they help to maintain your frame rate and performance.
Additionally, PCs with large storage drives can save many games, images, videos, documents, and software. We’ve put together this guide to show you the best gaming PC under $1200 so that you could get your hands on it if you decide to build your rig today and get started on your gaming journey!
In a hurry? Here are our top 3 picks when it comes to the best gaming PCs under $1200 in 2024!
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Is $1200 Enough For a Gaming PC in 2024?
For $1200, you can build a highly amazing and powerful gaming PC, provided you get the right components and factors that are needed.
As a gamer, nothing could be better than buying the best gaming PC for yourself. By the best in the market, we refer to a pre-made, well-optimized, and highly efficient machine that comes with a warranty, authorized cable management, and indestructible fitting done to the machine.
However, to get a machine with all these specifications you have been eyeing, you need to come prepared with your wants, needs, and desires. There are a variety of several different aspects that you need to pay attention to and consider before this.
For example, you may be looking for the best gaming PC with the best resolution, while another game could be on the lookout for a prebuilt high-performance machine on the lower end of the budget. As a gamer, your individual preferences and needs are different, and the best gaming computer for you may not happen to be the best for someone else.
As of the current scenario in the world and the gaming environment, the prices of gaming PCs and computers are slowly becoming affordable, thanks to the high level of competition. With multiple gaming computers flooding the market, there is an increase in PCs’ quality and value for the price tag.
Getting the best gaming PC on a budget is advantageous and can serve you for a long period of time because it saves you money while enjoying high-end computers’ same or even better features. You also get to enjoy other benefits like warranty, designs, and cable management, to mention a few.
1. HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop TG01-1183w – Best Overall
This high speed and best performance Gaming PC has to be our top pick in this list of affordable gaming PC’s under $1200, and hence it makes for the best Overall Gaming PC under $1200. With a 2.9 GHz base frequency and up to 4.3 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost technology, you can play, multitask and create a powerful processor. The discrete graphics of this Gaming PC ensures that the machine runs smoothly while you play your favorite titles.
Thanks to the easy upgrades and responsive visuals, an enhanced thermal solution keeps the tower cool and quiet as you play through demanding games and applications. It comes with a decent hard drive rotational speed of 7200 RPM and a pre-installed Windows 10 Home operating system that can efficiently cater to your gaming needs.
The HP Pavilion Gaming desktop series is designed to up with your gaming needs. This sleek, space-saving tower of disk drives will allow you to expand and upgrade with customizable LED lights. Wifi 5 & Bluetooth: you can actively stay connected to wifi and Bluetooth accessories with wireless technology. MU-MIMO supported: Pair with an MU-MIMO router for a smoother online and gaming experience in multi-device homes, and notice how it changes the course of your immersive gaming experience.
Why is the HP Pavillion TG01 The Best Gaming PC Under $1200?
With the enhanced speed of the Intel Core i5 processor and Turbo boost technology, this device is extremely high performance. Considering the element of memory and storage, the 8GB RAM ensures that you effectively keep up with the games that demand power and energy. The powerful VIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 ensures you experience a responsive visual as you play, and the discrete graphics ensure the machines run your desirable titles.
2. Skytech Shadow 3.0 Gaming PC Desktop – Runner Up
With the variety of outstanding factors on this device, we understand why this Gaming PC is our editor’s choice for the runner-up position on our list.
SkyTech is a company that is solely dedicated to producing high-quality gaming PCs and products designed to deliver the ultimate technical performance at an affordable price. They have specialized in developing extremely efficient prebuilt PCs built with cutting-edge technology and boast a stylish design that will add to the aesthetic value of any home or office.
With high-quality gaming performance, the right amount of ports, expandability, and ample storage space that lets you install your favorite games on your PC. It has plenty of reasons to be considered a powerhouse neatly packed within a beautiful case, but let us get more into depth to find out its real worth.
Its super-fast INTEL Core i5 10400F 2.9GHz (4.3GHz Max Boost) CPU Processor with a 500 GB SSD is considerably faster than the traditional HDD.
The PC has a no Bloatware feature and graphic output options that include various ports. Moving on, we see the device has 3 RGB Ring Fans that efficiently ensure maximum airflow. What’s next? It comes with a Skytech gaming case, tempered glass, lifetime support for free, and a 1-year warranty for parts and labor. Don’t we love the product already?
The high-performance Skytech gaming PC can run all your favorite games in one.
3. ROG Strix G10DK Gaming Desktop PC, AMD Ryzen 7 3700X – Premium Pick
Available for less than $1200, the ROG Strix G10DK Gaming Desktop PC delivers an immersive experience right out of the box for the price range. Backed by AMD’s new Ryzen 7 3700 X processor and high-performance GTX 1660 Ti, this gaming PC is ready to game and transform your digital life with its collection of cutting-edge technologies. With its killer specs and striking design, this versatile machine is the perfect choice for any gaming enthusiast.
You have an option to go with an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or select the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X specification for your gaming device.
At the heart of any gaming PC is a powerful processor, and we think this is one of the best gaming rigs within the price bracket of $1200, sporting a robust AMD Ryzen 7-3700X Processor. And NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB graphics ensure everything from competitive gaming to multimedia consumption.
This midrange processor is very responsive and offers a base clock speed of 2.9 GHz. ROG Strix G10DK delivers a stable gaming performance with smooth gameplay and vivid visuals. It’s ideal for gaming at Full HD resolution.
What’s more? The ROG Armory Crate software unifies system and lighting control and puts them at your fingertips. Its user-friendly interface lets you manage up to four different gaming profiles that automatically load your preferred settings when you launch your favorite gaming titles on the system.
4. Allied Gaming Patriot Liquid Cooled Desktop PC – Alternative Pick
With a maximum boost performance through its embedded Intel 1-7 10700K technology, the heat spreader on the device is what makes it stand out from the rest of its competitors. It comes along with a 120mm Liquid cooling ice cube, and the 512GB PCI-E NVMe SSD works 30 percent faster than the traditional HDD.
This super-affordable gaming PC has a lot of processing power for the price, and it surprised us in our testing, offering solid performance for everyday use and impressive efficiency from a compact tower that fits easily in small spaces. It features a new Generation Intel Core i7- processor capable of running at 5.1 GHz at a maximum boost speed that is perfect for seamless and smooth gameplay – plus easy streaming and multitasking.
The striking feature of this device is the anti-overheating feature which works amazing, especially if you like to stream and play games for long hours. It comes with a Hard disk size of 512.0 GB and 16.0 GB RAM that is prebuilt into the device.
5. iBUYPOWER Pro Gaming PC Computer Desktop Slate4MR 222i (Intel i5-11400F 2.6GHz)
The iBUYPOWER Pro Gaming Computer desktop setup is powered by an Intel Core i5-11400F processor, which features six cores and 12 threads clocked at 2.9 GHz with turbo capacity up to 4.3 GHz. This is paired with 8 GB of DDR4 memory, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super (6 GB VRAM) graphics card, and Windows 10 with 11 upgradeable.
Additionally, the Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 offers a 6 GB Dedicated Gaming Video Card that ensures your gaming experiences are not hindered in any manner. You can connect 2 additional monitors with the system and use an HDMI and DisplayPort Cable to experience the best versions of gaming.
6. iBUYPOWER Pro Gaming PC Computer Desktop TraceMR 231i
The entire gaming setup of iBUYPOWER is powered by an Intel Core i5-11400F processor, which features six cores and 12 threads clocked at 2.9 GHz with turbo capacity up to 4.3 GHz. This is paired with 8 GB of DDR4 memory, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super (6 GB VRAM) graphics card, and Windows 10 with 11 upgradeable.
Additionally, the Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 offers a 6 GB Dedicated Gaming Video Card that ensures your gaming experiences are not hindered in any manner.
You can connect 2 additional monitors with the system and use an HDMI and DisplayPort Cable to experience the best versions of gaming.
7. MSI Aegis SE (Tower) Gaming Desktop – Best Design
The super-fast Intel Core i5 -11400 F is what makes this gaming desktop stand out from the rest. Apart from gaming, you can also deploy this machine to be your go-to solution for streaming videos and entertainment purposes.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 S 6GB GDDR6 192-bit provides a plethora of solutions that are suited to your gaming needs. It additionally comes with a usable HDMI port and 6 USB ports. The device also supports 2 full-size 3.5 and 3 2.25-inch drivers that can be located at the base of the device for easy access.
How to Choose the Best Gaming PC Under $1200?
You can indeed spend a lot of money on getting a gaming rig together that combines the very best cutting-edge GPU, processors, storage, and memory, not to mention monitors, keyboards, game controllers, and more. If you have no specific budget to follow, you can go nuts and purchase as many devices as you need, but considering the current scenario, there are several limitations on what you can pay for when building a gaming PC setup.
But the pleasant news is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a quite capable gaming setup, especially if you plan out your budget and make the most of your funds. It’s even feasible to build up a quite capable VR-ready rig for around $1200, though you might be likely to hit a few visual limits that those on higher budgets will get past.
When you are on the lookout for the best gaming PC to suit your needs, make sure that you have a clear idea of your requirements. You will need a variety of things as you begin your gaming journey if you’re a beginner or an experienced gaming enthusiast. GPU, Monitor, Storage, and RAM requirements are some of the things you need to keep in mind. We have discussed all essential requirements in detail below.
Choosing Between Intel and AMD
This can be an easy decision to take as it comes down to the budget you have kept aside for each of the processors. Intel is slightly less expensive than an AMD processor and fits in the lower range. In contrast to Intel, an AMD processor is slightly less expensive than intel and is provided at a higher range while being practically way more effective than Intel.
Still, technically speaking, AMD has provided the budget market with a little better with its Ryzen processor lines than Intel’s Core equivalents, which tend to be pricier. On the other hand, Intel’s CPUs often loop over each other and perform better for gaming tasks at the top end. It’s a balancing act with both firms rival against each other to perform better in the gaming world.
Selecting the Right GPU
The gaming industry has proven to be quite instrumental in the evolution and creation of GPU Technology. You can definitely save a lot for yourself if you wish to select a graphics card with less than 8GB of inbuilt RAM, but we strongly suggest you not make that purchase. There are several amazing options for GPU drivers that can be purchased online.
To keep things simple as we explain, if you are building a gaming PC to suit your gaming needs, then the GPU will be your most important purchase. Other components can also influence performance, such as the CPU, storage, and RAM, but the GPU has the most direct connection to what you see on the screen when playing. A GPU is just an essential element of a gaming setup, however, there are several more things you need to keep in mind when you set up your gaming environment.
With that being said, here’s a piece of bad news, though, as there is a shortage of gaming parts globally, it can be quite difficult to get your hands on a powerful GPU unit, so if you do, make sure you hold on to it.
Motherboard Requirements
You can get more affordable AM4 socket motherboards, and it totally depends on how you are going to configure it internally. But still, the MSI B450 Gaming Plus is well regarded among gaming enthusiasts in terms of value for money with support for memory speeds up to DDR4-3466, SLI/Crossfire compatibility, and M.2 support for quicker SSD compatibility.
PSU Requirements For Your Gaming PC
Selecting the right features for your device can be tough, but we tend to ignore them a lot, especially with little things. The key factor to having a seamless gaming experience is to ensure that the device’s power supply is maintained throughout your session. Who would want to leave their game in the middle due to an unlikely power failure?
You will need to ensure that the power supply you use is capable enough to match and manage the power needs of the gaming components that you are matching it with. What’s more? You can repurpose your existing gaming gear here, but then you’re not only taking on matching up power needs but also possibly factoring an aged or worn-out PSU into the bargain.
Lastly, Don’t Forget to Set Aside a Budget for the OS
Steam does provide a considerable amount of Linux support, but it’s a smaller subset of available titles, and the same is true on the Mac side of the equation. With macOS turning all ARM with macOS Big Sur, the market for Hackintoshes is probably to dry up very quickly. That means that Windows 10 is your Operating system of choice.
If you’re building a new PC, you’ve got to factor in the cost of that Operating System’s license, nothing specifically illicit about using an OEM copy that is basically much more affordable when it comes along with hardware components that you will be purchasing anyway. Still, Microsoft does happen to be more restrictive when you do upgrades on home-built systems around those licenses and may cost you some extra funds.
Final Thoughts
As a die-hard gamer or even a beginner in the world of gaming technology, nothing seems better than buying the best Gaming PC for yourself. An amazing gaming machine is something that will efficiently cater to your gaming needs and help you achieve that nirvana you’re looking for with an immersive gaming experience. However, to get such a gaming machine that ticks all the boxes, a lot of research and specifications to look for. Especially something to fulfill your needs, wants, and gaming desires.
Luckily, in the current scenario where gaming is becoming the highly sought-after mode of entertainment, gaming computers’ prices are slowly becoming affordable, thanks to the high level of competition. With numerous gaming computers flooding the market, there is an increase in the quality of gaming PCs and value for the price tag offered.
Now that you have decided to get yourself a gaming PC after reading through our article, how do you pick one that meets your needs? In this blog, we have constructed this list of the best gaming PCs under $1,200 for you to clarify this matter and include some pros & cons of each of these products for you to consider. Once you’ve completed this guide, you’ll be ready to choose which of the best gaming PCs under $1,200 suits your needs and fits best for you!
