A common price point for a lot of budding gamers to save up is around $1000. The best-prebuilt gaming PC for under $1000, in some cases, features better graphics cards than those under $800 but not always. Sometimes, a gaming PC under $1000 may have similar spec GPUs but feature a stronger CPU, more storage, and better RAM.
A $1000 is a lot of money and is an ideal amount for those looking at playing games in glorious detail, with some capable of 1440p performance. We would all love a premium $1500 – $2000 gaming PC but these affordable prebuilt options below might surprise you.
Our 5 Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs Under $1,000
Skytech Archangel Gaming PC
With the AMD Ryzen 5 3600, GTX 1660 Super, and 500GB SSD, you get yourself a powerful PC capable of running games in max settings and destroying VR games. Great value!
With the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 processor and the GTX 1660 GPU; don’t underestimate this pre-built computer. These specs should keep most happy with this gaming rig able to handle anything you chuck at it. A solid gaming computer that is bang within budget!
Skytech Shadow 3.0 Gaming PC
This prebuilt option comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 3600, which is an outstanding chip for gaming and multitasking. Not only does this have awesome processing power but it features an RTX 3060 Ti. A solid choice for any gamer!
This pre-built is capable of handling AAA-title games in high settings. The CPU and mid-tier GPU combine to produce some incredible results for gaming. With the included SSD, loading and boot times will also feel snappy. This stylish build will not disappoint and is worth consideration.
Allied Gaming Patriot Desktop PC (6700XT)
The Allied Gaming Patriot PC offers some excellent gaming specs. Coming in over budget, we have one of the strongest GPUs featured in this roundup – the RX 6700XT.
This may be pricey but the combination of the strong CPU and GPU is going to make gaming an absolute delight. You may need to upgrade the storage within the year but you can expect to play every game you desire with this PC.
CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC (GXiVR8060A10)
This prebuilt gaming PC offers some fantastic value for gamers. It features a powerful Intel Core i5-10400F and Nvidia’s GTX 1660 Super GPU!
The processor in this gaming prebuilt will give most CPUs a run for their money when it comes to gaming performance and the GTX 1660 Super is not to be sniffed at either. Not only is this PC capable of 1080p gaming in high settings but it will handle VR with ease!
HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop
The Pavilion Gaming PC from HP comes equipped with everything you need for a more affordable gaming experience. It will handle AAA game titles with ease at mid-high video settings thanks to the Radeon RX 5500 graphics card.
The HP Pavilion features strong core components. The partnership of AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600G CPU and the Radeon RX 5500, a pleasant, albeit budget set of components.
How We Choose
We scoured popular and reputable prebuilt gaming PC manufacturers such as Dell, HP, iBuyPower, CyberPowerPC, and even the latest prebuilt gaming desktop PCs from companies that specialize in upgrades and customizations such as CUK (Computer Upgrade King).
After an extensive search, we came up with a long list of potential candidates, we then: examined the specs, compared them, and came up with the five best gaming PCs under $1,000.
Things To Consider
We understand that not everyone can find the time to build their own custom PC but when buying a prebuilt gaming PC there are just as many things to consider before making that final purchase. Whiles these prebuilt computers for under $1000 are highly capable, we still need to make sure you walk away with the right PC for your needs.
What To Look For In A Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $1000
When it comes to a prebuilt gaming PC for under $1000, you would be forgiven for thinking that there are no compromises. well, despite being considered “high-end”, there is only so much room in the budget for a GPU. This means you will often find the older components but usually, this is just the previous generation, however, some include the entry-level GPUs to the latest ranges. In any case, a gaming PC under $1000 is going to smash 1080p gaming and offer plenty of performance in 1440p too!
Graphics Card
Whether it’s a prebuilt or a custom-built gaming computer, the graphics card is the most important component. It’s the powerhouse of any gaming computer.
Prebuilt gaming computers around the $1000 mark are technically on the high-end side of things but still have a couple of compromises here and there, one of which is the GPU. Graphics cards in these systems are going to be able to play anything in any setting when gaming in 1080p, with some of the PCs able to take on 1440p too.
Processor
When buying a prebuilt computer in this bracket, you are likely to be getting older generations. Don’t worry though, the good news is that while these may not be the latest and greatest CPUs, they are often just the previous gen, with high speeds, and are still great for gaming!
RAM
$1000 prebuilt gaming PCs is where we start to see 16GB of fast RAM included. This is great news for gamers as 16GB is becoming more and more optimal, plus it will future proof your setup a while longer than 8GB. If you’re unsure how much RAM is too much, you can head over to our ”How Much RAM Do You Need for Gaming?” article.
Storage
Storage solutions in $1000 prebuilt gaming PCs vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, with some offering dual-storage and others large 1TB SSDs. In any case, you are likely to end up with more than enough storage to get you going but you can expect anything between 500GB and 1TB.
Best Gaming PC Under $1000 Vs Custom
We always recommend that you build your own computer here at WPC and that is for one simple reason – value. It is no secret that you can squeeze in better hardware for your cash when building your own system, with the markup on prebuilt computers usually costing the same amount as an entire component ($100-$300).
Performance
While the performance of these $1000 gaming PCs is solid, when building your own you could in theory include a better CPU or GPU into your computer without spending more. This means you could get even better performance for your hard-earned cash, get better in-game results, and future-proof your investment for longer.
Convenience
The main selling point behind a prebuilt gaming PC is it saves you the hassle. We understand that not everyone knows how to build a computer and may not even have the time to learn this new skill, so the convenience of a prebuilt makes a lot of sense. Of course, there are many more benefits to buying a prebuilt gaming PC from manufacturers, obviously, it takes the stresses away from finding all the compatible components, while also preventing damage to said components when the time comes to build it.
With one of these gaming PCs, you are going to be able to send it back to the manufacturer if anything goes wrong. Furthermore, if you feel you need an upgrade, suppliers will often do this for you or at least insist you send it to them for an upgrade. Manufacturers will also dish out a warranty, usually covering parts and labor for around a year but some companies offer impressive warranties and you can always spend extra on insurance, giving you a lengthy/ lifetime warranty.
These computers are from the biggest manufacturers around the world and aren’t just packaged nicely for you either, they normally stress test the system to ensure the components are working before shipping and that it performs as it should. You will also receive your system with software, usually with Windows and drivers pre-installed, so you can simply plug it in and start downloading games.
Most notable brands:
Alienware
Corsair
CyberPowerPC
SkyTech
iBUYPOWER
Thermaltake
MSI
Scan 3XS
Overclockers UK
Conclusion
There you have it, the best-prebuilt gaming PC under $1000. All five prebuilt offer excellent gaming performance, whether you are playing games in 1080p or 1440p. While some may prefer slightly more storage, the combination of the powerful CPU, GPU, and RAM is going to give you some impressive results.
With these selections, you can rest assured that each one is of high quality and is manufactured by some of the biggest names in the business, meaning all you have to worry about is picking up the right spec for your gaming needs.