With the increasing price of PC hardware all over the world, it’s really hard for gamers to buy a decent gaming PC. It’s not about just saving money on your build, but there’s always some sort of performance expectation that you need out of that PC.
Now, if you are tight on budget and want to build a gaming machine by spending less than $900 or even $700, then you’ll have to pick the parts wisely.
We’ve done the research part for you by selecting the most compatible PC parts to build your 900-dollar gaming PC. Now, this PC would allow you to play most AAA games at 1080p or 1440 settings. Now you can pick between a prebuilt $900 gaming PC or a custom gaming PC.
If you have enough knowledge on how to build a gaming PC, then we’ll recommend you go with the custom-built option.
Meanwhile, if you don’t have enough time and don’t know how to assemble a PC from scratch, then a prebuilt gaming PC would fit you.
If you are in a Hurry, then let’s start with the prebuilt option.
Best $900 Prebuilt Gaming PC
Here are the best pre-made gaming PCs to consider:
Skytech Shadow Gaming PC Desktop
CPU: Core i5 10400F 2.9 GHz | RAM: 8GB DDR4 (3200 MHz) | GPU: RTX 3050 8GB GDDR6 | Storage: 1TB NVMe | PSU: 600W Gold-Rated | Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, HDMI, Display Port, USB 2.0, 3.0, and 3.2 Gen1 Ports
Reasons to Consider
The Skytech Shadow Gaming PC is infused with all the much-needed ingredients you need for 1080p gaming. It’s a reliable option for gaming and content creation workloads.
The Skytech Shadow is packed with the most reliable parts needed for a 1080p gaming experience. Powered by the Core i5 10400F processor and the RTX 3050 graphics card, you play most games at 1080p high settings on this PC.
The Intel Core i5 10400F is a six-core CPU that sits on the sweet spot between price and performance. It genuinely meets the bare minimum number of CPU cores you need for gaming these days.
Although Skytech gives you the option to pick between Intel Core i5 10400F and Core i7 12700K at the time of ordering this gaming machine, we think going with the 12700K would cost you a fortune. So, to stay under the budget, the Core i5 10400F would deliver you the most value for your money.
The Skytech Shadow Gaming machine puts the RTX 3050 8GB version on your gaming desk. The RTX 3050 is a mid-range graphics card that puts brings you closer to ray-tracing and DLSS 2.0, the premium features that every gamer needs right now. But the RTX 3050 is more of an entry-level ray-tracing graphics card.
You cannot expect the RTX 3050 to give you the level of performance that an RTX 3080 or 3090 can, but at least you’ll experience how ray-tracing affects the performance of gaming visuals.
Skytech has used a very decent gaming case to build this entire setup. You’ll find three RGB case fans that add aesthetics to the overall gaming rig. There’s a side glass panel at one side to see your gaming machine in its full glory. Overall, this PC case has a sturdy build quality and it gives you a premium feel when you look at it.
Furthermore, there’s a 1TB NVMe SSD which you can extend later depending on your budget. This gaming machine also gives you access to some of the most advanced I/O ports for faster connectivity.
Let’s talk a bit about the performance of Skytech Shadow Gaming PC. With its current specs, you can easily play games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, PUBG, GTA V, CyberPunk 2077, Volarant, The Division 2, and Battlefield V on 1080p Ultra-high settings. In all of these games, you can expect more than 60+ fps.
The gaming performance of Skytech Shadow is somewhat similar to that of CyberPower’s Wyvern Gaming PC. However, in the CyberPower Wyvern Gaming PC, you’ll find 16GB of DDR4, Windows 11, and 650W 80+ power supply. So you can expect the CyberPower Wyvern to give you a bit more punch in performance, but you’ll need to throw more cash on the table.
Building Gaming PC Under $900
Custom-built PCs deliver better performance in gaming as compared to pre-built gaming PCs. Also, picking the PC parts by yourself saves you a lot of money. We highly recommend you go with a custom-built gaming PC if you want to get the most bang for your buck.
CPU: Intel Core i5 11600K
Cores/Threads: 6/12 | Clock Speed: 3.9 GHz | Boost Clock Speed: 4.9 GHz | TDP: 125W | Compatibility: 400 and 500 series
Reasons to Consider
The Core i5 11600K delivers ideal performance in gaming without breaking your bank account. It is packed with enough cores and threads to tackle AAA gaming, streaming, and content creation workloads.
The Core i5 11600K is one of the most budget-oriented CPUs you’ll find in the market. This processor is packed with 6 cores and 12 threads to crunch any complex workload you’ll throw on it.
Right out of the box, you’ll get a CPU that is already clocked at 3.9 GHz. So, this 11th gen chip from Intel breaks all the traditions that were found in old-generation Intel CPUs. At least, without doing any kind of overclocking, you get a higher clock speed on each core.
Well, the CPU is unlocked and if you need more performance out of it, you can easily overclock it to 4.9 GHz using a decent CPU cooler. But honestly, it doesn’t look like you’ll ever need more performance out of this CPU. The 3.9 GHz clock on each core is enough to keep up with the pace of modern AAA games at 1080p settings.
In case you want a better CPU than this one, then we’ll recommend you to go with Core i7 11700KF. But on other hand, you’ll have to lose your wallet to take more cash out of it. So you would be paying for just additional cores, which we don’t think so will give you that much of a boost in gaming.
For now, the Core i5 1100K would deliver you the best gaming value for your money.
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus
Reasons to Consider
MSI MPG Z490 is the most reliable motherboard for LGA 1200 socket CPUs. It supports DDR4 memory up to 128GB (4800MHz) and holds the most advanced I/O options. The pre-installed IO shield makes it durable for a longer run.
The MSI MPS Z490 is a cheaper ATX motherboard to have for LGA 1200 socket CPUs. With a price tag under $150, you’ll get access to x4 DDR4 DIMM slots that can accommodate memory up to 128GB (4800MHz).
As soon as you take the board out of the box, you find a portion of it covered with IO Shield. And this is something that is really difficult to find on cheaper motherboards these days. This will prevent the components connected to your motherboard from overheating.
The MSI MPS Z490 brings you x2 PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. This would give you an extra benefit if you are willing to install a graphics card at the same time. However, in gaming SLI or CrossFire is no more seen anywhere now. It turns out that the extra PCIe x16 slot would be good to use in case the other goes bad.
Moving on, there are x2 M.2 slots for installing multiple NVMe SSDs. Also, the motherboard comes with integrated graphics and has x1 DisplayPort and x1 HDMI video output.
At the back of the motherboard, you’ll find plenty of useful connectivity options as well. You’ll come across USB 2.0, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A/C ports. At least you connect whatever type of device with you for faster data transfer.
The CPU socket area on this motherboard has plenty of space on each side for installing bulky CPU coolers or water blocks.
Overall, it’s a decent motherboard with an easy-to-use BIOS interface, overclocking potential, and room for upgrade. It easily fits inside most PC cases without any issues. To install our Core i5 11600K CPU, this motherboard would be a great fit.
RAM: TEAMGROUP T-Create Classic 16GB DDR4 3200MHz (8 x 2 DIMMS)
Capacity: 16GB (8×2) | Type: DDR4 | Clock Speed: 3200MHz | CAS Latency: CL22-22-22-52
Reasons to Consider
TEAMGROUP offers ram modules with higher capacity at a discounted price. The TEAMGROUP T-Create Classic is highly compatible with Intel’s 11th gen processors.
For building a gaming PC under a $900 budget, we’ve opted for the TEAMGROUP T-Create Classic ram sticks. 16GB is more than enough to tackle high-end gaming and content creation workloads.
In case you need more RAM, there would be still two extra slots left on our MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus motherboard for that.
The toughest of the games in the market hardly use more than 8GB to 10GB of physical memory. TEAMGROUP T-Create Classic is meant for budget-oriented gamers and comes under a $60 price tag.
If you want better RAM than this one, then we’ll suggest you Corsair Vengeance LPX or Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB. By spending a few more bucks, you’ll get ram sticks with better heat spreaders and fancy RGB lights.
But if you don’t care about the aesthetics of a ram stick, then TEAMGROUP T-Create Classic will give you almost the same level of performance that you can expect from other ram brands at this price point.
GPU: Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Super
Video Memory: 6GB GDDR6 | Memory Interface: 192-bit | Boost Clock Speed: 1785 MHz | Video Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b | PSU Needed: 400W
Reasons to Consider
The GTX 1660 Super gives you enough juice to play any AAA title at 1080p settings. Also, this graphics card gives the most price-to-performance ratio of any other card in the market.
The Zotac GTX 1660 Super gives you the most bang for your buck in PC gaming. Built on Nvidia’s Turing architecture, the GTX 1660 Super is a solid 1080p gaming card. Picking the right graphics card for our 900 dollars gaming PC was a difficult task.
It was hard for us to pick between RTX 3050 and the GTX 1660 Super. To be honest, the RTX 3050 lures most gamers just because it has ray-tracing and DLSS. If you take out the ray-tracing and DLSS on one side, then the performance of an RTX 3050 and GTX 1660 at 1080p would be similar.
So, there’s no sense in paying more cash for the sake of ray tracing and DLSS only. Moreover, the ray-tracing performance on an RTX 3050 is not what you are expecting.
The GTX 1660 Super proves to be the best contender in the world of 1080p gaming. You’ll find this card on most prebuilt $900 gaming PCs in the market. The sole reason behind this is its affordable price and solid performance.
Overall, the GTX 1660 Super gives you the best 1080p 60fps performance in titles like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, GTA V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Volarant, and PUBG. It comes with the most advanced video output ports to connect to high-end gaming monitors and display your content at 4K quality.
The GTX 1660 Super is the card you’ll find in cheaper gaming PCs where every watt of performance is taken into account.
If you want a better card than the GTX 1660 Super, then our second recommendation would be to go with RX 5700 XT or RTX 2060. Both of these cards would add an extra $150 to your shopping cart, but you’ll get better performance in gaming. Especially if you are planning to scale the resolution all the way up to 1440p.
Storage: Western Digital SN 570
Capacity: 1TB | Type: NVMe | Read Speed: 3500 MB/s
Reasons to Consider
The WD SN 570 is the most reliable SSD for low-budget gaming PCs. It’s the right choice for mainstream computing and hardcore gaming.
The WD Blue SN750 comes in different sizes ranging from 250GB to 2TB. This is the 1TB version that costs around $90. If you are not aggressive about gaming, then 1TB would be enough to install games, movies, and music.
The SN750 is an NVMe SSD drive with excellent read and write speed. It means you’ll experience faster system bootup and quick access to your data files. With NVMe, your games will load much faster as compared to a traditional hard drive.
In case you need more storage, you can install an additional NVMe or you can go for a 2TB SATA hard drive.
The WD Blue SN750 is our own choice as we’ve found it reliable with most of our gaming setups. You can also go for other brands like Samsung or Kingston if you want. Samsung EVO, Kingston NV1, or TEAMGROUP T-Force Cardea would also be a great fit if you are willing to spend a few more bucks out of your wallet.
SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD delivers an amazing performance as compared to WD’s SN750 NVMe drive. However, you’ll have to add an extra $30 to your budget if you want to get your hands on it.
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 550
Wattage: 550W | Modularity: Fully Modular | Certification: 80 Plus Gold | Warranty: 10 Years
Reasons to Consider
Having a power supply with 80 Plus Gold efficiency is the standard for gaming PCs these days. The EVGA SuperNOVA 550 is enough to power all components sitting inside our 900 dollars gaming desktop.
We always prefer fully or semi-modular power supply units for gaming PCs. And the EVGA SuperNOVA is the only fully modular PSU you’ll get under the $60 price tag. No one loves the messy cables hanging around in the case, so we thought of picking the “Fully-Modular” PSU for our gaming PC.
The EVGA SuperNOVA 550 is an 80 Plus Gold-rated power supply. This means you’ll not miss out on the power even if you pump in the most power-hungry components inside your PC case.
Keeping in mind the other parts we’ve chosen for our $900 gaming PC, this 550W PSU would be enough to fuel our system. Our Core i5 11600K has a TDP of 165W whereas the GTX 1660 Super peaks at 125W. In these scenarios, there would be plenty of power left behind to take care of the other components inside the PC case.
Right now, the 550W 80 Plus Gold PSU would be enough for building a decent gaming PC. If you want better performance, then slip into the Platinum category instead of Gold. You’ll pay a bit more cash, however, you’ll experience a bit more punch in performance as well.
PC Case: Phanteks Eclipse P360A Ultra-fine
Material: Steel/Tempered Glass | Compatibility: ATX/micro-ATX/mini-ITX boards | Cooling mechanism: Air
Reasons to Consider
It’s a cheaper and nice-looking PC case to hoard a standard ATX motherboard and bulky peripherals installed on it. Moreover, it’s spacious and well-designed for maximum flow of air from the top, front, and back.
The Phanteks Eclipse P360A is the most decent-looking PC case to have for a mid-range game PC. Its entire body is made up of steel whereas, on one side, you’ll find tempered glass to look at what’s going on inside your case.
The Glossy pearl white color with magnetic top and removable bottom filter make this case a great deal for budget-oriented PC builders. The tempered side glass panel can be removed easily without any issues.
At the front, there are two 120mm RGB fans covered behind the ultra-fine mesh. You can replace the fans with bigger 280mm fans if you want more cooling. You can attach fans at the front, back, and top for maximum heat dissipation.
Moreover, you can remove the hard drive bays if you need more space for installing bulky hardware.
It’s a reliable PC case for installing ATX and Micro-ATX motherboards. There are a lot of holes tugged at one side to hide unnecessary cables and give your PC a cleaner look. Overall, it’s an affordable mid-tower PC case for the money.
Overall, this case has a sturdy build quality, has nice aesthetics to it, and offers excellent airflow at a very reasonable price.
Testing the Performance of Our 900 Dollars Gaming PC
To find out if our custom-built gaming PC stands up to our expectations or not, we threw some of the most famous games on it. The resolution was set at 1080p (Ultra-High Settings) and we used a standard 1080p gaming monitor from ASUS for this purpose.
In most games like Fortnite, GTA V, Call of Duty: Warzone, Battlefield V, Volarant, Forza Horizon 4, Far Cry 5, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider average frame rates were above 75fps most of the time.
Verdict
Finally, a question might pop up in your mind whether to go with a prebuilt $900 gaming PC or you should build your PC within that budget. To be honest, it’s better to build your PC as you’ll save a lot of money. Also, with a custom-built PC, you’ll get more performance in 1080p gaming.
A prebuilt machine-like Skytech Shadow Gaming is also a viable choice if you don’t have enough time to build your PC. But you’ll be charged a premium price for the components that you may have bought yourself for a significantly less price.
Hi, this is Masab, the Founder of PC Building Lab. I’m a PC enthusiast who loves to share the prior knowledge and experience that I have with computers. Well, troubleshooting computers is in my DNA, what else I could say….
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