Sure, you can buy a PC in pretty much any configuration you desi, you can make sure you’re getting maximum value for money.re, but by building one for yourself
But with prices rising across the board, careful decisions have to be made so as to not waste money frivolously on PC components that don’t contribute to the performance of the whole.
To help, I’ve assembled this sub-$550 hardware build so that all you will need to add is your own peripherals and operating system of choice. You can buy a Windows license here, for example.
Note that prices might fluctuate on either side of that $550 mark — the components market is rather volatile these days. Now, let’s see what you can get for the money.
Intel Core i3-10100F
While this is only a 10th-generation Intel Core i3 processor, it brings a lot to the table, including quad-core power, a base clock speed of 3.6GHz and boost speeds of up to 4.3GHz, a cooler in the box, and a price that’s well under $100.
The only downside is that there’s no built-in graphics chip, but that’s not a problem here as we’re going to add a discrete GPU to this build next.
Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 6500 XT
The graphics card is where it’s very possible to spend the entire $500 budget on a single component, so we need to be smart to keep the build price manageable.
This GPU from Sapphire is a fantastic option for less than $200, offering 4GB of memory fitted, support for two monitors with HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, and twin cooling fans.
March 27, 2023
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes