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The Best $800 Gaming PC Build for May 2023 Update:
Looking for the best gaming PC build for May 2023? The $800 gaming PC build may be the perfect fit for budget gamers, offering phenomenal 1080p gaming that meets the mark with most modern games. Plus, for May 2023, the graphics card has been significantly upgraded to an RX 6700XT, which is a huge improvement.
This PC build is designed to play any PC game on the market at standard HD resolutions without any issues, making it an ideal accessible build for most gamers. You may think you need more, but do you really?
For May 2023, the best $800 PC build has dropped in cost, which is great news for those on a tight budget or leaves room for upgrades that you can find on the official best $800 gaming PC build page.
Remember that every PC build can be unique to its builder, so feel free to swap out components such as cases if you have your eye set on something more unique to you. If you have any questions about compatibility, feel free to leave a comment.
Which May 2023 PC Build is Right for you based on Your Gaming and Budget Needs?
The budgets included below should accommodate most PC gamers out there that play in many gaming settings, maxing games anywhere from 1080p to 1440p and playing really well into 4K.
If you are not sure which pc build is right for you based solely on your budget, then here is a quick breakdown of which build may be a right fit for you (*rough performance guidelines):
- $1500 PC Build: For gaming at 2K resolutions into 4K
- $1000 PC Build: For gaming MAX settings at 2K resolutions
- $800 PC Build: For gaming at MAX settings 1080p resolutions into 2K
- $500 PC Build: For being able to game in any game at 1080p.
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The Best $800 Gaming PC Build | May 2023
Capability: Game Smoothly with High settings and FPS at 1920X1080 resolutions in most games with the best $800 Gaming PC Build.
Powered by the Intel Core i3-12100F and an RTX 6700XT XT Graphics Card
1. CPU: INTEL CORE I3-12100F DESKTOP - Best Gaming CPU on a Budget!
A top-of-the-line gaming CPU is in this price range -- beating out its competition in gaming performance, even in the higher cost ranges. This CPU is like the Intel i3 12100, but cheaper and without integrated graphics (since a graphics card is included anyhow).
- Intel Core i3-12100F Desktop Processor 4 (4P-0E) Cores Up to 4.3 GHz Turbo Frequency LGA1700 600 Series Chipset 58W Processor Base Power
Amazon Price: $99.99 - *This CPU cracked below $100 this month!!!!!
2. Cooler: Intel Laminar Cooler (Included)
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This is the stock cooler for the Intel Core i5 12400. It would be recommended that if you want to overclock upgrade this to an after-market CPU cooler (see hardware alternatives for options)
Price: *Included
3. Motherboard: ASUS Prime B660M-A D4 LGA 1700(Intel 12th Gen) mATX Motherboard
- Intel LGA 1700 socket: Ready for 12th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold and Celeron Processors
- Ultrafast connectivity: PCIe 4.0, Intel 1 Gb Ethernet, rear USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A and front USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A and Type-C
- ASUS OptiMem II: Careful routing of traces and vias, plus ground layer optimizations to preserve signal integrity for improved memory overclocking
- Comprehensive cooling: VRM heatsink, M.2 heatsink, PCH heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert 2+
4. Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT - *Huge upgrade!
The $800 gaming PC build includes an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, which offers top-of-the-line $800 gaming PC performance, blasting through the previous card offerings in this spot and providing very high 1080p FPS gameplay.
Price: $349.99
5. RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 X 8GB) DDR4 3600
16GB of RAM is the sweet spot for any gaming pc out there and should be all you need -- however there is always room to upgrade!
Amazon Price: $42.99
6. SSD: Crucial P3 1TB PCIe Gen3 3D NAND
- NVMe (PCIe Gen3 x4) technology with up to 3500MB/s sequential reads, random read/write 650K/700K IOPS
- Spacious storage up to 4TB
- Performs up to 33% better than the previous generation
- Solid Gen3 performance
- Rated at MTTF greater than 1.5 million hours for extended longevity and reliability
Amazon Price: $45.99
7. Power Supply Unit: Apevia ATX-PR600W Prestige 600W 80+ Gold Certified, RoHS Compliance, Active PFC ATX Gaming Power Supply
- Supports Dual/Quad/multi-core CPUs. Supports single 12V output for higher power usage
- Dc to DC converter design, provides superior dynamic response, greater system stability and maximizes the 12V DC rail output
- Multi-gpu technologies supported; 6 pin and 8 pin PCI-E connectors support all GPU platforms. Built in 1 x auto-thermally controlled black 135mm fan
- Connectors: 1 x 20/24pin main power, 1 x 4/8pin 12V, 2 x PCI 6+2pin, 4 x SATA, 4 x peripheral. All protections
- Apevia ATX-PR600W Prestige 600W 80+ Gold Certified, RoHS Compliance, Active PFC ATX Gaming Power Supply, 3 Year Warranty
Amazon Price: $51.99
8. PC Case: Zalman S2 ATX Mid Tower Computer PC Case
- Full Acrylic Side Panel for ATX Mid Tower Computer PC Case
- Front Design for maximized Airflow with two front 120mm fan pre-installed (& one rear 120mm fan pre-installed)
- Convenient Interface with one USB, 3.0 & two USB 2.0
- Power Supply unit dedicated space for improved cooling performance
- 7 PCI Expansion Slots with Bottom & Top Magnetic Dust Filter
Amazon Price: $64.99
Estimated Price (May 2023): $795
Overview | Best Gaming PC Build for $800
The best $800 gaming PC build of the month for May 2023 is for those who just want to build a solid pc capable of over 100FPS or so gaming at standard HD 1080P resolutions and well over 60FPS at 1440P. This is truly the ‘every person’ type of build for those who just want gaming on a PC and do it at fairly decent performance settings.
The CPU included this month is a huge upgrade with the Intel i3 12100F CPU, which is a very capable CPU, and if you opted for the Intel Core i3 12100 (non F), you could also have decent integrated graphics, so what this means is that if you want to wait for a better deal on the graphics card, this that CPU would get you up and running without one in the meantime, and would enable some lower-end gaming. But you shouldn’t have to do this, which is why I simply include the slightly cheaper, but very same CPU, the Intel i3 12100.
The graphics card included is a Radeon RX 6650 XT graphics card, which will push games to max settings under a 1080p resolution at higher FPS and even does well at 1440P than before with this budget. This build is probably most of what any very typical “I just want to game” gamers out there as it does max games out easily at 1080p standard HD monitor resolutions.
$800 Gaming PC Build of the Month Upgrades
The best $800 gaming pc build can be further upgraded — visit the full overview page for a full overview of this build including suggestions for hardware upgrades including a higher-performing CPU, a high-performing graphics card for those more intense games, or even a better pc case.
Operating Systems for Your Gaming PC
Do keep in mind that you will also need an operating system, however, it’s not too difficult to find keys for Windows 11 online, you will need to install it using something like a USB key or external drive.
| OS Link | Price | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 or 11 |
Make a Windows 11 Installation Media OR View this video on the Easiest How to Make Your Own Windows Boot USB |
Download and install Windows on a USB (Need another PC) |  |
| Ubuntu (Linux OS) | Ubuntu – Desktop | Free (open source) |  |
| SteamOS | SteamOS – “Build your own Steam Machine” | Free |  |
The Best $800 PC Build for May 2023 Overview Video
If you prefer to check out a video overview of the $800 PC build, then look no further. And please remember if you have any questions or comments on your build to leave them below and I’ll try my best to help you out. Best of luck building your next best PC build!