The best cheap gaming PCs you can buy: Expert recommended

My pick for the best cheap gaming PC is the HP Omen 40L. While technically the flagship model for HP's line of Omen gaming desktops, base configurations have a somewhat budget-friendly price point and can often be found on sale with decent discounts. The Omen 40L can be built with either Intel or AMD-based configurations (and AMD builds run a bit cheaper for even more savings), and feature dual SSD and HDD storage support, RTX 4060 graphics cards, and support for up to 64GB of RAM. 

*MSRP at time of writing. Please note that actual prices may vary depending on retailer as well as available deals and promotions.

Once you've finalized your budget, you'll want to choose a gaming PC that has enough storage space for a small library of your favorite games as well as plenty of RAM for smooth gameplay.

You'll also want to make sure that the included GPU is powerful enough to handle most popular games, and that the power supply is able to keep up with your needs as you swap out components or add things like secondary storage drives or more RAM sticks.

If you're in the market for a budget gaming PC, there are several factors to consider besides a lower price tag. That includes the following: 

• CPU: You'll want a CPU that's been released within the last 5 years to ensure your PC can play just about anything in your library.
• GPU: If you're working with a tight budget, opt for an older GPU like an RTX 16 series or Radeon RX 5000 series. You'll still be able to play almost anything while saving a bit of money.
• Connectivity: Make sure that the gaming PC you want has enough USB, HDMI, and DisplayPort inputs to support all of your displays, peripherals, and storage devices.
• Upgrade options: As preferences change, you may want to upgrade your gaming PC, which can also cost you. We included options with components that make for a swift, budget-friendly upgrade.

While researching each budget-friendly gaming PC option on this list, I and other ZDNET experts kept these criteria in mind:

• Brand integrity: While it's tempting to spring for one of those ultra-cheap desktops or laptops from a brand you've never heard of, you'll end up spending more in the long run to replace low-quality components or the entire computer. Unknown and smaller brands may also not have the greatest customer service experience for returns, exchanges, and refunds.
• Multi-purpose: Not everyone has the luxury of being able to maintain separate PCs for gaming and work. Each PC on this list has been ensured to be compatible with most Windows and/or Linux-based programs for work and school.
• Tower size: It's important to note what type of tower your gaming PC is housed in, as some components like motherboards and GPUs, have to be specifically sized for micro-ATX cases. Mid-size towers are some of the most popular options, and can house all but the very largest of graphics cards. Full-size towers won't have any issue housing any components, but the trade-off is that your PC will be fairly large (at least 2 feet tall).

While you can find some affordable prebuilt gaming PCs, you can also save yourself a bit more cash by building your own PC. By building your own, you can take advantage of sales and deals on components in order to get the best parts for the cheapest prices. The trade-off is taking the time to put everything together yourself, so you'll have to decide if you're comfortable enough building your own PC, and whether or not you have the time and energy to do so.

Unfortunately, a laptop designed for gaming is going to cost more than a PC tower. Laptops use the same powerful processors and graphics cards as towers (which contribute to the cost) and pack in premium features that have a higher production cost, like OLED and 4K touchscreens. These "extras" are reflected in the final price. 

While there are some great budget gaming laptops, don't expect them to be much cheaper than a traditional PC tower.

Even before the chip shortages, you couldn't find that many prebuilt gaming PCs under $1,000. Now, with GPUs harder and harder to come by, a prebuilt PC is about the only way to get your hands on one, even older ones like the GTX 1660 Super. And they definitely come with a cost. You can still get a decent build for around $1,000, or even less if you put in the work to find them, but you may want to build out your budget to around $1,200 to account for rising component costs.

How much RAM you need depends on what you're looking to get out of your gaming experience. You can get a lot of games with just 8GB of RAM, and 16GB is just about perfect for handling even the most technically demanding titles and programs. You can find configurations with 32GB or even up to 128GB of RAM, but not only does this considerably increase the cost of the build, it's also overkill. Higher RAM configurations are best used by creative professionals rendering 3D art and animation, and for gaming, you start to see diminishing returns after 32GB. 

Yes. Many new CPU chips have some sort of integrated graphics processing unit, but it's best used for very casual home use like streaming Netflix or looking at your aunt's vacation photo album on Facebook. To launch the most popular game titles, you need a dedicated GPU, but it doesn't have to be a fancy, expensive one. You can use an older card like a GTX 1650 or Radeon RX 5500 and still get a lot of mileage out of your build.

Whether you're looking to get a computer strictly for school work or a rig that can handle gaming as well as class projects, it's important to know what your child wants out of their PC as well as what will work with your budget and house rules. 

ZDNET's Jason Cipriani wrote up a handy guide for how to choose a computer for your child if you want a more in-depth explanation.

Since a more budget-friendly gaming PC isn't going to use high-end parts, that means the components won't be as powerful or power-hungry. If you're looking to spend less than $1500 on a new gaming PC, you can expect it to have a power supply between 500 and 750 watts. 

This size PSU is plenty for most entry-level and mid-range gaming PCs, but if you're planning on dropping in more powerful components down the line (like graphics cards), you'll also want to upgrade your power supply to help prevent electrical issues or damaging delicate components.

Fortnite has some pretty forgiving baseline PC spec requirements for running the game, needing just 2GB of VRAM, 16GB of RAM, and featuring support older, DirectX 11-supported GPUs as well as 7th gen Intel and 3rd gen AMD Ryzen processors. 

So with this in mind, you can scope out some truly cheap gaming rigs if you're willing to work with older hardware. And older hardware is a great way to go if you're looking for a starter gaming PC for younger kids and teens.