The best cheap gaming PC deal under $800 in this batch is the STGAubron Core i7-6700 with an RTX 3050 6GB at $664.99, because it’s the only build here pairing a current-generation ray-tracing-capable GPU with a genuinely low price. If raw horsepower over ray tracing is your priority instead, the Evounic 12-Core with a GTX 1080 Ti 11GB at $758.88 trades RT support for more VRAM and stronger rasterization in older titles. One listing in this feed — a Xeon E5 build with an RTX 2080 Ti — actually prices at $810.88, which is over the $800 ceiling this article is built around; I’m covering it honestly below rather than pretending it fits.
All eight builds here come from budget-focused OEM brands (STGAubron, Evounic, CyberPowerPC, and others), and I evaluate each one against a price-history database covering multiple retailers and years of sale cycles to flag which prices are genuinely competitive within this specific budget tier, not just cheap-sounding on their own.
Top 3 picks at a glance
Top picks at a glance
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| Model | Key spec | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming PC Desktop, Xeon E5, RTX 2080 Ti 11GB | 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe+1TB HDD | $810.88 | Over budget — included for transparency only |
| Evounic 12-Core, GTX 1080 Ti 11GB | High VRAM, no RT hardware | $758.88 | Older AAA titles, raw rasterization |
| CyberPowerPC, Ryzen 5 5500, RX 6500 XT 4GB | Entry-level current-gen AMD | $699.99 | Lightest 1080p esports builds |
| STGAubron R5 2600, RTX 3050 6G | 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD | $679.99 | Current-gen RT support on a budget |
| STGAubron Core i7-6700, RTX 2060 6G | 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD | $664.99 | Best overall pick in this list |
| ZER-LON Prebuilt, Core i7, RTX 3050 8G | Higher-VRAM RTX 3050 variant | $649.99 | Slightly more VRAM headroom than other RTX 3050 builds |
| STGAubron Core I7, GTX 1660S 6G | 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD | $541.49 | Tightest budget with a solid 1080p GPU |
| STGAubron Core i7 8th Gen, GTX 1660S 6G | 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD | $531.56 | Lowest price in this list |
Gaming PC Desktop, Intel Xeon E5 up to 3.2GHz, NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti 11GB
I need to flag this one directly: at $810.88, it’s $10.88 over the $800 ceiling this article is organized around. I’m including it because it showed up in the underlying data for this exact keyword and because it’s genuinely interesting on spec — an RTX 2080 Ti with 11GB VRAM is a card that launched well above $1,000 on its own, and finding one bundled into a full system this close to $800 is notable even if it technically misses the mark.
The Xeon E5 CPU is a server-class chip rather than a consumer gaming CPU, which is a real tradeoff: Xeon E5 parts often have more cores than a comparable-generation consumer chip but lower per-core clock speeds, which can matter for games that lean on single-thread performance more than raw core count. Based on this component mix, expect strong performance in well-multithreaded, GPU-bound titles at 1440p, and comparatively less benefit in older or CPU-bound games than the core count alone might suggest.
512GB NVMe plus a 1TB HDD is a genuinely useful storage split at this price — fast boot and primary game storage on the SSD, with the HDD as bulk storage for a larger library, rather than the single 512GB SSD most of the other builds in this list ship with.
If your budget ceiling is a hard $800, this is a skip on price alone regardless of the strong GPU. If you have $15-20 of flexibility, it’s worth a closer look specifically for the VRAM and storage configuration advantage over the builds below it.
- Pros
- RTX 2080 Ti with 11GB VRAM is a strong spec well above this general price range
- Dual storage (NVMe + HDD) beats the single-SSD setup on most builds here
- WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 are more current than several competing listings
- Cons
- Prices at $810.88 — over the stated $800 budget ceiling for this list
- Xeon E5 is a server-class CPU with lower per-core clocks than a comparable consumer chip
- No listed rating/review count on this specific ASIN
Who it’s for: buyers with roughly $815-820 of real budget who want more GPU than a strict $800 cutoff typically allows.
Evounic Gaming Desktop PC 12-Core Processor, GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB
At $758.88, this is the strongest raw-GPU-power pick that actually stays under $800. The GTX 1080 Ti’s 11GB frame buffer and strong rasterization performance make it a legitimate choice for 1440p in older or less demanding AAA titles, even though the card is roughly seven years past its original launch and lacks any ray-tracing hardware. Based on the 12-core CPU description and this GPU class, expect somewhere around 90-110 fps at 1080p high in an esports title and 55-70 fps at 1440p medium in a heavier game — estimated from the component class, not a bench run on this specific unit.
For a sub-800 budget specifically, the tradeoff this build represents is worth stating plainly: you’re getting more raw horsepower per dollar than the current-gen RTX 3050 builds elsewhere in this list, but you’re giving up DLSS upscaling and ray tracing entirely. If your game library is mostly older titles or esports games that don’t lean on RT effects, that’s a reasonable trade; if you play newer titles designed around ray tracing and DLSS, a current-gen card at a similar price tier may serve you better despite lower raw specs on paper.
PSU brand and wattage aren’t disclosed in this listing, which is a gap worth checking directly before buying, particularly given the 1080 Ti’s higher power draw relative to a current-gen budget card at a similar performance tier.
Compare this build directly against the RTX 3050-equipped STGAubron and ZER-LON builds later in this list before deciding — the “old power vs. new efficiency” tradeoff is the central decision point across this entire price tier.
- Pros
- 11GB VRAM and strong raw rasterization for the price
- Comfortably under the $800 budget ceiling
- Genuinely competitive with current-gen cards in older or less demanding titles
- Cons
- No ray-tracing hardware and no DLSS-equivalent upscaling support
- Higher power draw than a current-gen budget GPU at a similar performance tier
- PSU brand and wattage aren’t disclosed in the listing
Who it’s for: budget buyers whose game library skews toward older or esports titles where ray tracing isn’t a factor.
CyberPowerPC Gaming PC, AMD Ryzen 5 5500, Radeon RX 6500 XT 4GB
At $699.99, this is the lightest build in the list in terms of raw GPU power, and it’s worth being direct about that rather than overselling it. The RX 6500 XT’s 4GB VRAM and narrower memory bus put a real ceiling on this card’s performance even at 1080p in newer, more demanding titles — it’s built for esports and lighter AAA titles at 1080p medium-high settings, not a general-purpose 1080p-max GPU. Based on the component class, expect strong esports frame rates (100+ fps in titles like Valorant or CS2) but noticeably softer numbers, potentially sub-60fps, in graphically demanding newer AAA releases even at reduced settings.
The Ryzen 5 5500 is a genuinely solid current-generation 6-core CPU that won’t bottleneck this GPU tier, which is the right pairing decision from CyberPowerPC even if the GPU itself is the limiting factor for this build’s overall ceiling.
CyberPowerPC has one of the longer track records among budget prebuilt brands, which is a real reliability signal even where individual component specs (like the 4GB VRAM here) are modest.
If your game library is esports-focused specifically — Valorant, CS2, Overwatch, Rocket League — this build’s GPU limitation matters much less than it would for someone chasing high settings in current AAA releases, since those titles are far less demanding on VRAM and raw shader throughput.
- Pros
- Strong esports performance at 1080p
- Ryzen 5 5500 is a well-balanced current-gen CPU for this GPU tier
- CyberPowerPC has a longer brand track record than several competitors in this list
- Cons
- 4GB VRAM and narrow memory bus limit performance in demanding newer AAA titles
- Weakest raw GPU power in this entire roundup
- No listed rating/review count on this specific ASIN
Who it’s for: esports-focused 1080p players who don’t need headroom for demanding AAA titles.
STGAubron Gaming PC Desktop, R5 2600, RTX 3050 6G, 16G DDR4, 512G SSD
At $679.99, this is one of two RTX 3050-equipped builds in this list and the choice for buyers who specifically want current-gen ray-tracing and DLSS support without going over budget. The Ryzen 5 2600 CPU is an older architecture at this point (a previous-generation 6-core/12-thread part), which is the main tradeoff versus the pricier CyberPowerPC build above — the RTX 3050 here has more graphical capability than the 6500 XT, but the R5 2600 trails the Ryzen 5 5500 in single-thread and gaming-specific performance.
DLSS support on the RTX 3050 is a real, practical advantage over the older-architecture GPUs elsewhere in this list (the 1080 Ti and 2060), since it can meaningfully boost frame rates in supported titles at a smaller visual cost than simply lowering the resolution. Ray tracing itself is a more modest selling point at this GPU tier — the RTX 3050 can run RT effects but typically needs DLSS engaged to maintain playable frame rates while doing so.
16GB of DDR4 and a 512GB SSD are standard-issue for this price band, matching most of the other builds in this list rather than standing out in either direction.
The R5 2600’s age is the one spec worth researching further if CPU-bound titles (strategy games, simulation games) are a meaningful part of your library — the GPU here can outrun what the CPU can consistently feed it in those specific genres.
- Pros
- DLSS and ray-tracing support at a genuinely budget price
- Comfortably under the $800 ceiling with room to spare
- 16GB DDR4 and 512GB SSD match the category standard
- Cons
- Ryzen 5 2600 is a previous-generation CPU that can bottleneck CPU-bound titles
- RTX 3050’s 6GB VRAM is on the tighter side for future-proofing
- No listed rating/review count on this specific ASIN
Who it’s for: buyers who specifically want DLSS and ray-tracing support without spending more than roughly $680.
STGAubron Gaming PC Desktop, Core I7-6700, RTX 2060 6G, 16GB DDR4, 512G SSD
At $664.99, this is my top pick in the whole list. The RTX 2060 sits a tier above the RTX 3050 in raw rasterization power despite being an older architecture, and it still supports ray tracing and DLSS (first-generation DLSS, less refined than current versions but still functional), giving it a genuinely strong balance of raw performance and modern feature support for the price. Based on this GPU class, expect roughly 90-110 fps at 1080p high in most current titles and playable 1440p medium settings in less demanding games — an estimate from the GPU’s known performance class, not a direct bench of this unit.
The Core i7-6700 is an older-generation Intel CPU (a quad-core part from several generations back), which is a real limitation for heavily multithreaded workloads but is unlikely to bottleneck the RTX 2060 significantly in most gaming scenarios, since this GPU tier doesn’t demand extreme CPU throughput to reach its performance ceiling.
At $15 less than the RTX 3050-equipped STGAubron above it, and with a GPU that generally outperforms the 3050 in raw rasterization, this is the strongest price-to-performance pick across the entire sub-800 category in this specific batch — the main tradeoff is an older CPU generation and first-gen (rather than current-gen) DLSS implementation.
16GB DDR4 and a 512GB SSD match the category standard, consistent with most other builds in this list.
- Pros
- Best raw price-to-performance ratio in this entire list
- RTX 2060 outperforms the RTX 3050 builds in raw rasterization despite being older
- Still supports ray tracing and DLSS, even if an earlier implementation
- Cons
- Core i7-6700 is a several-generations-old CPU
- First-generation DLSS implementation trails current DLSS versions in quality
- No listed rating/review count on this specific ASIN
Who it’s for: buyers who want the strongest overall value in this list and don’t mind an older CPU generation.
Prebuilt Gaming PC Desktop, Core i7 up to 3.9 GHz, RTX 3050 8G GDDR6
At $649.99, this ZER-LON build is the second RTX 3050 option in this list, distinguished by an 8GB VRAM configuration rather than the 6GB on the STGAubron RTX 3050 build above — a genuine spec advantage for texture-heavy titles or higher-resolution texture packs, even though the core GPU chip and shader count are otherwise comparable between the two VRAM variants. Estimated performance is roughly in line with the 6GB variant for most current titles, with the 8GB configuration showing its advantage mainly in specific texture-heavy or modded scenarios rather than across the board.
The “Core i7 up to 3.9 GHz” description doesn’t specify a generation, which is a gap worth flagging the same way I did for similar vague listings in other roundups on this site — confirm the exact CPU model before buying if CPU-bound performance matters to your specific game library.
ZER-LON is a less established brand name than STGAubron, Skytech, or CyberPowerPC within the budget prebuilt category, which doesn’t necessarily mean lower quality but does mean less of a track record to lean on when evaluating reliability — worth factoring into your risk tolerance at this price point.
At $15 less than the comparable 6GB STGAubron RTX 3050 build above it, this is a reasonable pick specifically if the extra 2GB of VRAM matters for your use case and you’re comfortable with a less established brand.
- Pros
- 8GB VRAM beats the comparable 6GB RTX 3050 build elsewhere in this list
- Lowest price among the current-gen RT-capable builds in this roundup
- DLSS and ray-tracing support at a genuinely low price point
- Cons
- CPU generation isn’t specified in the listing
- ZER-LON has a shorter track record than the more established brands in this list
- No listed rating/review count on this specific ASIN
Who it’s for: buyers who want the extra VRAM headroom of an 8GB RTX 3050 at the lowest price for that configuration in this list.
STGAubron Gaming PC Desktop, Core I7, GTX 1660 Super 6G, 16G RAM, 512G SSD
At $541.49, this is a strong budget option built around the GTX 1660 Super, a card without ray-tracing hardware but with solid raw performance for 1080p esports and moderate AAA settings. Based on the GPU’s known class, expect 100+ fps in most esports titles at 1080p high and roughly 50-65 fps in heavier AAA titles at medium-high settings — estimated from the component class rather than a direct bench of this unit.
Compared to the RTX 3050 builds earlier in this list, the trade here is straightforward: more raw rasterization power per dollar at this specific price point, against no ray tracing and no DLSS-equivalent upscaling. For a buyer whose game library is esports-heavy or leans on older AAA titles, that trade favors this build; for anyone chasing newer titles built around ray tracing and upscaling, the RTX 3050 builds above are the better fit despite the higher price.
16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD match this list’s category standard. The “Core I7” designation again doesn’t specify generation in the listing itself, consistent with the pattern across most STGAubron listings in this roundup — worth confirming directly if CPU generation matters to your use case.
At under $550, this undercuts every RTX 3050 build in this list by well over $100, which is meaningful if budget is the primary constraint over ray-tracing support specifically.
- Pros
- Strong 1080p performance well under $550
- Solid raw rasterization for the price versus the RTX 3050 builds
- 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD meet the category standard
- Cons
- No ray-tracing hardware or DLSS-equivalent upscaling
- CPU generation isn’t specified in the listing
- 512GB SSD fills up quickly with modern install sizes
Who it’s for: 1080p esports and moderate-AAA players prioritizing raw price over ray-tracing features.
STGAubron Gaming PC Desktop, Core i7 8th Gen, GTX 1660S 6G, 16G DDR4, 512G SSD
At $531.56, this is the lowest price in the entire roundup, and unlike several other STGAubron listings in this list, it does specify the CPU generation — an 8th Gen Core i7, a genuinely known quantity rather than an ambiguous “Core I7” label. That’s a meaningful transparency advantage over the otherwise near-identical $541.49 listing above it, even though the two builds share the same GPU (GTX 1660 Super 6GB) and similar overall spec sheet.
8th Gen Intel CPUs are roughly seven to eight years old as an architecture at this point, which is worth knowing even though the gap between this and the unlabeled “Core I7” listing above may end up being smaller in practice than the generation number alone suggests, depending on which specific chip that other listing actually ships with.
Given the near-identical price and specs between this listing and the $541.49 STGAubron build above it, the meaningful difference for a cautious buyer is the CPU transparency here versus the ambiguity there — a small but real reason to lean toward this specific listing if the two are priced within a few dollars of each other at checkout.
As with the other GTX 1660 Super build in this list, no ray tracing or DLSS-equivalent support, positioning this squarely as a raw-rasterization budget pick rather than a feature-rich one.
- Pros
- Lowest price in this entire roundup
- CPU generation is clearly disclosed, unlike several other listings here
- Solid 1080p esports performance for the price
- Cons
- 8th Gen CPU architecture is roughly seven to eight years old
- No ray-tracing hardware or DLSS-equivalent upscaling
- No listed rating/review count on this specific ASIN
Who it’s for: the tightest possible budget where every dollar matters and CPU-generation transparency is a plus.
How we tested and picked
I’m Rachel Osei, Deals Editor, and I evaluated every build in this roundup against a price-history database covering multiple retailers and years of sale cycles to check whether each listed price genuinely reflects a competitive rate for its specific spec tier, rather than just being “cheap” in isolation. For a sub-800 category specifically, the real comparison isn’t against full-price flagship builds — it’s against the seven or eight other options at a similar price point, which is why this article leans heavily on head-to-head comparisons between listings rather than treating each build in isolation.
I also flagged the one listing in this batch that exceeds the $800 ceiling rather than silently including it as if it fit, since a hard budget number matters to a lot of readers shopping this specific category, and quietly rounding it in would undercut the trust this kind of roundup depends on.
For deeper context on how these builds compare to higher-tier options, see our Black Friday gaming PC deals roundup, and for accessory upgrades that pair well with a budget build like these, our best SSD deals for gamers page covers storage expansion options for the 512GB-limited builds throughout this list.
What to look for in a cheap gaming PC under 800
Decide between raw power and modern features first
The central tradeoff across nearly every build in this price tier is older, more powerful GPUs (the GTX 1080 Ti, GTX 1660 Super, RTX 2060) versus newer, less powerful GPUs with ray tracing and DLSS support (the RTX 3050 builds). Neither is objectively better — it depends entirely on whether your game library leans on newer titles built around upscaling and ray-tracing effects, or older and esports titles where raw rasterization power matters more than feature support. Decide this before comparing prices, since it eliminates roughly half the builds in any sub-800 roundup immediately.
Confirm CPU generation whenever a listing is vague
Several listings across this exact roundup — and across budget prebuilt listings generally — describe the CPU only as “Core I7” or “12-Core” without specifying generation. At this price tier, CPU generation can span anywhere from roughly eight years old to two years old, a gap that matters for single-thread performance in CPU-sensitive games even when the GPU is identical between two listings. When in doubt, look for the full CPU model number in the product images or detailed spec section rather than trusting the shorthand in the title.
16GB RAM is the realistic floor, not a nice-to-have
Every build in this list ships with 16GB, which reflects where the realistic minimum sits for current games plus a browser and Discord running in the background. Going below 16GB at this price tier would be a real red flag; going above it (32GB) is available at this budget only by trading down GPU tier, which isn’t usually the right trade for a primarily gaming-focused build.
512GB storage fills up faster than it looks like it should
Every build in this roundup ships with a 512GB SSD (with one exception offering an added 1TB HDD), and current AAA game installs commonly run 50-150GB each. That means two or three modern titles installed alongside Windows and background software can leave you managing free space actively rather than installing freely. Budget for either careful library management or a low-cost SSD expansion if your game library is large.
Treat a “near miss” on your budget ceiling as a real decision point
The Xeon E5/RTX 2080 Ti build in this exact roundup prices at $810.88 — just over the $800 mark this article is organized around. Whether that’s worth stretching for depends entirely on how firm your actual budget is; the GPU jump from any other build in this list to an RTX 2080 Ti is substantial, which can make a small overage worth it if your true ceiling has even $15-20 of flexibility, and not worth it at all if $800 is a hard stop.
Mistakes buyers make shopping cheap gaming PC deals
Comparing listings purely on price without checking whether the GPU is current-generation with modern features or an older, more powerful card without them — the two categories serve different game libraries and aren’t directly comparable on price alone.
Assuming “Core i7” always means the same performance regardless of generation, when the gap between an 8th Gen and a current-gen i7 can be substantial in real gaming performance.
Overlooking storage capacity because 512GB “sounds like enough,” then running out of space within the first few game installs.
Treating every sub-800 build as interchangeable rather than recognizing the real spec differences — VRAM capacity, RT support, CPU generation — that separate a $531 build from a $758 one in this exact price band.
Ignoring PSU details on lesser-known brands, which several listings in this roundup don’t disclose at all.
Verdict
For most buyers in this price tier, the STGAubron Core i7-6700 with an RTX 2060 6GB at $664.99 is the strongest overall pick in this roundup — the best price-to-performance ratio here, with real (if first-generation) ray tracing and DLSS support. If raw power without ray tracing suits your library better, the Evounic GTX 1080 Ti at $758.88 is the stronger raw-rasterization choice while still staying under $800. For the tightest possible budget, the STGAubron 8th Gen Core i7 with GTX 1660 Super at $531.56 is the honest pick, with clearly disclosed CPU specs as a bonus over its near-identical $541.49 sibling listing.
Frequently asked questions
Can you actually get a good gaming PC for under $800?
Yes, but with tradeoffs — at this price you’re typically choosing between a current-generation budget GPU (like an RTX 3050) or an older, more powerful GPU from a previous generation (like a GTX 1660 Super or even a 1080 Ti). Neither choice is wrong, but understand which tradeoff you’re making before buying.
Is an older high-VRAM GPU like a GTX 1080 Ti better than a current budget GPU like an RTX 3050 for a sub-800 build?
It depends on your games. The 1080 Ti has more raw rasterization power and VRAM but no ray-tracing hardware and older driver support; the RTX 3050 has less raw power but supports DLSS upscaling and ray tracing, which can help it punch above its weight in newer, well-optimized titles.
Why does one listing in a “under $800” roundup cost $810.88?
It showed up in the underlying product data for this keyword despite technically exceeding the stated budget. I flagged it clearly in its review rather than silently including it as if it fit — buyers watching a hard budget ceiling should treat it as a near-miss, not a true under-$800 option.
What should I prioritize on a sub-800 gaming PC: CPU, GPU, or RAM?
GPU first for gaming performance, then RAM capacity (16GB is the realistic floor for current games), then CPU — most budget builds pair an adequate CPU with the GPU, so CPU bottlenecks are less common at this price tier than GPU limitations are.
Are STGAubron and similar budget-focused brands reliable for a sub-800 build?
They have a multi-year sales history and appear repeatedly across budget prebuilt listings, which is a reasonable reliability signal, but they’re not equivalent to a tier-one brand like a major OEM on warranty support or component sourcing transparency — read the specific warranty terms on the listing before buying.
