Building your own PC is a great way to get the best performance for your dollar. It allows you to pick the best parts for your needs, and is a fun and engaging way to learn a bit about how computers work.
But building a computer can be daunting, especially if you’re not a tech enthusiast, and you’ve never done it before.
Also Read: 14 Reasons Why You Should Build Your Own PC
Sometimes, instead of tinkering, you’d rather play games. If that sounds like you, then you’ll want to pick up a good prebuilt gaming PC.
With a modest budget of around $1,500, you can get a great PC to play nearly anything you throw at it.
Best Prebuilt Gaming PCs
1. iBUYPOWER SlateMR 291i (Top Pick)
2. YEYIAN Katana R02 (High-End)
3. CUK Continuum Micro (Streaming)
4. AVGPC Hellfire II (Water-Cooled)
Quick Look: The Best Prebuilt PCs Under $1,500
| | NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOP PICK |  | iBUYPOWER SlateMR 291i |
| /10 | |
| HIGH-END |  | YEYIAN Katana R02 |
| /10 | |
| STREAMING |  | CUK Continuum Micro |
| /10 | |
| AIO |  | AVGPC Hellfire II |
| /10 |
*For more information on the prebuilt gaming PCs above, click the “Read Review ยป” link and you will skip to our overview of that PC. To see our Honorable Mention picks, keep scrolling down.
1. iBUYPOWER SlateMR 291i
Best prebuilt gaming PC under $1,500
- Intel Core i7-12700F
- NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti
- 16GB of DDR4 RAM
- 1TB Solid State Drive
If you’re looking to do some PC gaming, and want a great balance between price and performance, then you can’t go wrong with the SlateMR 291i from iBUYPOWER. This little powerhouse machine packs a big punch with its Intel Core i7-12700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combo. Along with its 16GB of DDR4 memory and 1TB NVMe SSD, it should be able to handle 4K gaming and 1440p gaming well at good frame rates.
Also Read: 1080p vs. 1440p vs. 4K: Which Resolution Is Best for Gaming?
Aside from its capabilities as a gaming machine, it’s also exceptionally upgradable. With the coming 13th-gen Intel processors utilizing the same socket type as Intel’s 12-gen processors, this system should allow for a clear upgrade path in the future, making this a good deal if you value future proofing.
Overall, with the balance between price, powerful hardware, and room to upgrade in the future, this iBUYPOWER desktop is a great computer if you can fit it into your budget.
2. YEYIAN Katana R02
Best option for higher-resolution gaming
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
- NVIDIA RTX 3070
- 16GB of DDR4 RAM
- 1TB Solid State Drive
When it comes to gaming, the real crown jewel is the graphics card. And the YEYIAN Katana R02 is one of the best prebuilt gaming PCs we’ve seen for under $1,500, thanks to its inclusion of an RTX 3070 GPU.
Also Read: RTX 3060 Ti vs 3070: Which GPU Should You Get?
Along with the beefy graphics card, the computer is paired with the very capable Ryzen 5 5600X, and 16GB of 3600MHz DDR4 memory, allowing the system to operate synergistically to bring an awesome gaming experience.
Coming at a similar price to the iBUYPOWER PC, it’s not quite as upgradable. But with a better graphics card and faster RAM, it’s a close second. You can easily achieve a good 4K and 1440p gaming experience with this build, making it a great alternative to our number one pick.
3. CUK Continuum Micro
Best option for streamers
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- NVIDIA RTX 3060
- 32GB of DDR4 RAM
- 512GB SSD/2TB HDD
If you’re looking to do some gaming and streaming, then it’s hard to go wrong with the CUK Continuum Micro Gamer PC. It features a rock-solid CPU/GPU combo, with plenty of RAM and storage to boot.
With the Ryzen 7 5800X, you’ll be able to stream many games with CPU encoding, leaving the RTX 3060 graphics card to render games unhindered. But if you’re playing newer games that can heavily utilize more than 4 CPU cores, then the RTX 3060 can step in and help with streaming, thanks to the 7th-gen NVENC encoder.
Also Read: RTX 3060 vs 3060 Ti: Which GPU is Better?
Combined with the 32GB of RAM, and you’re more than well-equipped to handle most gaming, streaming, and video editing needs. And at a slightly cheaper price than the first two choices on the list, we think it’s a great buy if you’re looking to stream without breaking the bank.
4. AVGPC Hellfire II
Best water-cooled prebuilt PC under $1,500
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
- NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti
- 16GB of DDR4 RAM
- 1TB SSD/2TB HDD
If you want to take your PC gaming to the next level and mess around with overclocking, then the AVGPC Hellfire II is one of the better choices on this list.
It comes with a Ryzen 7 5700G, one of AMD’s best APUs to date. And while it also comes with an RTX 3060 Ti, which sort of nullifies the need for an APU, the 5700G’s iGPU is a nice backup in case your card dies, or you want to sell it to upgrade in the future.
However, with the Hellfire’s inclusion of a 240mm AIO water cooler, and the unlocked nature of the 5700G processor, you can easily overclock your CPU to help get extra performance from the chip.
The system also comes with plenty of RAM and storage, with a 1TB NVMe SSD and a 2TB hard drive. The RAM is only 3200MHz, which is a hair slow for the 5700G, but it’s still adequate to achieve good performance (especially with the 3060 Ti).
Overall, for its price—which is a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the above options—it’s a good budget-friendly gaming PC option if you’re looking to save a little money without sacrificing a ton of performance.
5. HP Pavilion TG01-2070
Honorable Mention #1
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
- AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
- 16GB of DDR4 RAM
- 512GB Solid State Drive
If you’re looking to get a ready-made gaming PC and don’t have a huge amount of money to spend, then the HP Pavilion TG01-2070 is a great choice. This computer does a great job of balancing budget and performance, with its Ryzen 7 5700G/Radeon RX 6600 XT combo.
With this solid combination, you’ll easily be able to do some high-FPS gaming in your favorite esports titles, and can easily hit 60FPS in many modern triple-A titles running at high settings. This computer also has Wi-Fi 5 on board, tons of USB ports, and a 512GB NVMe SSD.
The biggest drawback we can see with this HP gaming computer is its custom case size. Because it’s in a non-standard case, it comes with a proprietary power supply that could make future upgrades a bit difficult. However, if you don’t plan to do any upgrades for a while, and just want something that’s affordable and works well for gaming, this is a solid choice.
6. Skytech Blaze II
Honorable mention #2
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
- NVIDIA RTX 3060
- 16GB of DDR4 RAM
- 500GB Solid State Drive
Not every gaming PC has to have the most powerful hardware and run the latest triple-A titles at 250 FPS on ultra settings. Sometimes, you just want an affordable PC that can slog through whatever you throw at while keeping games looking good at an acceptable frame rate. And the Skytech Blaze II is one such computer that fits the bill.
With a solid set of components, and some RGB flair, this modest PC combines a Ryzen 5 5600G, an RTX 3060, and 16GB of memory to give a well-rounded gaming experience. It plays games without compromising features and performance, and offers some room for future upgrades.
If you’re looking to upgrade from an older computer, or breaking into PC gaming for the first time, this Skytech gaming PC is an excellent choice. It’s a great starter computer with a great balance between price, performance, and features.
High Performance Gaming PCs Under $1,500
If you’ve got a $1,500 budget, you can build an awesome computer. But building PCs isn’t for everyone. If you’d rather skip the work and buy a ready-made PC to play games on, then buying a prebuilt gaming PC is a great way to go. And with a modest budget of $1,500, you can get a modest build.
We’ve showcased six great prebuilt gaming PCs under $1,500 to help you get the most gaming performance for your money. With any of these systems, you’ll get a great gaming rig that should be capable of playing anything you throw at it, and should remain a viable choice for years to come!
