Budget PC Build Guide Summer 2022

by Shane Paris · Published July 14, 2022 · Updated July 25, 2022

If you’ve been looking at building a PC over the last two years, you would have had a really hard time completing the build due to the lack of graphics cards. Prices are finally reasonable to build a gaming desktop. If you don’t want to wait until AMD and Nvidia launch their new graphics cards, you can put together a solid PC today.

I’ve compiled some of the parts that look interesting so far. If you see another deal, feel free to post it below in the comments. I am skewing heavily on AMD right now, as they seem to be offering the best value at the moment.

Note: The prices below are listed in USD and are subject to change.

CPUs

Ryzen 5 5600G (onboard graphics included) ~$180
Ryzen 5 5600X (Heatsink included) ~$175
Ryzen 7 5700G (onboard graphics included) $288, $242 open box
Ryzen 7 5700X Note: this is more expensive than the Ryzen 7 5800X right now. $280
Ryzen 7 5800X $275
Ryzen 9 5900X $350

Heatsinks / AIOs

DeepCool White 120mm Heatink $18
SE-224XT Black 120mm Heatsink $30
DeepCool AK400 120mm Heatsink $35
Corsair H100i 240mm AIO $130
ASUS ROG Strix 240mm AIO $149
Corsair H150i 360mm AIO $150, open box for less than $90

Motherboards

ASUS B550-F Motherboard $179
ASUS X570 Motherboard $200

Graphics Cards

SSDs

RAM

Computer Cases

Corsair 220T Mid Case $110
- Pro tip: if you want 3 more RGB fans, just buy a second case. The 3-fan kit included is the Corsair LL120 w/controller, which goes for $100 on its own.
Corsair 4000X Mid Case $125
- I believe this also has the Corsair LL120 fans as well, so you could potentially buy a 220T if you need more fans and give someone the extra case / sell it.
Corsair 5000D Mid Case $150

Power Supplies

Example PC Build

This is a basic example of a PC build with the above parts, starting with the Ryzen 5 5000 “G” series CPU, which has onboard graphics roughly equivalent to a GT 1030.

Basic Build with onboard graphics

Ryzen 5 5600G – $180
SE-224XT Black 120mm Heatsink $30
ASUS B550-F Motherboard $179
Corsair Non-RGB 16GB DDR4 3600 $62
1TB WD 850 NVME SSD $116
EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Fully Modular PSU $65
Corsair 220T Mid Case $110

Subtotal: $742

GPU Upgrade Choices

CPU Upgrades

Ryzen 7 5700G + $108 more
Ryzen 7 5800X + $95 more
Ryzen 9 5900X + $170 more

SSD / RAM Upgrades

2TB WD 850 NVME SSD + $94 More
Corsair Non-RGB 32GB DDR4 3600 + $43 More
240mm AIO instead of 120mm Heatsink + $100 More

Operating System

To install Windows 10, all you need is an empty 8GB or larger USB drive, another PC running Windows 10, and the Windows 10 Creation Tool Program. You’ll still need a Windows License, but that can be purchased through the Windows Store. Existing Windows 7, 8, & 8.1 licenses may still work for Windows 10.

Alternatively, you can install Ventoy on a USB drive (I’d suggest at least 32GB), save the .ISO file from the Windows 10 Creation Tool to the root directory of the flash drive, and boot Windows 10 from the Ventoy USB drive. Just make sure there are no spaces in the file name. (e.g. Windows-10-21H2.iso)

I’m personally not installing Windows 11 on any of my machines until there’s a reason to do so.