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- Ensuing chaos in the PCMR realm will only ensure that prices rocket sky-high as time goes on, so if you’re wanting to build a gaming rig, I would suggest to get started right away.
- The Intel Arc B580 is my preferred option for a value-oriented GPU that can handle seriously competitive 1080p gaming at high refresh rates.
- The Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the ASRock B650 Pro RS makes for a killer combination when it comes to bang for the buck.
Welcome to Q2 of 2025 where President Trump has us bewildering confused with regards to the tariff chaos that’s essentially in effect.
Building a budget PC these days was bad enough on its own thanks to Nvidia completely botching up its launch of the RTX 50 Series GPUs which are pretty much impossible to find at this point in time. As far as CPUs are concerned, newer releases like the gaming-focused Ryzen 7 9800X3D are getting increasingly difficult to find in stock at MSRP.
So the question arises, what kind of budget gaming PC should value-oriented consumers like you and I build this year while keeping in mind the current supply chain inefficiency coupled with Trump’s administrational tariffs?
Hang on tight, I’ve got a killer spec sheet for you that won’t put an unreasonable dent in your wallet.
Why Is The GPU Market So Unpredictable These Days?
I wouldn’t blame you if the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of buying a high-performance GPU is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090. However, you need to remember that we’re trying to build the best budget gaming PC, not the best bankrupting gaming PC.
Also, you don’t really need that kind of firepower for casual to mildly competitive gaming at relatively lower resolutions like 1080p & 1440p.
Plus, it’s pretty much next to impossible to find almost any of the Nvidia RTX 50 Series GPUs in stock at launch prices right now, including the latest RTX 5060.
If we look towards the obvious alternative, AMD’s current generation GPUs like the budget-segmented RX 7600 8 GB and RX 7600 XT 16 GB trail behind the competing pack in terms of real-world performance, especially in games with heavy ray-tracing effects.
On top of that, the RX 7600 & 7600 XT are selling for up to $100-$200 over their MSRPs of $270 and $330, which significantly affect their value-to-money proposition.
Which GPU Should I Buy?
My #1 recommendation would be to spring for the Intel Arc B580 that’s based on the redesigned ‘Battlemage’ architecture.
The Arc B580 represents a massively improved successor to Intel’s A700 Series GPUs where the B580 sports 12 GB of GDDR6 VRAM along with 456 GB/s of memory bandwidth.
Sadly, the B580 is subject to the same scalping as other GPUs, so you’ll be hard pressed to find it anywhere for under $350 with the real-world price tag amounting to roughly $400.
Nevertheless, if we talk about performance, the Arc B580 outguns the RX 7600 and even the 16 GB RX 7600 XT, especially in games where taxing ray-tracing effects come into play with Intel’s GPU performing in a similar fashion to Nvidia’s GPUs.
Furthermore, the 12 GB of GDDR6 VRAM means that the Arc B580 can easily push upwards of 60 FPS @1440p in a variety of newer titles.
It can definitely drive your high refresh rate gaming monitors in 1080p with the settings turned all the way up to the max.
But perhaps the most outstanding aspect of the Arc B580 is its spectacularly low TDP of 190W in comparison to the outgoing Intel A750 and A770 as well as all the AMD and Nvidia GPUs (except for the vanilla RTX 4060).
What’s The Best Budget Gaming CPU In 2025?
The actual best gaming CPU, i.e., the Ryzen 7 9800X3D or arguably the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is being scalped for up to $100 to $200 over their MSRPs of $480 and $700, respectively speaking.
Well, I recommend the Ryzen 5 9600X for $215 that trails by only 10-15% on average while also being almost 15% more power efficient when pitted against the Ryzen 7 9800X3D in terms of 1080p gaming.
I’d recommend pairing the 9600X with one of the best B650 botherboards, i.e., the ASRock B650 Pro RS for $185.
Furthermore, choosing the Ryzen 5 9600X also has the added benefit of future-proofing since this processor’s built on the redesigned AM5 platform, which should be supported by AMD for the next 2-3 years at the very least.
CPU Cooler, RAM, SSD, PSU, And Casing
For cooling, I’d recommend the ID-Cooling FROZN A720 that you can buy for only $70.
With respect to RAM, you can’t go wrong with the G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB’s 32 GB DDR5 RAM Kit that boasts a frequency of 6000 MHz, a CAS Latency of CL30, and a price tag that measures just under $130.
As far as your storage needs are concerned, I suppose the Teamgroup T-Force G50 1 TB PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD would comply with all of your requirements for less than $60 with speeds reaching up to 5000 MB/s.
For PSU, I’d recommend one of the best 850W PSUs like the XPG Core Reactor II VE, which is a fully modular, ATX 3.1 PSU that’s 80 PLUS Gold Rated and retails for just $80 with a 10-year warranty.
Last but not least, I’d suggest buying a spacious case with good cooling and build quality. Perhaps something like the Corsair 4000D RS Frame with 3x bundled 120mm Corsair RS PWM fans and a tempered glass side panel would fulfil this criteria for only $90.
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[Wiki Editor]
Ali Rashid Khan is an avid gamer, hardware enthusiast, photographer, and devoted litterateur with a period of experience spanning more than 14 years. Sporting a specialization with regards to the latest tech in flagship phones, gaming laptops, and top-of-the-line PCs, Ali is known for consistently presenting the most detailed objective perspective on all types of gaming products, ranging from the Best Motherboards, CPU Coolers, RAM kits, GPUs, and PSUs amongst numerous other peripherals. When he’s not busy writing, you’ll find Ali meddling with mechanical keyboards, indulging in vehicular racing, or professionally competing worldwide with fellow mind-sport athletes in Scrabble at an international level. Currently speaking, Ali has completed his A-Level GCEs with plans to go into either Allopathic Medicine or Business Studies, or who knows, perhaps a full-time dedicated technological journalist.
Get In Touch: alirashid@tech4gamers.com
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