Best Budget Gaming PCs 2022

We’re all feeling the pinch at the moment. Now would not be the ideal time for your beloved gaming PC to give up the ghost. Not that there’s ever a good time for that! Here at Overclockers UK, we stock an extraordinary range of gaming PCs, from budget builds to beastly powerhouses.

Best budget gaming PCs 2022

While we all wish we had the budget for a god-tier 8Pack machine, there are plenty of gaming PCs to suit your play style and won’t destroy your bank account. Today, we have four which do just that!

Please note: The specifications and prices have been updated to reflect their current state.

Refract Crimson

The first budget gaming PC is the pre-built Refract Crimson. Designed and built by our team of experts, the Refract Crimson is perfect for casual gaming at 1080p and could even serve as your work from home computer – all for £769.99. This gaming PC is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G APU, which is a processor with integrated RX Vega Graphics. Therefore, serving as your GPU, too. You can always upgrade to a dedicated GPU when there’s some wiggle room in your budget. Currently, with 16GB RAM, the Refract Crimson is more than capable of running games like League of Legends and Valorant at over 160FPS on 1080p high settings. 

The cherry atop the Crimson, however, is the fact it comes with a three-year warranty as standard. For no extra cost, you are covered by a warranty that includes parts and labour, for three whole years. Plus, as a pre-build, it is eligible for next-day delivery when in stock. Get your gaming PC to you faster! 

Refract Gaming Crimson Pre-Built Gaming PC (FS-1DL-EP)

  • Pre-built PC crafted for 1080p casual gaming
  • AMD Ryzen 5 5600G APU
  • 16GB DDR4 RAM
  • Stylish crimson lighting
  • Three years parts and labour warranty
Refract Gaming Crimson 2023

OcUK Gaming Kinetic H5M

Next, we have the first of two configurable gaming PCs. The OcUK Gaming Kinetic H5M is a gaming PC which utilises Intel hardware. As a configurable gaming PC, you have a great amount of flexibility when it comes to what components are installed. At its base specifications, this PC retails for £599.99, but you have options for alternative CPUs, GPUs, and even the case it comes in. Should you go for the most expensive option on everything, the price becomes £1,903.00, but there are certainly plenty of adjustments you can make without breaking the £1000 mark. 

Specs and Price Comparison

ComponentBase SpecMax Spec
CPUIntel Core i3-10105FIntel Core i5-10400F
CaseKolink Inspire K6 Micro-ATXFractal Design Define Mini C Micro-ATX
MemoryTeam Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB DDR4 RAMKingston Fury Beast 32GB DDR4 RAM
GPUPalit NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030ASUS GeForce RTX 3050
Primary StorageWD Blue SA510 500GB SSDSamsung 4TB 870 QVO SSD
Secondary StorageN/ASamsung 4TB 870 QVO SSD
Mechanical StorageN/AWD 4TB Black HDD
USB WiFiN/AASUS USB-AC51 Dual-Band Wireless-AC600 Wi-Fi Adapter
Operating SystemWindows 11 HomeWindows 11 Pro
Total Cost£599.99£1,903.00

With its base spec, the OcUK Gaming Kinetic H5M utilises an Intel Core i3-10105F processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and NVIDIA GTX 1030 graphics card. If you are aiming for casual gaming, then this will serve you well. Certain AAA titles, such as Apex Legends, can be run from a GTX 1030 GPU with smooth frame rates at 1080p. If you wanted a little more graphical power, and have the budget to spare, for an additional £230 you can upgrade to an NVIDIA RTX 3050. Should that be the only upgrade you go for, you’ll still be getting a massive boost in gaming performance. 

What’s more, there’s a comprehensive selection of SSDs and HHDs, meaning you can tweak and change options to get the bytes you need at the price you want. 

OcUK Gaming Kinetic H5M - Micro ATX Intel H510 Configurable Comet Lake Home PC

OcUK Gaming Kinetic H5M Configurable PC (FS-1F7-OG)

  • Intel Comet Lake configurable PC
  • Two CPU options
  • Built and tested by our team of experts
  • Flexible storage options
  • Three years parts and labour warranty

OcUK Gaming Kinetic R4

The second configurable computer is the OcUK Kinetic R4 Gaming PC. This model is based on AMD hardware, with its own flexible selection of component options. With its base specs chosen, this gaming PC retails for £719.99, which can increase to £2,218.85 should you select every upgrade available. 

Specs and Price Comparison

ComponentBase SpecMax Spec
CPUAMD Ryzen 5 5500AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
CaseKolink Citadel Micro-ATXCorsair Crystal 280X RGB Micro-ATX
MemoryTeam Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB DDR4 RAMTeam Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB DDR4 RAM
GPUPowerColor Radeon RX 6500 XT FighterAsus GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Dual
Primary StorageWD Blue SA510 500GB SSDSamsung 4TB 870 EVO SSD
Secondary StorageN/ASamsung 4TB 870 EVO SSD
USB WiFiN/ATP-Link Archer AC1300 Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter
Operating SystemWindows 11 HomeWindows 11 Pro
Total Cost£719.99£2.218.85

As with the previous configurable gaming PC, you don’t need to opt for the most expensive option to get a decent gaming PC. You can pick and choose where to up your budget depending on your needs. As standard, this computer utilises an AMD Ryzen 5500 processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and an AMD Radeon RX 6500XT graphics card. A veritable foundation for any gaming PC. 

Should you need a touch more graphical performance for your gaming, there are three more AMD graphics cards and even two NVIDIA GPUs to pick from. Perhaps you’re a content creator and need more memory to run your apps smoothly, there is the option for 32GB DDR4 RAM. Once again, you have plenty of storage options as well, meaning you can tailor this gaming PC to suit your exact needs and budget. 

OcUK Gaming Kinetic R4 Configurable PC (FS-1DN-OG)

  • AMD Ryzen 5000 configurable PC
  • Three CPU options
  • Built and tested by our team of experts
  • Flexible storage options
  • Three year parts and labour warranty
OcUK Gaming Kinetic R4 Configurable PC

Refract Amber

Our final spotlight today goes to another Refract Gaming PC, the Refract Amber. Though it may be quite the jump in base price from the other three today, we feel it is fantastic value at £1,199.99. As a part of the Refract range, this gaming PC is fully pre-built before it’s shipped to you. It also qualifies for next-day delivery when in stock. Plus, it comes with that cheeky three years parts and labour warranty. 

The Refract Amber has been expertly designed and hand-built by our team of experts. Packed with cherry-picked hardware, this gaming PC is perfect for 1080p gaming on all your favourite titles. This computer can achieve over 200FPS on both Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 at 1080p. This is thanks to the combination of an AMD Ryzen 5 7500F processor, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card. This trifecta will have you playing all your faves with smooth frame rates!

Refract Gaming Amber 2023

Refract Gaming Amber Pre-Built Gaming PC (FS-1DK-EP)

  • Pre-built PC crafted for 1080p gaming
  • AMD Ryzen 5 7500F CPU
  • NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPU
  • 1TB SSD storage
  • Three years parts and labour warranty
Refract GFX square

Explore our full Refract Gaming range. Each has been carefully crafted to facilitate different play styles and resolutions.

In the Market for an Upgrade?

If you’re not in need of a full gaming PC but could use an upgrade here or there, we have the answer for that too! Replacing individual components is a great way to save now, and buy yourself some time before the blue screen of doom. Our PC component stock is varied and covers everything you need for a gaming PC. For more targeted shopping, click the category links below and get browsing! 

Intel Motherboards

Asus Prime Z590-A (Socket LGA 1200) DDR4 ATX Motherboard

Intel Processors

Intel Core i7 14th Gen CPU box

NVIDIA Graphics Cards

ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 Ti GPU

AMD Motherboards

ASUS ROG Strix B650 Motherboard

AMD Processors

AMD Ryzen 9 7000 CPU

AMD Graphics Cards

Sapphire Radeon RX 6900 XT GPU

DDR4 RAM

Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB DDR4 RAM

DDR5 RAM

Corsair Dominator Platinum EXPO DDR5 RAM

Upgrade Bundles

8Pack Approved ASUS ROG Strix-A Z690 Overclocked Gaming Bundle
DDR4 vs DDR5

Learn the difference between DDR4 and DDR5 RAM – discover which is for you!

Power Supply Units

ASUS ROG ATX 3.0 PSU

SSDs (Storage)

WD Black 1TB SSD

HDD (Storage)

SEAGATE 4TB HDD

Please note: All prices are correct at time of publishing. All PC specs are subject to change.

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